Killing Floor is co-op survival horror game. Up to 6 players in online co-op mode, or just you, on your own, playing the Solo mode. The aim – cleanse each area of zombies, in waves, until you get to the last one. The Big One. The Patriarch. Then exterminate him, too. Actually, they aren’t “zombies”. They are the left-over “specimens” from a cheap and dirty government program to clone soldier-monsters. The basic ones will just munch on your arm and try to disembowel you. The bigger ones were the first ones they tried arming. Nothing much. Just a chainsaw or a blade for starters. They had just got on to the chain gun and rockets when the government tried to secretly shut down their secret program.

But, in the typical way these things go, the program didn’t want to be shut down. The specimens got loose. No-one was left alive to turn off the specimen-cloning equipment. And now they are running amok. Well, some of them are running amok. Others are shambling amok or even jumping amok, but you get the idea.

The police were sent in, but that wasn’t even a challenge for the specimens. The first army units hadn’t been warned what to expect. The screams of “its got a bloody chainsaw!” over the radios probably didn’t do much for morale, as whole units were chewed up. Quite literally, in some cases, of course.

And now, there is just you. And a few friends. The few survivors from the first police and army units thrown in. Of course, you can’t tell anyone anything, because that would be a breach of the Official Secrets Act 1911, 1920, 1989. And that would be a disciplinary offense. So just get in there and do your bit for Queen and Country…

Tripwire are partnering with Nvidia and Logitech to bring you a spectacular mapping contest for the zombie-slaughtering co-op hit that is Killing Floor. We put the game out at a recession-friendly price, there have already been hundreds of custom maps created, so here is the Tripwire economic stimulus package to follow up: the headline prize will be an awesome $10,000 for the Grand Prize winner.

For all those mappers out there who want a shot at the $5,000 first prize in Wave 1 of Tripwire’s mapping contest for Killing Floor, the application page is now open for map submissions, with the deadline for entries fast approaching (12 Noon EST, 31st July). ModDB are providing a central location for the fans to check out all of the contest maps. Remember, this is where you get a shot at winning $5,000 in cash, as well as Nvidia graphics cards and Logitech goodies.

To find out more about the contest (including the rules), visit the official contest web page. Keep watching the website: there will be more news on Wave 1 soon, plus news on Wave 2, where the Grand Prize is a full $10,000 in cash! If you’ve got skills in level creation, don’t pass up this chance to win $10,000!

Key features:

• Co-op game mode for up to six players obliterating multiple waves of specimens
• Solo game mode for offline play
• Watch those crucial and violent creature deaths in slomo “ZEDtime”, even in multiplayer
• 9 different monster types trying to eat your face off, armed with everything from teeth and claws, through to chainsaws, chainguns and rocket-launchers
• 12+ weapons for the players to chose from, ranging from knives and fire-axes up to pump shotguns, rifles and a flamethrower
• Add in a welder, medical tools and body armor to help the players survive
• Persistent Perks system, allowing players to convert their in-game achievements into permanent improvements to their character’s skills and abilities
• Players choose which Perks to play with, so they can best balance out a co-op team to survive the horrors
• Open, non-linear play areas: choose when and where to fight – or run; weld doors closed to try and direct the monster horde
• Full support for Steamworks features, including Steam Achievements and Friends
• Fully-configurable, allowing players to change things as simple as the difficulty level or number of creature waves, or go so far as to set up their own favorite waves of monsters
• Includes SDK for the creation of new levels and mods

Killing Floor is currently available for digital download through Steam for $19.99.