It seems that there is a lot of unneeded controversy surrounding the announcement of Left 4 Dead 2 at E3 2009. I feel a lot of the fans are being very unfair to Valve and acting like spoiled children. I thought this repost from my personal livejournal account would be fitting for my first blog. Enjoy, and feel free to subscribe.
Theme/Mood: Left 4 Dead was original set during night in Pennsylvania (presumably), and included 4 different "movies" to be played. No Mercy represented an urban city overrun and detailed many locations such as subways, streets, hospitals, and sewers. Death Toll gave us a more scenic view with a turnpike, a small town, a trainyard/church area, drainage system, and a get away on a boat. Dead Air continued it's urbanized look on the infection, yet gave us a different perception gave us rooftops, construction sights, more rooftops, and an entire airport to explore. Blood Harvest then capped the game off with a country setting which included trails through the woods, warehouses, train docks, and a finale in a country home set in a huge wheat field. Now, all these have wonderful settings with wonderful characters, and the whole theme is indeed what is to be expected; surviving. The mood and atmosphere is more grim, playing off the night to give us a spooky feeling about the undead overwhelming. It's more straight forward, and typical horror movie. Left 4 Dead 2 on the other hand will provide us with many new changes. First, the gameplay is set in daytime. Logically, people are complaining that this is not scary and doesn't "fit" with the aesthetics of L4D1. However, looking at the new game all together -- it is an exciting change in the usual night areas and offers insight on what else happened those now 3 weeks after the first initial infection. The art direction in this "film" makes things eerie, such as an empty silent street in the middle of day, a little unsettling. I believe this is much creepier then the cliche dark corners and dark alleyways. What's scarier? Hearing a Boomer gurgle and throw up on you -- or seeing him and not being able to do anything until its too late? I'll take the later.
Plot: L4D1 had plot sprinkled over it like sugar over a cookie. While there was no direct and definite plot given to us, it is up to us to decipher what happened and chew on it. Are we, the survivors, immune to the virus? Do we have "special blood" (as the crazy church man says)? Who is Chicago Ted? How long does it take the infected to turn? What are the special infected and how did they mutate differently? All of these (mostly) are answered if you read the walls of safehouses, listen to dialogue, and pay attention. The epidemic in game is not small-spread, yet it has infected the whole United States. So logically -- isn't it best to explore other parts of the U.S. and show off other stories? L4D2 gives us a hope of the same deciphering storytelling as the first, and a development on the origins of the new characters AND the plot of the entire franchise.
Characters: While L4D1 gives us the defining characters of Zoey, Francis, Bill and Louis, we get to know all of them through dialogue and other sources like Valve. Zoey, a college student and horror enthusiast. Francis, a biker with an attitude. Bill, a Green Barett and Vietnam Veteran. And Louis, a IT system analysis. We learn traits about them, like Bill's bluntness and Louis' love for grabban peelz. Unique dialogue is triggered through random events during the game, and gives us new lines; as opposed to repetitive ones. Now, in L4D2 we see four new characters that live in the south. Rochelle; a local news reporter. Coach; a high school coach. Ellis; a charming country boy mechanic. And Nick; a gambler and conman. We will discover all of these character's flaws/advantages through gameplay.
Gameplay: Not only did the original game provide unique gameplay, but they offer things by the form of the AI Director. Judging your ability to work together, how fast you're completing the chapter, and other aspects, the game is morphed accordingly. Meaning, you will get different experiences each time. Witches and Tanks spawn in different maps, which offers different challenges based on location. However, the AI Director is now more advanced. In L4D2, the AI Director now has the ability to knock down walls/cause other obstacles to change gameplay. Meaning, no matter what, you will have a different experience. The addition of new melee weapons give survivors an alternative way to bring down their zombie opponents. The add on melees are a frying pan, a chainsaw, a baseball bat and a fire axe. The weapons are treated as normal weapons; you may carry only one in addition to the pistols, and they serve as almost one-hit killers. Something new is also the addition of incendiary ammunition, which instantly lights zombies (not in haymat/quarantine) on fire.
Enemies: Left 4 Dead 1 brought many new zombie mutations. Smoker, Hunter, Boomer, Tank and the Witch all have specific abilities that are used to attack the survivors. If the appearance of the before mentioned infected will be changed is yet to be determined, but there will be 3 new additions to the infected. One is announced as the "Charger" and will stun survivors once it crashes into them -- yet it is as big as the tank, it is very weaker. Two others will be announced, one within the next month, and another later this year. In addition, the infamous crying/sulking Witch will now wander across the level -- adding a suspense on disturbing her and risking a death. There will be new sub classes for the "Horde", including some zombies who are immune to fire (due to suits). Other enemies have yet to be revealed.
Overall, I know that Valve made promises to make L4D DLC, and only delivered one. Yet, we are not sure that Valve completely abandoned the idea for DLC. I think L4D2 offers to be a great addition to the survival/multiplayer experience. It's NOT small enough to be a download pack, and it doesn't even coincide to the first. I'd rather have a much different experience then dark cities and the same survivors. I like the fact that it's a new cast, new location, new experience, and new game all together. It's not "selling out" to make a game based on a recently popular series; it's tactical, strategic and very smart. Claiming the Valve company had little faith in Left 4 Dead is odd to say, considering why would they make a sequel to a horrible game? They were putting faith in the Left 4 Dead series. Valve takes care of their fans, I honestly think the fans are taking advantage of Valve because they've given many of free content. Yet, how can a company strive simply on free content?
Jasmine / BACKLOGGERY
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