"Any zombie movie fan will surely know Romero’s films and the 28 Days Later series. Having these scenarios as a playable game hasn’t been done very often successfully recently other than Dead Rising. So what if Dead Rising was turned into a first person shooter and added 4 player co-op?"
Overall: 4 words: THIS GAME IS FUN ! And I mean that when I say this. the gameplay is great same with audio and there are a hell of alot of zombies to kill. If you like achievements then this is an all time great game to own. I thought this game was going to suck at first until I actually played it I could not belive it. go out and get this game right now.
Overall: Left 4 Dead isn't for everybody. People without XBOX Live will get little to no enjoyment out of this title. People without any friends won't like this title. People without any social skills for online gaming will not like this game. For the rest of us, welcome to the best way to waste your time before Christmas.
Left 4 Dead really doesn't have a single player component. You can play the multiplayer game with AI Bots (labeled as single player), but that's really not fun now is it? This game is meant to be played with people online. You and three other people team up to star in a B Grade Horror Flick with 5 different linear levels. Your role? To get from point A to point B and kill everything in your path. At the beginning of each level you are given a choice of weapon (either automatic gun or shotgun), healthpack, and some ammo. After you collect this, you are your friends are on your way. The AI in this game is aptly named the "Director". This director will throw waves upon waves of enemies at you depending on how you are doing. It's a very smart system that takes a number of things into consideration. What does this mean? Each time you go through a level, it's completely different than the last time you did.
Along the way you will meet a couple different types of zombies. There's the normal horde (you, me, the next guy) who became infected and lumber around until startled. Then there is the hunter who pounces on people and slashes out their intestines. The Boomer is a huge hulking fat behemoth who spews vomit on unsuspecting survivors only to have the Horde be attracted to it. The Smoker shoots his tounge out at people at draws them near. The Tank is a huge enemy with lots of health and deals lots of damage. To take him down you need a cooperative effort. Finally, the witch...oh, the witch. She won't bother you, unless you bother her. You will know where she is too. When you hear an emo chick crying, turn off your flashlights and be mindful of where you step. If you disturb her she will get up and run at you with razor sharp claws. These claws usually kill in 1-2 hits depending on health. But, if you leave her alone, she will do the same to you.
Sounds awesome right? It gets better. Versus play lets two teams (one for survivors, one for infected) duke it out in a similar method like the campaign. The survivors go about the game as normal while the infected take over the role of the director. You spawn as a boomer, hunter, smoker, or even a tank in some cases and try to bring down the survivors. You can't chose who you want to be on the infected side (so the director still has some say), but it's fun nonetheless.
Ok, there's the good, so what about the bad? Of course there is bad stuff, but the good heavily outweigh the bad. For starters, there's really only 4 maps. These 4 maps are broken up into 5 levels each (totaling 20) but when you really start to play the game a lot, these same levels can get a little predictable. Thankfully, the AI (director) mixes up the encounters enough that each level feels a little different each time. Hopefully, in the future, we will see some DLC/updates that add to this mix.
The graphics in the game aren't top notch, but they aren't anything to scoff at. Instead of focusing on the graphics by themselves (character models, trashcans, etc.) focus on the level in it's entirety. VALVE do a @!%#*! good job making you feel like you are in an abandoned world. A world that use to be thriving with cop cars and news vans on the streets, broken coffee pots lying in store rooms, etc. This world is alive, or should I say, undead.
To recommend this game, it really comes down to one thing...do you like co-op games online? If you do, then you will most likely enjoy this title. If you prefer single player games and can't stand the thought of playing online with other people, avoid this game at all costs. The single player (remember, multiplayer with bots) is not a single player as much as it is practice for the online component.
All in all, this is a stellar game that will provide hours upon hours of entertainment for anyone who appreciates a good co-op game and enjoys zombie horror flicks (doesn't everyone?)
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