Fantastic game, but Valve, what happened to the story?
The first impression this game gave me, was that of a fantastic game. Of course back then I hadn't played this game as much as I have now, so there were still some things yet to be discovered for me.
Things like pipebombs, 'horde'-events, Tanks, Witches et cetera. Or with other words, things that make this game such an unique and fun game. That's one great side of this game. The first time you'll play this game, you'll be 'oww-ing', 'aww-ing' and laughing more than you have in ages because of the things you'll come across.
The story is kind of a lacking feature in Left 4 Dead. Instead of having a story, the game exists out of four 'movies' in which you try to survive as one of the four Survivors. Doing so, Bill the war veteran, Francis the motorbiker, Louis the 'worker at the office' and Zoey the student, will have to get from point A to point B while trying to fight of the zombie-onslaught, consisting of common infected but also Smokers, Hunters, Boomers, Tanks and Witches or Special infected, each having their own unique abilities.
The gameplay is very simple and because of that you are 'up and runnin'' in no-time. After ten minutes or so, all the controls will feel familiar and nice. In-game it's the same story, the direction you're heading is almost always easy to spot and important things are given notice by a subtle triangle. Also a special feature from this game is the superbly use of the 'AI-director'. This 'director' decides how many zombies there are coming for you, were ammo stacks are places as well as new weapons and useful items. Thanks to the 'AI-director', the replayability is huge and keeps you going for much longer than someone usually would with other games.
The graphics in the game are not 'state-of-the-art', but easily good enough to give the game some sort of 'scariness'. The only thing that is a bit pityful, is the way the zombies look like. I don't mean the Special Infected, but I mean the common infected. Maybe it's just me but sometimes I find they lack details. There outfits are a bit too simple, there are like a million different looking zombies or something which is totally awsome, but I just miss a uniqueness that is well present with the Survivors, the Special Infected and the environment. But that may also be because I got spoiled by them.
The sound in the game is really vast. Each Special infected has it's own 'theme-song' which is played when they're around, but also 'horde'-events have their own characteristic sound. Next to that the voice-acting of the Survivors is also really good, with some dialogues that are just for one specific 'movie'.
Verdict:
This game is a real blast, that is, if you play it with at least one friend. The single player is also fun, but it's nothing near to playing with friends. Left 4 Dead really shines in multiplayer. And because you're playing with friends , having a good time, the story is not really important. Next to that the 'AI-director' is keeping it relatively fresh by replacing weapons and items but also by increasing the number of zombies you have to fight. However the 'AI-director' does a great job, he just can't help it that after a while even this game gets repetative. That's why I give this game a 9.0/10.0, this game just isn't perfect, but then again which game is?
Thanks for reading!