Left 4 Dead

[Jeivar]

I've had an interest in this game for a while but I've always been busy with something else. I think I might finally give it a try. Can someone give me a brief breakdown of the experience?
For the record, my only prior experience with online shooters is Team Fortress 2.

(oh, and this may be a dumb question but is it subscription based? my googly didn't turn anything up on the subject)

[The Dark Fiddler]

L4D isn't subscription based, and it's pretty different from Team Fortress 2. The game is you and three teammates trying to make it through a map to a goal, while being assaulted by hordes of zombies. The most common enemy you'll go up against are common zombies, which aren't that much of a threat (but certainly can be if you don't take them out quickly enough), but you'll also go up against sudden hordes of zombies (which still aren't that bad as long as you've got ammo in your shotgun or automatic rifle) and several varieties of "uncommon" zombies. As you travel through the map, you'll occasionally find supplies laying around; ammo, better guns, pills (to temporarily heal you), and med kits.

That's, uh, about all I can say. I'm not the best at describing gameplay. I love the game to pieces, though; it's a lot of fun, even if it doesn't sound like it, the way I described it.

[Lord Loss]

It's a fun game, The Dark Fiddler explained it very well. To add to that, you start off in a Safehouse and have to make it from one end of a mostly linear map to the next Safehouse. Each level of the game is divided into four segments and you get a safehouse after each segment. After the last, you need to survive in a relatively small area for a certain number of minutes until a helicopter/boat/other rescues you and takes you to the next level. There are zombies called Special Infected that appear from time to time, for example, they might grapple you and hold you in place till a teammate saves you, have lots and lots of health, spit acid your way, etc.

I've played left for dead and Left 4 Dead 2, and own the secon one, which I reccomend over the first because it has a more active online playerbase and is pretty much L4D1 but more polished.


I personally prefer COD Zombies (if you're willing to shell out for the extra maps, that is) in terms of zombie survival game but they are entirely different games with a different focus and completely different gameplay too.

[Emmerask]

Imo one of the best fps to come out in a looong time, though I agree I would go with l4d2, it has all of the l4d1 campaigns and new ones.

The best way to play it though is coop with 3 friends, there the game really shines.

[Draconi Redfir]

agreed, there's VS mode that lets you play with seven friends, four of them being the special infected, but that really downgrades the game i feel. in the 4 player mode it's an intense survival horror game, where you need to watch your every step and plan your every shot to avoid loosing control of the situation, and your biggest threat is the common infected, and all the special infected are the cherry on top, rare occurrences that make the game that more interesting.


with VS mode however the common infected are downgraded into minor annoyances and the special infected become the primary threat. and since the specials spawn much more frequently and have the intelligence of a human player behind them, the game becomes less "intense survival horror" and more "kill all the special infected, run like heck to the safe house" and that's about it.

If your going to play the game i recommend you play the campaign first, even if it's all by yourself. VS mode is really not something you want for a first impression.

[Grif]

Imo one of the best fps to come out in a looong time, though I agree I would go with l4d2, it has all of the l4d1 campaigns and new ones.

The best way to play it though is coop with 3 friends, there the game really shines.

Aye. While I kinda dislike the fact that having all the L4D1 campaigns on L4D2 makes the first game somewhat redundant, it is more than made up by the fact that L4D2 is more polished, and the melee weapons are just fun to play. (L4D1 had no melee weapons, and lesser variety of special infected.)

[A Rainy Knight]

Just to add a little more description on, it also randomizes the levels a little bit each time you play them so that you can't expect when the next swarm attack or special zombie is going to appear. I really enjoy the way this plays into a special zombie called the Witch, a zombie who looks like a crying little girl but starts shrieking and going berserk if you shoot her or shine a flashlight on her. It's a really cool experience to suddenly hear the Witch's crying and start shouting at all your teammates to kill their flashlights and cautiously creep through the dark, praying that you don't startle the Witch.

[Logic]

Left 4 Dead and its sequel Left 4 Dead 2 are great games. I prefer L4D2 because of the additional weapons, special infected, and IMHO, more interesting characters (though Francis sure is funny.)

To me, VS mode really isn't the spirit of the game. It feels like a multiplayer match of just about any other shooter game, but with different enemy targets. Unless you are playing the as special infected, then it feels like an exercise in sadism.

This game also has the bonus honor of being one of the few games my fiancee will play with me.

[Draconi Redfir]

The only real problem i have with l4d2 is that the special infected all look too different now. i preffered the smoker, boomer, hunter, and tank from l4d1.


Tank most of all. they turned him pink and shaved him! :(

It would at least be nice if they altered the coding a bit to put the old skins on those infected in the origional maps.

[LeSwordfish]

The defining left 4 dead experience goes like this:

"Okay, we got this, guys."
"We SO got this."
"Look out, hunter."
"I got him. Wait! No. I missed him."
"Where'd he go?
"Dunnoaaagh!"
"Oh, s**t!"
"Shoot it!"
"Watch out for the car, watch out for the car!"
"Oh, god!"
"I'm coming to help!"
"Horde! There's a horde!"
"Molotovaaah"
"Ahh, and i'm on sodding fire now, aaah!"
"Aaah, i am no longer coming to help"
"Aaaah!"
"Aaaah!"
"Aaaaaah!"

"Heh. Another game?"
"Hell yeah."
"We got this, guys."

L4D2 has a few stylistic downgrades and differences, and the hipsters/connoseiurs prefer L4D1. Personally, i own both, and prefer L4D2. A few things, such as map design, are a little worse in L4D2, but literally the entirety of L4D1 has been ported over, so fundamentally there's almost zero reason to buy L4D1.

Keep an eye out for it in the upcoming steam sales. Valve usually discount their own games a massive amount- odds are, it'll be 50% off all the way through, and 75% on another day. That's fairly usual.

[Sipex]

You know, that little chat blurb makes me want to record my sessions of left 4 dead with my friends.

The last 30 seconds leading up to a full party wipe would be hilarious to listen to, every time.

[Treayn]

L4D2 Versus is loads fun to play, the GitP group occasionally gets 8 people together, and we tend to slaughter each other well before the 100 point mark.

It is most certainly a gamemode to be played with friends, not strangers, and will keep you entertained long after campaign mode stops being interesting.

[Lhurgyof]

L4D2 Versus is loads fun to play, the GitP group occasionally gets 8 people together, and we tend to slaughter each other well before the 100 point mark.

It is most certainly a gamemode to be played with friends, not strangers, and will keep you entertained long after campaign mode stops being interesting.

This. It's not so fun without friends.

But Left 4 Dead is an amazing game series. I suggest the second game.

I hope to play with you some time!

[LeSwordfish]

If you are playing Left 4 Dead on your own, or with random strangers, it will be less fun than with friends.

[Acanous]

I don't know where all this VS hate is coming from.

Personally, I play on Advanced. Regular Special Infected are a joke. If there's two hunters, a smoker and a boomer all coming at you at the same time, you really only need to worry about the boomer, IF he's hiding behind a door or other choke.

Equip automatic weapons. Headshot things a lot. Profit.

Now, an important thing to know about L4D and L4D2, is that the "AI Director" who controls zombie and equiptment spawns, both has a zombie cap, and cannot adjust well to constant pressure. (That is, it adjusts to pressure by area, and by the time it's finished adjusting, you're two areas ahead and it starts to adjust again).
In non VS maps, it is a very good strategy to just start running and not stop 'til you hit the safe house.

Of course, your entire team needs to know of this beforehand.

If you play VS, however, it's an entirely different game, and not tic-tac-toe anymore.

[brag] Of course, if you aren't me, and don't boast 100% accuracy with the uzi with a 20% Headshot ratio and over 13,000 kills, non-VS play might be more your bag.[/brag]

Another important thing to note is that in L4D, there are only two kinds of weapon, short range (shotgun, auto-shotty) and long range (Uzi, AK-47, Hunting Rifle). The hunting rifle is useless, the other long range weapons are great VS regular zombies, normal and advanced special infected. The Short range guns are better for the Witch (Kill her in one shot, get an achievement), the Tank, and expert-level special infected.

[The Dark Fiddler]

I don't know where all this VS hate is coming from.

Might be because your typical group on Vs. when you're playing with strangers will kick you for the slightest reasons

[Lord Loss]

Might be because your typical group on Vs. when you're playing with strangers will kick you for the slightest reasons

Phew, I thought that just happened to me. That's why I usually play local, I don't like dealing with jackasses who kick people for the slightest things.

[Lord Loss]

Might be because your typical group on Vs. when you're playing with strangers will kick you for the slightest reasons

Phew, I thought that just happened to me. That's why I usually play local, I don't like dealing with jackasses who kick people for the slightest things.

[shadow_archmagi]

I love Versus. It's a lot of fun to play as the undead, and I prefer intelligent opponents to the AI.

[Brumski]

I use to play it with some friends, alot of fun.

The thing I like about it that is different from most other FPS is that the regular enemies go down really easy, but obviously there are many more. Like 30 zombies are rushing at you? Well two guys with M-16's will make short work of that, I like that feeling of badassidness. I can still see the time, during a LAN party, where I was at the end of a train car, sniper rifle aimed straight down the middle, with a buddy hiding outside. A horde comes rushing in at me and I can watch thru my buddy's monitor as I take out 3 in one shot, again and again and again, easiest horde ever to deal with.

[Emmerask]

they are easy to kill though deal 10% dmg / hit in hard mode (which is the most fun but also frustrating* mode imo) so you really have to kill them before they can take a swing at you ^^

*frustrating because some sections of some levels are pretty much impossible if you don´t have the right gear (pipes, molos most importantly) and if you want all the achievements for clearing all the campaigns in hard mode (in one go) you have to start the campaign all over again ^^

Oh and also only those rescued in the last level get the achievement, those left behind when the panicky run for the boat/helicopter/armored car begins get nothing

[Jeivar]

Well, a lot of votes for the second game. Um . . . how do the player characters in L4D2 compare to the ones in L4D1? This may be a silly question about an online shooter, but characters can be a make or break thing for me.

Appreciate all the comments.

[LeSwordfish]

Characters in L4D2 are a little worse than L4D1, buit luckily the L4D1 campaigns in L4d2 have the L4D1 characters in, anyway.

And it's, like, a little worse. Not by any means "Bad".

[Mando Knight]

They all handle the same, though. It's mostly that Ellis is a bit of a hick. And has a man-crush on his friend that you never see.

[LeSwordfish]

The best writing is the saferoom graffiti anyway.

[Jeivar]

Characters in L4D2 are a little worse than L4D1, buit luckily the L4D1 campaigns in L4d2 have the L4D1 characters in, anyway.

Wait, so L4D2 basically contains the first game? As in, two games for the price of one? Or am I misunderstanding?

[Treayn]

player characters

The L4D1 characters are all fairly decent, Francis and Louis play off each other alot, Bill has his moments, and Zoey's a zombie movie fanatic.

Nick and Ellis from L4D2 aren't too bad, Coach is passable, Rochelle... is bland and boring. Literally the key defining feature of her is the Depeche Mode T-Shirt she's wearing.


Also playing infected's much more fun than survivors.

[LeSwordfish]

Wait, so L4D2 basically contains the first game? As in, two games for the price of one? Or am I misunderstanding?

Yes, basically.

[Lord Loss]

Wait... I have L4D2 on console and don't seem to find the L4D1 campaigns anywhere. What did I miss?

[LeSwordfish]

The chance to buy it on PC?

Sadly, thanks to microsoft/sony's update policy, on console you must pay for the updates adding the new content. Yeah, it sucks, i know. Some of the old campaigns aren't even included.

ANyway, left 4 dead 2 is currently 50% off here. http://store.steampowered.com/app/550 Odds are, it will reduce futher in price some time over the next few weeks, for one day.

If you have a few more quid spare, i heartily reccomend the Valve Complete pack, for £25. That includes some of the best games ever- the l4d series, the Half-Life series, the Portal games, and Counter-Strike.