Zombies, gotta love them.  They are a source of a near endless fount of pleasure and pain in the horror genre. From tacky B movies, to block buster hits…and of of course who can forget hours of running around in various video games blasting through hordes of the undead army with a 12 gauge shotgun of justice?  Left 4 Dead is one of those games, but it’s not for everyone. Let me elaborate, with perhaps a little bit of bias.

I’m one of the many who enjoy the zombie genre of gaming, I’ve waded my way through seas of the undead in games dating back to Doom to more recent titles such as Resident Evil 4 and Dead Rising. So of course I had to run out and buy, or actually in my case download from Steam, Left 4 Dead.

Now first off I would like to say that if you are looking for an epic game with a engrossing storyline and pivotal plot points then Left 4 Dead is not going to deliver for you, I’d suggest looking into Fallout 3 which my friend Vandermore has recently reviewed.  However, if you’re looking for a pulse pounding game that will have you bent over your keyboard gritting your teeth and furiously clicking away abusing your mouse, or gripping your Xbox 360 controller so tight that your knuckles turn white then look no further.

There’s no explanation, no reason for this outbreak, no in depth background to the four playable characters. In fact all the characters have the same basic qualities with nothing extra to offer other than flavor in looks and personality, but to me that is part of the charm.  And to be honest, the amusing little jabs the characters take at each other, and the random muttering they utter to themselves when the find weapons such as “Ooohh, this looks dangerous” makes up for the lack of story.

Now you’re probably reading this asking yourself why should I spend my hard earned money on this game, it sounds awful. Well I have just one thing to say, action. Pulse pounding, blood pressure raising, gonna need a change of shorts, action. Within the first five minutes of game I had dozens of zombies throwing themselves at me growling for my flesh, with me screaming a few choice words at my monitor and being damn thankful that I popped the extra money for a gaming mouse that could take the abuse that I’m about to put it through. And this where I actually believe that the lack of story actually helps this game, no dramatic story about how you are this lone gun man with this traumatic past trying to wrestle your demons and right the wrongs you’ve committed.  No, you’re just in Sh!t and you’re trying the best you can to get out alive…and save the other three that are with you along the way.

If you’re a fan of action or the zombie genre, this game is certainly for you. There are at least four hours of solid game play through it’s four scenarios, and of course the endless possibilities for online playing as well. My only complaint I have at this point is that four boards seem awfully short, and unless you are an action junkie or someone who just likes the gratifying splat of zombie goo, that’s really not offering much. But to be fair to Valve, I love this genre so much I’ve gone back and played each campaign twice and I find myself trying to unlock all of the achievements.  Knowing Valve however they will address this like they have with Team Fortress 2 and add new campaigns at a later date.

Though not for everyone, Left 4 Dead will deliver for the demographic it’s aiming for. And if you give this game a try you might find yourself sitting there yelling into your monitor at a zombie that just tried to take a bite out of your arse “How ’bout a face full of Shotgun instead!? BLAM!” I know I did, and yes thats a exact quote.

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