I like Left 4 Dead, its quite possibly the best; Zombie Shooter video game ever made (so far)! For those not in the know, Left 4 Dead is a Cooperative, First Person Shooter video game produced by Valve Corporation, where the player teams up with three other characters (either AI or other players), to try and survive the Zombie Apocalypse. The game is separated into movie style themed campaigns, where they player/players need to travel across a map to a safe house while fending off hordes of Zombies. Each campaign has usually five levels in each campaign, with the final level involving a long stand-off against a large number of zombies, while awaiting a rescue. It’s not just Zombies though that the players need to survive against, as there are a large number of specialised zombies with special abilities which can cause numerous and unforeseen problems that regular zombies do not create.
I have played Left 4 Dead 2 quite a lot over nearly a decade; scoring close to a hundred hours of gameplay (according to my Steam account). So, I thought I would share with you my favourite Campaigns in Left 4 Dead. My list covers both the original levels in Left 4 Dead, plus the additional levels in the sequel; Left 4 Dead 2. There are of course some campaigns which did not make into the Top 5, but do still deserve a mention. Those campaigns being: Swamp Fever, Dead Centre, Cold Stream, and Blood Harvest. So, with the Honourable Mentions out of the way, here are my Top 5 Favourite Campaigns in Left 4 Dead.
5. Death Toll – Quite a lot of the campaigns feature a basic environment theme throughout the maps, which repeats on every subsequent level. These range from being in a Forest, or City, Swamp, Town and so on. Death Toll is therefore rather unique as all the way through it, it goes to several different environments. These include farm land areas, a bit of a town, and even through a church graveyard. The Church Graveyard is pretty cool in it’s own right, plus the departure of leaving on a boat is quite cool too.
4. The Parish – When it comes to campaign scenarios, there is one element to the environment which seems to be very consistent level by level no matter which campaign it is; that being they are almost always Dark/set at night time. Given it’s a Zombie themed game that is to be expected as the developers are trying to convey the horror aesthetics of Zombie Movies. So, in that respect it is such a huge relief when the final campaign is set during the Daytime. The level design of the Parish is actually rather fresh all the way through, and the final safe room with the upstairs and down stairs sections is rather cool unto itself. On the whole it is a campaign filled with great variety covering sections from all previous campaigns, ensuring the players will go out with a bang; if they survive!
3. No Mercy – The very first Campaign in the series, the one that set up all campaigns that followed on after. Set in the very centre of a sprawling city, the players have to walk through the streets, delve deep into the sewers, wade through the abandoned underground, and eventually climb to the top of an infected Hospital to reach the helipad and call for help. What this campaign provides is not just a first feel for the game, but helps set up player expectations and experiences in the campaigns to come.
2. Dark Carnival – Possibly the scariest of campaigns, and the creepiest too, featuring speciality zombies unique only to this campaign, Dark Carnival is one that you won’t forget in a hurry, nor will you get bored of in a hurry neither. Dark Carnival is set in a big fun fair, filled with rides and even a concert to finish it off. Players will have a real ride of a time as they need to travel on a Roller Coaster and through a Tunnel of Love too. The design of all the levels in this campaign are superb, the horde section in the fourth level is a real challenge and a fun one too, plus the big concert hall at the end is like the perfect zombie shooting arena possible. Plus, there are also zombie clowns, who need to be killed quick, if you don’t want too many zombies showing up!
1. Hard Rain – Quite possibly inspired by the movie of the same name, Hard Rain is set in a small village area which also happens to be a large flood plain. The campaign therefore actually repeats itself, as the players need to travel to the far end to pick up some petrol for the boat, and make it back through the levels they have just gone through, with the added difficulty of the night drawing in (as its nice and sunny to begin with), and the area flooding. It’s a really unique experience as you travel not too somewhere, but too and from somewhere, back to the very start. Plus the added environmental setting really leaves an impression and creates a really cool gaming memory that you will want to repeat over and over again.
What is your favourite Left 4 Dead campaign?
Things I Like 
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