Last night I played through the “Death Toll” campaign in Left 4 Dead with my game group. Which, to avoid sounding like I have a surplus of friends who play games is really just me and a good friend of mine (you might remember him from this story). We deftly tackled “No Mercy” over the weekend and were ready for more.

Playing with two AI-controlled Survivors is like playing with the ideal teammates. The AI is responsive to the group’s well being, and definitely puts the whole “need before greed” thing into practice when it comes to first aid kits and pain pills. You’re never incapacitated for long either, as one of the AI-controlled Survivors are usually there to lend a hand after clearing the immediate area around you. If only humans were willingly this considerate.

One of the achievements in Left 4 Dead is “No One Left Behind”, where you must finish any campaign with all four survivors alive. We easily accomplished that with “No Mercy”, but the final standoff in “Death Toll” proved to be a lot more challenging.

A lot has been said about the AI Director, and while it seems a little more noticeable than it was in the demo, its presence is still a subtle one. The sudden appearance of the Infected horde feels like a natural buildup to a tense “What do we do now?” moment when you’re lost in one of the game’s many dead-end rooms. The Special infected also tend to show up when you least expect it, but not in a way that it breaks immersion. In the final standoff of each campaign, you’re supposed to be inundated with Infected as you await your rescue vehicle. At least, that’s what would happen in a movie.

So when we finally cleared a pathway to the dock where the fishing boat was to pick us up, I noticed that Zoey had fallen down and was being swarmed by a large group of Infected behind us. I jumped off the dock, and ran back to assist. Keep in mind, I had already obtained the achievement and there was no reward for doing this. I just felt the sudden need to return the favor. Of course, it also meant my immediate death. My friend laughed at me saying, “What was the point of that, exactly?” He died shortly after, trying to come back to save me.

After another couple of tries, we managed to make it through the finale. Except it involved me dying a very dramatic death on the gangway to the boat as the Infected followed us on to the dock. I held them off from the ground with my two pistols, while I watched the other Survivors run past. Everyone got away except me, but I didn’t feel cheated. It felt like the perfect ending.

Left 4 Dead is pure hollywood.