Left 4 Dead

My apologies for this disgustingly late review. Not only have I been procrastinating a sickening amount but now the SEQUEL for this game has come out and it is truly late. I am as sorry as you are indifferent.

Valve at last made the jump the consoles with this survival horror installment (originally based on the zombie servers on CS:S), even if it's at the sacrifice of a reliably likable fanbase.  With the somewhat suggestive pun in the name, you play as one of 4 survivors in the zombie apocalypse in an unknown city, relying on each other to get the group to each iron-doored safehouse and eventually to a rescue vehicle. This takes place in the same formula on 4 different hour-long campaigns: No Mercy which involves a rush to a hospital roof, Blood Harvest taking place on a farm, Dead Air on an airport and Death Toll along a highway. Playing on your own, these aren't fantastic due to an element of repetitiveness and pretty stupid AI, however provided you have Xbox Live or even just another controller for split-screen this is where the game comes to life in co-op form. You'll find yourself in plenty of 'L4D moments' in a similar way to Battlefield in which incredible or hilarious things that could only ever happen once are just bound to happen. For example, while I was playing co-op on Blood Harvest some annoying kid on my team thought it would be funny to not go in the Saferoom so as to not trigger the checkpoint and start the next area. We shut the door on him. A hunter (basically a zombie ninja) jumped on him, pinned him to the ground and started tearing him to shreds as he lay helpless. We left him to his fate.

This is not the only multiplayer mode as there are also Survival and Versus. Survival is literally a case of 'you're going to lose, it's just how and when'. You're cooped up at a lighthouse with 3 allies an infinite zombie horde approaching, and you stock up on weapons, explosives and health packs and hope for the best. You're given a clock to see how long you can last, however this isn't always bursting with fun as the lighthouse is the only map and it tends to be too simple. Versus, however, is the real Left 4 Dead experience in my opinion. 4 players play as the Survivors, and another 4 as Special Infected: these types are Hunters, Smokers and Boomers, each with varying weaknesses, strengths and attacks. The Infected may respawn but the Survivors do not, so they really have to rely on each other to survive, moreso as some of the Infected are now being controlled by humans and can use their attacks strategically and tactically. Unfortunately being an Infected is plagued by a horribly long respawn time of between 20 and 30 seconds twinned with a tiny amount of health so it is usually less frustrating being a Survivor, but it is a great mode anyway.

What Valve also do suitably in a co-op aspect is the way you have to use your supplies efficiently. You start off with a fairly poor main weapon (pump-action or SMG), one pistol and a health pack. You can heal each other and sometimes their need is more than yours so to keep them alive you have to sacrifice your own lifeline, definitely contributing to the Survivor feel of the game and an odd fraternity to your allies; people you've never met usually. Throughout the campaign you gain better weapons, a second pistol, pain pills - temporary health boost for desperate times - and an explosive. Explosives do mass damage and these can really save you and your teammates when the situation looks grim but, like health packs and pills, the campaigns aren't overflowing with these so you might not be able to get another for a while and you really have to think about using it before you mindlessly throw it at the nearest thing that moves. 

Left 4 Dead does NOT have the best online community as a lot of them are kids just buying the game as another blockbuster to cash in on, and this can sometimes mean they're more interested in getting an achievement than reviving you, but I can't knock Valve for making such a brilliant co-op game. Provided all 4 survivors are you and your friends, you've got a unique experience that you can't replicate in any other game, save Left 4 Dead 2. Yes, the AI are plain silly and the campaigns could have had a little more variety than just different environments, but with a good connection and a headset, you stop noticing and focus more on your survival from the near-endless swarm of bloodthirsty undead. 8/10, but knock off two stars if you haven't got Xbox Live or a buddy to play with.