Left 4 Dead

While it has been out for quite some time, I got my first chance at Left 4 Dead a couple of weeks ago. Like every Valve game, Left 4 Dead is a polished, balanced, and thoroughly enjoyable game…perhaps one of the most satisfying multiplayer experiences in recent memory. Yet while Left 4 Dead shares many favorable characteristics with other Valve titles, it doesn’t have the feel of games like Half Life, Portal, or Team Fortress.

This aside, Left 4 Dead is a great game. In the case of horror games, most of them suck. Plagued by either poor controls, unconvicing scare tactics or rushed production values, most horror games leave a bad taste in my mouth. Left 4 Dead however is an entirely new beast. Part Counterstrike, part Hunter: The Reckoning, Left 4 Dead is all about fast moves and smart teamwork. With that said, I can’t imagine the game would be fun to play alone; the big draw is the co-op play. The game is thoroughly frightening- particularly the “witches” (I won’t ruin the fun of discovering one of those) Perhaps the most compelling aspects of Left 4 Dead is the necessity of teamwork. Even when playing with AI controlled teammates, sticking together and helping each other out are key. I learned early that running ahead got me quickly picked off by some particularly nasty undead creature.

The combat follows the tried and true first-person-shooter format, albeit a limited weapons arsenal. I really appreciated the concept of scarcity in L4D…In the zombie apocalypse ammo and health packs are  not arbitrarily placed in the middle of the street, and you really have to conserve ammo to make it to the next shelter safely. I haven’t had a chance to play the online gameplay, though it seemed a bit too hectic for my taste. In any case, I am a big fan of co-op, and you can’t get any better than Left 4 Dead.