Left 4 Dead Crash Course DLC on Xbox 360 and PC
New Downloadable Campaign and Survivor Maps for L4D PC / Xbox 360
Oct 7, 2009
Realizing the full campaigns take well over an hour to complete, particularly when playing on Versus mode, Valve Software created the Crash Course DLC purposely as a "mini-campaign" of only two levels, to allow players the option of tackling Left 4 Dead in smaller, more manageable chunks of time.
Crash Course DLC Overview
The Crash Course DLC is Valve's second piece of downloadable content for Xbox Live and PC. See below for a list of features and the cost.
- Costs 560 MS Points on Xbox 360, free for PC users
- Brand new mini-campaign for Single-Player, Co-op, and Versus Modes
- Mini-campaign features two new levels
- Two new survivor levels
- A few subtle, but welcome, changes
- 10 New Achievements
Left 4 Dead Crash Course DLC Cost
The Left 4 Dead Crash Course DLC comes at an odd time. With Left 4 Dead 2 right around the corner, and petitioners and boycotters complaining about content that should be free, the Crash Course DLC launches for Xbox Live and PC, but costs 560 MS Points ($7) on Xbox 360, while costing nothing on PC.
Obviously, PC gamers should have nothing to complain about, but should Xbox 360 gamers consider buying the Crash Course DLC for $7?
Despite the odd release date and controversial pricing, the Crash Course DLC offers a good value. The subtle changes are all welcome additions, and it really feels as if Valve Software worked hard to create a true "mini expansion" to Left 4 Dead.
Crash Course "Mini-Campaign" for Single-Player, Co-op, Versus, and Survival Modes
The all new "mini-campaign" is only two levels long (all other campaigns contain 4 levels). However, both levels are quite large and feature multiple pathways. Considering the size and length of time it takes to complete, the Crash Course feels more like 3/4 of a campaign than 1/2 of a campaign.
The Crash Course takes place after the the rooftop rescue at the end of the No Mercy campaign. The survivors find themselves crash-landed and once again stranded inside a city infested with Infected. To escape, the survivors must break down a highway barricade, turn on a generator to lower an outfitted getaway truck, and of course, survive wave after wave of infected, including hunters, boomers, smokers, witches, and tanks.
The two survival maps included with the DLC take place on a Humvee near the highway barricade, and inside the garage with the suspended truck held above. The new survival maps feel just as solid, if not more-so, than the mini-campaign. And while players will likely find some way of exploiting the levels, in the meantime, the levels offer exceptional challenges with minimal time investment.
A Few Subtle but Welcome Changes - Dialogue, Weapons, and Panic Event
The new dialogue for the Crash Course DLC offers the finishing touches on a well-developed expansion to Left 4 Dead, and the new survivor comments are some of the funniest and most enjoyable yet. At the beginning of the first level, Zoey remarks that she should have known that they would run into a "zombie pilot." And, when passing by a magazine rack, she points and exclaims "Hey Francis, look! The latest issue of I Hate Everything Magazine."
In addition to the new dialogue, a couple new gameplay additions, while minor, offer interesting new alternations to the way the game is played. Instead of featuring all the power weapons at a time, sometimes only 1 or 2 of the power weapons can be found at once, offering more challenge and variation to each play-through.
Another welcome change - the final "panic event" in which the survivors must lower the getaway truck by turning on the generator, actually forces players to move in the middle of the panic event to turn the generator back on after it shorts out. This very slight alteration to a normal panic event adds a tremendous amount of challenge, as the players must put themselves back at risk to finish the level.
10 New Achievements List
- Crash Proof (15g): Survive the Crash Course Campaign
- Quick Power (25g): Restart the generator within 30 seconds of it turning off
- The Littlest Genocide (25g): Kill 5,359 Infected in the Crash Course Campaign
- Smash Hit (25g): Win a Crash Course Campaign in Versus
- Truck Stop (35g): Your team kills all survivors after the truck opens
- 20 Car Pile-Up (20g): Kill 20 survivors total with a car as the Tank
- Jumpin' Jack Smash (25g): Pounce a survivor for 25 damage as a Hunter
- Slippery Pull (25g): Smoker pull and hold a bile-covered survivor in Crash Course
- Tank Stumble (20g): Stun a Tank with an explosion in Crash Course
- Wipefest (35g) Your team incapacitates 3 survivors within 5 seconds in Crash Course
Left 4 Dead Crash Course DLC Conclusion
For those Xbox 360 gamers still on the fence, the Crash Course DLC is worth the money. Even though Left 4 Dead 2 is right around the corner, the Crash Course offers the perfect amount of fun for a reasonable price, breathing new life into this undead game, and offering a glimpse into what Left 4 Dead 2 will likely feature in about a month's time. For levels far more dynamic and interactive than a typical multiplayer FPS, the Crash Course DLC costs 560 MS points ($7) - $3 less than the typical map pack price.
Check out the Left 4 Dead Survivor Pack DLC to read about the first DLC pack released for free. Be sure to also check out Left 4 Dead Game Guide: Killing Tanks and Left 4 Dead Weapons Guide: Shotguns for hints, tips, and strategies on how to play Left 4 Dead.
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