Left 4 Dead

"The best zombie game I've ever played"

Plot 10/10

It just your typical zombie plot: Everybody is infected with a virus to which you are immune. It gets obvious what you have to do here as soon as you even look at the game. Not sure what else to say. Moving on.

Gameplay 10/10

Okay. The gameplay is awesome. first off, these aren't your normal, stupid zombies that you see in games like DeadRising and Resident Evil, these ones are completely different. They run fast, they climb, they scream, and their obviously pissed at you. They even fight with each other sometimes, but don't count on that too often. Anyway, these things are in random locations, each time you play. There is this "AI Director" that controls everything, which means, enemy placement, item placement, hell, you might even find one area different from when you last saw it. Anyway, you can play by yourself or with a friend offline, while playing with up to 8 players online (4 for Campaign, 8 for Versus.) You can play as 1 of 4 survivors, and when that's done, you can start playing. From here, you just shoot your way through tons of zombies to get to the safe room, where you can advance to the next area. So, it's kinda like DOOM in way. You shoot your way through tons of Demons from Hell, and get to that red panel at the end. The safe room door happens to be red. Anyway, there are 4 chapters to play through, and a 5th one that's just an all-out battle against the Infected. There are also 5 types of Special Infected: The Hunter, which can jump long distances to pounce survivors. The Smoker, which can pull Survivors great distances with it's tongue. The Boomer, which can vomit on you to attract the Horde, and, as an act of revenge, when it dies, it burst, covering all caught in the blast with Boomer Bile. The Tank, the most powerful, and toughest enemy in the game. It will kill you if you are not careful, especially on the higher difficulties. and, finally, the Witch. I don't consider her to be a Special Infected, as she is not common enough to be one, and she can sometimes not appear in a level at all. All she wants is to be left alone to cry, so let her. She is more dangerous than she looks.

Online Multiplayer Gameplay 10/10

The gameplay here is also awesome. For Versus, it's exactly like Campaign, except there are other players controlling the Special Infected. It's if you want extra challenge from the game. The only problem I have here, is that the Special Infected die too easily. Take the Boomer for example. He's very slow, his Bile gauge fills up slowly, and he has only 50 health, which makes a few shots very dangerous for him, as he will burst in a few seconds. The Special Infected could have at least been given more health than the Survivors, because isn't that what zombies are supposed to have? Extra Endurance? Whatever, like I said, it's only if you want extra challenge. for Campaign, well, it's just the Campaign mode, except your playing with 4 other people. Not much to say. Now, if you have the Game of the Year edition, or you just downloaded for this game for free, you have the Survival content. This adds the Survival Mode to the different modes of play. Like the name suggests, you have to hold out for as long as you can in a never-ending wave of Infected, with each wave becoming harder than the next (even with multiple Tanks coming once in a while). This mode is only online however, I guess because it's super hard to get even the bronze medal. Anyway, this is a great feature. It just adds up to how awesome this game is, and it's already high enough replay value.

Graphics 10/10

The graphics are awesome. The characters and Infected are very well designed, and the game is a complete bloodbath. Blood here, there, everywhere! Now, I think that's a good thing. But hey, to each his own, right?

Overall 10/10

Overall, this is a game you have to have in your collection. Everything about it is perfect, the replay value couldn't possibly get higher, and the price tag's not bad either. So buy the game, sit down, kill some zombies, and have a nice day.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/28/09

Game Release: Left 4 Dead (Game of the Year Edition) (US, 05/12/09)