Wah, wah, Left 4 Dead is getting no support from Valve! I guess they better put away this brand new campaign, then. "Crash Course" is coming to PC and Xbox 360, a brand new two-chapter campaign geared towards Versus Play and providing a shorter, more intense multiplayer experience. I'm the first person outside of Valve to play it, and I've been biting my tongue all week.

Crash Course is set shortly after the events of No Mercy, where it's revealed that the helicopter pilot who rescued Bill, Zoey, Louis and Francis was actually infected. The other survivors blame Zoey for crashing the chopper, since she's the one who ended up shooting the pilot. A whole bunch of new dialog has been recorded for the game, and there are one or two extra surprises in store for those who are used to how Left 4 Dead works. 

I did ask Valve if it would be free but was told it could not be confirmed at the time, due to being in talks with Microsoft. Luckily, the press release we just received states it will cost 560 MS Points (boo Microsoft!), and be free on the PC. Bad news for 360 fans, great news for PC players. 

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August 4, 2009 - Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life, Portal, Team Fortress, and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced the next major downloadable content (DLC) update for its co-operative zombie thriller, Left 4 Dead (L4D), the #1 new game title on Xbox 360 and PC in 2008

Entitled "Crash Course," the latest DLC delivers new single-player, multiplayer and co-operative gameplay to both platforms. Targeted for release in September, "Crash Course" bridges the gap between the end of the "No Mercy" campaign and the beginning of "Death Toll" in the original game, expanding the game universe with new locations, new dialogue from the original cast, and an explosive finale

While containing both Survival maps and a Co-operative Campaign, the primary goal of "Crash" is to deliver a complete Versus mode experience in just 30 minutes, resulting in a streamlined version of the game's existing Versus campaigns. A recharge timer for infected teammates has also been added, and item spawn behavior has changed for more balanced gameplay.

"Since the release of Left 4 Dead last November, the design team has been excited about creating new experiences for this world and allowing players to do the same, by releasing much of our internal toolset, like the Survival Pack and Authoring Tools," said Gabe Newell. "We're working with the fans toward the ongoing entertainment value of the product."

Left 4 Dead is an action horror game from Valve that blends the social entertainment experience of multiplayer games such as Counter-Strike and Team Fortress with the dramatic, narrative experience made popular in single player action game classics such as the Half-Life series of games. Released in November of 2008, L4D has earned over 50 industry awards from outlets around the world and sold almost 3 million copies worldwide.
Left 4 Dead: Crash Course is targeted for release in September and will be available free of charge on the PC and for 560 Gamer points on Xbox Live.