Left 4 Dead from PAX - 9/2/08

Even more impressions and videos of Left 4 Dead are available from its showing at Penny Arcade Expo 2008. Shacknews has posted a very positive preview of Left 4 Dead, opening up with "So even months away from its release, I may as well declare what some already know: Left 4 Dead is going to be a major fucking hit." A detail we noticed was that at the end of a round in Versus mode (player Survivors versus player Infected), teams switch sides and "attempt to beat each other's times". We're hoping that a focus on time doesn't detract from teamplay and result in basically a race with obstacles, although that may be what Valve is trying to accomplish.

Shacknews has posted two new videos, the first video showing off the Blood Harvest campaign and the second video starting in No Mercy's generator room. The second video shows an up-close and personal tank encounter and the player rescuing a downed Survivor from a resurrection closet.

MTV Multiplayer focused on their fifteen minutes playing with Survivor AI only, saying it's functional but not as good as playing with real people. Ars Technica posted their disappointment with the Xbox 360 control scheme, unable to find the right bumper used for 180 degree turns.

Destructoid left with lasting impressions:

For hours after the brief time at Valve's booth playing Left 4 Dead its effects lingered; a sentiment echoed by those that also got to spend some time with the game. Naturally, being shoved to the ground by a horde of decaying nightmare-people, nearly blind and firing wildly into the hazy shapes you hope are zombies and not allies tends to stick with you. But in the era of shooter saturation, when we move from worlds populated only by creatures that want to kill us, real reactions are in limited supply. As the genuine shrieks emanating from Valve's booth go to show, Left 4 Dead is going to be wonderfully horrifying.

Escapist Magazine gave a favorable preview and stated that "Left 4 Dead will hit retail as a full-priced PC and Xbox 360 title." We're assuming this means $50 for PC and $60 for Xbox 360, and with the amount of time players will get out of it and the promise of plenty of post-release content, it should be well worth it.

TalkingAboutGames.com liked what they saw:

It's difficult to understand Left 4 Dead without ever having the controller in your hands as 30 zombies bust through the wall next to you and start sprinting toward you. I've never played a game that pushed me to the edge of my seat for 60 straight minutes. With the exception of one or two very slight framerate hiccups (which apparently only occurred on my screen), the game ran exceptionally smoothly. Couple all this with amazing visuals, and you've got a game that is begging for your purchase. If Left 4 Dead is the same game in November that it is today, I know I'll have my wallet ready.

Finally, community member Etheallmighty posted about his experience with Left 4 Dead and other games at PAX on our forums. That's all for now.