“Surviving” The Left 4 Dead DLC

Back in April, Valve finally released some new content for their popular zombie title Left 4 Dead. Promising a new game mode, new Versus maps and a new location, the content was definitely a sight for gamers who had racked up countless hours in the same locales and game types for months. Recently I had a chance to finally spend some time with the new DLC and I have to say Valve really knows how to please their audience.

What you see is what you get with the aptly named “Survival Mode” as players are given modified versions of specific locations found within Left 4 Dead to defend against zombie attack. There’s no way you can actually survive the onslaught, your goal instead to remain alive for as long as is humanly possible. With a large timer plastered firmly on top of the screen, the sinister A.I. Director dishes out hordes of Infected along with killer Special Zombie combos in such a way that the survivors will have virtually no chance to regroup or heal their wounds You’ll be too busy fighting off two rushing Tanks to notice that a teammate has been pulled off by a Smoker while another is pinned down by a pack of Hunters.

It’s survival of the fittest.

To help ease the pain, your defense points will be littered with ammo and supplies, along with plenty of destructible traps like propane tanks, gas canisters and fuel containers. With all of this ammo at your fingertips, players will definitely feel pretty confident, but as soon as they alert the horde it’s a nonstop flood of Infected. Gone are the predictable waves of the campaign as enemies crop up with maniacal tenacity and no break in sight. You’ll need to have a crack team, an effective plan and a heck of a lot of luck to achieve a mere bronze medal rating of surviving for the 4 minutes required. Higher medals are insanely hard to achieve, with an online leader board encouraging players to keep hammering away at the horde for hours on end.

As a nice touch, Valve also created a lighthouse themed Survival map called “Last Stand”. Just as dark and creepy as any of the other well designed areas, “Last Stand” is more than meets the eye thanks to a ton of destructible walls, ledges, windows and more, all of which can (and are) torn apart by the horde. Filled to the brim with ammo, pipe bombs, Molotovs and attack points, there are plenty of ways teams can attempt to defend this key position and somehow survive long enough to win the day. But never forget that nowhere is safe for long.

The slogan says it all…

Also available in the DLC was the ability to play the innovative Versus mode on Dead Air and Death Toll campaigns. As fun as this game-type is for Infected and Survivors alike, being stuck with No Mercy and Blood Harvest all these months has gotten a bit stale. Released for free, the Survival Pack revitalizes an already addictive game and proves that some purchases really are a “no brainer”, even if you’re undead.

360Sync does not offer a score, but instead gives insight on the game. Only one person can make a decision if you should rent, buy or avoid a game, and the person is ultimately you. However, we can give you as much insight as possible, and answer as many questions that you have.