Left 4 Cash, be back next year with a new update!

From videogamer.com Chet Faliszek said, "It was just like, OK, this is big enough that this isn’t DLC, we’re not going to be able to leak it out. It’s a cohesive, single thing. It’s Left 4 Dead 2."

From Joystiq's hands-on, "As we said during E3, the game plays identically to original. There isn't even a particularly noticeable graphics upgrade, if you ignore the dismemberment improvements. Is that a bad thing? Of course not. A bad game is a bad thing. This is just a good game, made again. With new characters, levels and some new features -- such as melee weapons and special infected."

So Chet's and Valve's idea of something too big for DLC is comprised of an engine tweak for zombie dismemberment, some new characters, and a few game play updates. Wow, that really sounds like it's worth my $60. Actually, no, it does not. I've seen $20-$30 updates that have more content than this. Unless something much bigger, and pretty quickly, is revealed, this looks like nothing more than a cash in. Left 4 Dead, the new Madden?

Hitler Boycotts Left 4 Dead 2

An internet-formed boycott has produced this video, showing footage of Hitler, which confirms conspiracy theories that he is indeed still alive in some bunker, plotting to begin World War III so that he can annihilate America and its European allies. It was reported that after the verbal tirade in this video, Hitler apologized and ordered Hawaiian pizza for everyone and announced world peace.

Seriously though, the video comically describes why a group of people are upset about Left 4 Dead 2's 2009 November debut. But in my personal opinion, what precisely is there not to like about Left 4 Dead 2 being released this year? Rarely do gamers get to enjoy much-anticipated, high-quality sequels without having to wait very long. Case in point: Half-Life 2 came out six years after the original game. WarCraft 3, a PC game developed by Blizzard Entertainment, was released 7 years after its predecessor and sold one-million units in its first month (most PC developers are fortunate if they can surpass 50,000 copies in the first month of sale). I need not mention typical household-name games like Super Mario Brothers, Metroid, Zelda, and Final Fantasy. When a full tank of gasoline in my rusty SUV costs upward to $40, a one month subscription to World of Warcraft costs $16 a month, and some people's gaming libraries far exceed 100 titles, is it really too much to shell out $50? Perhaps these boycotters feel they are being taken advantage of, as they were "promised" free content and the SDK that would provide end-users the ability to create custom maps, and still have to deal with the broken match-making system of the PC.

But video games are still a business, and businesses are in the business of making money, and I cannot think of a single business that exists to lose money (though even then they may do that.) They have organizations that are more beneficial to mankind, and they are called non-profit organizations. I think video games don't quite fall into that category.

I have a friend who just graduated business school, with one of his research papers being about business ethics. He contends that, in order for business transactions to be ethical, everyone - the consumer, the producer of the product, and anyone else involved in the transaction, has to win in some way. The producer of the product should make every effort to release a refined product, and the consumer in turn agrees to pay what he feels is reasonable for the product, so long as he or she is satisfied with the product. The businessman receives a profit, and in an intangible sense, so does the consumer. With Left 4 Dead 2 being released in November, one could expect a superior product created by Valve based on the superior quality of their previous games, charged at a reasonable price - $50 for the PC version - which is $10 cheaper than the XBox 360 version (the boycotters appear to be PC aficionados).

$50 is a moderate amount of money, especially in lieu of free custom content made by a community of fans. And to keep fans loyal to them, it is necessary to indulge them and listen to their input or criticism. And I can understand that they are upset that there was so little time between games, which might suggest to a lot of people that the number one motivation is to make money, at the expense of customers. I can actually identify with many of the reasons as to their being upset. But a boycott? A group of people resorting to non-violent resistance - the same tactics that Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesus used - because they are upset that Valve is releasing a game one year after its previous version? Come. On. Is Valve enslaving African-Americans? Are they utilizing sweatshops? Are they giving away firearms with the game?

I simply feel that boycotting a video game seems analogous to boycotting McDonald's because you're upset they got rid of the baby-back rib sandwich special from the menu: your time and energy are best used toward something more constructive and beneficial. Nevertheless, the video above was entertaining enough that I let out a few hearty chuckles. And, my opinion not withstanding, I can appreciate their passion for the game.

E3: Antoninus' Picks

We are not special enough to go to E3 because we're not a game developer or member of a game publishing company, but a lowly consumer who can only watch from the sidelines and fantasize. Thankfully, there is enough coverage on the 'net to allow us to vicariously experience the show.

Antoninus' Top Five Picks:



LEFT 4 DEAD 2
No. 5

Left 4 Dead 2 already? Valve, creating a sequel just one year after the release of the first game? What's the matter with these people? We're still busy trying to enjoy the first game, dammit!



MASS EFFECT
No. 4

Fourteen years ago, no one would have probably guessed that two Canadian medical physicians, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk would become highly successful game developers. Their previous games, which were mere cult PC followings in the late 1990s and early 2000s, have now become highly successful console games with a growing fan base. Mass Effect, released in 2007, was a representation of just how far they've come as gaming visionaries. The game provided a cinematic experience, the character advancement of role-playing games, and action on par with shooters, thereby providing the ultimate knockout combination of a game. Despite these features, fans were disappointed with some of its weaknesses, including a lack of different types of weapons within each weapon category (e.g. "different" assault rifles all seemed identical to each other and "different" shotguns all seemed the same, with the only differences being in their statistics). Fans were also disappointed with the "cookie-cutter dungeons" - many of the blueprints for these dungeons were identical and merely featured different props to distinguish between them. It seems BioWare has taken all these criticisms to heart and have decided to create an even better experience in its sequel.



DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS
No. 3

Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk's BioWare are a busy bunch. In addition to Mass Effect, they are creating the "spiritual successor," as they call it, to the Baldur's Gate series. The game will only be available for the PC and the XBox 360, which is highly unfortunate because this looks to be a very epic game for all you Lord of the Rings lovers out there. Trademark BioWare features will exist within the game, including romance, epic battles, treacherous plots, and decisions that you make which result in complex consequences. The PC version will include a toolset that allows players to create their own campaigns and dungeons - similar to their Neverwinter Nights PC franchise.



GOD OF WAR III
No. 2

God of War III "picks up where God of War II left off" as Steve Caterson, the producer for the game states. And it looks to be just as bloody, lusty, and gloriously fun as its predecessors. The game footage shows many juicy clips of Kratos doing what he does best - kicking ass. And the best part is that it's easy to get into the game and is "accessible," as he says in the video. While I have yet to play the previous two God of War games (you can begin throwing rocks at me now) everyone I know has stated their love for the series, and it looks to be amazing. And for you PS3 owners, the game will arrive exclusively for the PS3 only. Take that, Microsoft!



MODERN WARFARE 2
No. 1

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was probably my all-time favorite single player first-person shooter, with a simple but hyper-realistic plot, high quality presentation that almost fools you into believing you're a main character in a movie, and situations and firefights that immerse you in immense tension. And, for a change, it doesn't take place in World War II. The sequel, which is in development, continues to create a lot of hype, and this video shows us why.