Left 4 Dead Review

Written by: Tracy Bosworth Posted: 29th January 2009

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Don't leave me I'm not dead!

Left 4 Dead Details:

	Survival/Horror
	PC/Xbox 360
	Valve
	EA Games

18+

Out Now

1-4

Apparently, a not so small percentage of the world’s population truly believe that a zombie apocalypse is imminent. So much so, that these people have actually taken time to draw up a zombie survival plan which they intend to put into play, should the worst happen! So, what would your plan be?

If you’re stuck for ideas, Left 4 Dead for the Xbox 360 has a great solution to such a threat, all you need to do is get a few mates together, grab a handful of guns and go out there and kick some zombie butt! You may even have some fun.

So, it’s a game about zombies, right? Does this mean we get the age old storyline of “Zombies taking over the world and it’s down to a small group of survivors to take them on”? Well actually, that’s exactly what it is but thankfully, Left 4 Dead doesn’t need a big, clever storyline to work.

When you start up Left 4 Dead, it becomes apparent that a huge emphasis has been put on multiplayer play. I tried the single player campaign to start with and it felt as though something was missing, almost as though the single player mode had been added as a tutorial rather than a real part of the game.

So I tried the multiplayer mode and that is when I realised, Left 4 Dead IS a multiplayer game. This is the way the game is supposed to be played!

So, there are four characters all trying desperately to survive the zombie onslaught. Armed with an array of weapons from machine guns, pipe bombs and sniper rifles as well as pain pills and health packs, you and your team must brave the wave of the undead and reach various safety points.

The game is essentially a first person shooter and you are presented with a small variation of enemies in which to shoot. The first level enemy is your common zombie. We have seen them in films! Blank eyes, manic run, blood dribbling from the mouth, well these guys are relevantly easy to kill. They take damage quickly but their speed is their advantage. Turn your head for a second and that shadow you spotted a mile away can all of a sudden be a raving lunatic zombie clawing and gnawing at your face!

Other enemies vary in difficulty and include a horrible, fat zombie which throws up on you, attracting all other zombies in the area to rush at you to feed; a witch which would rather leave you alone but turns psycho if disturbed; a zombie which can “constrict” you with it’s tongue and an agile zombie that dives on you and pins you to the ground until your team-mates rescue you.

Teamwork is a huge part of Left 4 Dead. When injured, your team can heal you, when trapped they can rescue you and obviously it helps to have 4 guns pointing towards the bad buys, as opposed to one.

The main letdown for me was the small number of scenarios in the game, there are only four to play and whilst the games A.I does mix things up for you depending on how you’re playing (like throwing more zombies at you if you’re finding it too easy) it makes the game a complete no for solo players. There is nothing here for solo players to do, other than trudge through the four scenarios shooting zombie after zombie with three computer characters.

With multiplayer mode, the lack of scenarios can be forgiven as you can never predict how other human gamers will play the game. Versus mode is even better and allows two teams of four to battle each other in a human to zombie show down. As you take the role of the zombies, you and your team can plan brutal attacks on the survivors with the sole intention of preventing them from reaching the safe house. The survivors’ team obviously has the same objective as before but knowing there are human minds behind those blank zombie eyes makes it all the more fun.

Graphically the game is pretty good with dark, gritty environments which wouldn’t look out of place in a good zombie movie. The surviving characters are well designed and the zombies look as frightening and as gross as one would expect a zombie to look. The sound is also good, the screams, gargles and moans of the zombies are brilliantly atmospheric for the game and the voice acting is good with each surviving character seeming realistic in their words and actions.

Essentially, Left 4 Dead is a multi-player shoot ‘em up game. Its fun, it’s addictive and there is enough here to ensure that, despite the lack of levels and scenarios, the game has plenty of life in it. Unlike the subject matter! Just don’t try playing it as single player.