Left 4 Braindead
June 8th, 2009Left 4 Dead was a successful game. It reviewed well, sold a lot of copies on both Xbox 360 and PC and has built up a solid and dedicated community with its compelling co-op and versus modes, as well as some free updates released by Valve. So naturally, Valve is making an (allegedly) improved sequel and announced it at E3. So we have a successful game with a dedicated fanbase followed up with an obvious sequel. Instant recipe for success, right?
Apparently not, as that dedicated fanbase for the game is apparently made up of whiny babies who aren’t satisfied with the dozens or likely even hundreds of hours of enjoyment they’ve already gotten for their $50-$60 game purchase. A boycott? Great… less whiny babies on chat for the sequel. I admit that many of the new features that are being touted sound like they could be patched in or released as DLC for the current Left 4 Dead… but I’m sorry, I just don’t have that much sympathy for a group of alleged fans who not only have probably gotten well worth their purchase, but are probably the same kind of people that buy new Call of Duties, Maddens, Rock Bands and Guitar Heroes every year.
I’m sorry… this is your hobby. This is how videogames work… they get sequels… often full-priced ones, released within 1-2 years of the original (often every year now for several properties now). I don’t really know why Valve’s community feels especially entitled to free updates of their favorite games for eternity, but that’s apparently what this demonstrates.
As an aside, this video about the issue is actually hilarious… I think the creator, despite going over the list of grievances, has a better sense of humor about it than the boycott community (or, at least I hope he/she does).
Posted in E3, Idiocy, Jeff |
June 9th, 2009 at 6:21 am
Sorry, but you can count me squarely in the whiny babies group. A boycott seems kind of silly, but Left 4 Dead is half a damned game and there’s no getting around that. Despite what you might think, I haven’t gotten much playtime out of it, because there just isn’t much content there.
Valve touts the Survival Pack, released as free DLC, and I’m glad it was released, but it doesn’t feel like a bonus. It feels like it rectifies an incomplete release. It’s absurd that, of the pitiful four maps released in the game, half weren’t playable in Versus. I’ll concede the Survival mode is a solid addition.
I’m not boycotting Left 4 Dead 2 in any formal, organized fashion — but no way in hell am I buying it on release day at full retail price. I’ve felt underwhelmed by Left 4 Dead since my release day purchase and I’m not making that mistake again.
June 9th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Rob,
It sounds like your complaints with the game existed before the announcement of a sequel. It seems to me like the “whiney baby” group actually loved the original L4D game, but only created this idea of a boycott once the sequel was announced, which would indicate, they actually did like the game initially, (unlike what it sounds like you’re saying).
I agree, the boycotters are whiney, but Robs complaint and his reaction sound totally legitimate. If you feel like you didn’t get your moneys worth, you’re smart to wait to see what the sequel brings. But if you’re one who played the crap out of the original, then you shouldn’t be crying about a sequel.
June 9th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Rob-
Your complaints, and the boycotters in the same sense, are legitimate ones. Those are just complaints about having bought a “bad” or “inadequate” game in general. In fact, I fall in much the same category as you. I haven’t gotten much play out of the game at all, despite enjoying it, and it’s unlikely I’ll be picking up L4D2 at retail price at launch. Though that’s my own fault, and not Valve’s.
The boycotters, at least to me, don’t seem to have this issue. They complain that they’ve simply been “beta testers”, that L4D2 will ruin their bustling community, and that Valve promised them all sorts of things for free when the game was released and that L4D2 is a way to make you pay for those things. This sounds like people complaining that they’re only getting 100 hours of playtime out of their game instead of 200. Well, I just don’t have that much sympathy for them… Not only is this a risk you take whenever you buy a game, they had plenty of opportunities to find out how much content was actually included in the retail package likely before they purchased the game. If they don’t feel like they’ve gotten their money’s worth then, well.. ever see that Gamefly ad where that guy throws his TV through a window because he bought a bad game? Yeah… sorry… better luck next time.
June 9th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Thanks for the thoughts guys. I think we’re on the same page.
I don’t think I was personally expecting a lot of updates from Valve, but they are known to extend the life of a title through free content, so maybe they were used to that and assumed L4D would be the same. I don’t recall Valve announcing any plans like that, though.
June 12th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
The boycott, like most VG boycotts, are dumb adn whiny and useless. That said, you are really missing the point.
1. Valve promised x at launch, and promised y post-launch. X was, by many standards, an incomplete game at a full price. Basically, people expected TF2, and Valve suggested as much.
2. Less than half a year later, Valve announces Z, where Z = x - 0.1 + 0.1. Nothing is ‘bettered’, just some superficial stuff are changed. Thus, they renegged on the promise, fractured the L4D community [see how many players are left for L4d once the sequel comes out], and they have the balls to sell an incomplete game at full price … again.
Of course, silly Valve fanbaoys are defending this with ‘trust Valve guysss.” Well guess what, we did trust them. Look where we are now!
PS: your comment about countless hours of enjoyment…first, it’s your POV. Not everyone felt satisfaction like that, becuz really, L4d in its present form gets old real fast. Second, this is not single player game, it’s solely multiplayer, to be honest. That means MINIMAL content, and whatever value comes mostly not from Valve but its minority but dedicated fanbase.
Who by the way are screwed.