Left 4 Dead

"A test of teamwork"

The survival horror genre has been played out, but only a select few actually have other characters support you as you make your way through the armies of the undead. Co-op is an element that is rarely enforced, but in Left 4 Dead, everyone is needed.


The story in this game is very brief. A virus outbreak has changed everyone in the city into zombie-like monsters and there are 4 survivors that must escape the city. The characters are Bill, a war veteran, Francis, a bad ass biker dude, Louis, the everyday Joe, and Zoey, a young woman who is a complete geek in the zombie genre in movies. The fact that this is all there is to the story may turn some people off, but for those who just want to jump straight into the action, this game is for you.


There are 4 areas to conquer and each one has 5 levels that are brief. Most of the levels are pretty narrow, which will makes the fights feel very tight as claustrophobia settles in. Each level is also pretty short, so most of them can be completed around 10 minutes more or less, depending on enemies and skill of the players. Each level is connected in terms of environment so they don't seem out of place as you progress. From city streets to a hospital or from a greenhouse to an airport, they all flow smoothly.


Most of the action is from the shooting and the weapons are basic, ranging from pistols to machine guns. The weapons are mostly player preference and won't have too much impact on the game itself, so there is no "wrong" choice here. You'll be fighting, a lot. The zombie hordes are plentiful in some places and they will attack from all sides, making teamwork a must if anyone is to survive. In fact, teamwork is an absolute requirement because if you try to move ahead of your team, you will be killed or be close to dying when enemies overwhelm you. You also need team members to help you when you take on the special zombies that have unique attacks and have the ability to immobilize and restrict you from fighting. Because this is a game of teamwork, you also need to communicate with your allies if the whole team is to be effective. If your health gets too low, you'll be downed and will bleed out unless you have someone to help you get up. If you are in danger of falling to your doom, you need someone to pull you up. Every player is needed and a divided team have no hope of surviving.


What keeps the game's replay value somewhat high is from the AI director. The director adjusts the game's enemies and items based on the overall status of the team, making planned strategies a waste of time. If you find a stash of guns in one spot on a particular level, don't expect to find it there the next time you play. In the same fashion, if you find a special zombie in one room, he may not be there in the next play through. This keeps the element of surprise very high. The director is not entirely perfect though since you may never get healing items when you really need them and the director has a slightly bad habit of sending a horde of zombies your way after you just finished killing a horde already from a scripted event. Along side the AI director is the music director that changes the music to fit with the current mood, which are also cues to what special zombie may be lurking around.


Since this game is mostly multiplayer, the online is where the game shines the most. You can join a lobby or even a game in progress and join based on what settings you would like to play on. Exclusive to the online is versus mode, which lets you play as the special zombies themsevles. The object here is to prevent the survivors from reaching the safe room or try to slow them down at least. If you get killed, you'll need to wait 20 seconds to respawn, which can be quite a bit of time to wait when you just want to get into the action already. The two sides will switch occasionally so no one will be left out as a survivor or zombie. The only gripe here is that versus cannot be played offline.


Since the game is mostly multiplayer, playing alone with AI bots can be a bit tiresome, but with friends, it's always a blast. With the randomness of enemies and items and the flexible online mode, this is a game where you want to find someone to play with so you can be assured someone will have your back if you get downed by a Tank.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/31/09

Game Release: Left 4 Dead (US, 11/18/08)