740°
9.7

Left 4 Dead Review - Horrifically Gripping and Satisfying... - Poland.US

Valve seems to be all over the place these days: they have their legendary Half-life series as the frontrunners of their legacy, as well as many other IPs such as the cartoonish Team Fortress and sterile but brain-challenging Portal. The bewildering thing is how good each of these franchises has become, despite their embracement of radically different ideas. Valve simply makes something for everyone, whether you be a lover of drama and new gameplay ideas, multiplayer fragging, or puzzle-solving. Consequently, it wasn't surprising to see the overly positive reaction to the announcement of Left 4 Dead (aka L4D), Valve's first entry into the crowded co-op genre. Does Left 4 Dead live up the hype? Oh, hell yes.

N4PS3G5646d ago

Great!! I won't be buying Call of Duty 5 now ...l'll be getting this instead!
I wasn't expecting much from this game ..but the demo changed my mind and now the scores are even better!

who would have thought...L4D is a sleeper Hit

Woots! can't wait 4 tomorrow!

M337ING5646d ago

Me neither. This game is going to be huge! :D

HardcoreGamer5646d ago (Edited 5646d ago )

i want a ps3 version

dragunrising5646d ago

I haven't heard the opposite was true, however both version are almost identical. The PC will always have a slight graphical advantage in resolution but the developers kept it even feature wise. Personally, I will never choose keyboard and mouse over controller.

If your planing on getting it for the PC, consider getting the $99 dollar ultra Valve deal. It has every Valve game ever made.

Perjoss5646d ago

am I the only one that feels that:

1. this just feels like a good mod, not really a full game title (pc gamers might know what i mean)

2. zombies are creepy 'cos they move slow and there are lots of them, not running at you at light speed.

Tried the demo and I was not all that impressed.

dragunrising5646d ago (Edited 5646d ago )

Not fair, you completely changed your comment. Your original comment spoke about how you were going to get L4D on your PC rather than 360...because it was the superior version. Why did you change your comment and decide you want it on PS3 instead of your PC? Sounds fishy to me.

Bnet3435646d ago

Damn it! I'm still on the fence for this game. I'm kind of broke right now but it's so good.

funkysolo5645d ago

If going by the demo of L4D, I can tell you that cod is the better game...You can play the whole campaign with 3 other friends and battle it out to see who gets most points..L4D is an okay game but I played the demo like 4 times and after a couple of times I don't see the game having alot of rep lay value..WAW has 4 player co-op and the multi..I would wait for the bargain bin

No Way5645d ago

So, uhm, you think slow moving zombies are scarier then fast moving zombies? Sorry, but I beg to differ..

If a toddler threw a football at your face, it wouldn't be scary. But, if Tom Brady threw a football at your face, then that's down right scary.

See my point?

Bolts5645d ago

Slow moving zombie is only scary if the controls sucks and you can't move while aiming. L4D isn't as scary as Dead Space, because your character can move around like a CS operative but it is a hell lot more fun. As an online game the formula works.

Perjoss5645d ago

i didn't use the word scary, big difference.

No Way5645d ago

You're correct, you did not.

So, tell me.. what's the difference? Either way, I believe fast moving zombies are.. creepier than slow moving zombies.

And, plus, you also mention that they are creepy cause there are a lot of them. Uhm, go get spit on by a Boomer, and tell me there is not a lot of zombies in your face.

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 5645d ago
RAF-TECH5646d ago

interesting...
a rent to buy for me

Yoma5646d ago

if they give this game 10/10 , they can give whatthefckever game a 100/10. I played it and it was.. nothing special

M337ING5646d ago

Except they didn't, they gave it a 97... :/

JohnnyChimpo5646d ago

Ok these ratings are getting way out of hand, it seems that every game that drops now is getting a 9 or better, not every game is as good as a 9. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Left for Dead is good, I'm saying in general. If a game gets a rating of nine or higher......scratch that a 8.5 or higher, then I expect absolutley no day one patches. No glitches, no bugs, etc. I want a masterpeice. The only games that desrve these high ratings this year is MGS4, Uncharted, and Gears2.

These ratings are getting way out of hand, and we soak it up like it was black tar heroin. Why are we as gamers giving these tards satisfaction and allowing them to continue to give faulty ratings to games just to ignite another fanboy war. It's not MS fanboys and it's not Sony fanboys, it's reviewrs, editors, journalists that blow a game completely out of the water and say it's the best thing since slice bread. Then you get home and what do you know, a patch, or better yet DLC!? What you couldn't just give the consumer a bang for his/her buck and add the DLC into the game as general content.

All in all, metacritic and all other review sites need to be picketed by all fanboys, stating that we as people deserve an accurate rating, we as consumers and gamers don't care what some 40yr old man thought of a game just be3cause he played the first level and scored the game a 9 or 10. A score needs to be based on gameplay, visuals, story, replay value, and construction.

Down with Metacritic and all other reviewers.

GWAVE5646d ago

Nowhere in the review does he mention the horrible textures and the horrible pop-in. It's kind of sad how certain games get a free pass on these issues "because gameplay is more important than graphics" yet other games get railed for it. A 9.5/10 for graphics is an absolute travesty when prettier games are getting 9/10 and 8/10 for better graphics.

I love the Half Life series, but I think Valve needs to be taken down a few notches. They aren't the second coming of Christ...

N4PS3G5646d ago

" On the 360, the game runs at a less-impressive clip of 30 FPS, suffering from some lower-quality textures and character models "

You should read the review again ...or maybe read it for the first time..not the actual score only

it clearly says that the game is not technically mind-blowing, but artistically strong and well-optimized

P4KY B5646d ago Show
thor5646d ago

This game is going to get a free pass despite the facts:
It's ONLY a co-op mode, effectively. That's less content than most games out there.
The graphics are dated (and have issues on 360? That's pretty shocking considering they are bad to start with; I'd have thought the 360 could handle it easily)

Whereas games with better graphics and more content are panned.

How many reviews were there of Mirror's Edge criticising it because it was a short game?
R2's abundance of content was overlooked by many so they could nitpick the graphics and SP campaign.

thenickel5646d ago

And here they go running and crying unfair unfair lol. L4D is a great game all around even if the graphics are not top notch. The detail is perfect and the co-op gameplay is deeper then anything else out there. LBP got a free pass but do you see anybody complaining about that. Get a life GWAVE and quit complaining because you can't have it your way sheesh!

GWAVE5646d ago

@ N4PS3G

Perhaps you should read my post again. I mentioned that the 9.5/10 for graphics is a travesty. The fact that the author said "On the 360, the game runs at a less-impressive clip of 30 FPS, suffering from some lower-quality textures and character models" and yet still gave the graphics a 9.5/10 is only further proof that I am correct.

I have nothing against L4D. I am thoroughly enjoying the demo and I'd say that it's going to be a lot of fun. However, the graphics deserve no excuse whatsoever. The graphics are bad and that's all there is to it.

SL1M DADDY5646d ago

They are all over the place in terms of grading scale that it shows a great level of one of two things, either bias or idiocity. I figure both are not what I need to be listening to when picking my games so I pick for myself and rent then buy the ones I like enough to drop the bucks for.

Dmitry Orlov5646d ago

I think problems with 360 could come up only in case of poor optimisation. You said it yourself - the graphics are dated.

Cenobia5646d ago

I also feel this game won't age well on the 360. It's basically just the same game played over and over but with friends (as far as I know, I only played the PC demo). It's fun, but without the new levels and mods like the PC version will get, I'm not sure it will last very long.

Maybe being a zombie will add some longevity to it, I don't know. I only played the demo level and half a co-op game (I have no idea why, but I couldn't connect to any game). I guess I just wish the demo gave us a better taste of what the full game was.

thor5646d ago (Edited 5646d ago )

GWAVE you're right about the graphics. How on earth can they give a 9.5 to the graphics? That means that the graphics cannot be improved by much.. but I've played L4D on PC at max settings and there are a LOT of console games that look better. If the 360 version suffers from some problems as well then 9.5 is waaay too high.

GWAVE5646d ago

@ thor

It's true, but look at all the disagrees you and I are getting. :^D

It seems some fanboys have good enough eyesight to point out a random jaggie in a random pre-alpha Killzone 2 screenshot, yet their eyesight isn't good enough to see a cardboard box magically appear 5 feet in front of them while they play L4D. It's so sad.

As I have said, I really enjoy L4D. The co-op is a blast. However, as a GAMER, I'm not going to give concessions to a game that has poor graphics. Will I play it? Heck yeah. Will I praise the graphics or be impressed by them? Heck no, and any true gamer should be honest enough with himself/herself to accept that L4D is severely lacking in the graphical department.

A 9.5/10 for graphics is a blatant "free pass".

(Oh, and before anyone mentions "art direction", art direction is a matter of opinion and should be a very minor factor when scoring graphics. Art direction - no matter how excellent - doesn't make a bad texture look good nor a choppy framerate look smooth. Good art direction does not equal good graphics, unless you're willing to admit that Okami has better "graphics" than Gears of War due to the stronger art direction...)

M337ING5646d ago

You could argue that Okami was more pleasing to the eye. I understand that Gears 2 has the more advanced engine, but the amount of aliasing and flaws present on a large HD tv just made it somewhat of an eyesore to look at...

Maxned5646d ago

While I agree with you on the graphics, I do think this game deserves AAA.

GWAVE5645d ago

@ Maxned

Why does it deserve AAA? If it's not a AAA game, why give it a AAA score? If the game isn't AAA, will it reduce your enjoyment of it? I don't think a game should get AAA just because it can be fun. Plenty of games are fun and I can recommend a huge list of non-AAA games that I think are worth playing.

But a game should be rated fairly. Graphics are a part of that rating. Bad graphics shouldn't get a free pass. It reminds me of GTA4 reviews where -- despite mediocre textures, pop-in, framerate drops, etc -- it got 10/10 for graphics from most reviewers because....uh....um....did they even give a reasonable explanation?

thewhoopimen5645d ago (Edited 5645d ago )

Personally i view it as a very solid fun game that's great to play and exciting but not in the 9 territory b/c it doesn't push any envelopes.
- 3D engine is dated/ Graphics are par/subpar for this generation
- Scope is very focused but very limited
- Coop/Vs mode only(It's not even considered a complete game... how does it get full AAA scores).
- Music/Sound is average (Typical FPS fare

8.5 maybe 8.9... but it is not a AAA more like a A/B+

No Way5645d ago

The graphics are not THAT bad.. Sure, they are not great, but they are good.
There are far more games out there that look worse than Left 4 Dead.

I don't think I will ever understand why so many people pay sooooo much attention to graphics nowadays.. And, reviews.

Traveler5645d ago

I agree that the game does not deserve a 9.5 in the graphics department. But the problem I have with your comments is that you are exaggerating how bad the game looks. It makes you sound like someone with a bias that just wants to hate on it. The graphics are not the best I have ever seen, but they aren't bad at all. It has a real-time lighting engine, tons of enemies on screen at once and decent textures and effects. All things told, I would put it about on par with Resistance 2. Do you think Resistance 2's graphics are "severely lacking in the graphical department"?

The biggest problem I saw with the demo was the aliasing. I don't like aliasing. But other than that it looks great.

+ Show (14) more repliesLast reply 5645d ago
kewlkat0075646d ago

Another family member not getting a X-Mas present.

ceedubya95646d ago

That's cold man! But I feel you. My gaming needs are going to be met, even if someone else has to suffer a bit for Christmas.

Show all comments (92)
130°

Looking Back At 2008, An Unbelievably Incredible Year Of Video Game Releases

Huzaifa from eXputer: "2008 was home to the likes of Call of Duty: World at War, Dead Space, GTA 4, Far Cry 2, Left 4 Dead, and many other hits, which is outright remarkable."

ChasterMies7d ago

Some of these low paid video game “news” writers weren’t born before 2007.

just_looken7d ago

Here here

Those that were around before 2000's i am sure are like me that think we entered a world of non readers or those that follow without question.

I can not wait to see fallout 3 a goty game even though it was about water with non content until you add the dlc/updates then you got the performance/crashing

CrimsonWing698d ago

I don’t think anything can compare to 2023

lucasnooker8d ago

1998 - the best year in gaming! Metal gear solid, crash bandicoot 3, medievil, half life, ocarina of time, thief, tenchu, resident evil 2, Spyro, tomb raider 3, oddworld abes exodus, banjo kazooie.

It was a different breed of a gaming era. You’ll never understand what it was like back then. The aura of gaming, it was different!

KyRo8d ago (Edited 8d ago )

I second this. Gaming was a lot more varied and fun than it is today. I'm 35 so getting on compared to some here but I got to see all the changes from NES up to now but I've never felt so disappointed in any generation than I have this current gen. I was expecting more from this generation rather than prettier versions of games that came before it. Game mechanics have become so refined that alot of games feel the same and has done for a while now.

Maybe it's time to have a break for a while. I love gaming but I don't feel I get much fun in the traditional sense out of it anymore.

CrimsonWing698d ago (Edited 8d ago )

Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil 2, Abe’s Exodus, and Ocarina of Time are the only things from that list that I liked.

Here’s the 2023 game releases that I personally liked… and big releases that I didn’t care for:

- Dead Space Remake
- Wo Long Dynatsy
- Resident Evil 4 Remake
- Diablo 4
- Fire Emblem Engage
- Hogwarts Legcay
- Street Fighter 6
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Like a Dragon: Ishin
- Octopath Traveler 2
- Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters
- Final Fanatsy XVI (actually ended up not liking this, but it was still a big deal release)
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
- Lies of P
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Starfield (Ended up hating this one, but big release)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (I’m an old-school Zelda fan, but didn’t really enjoy this game)
- Alan Wake 2

I mean, honestly I’ve never seen a year of major IP releases like that, ever.

Profchaos8d ago (Edited 8d ago )

Isn't it just a generational thing realistically.

I've been gaming since way back and I some of my favourite games go as far back as the late 80s for me each generation has a year or two of game changing releases one after another before an inevitable dry spell.

I kind of agree gaming had a different feel games hit different because we didn't have the internet nothing got spoiled and you really had to put in the effort to beat a puzzle which could set entire groups of people looking for a solution. But most importantly games were experimental and not as cookie cutter as today even basics like controls were not universal today r2 is shoot l2 is ads garunteed you can't deviate from that in a shooter back then it could of been square, R1 or R1 and circle nothing was standard.

But as time moves on a new generation picks up their controller they are going to be interested in different things that PS1 demo disc with the t Rex blew our primitive 16 bit brains back on launch but to kids today it's laughable.
The new gen of kids coming into to hobby seem to value different things to us there seems to be a huge focus on online play, streamers, gaming personalities, and social experiences, convience of digital downloads. To me I value none of that but that's ok like my parents not liking the band's I would listen to its just the natural cycle.

Gameseeker_Frampt7d ago

Just about every year in the 7th generation was great and something we most likely won't experience again.

2009 for example had Assassin's Creed 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dragon Age: Origins, Uncharted 2, Halo 3: ODST, Killzone 2, Borderlands, Bayonetta, and Demon's Souls to name a few.

just_looken7d ago

It still amazes me we got over 7 rockstar games ps2/ps3 but 3 for the ps3/ps4/ps5

Dragon age 1-3 and mass effect 1-3 in 7ish years what a generation.

320°

Most Offensive Video Games That Would Never Cut It Today

Times are changing, and these games would have never been made in today's climate.

Read Full Story >>
wealthofgeeks.com
thorstein45d ago (Edited 45d ago )

Every single time someone uses this phrase whether it's music, movies, books, comics, video games, etc it's always the same claim.

The ubiquitous "they" won't allow it to be made. And every decade these claims are made the claimant completely ignores all the "offensive" material that is published when the claim is made.

In ten years, you can write a new article about how you can't make games like Helldivers 2, Resident Evil VIII, Mortal Kombat I, Dragon's Dogma 2, Alan Wake 2 etc etc etc any more.

MrBaskerville45d ago

Yeah, people wouldn't be constantly outraged if there weren't games that people found enraging. The whole SBI discourse shit wouldn't be a thing if all games were inoffensive. A game like Starfield can make a guy froth at his mouth, so there will always be room for a list like this.

0hMyGandhi44d ago

Normally, I'd be inclined to agree with you, but there are massive caveats.
TV shows like Venture Bros, Ren and Stimpy, and Aqua Team wouldn't/couldn't be made today. Hell, Ren and Stimpy was a *children's* show, same thing with Rocko's Modern Life.

It's not for some arbitrary reason, either. It's branding and IP alignment. Companies are far more risk-averse than they were when I was kid in the 90's. Of course, you have companies coming out of the woodwork to hell spur on similar content, but remember: Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon and some incredibly provocative material.

And for movies? it's pretty obvious. American Pie/Wedding Crashers/Eurotrip among many other "raunch coms" have fallen out of style, and are absolutely outside what the modern day film industry is willing to stand by.
Ace Ventura 1 and 2, Dumb and Dumber, Freddy Got Fingered, Rat Race, Harold and Kumar, and Van Wilder follow suit.

Remember: I am not explicitly talking about films put onto streamers. I am talking wide-releases in actual theaters. Same thing goes for games: Carmageddon, Duke Nukem, Manhunt, Six Days In Fallujah (with their original concept), Hatred, and so on and so forth. Of course, I'd be inclined to mention most tactical shooters like Rainbow Six and Joint Ops as well, due to cultural sensitivity regarding *who* you are shooting and why.

And not all of it is bad (obviously). Tastes change, and perspectives change to fit the demographic.
I should add that I'm a lefty, living in L.A. Working in film.

thorstein44d ago

The Boys, Invincible, Jojo Rabbit, Deadpool, Gen V, Last of Us, Banshee... There are plenty of media being made today that people will claim "can't be made today".

Profchaos44d ago

Yeah but if you consider manhunt which was basically a snuff film could you seriously make that game with high than PS2 era graphics.

thorstein44d ago

The Outlast Trials just came out.

But the storyline of Manhunt was that you were executed. But then lived. And if you didn't do as you were told, you'd die. And the people you killed were not innocents.

It was all filmed by a psychopath.

As we speak GTA VI is being finished up for a release. You get to play a Bonnie and Clyde type of protagonist who run up against the law.

Bodycam looks so real.

People are making those games. Articles like this will always exist no matter how incorrect they are, no matter how many times they blame "them" for whatever it is "they" do to prevent "those" games from being made.

Number1TailzFan44d ago

The UK is the biggest junk country pandering to that nonsense as well, with laws against free speech and expression to match. It got so bad even Rowan Atkinson made a video on free speech about it.

Now the UK raises the age rating on harmless films like Mary Poppins, it's just a load of pansy weak ass nonsense.

MrDead44d ago (Edited 44d ago )

The right wing Tories have been in power in the UK for the 14 years you know the ones that are "anti-woke", blame them for your perceptions.

Killer2020UK44d ago (Edited 44d ago )

Are these snowflakes in the room with us now?

This is more faux outrage designed to get hits. The consequences are unfortunately creating hysteria amongst those willing to buy into it and blame "them" or "the left" or "liberals" meanwhile the left are kicking off about genocide, actual real world abhorrent acts. Nobody is campaigning to censor this shit.

Huey_My_D_Long44d ago

Not too mention the fact that some of these game are controversial for you know, underage porn and encouraging rape.

So either the guy just came in to comment snowflakes without reading anything, or he is calling people snowflakes for having a problem with said titles. Crazy how much brain rot someone can have.

banger8845d ago

Dead Island: "The early PC version of the zombie game swapped the playable character Purna’s Gender Wars skill with a prototype name, which shouldn’t be mentioned directly. The skill name made fun of both Purna as a character and feminists."

"Feminist Whore" lmao

gold_drake45d ago

ill add one more to the list.
drakengard 1.

its ridiculous tho, especially since they'd still be able to find their place in alot of places in the world. except america of course ha. and maybe Australia.

ppl are so sensitive these days. ha. but it is what it is.

Barlos45d ago (Edited 45d ago )

They're not offensive.

And we need another Fat Princess. Fantastic little game!

Some people just have no sense of humour if this sort of thing offends them. They need to lighten up and stop taking themselves so seriously.

Deeeeznuuuts45d ago

Would love a new fat princess game 🤟

CantThinkOfAUsername45d ago

Games literally about sexual assault, mass genocide, bombing civilians, and school shooting. None of which is satirical.

isarai44d ago

Actually it's about fat princesses

Huey_My_D_Long44d ago (Edited 44d ago )

Its crazy that people are fixated on Fat princess when clearly the list is going over controversies, and not all of them are equal. Like way worse examples but pretend the entire list is like that.

Show all comments (37)
70°

Left 4 Dead Writer Explains The Drawbacks Of Releasing Games In Early Access

He wants to launch all his projects initially through close beta.