Re: Left 4 Dead
L4D Preview, Blood Harvest Expert Footage
L4D Preview, Blood Harvest Expert Footage
We have our impressions of Left 4 Dead from a recent trip to Valve South along with over an hour of Blood Harvest footage on Expert difficulty.
Left 4 Dead is absolute chaos. It is intense, fast-paced, thrilling, exhilarating, and exhausting. It is everything you could ever hope for a game to be and more - every single expectation I had for the game was blown away entirely. I was literally in awe over how fun and unique of an experience it offered and I have to say that it was honestly the best gaming experience I've had in my life.
We as gamers seem to hear this kind of sensationalism for unreleased games far too often, and believe me that I too have been the victim of such unwarranted hype - but I promise you that these are not empty words. This game is truly original and it offers up a pure gaming experience. Everything in Left 4 Dead is geared towards reaching that mindset of pure gaming bliss. It is challenging, and you will fail. You will scream, curse, laugh and cry, and love every single second of it.
We as gamers seem to hear this kind of sensationalism for unreleased games far too often, and believe me that I too have been the victim of such unwarranted hype - but I promise you that these are not empty words. This game is truly original and it offers up a pure gaming experience. Everything in Left 4 Dead is geared towards reaching that mindset of pure gaming bliss. It is challenging, and you will fail. You will scream, curse, laugh and cry, and love every single second of it.
The Director, he or she or it or whatever you prefer to think of it as, is a vital part to the overall game and replayability. I don't think it has been stressed enough that every single time through a scenario is entirely different. Let me repeat that: every single time through a scenario is entirely different. It really messed with my head because I'm so used to games presenting the same challenge over and over. Even games like Counter-Stirke (and I know I might bring up this comparison too often, but as the most widely played action game it should be the easiest method to convey my message), conflicts and firefights only really occur in a few key chokepoints and bombsites. The Director insures that there is never a point where you are completely comfortable or feel safe, not even in the checkpoints (as we found out on a few occasions). You are always on the edge of your seat, hastily scanning every corner and opening just waiting for the inevitable rush of the horde.
This is really the reason why Left 4 Dead is such an exhausting experience - you're in a constant state of paranoia about what might happen. Mike Booth explained to us that the Director is entirely procedural. Not a single trigger or flag or spawn is placed by the mapmakers - the Director is smart enough to figure it all out. The Director takes into account the "stress level" of every individual survivor. It doesn't want anyone to experience a boring game, nor does it want someone to get a heart attack by having a constant stream of zombies, which would really make you numb to the excitement. Instead, there are peaks and valleys. There are times of incredible chaos and others where you won't see a single zombie for some time. Just like any decent horror movie, the moments of silence and uncertainty lead up to the most thrilling and satisfying moments.
To give you an example, in the first three playthroughs of just the starting apartment building, we had three entirely different experiences. The first time, there were a few zombies spread out pretty thinly throughout the whole apartment, which was fine - it made you be active in each new room you entered. The second time there was barely more than a couple in the entire building, but the Director made up for it in the alley afterwards.. the third time it sort of built up and climaxed in the very middle of the apartment where it was a really awkward place to fight. The Director is a wonderful thing - it keeps you guessing, it makes every experience unique, and most importantly by changing it up it keeps you fully immersed and doesn't let you fall into the same boring pattern of play.
This is really the reason why Left 4 Dead is such an exhausting experience - you're in a constant state of paranoia about what might happen. Mike Booth explained to us that the Director is entirely procedural. Not a single trigger or flag or spawn is placed by the mapmakers - the Director is smart enough to figure it all out. The Director takes into account the "stress level" of every individual survivor. It doesn't want anyone to experience a boring game, nor does it want someone to get a heart attack by having a constant stream of zombies, which would really make you numb to the excitement. Instead, there are peaks and valleys. There are times of incredible chaos and others where you won't see a single zombie for some time. Just like any decent horror movie, the moments of silence and uncertainty lead up to the most thrilling and satisfying moments.
To give you an example, in the first three playthroughs of just the starting apartment building, we had three entirely different experiences. The first time, there were a few zombies spread out pretty thinly throughout the whole apartment, which was fine - it made you be active in each new room you entered. The second time there was barely more than a couple in the entire building, but the Director made up for it in the alley afterwards.. the third time it sort of built up and climaxed in the very middle of the apartment where it was a really awkward place to fight. The Director is a wonderful thing - it keeps you guessing, it makes every experience unique, and most importantly by changing it up it keeps you fully immersed and doesn't let you fall into the same boring pattern of play.
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