eat.sleep.geek.

At E3 last week Valve, the developer of last Christmas’s sleeper hit Left 4 Dead announced that we’d be getting a Left 4 Dead sequel this year. As a huge fan of the series and it’s developer I was thrilled. As a gamer my knock against Valve has always been that they make such great games, it would be nice to see them make those great games a little closer together. I think that Half Life would be a much bigger deal to fans if there wasn’t so much time between episodes, not to mention Portal, can anybody come up with solid reason why the bonus add-on to The Orange Box hasn’t had a follow up of any sort? So when I heard that L4D2 would be out in time to kill zombies for Christmas I thought that was great news.

Well it seems that I have once again underestimated the capacity for stupidity that some fanboys have. It seems that a zombie army, 10,000 strong is set to boycott Valve’s sequel. Why would they do that you ask? What would possess video game fans to stay away from great video games? Well it seems that the fans (and I use the term loosely) have decided that the good folks at Valve lied to them. Valve made promises to them that were never delivered and these fans aren’t going to take it. Now I don’t know about you but when I buy a game, I feel like the game’s developer has promised me that the game will be worth the money I paid for it. If it is I’m happy, if it’s not exactly as billed I’m a little more cautious next time something comes out from them. Now I don’ t know anybody who thought that Left 4 Dead wasn’t worth the cash they shelled out for it. So what is the problem?

Well those choosing to boycott the L4D sequel have prepared the following list of grievances that they would like you to peruse. Keep in mind this isn’t my gripe list, I didn’t write it, I don’t support it, I just thought you might want to look it over. I’ve also thrown in a little commentary in case you care what I think.

1. Significant content for L4D1 was promised, and never delivered

I was a little surprised by this too, I must admit, I thought that the post release content was going to be a little more plentiful, but it’s been six months since I got my hands on the game, and I still play it more than anything on the 360.

2. Valve put little faith in L4D1 since they almost certainly started working on L4D2 right after release

Errm doesn’t that mean they had a great deal of faith in the first game? That just seems like a really silly thing to say.

3. The fact that L4D2 is nearly identical to L4D1 will decimate the community for both games

Well if anything on the list holds any water it’s this, but wouldn’t you have to play L4D2 before you know it’s nearly identical to the first one? The being said, I hope that there is a way to not kill the original game’s mojo. I also think Valve will find a way to keep the original alive, it’s to good a game to just die after a year.

4. The announced date is not nearly enough time to polish content or make significant gameplay changes

I appreciate you looking out for me, but I think I’ll make that decision for myself after I actually have some information. That is a huge assumption to make and one that I don’t think many people who are complaining about the game are qualified to make.

5. The new character designs seem bland and unappealing so far

So don’t buy it. If you’re right nobody will buy it and you won’t have to worry about not having anyone to play with.

6. L4D2 is too bright to fit in with L4D1’s visual aesthetic

So don’t buy it.

7. The fiddle-based horde music is extremely disliked, though the differently orchestrated music is otherwise welcome

So don’t buy it.

8. L4D2’s release will result in a drop in quality and frequency for L4D1 content, even compared to before

That’s what happens when games age and sequels are released. If you’re not cool with it, video gaming might not be the hobby for you.

9. The community has lost faith in Valve’s former reputation for commitment to their games post-release

Well, that’s always cause for concern, but it’s not really a new phenomenon.

So there’s the list of demands, I have faith that Valve will address the issue of keeping the online community for the first game alive, and I hope that they continue to release new content for it. Valve is a quality company and that is what quality companies do, so stop all this talk of boycotts, it’s juvenile and it’s not going to solve anything.