*updated: beaten all current maps on expert*
I’ve already reviewed Left 4 Dead but that was only the demo. After sinking a hefty amount of hours into the game I think it is safe to finally give my thoughts on it.
Valve once again succeeds triumphantly and fails horribly all in the same swing. I’d be surprised but I’ve come to expect this of the company. After playing the game awhile it has lost some of it’s luster (which is to be expected of anything you have over time). It’s still a great game and when I’m harsh on Valve it’s only because I enjoy their games and creativity so much. You can’t really hate something unless you loved it before. Valve always puts on a spectacular show when it comes to games but there are usually some major pitfalls within the game that really keep it back. So lets explore the good and the bad.
Hazaa!:
Characters- all four survivors in the game have very distinct personalities and its fun to hear the banter between them. The zombies are terrifying when they run at you, and there is nothing more satisfying than shooting off a zombies leg as it runs towards you.
Environment- Two outside levels, an airport, and the city streets to a hospital are all brilliant places to play the game. The levels are long enough so it’s worth you’re time playing them, and little things change about in them so it’s always fresh.
A.I.- The AI of both your teammates and the four class zombies are all quite effective. In fact sometimes you can’t escape the fact that what seems like a puzzle and survival game to you, is merely a series of calculations for your teammates and foes. But that aside I’d rather have an effective teammate, than one who really just slows me down.
Kick & Mute- thank you for making the kick and mute sections incredibly easy. As always, over the 
Internet some sport of douchebaggery is expected, which I’ve seldom run into except for a team member who found it funny to kill his team mates (who we promptly kicked) and someone on a VS server making all the four class zombies tanks at the same time.
I’m alive!- I think it’s great that the survivors get many chances to help each other and survive. And should you die, you can usually count on being revived quickly at a safehouse or randomly being found in the level screaming someone let you out. Valve easily could have made it CSS rules, and you’re dead the entire round, but I think Valve finally realizes people play a game so they can PLAY it.
@%$#!
No Repercussions- Okay, so we can kick the annoying player who purposely ruins the game for the rest of us. That’s a big step for Valve, but you aren’t getting rid of the problem, you’re just telling it to go away to some other server where more will happen. There should be some sort of merit system where players who try to ruin the experience are punished by temporary bans or even permanent. Valve has never been good at keeping out the cheaters, but at least they took a step in the right direction this time. Hopefully they can get their act together by the next release of whatever their next game is.
Auto Balance- Again a major pitfall of Valve. Most of their online games consist of one team stacking and completely rolling the other team. They have an auto balance system in TF2 but it doesn’t make any sense. In fact I’ve seen it pull bad players from the dominating team and put it on the losing team. Really? Come on Valve. Multiplayer games are the best when it side is having to work really hard to gain the advantage. Left 4 Dead is also not free of the balancing issues. More times than not either being put on a team that is destroying the other team, or a team that can’t make it 20 feet out of the safehouse.
Expert Difficulty- The WORST offense of the game. The Expert difficulty is doable if you have a well 
coordinated team. Where it all falls apart is the end. The waves and waves of zombies are easy to take out if you find a good position, but the two tanks you’ll have to deal with before you leave are just straight ridiculous. When you’re fighting the tank it literally feels like you’re trying to take down a tank…the metal kind, where bullets do nothing to it. The tank in expert mode is smart so it’ll go for one of your guys, one swat and they are down, then he crushes them to kill them off. Then he moves on the others. I’ve gotten to the end part with different groups on several different occasions and the tank simply ruins the game. The game is no longer fun and becomes a chore AND an impossible task. If you’re lucky to take the first tank down, the second one will get you for sure. Valve fails to comprehend that humans enjoy a challenge, but not one where only a computer could make the correct mathematical calculations to survive.
*update*
I finally got a good team together and was able to beat all the maps on expert. It was a long and frustrating time…and I haven’t played the game since. Fulfilling…most definitley. Have I had my fill of this game for quite some time…you bet ya.
A.I. Director- At first I was really impressed with the AI Director, choosing when zombies pour in, where items are randomly generated, and when the music flares up. After awhile though you come to realize it’s nothing special. Plenty of games do randomly generated weapons. So the game changes some of the terrain around…nice, but there’s only so many combinations that it can do. Having huge hordes of zombies run at you is just as easy as setting triggers, and the music that follows randomly surges in, as opposed to building up the music. In short the AI Director is nothing short of an over-hyped trigger generator.
Last Thoughts
I really thought my love/hate relationship with Valve was beat with this game, but I was wrong. It may be that I expect too much from them, but when they’re coming out with these incredible games, they could easily deal with some of the issues which would profoundly enhance the game…but they decide not to. It’d like if Michangelo had half-assed some of his greatest works. They would probably still be way better than most the stuff out there, but you can’t help feel cheated that he didn’t use his full potential.
In short I really enjoy the game, but as with most Valve games I’m sure I’ll do my fair share of giddy smiles amongst the rampant tempest of profanities leaving my mouth.
