Left 4 Dead DLC Hands On Preview

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Left 4 DeadAs you well know, the best damned zombie game on the planet is getting an upgrade soon in the form of DLC (that’s downloadable content for you non-gamers), and the lucky bastards at IGN.com got to preview it.

From the article:

“There are two key features in the DLC. The first is that Valve has finally added Versus mode to the Dead Air and Death Toll campaigns, a process that meant tweaking and enhancing quite a number of levels to allow for a balanced playing field. Versus mode lets two teams take turns playing as survivors or zombie specials in an anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better duel. The winner is the team that can accumulate the best score, which is usually determined whether the survivors make it to safety at the end of each level in the face of everything the zombie players throw at them. Left 4 Dead shipped with only two of its campaigns playable in Versus mode, so the DLC instantly doubles that numbers.

The second big addition in the DLC is the introduction of an entirely new Survival mode that’s designed if you just want to get in and have fun for about 10 or 15 minutes at a time, though the fast pace and challenge of it means you and your group can do round after round while the hours waste away. In essence, it’s the equivalent of Counter-Strike’s five-minute matches.

In Survival mode, the goal is simple: you and up to three other players are on a single level and must stay alive as long as possible against an unending assault of zombies. Each Versus match starts with a setup time, as you can scour the map for weapons and equipment, like health kits and gasoline tanks. You can take as much time as you want, as the timer at the top of the screen doesn’t begin until someone hits the button that starts the zombie horde. Once the button is pressed, the action gets off to a furious start and escalates from there.

There is one entirely brand-new level [for Survival Mode] in the DLC called Lighthouse which the designers say may be the toughest level of them all.

Lighthouse is exactly that; a lighthouse atop a seaside cliff. You also get a sense of what you’re in for when you realize that you start with a ridiculous amount of stuff at your disposal. There are about a dozen gasoline containers and propane tanks, as well as plenty of Molotov Cocktails and pipe bombs. It’s like that age-old first-person shooter tradition of giving you plenty of ammo and health before encountering a major boss. What makes Lighthouse so dangerous is that it’s a pretty open level; there aren’t a lot of places to hide, and those places are pretty porous once the zombies start knocking holes in walls. Even the lighthouse tower itself is dangerous; while it’s scenic and gives you a height advantage, you’re exposed to any smoker who can grab you and drag you off the room with its tongue. You’re in a dire position if you’re on the ground and the rest of your teammates are still in the tower.”

Look for the Left 4 Dead (review) DLC to hit on Xbox 360 and PC sometime in March or April FREE OF CHARGE!

Uncle Creepy

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