Review: Left 4 Dead

The Official Xbox Magazine ran a feature a few weeks back, claiming that Valve's Left 4 Dead was the console's greatest ever game. I baulked at the idea and told them so on their forum pages.

What of GTA IV or Fallout 3 - perhaps the most praised titles in the history of gaming?

But zombies are big business... just look at Dead Rising, Resident Evil 4, Wolfenstein and Call of Duty World at War - all seminal titles that have raced to the top of the charts.

Dead Rising was the reason I bought my Xbox 360 a few years back... the notion of re-enacting George A Romero's 1978 Dawn of the Dead movie drew me away from a PS3 purchase... and I don't regret it one bit.

The fact of the matter is, the undead have breathed new life into gaming and revitalised some tired genres; the zombie maps were arguably the most popular part of the latest Call of Duty!

Despite my comments on OXM's forum, I must admit that I'd never had the opportunity to try Left4Dead so decided to head out and grab a copy to give it the once over. And after a week-long playtest, I was pleasantly surprised.

The plot is of little relevance... all you're really told as the game boots is that it's been a few weeks since the infection (!). From that moment on, you're thrown in at the deep end like a diver bobbing up and down amongst some hungry sharks.

Pick your game mode - campaign, versus, survivor or single player - and then choose your character - Bill, Francis, Louis or the lovely Zoey .

Then all you have to do is make your way through a series of well-thought out (albeit linear) maps - woodlands and city scapes - to reach "safe rooms" that mark the end of each level.

The controls are incredibly simple and intuitive, and the game is instantly accessible; there's no real learning curve, you just dive straight into the action.

Along the way you'll come across the infected. These consist either of the typical shuffling undead types that feature in many of Romero's films, or the superfast sprinting breed that made an appearance in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later.

Then there are the special infected, which are an altogether different kettle of fish. Each has varied attributes and a trademark groan:

• The bloated Boomer staggers about the place and spews on our unsuspecting heroes - his vomit is massively appealing to the zombie hordes and attracts them from every conceivable direction. He's pretty easy to destroy though - a single gunshot bursts the grim-looking bulimic into oblivion.
  
• Smokers are wily foes blessed with a massive tongue that ensnares a victim from distance and drags them away to their doom. Still, a couple of well-placed rounds quickly sees off these guys - Smokers are pretty stationary when their tongues are hanging out!
  
• Slightly more threatening is the Hunter, a ravenous wee beastie who can leap huge distances, pinning his prey to the ground as he rips flesh from their prone bodies. Fellow Megabits blogger Ibwib has a nasty habit of getting eaten by these guys and it's usually up to me to blow them away (not that I get much thanks for it!).
• The Tank, meanwhile, is a tough old bugger. A giant lumbering hulk with enough strength to throw large chunks of debris in your direction or pummel you to submission. It often requires you and your cohorts to unload several rounds to take him down.
  
• And finally, we have the Witch. She's the one you'll often find sobbing in the corner... as you approach, you can make out her frail form - she looks pretty harmless. After all, she's just sat there, crying, head in hands. Let her catch sight of you, however, and it's curtains! After letting off an almighty scream, she pins you down and is guaranteed to quickly sap your health. Definitely the most dangerous of the special infected - but you do gain some decent achievement points if you're able to blow her head clean off!!!