Left 4 Dead

I think I've found my new favourite shooter.

Bought this about three hours ago and I've only just put my head back up. My jaw has bounced off the floor several times, and I need a good cuppa and a sit-down.

The premise is simple. You are one of four survivors of a zombie apocalypse, fighting off the horde and trying to survive. But, you know that anyway, don't you? You want to know if it's any good, and the answer is a definitive Yes. Valve have once again blown expecations away.

You can play either online or with the computer-controlled teammates, and I'd recommend trying the computer first, as you'll get the hang of it in a "safe" environment.

Mind you, it really doesn't feel very safe. Right from the off, when you tool up, Counter-Strike style, it's action all the way. And ammo is, rightly, a bit scarce so you'll be shooting with care, most of the time. However, it's properly panic-inducing when the full horde show up (and they do, often!) then you're overwhelmed, firing blindly all around you and praying for an end to it all. Honestly, it's just great. There's a good few different zombie "classes" to face up against, including Smokers, who explode in a cloud of choking gas which blinds you and they have another nasty trick up their sleeves too; hunters who as the name suggests are quick and wily; and Boomers, great big fat zombies who retch bile all over you. Don't shoot these big fellas at point blank range, or they'll burst into green goo, obscuring your vision and in a particularly mean twist this goo attracts Loads and Loads of zombies, and remember you can't see them for all the muck spattered across your face! Noisy and horrible.

The co-op element has been done before, but it's really important in this game. Look after your team and they'll look after you, rescuing you when you're pinned down, reviving you when you're badly wounded and providing medical aid when health is low. When your teammates are hurt, you can choose to heal them (assuming you're carrying any first-aid) and when they're seriously hurt the'll shudder and shake all over the place and genuinely look poorly. Again, it's the Source engine's face rendering that really sets it apart from other games. Valve have done a great job making sure you will want to play as a team, not as a lone gun.

I've tagged that it uses Steam, as no doubt there'll be loads of people whining on about Steam ruining their lives blah blah blah, so fair warning - You must have Steam for the game to work. If like me you embraced Steam a long time ago, then it won't be a problem.

Left 4 Dead won't win any awards for rich and complex storytelling, but that isn't what it's aimed at. It has no pretensions towards being Resident Evil or Silent Hill, it's just a very very effective Zombie Shooter, done much better than I was expecting. It's as cheesy as Dawn of The Dead, as simple as Team Fortress 2 and I was genuinely yelling at my screen several times, throwing ammo away blindly and then laughing like a goon.

Even as game art, it's a cut above. The AI is fast and scary, and it's never the same if you play the same scenario again, so replay value is assured. The action pacing is close to flawless which means you're not going to get time to be bored, but you'll never feel that the difficulty level is just too high. You do get lots of good chances to reload and mop your sweaty brow between the full-on assaults. You'll need them!

Top drawer. Well done Valve, Left 4 Dead is superb. Now, I'm off back online to find a server and kill me some deadites.

For anyone looking to experience "28 days later" in a game, this is for you. Zombie hordes, creepy deserted locations and 4 people who need to make it out alive. The game is created by valve, the folks who brought you Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Half Life and Portal....so you know this is going to be a quality title and they don't disappoint.

After finishing the single player campaigns, online multiplayer will keep you coming back for more as you and three friends (or three random people) fight your way through different maps. It is a barrel of laughs and makes you play as a team..because alone you will not be able to survive and will be ripped up by some zombie.

Go ahead and buy this one, you won't regret it.

This game uses the "steam" system to deliver and control who can play this game- basically what this means is that you will have to install the steam software, which acts as a game delivery mechanism, and will also conviniently update your game with all the latest updates as they come out automatically. It also allows you to keep track of your friends, chat to them and find them when they are in game via the steam community and save your configs/savegames to the steam cloud in order to access them anywhere.

Some people say steam is DRM, but it is the good kind of DRM. There are no install limits, steam doesn't probe your system like securom or starforce and it does not complain when you use virtual drives or software like process explorer. You can download steam and install your game on as many systems as you like, and all you have to do in order to be able to play on any of those systems is login with your username and password. No hassle, no fuss....(you will require an internet connection for the first time, but after this you can opt to play the game in "offline mode" if you do not have an active connection (Unlike securom protected titles which limit your activations and require a working internet connection at all times)....developers have to protect their works, and steam is an example to the industry of how it should be done, with minimum fuss for the user!

A great game providing that you have a decent Internet connection.
My only major complaint about the game is the match-making, for not being able to see your ping before you begin the game.
European players mixed with American hosted servers = Lag.
Players also occasionally leave in the middle of a game so you'll be stuck with AI controlled bots untill new players arrive.
Versus mode is fun but is abit repetitive seeing as how there's only 2 maps available to play on at the moment.
We'll have to wait and see what kind of mods will be available to improve the game as it is.
You may want to buy a mic if you don't already have one, having one will give you a much better gaming experiance since communicating by voice is a more practical way of communicating then typing when you're in the heat of a battle.