Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead
Sorti le 17 novembre 2008, Left 4 Dead est un jeu de tir coopératif développé par Valve, Turtle Rock Studios et Certain Affinity, et édité par Valve. Disponible sur Xbox 360, PC et Mac, le titre utilise le moteur Source et se déroule lors d’une épidémie de zombies sur la côte Est des États-Unis. Quatre joueurs y incarnent des survivants contraints de traverser des environnements urbains et ruraux infestés, en s’appuyant sur la coopération pour progresser.
L’histoire prend place en Pennsylvanie, deux semaines après l’apparition d’un pathogène surnommé la Green Flu. Bill, ancien du Vietnam, Zoey, étudiante, Louis, gestionnaire de comptes, et Francis, biker hors-la-loi, se retrouvent ensemble à Fairfield. Alors qu’ils tentent de rejoindre des zones d’évacuation, ils constatent que les efforts militaires échouent et que l’infection produit des mutations de plus en plus dangereuses. Les campagnes sont découpées en niveaux reliés par des planques, et chacune se termine par une dernière résistance dans l’attente des secours.
Le gameplay repose sur le travail d’équipe : les positions des coéquipiers sont visibles à travers les murs, les soins sont partagés, et les tirs amis punissent les gestes trop imprudents. Un système d’intelligence artificielle nommé le Director ajuste en temps réel le placement des ennemis, les objets et le rythme en fonction des performances des joueurs. Outre les infectés classiques, cinq types de mutants spéciaux dotés de capacités propres viennent compliquer la progression. Le jeu comprend également un mode versus, qui permet d’incarner les zombies, ainsi qu’un mode survie. Un contenu additionnel, The Sacrifice, ajoute une campagne ainsi qu’une mécanique finale obligeant un membre de l’équipe à se sacrifier pour les autres.
L’accueil a été très favorable, avec un score Metacritic de 89 et une note agrégée de 86,84. La presse a salué l’intensité et la qualité du multijoueur coopératif, comme G4 TV évoquant une tension non-stop, ou MS Xbox World parlant de l’une des meilleures expériences multijoueurs du marché. Des joueurs soulignent également l’efficacité du système du Director et la fraîcheur des parties, tandis qu’un joueur Steam francophone, revenant au titre après l’avoir découvert sur Xbox 360, juge l’expérience toujours aussi bonne. Le jeu est proposé au prix de 9,75 euros.
Médias
Avis des critiques et joueurs
Critiques de la Presse (Metacritic)
« Fast zombies? Check. Non-stop tension and intensity? Check. The quality of gameplay we expect from Valve? Check. When it comes to co-op multiplayer, Valve is consistently ahead of the curve and excellent at making games that force players to work together. »
« Left 4 Dead is THE best game I've played in years, and offers one of the best new multiplayer experiences available on the market. »
« The most innovative multiplayer videogame since pioneers "Quake" and "Doom." Thanks to a brilliant marriage of gameplay mechanics with cinematic genre, Left 4 Dead creates genuine fright while not only enabling, but forcing cooperation between four players fighting for their survival. Endlessly engaging and virtually flawless, it's destined to be one of the most successful original vidgames of 2008, and set a new standard for cooperative gameplay. »
« While playing offline or split-screen isn't as fun as playing with a two or three friends online -- Left 4 Dead thrives on camaraderie -- so that's probably your only consideration when purchasing the game, because everything else is too awesome to miss. »
« Every aspect of Left 4 Dead has been refined and tweaked to perfection. It’s addictive and atmospheric, and it contains undoubtedly the best co-op gameplay we’ve seen yet. »
« Left 4 Dead is an amazing experience and a real good reason to keep your Xbox Live account paid up. »
« L4D is one zombie apocalypse I completely and utterly embrace. [Jan 2009, p.84] »
« One of the most visceral and enjoyable experiences you will find on Xbox 360 this holiday season. If you love classic zombie movies and/or love the idea of co-op shooter there simply is no better game. »
Avis des Joueurs (Metacritic)
« The Xbox 360 version was fine, and besides, when I saw this the game was the same. »
« Left 4 Dead delivers an intense co-op zombie experience driven by smart AI and relentless pacing. The Director system keeps every playthrough fresh, while teamwork is essential for survival. Though content is somewhat limited, its tight design and atmosphere make it highly replayable. A genre-defining co-op shooter. 9.1/10 »
« [copied from my old account] I cannon express how much I love this game and its successor. They are both quite utterly perfect. How on earth valve made this masterpiece is beyond me. This game is pure adrenaline and carnage-causing fun. I personally love both games equally (although I prefer the melee weapons and some levels of L4D2 over the guns and some of the levels of L4D1) the music is fantastic. The characters are fantastic. The levels and atmosphere are fantastic. The use of environmental storytelling in both games in apposed to books is interesting and unique, and I just cannot describe how extremely enjoyable it is to play this game. »
« The original "Left 4 Dead" was a standout horror game in 2008. A first-person zombie shooter, it proved to be a great alternative to "Call of Duty" and "Gears of War". Its grindhouse-inspired story chapters were great fun to play in online co-op mode. And the competitive multiplayer matches delivered unique thrills that required team efforts to win. The sequel was bigger and better, but this first game is still terrific. I'd rate it with an 8.6 out of 10. »
« At first glance, Left 4 Dead does not stand out in any special way. No impressive graphics, no deep story. It does not surprise you with unique mechanics either. But this game has something that cannot be taken away from it - atmosphere and pure fun. You do not need to expect anything from this game. It is a simple, atmospheric run-and-gun shooter. Four of you against thousands of zombies surrounding you, and the only hope for survival is each other. The game may not look special on paper, but while playing it gave me mixed yet very pleasant emotions. I could relax, stop thinking about anything, and just push forward through endless zombie hordes. Over time, the four characters start to feel familiar, almost like old friends. Left 4 Dead is great at what it does and can easily be recommended both for fun evenings with friends and for newcomers to gaming. With very few mechanics, it is a perfect introduction to what a first-person shooter really is - simple shooting at moving targets. »
« I cannon express how much I love this game and its successor. They are both quite utterly perfect. How on earth valve made this phenomenal success is just beyond me. This game is pure adrenaline and carnage-causing fun. I personally love both games equally (although I prefer the melee weapons and some levels of L4D2 over the guns and some of the levels of L4D1) the music is fantastic. The characters are fantastic. The levels and atmosphere are fantastic. The use of environmental storytelling in both games in apposed to books is interesting and unique, and I just cannot describe how extremely enjoyable it is to play this game. Nowadays, this game is an overlooked, underrated gem, but back then everybody understood how great it was, and still is in all honesty. »
« As my first zombie game that thrusted me into watching the 28 franchise, this nostalgic gem still holds up just as well as it did 17 years ago when it released. Valve caught lightning in a bottle with this IP and they know it. The co-op action, the fleshed out campaigns, and the believable and relatable characters make this worth playing. Nearly two decades later this game still comfortably sits around 10-13k active at any given point during the week. »
« Left 4 Dead is a great co-op experience that introduced a fresh and intense take on zombie shooters. The teamwork-focused gameplay, dynamic AI Director, and strong atmosphere made it a standout when it launched. The tension of moving from safe room to safe room, managing limited resources, and fighting off waves of special infected created some truly memorable moments.However, compared to its sequel, the original feels a bit more limited in terms of weapons, enemy variety, and campaign content. It laid the foundation brilliantly, but you can feel the lack of depth that Part 2 later expanded on. »
