Rockers Delight

# June 8th, 2009 at 9:09 pm

We’ve had a short conversation about this the other day

I still think that if Left4Dead 2 has only the features announced at E3 (plus the mystery one) it won’t be worth spending money on. I must admit I’m very disappointed - I love Left4Dead (and I miss playing countless hours in coop) and was hoping they’ll release more DLC (even paid) - more campaigns, maybe new weapons or new special infected - just like they plan in the sequel. but let’s be honest - that’s not enough for a sequel.

I didn’t like also the new design - more cartoony (the characters feel a bit like Team Fortress 2) and because of this - less creepy and serious. The video showed a campaign in the middle of the day - it was totally lacking the intense atmosphere that we’ve enjoyed in the original.

To wrap it up - I seriously hope I’m mistaken. I love Left4Dead and I’m sure that guys over at Valve know what they are doing. Well - fingers crossed, they still have time to add some polish to this beauty

# June 8th, 2009 at 10:53 pm

I think it is Valve’s Guitar Hero, they will take all the hype it have to make money with it.

# June 9th, 2009 at 1:58 pm

I love Valve and will definitely buy it because I have faith in them to deliver. It is an odd move by them but in an interview I read they made some fair points about why they are doing this. Really, all the drama is over the top. Who of those causing the drama can honestly say they haven’t got more than their moneys worth for L4D? We would be spoiled to get all of what is in L4D2 if it was a standard DLC, and while it may not seem like a big deal yet I can imagine a lot of people will change their minds when the game is actually out.

I’ll buy it and play it to death, switching back to the original for a change of pace and nostalgia. Though, despite thinking L4D is fantastic, I’d rather have HL2 ep3

# June 9th, 2009 at 8:41 pm

I have to say, at first I thought… man… this is a cool trailer. Then I saw the 4 survivors and thought… This ain’t a horror game. They are far too cartoony as someone has previously said, whereas the L4D1 survivors were life-like. I joined the steam L4D2 Boycott community, because, although I love Valve and the other creators of classic games like Counter Strike: Source, they never delivered on their promises on L4D1, wehre they promised new maps, weapons and characters. Granted, they released one tiny map, but no-one ever really plays on it.

# June 9th, 2009 at 9:00 pm

I loved the first L4D game and I will certainly be buying this one. I read that the developers of the game over at Valve loved making the first one and had so many ideas for a second, plus as they get to decide what game they make next, they chose L4D2. I have trust in Valve when making this game as they have made some pretty awesome ones in the past, plus, they are not likely to change the actual quality of the game considering the amount of sales they made from the original.

# June 9th, 2009 at 9:39 pm

I don’t see the _cartoony_ aspect that others have mentioned myself, the trailer looks like a CG rendering and I certainly wont be basing any of my graphical expectations on that alone.

For sure, I was hoping for some substantial L4D1 DLC but if they have ended up with what they feel is worthy of a second game less than a year after the initial release I’m not going to complain.

It’s a bit too early to speculate on some of these issues, I for one am looking forward to seeing more before the launch in November but I’ll likely be picking up a copy for sure.

# June 9th, 2009 at 11:04 pm

Just realised I forgot to link to the interview I was talking about. You can find it on Ars Technica.

# June 11th, 2009 at 3:49 pm

Responses generally seem to be split down the middle; both on here and via replies on Twitter.

Andrzej, it is odd that a game focused on horror was demonstrated using a level in daylight. Strange choice, but I’ve no doubt that not all levels will be that way.

OCTA, hopefully they’re not that ignorant. They’ve developed a fantastic game that’s had nothing but praise, it would be sad to see it turned into an annual ‘churn out what we can’ fest.

Mike, thanks for the link! The project lead seems pretty oblivious to the extent of fan’s dismay. Maybe they’re in denial, who knows. I’m in the same boat as you, in that I have faith they’ll deliver.

Stephen, yep the characters do come off as cartoony. Truthfully though, I don’t think we’ve seen enough to know what direction they’re taking L4D2 in; whether it’s a similar approach to L4D, or a more cartoony one.

Scrooby, y’see, that would be a justifiable reason to be releasing a sequel so soon. Hopefully it’s not a case of milking the franchise, but just that they have so many ideas to use.

Sam, I don’t think it’s the environment or zombies that are so much as cartoony, but the brief few seconds I caught of the protagonists did look quite Team Fortressey. Like you say, though, it’s not enough to base any graphical expectations on.

# June 23rd, 2009 at 3:34 pm

I’ve had a solid 6 months play out of L4D so far which is MUCH more than I tend to get out of other games (usually 3 - 4 weeks) and will probably get another 5 months out of it before the sequel comes out. I would say that was worth the £40 I paid for it.
So with that in mind, i think a sequel this soon isn’t unreasonable. And Valve’s justifications for it seem pretty rational too.
I think the reactions to a sequel that quickly are a bit overblown. You just can’t win with whining fanboys/girls .. its either, “they took 8 years to make a sequel.. HOW DARE THEY!” or its, “they took 1 year to make a sequel… HOW DARE THEY!”

Game studios just can’t seem to win .. ever …

To quote a friend: “How dare they make a game I like!”

# June 25th, 2009 at 11:16 am

Some people get too worked up about nothing really. I thought Left 4 Dead was excellent, and had enough content in it to justify what I paid for it. It’s Valve’s IP and they’ve every right to use it how they see fit. If they release a sequel and people don’t think it’s worth £40, they should just go buy something else instead. Or do what I do, and wait two months for the price to drop to about £25. There’s not many games that hold their price for more than a couple of months, before they pretty much half in price. Some people just need reminding that you don’t NEED to go out and buy a game on release day, or even at all. You’d think Valve were going round murdering puppies or something. If Valve hadn’t promised extra content for the original, there probably wouldn’t have been such a fuss.

# June 25th, 2009 at 5:57 pm

Badalki, agreed. I’ve had a good few months solid play of L4D, and that’s more than enough when I consider how quickly I tend to be done with other games.

Arnold, you’re right - people are too quick to complain before realising there are other options; buying second hand, renting, or waiting a month or so for a price cut. Personally, I do like to get the games I’m really excited about asap, and this will be one of them. But I’m not hugely fussed they’re releasing the sequel so soon.