Left4Dead – PC, 360
Valve makes great games – only, they don’t make them often enough. After loving Half-Life, Half-Life 2 and then the embarrassment of riches that was the Team Fortress 2 and Portal in the Orange Box (all but one of those are rated M). Today Left4Dead was released and it’s, frankly, an amazing step forward in terms of multiplayer, co-op, and politeness. Valve once again has knocked the industry down a peg and created a game that will lead, hopefully, to a lot of copy-cats.
Co-op is what this game is all about and this is the first time I’ve played a multiplayer game and wanted to use voice chat. You have to work with your team. You have to stay together, work together, and the game reinforces this brilliantly by giving you lots of hitpoints (either that or this disease makes people rabid but weak as kittens) and having them overwhelm you, knock you down, incapacitate you and then kill you unless one of those punk kids you hate helps you up or heals you… and they will! Well, so far they will. These punks I’ve been playing with have to be teens (why aren’t they in school?) but they always helped me up, they always worked together, and I have SEVERAL fond combat memories with them. Like the time Bill got nabbed by a Smokers tongue and I shot him down at the last minute. Or when I got cut off in the sewer and somehow I surived just long enough for the guys to come save me. This is thrilling stuff and I haven’t even looked at this DIRECTOR concept. I hear it lets a human play “DM” and spawn the monsters to make things more scary. Sounds like fun.
What’s amazing about Left4Dead is how much cash Valve is going to make by adding things. New characters, levels, routes, monsters, game modes, and story are all probable and welcome. This is like being in a horror movie folks, like being in 28 Days Later. Only it’s not real. It’s exhilerating as hell and the stories you’ll tell afterward make this a must for any action fan. Even those who hate zombies.
KID FACTOR
Lots of blood, corpses, monsters, and gun shooting. Its an extremely violent game but you’re only killing monsters, the characters all automatically cry out when weapons or health are found, thank each other for healing, and give a heads up. “Behind you!” one cried. I turned and, just in time, blew off a zombies face. “Thanks” my character muttered, automatically. Politeness in a multiplayer game? I guess when the zombie apocalypse finally happens we’ll find that maybe we can all just get along.
The game is rated M-Mature and rightfully so but… maybe because it’s zombies but I’d probably let a teenager play it. That’s not a recommendation, it’s just my belief that fantasy and horror aren’t the same thing as torture-violence, war, and realistic killing or lawlessness. Killing zombies is exactly the right thing to do in all situations and teens should be taught that.
November 18th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Must resist…urge to buy…too many good games…..
November 19th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I know, it’s ridiculous. Right now I’m trying to juggle Left4Dead, Gears 2, Call of Duty World at War and Fallout 3 on top of my usual kidplay with WiiMusic and Madden/NHL/NBA/FIFA and Rock Band 2 with a friend.
They stil haven’t sent me Resistance 2 but I strangely see that as a good thing. I can play it later, 2010 maybe.
November 20th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Left 4 Dead (L4D) is am amazing game. I picked it up via Steam to play on the PC and I have been hooked since the download completed.
The hardest part about the game is getting enough friends online to play with. Luckily you can jump in games with random people so there isn’t much downtime. But a funny thing happens when you play this game with strangers: within the first level or two, you feel an strange bond to that person. Kind of like “Yeah, we’ve been through crap together and you had my back. You must be a good person.” Then you send the friend invite. I have made more friends on Steam in 2 nights than I have in 3 months playing Team Fortress 2. There is something about working together as a team that really draws you in.
My take on Kids and L4D: (I do not have children so take that into consideration)
This game is rated Mature, but I would not have a problem letting a 14 or 15+ year old play it. Sure you have blood and guts, but they are all zombie blood and guts. One thing I didn’t see mentioned is the occasional curse words the characters use. They are completely in context and are quite valid for the situation each of them face, but they can come out of no where so be prepared for an occasional GD and *hit.
I love the game! I am having a hard time working in Fallout 3, L4D, Dead Space and Warhammer Online into my limited schedule. And I don’t even have kids!!!
Ninefingers
November 20th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
This is one that will have to wait for next year … too much other great stuff out there!
November 21st, 2008 at 10:33 am
I’m of the same opinion about teens and games like this – unless they’re particularly sensitive to horror.
Great game, but I won’t be buying it any time soon – I’d rather play mouse and keyboard and the demo showed me that it runs like a slideshow on my PC.
November 26th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Is there a language filter option setting to filter out some/all of the mature language?
May 13th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Yes, there is a language filter option for both of them. This is one good thing about it. Even though, the worst word is s–t.
September 27th, 2010 at 6:54 am
OI.LEFT4DEAD GAME GOSTA CANOAS,RS BRASIL DIA BOM!!!!!!!…..
January 13th, 2011 at 7:30 pm
ㄴ딛ㅂㄷㅂ몯거거꺼됴 ㅋㅋ 병신들 지랄하고자빠졋네ㅋㅋ
January 13th, 2011 at 7:32 pm
아나 이페이지장애네 일곱시 반이래 ㅋㅋ 외국인가뵈내,
HI I’M USING MY ANDROID PHONES TO RECOMMENT 근데 여기선 욕해도모를것같애,
January 13th, 2011 at 7:34 pm
아 웃겨ㅋㅋ 미국에서 인터넷도 됫엇나????인터넷속도는우리 나라못따라옴 ㅅㄱ