14 DAY TRIAL // Left 4 Dead was one of last year's biggest games, gaining a huge amount of fans thanks to its great gameplay, impressive mechanics and top-notch multiplayer. The fact that it was released by Valve, which is a company that sits very close to the community, made it even more popular.
But as E3 ended last week, the announcement of Left 4 Dead 2 was one of the most surprising and shocking of the whole show, knowing the fact that Valve is a developer that takes its time when it wants to create a new game, delaying it on several occasions until it is satisfied with the result.
But while many applauded the new title and the fact that the team at Valve has finally gotten used to working a bit faster, a lot of people using the company's Steam digital content delivery program aren't pleased with the announcement, and consider that valve has betrayed them and now wants to charge full price for the new game, which is essentially just a revamped version of the original.
In order to make their claims heard, the Steam users have formed a group entitled L4D2 Boycott (NO-L4D2), which, although it admits the fact that Valve is a company that needs to create games in order to sustain itself, militates that Left 4 Dead 2 shouldn't be bought until their demands are solved.
Here is a fragment of the group's manifesto:
WE ARE COMMITTED:
-To holding Valve to its promise of free, continual updates to Left 4 Dead in order to build and sustain the community. -To keeping the Left 4 Dead community together in order to improve the quality of online gaming. -To supporting the model of continual updates Valve has set forth with its staple products like Team Fortress 2.
WE BELIEVE:
-The release of Left 4 Dead 2 as a stand-alone sequel will split the communities and decrease the quality of multiplayer gaming. -The announced content of Left 4 Dead 2 does not warrant a stand-alone, full-priced sequel and should instead become updates (free or otherwise) for Left 4 Dead. -Left 4 Dead has not yet received the support and content which Valve has repeatedly stated will be delivered. -The release of Left 4 Dead 2 will make Left 4 Dead an obsolete purchase and inferior piece of software after only one year since release.
WE REQUEST:
-That Valve honor its commitment to release ongoing periodic content for Left 4 Dead. -That Left 4 Dead 2 not be released as a stand-alone, full-priced sequel but as either a free update to Left 4 Dead or an expansion with full compatibility with basic Left 4 Dead owners. -That Left 4 Dead owners be given discounts for Left 4 Dead 2, should it be released as premium content.
Sure, L4D 2 seems just like a slightly improved version of the first game, but there are a lot of changes made to it, which couldn't have been implemented in the original, given its structure and technology. Hopefully people will realize this and be patient with Valve, which will certainly sustain the two games for quite some time.
What do you think? Do you share the beliefs of this group? Or do you consider that Valve is making a good move releasing L4D 2 after just one year since its predecessor? Leave us a comment with your thoughts.