I know you're hyped for Left 4 Dead. You should be, because not only is the idea utterly epic, but it's developed by the most trustworthy game developer imaginable. Valve have proven themselves capable time after time, and fusing their design philosophy with an idea so compelling, you can envision only good things. However, if any other company was making it, I would be more sceptical.

This, combined with my general distaste of online shooters, particularly mods with minimal lifespans is why I went into Zombie Panic with a more discerning eye, looking to pick holes, expecting to be let down. But I can gladly say that I have been proved wrong, and with no hyperbole state that Zombie Panic is some of the most fun I have ever experienced in an online game, comparable to that of TF2, Counter Strike and Savage, probably besting the latter two. Your first hour playing it will be one of utter glee, despite every hit taken, every bullet wasted, every not-quite escape - through it all, you will love every second.



Zombie Panic works based on a very simple idea: Two Teams A (Survivors) and B (Zombies) fight against each other. Player starts on Team A, when they die, get spawned into Team B. Thus, Team A must work together to survive, whereas Team B must work together to ambush. What makes ZP so clever is the incredible balance and depth that has gone into making this scenario work. Survivors begin with one melee, one pistol and no extra ammunition or armour. They must scavenge everything from the environment, searching every room, nook, pile of debris, body and discomfortingly dark alleyway for everything. Failing to do so will get you killed, but taking too much will slow you down.

But this isn't the real depth or nuance to the game. The cleverest element present here is diplomacy. Rushing to collect everything will deprive another survivor of precious resources, but then again, collecting things you don't need gives you bargaining power with someone else who has what you do need - after all, there is no guarantee that your shotgun will come with extra ammunition. Leaving things with for other people creates a temporary bond, urging that person to protect you more. And of course, neglecting all of these nuances will, inevitably earn you the disdain of your comrades, who will gladly leave you behind to die, or even single you out as a target if you cause them to die and subsequently turn.



There are two main game types; objective and survival. In objective, survivors must complete a series of tasks while fending off infinitely respawning zombies. The tricks are to keep moving, to stick together and to balance your objectives. Get bogged down and you will either be rushed or weathered down to defenceless husks. Spread out and you will be picked off by small groups, and the team, dependant on you to complete your objectives will suffer as a result. Fail to prioritise your objective and you will take too long, eventually allowing fatigue, infections, dwindling resources and lack of manpower to diminish your chance of success.

The other gametype is survivial, where zombies have a limited number of lives that are increased with each kill, and lost with each death. The key as the survivors to collect as much stuff as possible as quickly as possible and then find a good place to barricade. The difficulty here lies in holding pinch points and collecting enough to stave off the waves of zombie attacks. Spend too much time looking around and you're sure to get ambushed, injured, infected or turned before being able to trench in. Run straight for the agreed safe room and you'll quickly find that you've run out of firepower and have to risk venturing away from safety to find more. Being on either side of a manic zombie rush is utterly hilarious and totally satisfying either way.



This is my favourite gametype because there are so many possible outcomes. You can die in the first minute and spend the entire match attempting to find a way to draw out the buggers who left you to die. You can cause infections as the "carrier" zombie, Whitey, and watch the hilarious "cat amongst the pigeons" scenario unfold when he eventually turns. God help you if you are the infected, because the unholy amount of fun you derive from being the one who turns in the middle of a closet and slaughtering the lot of them will be matched only by the amount everyone on the server will hate you for it.

Another thing to say about the game is that it is utterly gorgeous. The models look fantastic in almost every capacity, the environment maps are incredible, the lighting is perfect in creating the right mood and it always compliments the level design. Dark areas are clear to walk through, debris is only placed in clear view. The ship level is a great example - it’s bright outside, but there are pipes all over the deck that you have to jump over and manoeuvre around, but this is contrasted brilliantly by threatening lower deck levels that are dark, mysterious and full of tight corners. Most of the maps are also huge and yet highly detailed, but somehow the routes are still pretty easy to memorise through clever use of signs, maps, lighting techniques and object placement.



There are things to complain about, naturally, such as the zombie charge lasting no more than a second, the ugly zombie animations which are far too slow and stiff considering the speed they travel, as well as a few other things such as the lack of any kind of map or task list for the objective missions, but if you’re looking at it like that then you’re playing it wrong. When you go on a bouncy castle you don’t take a notebook to document the experience and critique its strengths and flaws - you go on it to push people around and not get sued for it. You have fun.

And frankly, if you say no to that then you’re a meanie and a crime against man and God so go on steam now and download it, you depressing pimple on the ass of society. If this is what a fan made mod is like, one can only wonder what Left 4 Dead will turn out like. It's got strong competition.