What bothers me about L4D

[Metalgamer81]

Hey.

Okay, so I like Left 4 Dead. I like it quite a bit. That having been said, I feel like there are some fundamental flaws in the idea behind the game that take away from what it could and should be.
Being that I'm a huge zombiephile I was really hoping for the quientessential zombie film experience when I heard about L4D, but it has left me wanting.
Then again, maybe I'm missing the point, maybe L4D is not supposed to be quite what I was hoping for. Maybe this is another game to be made another time.

In any case, this is what I felt like really missed the mark in L4D:
1) I don't feel rushed. I feel like if my group and I take down most of the zombies in an area we can chill for a few minutes, heal, plan, clear corners and nooks and crannies, etc. without having to worry too much about any more zombies turning up. The whole point of zombie movies is that there is no such thing as "safe." You should never feel as though you are safe. The Resident Evil Series was awesome in this respect, at least on the first time through. You never knew quite what to expect. A zombie video game should have the players running from one end of the stage to another with zombies constantly on their heels.

2) These are zombies. They should be EATING me. Not kicking me while I'm down like a bunch of angry gang bangers. In the movies, zombies eat people. That's their joi de vivre, their raison d'etre. So, why do these zombies live to kick me? it makes no goddamned sense.

3) Again, zombies. A single bullet to the head and ONLY a single bullet to the head should take them down. Nothing more, nothing less. So why can several shots to any part of the body take these guys out? Apart from, that is, the developer's backpedaling story revisions that cite some mutated form of rabies as the culprit.

So, this all leads to the burning question: Is it possible to create a zombie game that accurately represents what we have all experienced in the movies? I think it is possible, but not without a great endeavor by a developer to change the formula by which they make their games. In a perfect zombie movie scenario the players would have to constantly stay on the move, firing at zombies only when they feel they must and seeking out the elusive headshot. Failing to connect with the bullet to the head would only necessitate further running.

If L4D had these elements, I would be playing right now instead of thinking of a better zombie game. Not that L4D is bad; as I said, I like it quite a bit. It's just not complete. On a less critical note, it does need some more levels and a patch or two to fix some issues, like parts of stages that can be skipped entirely.

Thoughts?

 

[Bocaj2000]

You said what was in the back of my mind during my first play through.

 

[sequio]

i overlooked the other issues except for #2. The whole kicking and clawing thing REALLY doesn't make sense.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

1: If you dwadle, steadily increasing hoards will show up randomly

2: They aren't traditional undead zombies, they're 28 days later zombies. They're infected with some crazy violent virus (ostensibly a form of rabies), and thus can be killed like anything else, they just don't feel pain.

3: See 2

 

[mokes310]

I understand where you're coming from, but I think that you're missing the point.

To answer your questions sequentially:

1. I've played on all difficulty levels, and when I play on Elite, I never feel safe. I'm always looking over my shoulder, making sure that nothing is sneaking up behind me. (Both in game and in real life...I'm a big wuss.) Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the "AI Director" release zombies taking into consideration how you're performing on that specific difficulty level?

2. I think that's more of an artistic choice than anything. Zombies are different depending on who you talk to, and perhaps the creative minds at Valve felt that Zombies would include some physical torment before they disembowled you?

3. I'd be kinda upset if it was a sort of "one shot, one kill" deal, since I'm pretty decent at head shots already. Think about it, if you've been playing FPS's for any number of years, how often do you get head shots? I enjoy the fact that it takes multiple rounds to take a single zombie down.

Personally, I think that this game has represented my emotions and experiences during zombie flics. I'm tense, I'm edgy, I'm scared, and, in some moments, I've even squeeled a little (much to the dismay of my gf). Perhaps looking at the game in a different light will help you realize all of the great qualities that this game has to offer

Oh, my only complaint with the game is that it needs more campaigns!

 

[GenHellspawn]

If it's a form of rabies, how come zombies can take multiple rounds to the heart without dieing? And if it's not, why would chest shots kill them?

 

[Zeldadudes]

I swear that they are infected not necessarily Zombies... Hence the whole Special Infected thing.
In general though i do agree with what you're saying... i was showing my dad how exciting the game gets and as i was doing the last level on Dead Air i used all my bullets in my clip and all the zombies were dead giving me enough time to reload... that is not fun, thats Overpowered.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

What difficulty are you playing on?

Try playing expert. Call me when your crying and a tank is raping your ass.

 

[geldonyetich]

1) I don't feel rushed.

You should. Good players will try to rush because they realize the longer they sit around the more waves the Director is going to send after them, and this depletes health and ammo. Also, when it comes to the end game extraction, the zombies will overwhelm you if you wait for long.

2) These are zombies. They should be EATING me. Not kicking me while I'm down like a bunch of angry gang bangers. In the movies, zombies eat people. That's their joi de vivre, their raison d'etre. So, why do these zombies live to kick me? it makes no goddamned sense.

There's no universal interpretation of zombie that says they have to be trying to eat you all the time. Valve took the high ground here by going for a different interpretation of being "infectious, maddened zombies" instead of the usual "shambling dead that eats brains."

3) Again, zombies. A single bullet to the head and ONLY a single bullet to the head should take them down.

It can, especially if you catch them unawares. At least, with most weapons. I recall being able to do this consistantly with an M16 or even pistol (which actually has pretty good firepower) on higher difficulties. Maybe the uzi or an inaccurate shotgun burst can't do this.

I'm not a Valve fanboy, but these things strike me as some pretty irrational complaints. You're entitled to your opinion, but if you're quoting them as law you're way off base.

 

[Ago Iterum]

Yeah number 2 annoys me.

 

[xitel]

Well, in my opinion, zombie movies are more about the suspense that would make a game much less fun to play.

As for your three points:

1) Have you tried playing on Expert? Where the swarms come often and kill very easily? That will make you feel rushed.

2) Yes, I agree that the first time I saw a zombie kicking me while I was lying on the ground I thought "What the hell, he's kicking me? Not biting me?"

3) They aren't actually zombies according to the game lore. They're people who have been infected by a mutated strain of rabies, so several body shots would put them down.

 

[Rednog]

I'm assuming they didn't make an effect of zombies bending over and ripping your flesh out because it would make it vastly harder for your teammates to clear them off you without the risk of blowing you to kingdom come, because when they stand kicking you your teammates can easily unload a round in the general direction and save you. Also you'd then be asking the question of why you don't turn into a zombie also when you finally die.

 

[Varchld]

1: If you dwadle, steadily increasing hoards will show up randomly

2: They aren't traditional undead zombies, they're 28 days later zombies. They're infected with some crazy violent virus (ostensibly a form of rabies), and thus can be killed like anything else, they just don't feel pain.

3: See 2

No point in me retyping what TsunamiWombat said.
Though i'm sure i've seen this topic before.

 

[fix-the-spade]

RE Part 1: Play on Expert you wuss!

 

[SolidJohnny]

No wonder why you don't like it. you play on easy and you think they're zombies.

They are not zombies, they are infected people with a virus, and they shouldn't eat you because they're not zombies.

I will tell you that repeatedly until you get it in your head.

They're not zombies.
They're not zombies.
They're not zombies.
They're not zombies.

 

[Elurindel]

1: If you dwadle, steadily increasing hoards will show up randomly

2: They aren't traditional undead zombies, they're 28 days later zombies. They're infected with some crazy violent virus (ostensibly a form of rabies), and thus can be killed like anything else, they just don't feel pain.

3: See 2

This. They're not called Zombies, as such, they'e called Infected. And whilst they have plenty of zombie characteristics, they are more like the 28 Days Later Infected. They're angry, and fast.

If there were a shit-ton more of them, and much slower, then there'd need to be more of them to be a challenge. To the point where a lot of computers would have serious lag issues.

In resopnse to point 1. You don't feel that way in multiplayer. The other players are getting much better, and know how to keep the pressure on you constantly. Often these days stopping to make use of the spare medkit you just found is not worth it.

 

[SolidJohnny]

My only complaint about this game is it needs more vs campaigns.