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Posted on: Nov 18, 2008
Left 4 Dead
WORDS BY: Dan Amrich
It’s amazing how quickly civilization can go straight to hell — like when a freak windstorm hit Bellevue, Washington, a few years back. “We had 10 days where people didn’t have power,” says Valve’s Chet Faliszek, part of the large team behind the zombie survival shooter Left 4 Dead. “It was this weird thing — you could go into the city and be okay, or you could stay out by my house and wait three-and-a-half hours for gas. And all someone had to do was tell those people, but they were angry, they were fighting…it was bizarre.”
That idea of a world in crisis that quickly boils down to its brutal essence is reflected in Left 4 Dead’s gameplay. Grab gun, kill zombies, and survive your journey from point A to point B by any means necessary. Even the controls are basic: Right trigger fires or attacks. You can carry only pistols and one other gun. The D-pad handles your basic gear — flashlight, homemade bombs, first aid, and pain pills. But from that simplicity comes strength: Valve has cut the bloated survival-horror genre down to the bone.
So, where did the zombie outbreak come from? Government experiment? Alien virus? Global warming? Who knows? You certainly don’t; you know only the vague backstory of the Survivors from the instruction manual — crusty war vet Bill, tough guy Francis, office worker Louis, and college student Zoey. When the real zombie apocalypse comes — when the TV antennas get toppled, the internet crashes, and even Xbox Live goes offline — we’ll know only our own experience in the chaos. That’s part of the game’s appeal; you don’t know who is left or why it happened. You’re not even a hero. You’re just trying to get to safety in each scenario without being ripped to shreds by the Infected. The four of you are alive, everybody else is dead — get used to it. There’s no tidy cutscene with a melodramatic villain to explain it all: Left 4 Dead is about experience, not exposition.
But the game does throw you a few bones. As you progress through the four scenarios — each set up in the style of a Hollywood horror/action movie — it quickly becomes clear you’re not the first person to walk this path. Inside each safehouse (the checkpoints between the five segments of each scenario), you’ll spot torn quarantine signs next to notes left by loved ones in hopes that the stragglers might still be alive to discover the messages on the walls. You’ll also see conspiracy theories and politically inflammatory messages like “We are the real monsters” (with various replies in different handwriting offering “No, that’s the zombies,” “You are a real moron,” and, in small and subtle script, “I miss the Internet”). Some messages are more direct: we found a rooftop with white spray-painted letters that simply said “HELP! NEED FOOD.”
The graffiti also includes strike marks — an indication of how many days previous Survivors stuck it out before moving on; they suggest you’re still in the first month of the outbreak (or at least that nobody’s lived longer than a few weeks in one place). Also, the non-linear scenarios are nonetheless loosely organized: you can piece together little snippets of world history if you pay attention as you progress. None of this conveys a story per se, but it does convey an atmosphere, the foundation of a tangible world. It’s the same approach Valve took with Portal: the scrawls on its walls gave the player a series of clues that only made the atmosphere richer.
But surely you’ll get bored, right? Ask any Counter-Strike player if they’re tired of the DE_Dust level. The success of that Half-Life mod — and its players’ remarkable recalcitrance to play anything but a handful of maps repeatedly — drove the design decisions of Left 4 Dead. Why make 50 levels if people are really going to play only five? Better to focus on making a handful of spectacular maps than to waste time building mountains of content that nobody will appreciate. That strategy paid off here, as the 20 levels (four scenarios featuring five linear stages each) all feature tight corridors, nerve-wracking chokepoints, and a visually rich world full of… well, garbage. You’re constantly surrounded by mundane remnants of civilization — dirty coffee makers, lost luggage, scattered milk crates, an abandoned TV news van, chunks of concrete, trash bags that will never leave the curb…the variety of detritus (and a framerate that never fails) makes it easy to buy in to the zombie apocalypse. The detached limbs and blood splatters that populate your path don’t hurt either.
Fri, 01/02/2009 - 00:12
Posted by dabigdawlish
Game of the year for me as well. Zoey's my hero.
Tue, 12/30/2008 - 23:06
Posted by Legolas12280
This is one of the best zombie-shooters I've ever played. Surely should win Game of the Year. Only problem: Not enough weapons and they only have two chapters available for multi-player currently.
Fri, 12/05/2008 - 01:34
Posted by jg00neg
My pick for game of the year.
Mon, 12/01/2008 - 04:10
Posted by Desner
to PlayerHaterz12
The game won't make you jump that much, because you can hear pretty clearly when zombies are around, and music lets you know when a huge zombie horde is coming your way. You should try it, it's awesome (... if you have Xbox live).
Totally great game!
Thu, 11/27/2008 - 03:52
Posted by PlayerHaterz12
Damn, I got to wait till Christmas for this game. Ahhh it looks SOOO brilliant! Dan, Paul, Fran, all you guys, dont listen to people who say your reviews suck. You guys are the best reviewers out there and I love your work!! Cant wait to be LEFT 4 DEAD on 12/25/08 :D
Gamertag: PlayerHaterz
Tue, 11/25/2008 - 04:13
Posted by wickedclowns95
To steve b pro
On the Zombie Genocide achievement they upped the number of zombies to kill by one simply as a joke to the folks that created Dead Rising. I can totally see them making another achievement for Dead Rising 2 that is one more zombie than Left 4 Dead's achievement too. Anyways, Left 4 Dead is not a sequel to Dead Rising. It is simply another addition to the Zombie genre. I think Dead Rising was sometimes painstakingly hard at some times. Because of that, I never actually played through the whole game. I also got bored with it. I won't be tired of L4D for a long while...
-----------------------
Inhale the damage smoothly
Paradise isn't lost
It was hiding all along.
Mon, 11/24/2008 - 15:53
Posted by jimchris
To Snowycrazyking
Most if not all games that are released nowadays are focused on team play especially online co-op.
Unfortunately what publishers may not be aware of is the fact that x-box live is not supported in every country(including mine)So the split screen two player mode is my only option if i want to play with a friend.
It is not a bad game at all but too short(It cost me 60 euros to get it that's $85)
Mon, 11/24/2008 - 14:31
Posted by steve b pro
i was just wondering if anyone else has noticed that this seems a lot like a dead rising sequel the, i just noticed that the zombies move and act the same way as they did in dead rising minus the fast movments the story lines match right up on how they showe, up, how quick and where. not to mention the genocider achv is the same # from dead rising. also Havac had there hands in both games, could be a tribute but i think its a silent sequel because capcom didnt make it. by the way for the new gamers out there that dont know dead rising thats a great zombie game but 3rd person and very different (ie not a shooter)anyway just wanted to know if i was the only on who thought this?
Mon, 11/24/2008 - 07:40
Posted by ReignINblooD420
each "movie" is about an hour long. some of them longer than that and the last one Blood Harvest seemed the shortest. anyone who claims to have beat this game in 2 hours is full of crap.
Mon, 11/24/2008 - 05:18
Posted by PlayerHaterz12
Ok gues, I am not a Zombie type of gamer but everyone says this game is amazing, now i dont like games that will freak me out or make me jump haha. Gears of War series is fine, but i know the gameplay is great but is the game ( for a guy who doesnt wana be scared to much ) be the game for me? Be honest, i wana know if i wana get this!
Gamertag: PlayerHaterz
Mon, 11/24/2008 - 01:30
Posted by SmokinSmokers
The first time i got the game, I played as the Infected in No Mercy and I just HATED the Boomer. I was thinking "Why is this slow ugly blimp only able to draw the weak zombies to the Survivors? They just run down a hall, and the humans shoot them!"
And then I played Blood Harvest.
I have newfound respect for the Boomer,
it's a lot harder to kill a Zombie Mob coming in at all directions.
Sun, 11/23/2008 - 19:24
Posted by ngamer
shooting
Sun, 11/23/2008 - 19:23
Posted by ngamer
i find shouting teamates legs out from under them a usefull tatic during large hordes
Sat, 11/22/2008 - 06:38
Posted by snowycrazyking
To jimchris, I don't think you understand what the point of this game is. It's not to play from the first chapter to another and consider the game beat. It's designed to by replayed in different ways again and again.
Fri, 11/21/2008 - 22:30
Posted by jimchris
We finished the split screen two player co-op in under three hours and in one go
Way too short...
Fri, 11/21/2008 - 15:32
Posted by Son_of_Azarel
no no, all four stories so 20 maps,
verses is the one thats less
Fri, 11/21/2008 - 15:25
Posted by Son_of_Azarel
This game is great fun. Multiplayer only for sure. single player is a letdown.
Don't let # of levels, guns turn you off,
Shotty, rifle, snipe and uzi what more do you need.
might only have two storys in MP right now but thats 10 maps.
Very pleased with purchase of this game
Fri, 11/21/2008 - 01:31
Posted by Tommybomb
Dan, why is it that you tout the minimalistic story as one of the game's strengths but then you put it down as a negative at the bottom? I'm not criticizing the score, it's just that seems awfully self-contradictory.
Thu, 11/20/2008 - 21:16
Posted by imALWAYSinSTOCK
4 scenarios....
2 hours of gameplay total....
Little weapon variety....
I'm sorry, this game is fun and all but those factors do not cost $60. More like $40 and you've got yourself a deal.
Thu, 11/20/2008 - 08:38
Posted by Spybreak
Ahh man I already bought too many games already lol.
Thu, 11/20/2008 - 04:37
Posted by Sl8ter13
I've noticed that the only time I see the 123456789 posts is when he's bitching at me. I got a fan!
Wed, 11/19/2008 - 19:38
Posted by 12345678910
Waurintei*
Wed, 11/19/2008 - 05:16
Posted by ill sue y4
my xbox 360 has never red ringed. it did ruin its own disc drive.
Wed, 11/19/2008 - 05:01
Posted by Sl8ter13
lol....wow. Warranty* I gohtta laern teh spele.
Wed, 11/19/2008 - 05:00
Posted by Sl8ter13
waranty*
Wed, 11/19/2008 - 04:59
Posted by Sl8ter13
All right, so I got out of 4th period and went to my local gamestop to pick up Left 4 Dead. I saw my best gaming bud picking up the game at the same time as me by coincidence, went home popped in left 4 dead....and...... no my xbox didn't red ring. It didnt send a video signal to my TV!!! Wohooo. And not only that but my warentee is out. $99 out the door thanks to microsofts faulty product. It's only my third one to break though, no big deal.
Wed, 11/19/2008 - 00:44
Posted by MUFFIN
this game is going 2 be pretty sweet considering its a zombie co op game.
[url=http://profile.mygamercard.net/snipping+muffin][img]http://card.mygamercard.net/snipping+muffin.png[/img][/url]
Tue, 11/18/2008 - 23:44
Posted by PaperLantern
Really should have come out in October. Oh well, can't wait to rent it later this year.
Tue, 11/18/2008 - 22:38
Posted by FreakyFrequency
I have been waiting for a zombie-shooter all of my adult life and it's finally here...Thank you VALVE !! This game is amazing ,I have played the XBOX-Live demo over 30 times and it's different and amazing over and over again ... If your a fan of George A. Romero's Dawn of the dead's movies then you will love this game I promise ...
Tue, 11/18/2008 - 22:36
Posted by ReignINblooD420
excellent review! can't wait to put my copy in and get to some zombie killing!
Tue, 11/18/2008 - 21:48
Posted by thedude8591
Yeah I played the demo for this game on my PC and I loved it. I could only play two different levels but I played them over and over again. That AI director stuff is gold. It keeps you guesiing rather than knowing.