• the217
• Blogs
• Gamer’s Guide
• Left 4 Dead Review

• RSS

Left 4 Dead Review

posted by Mark Fujii at 9:02 pm.

• Bookmark & Share
• Comments (3)

One thing that gamers have come to expect from Valve is that delays are inevitable, and Valve’s latest title, Left 4 Dead, certainly fails to disappoint in that regard. Originally slated for a release date in 2007, the co-op zombie shooter from the makers of Half-Life and Portal has finally arrived after months of eager anticipation, but does Left 4 Dead live up to Valve’s standards of excellent quality, or is this finally a blemish in their otherwise flawless portfolio?

Unlike Half-Life and various other Valve projects, Left 4 Dead isn’t focused on a narrative, but it never really suggests the pretense that it is either. While there are scattered little hints that help flesh out the game’s back story (sketched messages in graffiti on the wall of safe houses etc.) all you really need to know is that you are one of the four survivors stranded in a world populated by the undead. Escape and survival are your only objectives, and the only help you’re going to find is in your three team mates. And a whole lot of guns.

Left 4 Dead is a massive accomplishment in at least two different departments. First and foremost, it’s probably the most faithful video incarnation of the zombie genre that fans have ever been treated to. Yes, even better than Resident Evil 4. The other is in its cooperative gameplay.

While the game does offer you the chance to run through the game by yourself (with the aid of three fairly competent AI partners) you won’t get very far. Gunning through easy and normal mode is fairly straight forward and feasible though not entirely rewarding, but the inability to coordinate as a team and ration your equipment will more than likely spell out your demise on harder difficulty settings. It’s nice that Valve threw in the option for a single player mode, but let’s face it. This game was built for cooperative game play.

You and three other players are tasked with getting from point A on a map to point B. There are safe houses scattered throughout the four scenarios (each of which is broken into multiple levels) offering you a moment’s respite from the zombie horde to heal up and restock on guns and ammunition. Other than that, though, while you traverse through a subway, a forest, a city, etc. waves of zombies are constantly going to be after you. Sometimes only a few zombies might amble towards you, but more often than not, you and your fellow survivors while find yourselves contending with armies of screeching monsters. On top of that, you’ll also need to deal with “special” zombies -monsters with unique abilities that will be sure to make your life miserable. Whether it’s the Tank (a humongous zombie that will stomp you flat in a second), or the Witch (a sobbing zombie that will freak you out every time you run into her) encountering one of these special breed of undead ensures that gamers stay on their toes at all times.

Fortunately, you’ll be well armed to fight the legions of the undead. You’ll find shotguns, sniper rifles, assault rifles, submachine guns, pipe bombs, Molotov cocktails etc. -all the tools you’ll need to paint the walls red with zombie brains. Each weapon has their own unique feel to it, and each weapon serves its own purpose. A submachine gun is weaker but excellent for nailing faster zombies, and a shotgun blast at close range will normally always put a zombie down for good.

The way the levels are paced allows Valve’s new AI to show it’s stuff. Essentially, the stage AI directs the tempo of the game, ensuring that each play through is unique. Items and weapons are staged in different locations, zombies are moved around, the “special” zombies are randomized, etc. Also, if the game ever feels like you’re taking too long or trying your best to turtle your way through the level, it will send packs of zombies rushing at you to encourage you to move things along.

What more is there to really say? When played with other people, Left 4 Dead genuinely makes you feel like you’re in a zombie movie. You’re consistently on edge, consistently worrying about what may lurk behind the next corner, consistently rationing your limited health and ammunition -the frantic nature of the game creates a wonderful atmosphere of tension, dread, and excitement that subconsciously encourages gamers to cooperate in order to survive. Sure, periodically you’ll run into some dickhead who will do their best to screw things up (and you will -trust me) but when played with a group of mature gamers, Left 4 Dead offers a multiplayer experience unlike anything you’ve ever played before. It may be true that the levels are a bit on the brief side -you can burn through a scenario in around forty minutes depending on the difficulty level. However, despite that, between the game’s inherent awesomeness and the constantly changing level AI, I’ve easily logged in several hours of Left 4 Dead with friends without ever finding the gameplay repetitive.

And in the unlikely event that you do tire of the campaign, Valve also included a zombie vs survivor mode that allows you to play as one of the “special” zombies. I haven’t even had a chance to play that though honestly. I’ve been too absorbed in the campaign to get the chance yet.

The graphics, perhaps, are Left 4 Dead’s weakest aspect. It’s running on Half-Life 2’s Source Engine, and while it’s been tweaked and refined to look awesome and run smoothly on the Xbox 360 and PC, it’s starting to show its age. It still displays some awesome shadows and lighting effects, but overall the visuals look somewhat dated in comparison to newer titles in the FPS genre.

In conclusion, Left 4 Dead is an amazing game that is an excellent addition to Valve’s vast repetoir of quality titles. While it is severely lacking in the single player department, Left 4 Dead isn’t made to be one. It’s intended to be played cooperatively, and in that respect, you will be hard pressed to find a game that does it better than Left 4 Dead. There may be, perhaps, some concern that the game’s four scenarios may not be enough to satisfy the hardcore FPS fan, but I can assure you, Left 4 Dead has a way of bringing you back for one more scenario even after you’ve played each of them multiple times. Maybe it’s because you’re playing with a new crew of team mates, or maybe it’s because the game just happens to switch up things on you, but each time you play is always unique, fresh, and one hell of a good time.

Final Verdict: Buy It
Final Score: 9.5/10

For more of Mark’s reviews check out my Sazze page

Mark Fujii: I'm your typical college student who plays too much video games. I also work as an electronic sales associate, meaning I sell Ipods and violent video games to your children when not trying to sneak off and play Super Smash Bros while the boss isn't looking. Oh, and I'm totally awesome. True fact.