Left 4 Dead

Left 4 Dead is an action shooter game released by Valve in 2008. The game is from the point of view of 4 survivors of the zombie apocalypse.
The characters are Bill, a Vietnam Veteran, Zoey, a college student, Francis, a biker, and Louis, an IT office worker. The 4 survivors make there way to different places in the game's world to try to find rescue. The game fleshes the characters out using in-game dialogue, and banter between the characters. This makes the player more comfortable with their role and the interaction they have with the other characters in the game.

The games dramatic arc takes place on a level-based scale and a campaign scale. In each level, there is often some sort of event where the players must hold their ground against a swarm of zombies. This acts as the climax of the level, as it often happens near the end of it. On a larger scale, the game has a much larger event that involves the players holding their ground longer, waiting for rescue from the campaign. This acts as the climax of the campaign, and caps it off nicely.

Left 4 Dead also has a very innovative inventory system. The player is allowed only one primary gun, two pistols, one first-aid kit, and and a bottle of painkillers at a time. This system forces the player to prioritize. If they have run out of painkillers and have no ammo for their primary weapon, the player must switch to the pistols, and try to look for either a weapon or painkillers to make up for the damage lost by a weapon.

Finally, Left 4 Dead has a very innovative AI system called the "director" which places enemies and events throughout the game. It determines when them player has had enough and deserves a break, and when the next hallway should be filled with zombies. This system keeps the players on their toes, making sure that they have a new experience every time they play, and giving the game huge replay value.

"Left 4 Dead Online Image." Steam Community. Web. 07 Oct. 2010. <http://steamcommunity.com/groups/left4dead>.