Ok, so i downloaded the Left 4 Dead Demo off Steam and played it…and all i can say is WOW. Amazing. Everyone, go pre-order this game as it’s a sure contender for Game of the Year.
Published and developed by Valve (well, really, developed by their newly-acquired studio Turtle Rock Studios in LA) and using the very beautiful and speedy Source engine, Left 4 Dead does very right what i was attempting with Daikatana – going through a story with sidekicks. There have been some great decisions made with the way the L4D sidekicks are handled (some learned from MMORPGs like having character names above the sidekicks and being able to run through them) and the very limited options for interacting with them because they basically do all the things you’d want them to do without telling them. In Daikatana, commanding the sidekicks could become a hassle, especially when they didn’t do what you told them! LOL.
Aside from Painkiller being a decent attempt at DOOM-for-the-21st-century, L4D does the best job i’ve ever seen at being able to recreate the DOOM atmosphere and insane action of hordes of enemies coming to destroy you. The pacing of the gameplay is perfect with lots of slow and fast sections, a lot of that determined by how observant you are to your surroundings. The AI Director system in L4D is also a major help for replaying the game over and over. I’ve already blasted through the entire demo twice in a couple hours and loved seeing the gameplay change the 2nd time through.
And for me the most awesome feature is the CO-OP gameplay that i’ve been waiting for since Duke 3D and Quake in 1996. FINALLY! The sidekick AI is already excellent but playing CO-OP online is going to really make this game stand out. In the demo you can check it out – it’s really cool.
I also wanted to close with a quick note about Portal – if you haven’t played this short game, you absolutely need to. It’s a breath of fresh air in the FPS genre and tells a great story without actually telling it. The final level and credits are just …..wow. You have to play this game. Even when you’re finished, there’s more to do with Advanced Maps and Challenge Maps. Made me feel the same way after finishing Resident Evil 4 and unlocking a bunch of new content that felt like the dev team really put a lot of love into their game.
Oh, and Far Cry 2 and Fallout 3 are tons of fun as well. Ok so now you know all the games i’ve been playing LOL.
NOVEMBER 13th!!!!!!! 
Download this page in PDF format
Holy cow, are you going to make a Slipgate Ironworks announcement on 11/13?
Please say yes.
Sorry, no – that’s the day everyone has been waiting for.
WRATH OF THE LICH KING IS RELEASED!!!
Hey John, what realm are u at and what class/spec ?
Would be fun to know!
As long as that doesn’t affect your upcoming MMORPG too much it’s fine for me
No, but seriously, nice to hear from you again 
I yet have to try L4D demo, but the FPSs lately didn’t impress me too much, Portal aside. Valve can do it I suppose, so will see 
Hmmm. What happened to the other Source based zombie game, They Hunger: Lost Souls? In 2005, Black Widow Games said that it was 75% complete after a year of work. I guess that 25% left takes 3 years and counting.
Do you know if there will be any league systems etc in Left 4 dead? 4v4 etc..
IMO Left 4 Dead has nothing on Doom2. I know this opinion is unpopular, but all it takes is to look past the graphics.
Doom 2 had a complex trigger system in its levels. It was far better at conveying illusion of non-linearity, through level design and scripting.
In co-op, my cousin got stuck in the “floor goes into lava” room in “Tricks and Traps”, and I had something like 20 seconds to save him by jumping through various hoops and getting to the switch. It was intense.
In Left 4 Dead, you… “press a button to free your buddy now”.
Doom2 had monsters with personalities. It even had a physics system, to which most are oblivious. Left 4 Dead feels like people are made out of carton, sliding around weightlessly.
Doom2 had a series of distinctive weapon mechanics. Left 4 Dead’s weapons mostly differ by their reload time.
Doom2 had monsters with personality and distinctive look.
Doom2 never spawned enemies from thin air. When it did, it merely moved them from another teleport location, accompanied by a loud noise cue.
L4D spawns them blatantly.
Doom2 had the beginnings of environment interaction – exploding barrels, which blew apart enemies in satisfying fashion and could even start chain reactions.
I have very fond memories of that game, and they’re still with me after all this time. I still play it in co-op now and then.
L4D, even though I bought it, will wear itself old very fast. It is a derivatory product, whose only “novelty” is inclusion of cooperative play, for which we the PC gamers are starved.
Heya John,
thank you for being such a positive and friendly guy in these harsh times. What a breath of fresh air to see someone say something nice about someone else these days…but heck, I’m not surprised…your ARE from the old school- when ethics and manners still existed.
Cheers,
Goetz
Manners and ethics? This guy invented smack talk. Suck it, monkeyshit! =)
skulltag invasion kicks the living shit out of L4D demo.
L4d is a linear sprint through samey enemies. The bosses are too much like the fodder, and with the exception of the tank, there’s really no reason to prioritize or change tactics when they appear.
I was really looking forward to it, but it’s really underwhelming.
After reading your post I immediately downloaded L4D.
Man, I gotta agree 110% with you John. Such a great game.
Gotta love all the awesome and fresh gameplay ideas they have going on. My personal fav feature is when you get knocked the ground how you can still shoot and see the zombies swarming at you. Pulling someone up when they’re dangling from a ledge is a great feature too.
I always enjoy being a dick and setting off the car alarms
I have to agree that L4D is just amazing and unique game. The intense and thrilling environment, the hordes of zombies and co-op play. What else do you need? Well maybe big breasted woman model? Upgrade Zoey?
I am a wow player too, but i just couldn’t play wotlk after L4D was released. Last weekend was zombie slaughter only. Need to get that Achievement with 53 000~ zombie kills ASAP!
dude you are playing all the same games as me, now all you have to do is listen to some hollywood undead.
John! Are u at liberty to give away or msg me your steam id for L4D? Cuz I’m pretty sure teaming up w/ you to make zombies “our bitch” is in my top 10 things I want to do before dying.
I couldn’t agree more. This game is by far the most enjoyable co-op experience I’ve had in…well, ever. I’ve caught up with friends I haven’t spoken to in years over zombie killing, I’ve bonded with co-workers over zombie killing, and I’ve even perfected my Zombie Plan by killing virtual zombies!
If you ever get your soul back from WotLK, we’ll have to slaughter some zombies some time. Can never be too prepared, you know.
john what`s your favorite weapons??
I like chain saw and japans sword.
because chain saw and japans sword use zombie`s brains out is relly fun