E3 2008

Valve’s team-based zombie shooter Left 4 Dead is a unique shooter title, building on the mechanics of previous hit multiplayer concepts from games like Counter-Strike and Team Fortress, while making an experience that is fun, visceral, and doesn’t feel like anything else out there. GameZone had a chance to sit down for a play session at E3 2008 to check on the game’s progress, and the result was as fun as we would expect.

When we call Left 4 Dead a “team-based zombie shooter”, we basically mean that you need only look at films like Dawn of the Dead or 28 Days Later to see where the inspiration lies with this game. You play in a group of four survivors (the other three would be people or bots should there not be anyone else to play) who must fight their way through several different maps and scenarios in order to escape the zombie onslaught. Of course, you’ll have access to ample firepower, and therefore will be able to make your own path by shooting as many of the charging nasties as you possibly can.

While not much has changed in the gameplay since we last saw Left 4 Dead, the core mechanics are still a lot of fun. It’s certainly a rush to have dozens of zombies running at you at once, and having friends around to save your ass makes it as authentic to zombie action as you can get.

The stage we tried out at E3 had us running to a hospital and making our way to the roof in order to get to a helicopter and make our escape. Along the way we met up with tons of zombies, including Witches (who are really tough to kill, but only attack when provoked), Hunters (tough and nimble little jerks), and a giant Tank enemy, who rushes at you down hallways and trounces you in one blow.

Left 4 Dead is turning out to be a fantastic addition to Valve’s echelon of innovative multiplayer shooters, and will definitely turn some heads when it launches this fall.