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Left 4 Dead (November 17)

The Scoop: Left 4 Dead; Genre: survival horror; By: Certain Affinity; From: Valve; For: Windows, Xbox 360; Rating: Mature

Info: It's survivors versus infected in developer Certain Affinity's zombie brawler, as teams of up to four players leg it through hospitals, airports, and dreary rural landscapes, fending off hordes of slobbering humans infected with a mutant form of rabies.

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Matt: Imagine you and three pals with an armful of Ruger Mini-14s and Benelli M4 Super 90s crowd-surfing the snarling throngs of red-eyed creatures in Danny Boyle's horror film spree 28 Days Later, and you have the gist of Left 4 Dead. While the game sounds a little on the short side, with just four scenarios lasting "between 45 and 75 minutes" each, the highly touted zombie AI and emphasis on cooperative play make the "go back and try it a dozen different ways" factor the big lure here.

Darren: Even with the boatload of zombies in this game, I'd liken it to a Counter-Strike or a Team Fortress 2 (not coincidentally, both from Valve as well) more than a single-player shooter (though the partner AI can pick up the slack if you are going solo). Technically, CS and TF2 didn't ship with that many maps either; but many more are now available, either created by users or provided freely to the community. And let's not downplay the fact that while you can play as the survivors and fend off the running dead, being among the brain-hungry zombie horde (an option) is a little fun as well. I've seen and played this game at multiple events, and every time I'm done with my turn, I get back in line, anxious to play more.