Left 4 Dead (PC Games)

Reviewed by James on December 29th, 2009

And now the sequel is out, might as well just get that, save yourself some money as it's pretty much the same only more weapons, stages and zombies.

Reviewed by Brook on November 15th, 2009

This game is a must have for any fans of the survival-horror genre. It is fairly unique in that it blends moments of fear and suspense with andrenaline-pumping action where you mow down hordes of flesh-eating zombies with an arsenal of guns. The levels are set in exciting locations from the close quarters of the inner city to expansive misty forrests. The online co-op play is extremely fun as you can work with other people from across the country to make it through each level. If you choose not to play co-op, the AI of your team mates is pretty good. The only quam that can be made is that the number of levels are a few less than desired so it feels as if it's over quite quickly. Having said that, there's huge amounts of replayability so it doesn't become an issue.

Reviewed by Armin on October 24th, 2009

Well where do I begin. I actually didn't know about this game for about 2 months after its release. When I first played this it was in an internet cafe and after that I bought it. This game provides very good co-op gameplay and since I love co-op games this game suited me very well. The added 2 DLCs adds quite a bit of extra gameplay. If you are into killing zombies and like co-op games this is a very neat game that I recommend. Although its not perfect but overall this is a very entertaining game. Another thumbs up for Valve for this excellent game.

Reviewed by Zane on September 7th, 2009

This game is fast and intense! You will need dual core.....

This game is totally stunning, I'm not usually a FPS or a blood and gore kind of guy. I generally stick to rpg's, strategy and simulation games, but I gave this a try and it has changed my life (I'm not sure that my wife thinks its a change for the best).

The sheer number of Zombies to slay is totally exhilarating, they continue to stream toward you in a torrent of rotting undead fury, especially when you 'release the horde.'

A number of speciality zombies keep things interesting, particularly the 'Tank' and 'hunter' types (I have managed to get the man vs tank achievement one time).

This game is drop dead gorgeous in multi-player mode, and after playing I was on edge walking around in the real world for a good 45 minutes.

highly recommend it, this game is amazing.

Reviewed by David on May 29th, 2009

There are few developers out there who you can rely on these days to consistently make great games. Each has their own genre, and each have mastered these genres. Blizzard, ID and valve are in my books the last of the long lost race.

Valve once again have proven why they are the masters of their genre. L4D is one of the most addictive, awesome multiplayer games I have had the joy of playing, since well Team Fortress 2 and before then UT of course.

If there is one bad thing I HAD to say about it, it would be the small amount of levels, but I'm sure that Valve will be releasing new content through Steam some time soon to freshen up the existing map line up. Until then, pick this game up at your own peril... you wont put it back down!

Reviewed by Andrew on May 15th, 2009

There's absolutely no doubt left in my mind that Left 4 Dead is one of the most social and exciting multiplayer games that I have ever played. It's almost picture perfect in how it captures the tension and the action of a Hollywood zombie movie. This is an incredible and highly replayable multiplayer experience that's definitely worth checking out, especially if you're looking to prepare yourself for the zombie apocalypse which we are all doomed to. Just make sure you bring your friends.

Reviewed by Mark on March 18th, 2009

Before release, having heard of left 4 dead I have been very excited. And the game did not disappoint at all. Left 4 dead is one of those games that stand out from the rest. A lot of 'sort of fun' games come out but this is different. The more I play it the more fun it gets. There is so much versatility in the game with the zombie AI. But online play, versus, is where it's at. There are certain glitch spots that survivors can use but valve has been very good with patch releases, new content and useful balances.

There is even going to be a new game mode and new maps coming out in the next big update. So for all you gamers out there looking for a new experience that will last, left 4 dead is the game for you.

Reviewed by Robert on February 26th, 2009

left for dead is quite an enjoyable game if you are not looking for a story driven fps. the reason for this is that there is no story rather a series of mini campaigns in which the only goal is to get to the escape point. fortunately there is always hordes of zombies between you and this goal which makes for some entertaining slaying. the focus of this game is quite simply on fast paced action even the weapons reflect this as they are limited to 3 types mid range long range and short range. left 4 dead was intended to be played with other people whether online or over a lan haveing your friends with you as you blast through waves of zombies is a blast. the online modes of zombies vs survivors is also worth a go. left 4 dead is definitely worth buying if you can get over the absence of a story.

Reviewed by Greg on February 26th, 2009

Great game, lots of fun in single player and even more so online. But the fun really shows when playing versus mode with seven other friends in the dark at three o'clock in the morning.

If you have friends who own this game, you should know by now how much fun they're having without you, so grab a copy and join the fun.

Reviewed by Shaun on January 6th, 2009

This is so much fun I have played at friends for a few hours before and simply love it have then since bought off Mighty Ape and awaiting arrival. Graphics, physics, gameplay all superb.

100's of zombies coming for you and you blast them -- makes this the greatest horror game I've played. Cant wait to receive from the courier!

Reviewed by Mitch on December 27th, 2008

Got this game for christmas and have played before at Net cafes. This game is a must for any gamer who loves anything zombie related. While it lacks in story line (all we really know is that zombie apocolypse broke out and these 4 somehow need to be rescued over and over in different situations) it makes up for in complete awsomeness. The weapons are fun to use and all have different disadvantages and advantages. The achievments are so rewarding to unlock (although some are near impossible with only the best achieving them).

The 4 levels can be a bit repetitive (hence the 4 stars) however I have heard talk of more levels being released as well as a soon to be released mod that allows people to design levels (sort of like hammer I would assume).

Reviewed by James on December 14th, 2008

If you don't intend to or can't play online or lan, I wouldn't recommend this game.There are only 4 chapters taking about an hour each and the weapon selection is a bit limited. But Valve will most likely release more content in future patches.

But if you play online it is extremely replayable and fun, especially if you play with people who have mics.I highly recommend you have a microphone if you intend to play online, as it makes the game alot more enjoyable being able to communicate with the other players.

The levels are well balanced and due to the AI director, weapons and zombies are in different locations every playthrough.There isn't really much of a story.

The graphics are good, considering the age of the source engine and it runs real smooth.On my 9600gt i can play at 1680*1050, with the graphics maxed out and with 16x aa and 16x af.

Reviewed by Helen on December 9th, 2008

Left 4 Dead is insane and one of the best games that have been released in a long time. Within 30 seconds of starting up a game there will be at least 15+ (literally) zombies, with arms flailing, screaming and trying to stomp your face in. These zombies aren't the classic type, they are superfast and will smash, tear, climb and run to get to you. They are the type of zombies that if you saw coming you would head tail and make a dash for it. Valve have pulled it off big time with this one.

You may be thinking, "Hmmmm. There are only 4 campaigns, this game surely must get extremely repetitive and very boring." Yes the setting is the same everytime, but the AI director ensures that no game is the same. Every time you play, The AI director manages the game differently and adds boss zombies, weapons, health pick ups and other accessories as well as the normal zombies. One time you might be playing and suddenly a massive horde of about 30, or so, zombies will come sprinting round a corner intent on curb stomping you and your buddies faces in. In addition to this, there is a vs mode which is extremely fun. One team of four plays the survivors while another team of four plays the boss zombies as spawned by the AI director. The survivor team must get the best score in a level based on a number of requirements and the Zombies must kill or slow them down in order to minimize their score. After the level is over the teams switch and the survivors now become the zombies and vice versa. Once both teams have finished the next level begins, when all the levels are completed in a campaign, the points are totaled and the winning team announced.

The sounds and the voice chat are amazing, much better than most games and when this is combined with the bleak atmosphere created by the highly professional, Valve, creates a horrer game that would give nightmares to anyone ranging from tiny toddlers to old women in their 80s.

One thing that needs to be fixed is the matchmaking as it can be hard to find a game, but there is an easy fix to this. Simply enable the console in the options and then open the console by typing ~ (top left of keyboard) and type in "openserverbrowser" (without quotation marks).

In conclusion, Valve have created the game that many mods have attempted to create in vein, the game that everyone dreamt a developer would one day forge via hard, sweaty labor on computers in an overcrowed office with 50 other people. Like I said before, the game is insane and you'll have to play it yourself to truly understand what I mean. So buy it and I'll see you on there chumps. (My steam name is Darkmessiahnz, add me if you want a game.)

Reviewed by Ken on December 7th, 2008

This game will make you feel like a true bad ass. The guns are limited but all well balanced and provides an awesome bang as you blow heads off or sweep away hordes with you shotgun. The satisfaction of mowing down dozens (yes dozens at one time) is something I've not felt all year in any particular game, especially when the odds just seem impossible and you want to walk out and leave the room when you see them coming from a distance. The Source engine does justice and still does great shadows and lighting/fog effects and it runs like butter on most machines that are even 4 years old. It's main point is co-op so also get your mates to purchase this ;), you'll all have to watch each others back when playing Expert and Advanced game settings. Straight hardcore shoot'em up with all elements of the fun fps moments in one, should be a contender for game of the year! recommended!

Reviewed by Andrew on December 7th, 2008

This game is insanely amazing. Takes the whole 'zombie' genre to a new level. I can't wait to see what updates get released via STEAM in the future, More levels, weapons, mutant zombies, who knows! Definitely my favourite game for the year.

Reviewed by John on December 5th, 2008

What does the title of this have in relation to the body of this?
It's one of the things you'll be screaming into the microphone constantly while playing.

Hands down, this, along with TF2, is one of the must have multiplayer games. It's visceral, it's fast paced, and it's FUN.
This may be the best implementation of Co-Op I've ever seen.

Also, a unlisted selling point is the fact that there is split screen for PCs, granted you're willing to get your hands a little dirty.

Reviewed by Daniel on December 4th, 2008

You won't believe how much fun this game will deliver to you. No other games got me so hooked up like this one, that I played it straight 6 hours after unpacking the game.

Totally awesome game.

I purchased CoD 5 with this game, but I opened CoD and played for about 5 mins then I continued playing L4D. The amount of Fun (& the quality of fun) just can't be matched with any other game that's out in the last 2-3 months (Fallout3, WoTLK, Tombraider, CoD5, C&C, Farcry, Deadspace).

It gets a little boring when you start to see people acting alone and not as a team, and the given 4 campaigns start to grow a little old, (it took me about a week when I first felt it's getting a bit boring) but yeah, 7 days of superb fun, I believe that was worth the bucks I paid.

Hopefully new campaign and mods will come out. :)

Reviewed by Eric on November 22nd, 2008

Great game. buy for muliplayer/Lanning use.

Weapons are limited and so are the levels until mods come out.

Interaction makes this game, the npcs are funny to listen to and so are team mates during multiplayer.

story is you are in the horror movie as per level and you must escape each level is devided into chapters.

Reviewed by K on November 21st, 2008

Well, I've played single player since it arrived today. the first campaign was very short - a mere 1hr. However, gameplay gets harder and longer with each campaign. Shame the boss figures are the same as SIN Emergence. Otherwise good game. No story at all - straight shoot 'em up.
Oh, and don't think a mounted machine gun gives you any safety from the hordes....
Enjoy!!