Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat; Left 4 Dead is an absolutely incredible game and needs to be in any gamer’s collection (provided that you are of age). This game does so many things right that it is easy to ignore, and maybe not even notice, the few short-comings it has. Whether you are playing by yourself, with a friend sitting next to you, or online your experience will be unlike that of any that you have had with other first person shooters. Valve proves once again why it is the king of the genre.

In Left 4 Dead, you play as one of four characters that have been left to fend for themselves in a zombie infested world. There are other survivors but your only encounters with them are for them to come pick your up via helicopter or boat in rescue at the end of certain levels. Before you go thinking this is another Resident Evil clone let me sway you from that notion. Other than the zombie premise, this game is nothing like RE or any other Dawn of the Dead type game you might have played before. This is a first person shooter, the zombies are fast moving and strategic, the action is wild and adrenaline pumping, and the emphasis here is to stick together or die. Going solo in this game is the quickest way to get yourself killed… so don’t!

The zombies come in six forms and they are different from anything you’ve ever seen. First are the typical and most common types; “The Horde.” What these zombies do is attack either individually or in huge clusters. One on one, these things are cake to kill. But when these fast moving monsters get together, they are a handful. Before you know it you will be rushed by tens to hundreds of Horde zombies that attack you from all sides. They swarm together all at once and they don’t stop until all in their group are dead or until you are. When it comes to attacking, these things know how to work as a team… so you better know how to too or you die. Next is the “Boomer.” This guy is huge, fat, slow moving, and totally disgusting. He’s not too tough but he is very dangerous in what he does. His attack is to vomit bile all over you and your teammates from afar. The bile itself doesn’t do any harm but it temporarily blinds you and its scent attracts hundreds of Horde right to you. If you thinking killing the Horde is tough, try doing it when you can’t see. The “Hunter” is next.

These things move fast, crouch down and jump on you out of nowhere; clawing at you violently. If they pin you down, another teammate will have to come to your rescue. The “Smoker” is a long distance zombie that shoots his tongue at you and latches on, pulling you away from your party. The danger here is they can isolate you or they can pin you should they be on top of a building and before you know it you’re stuck on a wall above ground having your life choked out of you. Should the Smoker pull you in, they will claw at you and you won’t be able to fight back. Killing the Smoker can be dangerous too because when you do, his body ejects a cloud of smoke that will affect anyone near it. It’s wise to keep your distance until the smoke clears. The “Witch” is a very unique type in that she sits and cries in the dark. She wants to be left alone. So turn off that flashlight, don’t shoot anywhere near her (unless you have to kill her because she’s killing you already) and don’t get close to her. If you’re making her mad, she’ll growl to warn you that you’re pissing her off. If you disturb her cry, WATCH OUT! Last is the big bad boy: the “Tank.” Most aptly named, this guy is a huge brute that attacks with a huge punch. He sends you flying back and takes out quite a chunk of your precious health. His punch can isolate you and make you susceptible to Horde attack and he will keep coming for you at the same time. It takes a lot of shots to put this guy down so again, teamwork!

This game truly shines in multiplayer. As you are one of four people, you must rely on one another to survive. Moving as a group and defending one another is the only way to ensure success. That’s what makes this game truly unique. Each player has a slightly different personality in what they say, but they are all basically the same when it comes down to playing so it makes little difference which player you choose to be. They all have access to the same weapons, they all move at the same speed, they all have the same strengths and weaknesses. What makes this game so different from the norm is that your own choices come in to make the game a different experience. Playing online, you use your headset to decide what strategies to employ with your fellow gamers. You can see each player’s health at the bottom of the screen so you can tell if someone needs your help or not. You can choose to heal yourself or to heal another in order to keep everyone alive. Keep in mind that should one player fall, you will all fall. Three ain’t gonna cut it here! Watching out for one another and keeping all four players strong is the only way to make it. It’s something you just have to experience to understand how engrossing Left 4 Dead is.

Another way to play is versus. This is, again, a unique experience. Eight players go up against each other in teams of four. You choose to either be one of two survivors or one of two zombies, or “infected.” If you are a survivor, the game play is per usual. If you choose to be an infected, then that’s where things get really interesting. There are four different playable versions of infected to play as; Boomer, Hunter, Smoker, or Tank. Each type has their strengths and weaknesses. As you are playing as one of them, their attacks are the same as they are in the regular game. What makes this so different is the way each unique attack allows for different strategy in fighting against the two survivors. For example, choose the Hunter and you can jump long distances and to areas that might not be accessible to survivors. You can have long range attacks if you choose to be a smoker. The possibilities for different style of play are endless!

Single player is fun but it’s not as rewarding. That’s not to say it’s bad, it’s just dwarfed but the amazing multiplayer options. However, should you choose to fly solo here, the game will still be a blast. You pick one of the four survivor (again, it doesn’t matter which one) and the computer will control the other three. The team A.I. is very well done here. The other members of your team will protect you, heals you, and they actually do a good job of fighting off the Infected as they attack. The game is divided into episodes which are further divided into levels. Once you beat one episode, you can choose which one you want to play next. The story for each one is more or less the same: your team is the only group of survivors and must get to a special place at the end of the last level and call for someone to rescue you. The only thing standing in your way is a ton of zombies. Each episode should take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half to beat. They are challenging but short and they don’t give the sense of traditional progression for a game. This is kind of a nice twist because you can play this game in short bursts and still get a small sense of accomplishment. There are plenty of episodes to play through the challenges are aplenty. Just don’t expect the epic story of BioShock of Half Life 2 here.

The graphics and atmosphere are amazing. Valve has used the Source engine that was used for the Half Life 2 series to make this game. Everything runs incredibly smooth 95% of the time and the game maintains the dark and eerie mood throughout. Music is typical scary zombie movie music and the voice acting is outstanding, if a little short. One sound that really sticks out is that of the Boomer. When one is around, you’ll hear gagging and vomit sounds that will turn your stomach. It’s a great warning for when one is close and it fits the character perfectly, but it’s pretty gross. Controls are typical of first person shooters for the 360. One thing that is nice is that shots don’t require pinpoint accuracy like they do in many shooters. This more arcade style of shooting perfectly fits a game like this, especially when the Horde gets to attacking you.

As amazing as Left 4 Dead is, it isn’t without its flaws. Though they are few and far between, you might see a couple things that make you wonder if this could have used just one more month of fine tuning. First off, when you see your teammates walking around, you can walk right through them if they are standing in your way. It’s just a bit awkward, especially when you are both standing in the same place and you can see part of an arm coming out of your own point of view. There are a couple glitches with the zombies where you can sometimes see part of them through doors or walls. This lessens the sense of surprise when bursting into a room and not knowing if you’ll be attacked or not. Another annoyance is when being attacked by the Horde it’s hard to just plain get away from them. If you are being hit from many of them and they are all in front of you, backing up becomes slow as if you are obstructed by something at your back when there is no one there at all.

It may be a mechanic that was put in the game to keep the difficulty raised and force you to fight instead of run away or it could be a glitch that just wasn’t noticed. Either way, it makes things a little irritating. Lastly, when the Horde gets attacking in huge numbers, the game will slow down quite a bit. It’s rare that this happens. The 360 has the power to process most of everything smoothly, but when it occurs, it will get frustrating; especially when online. All that said, these glitches are few and far between. They rarely show their face and should not detour anyone from purchasing this game. However, they are present and you should at least know about them and be prepared to run in to them occasionally.

Even with some minor drawbacks, Left 4 Dead is an amazing experience. There has never been a multiplayer game like it and it gives the zombie game genre a much needed new coat of paint. The graphics will blow you away and the game play will keep your heart pumping and thumping throughout. It’s dark, it’s scary, and it’s a blast. As incredible as it’s been this year for gaming, Left 4 Dead is a shoe in for multiplayer game of the year. While the solo game is still fun, playing with friends is the way to go here. After everything is said and done, we are left with a gaming experience like no other. Is Left 4 Dead perfect? No but its close!

Score

A-