16.11.2008

Left 4 Dead is a Co-operative survival horror game, by Valve, renown for their games such as the Half-life series, Counter Strike and Team Fortress 2. Left 4 Dead is another promising Gem entering Valve's legacy.Name: Left 4 DeadPlayers: 1-4 (Co-operatively) 1-8 (Competitively)RRP: £24.99Developer: ValvePublisher: ValveGenre: Action/Survival HorrorRelease Date: 21st November (18th November if purchased from Steam)-=Story=-The story is brief but does not really affect the game play at all. It's the usual modern day zombie survival story, seen in such films as 28 Days Later or The Dawn of the Dead Remake, where an infectious virus has been released into the world populous (this case an aggressive strain of rabies)turning many into mindless hordes, bent on murdering those who still remain alive. It's not a ground-breaking Indie storyline, but it sets the stage for the various scenarios. You play from the perspective of four survivors: Bill the old Vietnam veteran, Zoey a sentimental young lady, Francis a hot-header biker and Louis your typical store manager, the characters themselves are personalised and you'll quickly form an attachment to them, though you'll grow to hate the mutant evolved `Boss Zombies'from the: agile hoody wearing Hunter, the Smoker with his 30 ft tongue, the putrid Boomer, the weeping Witch and the all frightening Tank who will continuously hunt you down throughout the game.-=Game play=-The game's campaign mode is split into four different scenarios which are all completely unrelated to one another. Valve's aim for the game was to create different campaigns which would replicate many scenarios seen in the medium. The campaigns, which are comprised of 5 levels each, would take about an hour to complete each, but that is just down to Theory, and not necessarily the case. Depending on the difficulty you're playing at (I would recommended Expert as it really does make the game far more enjoyable with a challenge) you'll reach constant points of being killed and having to restart the level over. Fortunately that is not a bad thing at all, for the game constantly keeps you on your toes, and the inclusion of the AI director which continuously shakes up the game play, keeping it rich and exciting.If you chose to play alone, the computer will take control of the other three characters in your party, however if you chose to play the game the way it is meant to be played, online then each player can take the role of each of the characters. Even if you lack human companions, the AI is very smart and sometimes you wish you had them backing you up as opposed to your human friends. The Campaign is limited to four player co-operative play, however you can take a gander over to the versus mode where an additional four players can take control of the Special `Boss' Zombies (apart from the Witch) and make the survivors' lives a living hell.-= Design=-Running from a newly upgraded version of the Source engine, which is used to power many of Valve's games, it is still the best in the business. The AI director constantly alters music, visual effects, spawns and much more throughout the game, which literally bolsters replayability ten times over. The game is very user friendly which means you pick up the game in a matter of minutes and be playing like a Professional in no time, the interface keeps you going through the game alerting to various points of interest and keeping you instructed on what to do next.-=Presentation=-The game is visually appealing, it's defiantly no Crysis in regards to graphics, but it bolsters a large variety of Photo-realistic textures and effects, which makes the game attractive, without hindering performance. This addition of the source engine is defiantly up to snuff, at times there can be up to fifty zombies on screen, all visually different and delicious gritty looking, and this does not hinder performance at all the game constantly runs at 50 fps with little to no drop in performance. Though it all depends on your system spec the source engine is really flexible and if you were able to run Half-life 2 - Episode 2 with no problem on medium settings, then you should be fine. The sound effects are very crisp and at times terrifying, the voice acting from the survivors is also very well delivered, reacting to everything around them.-=Conclusion=-If there was a must-buy game I could recommend for this holiday season, it would be Left 4 Dead. Get a few friends together online or at a lan-party and you're in for a treat, with many late-nights leaving you on the edge of your seat as you blast through a finely polished tense rollercoaster, at a game with is priced at well below the usual RRP, you could do no wrong.

21.11.2008

I think I've found my new favourite shooter.Bought this about three hours ago and I've only just put my head back up. My jaw has bounced off the floor several times, and I need a good cuppa and a sit-down.The premise is simple. You are one of four survivors of a zombie apocalypse, fighting off the horde and trying to survive. But, you know that anyway, don't you? You want to know if it's any good, and the answer is a definitive Yes. Valve have once again blown expecations away.You can play either online or with the computer-controlled teammates, and I'd recommend trying the computer first, as you'll get the hang of it in a "safe" environment.Mind you, it really doesn't feel very safe.Right from the off, when you tool up, Counter-Strike style, it's action all the way. And ammo is, rightly, a bit scarce so you'll be shooting with care, most of the time. However, it's properly panic-inducing when the full horde show up (and they do, often!) then you're overwhelmed, firing blindly all around you and praying for an end to it all. Honestly, it's just great. There's a good few different zombie "classes" to face up against, including Smokers, who explode in a cloud of choking gas which blinds you and they have another nasty trick up their sleeves too; hunters who as the name suggests are quick and wily; and Boomers, great big fat zombies who retch bile all over you. Don't shoot these big fellas at point blank range, or they'll burst into green goo, obscuring your vision and in a particularly mean twist this goo attracts Loads and Loads of zombies, and remember you can't see them for all the muck spattered across your face! Noisy and horrible.The co-op element has been done before, but it's really important in this game. Look after your team and they'll look after you, rescuing you when you're pinned down, reviving you when you're badly wounded and providing medical aid when health is low. When your teammates are hurt, you can choose to heal them (assuming you're carrying any first-aid) and when they're seriously hurt the'll shudder and shake all over the place and genuinely look poorly. Again, it's the Source engine's face rendering that really sets it apart from other games. Valve have done a great job making sure you will want to play as a team, not as a lone gun.I've tagged that it uses Steam, as no doubt there'll be loads of people whining on about Steam ruining their lives blah blah blah, so fair warning - You must have Steam for the game to work. If like me you embraced Steam a long time ago, then it won't be a problem.Left 4 Dead won't win any awards for rich and complex storytelling, but that isn't what it's aimed at. It has no pretensions towards being Resident Evil or Silent Hill, it's just a very very effective Zombie Shooter, done much better than I was expecting. It's as cheesy as Dawn of The Dead, as simple as Team Fortress 2 and I was genuinely yelling at my screen several times, throwing ammo away blindly and then laughing like a goon.Even as game art, it's a cut above. The AI is fast and scary, and it's never the same if you play the same scenario again, so replay value is assured. The action pacing is close to flawless which means you're not going to get time to be bored, but you'll never feel that the difficulty level is just too high. You do get lots of good chances to reload and mop your sweaty brow between the full-on assaults. You'll need them!Top drawer. Well done Valve, Left 4 Dead is superb. Now, I'm off back online to find a server and kill me some deadites.

9.11.2008

Ive always thought you can't really fault steam. The download speeds are great, the integrated multiplayer and social network is very good and works just like xbox live but minus the cost-and it really does cut down on piracy and increase sales. For me its a perfect fit as i always look very closely at games before buying them and rarely get ones i wont love to death, i tend not to sell them. Of course this is something noteworthy but i really dont think you will want to sell this game.One thing which i sorely missed in the half life 2 series is co-op mode. In the episodes alyx just stands there next to you the whole way-an intelligent and somewhat humanlike bot: but nowhere near as good as a friend controlling her.Hopefully this game will build on the incredible fun i had in half life 2 with this social co-op. This will be very important to this game and i pre-emptively advise all potential buyers to force friends to buy this game :).Here we will see the valve sheen-an essence of quality that eminates from their games. Gameplay will hopefully be as atmospheric as half life 2 but more so due to every zombie charging at you and increasing the pace. It was fun to lazily pick off headcrab zombies in half life 2, but nowhere near as exillerating as when zombines come at you full tilt. Frenetic is a good word to sum it up. It will be like those scarce occasions almost relentlessly: plus the amazing feeling of co-operative play-making you work together as a team and sharing the whole experience. just go on an xbox and do gears of war 2 with a friend or online and you will see what i mean.On tuesday there will be a demo that will probably force me to preorder this game through its brilliance but as i say its not for those who sell their games on to save money, and its not for those who dont want it. This sounds kind of obvious but i am shocked at the number of friends i have who buy fps games and dont actually like the notion of a first person linear shooter. if you like whats being offered then go on steam on tuesday and make your mind up! i, for one, cannot wait!summary:-fast paced action-horror moments-its made by valve for gods sake-have they made a bad game yet?-co-op making the already excellent steam even more like xbox live-very good price-source engine looks amazing and doesnt break your pc-9001 other thingsother stuff:The only thing im really annoyed with is that you cant properly route voice comms through a headset in steam games at the moment. Hopefully this will be possible in this game that it is pivotal in. you always end up with the voices coming out of your speakers on steam chat :(Also i would like to see a cross-platform co-op option. Of course this wont happen but shadowrun did it, and i have a lot more friends with xboxes who are getting this game than on pc.Companies like valve are hard at working creating things like this to fight the cancer of securom. If you dont want a horrible piece of spyware with a poor game on top then check valve out :)steam drm=totally fair with no faults i have found yet+1 to amazon for offering it cheaper than steam. Buy it here, type in the serial and download it/install from disc.the end.P.s these are opinions-the first person to say that i am a retard for not hating any kind of drm will instantly and irreversably fail at life. Intelligent comments are encouraged.

27.1.2009

Left 4 dead is one of the funnest games I have playedThough I usually play things such as Need for Speed, Tomb Raider and Smash Bros' Brawl, Left 4 Dead is the first game I have played to be "Mature" I will put itThe fun factor goes off the scale, and iff you were to play it once, youre going to want to play againYou play as either Zoey, Francis, Bill or Louis, a team of survivors who are desperately trying to find a way out of the cityFeaturing 4 different scenarios (No Mercy: Get to Mercy Hospital, Dead Air: Take a plane out of the city, Blood Harvest: A radio is in an old farm, and Death Toll: Get to the docks) Each place makes you tense, as the infected have made a ghost town of the city,

21.11.2008

For anyone looking to experience "28 days later" in a game, this is for you. Zombie hordes, creepy deserted locations and 4 people who need to make it out alive. The game is created by valve, the folks who brought you Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Half Life and Portal....so you know this is going to be a quality title and they don't disappoint.After finishing the single player campaigns, online multiplayer will keep you coming back for more as you and three friends (or three random people) fight your way through different maps. It is a barrel of laughs and makes you play as a team..because alone you will not be able to survive and will be ripped up by some zombie.Go ahead and buy this one,

29.12.2008

How many times have you played multiplayer games which are set up to reward team play only to watch everyone running around doing their own thing regardless of how the team is doing?It's okay, that was a rhetorical question. But you know how rare it is for people to play for the team.Well this is different. Not only is this a brilliantly atmospheric and action-packed game where opportunities for utter murderous destruction abound (and so it's a great stress reliever), but basically you wont get anywhere unless you work as a team so there's a great sense of a group of people coming together to get through the experience.It's quite playable as single player, but online is where it comes into its own.

12.4.2009

Imagine a world full of zombies; now imagine that world with only a few survivors and you managed to end up being one of these fortunate beings now destined to fight off the hordes. Got that image securely stuck in your mind? Great... that is Left 4 Dead's basic structure; however that view completely fails to capture the adrenaline rush which you receive as you advance through the campaign mowing you way through the masses of recently deceased. The sight of seeing hundreds of bodies falling at your feet as you do your best to keep yourself and your companions alive long enough to be taken to safety is certainly an exciting prospect which you look forward to at the start of each mission.The

8.3.2009

You only have to watch the intro to this game to understand what a masterpiece it is. The game mechanics accurately reflect everything that the intro movie shows, from hanging off buildings and having to be rescueed by your friends, to setting off car alarms and drawing hordes of zombies. Tanks to constricting smokers, boomers and hunters, hordes and just single enemies hiding in cupboards that you don't see until they've knocked you down and eaten your ears - this game is great fun.The difficulties scale so well, easy I can't vouch for, but normal is a good introduction to the game, and advanced is where the first day's playtime will be spent, but the real meat of the game is in expert difficulty.

14.11.2008

I have recently played the Left 4 Dead demo and all I can say is: 'wow!'. It truly was fun, exciting, scary and great to play with friends. Sometimes games these days promise the earth and deliver nothing but this game is the opposite. I was pleasantly surprised that it was everything I wanted and more. If anyone has played the free mod Zombie Panic source you will realise how easily these zombie survival games can go badly. Keeping the team compact to 4 is good, keeps it nice and tight-knit and personal. Also makes the need to stick together much more obligatory, if you run off on your own thinking you're great you may suddenly be hit by caught by a bloomer or a hunter.

14.11.2008

first: DONT BY OFF STEAM IF YOUR IN THE UK ITS A RIP-OFF, AMAZON IS MUCH CHEAPER!!!ive played the demo, and i can tell you it is amazing, the best online co-op game ever.:::Gameplay:::Unlike no other the tactics and the way that you have to work together is amazing!also the health mechanism is great, its almost like you have 3 lives, but there are some consiquences.:::Graphics:::obvioulsy not as good as Crysis(not much is) but still outstanding graphics, i have a Geforce 6600 GT (the mininmum you need) and i can run everything on medium and some on high, with very low framerate cost. sure, the graphics are not amazing but there god to my startdurds(when all of medium):::Sound:::what a weapon should sound like,

4.2.2009

I have been a great fan of Valve products to date, starting off with the Half-Life franchise, Left 4 Dead has been a hit in a niche market where others have tried and failed.It truly is Co-Op TEAMPLAY. This is not a single player game with four people playing the game, this is where it truly gives you stories you share with your friends about. You have to rely on others in your team to support you due to the way the mechanics of the game forces you to.Left 4 Dead has the normal Co-Op story mode which while challenging-but-possible on normal mode for a PuG scales to a very intensive gaming mode when you switch up the difficulty.Then there is the versus mode, intelligent zombies!

25.4.2009

As someone who's not very good at your average shooter, but enjoys co-op play, this game stands, no make that towers, above other games in the FPS genre. Of course, it's unique in the way it deals with co-op play where it really does make a big difference to success. Players who go solo during co-op games instantly detract from the sheer joy and scariness to be gleaned from facing the hordes as a team.Personally, this has to be one of my all time favourites, though I'm relatively late in buying this (April 09) so the novelty has yet to wear off.My only gripe has to be it's too short, but the modding community are fervently addressing this issue.

8.12.2008

A great game providing that you have a decent Internet connection.My only major complaint about the game is the match-making, for not being able to see your ping before you begin the game.European players mixed with American hosted servers = Lag.Players also occasionally leave in the middle of a game so you'll be stuck with AI controlled bots untill new players arrive.Versus mode is fun but is abit repetitive seeing as how there's only 2 maps available to play on at the moment.We'll have to wait and see what kind of mods will be available to improve the game as it is.You may want to buy a mic if you don't already have one,

13.11.2008

I am playing the demo since two days. At the beginning I thought, well this is a decent game, nothing special. But this game gets better and better the more often you play it. The AI Director works great. Every game is completely different to the other. You will never know where the next mob will come screaming and running up to you. The atmosphere, graphics, control and sound are great. It is the best co-op shooter I have ever played. YOu definitely need four human players to beat this on expert mode cause the Ai of your teammates is pretty lame. I can't wait to finally play this game. It reminds me of the great movie: 28 days later. Let's stop the apocalypse one bullet at a time.

3.12.2008

After getting this game about two-three days ago I've been playing it fairly intermittently and I think that's how its meant to be played. I agree with other reviews when they say it gets boring after a while, yeah thats when you stop playing. Go away and do something else then play it again a while later.Its beautifully presented, the graphics are gorgeous. I love nothing more than mindlessly popping a few zombies heads of once in a while, the sounds are great though they do get a little annoying and it gets to the stage of "I've heard it all before" but thats when I turn my music up.The gameplay is great, its definitely a much better game online, though you do need a fast connection otherwise lag is horrendous.

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