In the late 1970s, Marvel's legal team attempted to patent the word "zombie," but their dick move backfired (you can read about it here). That being said, any entertainment item that coined a new term for the typical walking dead most likely did so out of artistic arrogance rather than a need for profit. "Look at us, we practically float above the standard thesaurus because we are so ahead of the curve." In addition to the classic Zs, we had a variety of cunning substitutes. The most well-known were Walkers, Biters, Roamers, Creepers from The Walking Dead, and, most recently, Freakers from Days Gone. We now have Ridden. Indeed, Ridden.

In their most popular game to date, the creators of the Ridden abandoned the typical zombie. The original Left 4 Dead was created in 2008 by Turtle Rock Studios, previously known as Valve South (2008–2011). It was a really amazing cooperative shooter that introduced the AI director, a series of ingenious algorithms that managed the zombie spawns during matches based on the player behavior and other criteria. The much-needed unpredictability and sense of always walking the thin border between success and failure were delivered by the AI director. Not even the massive follow-up game from Turtle Rock, Evolve, which sadly failed and was free-to-play, could top the two Left 4 Dead games. Another current third-person clone of Left 4 Dead that did not gain much success was World War Z, which came out in recent years. Will the original's magic ever be duplicated?

Turtle Rock Studios is betting that it can, but we aren't quite convinced following the Back 4 Blood beta over the weekend. The game attempts to be as similar to the original as possible while doing everything you would expect from a contemporary AAA title. We believe that the fundamental issue is that opposing forces are always tugging the game in different directions, creating a dichotomous paradox. In terms of current gaming, Back 4 Blood has triple-A graphics and provides some intriguing twists to the standard Left 4 Dead concept. As such, it may seem new to the millennial population of gamers who weren't there to experience Left 4 Dead's heyday in cooperative play. It may not, however.

In Back 4 Blood, four-player teams must survive linear stages chock-full of both common and unique zombies, all while adhering to a voice-acted narrative screenplay. Similar to Left 4 Dead, players must stay together, save ammo, and travel between safe shelters while avoiding foolish chances that instantly unleash a swarm of zombies. Beta had four-stage acts that could be performed alone with bots or with one to three human partners. Additionally, Beta included a distinct 4 vs. 4 PVP game that resembles CoD Zombies but adds opponents' players who are rare Ridden mutants to the waves of AI-controlled trash hordes.

A number of changes have been made to the fundamental L4D formula, most of which are built upon via continuous advancement. You get supply points for each run, which you may spend to acquire sets of cards that can be employed as active or passive combat modifiers while the game is in progress. These cards provide a wide range of effects, from increasing your ammunition capacity to providing you with a larger health pool, healing enhancements, and gimmicks like switching an unarmed blow for a knife stab. When playing at lesser difficulty levels, it is relatively affordable to ignore the card advantages; but, when playing at higher stakes, they become essential. Every level in the game also grants you a debuff, which might be something as harmful as the constant fog that obscures your view.Weapons with varying rarities that are lootable and moddable in-game are another contemporary innovation. All assault rifles may be modified with various sights, stocks, barrels, etc., either by discovering the add-ons in the field or by buying from safe house merchants with limited inventory. The blue assault weapon will always outperform the green or white ones. Chasing the copper, the money required for every vendor transaction, adds a greedy aspect to the game. In Left 4 Dead, players would often separate from the group out of spontaneous interest or a sight of the ammunition or consumables in the next area. You'll now run into more serious issues while playing with strangers when they say, "Lemme just check the basement alone."

Random enemy spawning give you plenty of chances, if you're not cautious, to call out an enraged army of undead. Disturbing the flock of birds that are feasting on corpses is one of the less convincing methods to do it. Why do the birds ignore the sound of the automatic firing nearby but get terrified when you approach on foot? Better still, why does the horde just respond to loud squawking and disregard gunshots as well? We enjoy immersion, but things like that undermine it. There are unique versions in addition to the Ridden Vulgaris, such as exploder, tank, etc. This is not really new.

Back 4 Blood is OK all around, but we don't think alright will be sufficient to sustain it over the long run. The game is essentially a contemporary reinterpretation of the original Left 4 Dead template, one that explicitly encourages comparison with other things beyond simply the number in the title. The sensation of harsh deja-vu was unavoidable; we wanted to discover comparable magic here, as we had done with Left 4 Dead. Your experience may differ, particularly if you never had the opportunity to play the original game. If you are still amazed, treasure it and treat it with care! The corporation will also determine whether or not you have fun since, as is to be expected, randoms and bots might make your experience boring, unpleasant, or both. A supportive group of pals in real life may really make a big impact.