Witty titles are rad.
It didn’t take long for hate and discontent to spread throughout the Steam Community. Only hours maybe even minutes. But now it’s turned into a full fledged boycott. Valve’s surprise announcement of Left 4 Dead 2 seems to have left a real sour taste in the mouth of fans of the original Left 4 Dead.
The Steam Group L4D2 Boycott (NO-L4D2) popped up the very same day the announcement of the sequel was made. And it’s quickly gaining popularity with almost 18,000 members as of this post. Vavle should take notice.
On the group’s profile page they layout their major gripes and grienvances with Valve. Here’s what they say irks them the most:
- 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
I’ve been torn on this announcement from the get go. I for one would actually like to see a sequel. But I’m not sure the timing is right. I still think there is more that could be done with the original Left 4 Dead. Spend more time and effort honing that game in first, and inevitably any sequel will be that much better.
Take Team Fortress 2 for example. That game was released almost two years ago. But with updates, DLC’s and other tweaks the game is still as fresh as the first time I played it. And the community behind it is a huge and loyal one. Not unlike the one behind Left 4 Dead.
But let’s cut Valve some slack here. I think it’s too ealry to jump ship and call for a mutany. Let’s wait to play and experience the sequel before we call for their heads. It’s the loyal fans like the ones who started this boycott that should know that Valve almost always comes through for it’s fans. Why would now be any different?
What do you guys think? Do yo agree with the announcement of the sequel or are you dead set against it? Are you a member of the boycott?
