Left 4 Dead

"Left 4 Dead has Bang 4 Your Buck"

Left 4 Dead is the latest game from Valve Software, and while it doesn't necessarily offer anything unlike that which we've seen before, the game elements that are incorporated are done with such precision that this game just screams fun.

This game has 4 modes to offer: single player, versus, cooperation, and narrative. Single player and campaign are essentially the same mode, albeit single player is you and 3 bots playing your companion, whereas in campaign you recruit up to 3 other players to accompany you. Narrative will be familiar to any of those who have played any of the Orange Box games, where you make your way through the map nigh invincible, and activate speech bubbles to learn about how the game was made (a feature which I thoroughly enjoyed). Finally, versus is a mode of 2 teams, survivors and the infected, where the survivors try and make it to the end of each level in the selected chapter, in hopes that they can make it farther and in better condition than the other team when the roles are switched.

While this sounds like it could be repetetive and boring after an afternoon's worth of play, the game's creators went through much hassle to implement a "director" for both the game's musical score, weapon spawn points, and infected spawn points. Essentially, the game makes checks on the fly based on the players' locations and conditions and spawns infected in different regions of the map, so while the map may stay the same, you will never walk into a game anticipating the same certain zombie around the same certain corner. This is the same for the weapon locations. The music director, on the other hand, changes the tension and volume of the music based on the action going on as well, so while all characters might hear an eerie tune during the lull in the zombie encounters, those with lower health or ammo might hear more intense beats due to their desperation for health and ammo.

Speaking of sound, in a game where it takes such a critical role as it does in L4D, you can't help but notice how well it's pull off. Actually, it's executed so well you might NOT notice it, due to it's effectiveness in helping further immerse the player in the game's dark spooky atmosphere. The graphics are well executed in their own right, with zombies coming in many flavors (outside of the 5 unique infected classes) so you never really feel like your shooting the same zombies over and over. The art team also went above and beyond in creating the main characters, who are all intricately detailed so that they convey their respective lore. Lighting and level construction should also be mentioned, seeing as the game has been crafted to immerse the player and it certainly does so with flying colors.

Overall I wholly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys a good shooter, or zombie movies. As previously stated, the game has a limited bag of tricks, (think Portal for those of you who've played it, short but oh so sweet) but it pulls them off so well you can't help but get sucked into the atmosphere. You will certainly be getting your money's worth if you choose to buy this gem, and hopefully more via Steam in the near future.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/20/08