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Left 4 Dead 2

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Gamereactor gets up close and personal with Valve's Doug Lombardi and talk zombies, zombies, zombies and perhaps some Left 4 Dead 2.

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What in your opinion is that make zombies such great video game enemies?

I think it's simply that they are so much fun to kill. Zombies are hordes of staggering, moaningg monsters you can just mow down, and it's fun to shoot them.

Were you surprise at the negative reaction from some fans at the announcement of Left 4 Dead 2?

Yes, I was a bit surprised. We didn't expect it at all.

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Which is your favourite zombie movie and why?

Oh, that's a tough one. There are so many different ones. I like the old classic the best, they were low tech and were made with much smaller budgets than what's the case today. I think it's exciting to see what they could make with two or three cameras and a few buckets of fake blood. But there isn't that one film that I would say is my favourite, it would be easier if you were to ask me about my favourite game.

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That brings us to my next question. What is your favourite zombie game?

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A lot to choose from here as well. The They Hunger Half-Life mod is nice classic, but I think I'm going to have to go with Plants vs Zombies as my favourite. I love what they have done with that game and how they make use of the zombies.

Why did you choose New Orleans for Left 4 Dead 2?

It's just the perfect fit. New Orleans brings a very mysterious past, almost haunted. As they founded the city they were unaware that it was below sea level, and they buried their dead like they always had. Then when the bodies were pressed out by the water into rivers and floated around, people didn't understand what had happened. Later when they realised it wasn't possible to bury the dead in the traditional manner they placed them in crypts and mauseleums. I think its fantastic that there are grave sites where you can walk around surrounded by ston coffins with dead people.

The city is also very rich with variation, different types of geography and architecture we could make use of - swamps, fancy downtown areas, and so on. And I don't think anyone else has made a game with New Orleans the same way we have, which is a bonus.

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What would you do in case of a sudden zombie infestation?

Personally I'm just mildly interested in zombies, but many others in the team are extremely fanatical about the living dead. But I have read Maz Brooks' Survival Guide, so I have some clue...

If you were infected, what of Left 4 Dead zombie would you become?

Boomer.

Why?

(laughter) Because they are fun. The Boomer is dangerous, but he can also make people smile. And the Boomer lets all the other zombies do the dirty work while he just lumbers around. I like that.

Zombie games may not be as well represented as other genres in the world of video games. Do you think we will see more zombie games coming to market?

Most certainly. Zombie games are much more entertaining than say for instance World War II games. Zombie games are fun and exciting and mix comedy with horror. There aren't a lot of other genres that can do that. My opinion is that as an industry we have chased after realism all too much. Realism is actually pretty boring. It's more exciting to take on the supernatural, such as zombies and aliens.

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