There’s pretty much no need to write this next story, especially if you’re a fan, but… Valve, darling developers that they are, have released the very first DLC for Left 4 Dead 2, The Passing. I was supposed to mention this fact this morning, forgot about it, then logged into Steam to see something downloading. “What the heck is downloading? I don’t remember authorizing this? Oh, it’s the L4D2 DLC. Wasn’t I supposed to write about that?” As you can see, I live a very exciting life.

The DLC, which is free for PC users—Xbox 360 users have to pay 560 Microsoft Points (around $7.00)—adds the original Left 4 Dead cast to the game, along with three new maps, a couple new weapons, a new zombie type, and Achievement Points.

Additionally, Valve employees will be playing the game 7pm-11pm PDT (10pm-1am EDT) on the Xbox 360 version under the following GamerTags: L4D2 DEV 1, L4D2 DEV 2, L4D2 DEV 3, L4D2 DEV 4, L4D2 DEV 5, L4D2 DEV 6, L4D2 DEV 7, L4D2 DEV 8, L4D2 DEV 9, L4D2 DEV 10.

The PC version play-along is wrapping up as I type this, so yeah, oops.

But man, what’s the deal with Xbox 360 owners having to pay for the DLC while PC gamers don’t have to? Presumably it’s some sort of 360 licensing thing. Still, lame.

NowGamer

A lot of people think they should be getting the old maps for free. Don’t you think 1200 MSP is a little bit expensive for what is essentially three new maps?

Rob,

I have no doubt that anyone who downloads this map pack is going to get their money’s worth. They’re going to feel their investment is worthwhile. Because if you’re playing Modern Warfare 2 like myself or many other people do every night, that’s actually going to give you a bunch of new mileage and a bunch of extra gameplay – to really explore and discover them and to really, you know, come up with new tactics and experience them in a whole new way. Regardless of what the price is you’re going to feel your money’s well-spent.

DLC’s have recently been touted as the future of video games. Developers like them because they can keep adding fresh content to games and the fat cats like them because they bring in more slush money. It’s a win win.

It’s even a win for gamers most of the time because they often share the same feelings as the developers. DLC at least in theory increase the replay value of a game. That’s great and normally these packs are available for around $5 or $10 dollars.

Borderlands is currently on its third DLC with The Secret Armoy of General Knoxx. For $10 players get the chance to beef up their characters an extra 11 levels to 61, drive more vehicles and collect a host of new guns to conquer the new missions. That’s worth $10.

Then there’s the new Modern Warfare 2 map pack. It will costs $15 and comes with five multiplayer maps, two that are recycled from previous games. Of course the fun part here is that online players will likely be forced to purchase the map pack if their favorite game server or buddies upgrade. There might also be new guns, but that’s not the point.

A $15 DLC should come with more than just five multiplayer maps. And if Activision only has five new maps available, then the packs should cost less. This is just clearly another example of Activision gouging gamers. Hopefully other game publishers are taking notes, not of Activision’s tactics, but rather of gamer’s reactions.

March 30 is almost a month after Battlefield: Bad Company 2 launched and you have to imagine that many MW2 players defected to BC2 after it launched. But the map pack’s 10 new maps might be just enough to draw players back. The free DLC might indeed be MW2’s stimulus package.

Activision didn’t officially announce the new maps, but here’s the list that’s been floating around the ‘Net over the last week.

• Abandon
• DCWH-The White House
• Compact
• Revolt
• Complex
• Storm

It’s supposed to also have these COD 4 maps.

• Shipment
• Vacant
• Overgrown
• Crash

I would embed the preview video again, but Activision all of them. Losers.

Nobody has confirmed anything, but let’s assume someone on Activision Blizzard’s payroll is currently creating a massively multi-player Call of Duty game. The company’s CEO, Bobby Kotick, recently expressed enthusiasm toward subscription-based games during the company’s fourth quarter conference call. “If you think about the success that we’ve had in other product categories on subscription [presumably World of Warcraft, which had as much to do with Activision as I did with the Manhattan Project], you can get a sense of the direction that we want to take that franchise [Call of Duty],” he said. Or translated from corporate-speak into English: “You’re damn right we want to make a Call of Duty MMO. Monthly fees to have people play pew-pew-pew? Yes, please.” But is that a wise move?

First, what would a Call of Duty MMO look like? Would it be, as its detractors claim, nothing more than WoW with guns? The fact is, the game’s online multi-player mode already has some of the aspects that make MMOs so popular: by playing the game more and more, your character grows stronger and gets access to power-ups. People would be motivated to play the MMO so their toy soldier could be decked out in the military equivalent of Tier 10 plate. Then all you’d need is a world or setting and some sort of “story.” The developers could try to re-create WoW’s sense of struggle—Horde v. Alliance, roar—by pitting, say, the combined US+UK forces against ultra-nationalists from somewhere Over There. Nobody likes an ultra-nationalist.

But those are details, and we don’t want to get lost in details over something that might not even exist. All we need to envision is a persistent, growing (new maps/areas every so often) world wherein you take your character on some sort of calculable progression while filling your enemies with manly bullet holes.

Now let’s talk price. Let’s assume the game is amazing. Somehow, by the grace of God and all his little helper gods, the developers actually make a game that both fans and cynics can say without hesitation, “Yeah, it’s pretty good, actually.” Where is most of the Call of Duty fan base these days? I’m going to guess, generally, on consoles, and, more specifically, on Xbox 360. That presents a bit of a problem for Activision. Xbox 360 gamers already pay $50 per year to play games online (with nary a dedicated server in sight!), so Activision would have to first convince these people that paying to play Call of Duty isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds. And since Bobby Kotick is all about monthly fees—it’s the whole point of this little exercise—, they’d have to find a monthly fee that people would be willing to pay. WoW costs $15 per month—do you really think the average person who plays Call of Duty is willing to pay $15 to play it? What about $10? Maybe $5? I’d say right around the $5-$7 mark would be the sweet spot—is anyone really going to miss $7 from their bank account each month? I should rephrase that so as not to sound so crass: will enough people be cool with spending $7 per month to play a game they enjoy? I’d be OK with that. I mean, $7 is the cost of two large coffees in New York; it’s not going to put me in the poor house. (Well, I’m already in the poor house, so I can’t, like, go there twice or anything.)

But still, is that wise? It’s not as if Call of Duty is without its flaws. Yes, Modern Warfare 2 sold a boatload of copies, with more than $1 billion in sales to date, but how many of those people are still dedicated multi-player mode players, a mere three months after its release? The game’s multi-player mode is riddled with bugs and glitches—imagine how many an MMO would have! How many people soured on the franchise after suffering through its single-player campaign? By the end I was like, “You know, Russia is totally in the right here…”

I don’t know, it just seems like the rush to a Call of Duty MMO, based on the broad, console-based success of Call of Duty 4 and Modern Warfare 2, may be a little crazy.

It really does come down to this: would you be willing to pay a monthly fee to play pew-pew-pew over and over again? Considering how broad Call of Duty’s audience is—not all of these people are comfortable with the idea of a subscription-based game, surely—I really do wonder. Well, “wonder”—I
m pretty sure I’ll forget all of this as soon as I hit “publish.” Never mind that MMOs tend to be giant time-sinks in order to for you to “get good.” A quick round or two or two of multi-player before going to work? Sure. $XX + many hours required per month, every month (lest your character disappear into the void)? Not too sure.

Image swiped from NeoGAF

We liked the initial game, and having played it quite a bit myself, I can honestly say the gameplay is engaging. This is surprising to me, since I’m a fan of the keyboard and mouse school of RTS. The new content pack (available for 800 points, roughly $10) will contain four new maps, and a new achievements worth 100 points each. Here’s the specifics from the press release:

New Melees & Playgrounds Await Fans in the “Historic Battle” Game Add-on Pack for “Halo Wars”

UNSC or Covenant legs, mobilize your troops and report for duty at your next assignment in “Halo Wars,” the best selling real-time strategy game on any current generation console. Microsoft and Robot Entertainment expand the field of engagement with four new multiplayer Skirmish maps that highlight key turning points in the UNSC/Covenant war. Take on ruthless A.I. or live opponents in these brand new battlefields with the “Historic Battle” Game Add-on Pack, available on July 21 for 800 MS Points in all Xbox LIVE enabled regions.

“Historic Battle” expands the universe for “Halo Wars” fans with four new multiplayer maps with varied terrains for players to find their competitive edge by using unique features of each map. The four new maps include:

· Barrens (1v1 Map): Difficult terrain channels units into killing zones. The side that controls the Forerunner artifacts will have the advantage.

· Blood River (1v1 Map): Secure base locations on nearby cliffs overlook this naturally red-tinged river. The soldiers that fought over its two narrow crossings gave the river its name, which has since taken on a greater meaning.

· Glacial Ravine (3v3 Map): A snow-topped mountain range forms a natural barrier that cuts this region in half. Control of the two energy walls at the narrow central pass often determines the outcome of the battle, though clever use of the Sentinel Factories may play a role as well.

· Memorial Basin (2v2 Map): The high ground in the middle offers good cover for infantry, while the generally open terrain transforms organized battle plans into bloodbaths.

“Historic Battle” also adds four new Achievements worth a total of 100 points:
· Tour Coming Through: Hot drop 50 squads to your Covenant Leader in a single game on Memorial Basin (30 points)
· Never Leave a Man Behind: Finish a game with 5000 net resources contributed to your teammates on Barrens (15 points)
· Drain Cleaner: Kill 20 enemy squads with a continuous Covenant Leader Power on Memorial Basin (30 points)
· Killjoy: Disrupt 5 active Leader Powers in a single game on Blood River (25 points)

If you haven’t picked up Battlestations: Pacific for the Xbox 360 (and PC) then you’re doing it wrong. For an RTS, I really, really enjoy it. I just think of it as Battleship. Anyway, the Volcano Map Pack DLC will be available tomorrow for 560 MS points through the Xbox Marketplace while PC gamers will see the expansion on June 25th through Windows Live.

The Volcano Map Pack features two new maps for multiplayer and is playable in Island Capture, Competitive and Duel modes.

‘Volcano’, playable in Island Capture, Competitive and Duel modes, features a stunning backdrop of Hawaiian-style volcanic islands at dawn break. Island Capture mode offers players an all-new island formation to master with many huge land-based artillery batteries to capture and control; Competitive mode focuses on intense air combat as players either attack or defend a squadron of B-29 bombers intent on crushing the Japanese island occupation; and Duel mode offers players a unique battlefield unseen in Battlestations: Pacific – a partially submerged volcano.

In ‘Choke Point’, playable in Escort, Siege and Duel modes, players are offered a challenging and distinctive map which offers up its own unique blend of action and strategy. A narrow channel running through two stunning volcanic outcrops offers players a more action-oriented battlefield, all under the shadow of a huge volcano. Escort mode sees the USS Yorktown run the gauntlet with both air and sea attacks against its naval fleet; in Siege mode, the US ground forces have to disembark at the base of the volcano, their goal to capture the Japanese outpost; and Duel mode pits players to all out warfare in a head-to-head battle around the mighty volcano.

Valve is a company that has never failed to impress me with a game. Coming to E3 I was hoping to hear some news about Half Life 2: Episode 3, or even something about the new Portal game. I was disappointed. What I didn’t expect was to see a new Left 4 Dead game this soon, especially with the SDK just getting released not long ago. Even better, the game was playable behind closed doors.

The game takes place in the deep south, with four average Joe characters fighting their way through a mass of zombies. They’re going to be adding short movies to the beginning of each of the 5 different campaigns to give you just a little more story than the first game. However, Valve stressed that they want the game to be more about the action and experience, so you won’t ever find yourself stopping in the middle of the game just to see some plot progression.

Their AI director has seen an update, which they are calling Director 2.0. The director has even more control over your environment, this time controlling the weather (one example was encountering a torrential downpour in the swamp to slow you down). The director will also be able to alter the maps slightly. The maps will always have the same overall structure, but the director can block off routes, forcing you along a different path, which will definitely spice up the game.

Melee weapons make their debut in this sequel, the first two of which are the frying pan and the firefighter’s axe. Both weapons can be brutal when used properly in close quarters. You can also pick up incendiary ammo, which will set your target on fire upon impact. Hazmat zombies will appear at times, which are invulnerable to fire.

Playing the game as a L4D veteran felt great, with everything flowing just like the original. It’s easy to just jump right in and get used to the new weapons and enemies. I’ve been waiting for new maps/campaigns, but to get this whole new game will be even better. Also, Valve wanted to stress that they aren’t finished with the original. They still have new content in the pipelines, so we’ll be keeping an eye out for that in the future.