This past Tuesday, the highly anticipated Xbox 360 video game exclusive, Left4Dead, was released by Microsoft. Its creator is Valve, the people responsible for Counter Strike, Team Fortress, Half-Life, The Orange Box, and Portal.
The game centers around four survivors of... what else? Why, a zombie apocalypse, of course! Bill, Francis, Zoey, and Louis must shoot and blast their way through urban, rural, and industrial environments, while constantly bombarded by lots and lots of rushing zombies.
Recently, Microsoft released the demo and opening scene to the game, an intense survival clip, offering a strong example of what awaits on the dark streets of the now zombie populated city. It's awesome, and one of the top opening scenes of a video game ever, in my opinion.
Check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFOVIgY45ks
Incidentally, my husband and I couldn't wait to play the game (now, let me be fair, he plays and I watch, though I did play the demo. I'm afraid of zombies). However, in terms of cut scenes and a developing story, the opening scene is it. Character connection and back story are all but abundant, and an explanation of what caused the world to be over run by flesh eating monsters is never offered, though it's safe to assume a virus caused the outbreak of walking dead.
Since my favorite part about video games is story and character, I cried for my disappointment. Kidding. Also, the single player campaign takes only about 2 to 4 hours to complete, which seems to lack effort on Valve's part.
One of the biggest advertising points of Left4Dead is the A.I. For anyone who enjoys a run and gun, first person shooter with unlimited replay value, this is the game for you. The A.I. adjusts to a player's skill level; in other words, the more zombie carcasses you smear all over the screen, the more zombies the computer will send after you. Not to mention, the variety of zombies-- the Witch, Hunter, Boomer, Smoker, Tank, and the hoards. Word of warning: Don't shoot the cars.
In addition, each time a player dies and re-spawns, the A.I. rearranges itself, so memorization is out of the question. Plus, the experience and weapons differ depending on which character is chosen. Another excellent aspect of the game play involves teamwork. Staying in a group is essential to survival, and a player who attempts a solo campaign will find himself overrun in a matter of seconds. Moreover, there are about ten different guns-- at least that was advertised, but counting the Double Hand Gun as 2 of those, as well as the Molotov cocktail and Pipe Bomb each as a separate weapon is thin.
Overall, the single player mode lacks story, character, and as a result, effort in the campaign. However, for someone who with a hankering to kill something or blow off stress, it's still exciting, intense, challenging, and fast-paced-- stopping means zombies, so run!
The main draw for Left4Dead is the online campaign. As we were unable to get a wireless router to work on the 360, my husband goes through the landline, but can only do so in our bedroom. My point: he hasn't had a chance to play the online campaign, but he's definitely excited.
This is where the replay value lies, not to mention you can play offline and online co-op. And there are plenty of achievements to earn, so start working. The part I am most interested in is playing online as a zombie boss-- definitely a creative idea, not to mention fun.
So, is Left4Dead worth picking up? If you love intense first person shooters, zombie games, playing online, or want something short and to the point, then ABSOLUTELY.
On a zombie scale of Boomer, Smoker, Hunter, Witch, and Tank, I'd give it a Witch: Appears weak, but packs a killer punch.
