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- Aug 8, 2004
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Before there was Left 4 Dead, there was Killing Floor, a cooperative survival horror modification for Unreal Tournament 2004 that recently made the coveted change to a full-fledged retail game, developed and published by Tripwire Interactive of Red Orchestra fame. Killing Floor and Left 4 Dead have similar core game mechanics ? groups of human players faced against hordes of zombies, some with special abilities and attributes that make them more dangerous or difficult to exterminate. In Killing Floor, they are called ?specimens?, the bloodthirsty and gruesome product of Horzine Biotech?s military-commissioned cloning and genetic experiments. [br]Unsurprisingly, something went terribly awry and all of the specimens escaped in huge numbers to wreak havoc on London despite the best efforts of the military and police forces. You and up to five other players take on the role of an ad-hoc group of soldiers and police officers who have survived the onslaught and banded together to put down the not-exactly-undead menace.[br]Gameplay<hr size="3" noshade color="#ED761C"></strong>[br]The gameplay itself is simple. Specimens come in waves that are progressively more and more difficult, with more advanced types of adversary and larger hordes. There?s one reminiscent of the Boomer, who vomits poisonous bile all over you; others can make themselves invisible or wield chainsaws. The final wave consists primarily of the Patriarch, the most complex and destructive specimen to be produced by the experiments, armed with a lethal chaingun in one hand and a rocket launcher in the other and madder than hell.[br]
[br]The several locales featured as levels are varied and well-designed, ranging from the sunlit streets of London to biotechnology facilities and creepy old mansions. Unfortunately, there are too few of them, and they get old and repetitive quickly. All of them are circular and rather sparse in detail. In between waves of enemies, players can purchase weapons and armor at the Trader?s, which changes location randomly between waves. There is a range of difficulties, which range from pathetically easy to extremely challenging and intense; veteran gamers will want to stick to the higher difficulties.[br]Weaponry & Achievements<hr size="3" noshade color="#ED761C"></strong>[br]
Gunplay is where this game truly shines. There is no crosshair, only ironsights, and the weapons feel satisfyingly powerful and effective. You?ll have fun with everything from the starting pistol to the extremely badass combat shotgun. Flamethrowers and chainsaws especially, although they feel a tad gimmicky and most players stick with the more conventional weapons. A mechanic called the ?Perk? system allows players to choose a particular class (Sharpshooter, Commando, et cetera) which gives you bonuses for certain weapons and rewards you, Achievements-style, with better stats for certain accomplishments like killing X amounts of mutants with a particular gun. Ammo conservation is important between waves, although in a pinch you can usually find some laying around the level.[br]Cooperative work is vital, and the ability to weld doors shut makes the coop play interesting, albeit still relatively simplistic ? the team that camps together, wins together. Speaking of teamplay, don?t expect to spend much time with this game in Solo mode ? it?s identical to coop, except (obviously) you are alone, making it far more difficult and less interesting. Luckily, the online community is bustling, so there is no shortage of players to team with, and a decent selection of custom maps.[br]
[br]Final Word<hr size="3" noshade color="#ED761C"></strong>[br]The game used to be a mod, and it shows ? the graphics, while respectable for the Unreal 2 engine, are no match whatsoever for modern next-gen engine graphics, and the limited amount of content is a serious drawback. It feels like an arcade game, rather than a cinematic, dynamic experience like Left 4 Dead, and as a result the replayability suffers - there?s no real variation to the gameplay from level to level or wave to wave, and as such it gets increasingly repetitive. Nothing about the gameplay is particularly innovative or revolutionary, but solid tried-and-true game mechanics like the Perks psuedo-class system and minor, minimally-invasive bullet time are well-implemented and chosen. Minor bugs and graphical glitches don?t exactly abound, but they are not very rare either. Regardless, there is solid, gory fun to be had for fans of the cooperative survival genre, and the measly $20 price tag makes it an attractive choice despite its shortcomings.[br]Scoring<hr size="3" noshade color="#ED761C"></strong>[br]7/10[br]Pros: Excellent gunplay and weapon selection, challenging on higher difficulty, intense and visceral survival experience[br]Cons: Not enough levels, modest graphics, very repetitive gameplay
Gunplay is where this game truly shines. There is no crosshair, only ironsights, and the weapons feel satisfyingly powerful and effective. You?ll have fun with everything from the starting pistol to the extremely badass combat shotgun. Flamethrowers and chainsaws especially, although they feel a tad gimmicky and most players stick with the more conventional weapons. A mechanic called the ?Perk? system allows players to choose a particular class (Sharpshooter, Commando, et cetera) which gives you bonuses for certain weapons and rewards you, Achievements-style, with better stats for certain accomplishments like killing X amounts of mutants with a particular gun. Ammo conservation is important between waves, although in a pinch you can usually find some laying around the level.[br]Cooperative work is vital, and the ability to weld doors shut makes the coop play interesting, albeit still relatively simplistic ? the team that camps together, wins together. Speaking of teamplay, don?t expect to spend much time with this game in Solo mode ? it?s identical to coop, except (obviously) you are alone, making it far more difficult and less interesting. Luckily, the online community is bustling, so there is no shortage of players to team with, and a decent selection of custom maps.[br]
