When you purchase a game on a console (such as the PS2), you get what you pay for. $50 will get you a game with a story to complete and a few items to unlock. However, upon finishing said title, there's little else you can do with it. That is why I prefer the prospect of PC games.

You see, because of the technology involved, PC games can be decoded, studied, and edited--thus creating what gamers refer to as a 'mod'. From time to time, bored after hours of repetitive gameplay, I seek out these mods for testing.

Here is an example, in a new segment I will call, Mod Spotlight.

"Killing Floor" - Total conversion for "Unreal Tournament 2004" (Required for play)
Release Date: TBA (Demo available)
Website: http://killingfloor.filefrontier.com/index.html
Download: http://files.filefront.com/KFDemozip/;3843674;/fileinfo.html (free subscription required)

If you've ever wanted to know what it feels like to be a marine, surrounded by flesh-eating zombies, in a dank, gothic building, then "Killing Floor" is for you. Armed with an assortment of weapons (including dual, 9mm handguns, machine guns, and even a rocket launcher), you and your teammates must hold-off infinite waves of grisly attackers.

In the demo, only single player, off-line play is available. In this mode, you are teamed with 2 computer-controlled teammates. Almost immediately, waves of zombies begin to charge your position. You shoot, flee, and make use of explosive barrels that line the hallways (to cool effect, I might add)--all in an attempt to survive for the next wave of enemies.

The gameplay is fast, exciting and frightening. By creating a barricade of movable objects, such as tables, cabinets, and the like, you can recreate a perfect 'last-stand' fantasy ( I personally chose the scene from "Aliens," in which Bill Paxton spews out as much trash talk as ammunition). As fun as this may sound, however, it gets increasingly less interesting when you realize that, no-matter how heroic you may be, they will just keep coming. The enemies are infinite, and there is no 'wining', per say. Therefore, the yet to be seen on-line play will be crucial to this mod's success.

If you're familiar with moding games, then the installation may be a tad tricky--as it is a bit different than normal. If you desire to play "Killing Floor," make sure your "Unreal Tournament 2004" is updated with the latest patch (available here). For detailed installation instructions, refer to this post on the Killing Floor message board.

If you want to spice up your Unreal Tournament gameplay with a little survival-horror, the "Killing Floor" demo will provide you with some free thrills. It is yet to be known how the on-line portion plays, but if the excitement equals that of the single-player, "Killing Floor" looks to be a promising mod.

Look for the full review when the mod is released, sometime in the near future.