Left 4 DeadIf you walk into any respectable gaming establishment (no I'm not talking about that one down 4th and Harrelton, that place is totally sketchy) you are bound to run into a plethora of zombie games. They could practically have a bin full to the brim with games related to the killing of the undead menace. No company can call themselves a self-respecting publisher, it seems, without churning out something with zombies, guns, and the applications of guns against zombies. But, dear children, it was always this way. There once was a time when zombie games were few and far between, and they stunk just as much as their subject material. And then along came a certain game by a certain powerhouse of a developer. Yes, a valve was opened, and Left 1 Dead (never was good at math) came into existence. Though there is no way to prove this for certain, I conjecture that this game is what started the zombie craze and, apart from its own sequel, it remains at the top still today.
Let's get the boring stuff out of the way. The graphics are wonderful. Slicing up zombies has never looked so great. The story is ho-hum, B-movie, typical zombie affair, but the game knows it, so it dons a sort of "look at me, I'm doing zombie cliches, but I know I am, so it's funny!" which works for this game because it is doing just that. It takes those zombie cliches and makes an entire game out of every zombie movie you've ever seen. Even the campaigns are displayed as movie posters. The sound is pitch perfect, with the soundtrack brilliantly sparse in most circumstances to up the suspense but kicking into high gear in times of intense action. I particularly like the sounds of the Special Infected, (the more powerful zombies, if you will) as each sound is instantly recognizable and will let you know in exactly what way you are about to. A high pitched scream, for example, means a Hunter is about the pounce on you and eat your face. The standard shoot-em-up mechanics are on par with all of Valve's work, which means the controls respond precisely; you are never without a target; and friendly fire is awesome.
A few drawbacks. The online play can be difficult, as people tend to rage quit pretty frequently. It can be difficult to get people who will talk and actually work together. Usually it amounts to everyone attempting to lone wolf it through the game, which is exactly the best way to die quickly. The single player, thought passable, has terrible AI teammates who seem to think they are suddenly Gregory House, whipping out a medpac and healing you at the slightest scratch inflicted on your person. This wouldn't be so bad if healing did not stop you in your tracks. Which can be problematic if a Tank is bearing down on you. Now on to why this game is awesome, and should be on everyone's list. In addition, the difficulty spikes dramatically when you get into Expert Mode. To this day, I kid you not, I have still not beaten a campaign on Expert mode. Despite how bad that may make you think I am, there has to be at least a little something wrong with the difficulty after trying so hard that I still have not succeeded. But putting aside my video game ineptitude, let's get into why this game is the king zombie. The headless honcho.
This is the first, and one of the only, zombie games to actually get it right. The whole package. What is it about a zombie apocalypse that enthralls people so much? It's not the fact that you have to slaughter hundreds of zombies to escape, it's not that you finally, finally have an excuse to off your ex-girlfriend, now a member of the ranks of the undead. It's the random bands of strangers who begrudgingly team up to fight against and surmount an obstacle that, on their own, they would have no chance of overcoming. It's the reluctant team work mixed with the self-preservation. Do you go back for your friend being choked by a Smoker? Rescuing him will certainly help your team out, but what if you get vomitted on by a Boomer (you read that right)? Then your team is out two players, not just one. It's this constant shift of what do I do what do I do that really makes this game the masterpiece it is.
I remember one game my friend was way out in front of us, clearing out the weaker zombies while we were picking up supplies. Unfortunately, he had decided to casually pick off random zombies near to an abandoned car that had a car alarm. One wayward bullet set the alarm off, drawing a massive horde of the undead. He ran for the safe house and barred the door, while the zombies rushed the three of us. Without four strong players, we were increasingly overwhelmed. We kept screaming at him to get his butt out the door and help us, but all he would say in reply was "Gotta get to the next level. One's gotta survive. I'm so sorry. I'm soooooo sorry." This friend later became a raging alcoholic. Remember kids, don't drink and kill zombies.
That is why no game collection is complete without this game. It is a personal story driven game. Everyone out there who has played this game has their favorite moments, and they are all unique. "Hey Bill, remember that one time I left you to die by that Smoker?" "Yeah Ted, and then the next game I blew up the gas station? With you inside it?" "Bogus." These moments of sheer terror and yes, hilarity (there is nothing quite so humorous as to see a blubber coated zombie jump down into a group of humans and vomit all over them) make this game one that you will gather around the water cooler talking about, swapping the latest exploit you and your buddies had in slaying the undead, or having them slay you. Left 3 Dead (dang it!) takes the general outline of everything zombie, puts it into a game and then lets you make your own fun. Often at the expense of your friends. Just make sure they don't owe you any money before you play the game with them, because they will probably hate you afterward.
Graphics
10 Sound
10 Addictive
8 Depth
8 Story
8 Difficulty
8
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