I like to be able to save my game whenever, so I can never lose. I might have to go back, I might have to even go back so I can choose another fork of the road, but at least I don't have to start over from scratch. In Left 4 Dead, there doesn't seem to be any continuity between sessions, only how many safe rooms you can get to in any one instance of the game. Because there is no save, there is no sense of me in the game.
The game actively punishes too much thinking or planning. You've got to keep moving, or you'll run out of resources and die. You can't stalk the enemy and pick them off from afar (much), stealth is of little use, most traps and problems can't be avoided; full steam ahead.
When I got to the weapons stash, I instinctively reached for the sniper rifle, but before I picked it up I knew it would be mostly useless here. I took the AR-15. Normally I would prefer to pick off enemies at range, to soften up a position before assault, but this game, in Grand Theft Auto style, every time you look away from a spot new zombies spawn. Again, staying in place is discouraged.
I appreciate being out of my usual zone, because it shows me exactly where my zone is. I like long slow thinking planning story games; this is what the opposite feels like. And I'm glad I only had to pay $5 to find out.
