Left 4 Dead Review

Ever since the invention of bots within Counter-Strike, people have been restricting them to use knives only. and putting massive numbers of bots. Nothing is quiet as fun as mowing down dozens of rushing bots. Well, that idea expanded into actual “Zombie” modifications within Counter-Strike, which provided a lot of replay value. The idea of battling zombies within the Source engine can be largely accredited due to these inventive modders.

So then the idea of Left 4 Dead was born: a teamwork focused game where you and three other survivors had to battle zombies throughout infested cities, towns, and countryside. And who doesn’t like destroying massive amounts of brainless zombies? It’s a lot of fun. Toss in “boss” zombies, the ability to revive fallen teammates, limited ammo and items, and a few other key features, it really gives you a fun gameplay experience.

The most inventive feature they touted was the AI that orchestrated the battle – dynamically determining zombie numbers, where items were placed, when bosses would spawn, when the “horde” would rush, and many other elements. This AI makes decisions to keep the battles frantic, then build up suspense, then throw you back into the fray again. It is accompanied with dramatic, moody music that keeps your heart pumping.

The single most impressive aspect of the game is the level design. The game looks and runs beautifully, but the level design is spot on. Not only does it look great, but every area seems realistic, yet you’re always flowing in the right directions. Even though it is pretty linear, the wide open maps and long view distances make it feel rather non-linear. But as you twist and turn through sewers, hospitals, abandoned houses, offices, airports, tunnels, and forests. you’re always experiencing something new and different throughout the levels.

Teamplay is the pure, focused center of Left 4 Dead. If you wander off by yourself, you’ll quickly be surrounded by zombies or grabbed by a boss. But more than that, you’re required to keep track of your friend’s back, give them a health back if needed, share locations of grenades and health pills, and other vital communication. The different types of weapons play a nice role together, offering shotguns, snipers, and rifles to help you plow through the zombie hordes, so everyone needs to balance out.

The best way to describe Left 4 Dead would be “chaotic.” And this is an entirely positive remark. The chaos of the game makes you constantly on the edge of your seat, running away from zombies, killing off as many as you can. This pure, unadulterated madness is entertainment in its purest form. It’s an absolute blast when you’ve got zombies surrounding you everywhere, guns blazing, people going down, and your friends screaming at each other.

My biggest complaint is that the entire game is a bit bland. It lacks character, it lacks charm, and as a whole it can be rather forgettable. The characters lack any sort of depth, so much when someone dies, you don’t feel any remorse or even the slightly tinge of concern. If you’re boiling it down to movie terms: it’s all action, but there’s no drama. Which is a bit unfortunate, because the game could be better if there was a better sense of realism and authentic to it all. it would let you delve deeper into the experience and become absorbed. Sadly, that doesn’t really happen.

Left 4 Dead accomplishes what it was trying to do, but at the same time, I wish it tried to do more. Left 4 Dead is a marvelous, no holds barred action-packed experience. Well it does offer a few scares at first, once you become accustomed to the game, it’s not an entirely scary, deep, or immersive experience. Instead, it’s chaotic, fun, and fast action gameplay. It has superb sound, graphic, and level design, and technically it’s a fantastic game. The focus on teamplay works well, and so it’s enough to set it apart from other shooters. By itself, Left 4 Dead is a great game. But due to its focus on teamplay, if you have a buddy or two to play it with, it’s an even better game.

[rating:8.5/10] 85%