Left 4 Dead’s Survival Pack DLC: Download it.

In case you didn’t read the title (and shame on you!) Left 4 Dead’s free Survival Pack DLC is available now, adding a hefty amount of gameplay to Valve’s frantic co-op zombie shooter. The pack includes two new Versus maps, which are the maps seen in the campaign mode of the game that needed some extra balancing before they could be used for Versus, as well as the brand spankin’ new Survival mode (along with Last Stand, a lighthouse map designed specifically for Survival). Survival mode is, in a word, insane. The already fast-paced style of gameplay in Left 4 Dead’s other modes is ratcheted up considerably in Survival mode, often times throwing multiple hordes of zombies at you all while Tanks and other special infected rip you and your teammates to shreds. Survival allows you infinite time to build up a game plan, and provides ample amounts of ammo, medkits, and best of all, propane and fuel tanks. After you’ve elaborately planted your impromptu explosives, you can trigger the horde and fend them off as long as you can. Good luck with that part, because Survival mode usually wipes every human out in less than ten minutes. Think you’re hardcore? Just wait until you’ve got one Tank after the other bursting through the walls while three or four hordes of zombies are smothering you.

What’s even nicer is that Survival mode adds a unified Leaderboard, allowing you to pit your best times against others. Judging by some of the scores I’ve seen so far, there are some insanely skilled L4D players, with some of the scores ranging past the 15 minute mark. On the negative side of the Survival Pack DLC, there are no new achievements to provide that extra bit of incentive for getting a gold medal. Aside from that, the Survival Pack is a great extender to your Left 4 Dead playtime. Plus, it’s free. Get to downloadin’!