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Left 4 Dead demo impressions and review
RoninZero | 10:00 AM on 11.06.2008 8 comments


Alright, so if you don't know about this game, go to left4dead411.com or any other site for more info. Including this one.

Ok, I'll wait till your done looking.

You've see all there is to see? Great.

I've been excited about this game since I heard about it. Zombie apocalypse? Sweet. Co-op with smart people? That would be great. Re-playable campaign? I plan on going back to the first two stages of the demo now. Basically, so far, this game is great. You really have to focus on team-work, otherwise, like you've seen elsewhere, you are going to be sorry. I attempted to go Rambo a few times...only worked out once (and that was with a machine gun turret set up). Every time I did, the Director would punish me with sending a Hunter or a Smoker my direction. Sweet, isn't it?

The Director is great at keeping the game intense. You'll never play the same game twice, as they have promised. The Director AI is probably one of my favorite technical innovations of the year. Its just sophisticated and great. The only AI I have trouble with are the normal infected...granted, I sped through Normal difficulty just to get a taste because I had to go back to studying. But most normal infected seem oblivious. I'm hoping it was just the difficulty setting. Though, I will mention I was very cautious as I walked through the wasteland that was once a city.

The graphics are pretty great. Nothing that will truly amaze you, but it looks damn good in motion. Plus, zombie decapitations...awesome stuff. There's nothing like turning a corner, having a zombie high-tail it towards you, and then make it barrel roll from a shotgun blast that takes its arm and head. The simple things in life, Valve gets right.

Now, to all loners out there who never want to socialize with people, you are probably wondering how the bots work in single-player. There were a few times it seemed they were clueless, but at all major points of action, they were on their A-game. Seriously, best squad/co-op bots ever. They knew when to heal me, and never let me die from a Hunter or Smoker. In fact, I think the longest it took them to help me from being pinned or constricted was a second and a half or two seconds. They know what they are doing, and will definitely help you out. The command speech wheel works great, that was a bit of learning curve for me (not used to a system like that). So rest assured, your team-mates aren't just meat shields...they're meat shields with brains. They will help you, heal you, cover you, and get pissed if they are in the cone of your shotgun blast. I know I'll enjoy single player.

I haven't gotten to test this game out with other people (hopefully with brains and not "griefers"), because I need to study for a college exam today. Once it is finished, I probably will be hopping on.

So, in short, this demo has shown me this game will be great. Epic great. There were somethings above that I nit-picked. But damn, does the Director know how to make you jump in fright and laugh at the same time. And that, my friends, is all the proof I need that this game is going to be great. Great fun for everyone.

And now, I close with a little signature thing I will be doing with anything I refer to Left 4 Dead or other zombie-related stuff (a mix of team fortress 2 and an anime):

Gentlemen...Its Zombie Time!



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8 comments | showing # 1 to 8

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BlindsideDork's Destructoid Blog
I am still waiting on my code but I am at work. All I know is it was amazing at PAX.

But with this and Killzone 2 and Resistance 2...I have no time to play anything!
RoninZero's Destructoid Blog
That's another thing I should mention:

If you have the PC version and it doesn't appear ready to go, restart Steam (you probably know that, but just want to make sure for some that aren't familiar with it). There's no code, it should be there and ready for you to play.

Console owners, I have no clue, because I downloaded mine via Steam.

I think it'd be great if Valve unlocked the full game early for pre-purchase people. But that's just me...and probably hundreds of people.
boatorious's Destructoid Blog
I was thinking about pre-ordering this online tonight (and gears 2 at a store so I can get a golden gun at midnight). Hoping there will be some dtoid people online to play with. I'm unfortunately short FPS gaming friends.
Holyetheline's Destructoid Blog
I can't wait to get this game. I am no pre-ordering though so I will have to wait for the demo.
Guagloves's Destructoid Blog
I played this earlier, and I cannot wait for this to come out. There is something really exciting about seeing a horde of zombies rush at you. Also the survivor a.i. is really smart which is good since I nearly died twice.
Brando's Destructoid Blog
Played the demo all morning and it's truly awesome. Like you said, the director AI is what makes this game. I was surprised at how go the survivor AI was (almost too good), and hand to crank up the difficulty to expert to keep things fresh. Multiplayer is where it's at though. I can't wait to play as the monsters though!
bbrigg1's Destructoid Blog
The intro to the demo made me happy. The screams are awesome.
boatorious's Destructoid Blog
I have returned after playing and it was a lot of fun. Can't wait for versus and more levels!


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 about me

I'm in college attending Texas A&M.
I play guitar and write a lot of music.
Check out my band (hard rock music), Off the Zodiac. www.myspace.com/offthezodiac
I listen to rock, hard rock, and metal.
As far as videogames, I'll play anything that's good. I probably like action the most, first or third person. But for some real fun, get me in a racing game. I pretty much rip it up in those.

Currently, I'm playing:
Half-Life 2 (another run through, with SMOD...extremely fun with impulse 101)
Left 4 Dead
Rock Band 2
Grid
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Fallout 3

and soon, Prototype, The Conduit, and much later, Split/Second.

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