The pacing, as with most deathmatch modes, is very quick. The maps are of a good size and feature a nice mix of indoor and outdoor stretches, some of which are well lit and others of which let players effectively skulk around in the darkness. So the game's impressive use of physics is put on full display here. And in turn, you'll see people actually getting flung around like rag dolls. So, since the gravity gun is the default weapon, and since the maps are littered with crates, exploding barrels, sinks, tires, and other such junk, you can expect to see a lot of stuff flying around and into people. As you might have experienced in Half-Life 2's campaign, the gravity gun lets you 'grab' objects and float them in front of you, as well as propel them forward with massive force. The most amusing icon is that of a flying toilet, which is used to indicate when someone manages to kill someone else by using the gravity gun to blast him or her with some sort of mundane object.

Much like in Counter-Strike: Source, as players constantly kill one another, little weapon icons appear in the upper right-hand corner of the screen to reveal who wasted whom with what. Additionally, the maps let you instantly respawn back into action if you're killed. In traditional deathmatch fashion, the maps are littered with weapons and health and armor power-ups. The same goes for the available selection of player models, which let you choose from a good-sized selection of friendly looking resistance fighters, as well as the creepy, uniformed Combine troopers. Each map is fairly big, apparently supporting up to 32 players, and each is based on content from Half-Life 2's campaign. The mode includes two maps: dm_lockdown, which takes place in a ruined prison, and dm_overwatch, which is set in the streets and dilapidated buildings of City 17. This seems to be a pretty straightforward mode, which, if nothing else, showcases the potential of the simultaneously released Source engine software development kit (SDK). Half-Life 2: Deathmatch is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. One of the two newly released deathmatch maps. After wrangling the 32MB file out of the Steam service, we proceeded to play it in a quick burst, and we're here to bring you a basic overview of what it's all about. Well, it rolled around 'SOONer' than anyone expected, because Half-Life 2: Deathmatch is here. One enticing screenshot and a single word, 'SOON,' suggested that Half-Life 2 would actually gain an original multiplayer mode at some point in the near future.

Earlier today, Valve started teasing what appeared to be a Half-Life 2 multiplayer deathmatch mode on its official Web site for its Steam download service.

Half life 2 deathmatch mod