I am SO ready to play Left 4 Dead. Valve has a knack for kicking ass, and this looks no less than awesome. Thoughts?

Looks like a really good multiplayer game. I will play this at my cousins house but I will not buy it because I don't trust AI buddies.

If it has 4-player split-screen, L4D = win.

If not, then it's just alright in my book.

This game looks really good, and looks like an instant buy. I'm also glad that it does thing differently than most zombie games, making fast zombies instead of the shuffling easy headshot zombies.

I look forward to killing the zombie horde with three of my friends but I can see some problems with it.

1) The levels look very repetitive. I know Valve say they have randomly placed zombies, but it looks like the game involves running forward, killing stuff, getting ammo, repeating. There doesn't seem to be anything to break up the gameplay such as Half Life's puzzles or Halo's vehicle sections etc that stops the gameplay from becoming stale.

2)Lack of a storyline. I need motivation or character development in the games I play, otherwise I don't like to continue playing. Survival isn't enough motivation for me to keep on playing, and four characters randomly meeting up and then going and killing zombies isn't very good character development. I could be wrong here, I suppose I need to read reviews to learn more about the story.

3)This games singleplayer is it's multiplayer. Unlike games like CoD4, Halo 3 or Gears of War I can't spend around ten days on singleplayer and then go and waste days on multiplayer. I can only spend 30 hours (tops) on multiplayer before I've beaten it and don't have any more reasons for playing it. There seems to be no replayabilty unless certain parts are really, really fun to play out. Looking at the gameplay, I doubt this.

Unlike other games *cough*Fallout 3, GoW2, Mirrors Edge*endcough* I'm going to need to do more research before I'm sold.

I'm also glad that you can't shoot through allies like in most games, and can't just use them as meat shields while you shoot the enemies in front of them by shooting through their body.

The "shuffling easy head shot zombies" are dangerous because of their numbers and the player not having many resources or places to run, in games with harder zombies you fight less and have more.

Or you can have Dead Rising, but the zombies weren't the real enemies.

The game looks like it has a lot of potential to be great, but it also has a greater potential to be a massive pile of fail. Valve had better be working at this like they did the original Half-Life.

Right, but the zombies in Dead Rising were slow enough that you could take a picture that have about 100 of em in it and then still run away.

It looks good. Of course, it always LOOKS good.

But Valve and me have a relationship of trust. If this game breaks my trust, then I'll start treating them like EA. If it turns out to be awesome, then I'll keep on buying headcrab hats and cake shirts and Black Mesa parking stickers and AScience motivational posters.

I'll admit, though, FireDaemon, your point #2 looks valid, but rafter all, it's just a trailer. One reason I forgive Valve for repeated delays is because I assume they're not happy with the product yet, and want to make it better.

Fineldar:
The "shuffling easy head shot zombies" are dangerous because of their numbers and the player not having many resources or places to run, in games with harder zombies you fight less and have more.

Or you can have Dead Rising, but the zombies weren't the real enemies.

In Dead Rising, the zombies were more a major inconvinience then a threat. Zombie walk seemed to do the trick.

Like any game receiving a lot of hype or praise, I will of course reserve my opinion for later. But Valve has a great track record of sucking away a lot of my free time with shooters, and this will probably be no exception. Of course, this probably has to be played with real folks in multiplayer for the full experience. Anything else I think just wouldn't cut the mustard.

The key is not to release with bugs, which will kill a dynamic game like this one. if "the Director" doesn't work correctly and suddenly decides to up the difficulty when it isn't needed, you could get a lot of PO'd players.

This is looking very nice. I have a three competent people to play with at the moment, the other is going to get mistaken for a zombie a lot. Should be fun, but like every game there is always the possibility of huge, crushing, disappointment.

People have really gotta stop making this thread
But aside I think the only game I'm more excited for than Left 4 Dead is Fallout 3

Fire Daemon:
I look forward to killing the zombie horde with three of my friends but I can see some problems with it.

1) The levels look very repetitive. I know Valve say they have randomly placed zombies, but it looks like the game involves running forward, killing stuff, getting ammo, repeating. There doesn't seem to be anything to break up the gameplay such as Half Life's puzzles or Halo's vehicle sections etc that stops the gameplay from becoming stale.

2)Lack of a storyline. I need motivation or character development in the games I play, otherwise I don't like to continue playing. Survival isn't enough motivation for me to keep on playing, and four characters randomly meeting up and then going and killing zombies isn't very good character development. I could be wrong here, I suppose I need to read reviews to learn more about the story.

3)This games singleplayer is it's multiplayer. Unlike games like CoD4, Halo 3 or Gears of War I can't spend around ten days on singleplayer and then go and waste days on multiplayer. I can only spend 30 hours (tops) on multiplayer before I've beaten it and don't have any more reasons for playing it. There seems to be no replayabilty unless certain parts are really, really fun to play out. Looking at the gameplay, I doubt this.

Unlike other games *cough*Fallout 3, GoW2, Mirrors Edge*endcough* I'm going to need to do more research before I'm sold.

The thing about what you just said is this... its not supposed to have that stuff. Your killing zombies, and i for one find that awesome. I will admit there is a sick part of me that almost wishes a zombie apocalypse would happen, just so i can go down to mcbrides guns with my friends and fackin own zombies. And now valve has made a game where the first and only goal is "Survive the zombie apocalypse by any means"? sounds amazing.

It reminds me a bit too much of CS zombie mod, but if it gets some good reviews and if people on this thread say they really enjoy it, then I might consider getting it.

my "4" thought "4" left "for" dead is that it is great "4" anyone who is a major fan of multi-player and is "4" a change in scenery.

but I am not "4" multi-player so I probably won't pick it up.

It really freaks me out. Not that I'll ever be able to get it to play on my computer, though, so I'm gonna be able to stay away and watch the occasional humorous video on youtube about it.

You know what it could really use? A demo. That should do a lot for it.

Of course, it wouldn't be more than shooting a few zombies with some expository stuff, a hint of the plot. From what I get now, it sounds like just shoot, run, hide, shoot, but Valve wouldn't do such a thing, would they? (Note: They didn't make CS, they bought it).

Anyway, anyone want to plan some Steam online games with the Escapist?

Mirika_the_warrior:
my "4" thought "4" left "for" dead is that it is great "4" anyone who is a major fan of multi-player and is "4" a change in scenery.

but I am not "4" multi-player so I probably won't pick it up.

No, it's actually called "Left 4 Dead." Go ahead. Look it up.

You my "friend" completely missed what I was trying to say, I was saying that the name is Idiotic. using numerals to represent words is just senseless.

Go play Zombie Panic: Source, all of ye who go 'STORYLINE!??!'! In the mod alone, they feed you hints at how you got into the situations and whatever else through environment and setpieces (kinda the way that Portal uses it) rather than point-blank exposition. I'm assuming Left 4 Dead will follow the same, unique and charming trend which lets story be incorporated into gameplay, rather than sacrificing gametime for it.

The proclemation that the game is constantly going to adapt around the players current status does sound like an interesting idea (but then again, its a question of whether it actually works or not) but I'm raising eyebrows at the strong focus on team play to the extent that they have intended the game to casually kill off any player who decides to go off on their own for a quick killing spree. If there is one thing I have learnt from my time playing games online that is that getting a group of people who don't know each other to co-operate and work together is like expecting world famine to stop just because you put up a very pretty pink charity poster in your local library (in other words, it's probably not going to happen).

Imagine the scenario, you and your 3 team mates have just been gunning through endless hordes of zombies for the last 20 minutes, ammo is low, health is low and you are all wanting the mission/level to end soon. One of your team mates gets bored of following everyone else around and decides to go off on their own for a bit they get themselves killed. You are now left with only 2 team mates (making the game that bit harder), in short, I can only see this game leading to people getting very pissed with each other because 'you didn't follow the plan, n00b!'.

Another thing, survival based games revolve around fast decisions and co-operation. Every game will require one player to take the lead and boss everyone about (joint decisions would take too long resulting in you having to balance zombie slaying and the debate surrounding who gets the last rolo at the same time). What if the one guy/gal taking charge is inept (heres the plan, I go onto the helicopter to saftey while you guys die heroically to cover my escape...I'll tell the newspapers about you!) and just doing as you're told isn't going to be fun or entertaining for the other players.

Mirika_the_warrior:
You my "friend" completely missed what I was trying to say, I was saying that the name is Idiotic. using numerals to represent words is just senseless.

Well isn't it a play on words? It's four player multi-player isn't it?

It's not like, "play aur gaem se7en lol deres a 7 in the se7ven so its liek seventy7loldiditagin."

,unless there was actually a point to that seven. I never played it.

THERE ARE NO THOUGHTS.

The game isn't out yet.

Hasn't there been like a billion of these threads.
Left 4 Dead is going to be awesome, we get it.