Beginner's Guide to Left 4 Dead
New to Left 4 Dead? This is a guide to get you caught up on what the game is and what we know about it so far.
Left 4 Dead is a multiplayer cooperative survival horror shooter in development by Valve Corporation based on the Source engine. There are two sides, the Survivors and Infected. Four players control the four Survivors, working their way through campaigns in rural and urban areas, fighting off dozens of the AI-controlled "infected" (fast, 28 Days Later style zombies). On top of the regular zombies, there are four player-controlled "boss zombies" all with unique powers for causing chaos. This mix of the dozens of AI-controlled infected zombies and the boss zombies makes for an entirely fresh co-op experience. Release is scheduled for the PC and Xbox 360 on November 7, 2008(The Europeans) and on the 10th releases for the rest.
First, watch the excellent GameTrailers.com interview with Mike Booth, featuring over 4 minutes of excellent HD footage of the game in action and an explanation of its main features.
Then you can check out 1up's video interview, the first footage released of L4D, to hear the premise behind the creation of Left 4 Dead and the overall philosophy of the designers at Valve. Also, you'll get a quick glimpse of the game in action. Look here for our analysis of the video including a transcript, timeline, and screenshots.
Next, check out our QuakeCon coverage which links to over an hour of gameplay footage straight from QuakeCon. We list all of the articles mostly in order of importance, so go down the list to get your fill!
Now that you're begging for more information on Left 4 Dead, hop on over to our in-depth, 22 page, two-part preview of the game. Part one discusses our trip to Valve and first impressions of the game. We describe playing the game as a Survivor and many of the exciting features of Left 4 Dead. In part two, we shift gears and take a look at playing the game as a boss Infected and all the fun of hunting down Survivors. You'll see our thoughts on the audio and visual aspects of the game, plus a brief look at the future of modding and the developers behind Left 4 Dead.
If you want more, take a look at the PC Gamer podcast. The video shows the intense, fast-paced action and brutal carnage to get you pumped up for Left 4 Dead. It depicts all boss Infected in action. Take a look here for our breakdown of the video.
For even more video footage, take a look at our coverage of Showdown LAN event. Read our comments on the video for a breakdown of the action and a closer look at the HUD and interface. Left 4 Dead was shown on G4TV in their pre-E3 event with great footage of the Tank, which you can view here.
Still not enough? Our media section contains all released screenshots and videos of the game. Stop by our forums for more discussions and information on Left 4 Dead. Browse through the News section for links to various previews of the game and our thoughts on them. If you have any other questions, feel free to search through the main forum to read the most current discussions on the game and post your own thoughts or questions. Finally, join our Steam Community group. Here you can meet the community surrounding Left 4 Dead and discuss whatever you'd like to know in our chat.