Left 4 Dead 2

My big thing is....who announces a sequel 6 months after the first game?

I don't see how this will win many people over in the "give us a whole game, then we'll buy it" camp.
 
They are also stating the game will release 11/17 which will be just under a year since the first game. I'm hoping they release this more like a DLC on the PC either free or at a reduced cost. This sounds more like an expansion and I don't plan on forking over $50 for some new maps and melee weapons.
 
I understand that Valve has been all about episodic content lately, and smaller games for lower prices.

But EA is not.

And EA is not impressing me with its abilities to continually abuse franchises.
 
They're still focused on producing content for L4D, but there's also talk of including L4D with L4D2.

Daytime seems pretty cool. Just hope they cuss down on the swearing.
 
Omega Amen said:
Why do you think this is EA's fault?

Valve is in complete control over the Left 4 Dead property.
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EA is in charge of publishing L4D, therefore in control of what valve puts out when it comes to L4D.

Just going with my gut, I don't need your...."references"


:D
 
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blackgravity said:
EA is in charge of publishing L4D, therefore in control of what valve puts out and when.
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No, that is not their relationship to Valve. See the wikipedia link on Left 4 Dead.

Valve and EA has agreed to let EA handle the retail distribution of their titles. It is very limited publishing power, meaning picking which store chains and burning discs, and making retail boxes. EA does not fund the development of any Valve title nor do they have rights to any of their properties. Also, Valve is an independent private company, meaning EA has no share of ownership over Valve.

So EA is in no position to demand anything from Valve on when to release their games. Sure, EA could "threaten" not to be their retail partner, but Valve then could easily find some other company to take EA's place.

There is no evidence to suggest that EA forced Valve to do anything, and EA is not in a position to do so anyway.

Valve is in complete control of this situation. So I am blaming Valve on this one.
 
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Exo-Slayer said:
They are also stating the game will release 11/17 which will be just under a year since the first game. I'm hoping they release this more like a DLC on the PC either free or at a reduced cost. This sounds more like an expansion and I don't plan on forking over $50 for some new maps and melee weapons.
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Since they also use the previous weapons with changes, it would sound like a expansion.

But the graphics seemed highly improved. Now, I hope it doesn't increase the computer requirement specs.



Ugh, wow, another spider in my room... :eek:
 
Well regardless of being confused on retail vs digital publishing, releasing a sequel to a game a year later that is arguably not a whole game is pretty shady.

It's really more anti-Valve-ism on my end than anti-EA-ism.


And there's not any lack of respect, just a joke about the references. I just don't see how releasing a "sequel" to something that could really use more content as it is at a potential $60 is ok. It's not like it's Madden, but it very well could be.
 
NO VALVE. NO. GIVE US AN SDK AL-FRIGGIN-READY. Seriously, they said it would ship with the game, and it's not even out by the time they announce the sequel? Are they even going to make an l4d SDK? Or are they just going to make on for l4d2? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH.
 
Valve's Reputation With The Gaming Community NEEDS FOOD BADLY.

I feel like I dropped $45 on an unfinished game a few months ago and finally received the rest of the game (that should have been ready at launch) a few weeks ago. Now they're going to ask us to spend another $50 in 6 months?

I'm not saying I haven't gotten $45 worth of entertainment out of L4D, but c'mon, Valve. Have you looked at the economy lately? Do you really expect people to be able, let alone willing, to drop $50 for a computer game that only slightly improves on a game that people already paid for? And to add insult to injury, the improvements are features (e.g. melee weapons, especially the chainsaw) that fans have suggesting since before the game launched.

And I understand that EA is likely not influencing this decision, but EA's reputation is so bad that merely being having any business association with EA leads gamers, correct or not, to jump to the conclusion that EA is in some way responsible for every bad or questionable business decision made by any affiliated businesses. (The same could be said for Activision and Blizzard's decision to release Starcraft II as a trilogy.)

Now, to be fair, it's not exactly like this is unprecedented. Doom 1 released on December 10, 1993. Doom II released on October 10, 1994. That's only 10 months between the original and its sequel.

Doom II was not a dramatically different game from its predecessor. There were no major technological developments, no graphical improvements, and no real changes in fundamental gameplay. The game still consisted of the player negotiating non-linear levels, picking up keys to unlock new areas, and of course shooting down hundreds upon hundreds of monsters. However, due to there being larger and more complicated maps, with larger groups of monsters, the game required higher system specs than the original.

The main additions to the game were the additional monsters available for the player to fight. Doom II doubled the amount of non-boss monsters and started using bosses from the original Doom as normal level enemies. In addition, the multiplayer functionality was greatly improved in Doom II, including "out of the box" support for a vastly increased number of dial-up modems. The two player dial up connection allowed one player to dial in to the other player's computer in order to play either co-operatively or in deathmatch style combat. There was also LAN functionality added, which was improved upon as patches and updates were released.

The only new weapon addition was the double-barreled shotgun (named 'Super Shotgun' ingame), which used up two shotgun shells per fire but could fire out 20 pellets instead of the regular shotgun's seven pellets from one shell, making it very useful in dispatching Demons, Cacodemons, and any form of medium-sized monster.

There was also one new power-up item created: the Megasphere, a tan soul sphere that would give the player 200% armor and health.
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Source: Doom II: Hell on Earth - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Same engine, same gameplay, introduction of LAN play (which was easily the most significant addition to the game), new monsters, one new weapon, and one new power-up. That's it. Yet I can't imagine there being as loud an outcry over the rapid release of Doom II as there is and will be over Left 4 Dead 2.

Then again, Doom II came out in 1994. That was before Quake made it much easier to mod a game (mods existed for Doom II, but they usually required hacking the game executable), Counter-Strike and other popular mods greatly extended the sales life of Half-Life 1, and Valve took 6 years to release a sequel (Half-Life 2).

People will argue that Left 4 Dead 2 includes new features (e.g. melee weapons, an AI Director that actually lived up to expectations and wasn't a disappointment, more maps, etc.) that many players felt should have been included in L4D at launch. Even having given the parallel of Doom 1/Doom II, I can't help but side with the complainers on this one.

Annath said:
NO VALVE. NO. GIVE US AN SDK AL-FRIGGIN-READY. Seriously, they said it would ship with the game, and it's not even out by the time they announce the sequel? Are they even going to make an l4d SDK? Or are they just going to make on for l4d2? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH.
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Valve released a beta of the L4D SDK on May 15.
 
Huh, I never heard about that. Silly me. Still, I hope they give this game at reduced price to l4d owners since it is really a glorified expansion.
 
Looks like the L4D2 trailer is out... really makes me mad that this doesn't look to be an expansion... even makes me more made that now I have to pay again just to get to use a chainsaw!!!!
 
Here is some of the early gameplay footage for you L4D peoplez. I expect it will change before release as right now as I don't see a lot different from L4D 1 excepting the visuals. Probably was thrown together just to have something to show at the E3 (btw why does he have his flashlight on in the daytime?).

Off site cussy (in comments), gory, link warning BEE OOOh BEEE OOOh <alarm noises>
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-left-4-dead/50357
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-left-4-dead/50351
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-left-4-dead/50349
http://www.gametrailers.com/user-movie/left-4-dead-2/319654
http://www.gametrailers.com/user-movie/left-4-dead-2-multiplayer/319543
http://www.gametrailers.com/user-movie/left-4-dead-2-gameplay-e3/319623
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-left-4-dead/50560
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-left-4-dead/50558
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-left-4-dead/50556
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-left-4-dead/50554

IMO so much more could be done with the L4D concept. Environmental hazards to kill things, electrical wires you could drop in water, steam pipes, deadly machinery etc. (all movie staples). Free roaming levels to let the survivors pick their own routes to safety instead of going on rails. Levels that have paths that change randomly giving you a chance to find a dead end (another movie staple and a way to keep levels fresher longer). Driving sequences. Chase sequences (as in they keep coming continuously until you get to a certain point and you must outrun them). Covering each other as you climb over things, barricading doors hastily or knocking down barriers hastily. Helping people over things. Splitting up to open pathways. The flying enemies I keep ranting about needing. The list goes on and on...
 
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Thats very cool. Interesting weapons though.

A french auto-shotgun, USP and Glock pistols, and a silenced MAC-10.

The Axe was cool too. You can block with it and has 2 different attacks, Slashing and Chopping.

I noticed 1 of the CPUs use a Galil Assault Rifle and I though I saw a Dragonov Sniper Rifle as well.
 
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And why couldn't Valve just add these features into our current L4D? -_-)
 
The only thing I can think of is if L4D 2 is an expansion pack type thing for like 19.99 . I don't see enough new content (as yet) to justify 49.99 .

Is it just me or do you guys feel like there aren't enough zombies in LFD? I mean it has always felt to me like you are fighting waves of zombies being squirted on you as compared to wading through zombie infested streets. I'm not saying you should be continually fighting but I never felt compelled to "run away" or fall back and take shelter other than in a corner.
 
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Been reading about people boycotting the game. I think they have a case. :p

• Significant content for L4D1 was promised, and never delivered
• Valve put little faith in L4D1 since they almost certainly started working on L4D2 right after release
• The fact that L4D2 is nearly identical to L4D1 will decimate the community for both games
• The announced date is not nearly enough time to polish content or make significant gameplay changes
• The new character designs seem bland and unappealing so far
• L4D2 is too bright to fit in with L4D1's visual aesthetic
• The fiddle-based horde music is extremely disliked, though the differently orchestrated music is otherwise welcome
• L4D2's release will result in a drop in quality and frequency for L4D1 content, even compared to before
• The community has lost faith in Valve's former reputation for commitment to their games post-release
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