Left 4 Dead

From Noobtoob

Left 4 Dead US Box Art (360)‎

1 About The Game
- 1.1 PC Requirements
2 Stats
3 Rating
4 NooB Reviews

[edit] About The Game

Story: Left 4 Dead puts four human playable or AI-controlled Survivors of an apocalyptic pandemic against hordes of aggressive "Infected" (zombies). These Infected are controlled by an AI that dynamically balances difficulty and mood depending on the players' progress and situation. In an alternate game mode, human players can control up to four different monsters with special abilities and cooperate to stop the Survivor players.

Gameplay: Played in first person, players take control of the four main characters of the game, known as the Survivors. If four human players are not available to play, the remaining Survivors can be AI-controlled bots. They play through the levels fighting off the Infected. The game is focused on cooperation and team play and colored outlines of teammates are visible through walls to help players stick together and coordinate their movement, and Survivors can be knocked down by the Infected and only helped up by another player. If a teammate is knocked down after being helped up twice, without tending to his wounds in between, the player will experience distorted black-and-white vision, and the next takeout will kill the player, forcing them to wait until the Survivors find a safe room or a closet before respawning. There are respawn areas scattered around the map that can be opened to find respawned Survivors.

"Boss Infected" also command special attacks, such as a Hunter's pounce, Boomer's vomit, the Smoker's tongue-choke, and the Tank's throw (usually throws cars or boulders), and Witches who can incapacitate or kill a Survivor with one hit depending on difficulty. All of these require assistance from a teammate to get out of or to get back up after being knocked down. Survivors can also share first-aid kits and help each other heal. Left 4 Dead has full friendly fire during the Normal, Advanced and Expert modes, increasing the need for caution around other Survivors. The Survivors communicate by voice commands that are accessed by quick menus, and some will also sound off automatically when doing such things as reloading or spotting Infected. Additional communication of player actions is conveyed through character lights. Also, weapon-mounted flashlights and muzzle flashes help the players in determining whether their companions are shooting, performing melee attacks, reloading or moving.

The game is experienced through four scenarios that take place in various urban and rural locales, such as a hospital, an airport and a murky countryside. Each scenario is divided into several shorter sections marked by safehouse checkpoints, where players can heal, re-arm, and revive players who were killed. Specifically, the four phases of the campaign mode are: No Mercy (urban setting), Death Toll (small town/countryside setting), Dead Air (airport setting), and Blood Harvest (woodland/nature setting). The levels are essentially linear, with distinct beginnings and ends, but there are a number of alternate routes to follow with more supplies and alternate objectives, as well as create a sense of non-linearity. At the end of each scenario, the players must defend a position from an onslaught of Infected until rescue arrives. Each scenario lasts between 45 and 75 minutes.

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

[edit] PC Requirements

Minimum:
- Supported OS: Microsoft Windows XP / Vista / Vista64
- Processor: Pentium 4 3.0GHz
- Memory: 1 GB
- Graphics: 128 MB, Shader model 2.0, ATI 9600, NVIDIA 6600 or better
- Hard Drive: At least 7.5 GB of free space
- Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card

Recommended:
- Supported OS: Microsoft Windows XP / Vista / Vista64
- Processor: Intel core 2 duo 2.4GHz
- Memory: 1 GB
- Graphics: Shader model 3.0, NVIDIA 7600, ATI X1600 or better

[edit] Stats

Reviewed in: Episode 118 & Episode 120
Platforms: 360 & PC
Genre: Action & FPS (First Person Shooter)
Release Dates
- US: 11/18/2008
- Australia: 11/20/2008
- Europe: 11/21/2008
- Japan:
  - Xbox 360 Only: 1/22/2009
Developer: Valve Software
Publisher: Electronic Arts