If you have yet to play the Left 4 Dead demo, you need to get on that shit now. No, I am serious, do it.
How come every Valve game is an A+ winner? How can they continuously come up with games that push the envelope in some way or another? I'll tell you how: Valve is made up of geniuses.
Left 4 Dead, if you've been living under a rock, is a zombie survival co-op shooter. Yes, you play as 4 disheveled persons trying to escape a zombie-ridden ground zero. And these aren't your mama's zombies neither, these things are fast and, dare I say, furious.
At first, the initial response is, "How great could that be?" Let me just say this: you've never played a game like this before. No, not even CSS ZombieMod comes close to this experience.
Why is that? What did Valve do to make this such a different experience?
I think there's a few things that jumped out at me (heh):
Lighting: The Source engine has been overhauled in Left 4 Dead to provide better dynamic lighting when using your flashlight along with darker levels with lots of corners. Your flashlight is constantly on and it is attached to your gun so if you are reloading, it will not shine on that Hunter that is leaping towards you.
Smart Zombies: Like I said earlier, these are not typical zombies and I think this is where Valve has differentiated their game. There are lots of different zombies, and apparently even more in the full game. While you may walk into a room and they'll be skulking about, once you get them angry, they turn into a vicious mob and then they just don't stop. They'll be running out of the woodwork, even behind you from places you just were. They come from the ceilings, the holes in the floor, the closets in the houses, and from all sides. It's an adrenaline rush of zombies. They jump, they leap, and some even climb on the ceiling and pin you down.
Did I mention the Boss Zombies? Oh yeah… they take a beating and will probably own you before you can even make a dent in their hide.
Co-Op Mechanics: Left 4 Dead really makes the gameplay intense by offering some great co-op mechanics. If your teammate is hurt, you can heal them but you offer up your medpack for them so you can't use it yourself. If a friend is pinned by a Hunter (a very fast, very bad zombie), you've gotta shoot him off to save him. If your friend is grabbed by a Smoker and is being dragged to oblivion, you better shoot that thing before your teammate is dead. Also, take care not to shoot your teammates, health is very important. You probably want to stick together too, if you get too far ahead or behind… well, there's no one to save you and trust me, you will need saving. It's important to note that saving someone isn't as simple as getting the zombie off, they still need to be helped up. This process is timed and any number of things could happen while you're helping your partner up, it just adds that much to the intense feeling of the game.
Gameplay: There's a lot of things that make this a great multiplayer game. You can only carry a pistol and one other type of weapon. Your pistol has unlimited ammo and should be used most often but you're gonna need your machine gun or shotgun when the fun starts. Additionally, you've got one medpack for yourself (or to use on a teammate) and you can also hold one bottle of painkillers. There's also a slot for a special weapon like a pipe bomb or a Molotov.
One of the scariest and coolest things that can happen in the game is when you trigger The Horde. Yah, it sounds bad and it really is crazy. This happens when you do a number of things including shooting a car that has a car alarm or getting vomited upon by a Boomer zombie. The Horde is just Valve's way of saying there's a shit ton of zombies heading your way so you better all bunch up and get ready. They come from every direction (and I mean every, watch the ceiling!) and depending on the type and source of the trigger, they will either attack all of you or just one teammate. Other dynamics of the Horde might be introduced in the full game.
It would seem to be a great idea to hide in a closet while this all boils over but that's a very bad idea. See, these zombies aren't idiots. If you're behind a door, they will bust through it (which is awesome to witness) and tear you to shreds if you can't kill all of them.
Intensity: Left 4 Dead is just a very intense experience, especially on Expert mode. It's a good idea to have a headset or mic to communicate with teammates but most people will just be screaming into it asking for help or warning you that a Hunter is right behind you. See, every time you play the maps the game changes. This is Valve's "AI Director" at work. It really makes it a cinematic experience. The Director is just an intelligent way for the game to dynamically change the amount of zombies, the sounds, and the music to make it unique each playthrough.
Another thing that contributes to the intensity is the speed and acrobatics of the zombies. The first time you see them turning the corner sprinting for your throat you realize that you've gotta be on your toes. If you're not watching your back… you better hope someone else is. The first time you see what a Hunter is (or more aptly, don't see it) you'll freak the hell out. I would not say L4D is a scary game in a horror-movie type way but rather it is a scary game in that it creates a certain thrill and is almost suspenseful. Once you get to an area that is not overrun by zombies it's a relief until someone does something stupid and alerts every enemy within a 3 mile radius to your location. It's basically an adrenaline rush.
The End
That's all I have to say for now. L4D is an instant buy in my opinion especially when you try the demo and play with friends. It's also the first multiplayer game in a long, long time to entice me and get me hungry for more. The last multiplayer-only game I played judiciously was CSS. Not even TF2 could get me addicted… but L4D? That's a different matter entirely.
