Ramblings of a Moron: Left 4 Dead
Disclaimer
"Ramblings of a Moron" is a review series done by WSGF member Cynagen. While reviews from other sites focus on extensive play and detailed postmortem analysis, "Ramblings of a Moron" is a first impression "stream of consciousness" review. The grammar isn't perfect, and the prose can sometimes be disjointed, but these are the first impressions of a seasoned WSGF Insider. For more information, and for more Ramblings, see the complete list of Cynagen's offerings.
The Rambling
November 6th, 7AM PST, Two weeks after First Infection, you and your follow survivors brave the streets filled with the Infected whom seek to kill you. You make leaps and bounds in your effort, skill, and teamwork, it's enough to get you, across the street. Now it's up to you, player, to take on the horde of Infected and shoot, bash, and otherwise maim your way to your own safety. Armed with your choice of a submachine pistol, or shotgun, you're pitted against the undead masses in quick time, and not only that, but in close quarters too.
As you settle in, your mission is to get from point A to point B without getting killed. As you plow through mindless horde you end up thinking to yourself, "Ah this ain't that bad". All it takes is being puked on by a Boomer, ensnared by a Smoker's tongue, being pinned by a Hunter, or hearing a girl crying to just make your day turn to shit and change your mind real quick. And that's without mentioning the Tank. Now you understand some of what you're up against... now put any of those into any combination, and you've got utter chaos. And apparently that's the way I, and millions others enjoy it. Left4Dead is by far one of THE best "Zombie Apocalypse" games I've played to date. Sadly there is still the same "depth" factor which is missing, it IS after all a get from Point A to Point B game. What the plot lacks in depth, the Director, or the soon-to-be players playing as Infected, will be more than happy to do what it takes to make your mundane trip to granny's house a living nightmare in exchange. This ain't Resident Evil (the game), this ain't Zombie Panic Source, this ain't Shaun of the Dead, this is, ruthless, in your face, extreme bloodbath, zombie slaying action.
The graphics are top notch, when you get the zombies up close for some quality 1 on 1 time, you can almost feel and smell their rancid breath on your face as they claw at you. The audio is a cut above all the other zombie games I've played, the zombies, the ambient music, and even the character's voice acting. It all lends itself to a realistic experience of "oh... my... god...". The (short) plot plays out in acts, acts that are never the same twice thanks to the Director and Infected players. The demo only encompassing the first half of the first act, aptly named, "No Mercy". Each act has a final goal which you'll more than likely need your entire team alive to accomplish, As per previous reports, No Mercy is to end on a helicopter landing pad atop the Mercy Care hospital, where you must wait for a rescue helicopter to arrive, while fighting off the horde. How this will play out, will be interesting, but what'll be more interesting are the acts afterwards, the ones not mentioned by Valve.
Graphics: 9/10 -
Audio: 10/10 - Music is on par with action, and voice acting is superb
Action: 9/10 - There are lulls, and times where you don't see zomibes for a while, but it does culminate to getting raped by the horde later
Re-playability: 10/10 -
Value to Cost: 9/10 -
Overall Rating: 94% - The wait is on now that many have had their first bite of the new zombie apocalypse thriller, Left4Dead.
Buy? Dood Buy!