Personally I feel there hasn’t been quite enough information released from Valve yet to warrant a definitive stance. However, I am currently under the impression that Left 4 Dead 2 should be a reduced price title. Now before I receive an inbox full of hate mail (who am I kidding?), let me explain.
The information and footage released thus far hasn't exactly been overwhelming. The game has not improved in the technical graphics department at all. This is hardly a debatable issue. One need only glance at recently released screenshots to come to that conclusion (see below). Furthermore, the developers from Valve, when addressing the gaming press, haven't exactly backed up their claim that this is an all new experience. Valve employee Chet Faliszek recently answered a few questions on this very topic when speaking with 1up.com. He stated the game would include new weapons, characters, locales and new infected. That's all well and good, and to be honest, that is pretty much the standard bulk of additional features included in all franchise sequels. However, Mr. Faliszek did little to elaborate on new gameplay mechanics or additional features. If I were to base my opinion solely on his comments, I would presume Left 4 Dead 2 is the exact same game as last year's offering, but with a new coat of paint. I'm sorry, but changing the game from night to day is hardly a change in gameplay. I am open to the possibility that there is much more to Left 4 Dead 2 than meets the eye. Only time will tell and the final verdict will hang in the balance until the game's release on November 17. Below you'll find some screenshots of both the original and the forthcoming sequel. Decide for yourself. Enjoy the weekend.
Left 4 Dead 2
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Left 4 Dead 1
Supposedly they are adding a zombie that cannot be killed by bullets, but only by using a melee weapon.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that this could have definitely been more of an 'expansion pack' kind of deal but certain people at Valve got a little more ambitious than usual and decided to go for the full-blown sequel. In this world of games, however, this distinction seems to often be a case of preference rather than function. Shouldn't the Grand Theft Auto's be on the 6th or 7th by now if we lived in a logical world? Can someone plausibly make the case that San Andreas was similar enough to GTA III to not warrant a numeral after the title? If anything, GTA IV seems to be more of a continuation of III. Yes, it is a new engine designed for a new system, but those are technical aspects--I would argue that better determinants for sequels and the like should be more story and time-centric rather than coding and marketing based. How is World At War any less ambitious and worthy of a number than COD2 was? It's insanity.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm getting off my point. It remains to be seen how the pricing structure of L4D2 will work, but I would say that you are probably correct in that it will not sell for typical new-retail value. Personally I got L4D1 during one of Steam's terrific weekend deals for only $25. I expect they will have something similar for the sequel. I cannot comment on XBox's pricing structure as I'm of the mind that this game is one that is really not worth playing on consoles (especially with the recent release of the SDK-interface, I download and try out new campaigns/survival missions nearly every time I play the game--a pivotal feature in my eyes as the four campaigns that come with the game get stale after about 50 hours of playtime).
Anyway, I'm as skeptical about the rushed sequel as the next guy, but as a person who has been alive and breathing for the past 10 years, I've also learned to trust that Valve usually gets things just about right.