I remember reading a review of an early build of Left 4 Dead a few months ago. I forget who the review was by, but his assessment that it should be renamed "Oh sh*t, The Game" is pretty valid. This is just a game that refuses to let up. If you don't go into it prepared for what's coming, your as good as dead.
Before we get started, let me point out that this is more of a casual overview based off of the demo, not really a formal review.
First of all, at the time of this writing, there aren't really any Dedicated Servers (or at least any worth mentioning), so lag and connection issues while trying to play Co-Op is a very real problem. Expect that to no longer be a factor after official release.
After being released, Left 4 Dead will have five campaigns that each have five maps. Each campaign is treated as it's own "movie" with an overall goal. In fact, each movie even has it's own movie poster...
The movie poster acts as a loading screen before the campaign begins. It superimposes the player's name over their respective characters so you know who is playing who. I choose to play as the girl, Zoey, under the pretense that the token woman in the horror movie always survives. The demo spans across the first two maps of the "No Mercy" campaign, where the Survivors are trying to fight their way to Mercy Hospital where they can be evacuated from the quarantined area.
At the start of each map, the Survivors pick their weapons and equipment off of tables. To start everyone has only one pistol. From there they can choose to either pick up a shotgun or an uzi and use it as their primary weapon. At such checkpoints each Survivor can also pick up a medkit, which is a one-use item that can be used on either yourself or a teammate. You can only carry one medkit at a time. You can also find in the map Molotov Coctails, Pipe Bombs, and bottles of Pain Pills. Other, more powerful weapons can also be found later on in the map.
Your enemies in the game are the Infected, a pack of disease ridden monsters that do not understand the concept of self-preservation. They're attracted to loud noises and will attack relentlessly until you finally kill them. Killing the average Infected is pretty easy, but the real threat comes from strength in numbers. They will attack in large mobs, they will do it fast, and they will do it often.
If the average Infected wasn't bad enough, there are also special "Boss" Infected that are randomly spawned. First there's the Boomer, a fattie that's full of methane gas and will vomit on you to attract more Infected. Shooting him isn't necessarily a way to fix the problem, because he'll explode and plaster you with filth if your too close. Second up is the Hunter, a fast and agile monster that relies on pouncing and sneak attacks. Third up is the Smoker, that uses it's massive tongue to strangle Survivors and separate them from the group. Last, but not least, is the Tank, a large muscular monstrosity that absorbs bullets like it's a damp sponge.
All the Boss Infected have a special attack that can render another Survivor helpless, often requiring the group to stop and help them. They are a threat not to be taken lightly.
If the Infected to manage to tear you up, you aren't immediately killed, but instead knocked down. Your still able to use your pistols to hold off the Infected (that will keep attacking you), but you'll start bleeding out the longer your on the ground. One of your teammates needs to help you up so you can keep moving.
If you manage to fight off the Infected horde, you can make it to the Safe Room, which is marked by a red security door. The Safe Room acts as a safe haven for players, a refueling station for health and ammo, and a bridge between maps in the campaign. Unless your thick enough to let them in, the Infected cannot get to you in this room. Take your time in here to re-equip and calm your nerves. If you don't, well...
It turned out that my theory about the girl always surviving was just a little bit flawed...
From my first couple of play-throughs, I can tell that what little precious, blood-soaked morsels of this game we get so see are refined to a very high level of polish. With the exception of lag problems caused by trying to play off of a LAN server, the game was able to run smoothly and without a hitch. The AI Director proved that all the hype wasn't just wild claims; it was able to orchestrate completely different, yet always intense, situations on each try. So far, I've only come across a Tank once, and that was when we found a table full of more powerful weapons. I didn't think that something that huge even had the ability to just appear out of the shadows like that...
The Left 4 Dead demo is available now for all those that pre-ordered the game. It will be made public on the 11th and will stay up until the game's release. It is definitely worth your time.
Obviously lacking the skills necessary to survive the zombie apocalypse,
~Van
Before we get started, let me point out that this is more of a casual overview based off of the demo, not really a formal review.
First of all, at the time of this writing, there aren't really any Dedicated Servers (or at least any worth mentioning), so lag and connection issues while trying to play Co-Op is a very real problem. Expect that to no longer be a factor after official release.
After being released, Left 4 Dead will have five campaigns that each have five maps. Each campaign is treated as it's own "movie" with an overall goal. In fact, each movie even has it's own movie poster...
The movie poster acts as a loading screen before the campaign begins. It superimposes the player's name over their respective characters so you know who is playing who. I choose to play as the girl, Zoey, under the pretense that the token woman in the horror movie always survives. The demo spans across the first two maps of the "No Mercy" campaign, where the Survivors are trying to fight their way to Mercy Hospital where they can be evacuated from the quarantined area.
At the start of each map, the Survivors pick their weapons and equipment off of tables. To start everyone has only one pistol. From there they can choose to either pick up a shotgun or an uzi and use it as their primary weapon. At such checkpoints each Survivor can also pick up a medkit, which is a one-use item that can be used on either yourself or a teammate. You can only carry one medkit at a time. You can also find in the map Molotov Coctails, Pipe Bombs, and bottles of Pain Pills. Other, more powerful weapons can also be found later on in the map.
Your enemies in the game are the Infected, a pack of disease ridden monsters that do not understand the concept of self-preservation. They're attracted to loud noises and will attack relentlessly until you finally kill them. Killing the average Infected is pretty easy, but the real threat comes from strength in numbers. They will attack in large mobs, they will do it fast, and they will do it often.
If the average Infected wasn't bad enough, there are also special "Boss" Infected that are randomly spawned. First there's the Boomer, a fattie that's full of methane gas and will vomit on you to attract more Infected. Shooting him isn't necessarily a way to fix the problem, because he'll explode and plaster you with filth if your too close. Second up is the Hunter, a fast and agile monster that relies on pouncing and sneak attacks. Third up is the Smoker, that uses it's massive tongue to strangle Survivors and separate them from the group. Last, but not least, is the Tank, a large muscular monstrosity that absorbs bullets like it's a damp sponge.
All the Boss Infected have a special attack that can render another Survivor helpless, often requiring the group to stop and help them. They are a threat not to be taken lightly.
If the Infected to manage to tear you up, you aren't immediately killed, but instead knocked down. Your still able to use your pistols to hold off the Infected (that will keep attacking you), but you'll start bleeding out the longer your on the ground. One of your teammates needs to help you up so you can keep moving.
If you manage to fight off the Infected horde, you can make it to the Safe Room, which is marked by a red security door. The Safe Room acts as a safe haven for players, a refueling station for health and ammo, and a bridge between maps in the campaign. Unless your thick enough to let them in, the Infected cannot get to you in this room. Take your time in here to re-equip and calm your nerves. If you don't, well...
It turned out that my theory about the girl always surviving was just a little bit flawed...
From my first couple of play-throughs, I can tell that what little precious, blood-soaked morsels of this game we get so see are refined to a very high level of polish. With the exception of lag problems caused by trying to play off of a LAN server, the game was able to run smoothly and without a hitch. The AI Director proved that all the hype wasn't just wild claims; it was able to orchestrate completely different, yet always intense, situations on each try. So far, I've only come across a Tank once, and that was when we found a table full of more powerful weapons. I didn't think that something that huge even had the ability to just appear out of the shadows like that...
The Left 4 Dead demo is available now for all those that pre-ordered the game. It will be made public on the 11th and will stay up until the game's release. It is definitely worth your time.
Obviously lacking the skills necessary to survive the zombie apocalypse,
~Van
