I think this could be considered my first actual game review on this blog. I have spent roughly 30 hours playing Left 4 Dead since the demo release. The AI Director doesn't impress me as much as it used to, and I agree with Tycho (of Penny-Arcade fame) when he says that what is really needed is an intelligent variation of the terrain, rather than the variation of the zombie horde that we have been led to expect.

The AI Director is supposed to vary the music, the zombies, etc. What it really means is this:

If you play too slowly, it will throw hordes of zombies at you.
If you play too quickly, it will throw hordes of zombies at you.
If you play somewhere in between quickly and slowly, it will throw hordes of zombies at you.

The "variations" in the music have to do with a specific music being played right before zombies attack en-masse. It's predictable. Very predictable, and I love it. My complaints aside, this game is fantastic. Even though it isn't as "random" as I have been led to believe, it still keeps you on the edge of your seat, I still jump a little when I get jumped by a hunter. I still curse under my breath every time I get covered in Boomer vomit. My heart still pounds like mad when I see a tank lifting a hunk of cement and hurling it at my head. I still...ummm...Smokers are kind of annoying.

Where the game really comes alive is Versus mode. As good as the zombie AI is in the game, it is nothing when compared to 4 human controlled zombies, working in unison to ruin the survivors day. If you are playing as the zombies, it's ridiculous fun trying to separate the survivors, and you get such a rush when you finally bring them down. If you are playing as the survivors, it is a tense, frightening, and fast-paced fight for survival. If you do manage to reach the safe house, it is usually by the skin of your teeth.

Despite my problems with the AI Directors control of the music, I love the atmosphere in this game. There is no point where you are brought out of the setting. It always feels dangerous, like death is waiting around every corner. You are constantly checking behind you, and frequently find yourself in situations from which there seems to be no escape.

The bottom line is that if you have three friends, you owe it to yourself to own this game. The single player will keep you occupied for as long as you want it to. Even with only 4 campaigns, there are countless hours of gameplay available to you.

Left 4 Dead gets 9.5 shambling corpses out of 10.