Zero Punctuation: Left 4 Dead

Donrad

New member
Aug 21, 2008
258
0
0
wow, i looved this review.
you never actually mentioned whether it was great or not.
great review, can't wait till next weeek!!
 

Fordo

Senior Member
Oct 17, 2007
131
0
21
I've only played this game a few times, but I agree, with the right group it is loads of fun, but I play it like I would Team Fortress 2. I pick it up when I want to blow up zombies, much like I pick up TF2 when I want to blow up/snipe/heal/backstab for a while.

For the price, I'm not sure it's worth the buy. =\
 

mda

New member
Dec 10, 2008
6
0
0
He said "it is fun as a shared social experience" which to me translates as STONKING AWESUM... maybe just because that's what I think of the game. Played over 100 hours so far - very fun.

As to the smoker's name, I hear he was originally also able to release smoke clouds on demand but it got axed before release... so yeah, just having some smoke when he dies seems a bit piffly. I think they should put it back in. Or change his name to The Licker.
 

ntnimara

New member
Oct 3, 2008
107
0
0
actually.. this game sounds better than I had initially thought...

to be honest.. when I heard the word zombies I didn't take a second look.. but sounds like the co-op is worth a go.. and the AI director.. well.. sounds interesting.. although I don't think it's a new idea (I mean.. I'm pretty sure in Jedi Knight you'd always get health and ammo more often when you most needed them)

and I thought Yahtzee sounded a bit different.. (a cold perhaps? but it should be sunny down under this time of year).. sounded different up until that last word :p
 

TheBadass

New member
Aug 27, 2008
704
0
0
mda said:
He said "it is fun as a shared social experience" which to me translates as STONKING AWESUM... maybe just because that's what I think of the game. Played over <size=7>100 hours so far - very fun.

As to the smoker's name, I hear he was originally also able to release smoke clouds on demand but it got axed before release... so yeah, just having some smoke when he dies seems a bit piffly. I think they should put it back in. Or change his name to The Licker.
Holy crap, man. There's a whole world out there waiting for you when you're done, just remember that.

And damn it, ANOTHER game I want to get. That makes fifteen.
 

mda

New member
Dec 10, 2008
6
0
0
TheBadass said:
There's a whole world out there waiting for you when you're done, just remember that.
Yeah I haven't had much to do with myself lately, but I haven't played L4D at all in the past 3 days so that must mean something... looking for work instead.

Did you mean a whole world, or a whole world of games? Heh.
 

Retrofraction

New member
Nov 29, 2008
84
0
0
you are not a retard, you just live in Austraila where a lot of things are way over priced.

I agree there needs to be some sort of epic boss battle to tie up all the loose ends in this game.

It was fun, but from what I have seen from the full game there is not much differnet from the demo.
 

Klumaster

New member
Dec 10, 2008
4
0
0
ntnimara said:
I mean.. I'm pretty sure in Jedi Knight you'd always get health and ammo more often when you most needed them
Not just Jedi Knight - Half Life 2 is littered with special pickup items that spawn the appropriate kinds of recharge/ammo based on your status as you approach them. I'm assuming that if they're making a big deal of this AI director, it would have to be doing something more. Even if it's just a more centralised entity that has scalars for how well overall the team is managing, how wildly they're shooting, how bored it's feeling, etc.
 

mda

New member
Dec 10, 2008
6
0
0
Klumaster said:
Even if it's just a more centralised entity that has scalars for how well overall the team is managing, how wildly they're shooting, how bored it's feeling, etc.
The first video on this page has more details on all the things the AI Director does:

http://www.left4dead411.com/news/2008/09/making-of-l4d-video/

(E3 Presentation by Gabe Newell on the making of Left 4 Dead.)

It's a little more than for your average game, but I agree it's not *that* much more. Most of it could just be put down to clever game mechanics and not necessarily need to be titled "Director" and be given the kind of silly sounding status of AI entity.
 

Dommyboy

New member
Jul 20, 2008
2,439
0
0
Still seems a bit pointless for me with all the zombie mods and servers for different source games.
 

mda

New member
Dec 10, 2008
6
0
0
Dommyboy said:
Still seems a bit pointless for me with all the zombie mods and servers for different source games.
IMO Source zombie mods just don't compare to L4D. I have played a few of the HL2 / Source zombie mods available and nothing has come even close to the fun, the teamwork, the atmosphere and the carnage I've experienced in playing Left 4 Dead. Probably sound like just another fanboy but it's really the funnest game I've played in years.
 

GoldenShadow

New member
May 13, 2008
205
0
0
The AI director does so much more than give out health and ammo, its is in control of the entire game, it places zombies, special zombies, sets up the timing ot horde attacks, coordinates combo attacks between hunters and boomers. If you've watched the commentary, the game is fully dynamic, theres no set spawn points, the AI director can spawn zombies anywhere, around a corner, inside a closet, on top of a building. It just depends on the situation.
 

Klumaster

New member
Dec 10, 2008
4
0
0
mda said:
It's a little more than for your average game, but I agree it's not *that* much more. Most of it could just be put down to clever game mechanics and not necessarily need to be titled "Director" and be given the kind of silly sounding status of AI entity.
Yeah, that's pretty much what I had it down as doing. I'm sure it's amazingly complex under the hood, like all their AI stuff, but I'm bearing in mind how proud they were in the preview videos of the AI friendlies in HL2, and what they turned out like. "Follow Freeman" indeed.
 

LazyAza

New member
May 28, 2008
716
0
0
Well he nailed this game to a T that's for sure. Its a ridiculously fun simple co-op game and nothing more really.
Honestly though I am kind of sick of zombies and shooters so I cant see myself playing left4dead for that much longer.
Luckily I bought it cheap via pre-purchase on steam. I was amazed to see it for 80 dollars in eb. O_O
 

SpySmasher

New member
Feb 14, 2008
49
0
0
It's a shame Yahtzee didn't show any love to Left 4 Dead's developer, Turtle Rock Studios. I read his bit at the end about people that use numbers for words and laughed heartily. Good vid.
 

KaZZaP

New member
Aug 7, 2008
868
0
0
I'm suprised he didnt say anything about the tanks. I love L4D but I really think the tank system needs to be reworked, somtimes one team will get a tank 5 seconds after the start and the other team won't get one at all.