It took Valve a while to finally come through with their promised DLC. Valve's first attempt to pacify it's fan base was to release a game mod development tool kit. Soon after, they released the "Survival Pack" which introduced players to a new game mode and mini-level. Still, they got an earfull from gamers who wanted to know where the rest of the promised DLC was.
Valve continued to hear criticism after they announced Left 4 Dead 2 without coming through with more DLC, so, in response, a new campaign titled "Crash Course" was released this week. Hugazombie's Fulci and Dr. Fisher got together to review the new campaign.
FULCI: So here we have the new campaign: "Crash Course." First impressions?
DR. FISHER: It isn't much of a course or a crash.
FULCI: The campaign starts after "No Mercy" which ends with the survivors escaping, potentially, in a helicopter. In "Crash Course," the helicopter...
DR. FISHER: It's already crashed by the time the game starts. It should've been called "Crashed Course."
FULCI: The name "Crash Course" implies immediacy, but the campaign feels far from immediate other than it felt like it was immediately over.
DR. FISHER: One thing for certain is that Valve did an excellent job of not trying too hard. It appears to me that they took code from all the other levels and spent a weekend tying it all together. The level only lasts about 30 or so minutes. Was it me or are you able to basically sprint through the level?
FULCI: There's only one safe house before the finale, and the AI is fairly predictable, which is unusual for Left 4 Dead. Valve should have bought a mod from a PC user and ported it to the XBOX. Probably would have been cheaper to buy the design than to half-ass a new one.
DR. FISHER: It should have been a free download. The Survival Pack was.
FULCI: Speaking of the Survival Pack, I was really hoping that Valve would flesh out the entire "Last Stand" survival map. That seemed half done, which is about what "Crash Course" feels like. I feel like Valve just released a campaign hoping people will be like, "Well, if that's the DLC we're gonna get, bring on Left 4 Dead 2!"
