Valve released "The Passing" this week, their first DLC for Left 4 Dead 2. Our very own Dr. Fisher and Fulci review and discuss.
FULCI: So here we have Valve's first DLC since...
DR. FISHER: ...Left 4 Dead 2?
FULCI: Take that, Valve! No, I was going to say "Crash Course." Remember that?
DR. FISHER: Barely. It wasn't too memorable.
FULCI: You're right, but it did seem to kick off this sense of storytelling with Left 4 Dead that Valve really tried to establish in Left 4 Dead 2 with each level being a singular part of the survivors' story.
DR. FISHER: It also seemed like a way for Valve to get everyone off their backs for inventing brand new versions of the same characters from the first game. Like, "See? here are the old characters! Most of them are still around!"
FULCI: Yeah, not all of the characters are alive, and not to spoil the reveal, but it was the character I playe as the most in the original game.
Dr. Fisher: And, oddly, it's not Louis.
FULCI: Should have been, you'd think. Actually, I think Valve transferred Louis' AI to every character in Left 4 Dead 2 because playing single player is impossible. But that's a discussion for another time.
DR. FISHER: Is it? I'd like to discuss that very topic. How many times have you been under attack by a Charger while Ellis stands a few feet away chatting it up with a wall?
FULCI: Yes, you're right... but let's move on...
DR. FISHER: If you say so.
FULCI: So unlike "Crash Course," I thought Valve really stepped it up with "The Passing." It's a lot fuller, another level, the sewer section is awesome, and I did enjoy seeing the characters from the first game, though in my idealized version I was hoping that you could use all the characters from either game, even though I know that would be impossible to put together.
DR. FISHER: That's a different game, where you get to choose characters you want to play with. Street Fighter, I think it's called.
FULCI: Right, okay. So, I also particularly enjoyed the golf club and the new uncommon common, the fallen survivor who can provide you with a health pack and explosives if you kill it quickly enough. The golf club gives a very satisfying sound when you tee off on a zombie's head.
DR. FISHER: I'm just happy there's any DLC at all.
FULCI: True. This time, it looks like Valve is down to create DLC for Left 4 Dead 2 for the long haul. I think Valve is going to keep gamers busy with the addition of the "Mutation" game modes, which Valve claims they will update on a weekly basis. The first one is a combo of "Realism" and "Versus." I found Left 4 Dead 2 to be significantly more difficult than Left 4 Dead 1, so "Realism" mode is not something I've played a lot of since it only makes the game harder.
DR. Fisher: Pussy.
FULCI: Right, OK, then you'll be pleased once Valve creates "Realism-Survival" or "Scavenge and Survival."
DR. Fisher: I might. Probably I'll like "Scavenger-Slaughter" mode more.
FULCI: There is no "Slaughter" mode.
DR. FISHER: Oh, isn't there?
FULCI: No, there isn't. Have you even played this yet?
DR. FISHER: Of course. This is the game about the T-Virus right?
FULCI: No, it isn't. Ok, so, overall, nicely done Valve. Looking forward to the long overdue Left 4 Dead 1 DLC that was promised to follow "The Passing" in a month, but I haven't heard much about it lately, so we'll have to wait and see.
DR. FISHER: It'll probably be called Left 4 Dead 3.
"The Passing" is available for the PC and XBOX Live.
