PC PC GAMES

The Passing is the first piece of downloadable content for last years Left 4 Dead 2, and while it isn’t groundbreaking, it’s a welcome addition to an already stellar game.  The Passing consists of a new campaign, a new primary and secondary weapon, a new special infected, and the introduction of Munitions modes.  The longevity that this downloadable content adds to the game will be based on how dedicated fans of the series are to its multiplayer.

The campaign is somewhat of a letdown, as it’s only three acts long and doesn’t have a lot of variety from the previous campaigns.  While the weather effects and lighting add to the intensity of the acts, they’re there to mask the familiar feeling of each environment which consists of apartment buildings, narrow city streets, and sewers.  The campaigns finale is similar to that of Dead Center’s campaign though with a new map.  It would have been nice to see a new gameplay mode for the finale and then have that mode implemented into multiplayer.  While the campaign itself is somewhat mundane you should push through it, to play around with the new primary weapon, the lead spitting M60 and the slicing golf club.  The weapons are a welcome addition, as the M60 is a force to be reckoned with, dealing out one shot kills, however not being able to reload the weapon keeps the gameplay balanced.  Essentially the golf club is a new “skin” of other melee weapons already available, adding to the available arsenal.

Players can use these welcome additions to test the new special infected, “The Fallen Survivor” who resembles just that.  This infected will run away when spotted, but if you catch up to and kill him, his corpse will drop health kits, molotovs or pipe bombs adding a bit of incentive to take a more offensive approach.  This special infected doesn’t drastically change the gameplay due to its lack of special abilities, but it helps to make equipment drops (especially on expert) more frequent.  Also available are munitions dumps scattered around the acts, each holding unlimited amounts of pills, syringes, molotov’s, etc.

Fans of the previous Left 4 Dead were shocked and overjoyed to learn that The Passing would feature the original four survivors though it was unknown in what capacity.  Unfortunately the original survivors play minimal role (as in you don’t physically interact with them) and it feels like a missed opportunity to really put those characters to good use.

Weekly updated multiplayer modes known as Munitions are what really stand out from this downloadable content.  The first addition was Realism Versus Mode, in which the survivors have no HUD and can’t track allies and items via color borders.  This adds a more challenging way to play thus prolonging the multiplayer mode.

The Passing is a free update for pc owners, though xbox 360 owners have to shell out $7.50 and while the additions of Munitions mode will prolong the already engaging multiplayer, the new weapons and campaign feel cosmetic and don’t fundamentally change the gameplay.

This weeks mutation? “Last Gnome On Earth”
Do you crave attention? Want all the infected to swarm you and the gnome you are carrying? Then we have the game mode for you. The team needs to carry the garden gnome from start to finish in any campaign. The common infected hate the gnome and will swarm whoever is carrying him. Watch out putting him on the ground, a boomer explosion will send him flying!