8-Bit Left 4 Dead: Free NES-Quality pWnage Coming In January

Gaming Culture, Run and Gun — By Chris Gampat on November 17, 2009 at 12:18 am

Few titles have had as big an impact on videogaming in such a relative small period of time as Valve’s co-op zombie slaughterfest, Left 4 Dead. Not only is the much-anticipated sequel hitting store shelves today, but game’s also inspired the creatively-named iPhone/iPod touch overhead zombie shooter Alive 4 Ever, and what may be the most awesome followup of all: an 8-bit version.

Created by Eric Ruth using Pixelforce NES, it will be available in January for zombie hunters as a free download onto their PCs. It features all the campaigns and characters from the original game, and you’ll be able to play with your friends as well as the game features a multiplayer mode.

The infected seem to work very interestingly, as in the video a boomer just sprays bile all over the place. It will be interesting to see how the horde, tank and others all play out (especially the witch).

Eric Ruth posted a FAQ on his YouTube channel, which you can check out below for more info on this promising homebrew. Maybe that Neo Slim 3000 can be put to legit use, eh?

This game play footage gives you an idea of what the project looks like in action and how it plays. As you can see, it’s a standard top-down 4 directional action/shooter. Remade in the NES retro style, the resolution is at 256 x 240 and features 16 colors and a 4 sound channel soundtrack.

Now, let’s just get this out of the way….

Q: Is this just an animation or an actual game?

A: An actual game. It will be available for free download on PC around January 4th, 2010.

Q: I only see one “special infected.” Will there be more?

A: Yes. All 5 special infected appear in this game regularly.

Q: How far along are you currently?

A: As of November 15th, I am completed with the first “mission: No Mercy” as well as most of the core game play mechanics.

Q: Does Valve know about this? And would they approve?

A: No, Valve doesn’t know about it yet, but I’m sure (with their love of community creations) that they will find this mildly amusing at worst, and hilarious at best.

Q: Will this version have all of the campaigns from the original game?

A: Yes. All 5 maps of all 4 campaigns will be present in the final product.

Q: Like your other games, did you make this one all by yourself?

A: With the exception of a few friends backing me up in the QA area, yes, the coding, debugging, sound effects, music and pixel art are all original work of Eric Ruth.

Q: Will there be more videos that show off more of the game?

A: Maybe 1 or 2, but that’s about it. If you want to see every campaign and fight every zombie, then you will have to download and play it.

This should just about wrap it up. When more information becomes available, I will display it somewhere here. Thanks a lot guys, and keep watching!

[Hat tip: Joystiq]

Thank you for supporting 2D-X, the very best in 2D (and 3D!) video games. If you’d like to help us grow, please take a second to download the free Alexa toolbar for IE or Firefox and continue surfing 2D-X (and the Web) as you normally would. Think of it has the Nielsen ratings of websites–by simply reading with the Alexa toolbar installed, you’ll boost our popularity. And please digg, Stumbleupon, and Twitter us via the links at the top of the page (or on your own)!

You can also support the site by copping some cool 2D-X gear or by following us on Facebook or Twitter. We appreciate it.

More 2D-X News, Features, and Reviews:

Pokemon Meets Left 4 Dead: Laughter Ensues

Review: 8-bit Left 4 Dead

8-Bit A-Team Marries The NES and Mr. T

Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril invites you to dust off your NES for 2D, 8-bit action

Free Twin Blades DLC revealed in new trailer