Third Campaign: Dead Air - 10/14/08

In an interview with gaming website Skewed and Reviewed, Chet Faliszek revealed the third campaign's name, Dead Air, saying that it takes place on the rooftops in an urban environment.

GVK: What are some of the locales gamers will see in the game?

CF: Our campaigns contain both rural and urban settings with each campaign presenting unique challenges. While two of the campaigns take place in big cities they both stress something different. In No Mercy, you fight your way through cramped tight areas to get to Mercy Hospital and freedom. In Dead Air, your team takes flight across the rooftops facing different challenges on your journey to safety.

Dead Air is the second urban campaign and ends at an airport. Most of the interview is the standard jibba jabba, the other two questions that we thought were interesting are below.

GVK: Roughly how long is the game and how many new maps will players get for multiplayer?

CF: Left 4 Dead was created to be replayable, so in that sense it is as long as people have been playing de-dust in Counter-Strike. Each campaign takes from one to two and half hours to play in co-op mode. In versus a campaign can take hours to complete as each side plays through the campaign.

GVK: How did the decision to make the game co-op come about and will there be drop in abilities for players?

CF: With the advent of steam community and Xbox live, it is easier and easier to connect with your friends and play online. It is becoming a meeting place for friends. It seemed like the time was ripe to make a game that capitalized on those conditions. So Left 4 Dead was built from the ground up to be a co-op game. The zombie apocalypse you can share with your friends.

You can drop in and drop out at any time and a bot will take over for you. Need to take a break to grab a beer? Hit the take a break button and a bot will take over and not force your friends to wait up for you.

We all know how Left 4 Dead campaigns are being marketed as "movies", which is quite accurate, but we hope they don't run into any problem since there is an actual zombie movie named Dead Air releasing in Winter 2008 (IMDB page here). From the official site's synopsis:

A hazardous plague in the form of a toxic viral gas unleashed on mass gatherings throughout the country, a gas that sends its victims into an immediate rage of insanity and violence. Physical contact spreads the contamination... And in this manner, the plague spreads at an alarming, exponential rate. It's American vs. American as our own population becomes a tool of destruction against us.

The trailer makes it look like any zombie fan would enjoy watching it. Fortunately for us, with Left 4 Dead we'll be able to experience it.