General
● Left 4 Dead - Co-op, Survival Horror, FPS
Platforms - PC, Xbox 360
Price - PC $50, 360 $60
Release Date - Nov 18, 2008, Nov 21 EU
● A virulent strain of the Rabies virus has started spreading throughout the country. (Cause unknown) Source
● Left 4 Dead will feature some new Source engine enhancements, not seen in any previous Source game. Physics based animation being the primary new feature. The Boomers jiggly belly, flowing hair, floppy clothing. There will also be a new particle system. Source
● The 360 version will include 2 player split-screen, as well as system link support. The 2 players can also play online together, much like Halo. Certain Affinity is helping with the 360 version of the game. 360 version has dedicated servers, hosted by Valve. This is no TF2, on that platform.
● System requirements
OS: Windows Vista, XP, or 2000
CPU: 3.0 GHz P4, Dual Core 2.0 or AMD64X2 (or higher)
RAM: 1 GB for XP / 2 GB for Vista
DISC DRIVE: DVD-ROM Drive
HARD DRIVE: AT least 7.5 GB of free space
VIDEO: DirectX 9 compatible video card (Video card must be 128 MB or more and should be a DirectX 9-compatible with support for pixel shader 2.0)
SOUND: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
● Screenshots
● Difficulty Settings - Easy, Normal, Advanced, and Expert. The difficulty influences friendly fire frequency, as well infected attack power. In Normal mode, infected attacks are worth 3 health, in Expert they are worth 20! (That's nuts!)
● Players - 1-8, or solo with AI controlled survivors. The game has 3 distinct game modes. Single Player, Campaign, and Versus. Campaign is a 4 player experience, Versus is a 8 player experience, as 4 other players apart from the survivors take control of 4 boss infected. (The Boomer, The Hunter, The Smoker and The Tank)
● AI - The Director AI is a dynamic difficulty and pacing system. The Director calculates spawn placement based on skill, location, health, and various other factors. This allows the game to be different in each playthrough. The director controls visual effect cues, as well the games dynamic music.
● There are over 1000 lines of recorded dialogue for each survivor, for more than 4000 total. (That doesn't include radio broadcasts, etc)
● When you're low on health, you start to limp. Your movement speed is reduced.
● Each survivor can carry a single health pack, which you get at starts and checkpoints. You can also pop pills, which is a temporary health regen that gradually diminishes to your health prior to popping the pills.
● When you reach 0 health you fall to the ground (Last Man Standing), your health boosts to 300, and a bleedout timer begins. Your 300 health starts downtick at 3 health per second, until you're helped by a fellow survivor. You can still shoot while bleeding out on the ground. You can only be revived 3 times, and the last revival is only temporary. You will eventually die from one hit after the 3rd revival. The screen turns black & white when you're near death.
● You recieve merits and demerits based on your performance. You recieve merits for healing, saving your fellow survivors. You recieve demerits for friendly fire, and various other forms of retardism.
● The Survivors (You don't choose who you play as, the computer does)
Bill - Veteran of the Vietnam War
Francis - Biker
Louis - Assistant Manager of an electronic convenience store (Best Buy?, Circuit City?)
Zoey - The daughter of a wealthy family.
● The Infected
All infected can see survivors through walls at specific ranges if the survivors are running, have their flashlights on, or are talking. (Voice Commands) The infected can see in the dark.
Boomer - Vomits, which is his primary attack. The vomit acts as a pheromone for other infected, which draws them to you. He explodes when killed which sends out even more vomit, covering anyone within the immediate area. He recieves points for all infected attacks. (His minions, if you will)
Hunter - Fast and agile, the hunter can jump ungodly distances, and climb walls. If you get pounced by a hunter, breaking free is impossible. Your fellow survivors will have to save you.
Smoker - Has a 50FT long tongue that can be used to drag players, or hang them. When The Smoker is killed, he leaves behind a cloud of smoke, which will blind and obstruct vision.
Tank - The strongest of all the playable infected, The Tank can throw cars and objects, smash walls, and overwhelm the survivors with sheer force. In VS mode, choosing the tank is not an option, rather the computer chooses randomly who will get to play as The Tank. When you spawn as The Tank, a frustration meter starts to fill for every moment you aren't around survivors. When the meter is full, you lose control of the The Tank. (He becomes fully consumed by rage, and is driven unconsciously)
The Witch - The she-bitch of Left 4 Dead. The Witch is AI controlled and non-playable. The most powerful enemy in the game, as well as the most rare. The Witch kills with a single hit, but will only show up once or twice in a campaign. She will only react if you shoot her, shine a flashlight at her, or fire your weapons around her. She only exists in difficulties above Normal.
● Weapons
Uzi, Pump Shotgun, Auto Shotgun, M16, Hunting Rifle, Pipe Bomb, Molotov Cocktail, Dual and Single Wield Pistols. Ammo is limited, you must share to survive.
Dedicated server files will be released either tomorrow, or the next day. (Nov 4th, 5th)
● Achievements
(Left -> Right)
Helping Hand - Revive 50 incapacitated Survivors.
Field Medic - Heal 25 Survivors with a first aid kit.
Pharm-assist - Give pain pills to 10 Survivors.
My Bodyguard - Protect any Survivor from an attacking Infected 50 times.
Dead Stop - Punch a Hunter as he is pouncing.
Cr0wnd - Kill a Witch with a single headshot.
Untouchables - No Survivors take damage after contacting the rescue vehicle.
Drag and Drop - Rescue a Survivor from a Smoker's tongue before he takes damage.
Blind Luck - You or another Survivor take no damage after being vomited on by a Boomer.
Akimbo Assassin - Survive an entire campaign using only pistols.
Hero Closet - Rescue a Survivor trapped in a closet.
Hunter Punter - Shove a Hunter off of a pinned and helpless Survivor.
Tongue Twister - Free yourself from a Smoker who has grabbed you with his tongue.
No Smoking Section - Kill 10 Smokers as they are pulling helpless Survivors.
101 Cremations - Set 101 Infected on fire.
Do Not Disturb -Sneak past all Witches in a campaign without disturbing one.
Man vs Tank - Single-handedly kill a Tank.
Tankbusters - Kill a Tank without it dealing any damage to a Survivor.
Safety First - Play an entire campaign with no Survivors taking friendly fire damage.
No-one Left Behind - Beat a campaign with all 4 Survivors.
Unbreakable - Finish a campaign without ever being healed.
Witch Hunter - Kill a Witch without any Survivor taking damage from her.
Red Mist - Kill 1000 Infected with a mounted machine gun.
Pyrotechnician - Blow up 20 Infected in a single explosion.
Zombie Genocidest - Kill 53,595 Infected. (This is a funny playful poke at the Zombie Genocider achievement from Deadrising, where you had to kill 53,594 Zombies)
Dead Giveaway - Heal a fellow Survivor when your own health is below 10.
Stand Tall - Survive a campaign without being incapacitated.
Zombicidal Maniac - Survive any campaign on Expert.
What Are You Trying to Prove? - Survive all campaigns on Expert.
Nothing Special - Survive a campaign with no Survivors taking damage from Special Infected.
Burn the Witch - Light a Witch with a Molotov.
Towering Inferno - Light a Tank with a Molotov.
Spinal Tap - Kill an Infected with a single blow from behind.
Stomach Upset - All Survivors complete a campaign without being vomited on.
Brain Salad - Make 100 headshot kills.
Jump Shot - Headshot a Hunter while he's leaping.
Mercy Killer - Survive the No Mercy campaign.
Back 2 Help - Leave a safe room to save an incapped teammate and bring them back safely.
Toll Collector - Survive the Death Toll campaign.
Dead Baron - Survive the Dead Air campaign.
Grim Reaper - Survive the Blood Harvest campaign.
Ground Cover - Save another Survivor from a Special Infected while on the ground.
Clean Kill - Shove a Boomer and then kill him without him splashing on anyone.
Big Drag - Drag a Survivor 100 feet with your tongue.
Chain Smoker - Constrict two Survivors in one life as a Smoker.
Barf Bagged - Cover four Survivors with Boomer bile at once.
Double Jump - Pounce two different Survivors in one life as a Hunter.
All 4 Dead - Kill all four Survivors in one life while playing as a Tank.
Dead Wreckening - Dole out 5000 total Survivor damage as a Special Infected.
Lamb 2 Slaughter - As an Infected, incap a Survivor who has entered and left a safe room
Left 4 Dead Intro (Movie) - (Youtube Link)
Left 4 Dead TV Spot
● Videos
16 Minute Cam Gameplay (Good Quality, Watch it!)
Left 4 Dead Infected Teamwork (Awesome)
G4TV - All Access: Left 4 Dead - Michael Booth Interview (VS Mode Explanation)
Eurogamer Expo - Left 4 Dead - Hospital Gameplay
Chet Faliszek PAX 2008: Left 4 Dead Interview
GC 08 Gabe Newell Walkthrough
GC 08 Gabe Newell Walkthrough 2
E3 08 New Character Design Presentation
360 Splitscreen Trainyard Gameplay
360 Splitscreen Cornyard Gameplay
● Previews & Impressions
L4D Preview, Blood Harvest Expert Footage (Highly recommended)
RPS - Eight Hands-on: Left 4 Dead Impressions
Hands-on Impressions of the Playable Zombies in Versus Mode
Left 4 Dead Pre-orders Outpace Orange Box (Over 65%)
PCGP Episode #153: Most Valuable Zombie
Gamepro - Hands-On: Left 4 Dead (Includes Pretty Good video)
Left 4 Dead Interview: Versus Mode, Demo Details, and the Joy of Vomit (Lombardi)
Left 4 Dead’’s Lead Designer Explains Why Split-Screen Has Quietly Disappeared From Games
Prima Games Author Blog - Left 4 Dead Impressions (Author of Strategy Guide)
Nick Breckon - Calling It - I may as well declare what some already know: Left 4 Dead is going to be a major fucking hit!
Nukoda - Left 4 Dead was the best demo on the show floor at PAX, because it's easily the best multiplayer I've ever experienced.
Gamervision - Honestly, I feel like this could be the first multiplayer shooter I obsess over since Halo.
Destructoid - Left 4 Dead is going to be wonderfully horrifying
The Escapist - PAX 2008: Left 4 Dead Hands-On and Q&A
TalkingAboutGames.com - I've never played a game that pushed me to the edge of my seat for 60 straight minutes.
1UP - Left 4 Dead for Xbox 360 Using Dedicated Servers on Live
Valve Says Left 4 Dead’ Is Studio’s Best-Received Game Ever, Splurges On Ads.
● Reviews
OXM 9.5/10
● Zombie Books, Movies & Games 28 Weeks Later is nowhere near as good as 28 Days Later, but I included it for completions sake. These are the only two zombie movies with the fast style infected, rather than George Romero's Haitian Voodoo inspired slow undead ghouls. 28 Days Later reimagined zombie movies by having a more plausible premise. Humans were infected by a virus transported through a chimpanzee attack, a mutation of a inhibitor that regulated anger and control that had the opposite effect, uncontrollable rage. The virus was highly contagious, and could be spread through saliva, as well as blood. This is the style zombie that influenced Left 4 Dead.
28 Weeks Later / 28 Days Later (2 pack) (Trailer)
Dawn Of The Dead
The Zombie Survival Guide
World War Z
Shaun Of The Dead
Night Of The Living Dead
Day Of The Dead
Day By Day Armageddon
Deadrising
Resident Evil (Remake)
Dawn Of the Dead (Remake)
Quarantine
● In The Meantime, Try
CSS Zombie Mod (Mod Files, Server Side Download. Simply Join a ZM server. CS is L4D's cousin.)
● Links
Valve
L4D
Steam - Left 4 Dead
Steam
Left4Dead411
Official Left 4 Dead Blog
Fangoria Contest - Left 4 Dead: I Should Have Been a Zombie in this Game!
Dude Where's My Thumb Contest (Win a PC)
Left 4 Dead In Times Square
Halflife2.net
Left 4 Dead Official Steam Group
Left 4 Dead LEGO
Team Fortress 2 Official PC Thread. SO. WORTH. IT.
Official 2008 "I Need A New PC" Thread
Official STEAM thread of announcements, updates and WIN.
The Left 4 Dead thread of information and HOLY CRAP ZOMBIES THEY'RE EVERYWHERE