The Sacrifice (L4D2)
Dull, bland and short. These are just some of the things many would associate with Valve's DLC so far. I believed "The Passing" was and exception to this rule; it had new weapons, it introduced new plot and the weather effects were simply fantastic, with very few gameplay issues after a while. But does this newest DLC stand up to its predecessor, or simply be a waste of time?
Well, in answer, the maps are dull, there is very little memorable to it, and it is one of the shortest campaigns. The weather effects appear to be non-existent, and there are no new weapons (the M60 also appears to be absent). All in all, it appears to be dull and short-lived. Of course, it is fully playable in Campaign, Versus, and Survival, but we would expect nothing less from Valve... While it is nice to see the old characters again, there has been very little effort made over their lines, with nothing being said when adrenaline, new weapons or boomer bile are picked up. Despite this, there are some interesting features; a new style finale and the packaged L4D2 version of "No Mercy", and even a new crescendo event. However these joys are short-lived, as the rest of the game is incredibly boring. It feels like the game has definitely been made for the original game, and then hastily ported to the sequel. Moreover, it is riddled with glitches and problems, that make it seem that Valve is simply lazy.
The finale, while one of the more fun parts of the game, is ridiculously easy, with several things that I feel needed changing. First, when you *SPOILER* choose to Sacrifice yourself and the campaign ends, your character suddenly just collapses and dies, rather than putting up a fight. This is simply Valve being too lazy to create either a proper cut scene, or an option to play on until your eventual death.
Overall, this DLC is mainly just for the story, although we could have found it all out in the Digital Comic, and on that it does deliver. However, there are a few too many glitches and it is simply not new or interesting enough in comparison to "The Passing", which felt much more rounded and well made.
2.5/5