Left 4 Dead continues to hold dominion over Xbox Live many months after its release. While gamers will have to wait a little longer for the oft-demanded extra campaigns, Valve have taken pains to keep the community happy, with the release of the 'Survival Pack'.
Left 4 Dead Survival Pack- Versus Mode.
In the original release, Left 4 Dead only allowed two of the four campaigns- Blood harvest and No Mercy- to be playable in versus mode. The survivor pack alleviates this issue, adding Death Toll and Dead Air to the mix, much to the pleasure of Left 4 Dead's online gaming community.
The more important addition for many gamers is the Survival Pack's other feature- Survival Mode.
Left 4 Dead Survival pack- Survival Mode
Similar in form to Gears of War 2's Horde Mode, Survival Mode pits the four survivors against wave after unending wave of the zombie hordes, backed up with the terrifying attacks of the 'special infected.'
Taking place on 13 maps, the majority of which are drawn from the 'crescendo' and 'finale' potions of the four main campaigns, the Survival Mode will force the survivors to hold out against the zombie horde for as long as possible, with carefully considered lulls between waves of attackers and the spawn times for the 'special infected'.
One such example would the the 'elevator' crescendo from No Mercy, when the four survivors have to hold out while the elevator descends from the hospital's roof section.
However, while the main campaign only forces the survivors to hold out for a few minutes, Survival Mode will force the four to manage for as long as possible, with a carefully planned difficulty curve, weapons and equipment spawns spread out, to force the team to keep moving in order to survive.
Left 4 Dead Survival Pack- “Cakewalk or Catastrophe”
Valve's Kerry Davis and Scott Dalton (Left4Dead Blog, April 16, 2009), said: "Given the extreme pace of Survival Mode, the number of zombies killed in a single round often outnumbers an entire campaign.
“Even optimizing towards using pistols to eliminate common hordes, ammunition usually becomes an issue at some point. As ammo piles provide a unique infinite resupply for players, they tend to be in relatively less defensible positions in the Survival arenas.
“This means making an all important ammo run is rarely a safe proposition and requires good teamwork and planning. Timing your resources correctly to be able to make a run when necessary can make or break a team. The perfect pipe bomb or well placed molotov can mean the difference between a cakewalk and catastrophe.”
Left 4 Dead Survival Pack- Conclusion
While the Survival Pack is not the extra campaign modes many gamers are calling for, the added versus maps and the fast-pace of the survival mode are sure to be big hitters with the Xbox Live and PC gaming communities.
Read tips for playing as a survivor in left 4 Dead.
Read tips for playing as a 'special infected' in left 4 Dead.
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