G4TV

Valve inspires its fans to do crazy things. Take Eric Ruth, who's made it his personal mission to recreate Left 4 Dead <span class="tooltip-content"> <span class='tooltip-tab-container'> <span class='tooltip-tab-wrapper active' onclick='tooltiptab(this);'><span class='tooltip-tab xbox-360'></span></span> <span class='tooltip-tab-wrapper' onclick='tooltiptab(this);'><span class='tooltip-tab PC'></span></span> </span> <span class='tooltip-active tooltip2 xbox-360'><div class='tooltip-name'><a href="http://g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/44000/left-4-dead/index/" title="Left+4+Dead">Left 4 Dead</a></div><hr /><span class='tooltip-column'><ul> <li><h6><a href="http://g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/44000/left-4-dead/news/" title="Left+4+Dead news">News</a></h6> (80)</li> <li><h6><a href="http://g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/44000/left-4-dead/previews/" title="Left+4+Dead news">Previews</a></h6> (9)</li> <li><h6><a href="http://g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/44000/left-4-dead/review/" title="Left+4+Dead review">Review</a></h6></li> </ul></span><span class='tooltip-column'><ul> <li><h6><a href="http://g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/44000/left-4-dead/videos/" title="Left+4+Dead videos">Videos</a></h6> (47)</li> <li><h6><a href="http://g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/44000/left-4-dead/screenshots-and-images/" title="Left+4+Dead screenshots &amp; images">Screenshots</a></h6> (41)</li> <li><h6><a href="http://g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/44000/left-4-dead/cheats/" title="Left+4+Dead cheats &amp; walkthroughs">Cheats and Walkthroughs</a></h6> (75)</li> </ul> </span><div style='clear:both;'></div></span> <span class='tooltip2 PC'><div class='tooltip-name'><a href="http://g4tv.com/games/pc/36634/left-4-dead/index/" title="Left+4+Dead">Left 4 Dead</a></div><hr /><span class='tooltip-column'><ul> <li><h6><a href="http://g4tv.com/games/pc/36634/left-4-dead/news/" title="Left+4+Dead news">News</a></h6> (84)</li> <li><h6><a href="http://g4tv.com/games/pc/36634/left-4-dead/previews/" title="Left+4+Dead news">Previews</a></h6> (9)</li> <li><h6><a href="http://g4tv.com/games/pc/36634/left-4-dead/review/" title="Left+4+Dead review">Review</a></h6></li> </ul></span><span class='tooltip-column'><ul> <li><h6><a href="http://g4tv.com/games/pc/36634/left-4-dead/videos/" title="Left+4+Dead videos">Videos</a></h6> (48)</li> <li><h6><a href="http://g4tv.com/games/pc/36634/left-4-dead/screenshots-and-images/" title="Left+4+Dead screenshots &amp; images">Screenshots</a></h6> (41)</li> <li><h6><a href="http://g4tv.com/games/pc/36634/left-4-dead/cheats/" title="Left+4+Dead cheats &amp; walkthroughs">Cheats and Walkthroughs</a></h6> (10)</li> </ul> </span><div style='clear:both;'></div></span> </span><div class="arrow"></div> from scratch in the context of a top-down, 8-bit action game. So far, Ruth has finished the first campaign of the original Left 4 Dead, the hospital-based No Mercy, but he's aiming to release a completed product, spanning all four campaigns and including all of the special infected, around January 4. He's pretty much building the whole project by himself.

"Valve doesn't know about it yet," wrote Ruth on his YouTube page, "but I'm sure (with their love of community creations) that they will find this mildly amusing at worst, and hilarious at best."

The world would be better with more 8-bit recreations of modern games.

To watch a video of Ruth's progress so far, head to YouTube.