Special infected differ from your typical zombies in the game as they each have their own unique strength. Hunters are extremely quick and agile, and will jump great distances to pounce on you. Smokers are tall and slender, and have a mutated tongue that they’ll use to reach out to grab you, and then constrict your body until they kill you. Boomers are extremely obese zombies that waddle around waiting to spew bile on any human, causing a horde of infected to rush directly towards you. Finally, we have the Tank which is essentially a visual clone of the Hulk looking to deal out as much damage as physically possible.
There is, however, one other special infected that you’ll encounter through the game, and that’s the witch. Small and seemingly looking harmless; this is one enemy that you do not want to piss off throughout the game. You’ll find a witch hiding in various places, but she’s always curled up on the floor and upon awakening her, you’re going to feel a great deal of damage.
The game boasts four campaigns called No Mercy, Death Toll, Dead Air, and Blood Harvest. With a small number of campaigns, it’s hard for gamers to truly grasp the idea of Left 4 Dead having a ton of replay value. Left 4 Dead achieves this by having brilliant level designs, and an amazing featured called AI Director.
Much like a director in a movie, the AI director factors in things such as health, accuracy, skill each play through to judge when, how, and what kind of zombies to send your way. Rather than being able to call out where enemies will pop out, the AI director makes the game filled with non-stop action by always keeping you guessing.
The game can be played solo, with the remaining characters being filled in by surprisingly smart AI. You’ll eventually realize that the game is meant to be played with friends with you, or over Xbox Live. Teamwork is such a huge key in the game, and sadly, there’s a limit to how well you can coordinate attacks and plans with the AI.
As you finish up the campaigns and decide to finally check out the versus mode, the game will truly begin to shine. The versus pits members of the humans against the special infected, with the campaigns and chapters being played out almost exactly the same as campaign.
The special infected are given the ability to spawn in higher places and anywhere throughout a chapter, as long as they can’t be seen by the survivors and are within a reasonable area of them. Versus quickly becomes a game of cat & mouse, and the survivors have to pay attention to any injured teammates that may be falling behind. Simply put, the versus mode is something that you have to play in order to gain a full sense of appreciation for.
Regardless of what titles are currently in your Xbox 360, there is a place for Left 4 Dead available. Left 4 Dead has quickly put an emphasis on teamwork that’s hard to find in any other title, and is one of the best multiplayer experiences you’ll find on any console.
12 days ago
This game is brilliant. Plain and simple.