Left 4 Dead

[Scott Tortorice]

This looks like another good game:

Left 4 Dead Video

Put together two hours of that, and you would probably have one of the best zombie movies of all time! Good stuff!

Also, like Fallout 3, L4D is engaging in an aggressive, mainstream marketing campaign.


Jeez, we seem to be going from a PC gaming dryspell to a period of innovative plenty!

 

[Scott Tortorice]

There's an interesting preview of this game over at a fan site called Left 4 Dead 411:

Left 4 Dead is absolute chaos. It is intense, fast-paced, thrilling, exhilarating, and exhausting. It is everything you could ever hope for a game to be and more - every single expectation I had for the game was blown away entirely. I was literally in awe over how fun and unique of an experience it offered and I have to say that it was honestly the best gaming experience I've had in my life.

We as gamers seem to hear this kind of sensationalism for unreleased games far too often, and believe me that I too have been the victim of such unwarranted hype - but I promise you that these are not empty words. This game is truly original and it offers up a pure gaming experience. Everything in Left 4 Dead is geared towards reaching that mindset of pure gaming bliss. It is challenging, and you will fail. You will scream, curse, laugh and cry, and love every single second of it.

Granted, this is a fan site, but people who have played the demo seem to agree. The game is not complex - there's no detailed story or character creation system, it's just old fashioned running and gunning for your life with three other people - but I think that is precisely why people are enjoying it so much. It may be one of those all too rare examples of a modest game that succeeds precisely because it has modest goals. Focusing completely on teamwork, L4D might achieve the creation of the world's first co-op shooter. As this preview said:

I have to point out a very important detail - THIS IS A CO-OP GAME. It is not Counter-Strike, it is not Unreal Tournament, it is not Doom, it is not Half-Life. I will repeat, it is a co-op game. Everything about it is catered to you and your three friends working together and trying to stay alive - you really don't have much time to worry about anything else! As I will explain in this preview, Turtle Rock Studios has taken a concept that seems so perfect for a game (co-op and zombies), and just about every imaginable feature you could think of and has turned it into an amazing, fluid, immersive co-op experience that has shaped up to be a truly unique and awesome game.

This might be interesting....

The open demo will be available November 11.

Here's a vid:

[YOUTUBE]Jf13qTHZT9A[/YOUTUBE]

 

[jayedub7423]

It's nice that Valve is making something that is not Half-Life or Counter-Strike, and it looks good. I am really interested in the coop with this game.

 

[KingNothing12]

It's nice that Valve is making something that is not Half-Life or Counter-Strike, and it looks good. I am really interested in the coop with this game.

I'm getting it for X-mas, I'll play coop with you if you get it.

 

[Scott Tortorice]

G4TV has an interesting video of a new Left 4 Dead "movie":

L4D

The game definitely seems tougher than the demo, which most people found to be easy for the most part.

Counting the days for this one....

 

[Scott Tortorice]

I think the most amount of time I ever invested in a demo was the demo for World in Conflict. However, I think the demo for Left 4 Dead has equaled that and even exceeded it. Even though the demo has a measly two maps, two that I now know by heart, I can't stop playing the stupid thing! :laugh:

Here's two screenies from tonight's session:



This was the first "ahh! :scream:" moment of the game. I was playing solitaire and managed to get separated from my three companions while making my way down a dark hallway that leads to the alleyway. Well, naturally, the AI director picks that moment to have a bunch of zombies rush in from the alleyway! I freaked and pretty much held the trigger down on my Uzi until it clicked empty. The zombies started beating on me as I attempted to reload. I knocked them all back, charged the weapon, and finished them off. :rifle: Messy.



Here we were making our way down an alleyway when another bunch of zombies rushed us (not as many as in the previous shot). But what made me panic a little is that skirt-wearing zombie. She fixated on me (AI anti-human bias?) and wasn't going to stop. My usually accurate and erstwhile companions couldn't nail her because they were busy with the other zombies and all I had ready was my pistol (I was conserving the last few rounds for my Uzi). I must have emptied a clip at her before I got her to stagger. I reloaded and finished her off with one last bullet (hence, only 11 rounds left), dropping her just short of me. Whew! She was tough!

While it's true this game is very superficial, what it does, it does very well. Can't wait for the full game tomorrow night! :nofear:

 

[Scott Tortorice]

Guess it was only a matter of time:

Map Maker Brings Dawn of the Dead Mall to Left 4 Dead

[YOUTUBE]3TYlIr-lJ_w[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Scott Tortorice]

It is a cool game. Check out our review here. And welcome to GS!

 

[Patrocles]

two questions about LEFT4DEAD:

1) I enjoy the slow shambling zombie flicks over the MTVgeneration-hyperuberquickrushing zombies. I'm am also a spazimodo and have a low twitch-factor for these hyperquickcafffeinated FPS games (i.e. i like the playstyle of OFP and ArmA). So, are there any mods for slowing down the zombies' movement in LEFT4DEAD game?

2)Does EA make money if I download the game from Steam/Valve?

Thanks!
-Patrocles

 

[Scott Tortorice]

two questions about LEFT4DEAD:

1) I enjoy the slow shambling zombie flicks over the MTVgeneration-hyperuberquickrushing zombies. I'm am also a spazimodo and have a low twitch-factor for these hyperquickcafffeinated FPS games (i.e. i like the playstyle of OFP and ArmA). So, are there any mods for slowing down the zombies' movement in LEFT4DEAD game?

2)Does EA make money if I download the game from Steam/Valve?

Thanks!
-Patrocles

As for point 1: so far I know of no such mod. However, some of the zombie purists who are angered by the 28 Days Later zombie stylings have been talking about perhaps modding the game one day to allow for some slower zombies (if its possible). Valve might even do it themselves as they are promising to add new zombies as the game goes forward.

However, slow zombies will probably never make up a big part of the game because that would give the gun-toting survivors a huge advantage. The current zombies, while fast, are also very weak - you can use your gun to shove them away - so making them slower would make them virtually defenseless.

As for point 2: Gabe Newell has remarked:

"Left 4 Dead is developed entirely by Valve. Steam revenue for our games is not shared with third parties. Around the world we have a number of distribution partners to handle retail distribution of our games (i.e. make discs and boxes). EA is one of those partners," Newell wrote. In other words, if you buy Left 4 Dead through Steam, EA doesn't see any of your money. This should be good news for gamers who want to slaughter some zombies but don't want to break their EA boycott.

There is a bit of spin here - EA is getting paid by Valve to distribute L4D - but they are not getting a direct percentage of L4D sales. And you can avoid the whole issue by downloading L4D from Steam (i.e., EA only is handling the distribution of boxed copies).

Hope that helped!

 

[Patrocles]

OK, thanks for the info. It looks like I will purchase this game via STEAM.

oh, I saw an interesting comment about the multiplayer aspect of L4D. The reviewer stated how it was as much fun playing with 3 strangers as playing with 3 of his friends who are all trained in FPS hyper-elite squad warfare! He felt playing with complete strangers made the game interesting because of the unpredictability and confusion of all the players. He said it felt as if this game was a 'real' event where suddenly you are fighting for survivial with 3 complete strangers!

 

[Dr Zaius]

However, some of the zombie purists who are angered by the 28 Days Later zombie stylings have been talking about perhaps modding the game one day to allow for some slower zombies (if its possible).

Thing is, the bad guys in 28 Days Later weren't actually zombies in the true sense of the term. They weren't undead, they were simply humans with a contagious disease that destroyed their minds. They were just as mortal as anyone else and could be easily killed.

 

[Scott Tortorice]

oh, I saw an interesting comment about the multiplayer aspect of L4D. The reviewer stated how it was as much fun playing with 3 strangers as playing with 3 of his friends who are all trained in FPS hyper-elite squad warfare! He felt playing with complete strangers made the game interesting because of the unpredictability and confusion of all the players. He said it felt as if this game was a 'real' event where suddenly you are fighting for survivial with 3 complete strangers!

I saw that too and agree. Those FPS "experts" who constantly complain about the "L4D newbs" are missing the whole point of the experience. You're not playing as an elite soldier, but as an ordinary joe caught in an unbelievable circumstance. Personally, I love it when I get teamed with "newbs" as it makes the experience much more enjoyable.

 

[Scott Tortorice]

Thing is, the bad guys in 28 Days Later weren't actually zombies in the true sense of the term. They weren't undead, they were simply humans with a contagious disease that destroyed their minds. They were just as mortal as anyone else and could be easily killed.

You should see some of the "what is a zombie" threads on the offical forum! This issue is being debated to death.

 

[KingNothing12]

A zombie can be what ever you imagine it to be, not one set thing, because there is no such thing as a zombie!!

 

[Scott Tortorice]

Now you made things worse! Somebody said that on the L4D forum and now there is a whole new argumentative thread called "Do zombies exist?" :laugh:

 

[KingNothing12]

Do Gay Zombies count?:laugh:

 

[FJ88]

I am trying to decide if I want this game for PC or my Xbox
On the PC version can users create new 'movies'?
Is system performance roughly similar to HL:2?

 

[Scott Tortorice]

PC users will be able to create new movies, albeit we are still awaiting the release of the full mod suite by Valve.

I don't have an answer for system performance. You might want to ask that on the official forum: L4D.com

I would say get it for the PC as I haven't heard any real benefit to getting it for the 360. Futhermore, I did hear the rumor (and its only a rumor at this point) that new content for the game might cost you extra via Xbox Live but will be provided free for PC users.

 

[FJ88]

I would say get it for the PC as I haven't heard any real benefit to getting it for the 360. Futhermore, I did hear the rumor (and its only a rumor at this point) that new content for the game might cost you extra via Xbox Live but will be provided free for PC users.

I would guess this is true
It has been in the past



But the benefits of Xbox are the zero lag servers and always having lots of people to play with. I had COD4 for PC but gave it up in favour of the XBox version when every game I would play for the PC was half empty.