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This week Sliver and myself were lucky enough to get our hands on an early version of I Hate Mountains to give it the ultimate test in the hands of the most experienced Left 4 Dead players around (well that isn't perhaps true). The campaign has been created by the fellows who also brought us Portal Prelude which was bursting with content and so we expected them to deliver something worth writing about. Well here we are...[br]Visuals & Sound<hr size="3" noshade color="#ED761C"></strong>[br]
I Hate Mountains is the best looking custom add-on campaign you will find for Left 4 Dead 1. The entirety of the campaign is situated outside in dense forest giving a slight nod in the direction of the Valve campaign 'Death Toll'. Similarities end there are IHM goes off in a tremendously detailed route with far more exciting crescendos to tackle. New particle effects and many custom models have been thrown into IHM to make it a tremendously polished product which could easily be mistaken for an official Valve campaign.[br]
Sounds are also absolutely top notch in this campaign. Some of the general ambient sounds really fit in and make the experience that bit more realistic. Notably the addition of the crickets chirping is a very nice touch to make you feel like you really are in the great outdoors. The notion of being surrounded by these insects is enhanced by the pretty effects of the occasional fire fly swarm.[br]
[br]Gameplay & Pacing<hr size="3" noshade color="#ED761C"></strong>[br]
Generally speaking this is done particularly well. It is evident that the crescendo events have been thoroughly tested with the new formula of dynamic crescendos (introduced in Crash Course & L4D2) being implemented to great effect. The mansion providing a tricky one in particular which ends in a spectacular cinematic. Although most of the campaign is outside you do venture into the occasional crypt & house which breaks up the gameplay nicely. These environments are well detailed but we occasionally found areas which were slightly too dark and difficult to navigate.[br]
The only real issue we had with the campaign was something which is also one of it's stronger points. You start the campaign with the option to go left or right and this is a consistent theme as the developers intended to give each map several optional routes to reach the end. Crash Course DLC did this too, but IHM does it to a much higher degree. The options will be sure to provide further re-playability for a game which is already highly rich in that ingredient, however, we both found ourselves getting lost for significant periods which can be frustrating in a game which keeps respawning special infected! This is obviously only an issue the first few times you play.[br]
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[br]In Summary<hr size="3" noshade color="#ED761C"></strong>[br]
You will notice the level of detail and thought which went into the campaign once you reach the finale, which is beautifully mapped with incredible lighting effects. I couldn't say how much inspiration the mod took from L4D2 but it has a hybrid feeling of both games. It certainly feels ahead of the original L4D1 campaigns in terms of detail and game mechanics...you almost forget you're not playing the sequel at times.[br]
If you're looking for a Left 4 Dead experience with visuals on par with Valve's campaigns, look no further.[br]
Played by Hectic Glenn, Sliver & DigiQ8[br]
Written by Hectic Glenn
