Left 4 Dead Hands-on Preview - Survivor Side
OH CRUEL WORLD
The game is difficult. I know a lot of you have probably played competitively in Counter-Strike or other games and don't think a co-op game could really challenge you, and trust me, I know exactly where you're coming from. When the developers told us that they only make it out alive a quarter of the time, they weren't lying. Left 4 Dead is not and will never be a game that one person can dominate. The gameplay mechanics have been so finely crafted toward a co-op experience that in order to even have a hope of survival, you must work together.
Please do not misinterpret this as meaning that it is hard to work together. One of the most amazing features of the game is how easily people meld together as a single unit, thanks to the design. Mike pointed out to us how, without even thinking about it, we got into the habit of timing our reloads so that when someone had to, the other would still have ammo in order to fight off the infected. This is not a choice. The infected are so numerous and spawn in such ways that if you didn't work together, you'd be screwed.
In this way, Left 4 Dead gameplay is really backwards from a lot of shooters. In most games, strafing is your friend. In just about every firefight in Counter-Strike you are strafing back and forth between shots, keeping your head out of the crosshairs of your enemy. Also in Counter-Strike, just about the only good time to duck is when you're spraying. In L4D it is entirely different. It didn't take too many times getting shot in the back by other survivors to realize that strafing is bad. If you're in the front of the pack, don't strafe around, and try to duck so your teammates have a better shot at the horde. It sounds like a pretty easy to understand method, but in practice, after years of other shooters and with a couple dozen zombies barreling toward you, it's another situation entirely.
'TIS BUT A SCRATCH
Why exactly are we afraid of the infected? They have no guns, they have low health, and they don't really hurt that badly - it takes about 15 or so swings from a zombie on normal difficulty to take you down. What they do have, though, is numbers. You may be able to take down a whole mob of them, but the problem is there always seems to be just a few too many. As careful as you can be they find a way to catch you off guard, and shortly after you realize they're coming you're already fully surrounded. Some of the most exhilarating moments are when you are being pinned down in the middle of a zombie horde, out of ammo and wildly swinging your weapon, clinging to life. If you find yourself in this situation without a fellow survivor nearby to help, in all likeliness you will soon get knocked down and face a horrible death at the hands of the rabid horde.
TRUST
Left 4 Dead takes an enormous amount of trust to really be an effective team. Think of Counter-Strike, where as long as you play smart you only ever have to worry about one or possibly two locations that an enemy could come from. Now, try to imagine being vulnerable at all times from all angles - in front, to the sides, behind you, above you - everywhere. With the director doing everything it can to make your life hell, at any moment a few dozen zombies could come charging from anywhere. From experience, even while my computer was sitting right next to my teammates', it was incredibly hard to allow myself to be vulnerable and keep focused on covering where I needed to, especially the back. It's an extremely uncomfortable situation, like running up the middle of a game of de_dust2 facing backwards. It all adds to the fear and intensity of the experience, and it is exceptionally wonderful.
THE GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ
The Director, he or she or it or whatever you prefer to think of it as, is a vital part to the overall game and replayability. I don't think it has been stressed enough that every single time through a scenario is entirely different. Let me repeat that: every single time through a scenario is entirely different. It really messed with my head because I'm so used to games presenting the same challenge over and over. Even games like Counter-Stirke (and I know I might bring up this comparison too often, but as the most widely played action game it should be the easiest method to convey my message), conflicts and firefights only really occur in a few key chokepoints and bombsites. The Director insures that there is never a point where you are completely comfortable or feel safe, not even in the checkpoints (as we found out on a few occasions). You are always on the edge of your seat, hastily scanning every corner and opening just waiting for the inevitable rush of the horde.
This is really the reason why Left 4 Dead is such an exhausting experience - you're in a constant state of paranoia about what might happen. Mike Booth explained to us that the Director is entirely procedural. Not a single trigger or flag or spawn is placed by the mapmakers - the Director is smart enough to figure it all out. The Director takes into account the "stress level" of every individual survivor. It doesn't want anyone to experience a boring game, nor does it want someone to get a heart attack by having a constant stream of zombies, which would really make you numb to the excitement. Instead, there are peaks and valleys. There are times of incredible chaos and others where you won't see a single zombie for some time. Just like any decent horror movie, the moments of silence and uncertainty lead up to the most thrilling and satisfying moments.
To give you an example, in the first three playthroughs of just the starting apartment building, we had three entirely different experiences. The first time, there were a few zombies spread out pretty thinly throughout the whole apartment, which was fine - it made you be active in each new room you entered. The second time there was barely more than a couple in the entire building, but the Director made up for it in the alley afterwards.. the third time it sort of built up and climaxed in the very middle of the apartment where it was a really awkward place to fight. The Director is a wonderful thing - it keeps you guessing, it makes every experience unique, and most importantly by changing it up it keeps you fully immersed and doesn't let you fall into the same boring pattern of play.
NEXT: Gameplay details and Checkpoints >>
