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Left 4 Dead
Publisher: Electronic Arts / Valve
Developer: Certain Affinity / Valve
Genre: First Person Shooter
Release Date: November 17, 2008
Platforms: Xbox 360, PC
ESRB: M - Mature
Reviewer: Eric
 Zombies
make the video game and movie industry that much better. When word got around
about a zombie based online game the Earth stood still. Two of the greatest
things collide in Left 4 Dead. As fun as the game may be is it still worth all
of the buzz it is receiving or will we be killing zombies for years to come?
Most of the time online only games are a real buzz kill. If you don’t have
online capabilities then you are either left in the dust or a dumbed down
version of the game. This is not the case for Left 4 Dead. The game is a lot of
fun to play either on or offline. There is a lot more to do online, but Left 4
Dead is a zombie adventure that should never get old after age.
Left 4 Dead combines zombie aspects with Counter Strike, which is still one of
the most played games on the PC today. You pick from either four survivors and
then you are left for dead that is unless you can find your way to safety.
Hordes of zombies will come after you as you make your way to different safe
houses. Ultimately your goal is to make it to the helicopter.
The game is broken up into four scenarios, each with five different parts inside
of them. Left 4 Dead sounds like it is a short game, but each stage might take
you a few tries to beat. The last part of each stage has you fighting hordes of
zombies until the rescue team arrives. No matter where you hide the zombies will
find you. You have to use a lot of strategy to win and with a full group of
friends playing this can be a lot of fun.
I have never played a team based online game this great before. Plowing through
Left 4 Dead is nearly impossible; you really have to rely on your team and
communicating. Planning out each stage is a must. That means everyone should
have a different gun for different situations. You can not be anti-social while
playing Left 4 Dead. If that is your thing then you better stay away.
The game feels like a zombie movie. Everything from the actions you make to the
very stages. If you can manage to beat any of the stages you will see a screen
that says who survived and who didn’t. The entire game was done nicely to be the
perfect zombie game.
Valve is known for their details when creating games and they don’t mess around
with Left 4 Dead. I did run into a few polygons going through objects and the
friendly AI sometimes blocks you from adventuring on if you are in a tight room.
Everything else is great though. Zombies look great and the character animations
are top notch. I think some of these little things can be fixed with a quick
patch.
 The audio in Left 4 Dead is flawless. Gun shots are dead on and explosions sound
better than certain Hollywood movies. Walking into a dark room has never been
this scary before and just hearing a zombie lash at you will make you jump. Of
course all of this is nothing; the sounds from the witches will have you
stopping in fear.
Left 4 Dead will have you playing for a long time, mainly due to the games
achievements. Valve did a nice job balancing out the achievements in this game.
You have some easier ones to get and then you have some that can only be earned
if you have the best zombie skills in town. Trying to earn some of these
achievements is half of the fun in Left 4 Dead.
Valve has promised a lot in the upcoming months with Left 4 Dead. New stages
have already been announced and some other possible secrets are in the works. If
Valve can deliver everything they promise then Left 4 Dead will never get old. A
Dawn of the Dead mall stage is already in the works and from what I saw it looks
great.
Final Verdict
With a game like this there is no reason to go back to other online based games.
Left 4 Dead is one of my favorite online games on the Xbox 360 right now. There
is a lot of reply value here to keep you occupied for months. If Valve can keep
their promises with DLC then I see a long and promising future for Left 4 Dead.
Rating
9.25 out of 10
Left 4 Dead Trailer
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