On the show floor this year at Eurogamer was the UK's first showing of Left 4 Dead 2's Scavenge Mode. We managed to get a full set of rounds in, playing as both the Survivors and the Infected.
Scavenge tasks the survivors with collecting 16 gas canisters scattered around the level, and pouring them into a generator located in the center of the map. The Infected are expectedly trying to prevent this. Each time a fuel canister is emptied the Survivors get a small time boost added to the initial 1 minute 30 seconds. When the timer runs out if any players are still carrying fuel the game goes into overtime, providing them with a last chance to turn things around. Playing as the Survivors it was quickly apparent that you have to work together to succeed. We found that cooperating in two man teams was an effective strategy, with one team throwing gas canisters closer to the center and the other collecting.
We only got to experience one map, which consisted of a generator in the middle, a block of apartments on 2 sides and a highway on the other. It is unclear whether the Scavenge maps will be shared with Survival at this point in time. The map was reasonably sized with some canisters located at the far ends, forcing players to decide whether the risk is really worth it.
Playing as the Infected was a ton of fun. Scavenge really does solidify the term 'griefing' in the context of L4D. Everything you do is to annoy the living hell out of the Survivors. The new special Infected really do have abilities which lend themselves directly to this mode. The Spitter's ability to effectively corner off an area works wonders on the generator. The Jockey is perfect for pulling teammates apart especially when used in conjuction with the Charger who can grab a survivor and slam him into a wall, then the ground repeatedly.
Overall we had a great time with Scavenge. The mode seemed extremely focused on providing the player with a great competitive experience in a relatively short period of time, as opposed to the much longer standard versus sessions. The mode appeared to be well balanced from what we played, with us completely turning around a match. We're extremely excited to get our hands on the full game when it arrives on November 17th for the PC and Xbox 360.