A low-production value game for kids and run-n-gun lovers. It's a nice break from tactical shooters but that's about it.
Alright, how does Left 4 Dead look? As a 2009 release, I am sure some starry features were added but for today's standard you can't call its graphics awesome. The mapping was quite impressive though. Indoor and outdoor environments are equally spaced (versus FEAR and Doom 3) and I got really wowed to see several plane crash sites. I am not sure if Left 4 Dead looks any better than Call of Duty 2. I'd say perhaps that's not the best comparison but Left 4 Dead looks like a game from a few years ago.
The sound is good. The same music is used during specific events and you will soon recognize what is coming by hearing it. Dialogues are done quite naturally. I like that they put Zoey in the game in addition to three bulls. Having her talking and advancing with the men have two effects on me. One, Zoey feels like others' responsibility to protect as a young sweet girl. You feel really bad if she gets killed. Two, Zoey's voice adds a higher key in the game's dialogues, therefore you have some variation. A close example is Gears of War. You sometimes have radio support from Anya, the female correspondent from HQ, and it feels nice hearing not only from your all-men-team. A bad example is Crysis. Oh, I remember the female scientist in the Cave and on the Carrier but 99% of the game has you interact only with men or machines. It won't break a game, pal. But it feels lacking something.
Left 4 Dead has four campaigns sub-divided into five chapters. Because the game is painfully easy, you can complete all four of them in an afternoon. I found exploration not really fruitful in Left 4 Dead but still determined to venture around blasting zombies. Even so, it merely takes two days of play to complete them all. The four chapters are very repetitive. You travel from save-house to save house to re-supply. Mid-way through the campaign, you either activate a crane or an elevator and then there comes a major attack of zombies. You call for an evacuation at the end and the biggest onslaught arrives. Count it yourself but I expect two Tankers every time.
You are only tested on your reflex. There is no point in hiding and the game has no cover system. Load up and shoot; there's about it. Like you have expected, the head is the weak point of any zombies. But zombies have really poor durability so taking time to aim for the head is just for fun and not very rewarding. Run-n-gun with the shotgun will almost make you a god. In fact, all guns in the game feel powerful but the shotgun is king. The assault rifle and the submachine guns can tear apart a garrison of zombies with ease but their ammo reserve can deplete really soon. The hunting rifle can zoom in and kill at long range and allows you to perform headshots for fun. However, zombies are not that threatening at all so you will probably prefer hitting them at point blank range. Mercy on the zombies that they at least put up a fight.
The shotgun comes with two variants, namely the pump-action shotgun and the auto-shotgun. The latter is definitely superior and it means a difference. The auto-shotgun can load two more shells, shoot faster, and shoot during reload. Both shotguns are highly efficient weapons that can provide stopping power that will help fight the Witch or the Tanker. I never run out of ammo on the shotguns too. The pistols (dual wielded once you pick up a second) are very important to your survival, only if you use the hunting rifle as the primary weapon. With the shotgun, pistols can be left behind to collect dust!
I do not blame Left 4 Dead for letting health packs return. In most modern shooters, Halo-style health regeneration has taken over in order to conserve the momentum of action and also to contribute to the cover system. That means health can be unlimitedly restored. But for such an easy game like Left 4 Dead, what's the point? Meanwhile, some kind of health restoration is necessary in case zombies overrun you by numbers or you get incapacitated by special zombies (such as the Tanker, the Witch and the Hunter). There is no another way round but health packs.
Enemy patterns are predictable. The Tanker and Witch are the most formidable of them. I still haven't been able to subdue the Witch without getting knocked out. She was a fast bxtch that could reach me in no time after I sniped her. Besides these two, you have Hunters, Smokers, Boomers and normal undead. There are no bosses, sadly.
The AI is incredible. No only are they excellent marksmen who make every shot count with fantastic accuracy, but also your AI teammates are very cooperative and generous. Some human players online may have very poor aim or morality (taking friendly fire as fun) and keep health packs for themselves. The AI do not exhibit these kinds of selfishness certainly. On the other hand, they can sometimes make things too easy. I seldom succeed in killing the Hunters who leap around at great speed but the AI teammates can track and hit them a bit unrealistically.
Now let me explain why this is a half review – I did not join online matches. Left 4 Dead is an extremely linear and mindless run-n-gun shooter and even 4 solo-campaigns are too much for me. I would move on to the next game upon completing this review.
According to my friend who played online, the best game mode has to be that "cat-n-rats" mode in which players play as the Survivors and Zombies. That would be interesting although I clearly remembered something alike in Star Wars Battlefront II (Wampas versus Rebels).
Nevertheless, I feel that multiplayer will psychologically make the game more fun than with AI characters despite a decrease in effectiveness. Perhaps I have not tasted the best bit of Left 4 Dead on Multiplayer but I seriously doubt it would change my opinion a lot.
Is the game horrible? I mean, can the game scare you? Nobody on Earth should feel scared playing this game! Otherwise, he/ she either is a mental patient or is really retarded. About the concept of "running dead" instead of "walking dead", I think zombies are essentially dead bodies so I would still prefer the walking dead in Resident Evil a lot more.
All in all, Left 4 Dead is a MINDLESS run-n-gun shooter for kids. Its production value is very low. It plays okay as a shooter but can be too swallow for grown up people. Rent it.