
	Platform Xbox 360 Genre Shooter / Action Publisher EA / Valve Developer Valve / Certain Affinity ESRB M (Mature) Released November 18, 2008

- Arguably the best co-op experience ever - "The Director" always keeps things tense - Great versus mode as well - The swells of creepy music create a sense of excitement (and dread) - Dedicated servers help the action remain smooth - Awesome AI

- Trying to play with people that think Rambo tactics will actually work

Review: Gears of War 2 (360) Review: Too Human (360) Review: Halo 3 (360)
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Left 4 Dead

Score: 10 / 10

It's hard to overstate my satisfaction with Left 4 Dead, as such you should just go and buy it. It's the best cooperative gaming experience I've ever played and my day just doesn't feel complete unless I've squeeze in some time with the game.

The balance between action and sheer terror, and the teamwork required to stand any chance of survival are so expertly mixed that it's hard not to feel exhilarated at each saferoom checkpoint between levels. This feeling of, "We made it!" And no matter how many times I've played through the four linear levels that make up Left

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- Xbox 360 Game Reviews
- Shooter Game Reviews
- Games Published by Electronic Arts

4 Dead, fighting through to the finale of each, knowing that we'll be swamped by waves of Infected (i.e. zombies) when we get there, with barely time to breath thanks to "The Director" that changes up things on the fly throughout each level, then making a run for the escape vehicle, all the while listening for the tell-tale sounds of the "special" infected that can turn a manageable situation into a nightmare in a

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split second, the game keeps my interest and tests my nerve like nothing before.

The fact I can have an experience like this while human players drop in and out of the game without me noticing -- the AI for characters not being controlled by a player is the best I've ever seen; put your character on idle and see what I mean -- is an achievement in and of itself. The added bonus is that they'll never run off by themselves to be overwhelmed by the Horde; they'll stick to you. It's a strategy that four human-controlled Survivors must also employ if they hope to survive because in Left 4 Dead, the "fight together or die alone" axiom has never been more accurate.

Fire can be your friend (left); stay away from the Boomer! (right)

Players can fight through the game in versus mode, where two teams of four alternate between Survivors and Infected. The Survivors are trying to cover as much ground as possible while the Infected try to inflict as much damage as possible or stop the Survivors altogether. The two sides, though so different, are pretty evenly matched, depending on the level of teamwork each side musters.

While playing offline or split-screen isn't as fun as playing with a two or three friends online -- Left 4 Dead thrives on camaraderie -- so that's probably your only consideration when purchasing the game, because everything else is too awesome to miss.

- Aaron Simmer

(December 15, 2008)