What's more fun than killing zombies with a shotgun? Killing zombies with a shotgun and 3 friends. Left 4 Dead has a straightforward gamestyle: Kill zombies while trying to escape at the same time. Although it isn't quite as fun in the single player, the co-op experience makes this a must-have title.



Presentation 9.5
The interface is minimal for a good reason: Valve wants players to feel as though they are in a movie. They have done an excellent job at this, making a lot of the gameplay and presentation elements blend into a movie theme. Your teammates call out when there is health available, new weapons, and even when you get snatched by a hunter with his tongue(Loved the achievement to this.). Even the load screens have movie posters like the ones you see in theaters. Oh, and did I mention that every playthrough is different? Yep, thanks to the "Director". More on this below.

Graphics 8.5
The graphics are great, no doubt about it. Lighting is top-notch, and the fact that the engine(Called "Source") can throw so many zombies at you at once without any slowdown is amazing. However, it is an older engine and I feel the graphics could have been a little better, especially when you see the same zombies over and over.

Sound 10.0
The sound effects in this game are fantastic. The best advice I can give you is this; do NOT bother the witch! The scream she gives off is freaky! The zombies sound like zombies. The voice acting is great also, but I always feel that alot of voices in games could always be better.

Gameplay 9.5
Gameplay would have gotten a 10 if the single player wasn't so boring. Shooting zombies have never been this fun. With the "Director" as I mentioned earlier, makes the gameplay fersh and exciting. Blowing through zombies with ease? That's fine, the Director will throw much more zombies at you. Dying alot? Not a problem, the Director will ease up a bit, maybe even give you some additional health packs and ammo.

Teamwork is key in Left 4 Dead, as players must stick together to even have a slim chance of surviving. You heal each other, rescue any fallen teammates, and basically making sure that everyone makes it to the finish line. Any player straggling behind will suffer a most certain death, especially in the hands of the Hunters. The Hunters have a very long tongue, and will snatch any player not with the group. Then you have Boomers, which explode and douse a chemical on you that attracts hordes of zombies to eat you. And my favorite, the Witch. The Witch, if left alone, just sits down peacefully crying. If you provoke her, she goes crazy and will probably kill one of you in the group! Good times.


Lasting Appeal 8.0
Don't get me wrong, this game is a BLAST, but how long can one kill zombies? Not to mention the small number of "movies" thats available (Only 4, but Valve did mention offering more as downloadable conent). And if you don't have a core list of friends to run with, playing with random folks tend to be 50/50 on the fun factor. If you do have friends, first of all congrats, secondly you will have no problems with playing Left 4 Dead for a long time.

OVERALL 8.9
(out of 10 / not an average)

Purchase Left 4 Dead Now
Xbox 360