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You should also enjoy the cheap game that we have for you today. Not only is it the first game from Valve that we’ve featured, it’s also the first multiplayer-only FPS. Probably familiar to many people given its heritage, Day of Defeat: Source is definitely a game that you should have in your library. Maybe you already do and you just haven’t played in a while. Revisit it with us, then.

Gameplay

Set in World War II, Day of Defeat: Source’s theme is one that is hard to not be familiar with. Some would say maybe even a little too familiar. No multiplayer-FPS diet is complete without at least one dose of WWII Shooter in their rotation. Day of Defeat: Source sets itself apart from other WWII shooters by focusing solely on objective-based gameplay. You won’t find game modes like Deathmatch or Team Deathmatch that will numb your brain and make you wish somebody would just take off their underwear and tie it to a stick already. Instead, you’ll join team Axis or Allies and spend your time either capturing and holding control points or grabbing some TNT and dropping it on key locations.

To accomplish these noble goals (eye of the beholder, right?), Day of Defeat: Source features six different classes for players to choose from, where the combination your team chooses will lead you to victory or ensure defeat. Weapons for each class, however balanced, differ between German and American teams. These include:

• Rifleman: Rifle included.
• Assault: Strafing, flanking madness with submachine guns.
• Sniper: Beware of windows.
• Support: Burst fire is key with automatic rifles. Bipod not included.
• Machine Gunner: Because machines are made for gunning.
• Anti-Armor: There’s no armor to target, so everyone in that building will have to do.

It should be mentioned that Day of Defeat: Source also includes Steam achievements which were added very recently in a major title update. Along with them came several other features that were first introduced to Valve shooters with the release of Team Fortress 2 such as Community Avatars displaying by your name on the scoreboard as well as the screenshot-camera whenever you die. However, unlike in TF2, the achievements will not unlock anything for you that will affect the way the game is played.

Story

Read a book!

Graaaphics

Day of Defeat: Source runs on the Source engine. This is the same engine used in games like Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike: Source and Team Fortress 2. If your computer can run any of these games, you’ll likely be just fine in DoD:S. I’ll paste the system requirements below as it’s one of the more demanding games we’ve recommended here at DoSu:

Minimum: 1.7 GHz Processor, 512MB RAM, DirectX® 8 level Graphics Card, Windows® Vista/XP/2000, Mouse, Keyboard, Internet Connection

Recommended: Pentium 4 processor (3.0GHz, or better), 1GB RAM, DirectX® 9 level Graphics Card, Windows® Vista/XP/2000, Mouse, Keyboard, Internet Connection

Video

I’ve put together a gameplay montage from a couple-month old session we had where I recorded some demos. Since I wasn’t playing for the recording I only ended up using two classes that night; first rifleman, and then assault. Both were on the German side. It may seem like something of a highlight reel since I edited out my deaths except for one at the end. They were all uninteresting, I assure you! I’ve also added music for your enjoyment. It’s the title song from the album Forts by The Boggs. They’re a great band, check them out. You may recognize another of their songs called Arm In Arm which was featured in one of the earlier GTAIV trailers, although that particular mix was by Shy Child.

Pricing

Day of Defeat: Source is so cheap for as many hours of fun that you’ll put into it that you can’t afford to not own it. It’s available from Steam for $9.99. It may also be in-stock at various online and brick and mortar retailers, as EA did publish a boxed version, but I am not sure that it is all that available anymore. You’d probably do better just getting the Steam download. While you’re at it, join the Downloadable Suicide Steam Community group!