Kazetenshi’s Weblog

There’s a lot of good games coming out in the Fall that I want, and it’s pretty much hard for me to choose just one. Fallout 3 looks to be awesome for your post-apocalyptic survival needs, Rock Band 2 is awesome to sharpen your drumming skills, and I still need to pickup The World Ends With You and Trauma Center: Under The Knife 2 for the DS. >.>; Regardless though, there are a few standouts that I will be getting for certain. This is one of them.

Left 4 Dead (Release Date: 11/18/2008 )

(A general description of the game.)

(This is Part 1 of a 3 part Walkthrough.)

What I feel that’s lacking in today’s online Multiplayer games is real co-op. Sure, there are two teams that go against each other and you do work with them at times, but probably most of the time people go out teabagging corpses while doing their own thing, with killing the other team the only goal in common with each other. And unless you have a dedicated clan or guild, communication with each other is probably ignored.

With Left 4 Dead, you HAVE to work with your teammates. You play as one of four survivors in the middle of a viral outbreak. The good news is that you are one of the few who are immune to the virus. The bad news is the rest of the population is not. The result: 28 Days Later-styled Infected beating/punching/kicking the hell outta you when they find you. If you seen any Horror movies (i.e. Dawn of the Dead remake or 28 Days/28 Weeks Later), you know that there are certain rules for surviving. One of them is keep with your friends AT ALL TIME; With L4D, if you do break that rule, and attempt to go Rambo by yourself, just like in the movies you will be the first do go down swiftly. As pretty much every Infected (around 30+) will maul you.

Thanks to what Valve calls the “AI Director”, expect reruns of the same “Scenarios” (or “movies” as is more recently called) to play out differently then the last. In other words, if you expect the Infected that ambushed you that other day to be in the same area, think again. The Director randomly places the Hordes of Infected each and every time, so expect to be on your guard almost all the time (aside from being inside Safe houses).

What the AI Director also does is individually check each Survivor’s condition and how they play, and react accordingly. Your team not doing well? The Director will back-off any Infected, spawning only few hordes and more health supplies to get you back in fighting condition. Doing too good? Then expect the Director to give you a good challenge with less health supplies and more hordes of Infected.

The game also keeps track of stats of how you do. Aside from the normal affair of who killed the most Infected, there are also a Achievement system. The game awards you for doing good things like helping your fellow ‘mate up or giving them your medkit when you’re in need of one.  At the same time, it keeps track of the bad things you do to your teammates, ala Friendly Fire, or being a complete idiot. These show on your profile when you enter a game in the lobby before it starts. So in turn, if you see this guy’s got a habit of hogging all the Medkits and then shooting the survivors for the hell of it, the teammates can kick him/her out of the group before the game. Same rules apply during the game.

When a Survivor goes down, they aren’t dead immediately . Rather, a 3-Strike rule is applied. The first two times, you are “knocked” down and you can’t move. At this time your pistol is your only weapon available and you can shoot Infected that are trying to stomp you to death. Watch it though, since you’re in a “bleeding” state. Your health goes down until one of your teammates helps you back up, in which then you’re fine, if not a Medkit can help. If your ‘mates can’t get to you in time or if the Infected continually whails you, you’re out regardless of the 3-Strike rule. If you get knocked down a 3rd time, you’re pretty much dead.

While dead, you can spectate the three other survivors as they worm their way to a safehouse. On their way though, they can come across closets in which you and any other dead ‘mate can respawn and get back into the game. If not, then any dead ‘mates will respawn in the safehouse if one Survivor makes it in. Safe houses are pretty much what the name is. Inside is ammo and medkits for you and your ‘mates to stock up on for the next quarantined area.

Survivor weapons, while not many, is enough to fend off the Infected. ‘Sides, the chances of finding a Rocket Launcher or a Machine Gun is pretty much rare if an outbreak was to happen in real-life. >.>;

• Colt M1911: Your standard pistol that you start out with. You can find others throughout the area, in which you can dual-wield them. Although it has infinite ammo, don’t expect this to have the same punch as any other weapon. Only used as a last result.

• Tier 1 Weapons

1. Uzi: Automatic Submachine gun. 50-Round Clip. Good for clearing Infected at medium range.
2. Pump-action Shotgun: Good for close-range. Is able to knock down a group of Infected due to its spread shot.
3. Molotov Cocktail: Burns the Infected to a nice crisp. Careful though, as the fire can spread, damaging you and/or your ‘mates too.

• Tier 2 Weapons

1. M-16 Rifle: Automatic Assault Rifle. Good at medium range, and has more power than the Uzi.
2. Auto Shotgun: With a higher rate of fire and more power than its Pump-action cousin, this is perfect for close encounters.
3. Ruger Mini-14 Sniper Rifle: A Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle perfect for long-range combat against the boss Infected like the Tank.
4. Pipe-bomb: A rugged looking bomb with a sound-emitter attached to it. When thrown, it emits sounds that attracts nearby Infected to attack it, and then explodes, taking them with it.

• Melee Attack: Each weapon has a melee “push” attack that shoves the Infected away from you when you get surrounded. This in turn makes them fall which gives you enough time to shoot them, or get some distance away from them.

Speaking of the Infected, there are 5 types of “Special” or “Boss” Infected that will test your teamwork:

• The Boomer: This guy is pretty hard to miss. Being humongously bloated and full of methane, shoot him and he will explode,  and probably damage you if you’re in the vicinity. Also, if he manages to “vomit” on you, present and oncoming hordes of Infected will target you AND ONLY you. Give a heads-up to your teammates when this happens.
• The Hunter: Probably a person who practiced Parkour, was a ninja, or both in his former life, this now agile Infected is aptly named for his ability to jump at great heights. This, in turn gives the ability for him to pounce at you, and it isn’t pretty. Once he does, you’re down while he scratch and punch the hell outta you until one of your ‘mates melees or shoots him off of you. If not, you’re a goner.
• The Smoker: With a malformed, bubbly face, this Infected has a long whip-like tongue that can strangle and drag you away from your ‘mates. When this happens, your health will go down whilst tied up, while any nearby Infected will take potshots at you. The Smoker can also release smoke, in which he can distract you, or more likely, impair your view when you’re in it.
• The Tank: Now if you played any MMO in the past few years, you probably already got this one. If not, imagine what happens if The Hulk got zombified. This guy is one of the more dangerous types of Infected; with a ton of health, and the ability to throw large objects (i.e. cars or large blocks of concrete) at you, coordinated teamfire on this one is a MUST.
• The Witch: The most dangerous of them all. Mainly appearing as a melancholy female Infected w/ white hair, she will be sitting down on the floor, weeping. She won’t harm you if you don’t manage to piss her off. That means don’t fire your gun near her vicinity, don’t shine your flashlight at her, and don’t even go near her. If someone accidentally does she will calmly get up…and TEAR SAID PERSON TO SHREDS. She can knock out a survivor in one hit, has the fast agility of the Hunter, and the Health of the Tank.

The layout of the game is that there are four “movies”, each with five “maps”. In each of these maps, the Survivors are going from Safe House to Safe House, while defending themselves by the Infected in between their journey. Some of these maps contain what is called “Crescendo” moments; in which the Survivors have a mini-standoff with the assaulting Infected while the path to the next area is being unblocked (an elevator, for instance). At the end of each movie, a final standoff between the Infected and the Survivors ensues.

A good example: The Survivors, after fighting horde upon horde of blood-thirsty Infected finally makes to the top of the Hospital Rooftop. One of the Survivors will have to signal a nearby news helicopter to land and rescue them,  while the rest setup defenses (Gasoline traps, Propane tanks, Gatling Gun Emplacements, etc.) for the impending final assault of the Infected. What’s different in comparison to the Crescendo moments, is that the Infected are more ruthless and near limitless, and the Boss Infected will also try to rain hellfire on you while you holdout for the Helicopter to come get you. This in turn, tests you fully of your communication and cooperation with your ‘mates. Also, there are no comebacks for the Survivors at this point. It’s do or die.

If you only have two of your friends, or if anyone leaves the group, then the AI will take over that Survivor(s), allowing you to continue your journey to escape.

Coming out for the PC and the 360 (which supports Two-player Splitscreen!), this game just cannot come out any sooner! This is perfect for training against the Impending Zombie Apocalypse!

If anyone wants to team-up with me, I’ll be getting both versions, although I will be on the PC Version more. My ID’s are on the right sidebar. ^^

(Sidenote…How come all the Biological/Paranormal Disasters happen around September? The Raccoon City Incident being a good example…oh well!