Valve Software, though developed by Turtle Rock Studios. Available for purchase of Valve's own Steam service as well as in stores, it has become highly popular. As of February 17th, it held the 7th top spot for sales from February 1st through 7th, and was the most popular game bought on Steam, beating out such favorites as Grand Theft Auto 4 and Counter-Strike.
I received it for Christmas, and have played off and on throughout.
Sole Survivors
In the game, you play as one of four set characters, survivors of the zombie apocalypse. Each character is different (essentially you have the grizzled war veteran, the bearded biker, the college girl, and the African American office worker), and reports say that each has a slight advantage with certain weapons (the girl, Zoey, is said to be slightly better with the dual wielded pistols, for example).
At this time, there are four "acts", each with four stages and a finale:
- No Mercy: No Mercy is the first, in which you start in a city, making your way to a hospital rooftop for rescue. You start going through an apartment, make your way through the streets into the subway, from the subway into a sewer, which leads to the hospital. The finale takes place upon the rooftop. More on the finales in a bit.
- Death Toll: You start out following roads in a wooded area, making your way into another series of sewers. These lead to a church, which leads into a town, and then to a large house for the finale while you wait for a boat.
- Dead Air: You begin in a sort of greenhouse, making your way to an airport for rescue. You go over rooftops, through a crane, through a construction site, the airport terminal itself, with the finale taking place around the airplane as it refuels.
- Blood Harvest: You're making your way to a supposed safezone at a farmhouse. You start in the woods, leading to a series of tunnels. These tunnels take you to a bridge, which take you to a train station, and you finally reach the finale at the farmhouse.
Bloody Finale
Each act, campaign, whatever you wish to call it, ends with a finale. They all typically act the same, though they have their own advantages and disadvantages. Typically, you get a chance to fully heal and prepare, taking defensive positions. You usually have access to a single stationary chaingun. Though this gun has limited range, it will help with much. You call for help, and then waves of zombies come, more and more.
The difference in L4D's zombies is that they don't shamble. Oh no, they're more similar to the zombies from 28 Days Later. They run, they jump, they tackle. And mixed in are "special" zombies. There's the Smoker, the Hunter, the Boomer, the Tank, and the Witch. The last one is one to look out for.
The first four zombie types can show up during finales and throughout the levels. The witch will show up during the first four maps of an act, but not the finale. The Witch is probably the greatest danger, as startling her can get an ally killed quickly, if not instantly. She can be avoided, however, and you'll hear her sobbing long before encountering her. You can hear her sobs in the video below.
Playtime
I've played L4D in both single and multiplayer. Its a great amount of fun, though when playing with others it is important to have some amount of teamwork. While it is possible to handle things for a time on your own, you want, and need, someone at your back to cover you.
Final Notes
First, the game is fun, but you will grow tired of the maps after a time. Valve will be release a new mode soon, however, as well as some new maps. If nothing else, Valve is extremely good about releasing updates for their games. So while things may be boring after a time, give it a break maybe and return in a while, you should have new content.
And when you are in game, a suggestion about weapons. Though what you choose will be up to you, I myself tend to prefer the good old shotgun for handling the zombies. Though the assault rifles are good at dispatching them faster, nothing much is better than blowing zombies away the old fashioned way. I hate the sniper rifle, if only because I prefer to be in the thick of it. Also, if you get the chance, try out the dual pistols. While one pistol is ok, dual wielding them is great, and can handle quite a number of zombies if you're adept at aiming.
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