Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360)

Nothing Compares 2 U
11/20/2008 8:00 PM | 3 Comments | Page 1 of 3

A few years back, while adding bots to Counter-Strike, folks at Valve Software realized they could create wildly compelling gameplay by pitting a small group of players against a relentless horde of enemies. The setup enforced teamwork and enhanced the experience of survival. From there, it was only a few years of intensive horror movie research and game prototyping before Left 4 Dead was born.

The game's core concept is as elegant as that of Team Fortress 2 or Counter-Strike: Four humans have banded together in the wake of a zombie apocalypse, and they have to fight through hordes of shambling, shrieking, occasionally sprinting undead to reach safe houses and, eventually, an extraction point that will lead to a new, safer life.

With such a simple conceit, Left 4 Dead inspires one primary concern: longevity (Valve's label notwithstanding). How can a game that, in essence, might have graced an arcade cabinet 20 years ago prove to be as worthy of attention over time as games that have 30-plus hours of story and replayability?

The answer comes in several parts, but the key to it all is an artificial intelligence routine with the imposing name of the Director. The reference there should be obvious, given the game's B-movie roots. At all times the AI is looking over your shoulder, evaluating performance and tailoring the game accordingly. It makes decisions such as when and where basic zombie hordes will spawn, how the dynamic music will rise or fall to create atmosphere, and where weapon caches and special items will drop.

Between the Director and routines that control both zombies and your fellow survivors, Left 4 Dead is a triumph of AI. As the Director keeps things moving and changing from game to game, the enemy AI does a superb job of turning each zombie from a rotting flesh-bag into a credible, frightening threat; while the friendly AI ensures that the other survivors in your party always have a helping hand ready, should you need it. And you will.

Playing offline, you'll see the AI in action often, as it fills out the other three survivor roles. The skillful play you'll see -- which is often more useful, if not more entertaining, than having other human players on your team -- makes a joke of the cooperative AI in games like Gears of War 2. The CPU survivors will shoot distant threats, swat away that Hunter zombie that just pinned you to the ground, and generally have your back at all times. They occasionally get hung up in little environmental corners, but in 30-plus hours of gameplay I've yet to see any quirk that breaks a level or even acts as more than a momentary hang-up.

Without the excellent zombie designs, the Director wouldn't have much to work with. Tall, stooped Smokers attack from a distance with their tongues, which constrict Survivors and pull them away from the group. Hunters violently pounce, gigantic Tanks require real group unity to take down, and corpulent, waddling Boomers vomit bile to attract the nameless sprinting zombie horde. Witches add a weird stealth element to the gameplay: Skirt by the crying Witch and you'll be fine, but disturb her and the guilty party might be torn to shreds.