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Wednesday 19-Nov-08
Left 4 Dead Review
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Zombies really, really don’t know how to dance.
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Epic. Phenomenal. Breath taking. Awesome.
Unfortunately, it wouldn't be much of a review if I simply stopped there. But that pretty much sums up the long and short of it.
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What kind of friend would you be if you let one of your buddies fall off the edge?
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Left 4 Dead has been in development for several years now (since mid-2005), first under keen eye of Turtle Rock Studios, and then with Valve's assistance once Turtle Rock was bought out by Valve. The first time we got a decent glimpse of the game was as a 1 minute teaser which was packaged with the Orange Box. Since then, many had looked forward to getting more information about it, since a cooperative zombie shooter developed by one of the best PC game developers of all time was certainly something to keep an eye on.
We found out that the game would portray 4 survivors trying to fight their way out of different scenarios while blasting away at legions of the undead... the walking dead.... Or the dead living. Anyway, you get the point. However, there was one twist to the game that really made it stand out - the game would incorporate an AI director, which would spawn zombies in different areas each time you played it, as well as sending in hordes against you at different periods of time. Not only that, but weapons, ammo and health kits would rarely be in the same place more than once. I was skeptical that this so-called AI director could really live up to the hype, because it seemed a little too ambitious.
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If you look hard enough, you can see the TF2 Pyro laughing maniacally somewhere.
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But I was so wrong. The game was released yesterday to thousands of Steam users who pre ordered the game. According to Valve, there were 95% more pre orders for L4D than for the Orange Box, which is no small feat in itself, and making new friends while playing the game cooperatively online is quite easy.
Left 4 Dead has 4 different campaigns, each with 5 levels. You can choose to play either online with friends, with random strangers, or else you can have a go at it in the single player mode. Thus far, I've completed 3 of the 4 campaigns, and let me tell you, they're very different scenarios, so don't think there's going to be any sense of boredom due to similar surroundings. For example, in one campaign (No Mercy) you're fighting through a city, trying to reach a hospital rooftop to call a helicopter to rescue you. In a case like that, close quarters combat is the order of the day, and zombies will get up close and personal in narrow hallways, and small rooms. In another campaign (Blood Harvest), you find yourself trying to call the military to send a vehicle to rescue you and your teammates, and most of the combat takes place in the shrubs and forest, even in a cornfield (which was probably the most difficult place to face the zombies, in my experience). With more content likely to follow in the months ahead, replayability is almost limitless.
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It’s ok, it’s not like they were using their brains anyway.
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The game's graphics are great, Valve have tweaked their Source engine once again to improve the overall feel of it. The facial animations on the zombies were well detailed and thought out, and you're unlikely to see many zombies which look alike all that often. That's quite a feat, considering that zombies rush you in groups of 30 every couple of minutes. I'm not going to lie - it doesn't quite compare to the Unreal engine, but once you get to bashing zombies and blowing their heads apart, you won't give a damn.
One thing to keep in mind is that L4D isn't just trying to be another zombie shooter - it's trying (read: succeeds) to give you the feeling that you're part of the cast in a horror movie. All the effects which have been put into the game, such as the creepy music when a zombie horde is coming your way, or even the grayish hue your screen takes on once you're close to death, all give the impression that you're not only playing the game - you're actually experiencing it. That's a major leap that very, very few games have been able to replicate. The last worthy mention of a heavyweight that fell on its butt while trying to doing so was Doom 3. That's right, I said it.
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The house scribble on the wall shows us the way to the cottage where the 3 little pigs live.
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The cooperative play helps you to form a tight bond with your teammates - even if you've only just met them online 5 minutes ago. For those who think they can go run off by themselves like Chuck Norris, and survive, please do us all a favor and play the game by yourself, on single player. If you're going to play the game online with others, you have to be willing to watch your friend's back, share health, and pick them up when a zombie horde knocks them to the ground. That's what L4D is all about - cooperation and sharing a horrifying experience with others. The AI Director will always push you and your team to the very ends of your skill level. More often than not, players end up literally limping to the safe house at the end of the level, and there's a good chance that not all 4 players are alive to end the level together. The Director is not sadistic - rather, he does try to push you hard to cooperate with your teammates, and will always try to give you that amazing experience, that awesome survival story that you'll end up tell your friends for days and weeks to come. And believe me - you'll have plenty of those.
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Zombies have hangovers too, ya know.
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Not only can you play the game in campaign mode (both single player and online), but you can also play the "versus" mode, where 4 players play as the Infected bosses (see link for more information), and 4 others play as the Survivors. The Infected try to harass the Survivors as much as possible, trying to keep them from making it to the safe house at the end of the level, while the Survivors just have to make it to the safe house as fast, and as healthy as possible. Then, once the round is over, the two teams switch sides, so that those who played as the Infected can play as the Survivors, and vice versa. This goes on until the end of the campaign (all 5 maps), when the score is tallied up. The team who gets the most points at the end of the campaign, wins. The versus mode is a hell of a lot of fun, and nothing really makes your day funnier than playing as a Boomer (infected boss), and vomiting on a Survivor, only to watch dozens of zombies running towards that survivor, very much attracted to that Boomer bile, and tearing him/her to pieces. It's either that, or playing as a Tank, the most powerful Infected boss of all. Overall, the versus mode is sort of like L4D's 'deathmatch', only a lot more tense and frustrating, since Infected bosses are controlled by humans, unlike the campaign where the infected bosses are controlled by the AI.
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In a stare down contest between a man and a crashing plane, its pretty obvious you don’t wanna be that man.
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Running the game on a dual core, 8800 GTX, 2 gig RAM, the game performed very well, with no slowdowns whatsoever. The only technical issues the game has is the matchmaking which is necessary in order to connect to a game server. At times, I've experience pings of 500, and even a 1000. However, that's a rarity, and for the most part, I always find servers that have pings of around 70 or so. Valve are still working to fix the matchmaking in order to allow for better connections as well as easier server configuration.
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Showing off my bad ass tattoos might just make them run away...
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However, the bottom line is this: in my opinion, this is by far the best multiplayer games to come on the PC this year - hands down, no argument whatsoever. I'd also go on a limb and say that it may also be one of the best PC game this year, simply because of the experiences you'll have while beating down endless infected enemies with 3 of your friends. I don't say this often, but buy this game. If you like zombies, if you hate zombies, if you like horror movies, if you like playing online cooperatively with friends, if you love a good online gaming experience that's challenging and epic - then take my word for it: Buy Left 4 Dead. It is addictive, immersive, and very enjoyable. You won't be disappointed.
Pros: Immersive gameplay, endless replayability, great artwork, eerie atmosphere, very enjoyable coop experience.
Cons: Connectivity issues with servers.
System Requirements
- OS: Windows Vista, XP, or 2000
- CPU: 3.0 GHz P4, Dual Core 2.0 or AMD64X2 (or higher)
- RAM: 1 GB for XP / 2 GB for Vista
- DISC DRIVE: DVD-ROM Drive
- HARD DRIVE: AT least 7.5 GB of free space
- VIDEO: DirectX 9 compatible video card (Video card must be 256 MB or more and should be a DirectX 9-compatible with support for pixel shader 2.0)
- SOUND: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
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Verdict: 94%
Action packed, immersive gameplay meets cinematic effects and brilliant AI to create what I believe to be the best multiplayer game on the PC this year, if not the best PC game of the year.
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S.E.A.L. out.
General of the Army S.E.A.L.
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