I'll admit when I first heard of Left 4 Dead, I was skeptical. There isn't much story and the main campaign is very short. But then I played it, and it quickly became one of my favorites. Some of the best memories I have of Xbox Live come from countless matches. I prefer to play as one of the survivors, not the infected.
Through never ending hordes of infected, you and three others must make it from safe house to safe house. Sounds easy enough, right? Nope. It seems everything works against you. If a car alarm goes off more infected swarm, if you get separated from the group you're as good as dead.
And then there's the special infected. If you're not careful, a Hunter might pounce on top of you. For what ever reason, Hunters like me very much and it's a running joke here that I'm Hunter bait. Or a Smoker will grab you with his tongue. Hell, you may even get puked on by a Boomer. As Boomer bile clouds your vision, the horde comes out to play. Of course, when the Tank's music starts, everyone in your party scrambles into action.
But, my favorite special infected is also the most unassuming.
The Witch.
Imagine shooting your way through infected, only to hear what sounds like a girl sobbing. As you track down the noise, you see the image above. From the back, she looks sort of harmless. But look at those claws. If you upset her, she shrieks and runs after you. Next thing you know, you're on your ass. Without your teammates helping you, you're done for. The only way to avoid feeling her wrath is to turn off the flashlights and sneak past her very quietly. Or you can do what my son does and crown her.
Oh god, I remember my first witch encounter. Ad had been playing Left 4 Dead and told me about her, but I didn't quite understand the full impact. Then I started playing with him, and we were in this area with a graveyeard. I heard the sobbing, and went skipping over thinking "this won't be so bad."
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOD I WAS WRONG! It was terrifying, the way she jumps up at you, screams and starts chasing you.
I can't think of another video game moment I've experienced that's been quite as scary as that first witch encounter.
Since then I've gotten quite good at crowning witches, or taking them out with a well thrown molotov.
I never did play the original Left 4 Dead, but I did enjoy playing the sequel. These witches sound just as "in your face" as the Headcrabs from Half-life and Half-life 2.
ReplyDeleteI really like the sequel too. I think I'd rather deal with a few headcrabs than disturb a witch. Especially in L4D2 during the Sugar Mill part, the Witches are everywhere.
DeleteThose damn witches! But Left 4 Dead is a lot of fun. Especially with a bunch of friends online.
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