A new demo that I tried was Valve's new multiplayer co-op game Left 4 Dead. Using the great engine that was a tremendous success in showing off grand digital physics, Valve's latest release is exactly what lovers of the Zombie genre want; Guts, ammo, and running shoes.Another run of the mill 1st person shooter with nothing that really sets it apart except for, well, 3 things:
1. Zombies. In the 2 levels included with the demo the total kills per level were about 320 or more. And most of the time all those zombies are aggressively pouring out of every nook and cranny that is around you. Added are some special types of zombies each with special abilities to add to the thrill and difficulty and at times mobs of 25 or more will all charge at you making it feel like a movie action sequence.
2. Friends. Picking 1 of 4 infection survivors, you and your 3 friends go from place to place just trying to keep the life bar filled. If you don't know 3 people that own Steam and a copy of the game, a Bot AI is used to fill the gap.3. Survival. Relying on your friends to watch all angles, including already treaded paths makes Left 4 Dead an interesting game. Flashlight action much like Doom 3 at a very fast pace makes for many adrenaline pumping moments especially when a couple of hallways or windows aren't being watched or some strange sounds seem to bounce all around a room.
Being a big fan of the zombie genre movies and the company Valve, I felt I had a big bias towards this game automatically being good. Trying to ignore the bias I contemplated why it would be financially feasible for people to buy the game. This fork of a decision is what people will ruin their caps lock key over.
The game will only truly be fun if the experienced is shared with 3 others for what it costs. From what I have read the single player type portion can be speedily accomplished in under 8 hours total and the story-line is non-existent. But hey, most 1st person multiplayer games don't even bother with something like that (unreal tournament, quake 3, etc). But unlike these other 1st person multiplayers, Left 4 Dead is really the first that is co-op oriented.
The requirement of having to play with 3 others toward a common goal, aka team work, is best accomplished by doing so with 3 other people you know. I could not see myself hoping onto the game, randomly throwing myself in with 3 children and expecting it to be fun and rewarding for any of us unless people started calling me The Jesus.
In the end it comes down to knowing a few people that are all planning on making the purchase too and playing the game together in order to make it al worth while and for me my Steam friend's list is the saddest and smallest friends list I have.
Once I got sick of running from bloody bib wearing zombies, I decided to try a game where I'd run and run. Mirror's Edge from the Swedish game company DICE was surprising in that it really gave the player a different 1st person experience.
Instead of the usual six foot standing with minor head bobbing coupled with a little ducking, jumping, crawling, Mirror's Edge gives the player a look through the eyes of someone running to make sure your pizza is hand delivered in under 30 minutes while being chased by the neighbor's pitbull or what Franka Potente would see during Run Lola Run.
If you scare easy from heights this game is even more for you. The extreme heights from the tops of buildings as you leap and slide your way to safety while being chased adds to the toe curling and eye closing moments.
The story is done by using anime type bland cutscenes which are easily ignored. The story really reminded me of the movie Ultraviolet and is not the sort of thing you want to be compared to. The controls are odd and quite numerous as this seems to be the first game to really put to use the secondary trigger buttons. If your timing is off you usually plummet to your petunia bowl and sperm whale death.
What separates this game is that it really felt like you are being constantly chased, and in turn adds to the need to dexterously conquer the obstacles to get to safety while the 1st person view ties the experience together with fluid movement.
I would highly recommend this game to rent and play through and ask for doctors to start prescribing it as a cure to those that have vertigo.
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