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[x3sphere]

You've got to be kidding me..but that's no way the best they could do with the 360 hardware - this game should've run at high settings with AA/AF and running at 60fps on 360 to be considered a great port. Right now it's a decent port and nothing more.

In fact it looks worse than the Orange Box on 360, I guess Valve is really struggling with the 360's hardware - mainly with the limited amount of memory I guess but that's expected as they're a PC-centric dev team.

Anyway the game it's too much fun and still a day one purchase for me and my friends.

Well, I agree with more work on the 360 version they probably could have pulled off High settings. The difference between Medium and High is not *that* major. It's noticeable, but nothing like the difference between Low and Medium.

But as for 60FPS, I don't think they could pull that off. If they did, it wouldn't be a stable 60FPS. Most first person shooters on 360 run 30FPS anyway.

 

[Luckyman]

But as for 60FPS, I don't think they could pull that off. If they did, it wouldn't be a stable 60FPS. Most first person shooters on 360 run 30FPS anyway.

This looks like shit compared to something like COD4.

 

[crowphoenix]

This looks like shit compared to something like COD4.

K.

 

[MNC]

My God, I just finished Expert with 2 other friends and a randomer. So much fun! Just about every time a Tank would appear, and somehow I always became the last one standing, I kept shouting in the mic against the Tank to go away and my friends were loling, even though I kept getting killed. Once when the Tank DIDN'T appear, we made it to the end :lol Such rewarding feeling!
Can't wait to do another run.

 

[SonnyBoy]

"I'll jump out first."

:bow :lol

:lol You know how I am.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Note to everyone: Jedi likes to burn the crew to a cinder while supposedly warning people beforehand that he was tossing a molotov.

I would call those acceptable casualties in the War on the Undead!

"I'll jump out first."

:bow :lol

:lol One of the funniest moments I've ever had in multiplayer in any game.

 

[M.J. Doja]

This looks like shit compared to something like COD4.

utter shit. :lol

 

[ToyMachine228]

utter shit. :lol

Hey, I just found something out! People play games for reasons other than the graphical wars!!! For instance, I play Call of Duty 4 for competitive multiplayer...And I play Left 4 Dead for quick, intense and hysterically fun co-op. WHAT AN EPIPHANY AMIRITE?

 

[raYne]

http://www.dignews.com/admin/screenshoot/call_of_duty_4_pc_06.jpg

http://i38.tinypic.com/2edo8m1.jpg

utter shit. :lol

-He's talking about the console version of L4D.
-That L4D shot is PC and the 360 version doesn't look that good.
-That COD shot isn't representative of the "best" of the game and it looks much better than that. Particularly the SP in similarly lit scenes as the L4D night shot.

edit:
Can't be bothered to find accurate shots, but this level alone on 360 for example...
http://www.anarchic-x.com/cod4ss/cod4ss1.jpg
http://www.gamerscreensavers.com/Images/CALL-OF-DUTY-488.jpg
..puts console L4D to shame. As does the first night, hell, all the night missions.

 

[kbear]

Left 4 Dead does look like shit, guys. Come on...be real. It looks like a random PC FPS from 2005 or 2006. Compare it to any number of FPS on 360/PS3 that have released in the last year or so that completely destroy it visually... I'll list em off:

Far Cry 2
COD4
COD WAW
TimeShift
Bioshock
Battlefield Bad Company
Many more...

Tons of third-person shooters as well.

If this was any other game, made by any other developer, with these visuals, it wouldn't even get a passing glance from us. The textures are awful, the character models are weak, the geometry, lighting, basically everything is mediocre.

WITH ALL THAT SAID, the game is absolutely incredible, which is all that matters. I just got done playing a few demo rounds and despite being only about half-way done through Gears 2 campaign, loving FIFA '09, and having Fallout 3 in the shrink-wrap waiting for me, I still play the demo.

That's the sign of an amazing game right there. When you have all this other AAA shit to play yet you still fire up the demo.

 

[GhostRidah]

L4D does not look like shit on my screen...

 

[kbear]

L4D does not look like shit on my screen...

Then you haven't played enough shooters.

Look, the fact that people are saying the graphics suck has nothing to do with the game itself. Like I said, it's an amazing game. I'm there on day one.

 

[ToyMachine228]

When did "not impressive" become "shit"? I agree that the game doesn't wow visually like Gears of War 2, or Resistance 2, or even Call of Duty 4, but the game doesn't look like SHIT. And like I said before, the game's strength lies in it's gameplay and concept. It's an amazing gameplay experience that's not available anywhere else right now.

 

[GhostRidah]

Then you haven't played enough shooters.

Look, the fact that people are saying the graphics suck has nothing to do with the game itself. Like I said, it's an amazing game. I'm there on day one.

It does not look like shit, I pretty much gave played every shooter in the last 24 years except for resistance and I dont agree with your opinion, but hey its your opinion and more power to you. It doesn't look as good as some shooters but in no way does it look like shit.

 

[raYne]

L4D does not look like shit on my screen...

Depends on your point of view.

Console L4D is passable. Nothing really ugly about it, but it's not doing anything fancy visually either. It's definitely on the lower end compared to any of the heavy hitters and it's the same on PC compared to the PC heavy hitters.

The only visual difference between the two is the usual PC advantages. Higher framerate, higher res textures and cleaner overall look. So yes, there's quite a difference visually between the two, but neither version is exactly mind blowing graphically.

That said, as kbear stated, "WITH ALL THAT SAID, the game is absolutely incredible, which is all that matters".

L4D. <3

 

[Yaweee]

Left 4 Dead does look like shit, guys. Come on...be real. It looks like a random PC FPS from 2005 or 2006. Compare it to any number of FPS on 360/PS3 that have released in the last year or so that completely destroy it visually... I'll list em off:

Far Cry 2
COD4
COD WAW
TimeShift
Bioshock
Battlefield Bad Company
Many more...

Tons of third-person shooters as well.

If this was any other game, made by any other developer, with these visuals, it wouldn't even get a passing glance from us. The textures are awful, the character models are weak, the geometry, lighting, basically everything is mediocre.

[

But which of those games have as many enemies on screen at once? That is something that should be considered when talking about the overall look of the game; it's designed to keep a good framerate no matter what The Director tosses at you.

 

[kbear]

You shouldn't take everything so literally... "looks like shit" is just the common phrase people use, know what I'm saying. It doesn't literally look like shit. It's just unimpressive compared to most other shooters on the market, which is true.

Again, none of this matters. Game is sick

 

[dollartaco]

Left 4 Dead does look like shit, guys. Come on...be real. It looks like a random PC FPS from 2005 or 2006. Compare it to any number of FPS on 360/PS3 that have released in the last year or so that completely destroy it visually...

Agreed.

But I'll also add that the graphics are very compelling. The animation is extremely fluid, the textures have a tactile presence, the dynamic lighting drives the mood, and painting the wall with blood is neither over the top nor limited in a way that would detract from the satisfaction of doing so.

There was a topic yesterday about which games had the best storytelling. I thought that simply presenting an interesting narrative was a very small part of how players existed within it. In L4D, the players are actors. The movie campaigns are all set up to allow a player-driven narrative to dominate what story is being told, but within a structure that is intentional and never irrelevant to the process of playing the game. Is it storytelling? Not top-down, but yes. I really enjoy it more than I thought I would (I'm not a zombie movie fan, but I guess the scenario always sounded fun...).

 

[CajoleJuice]

It does not look like shit, I pretty much gave played every shooter in the last 24 years except for resistance and I dont agree with your opinion, but hey its your opinion and more power to you. It doesn't look as good as some shooters but in no way does it look like shit.

Everyone's arguing about the console version and you're posting shots from the PC version.

 

[GhostRidah]

Again, none of this matters. Game is sick

I agree on that

 

[raYne]

You shouldn't take everything so literally... "looks like shit" is just the common phrase people use, know what I'm saying. It doesn't literally look like shit. It's just unimpressive compared to most other shooters on the market, which is true.

Again, none of this matters. Game is sick

Or does it? :O

:lol Yeah, I was about to edit in something similar into my post. You people get hung up on semantics too much.

 

[GhostRidah]

Everyone's arguing about the console version and you're posting shots from the PC version.

I didn't know that, should have read but still why judge a game on its port? judge it on what it was made for.

 

[Struct09]

Not only does L4D look great (PC version at least), the animations are amazing.

Why are people even comparing it to a game like COD4? Do you have awesomely animated hordes of enemies attacking you?

 

[CajoleJuice]

I didn't know that, should have read but still why judge a game on its port? judge it on what it was made for.

Because 360 owners are going to judge the game against other games on the 360. Far Cry 2 is PC game with a 360 port, as is Bioshock (I think).

 

[crowphoenix]

You shouldn't take everything so literally... "looks like shit" is just the common phrase people use, know what I'm saying. It doesn't literally look like shit. It's just unimpressive compared to most other shooters on the market, which is true.

Again, none of this matters. Game is sick

I'd say you are correct, but the guy above was obviously just trolling, which is a key difference in what you are saying.

"The game does look weak compared to other shooters, the graphics are weak to passable, but the game play is/looks awesome."

That is a different statement than "The game looks like shit" which could include graphics and game play. As we have nothing to go on, we assume trolling.

Now, enough with the derail (unless you want one more counter to be fair). L4D must be played!

 

[Haeleos]

Graphically, the environments are the only thing letting me down in this game. I remember Episode Two looking a lot better than these areas do. I haven't seen them all, though. But the character models? The texture work on them is amazing.

I'm kind of disappointed in the zombie models, though, as they seem pretty blocky and boring to look at. Doesn't seem like there are that many variations either, so I think it's mostly because the Source engine would struggle with large groups of enemies with tons of variations.

The facial animation is as amazing as ever (to be expected with Valve's games) and the character's silhouettes read surprisingly well. I'm surprised that I can still see the survivors amidst all the zombies.

So the graphics criticism isn't completely unfounded, but for the most part, I think it stems from the fact that the Source engine is starting to show it's age a little on the environments side of things. Or perhaps I'm jaded because I'm balancing my playtime between this and Gears of War 2.

Also, I don't know how they did this, but when things take a turn for the worse in this game and you're surrounded by zombies and your teammates are down and you're barely hanging on, I get this sinking feeling of drowning... like I'm trying to resurface and take control of the situation again. Really cool.

 

[polyh3dron]

It doesn't look all that impressive running on the 360 at 30FPS, but on a PC at 60FPS it looks great.

 

[MidiSurf]

Left4Dead looks like shit and that's it. I mean it's running on source engine, what were you expecting ? But it's fucking fun game and you can enjoy it even with older PC, so I'll take it.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

While I'm as much of a graphics whore as the next guy, if you give me great game play, with solid looking graphics, running at a solid framerate, with tons of bad guys on screen, and THEN throw in 4-player co-op, I'll be happy with the results.

 

[dollartaco]

I'd say you are correct, but the guy above was obviously just trolling, which is a key difference in what you are saying.

The game does look weak compared to other shooters, it's passable to good, but the game play is awesome.

That is a different statement than "The game looks like shit" which could include graphics and game play. As we have nothing to go on, we assume trolling.

Now, enough with the derail. L4D must be played!

I think the graphics actually add to the gameplay. They don't detract at all.

 

[poweld]

Holy smokes. Those complaining that it looks "like shit" are entitled to their opinion, but I'm curious...

Have you seen the lighting? Seriously, the shadows cast are the best I've seen. Period.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Forgot to mention... I generally can't see the graphics with Boomer Vomit all over me...

 

[crowphoenix]

I think the graphics actually add to the gameplay. They don't detract at all.

That's a good point. I'll have to consider it more the next time I'm lying broken and bruised after being nailed by a tank.

 

[Teknopathetic]

I think people are confused about L4D because Valve doesn't shove shaders and bumpmapping down their throat.

L4D's easily on par with any sub-Crysis shooter.

 

[mjl86]

I'm really excited about the potential this game has for multiplayer fun. I can't wait to get a group of friends and go around blasting thousands of zombies or humans...you can always expect a great time from Valve.

 

[otake]

i run crysis warhead on gamer settings at 1680x1050. with the exception of that particular game, left 4 dead looks as good as everything else.

on pc it looks better than any console game with the one exception being mgs4. the 360 version looks like crap and it makes sense since 360 is 3 years outdated.

 

[Woo-Fu]

The thing that bugs me about the graphics is that some parts are very well done and then you have stuff like the smoker's tongue which look like something out of a q2 mod.

As far as the gameplay goes I'm hoping versus adds the replay value that I'm not getting from the demo.

 

[syllogism]

Needs more custom servers as "expert" is too easy, at least in the demo. You can even simply run through the stages on expert.

 

[Ferrio]

The thing that bugs me about the graphics is that some parts are very well done and then you have stuff like the smoker's tongue which look like something out of a q2 mod.

I don't take notice to graphics much, but even I noticed the smoker's tongue was outta place. Seems to me it was an asset they forgot to polish up before release. I'm guessing it won't be long until that's fixed.

Needs more custom servers as "expert" is too easy, at least in the demo. You can even simply run through the stages on expert.

You're not playing on expert. Remember, just because you pick expert in match making, doesn't mean you'll be placed on an expert server.

 

[raYne]

While I'm as much of a graphics whore as the next guy, if you give me great game play, with solid looking graphics, running at a solid framerate, with tons of bad guys on screen, and THEN throw in 4-player co-op, I'll be happy with the results.

Jedi, as sage as ever.

Forgot to mention... I generally can't see the graphics with Boomer Vomit all over me...

:lol

 

[fin]

I don't like how the movement is in this game. It feels like you're ice skating.

 

[Zzoram]

Needs more custom servers as "expert" is too easy, at least in the demo. You can even simply run through the stages on expert.

I don't know what you were playing, but Expert in the Subway is incredibly hard. I think my group died there about 12 times last night and never made it to the end.

 

[Haeleos]

then you have stuff like the smoker's tongue which look like something out of a q2 mod.

Yea I really hope that gets some improvement in a patch down the line. It's not likely, but it stands out so much. I haven't really taken a close look at it, but the texture on it is atrocious looking. I've seen some cool shots where it's wrapped around someone, and it looks ok there, but in game I haven't been impressed at all by it when I see it.

 

[BravoSuperStar]

Playing it on the 360 makes me realize just how bad I suck with a controller VS mouse for aiming. I was really impressed though at how close it resembles the PC version on high settings, I expected more of a downgrade.

Still Pc version is clearly the way to go....

 

[syllogism]

I don't know what you were playing, but Expert in the Subway is incredibly hard. I think my group died there about 12 times last night and never made it to the end.

Well obviously with some random people it can be difficult, but if you've four who know what they are doing, you'll usually win. Me and some other guy just killed our bot teammates and literally ran through the whole map, an encounter with Tank aside.

 

[mikekennyb]

Ran through the demo on 360, was a little disappointed. The guns didn't feel right, but that's a problem I've had with all Source based games. I want to like it though, so will play again.

 

[SonnyBoy]

Have you seen the lighting? Seriously, the shadows cast are the best I've seen. Period.

Especially when you're on fire.

 

[Snapshot King]

I love how the graphics discussion in this thread completely ignores the ridiculous amount of zombies on screen as well as their fantastic animation routines and incorporating of small amounts of ragdoll in their knockback animations.

 

[bob_arctor]

Yeah, I don't think The Witch needs to look any better. She's already terrifying enough as is. *shudder*

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Especially when you're on fire.

See! I was just doing a little graphical test on the game and wanted to make YOU a light source. Had to check out self-shadowing while I was at it.