Posts Tagged ‘Left 4 Dead’
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
2009 was to be the year my concentration for gaming dwindled to a considerable low. People say that gaming is a hobby you inevitably grow out off, but the fact I returned to it on my 19th birthday after a 4 year hiatus, and have since spent a lot of time doing, proved to be the opposite for myself. However, something odd has happened to me over the past 12 months, and I find myself notably less excited about gaming than I ever have been. Where did it go wrong, and why?
On January 25th, my birthday, I found myself having “the talk” with a guy I was seeing. You know the talk, the awkward one where you’re furtively investigating how serious you’ve become, whether you’ve made the leap to exclusivity or are still seeing other people. For whatever reason, having a boyfriend who didn’t game meant that I also paid less attention to my Xbox, especially as only a few months earlier I had finished with a guy who was as big a gamer as I. It was at this point I was playing Skate 2, the follow-up to one of my favourite games of 2007.
Skate 2 was meant to have me as hooked as the original, especially as Black Box had done a great job of building on and improving the foundations of Skate. Somehow it failed to be the game that had me itching to finish work just so I could freeskate around San Vanelona, which was odd as it was undoubtedly an improvement over the original. It wasn’t logical… I loved the original, and now I was playing an improved version of that, so there really should have been no reason I was struggling to get excited about Skate 2. Yet I was. Even though I had put my inability of getting hooked on Skate 2 as a direct result of my new relationship, it was to set the unfortunate tone for the coming year.
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Tags: 2009, Assassin's Creed II, Assassins Creed, Batman Arkham Asylum, Dragon Age: Origins, Infinite Undiscovery, Left 4 Dead, Lego Batman, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 3, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 5, Round-up, Skate, Skate 2
Posted in General Gaming | 9 Comments »
Thursday, November 5th, 2009
By the age of 20, seemingly every girl has their wedding day perfectly mapped out in their head; each excruciating detail covered, from flower arrangements and wedding gowns, to what song the bride and groom will first take to the dance floor with. And they likely won’t have even met the dude yet. I can say with much certainty I have never been that girl. No, if you delve into the inner workings of Ashley Baxter’s head, you will likely find a mixed array of thoughts on what it would be like if I were a superhero, merged with the odd Daniel Craig fantasy, followed by what kind of Bond girl I’d be. However, I have to give my hat off to a good ceremony when I see one, and no union comes better than a Left 4 Dead 2, zombie themed wedding (that links to an image you have to check out).
Video game themed weddings, eh? Apparently some people do that. In front of 4,000 zombie impersonators no less. The undead couple also honeymooned in New Orleans, and it’s no coincidence that New Orleans is where the upcoming sequel to Left 4 Dead is set. They were also transported to their honeymoon in a hearse kitted out with a ‘Just Infected’ sign, and a wreath that read ‘Left 4 Dead 2′. Morbid? Yes. Crazy? Also yes. Whether it was a mutual decision, or the hubby’s hardcore game addiction that bullied the bride into splattering blood on her dress, I can only wonder if the marriage will last after the inevitable fight for who gets to play Left 4 Dead 2 first commences. I sure hope so.
Tags: Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, Zombies
Posted in Asides | 3 Comments »
Monday, June 8th, 2009
One of the defining moments of E3 was, in my opinion, the announcement of a Left 4 Dead sequel. The original has been a highlight of my online gaming, umm, career, and playing through the four campaigns with friends has yet to grow stale. But the news of the sequel has caused much controversy amongst L4D fans because the release date is less than a year after the original. So much so there’s actually an online petition and boycott group. Dramatic much? Personally I think so. Valve do have a reputation for waiting years before they release a sequel, and while games I’ve played in the past that have had quick follow-ups (Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 springing to mind) haven’t been particularly great, and more so expansion packs than full blown games, I do have full trust that Valve will give us something worth spending our money on. Thoughts?
Tags: Left 4 Dead, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Valve
Posted in Asides | 11 Comments »
Friday, March 6th, 2009
If you’re looking for insightful tips on how to get your missus loving Master Chief, run along. I’m looking for those that can tell me how to get my other half as excited about frags, Achievements, and all things Tom Clancy as I am.
Yet again I find myself in another relationship with someone disinterested in video games. I knew this from the get-go as it was, of course, a mandatory question I asked on our first date (ahem). Hairy chest? Check. Non smoker? Check. 360 gamer? Negative. I told myself, however, that he may catch the console bug like I have, and a few days later he text asking where he could pick up an original Xbox, already showing promise.
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Tags: Left 4 Dead, Rock Band, Skate 2, Tom Clancy
Posted in General Gaming | 13 Comments »
Thursday, February 26th, 2009
Okay, okay, last post on the subject of Left 4 Dead. Maybe.
While I’m certainly no expert with video games, I’ve played enough Left 4 Dead to have picked up on a few tactics that have definitely helped me out - many of which have come from playing with OXM writer, Ryan King. Some may seem obvious, but looking back to how I played Left 4 Dead when I first purchased it, and how I play it now, my foray into Expert would have been somewhat easier from the get-go if I had known these simple tips. So, let’s do a little sharing, shall we?
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Tags: Left 4 Dead
Posted in General Gaming | 11 Comments »
Thursday, February 12th, 2009
Character development isn’t such a significant focus in Left 4 Dead. In fact, all we know about Bill, Louis, Zoey and Francis, is that they are a mismatched group of individuals who have somehow united together to fight through a seemingly infinite sea of zombies, their primary objective being to survive long enough to be rescued by the diligent military.
While walking my precious mongrel, Indie, I let my mind wander onto the subject of zombies (as you do), and how these 4 ill-assorted characters could have possibly come together in their fight for survival. What follows is my Left 4 Dead backstory theory. Enjoy!
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Tags: Left 4 Dead
Posted in General Gaming | 12 Comments »
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
When I think of zombies, the drowsy, slow-paced, swaying idiots that are typically portrayed in movies come to mind. Sure, in a horde they’re deadly, but catch one on their own and they’re easy enough to evade. I never thought a zombie apocalypse could involve sprinting. Then I watched Dead Set.
For those outside the UK, or for those that never watched the recently aired 5-part horror TV show, Dead Set focused on what would happen to those cooped up in the Big Brother house if the majority of the world was to become infected. It was an interesting concept, with the Big Brother house being - in Left 4 Dead terms - a safe house where inhabitants were initially oblivious to what was unfolding outside. Dead Set showed hordes of zombies darting towards their nearest victim, and cleverly reacting to sudden noises.
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Tags: Army of Two, Big Brother, Dead Rising, Dead Set, Left 4 Dead
Posted in General Gaming | 10 Comments »
I don’t have anything derogatory to say about Alan Wake. My advice to you? Spend a night in Bright Falls and soak up the eerie atmosphere. Alan Wake excels at thrilling you psychologically. Which is why it’s called a psychological thriller, I guess…
