Loading ...The object of the game is survival. Each level has you exploring a vast open area with several paths to the ending and features a “safe house”, which you can lock behind you and then open the other side of to start the following level. In order to proceed, all characters must either be dead or in the safe house. If a character is unfortunate enough to die, his teammates can find him later in the level trapped in a random “closet” area and rescue him. This may sound like bad storytelling, but makes the game much more playable and is a great feature.
The game doesn’t have traditional difficulty settings, but, rather, learns how much you can handle and constantly pushes the envelope, making the game a challenge for any group of any skill level. The better players often find themselves the target of a majority of the enemies, and often need help from one of the weaker players.
A majority of the enemies in this cinematic gore fest are little more than cannon fodder for your group, but every level features one or more boss type zombies that will require teamwork and quick thinking to beat. For instance, there’s a “witch” who is attracted to players’ flashlights, unless they turn them off, and who instantly incapacitates the first person to shine a light on her and there are “hunters” that lurk crouched in dark areas ready to pounce with great speed.
Innovative features that set this apart from others in the genre include “pills” that will increase your health for a while, but will ultimately do more harm than good and the ability to save a downed teammate before he bleeds to death. Med kits can be used to heal yourself, or on others. Also, as characters take damage, they move slower, making them easier to damage further, and often the group will inadvertantly run from the horde, leaving their wounded helpless. The end of each campaign is very frantic and will test your wits as well as your reaction time. Very seldom do all four characters survive and escape the level.
The variety of weapons in the game suit different play styles well. There’s little advantage inherent in each weapon, so feel free to take the one that looks or feels the best. You can use submachine guns, shotguns and M16s, as well as other weapons.
Left4Dead comes with four campaigns that can each be played in about an hour, but knowing Valve, makers of the infamous Half-Life games, this will be expanded soon. The game has good graphics without being too tough on hardware and minimizes online lag, and uses the “Episode 2” engine. The story is good, if a bit generic, but the great game play, level variety, and achievement tracking makes this game one you’ll play for a long time to come.
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