The Crash Course campaign was just released for Left 4 Dead on the PC and 360 last week. While the PC version of Crash Course is free, Microsoft has forced Valve to charge $7 for it on the 360 – an odd price for 360 DLC since most tend to be either $5 or $10. The pricing makes sense if you were to consider the $60 initial price tag for the game – each of the 4 campaigns was basically $15, and since Crash Course is half the length of one of the 4 campaigns, $7 is about right. Unfortunately, the retail price of the game today is $30, so $7 for half a campaign seems a bit steep, especially when considering that PC owners get it for free. Owning both the PC and 360 versions myself, I decided to give the free PC version a try.
The Crash Course campaign can be played in co-op, Survival, or Versus, but it’s the Versus aspect of Crash Course that was the primary instigator for its release. Since the “Crash Course” campaign is only half the length of the other campaigns (2 parts instead of 4), players can play a versus game in half an hour instead of the usual 1 hour where they may not have enough time.
Left 4 Dead’s never been much about story, but Crash Course takes place after the “No Mercy” campaign since the level begins with Bill, Louis, Francis, and Zoe standing next to a crashed helicopter. The four characters also have new lines, which not only add more to their beloved personalities but help guide players in the right direction through the campaign.
The campaign is indeed short, but it’s still very enjoyable. I actually have very little to say about it aside from the fact that it feels like a natural addition to the original campaigns. The Left 4 Dead formula works, and while some have complained about Left 4 Dead 2 simply being a cash grab since it’s coming out so soon after the original, I can’t imagine people not having fun with it once it comes out. Crash Course gives us something new to briefly play around in if you can’t wait until Left 4 Dead 2′s release next month. For fans of the 360 game that want more, it really just comes down to whether or not you’re willing to pay for it. It certainly helps that there are extra Achievements with the DLC, but it’s still a burn that PC gamers get it for free.
