Left 4 Dead – Versus
Left 4 Dead features a versus mode for up to 8 players. Four players play the normal team of 4 Survivors, while 4 other players take the role of the “special” Infected. These are the “Smoker”, “Hunter”, “Boomer” and “Tank”. The “Witch” is not playable. The teams take turns on each map segment; each time the Survivors are given a score based on survivability and damage done. At the end of the segment, the scores are compared and the players move on to the next map segment.
I played this for the first time the other night. Our team did pretty badly; the other team survived each segment, and we were unable to survive even one. It is quite interesting playing as the Infected, though. You are assigned a “class” randomly and spawn as a ghost near the Survivors’ current position. You can then quickly move through the level to look for a spawning spot. You cannot spawn too close or too far away from the Survivors, and you cannot spawn within a Survivor’s line of sight. You can always see an “outline” of not only your Infected teammates, but also the Survivors. There are also “Infected-only” ladders to climb. Once you spawn, you can then proceed to hunt and attack the Survivors. As you are only a few shots away from death as with the normal AI-controlled Infected, it is important to use good ambush tactics and try to attack Survivors who get separated from the group. Coordinating with your teammates is also very important. You don’t get any weapons, just the abilities that your chosen Infected has. When you die, you are allowed to spawn again after a delay.
Trust me, it’s a lot harder than it sounds. It was obvious that the team we were playing against was a lot better at the game in general. Even so, I found it very difficult to pull off any effective attacks as Infected. Also, it was only the second time I had played that particular campaign, so I did not know the maps very well. I think that is an essential part of playing an effective Versus match. I’m looking forward to my next game, but I think I will try to get more experience in co-op mode before trying versus again.
Write a comment
You need to login to post comments!