When Left 4 Dead 2 was announced for the Xbox 360 and PC in June, people went crazy. Not in a good way either. They found it ridiculous that people expected Valve to have their fans pay for a new game a year later than when the first installment was released. Many people thought that Left 4 Dead 2 should be released as free DLC for all owners of Left 4 Dead. Also, many people do not like this game due to the fact that the Left 4 Dead 1 community may be torn apart, that there are new characters, and so much more. All of these negative ideas resulted in a boycott in which over 30,000 people are participating in. But is this boycott really a justified cause?

A big part about your ultimate decision to purchase Left 4 Dead 2, is the cost of the game. For PC, it will cost $50.00, and on the Xbox 360, it will cost $60.00. Now, I really don't see what the big deal is about buying this. The game was announced on June 1, and the game is being released on November 17. That gives a solid six months to save up money. If you put ten dollars away per month, then you will have sixty dollars in November. Do some chores, get a job. Also, don't forget about the holidays.

People expecting this game to be released as free DLC really shows how spoiled Valve's fans are. The United States is currently in a recession, for those not aware, as are many parts of the world. Valve Corporation needs to make money, obviously, and this is a great opportunity to do that. It is a win-win for both sides of the field; the gamers, and Valve. Us gamers have the opportunity to get another one of Valve's games on our hands, and not five years after the first one. Valve gets to make money, which results in more video games in the future.

Now, so what will Left 4 Dead 2 contain? What Valve has announced so far is the following:
-5 new campaigns, one of them being in a daytime environment.
-New settings.
-New guns, including an AK-47, and what looks to be like a Mac 10, as well as a grenade launcher. There will also be incinerary ammo to wield.
-Melee weapons to use against the infected. Some of them are: a frying pan, a chainsaw, a baseball bat, an axe, and a sword.
-And more.

As for gameplay, Left 4 Dead 2 is going to contain the Campaign Mode, Versus Mode, Survival Mode, and another mode, which has yet to be announced. Also, the finales are going to operate in a different way. Instead of contacting the rescue vehicle and waiting, you need to contact the rescue vehicle, and then make your way to it. In one of the campaigns, to get to the rescue vehicle, you must cross an entire bridge to get to it. Keep in mind that moving about during a finale is not an easy task, which will make this a fun experience.

Left 4 Dead 2 will also contain more special infected, as well as the originals from the first game. Two of the announced infected are the charger, and the spitter. The game also takes place in new settings. Two of the announced places are Georgia, and Illinois. Due to these settings, we will see new infected, new environments etc. Also, keep in mind that the game will have new achievements, which added a lot of replay value to Left 4 Dead 1.

A problem with Left 4 Dead 1, is that we do not understand to a very high extent the storyline of the game. However, Valve is beginning to bridge the gaps between the campaign with Left 4 Dead 1 DLC, that they promised to release, didn't they? Currently, a new campaign called Crash Course is in development. It is set to take place after the events of No Mercy, which shows that the game's campaigns do take place in a kind of chronological order. Anyway, Left 4 Dead 2 will contain more background on the storyline, and the campaigns are going to take a step away from the movie format that the campaigns in the first game took.

Remember I mentioned that 30,000 person boycott earlier? Well, let's take a look at what they have to say. This is their manifest:

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We Recognize:

-Valve is a company with financial needs and cannot be expected to survive without the release of new games.
Yes, and this contradicts half of your manifest.

-Judgment cannot be passed on the quality of Left 4 Dead 2 until its release.
This statement does not even make sense with this boycott. They are committed to not purchasing the game, but now they are saying that they cannot judge it until it's release.

-Left 4 Dead was, and is, a quality game which deserves the praise of the entire gaming community.
I can not argue with that statement.

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.
The Survival Pack, the Authoring Tools, and now Crash Course are all free. Valve also fixes bugs in the game often enough, and none of this has ever cost us a dime.

-To keeping the Left 4 Dead community together in order to improve the quality of online gaming.
30,000 gamers is not the Left 4 Dead community. People are going to buy the game. You can not control what people do over the internet.

-To supporting the model of continual updates Valve has set forth with its staple products like Team Fortress 2.
Crash Course is set to be released in September. ;)

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.
Valve has said blatantly that the communities will be integrated in some way. Although it is not clear how at the moment, I have faith that Valve will keep their word.


-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.
Okay? Valve has not thrown away everything they have to show about the game. There will be some surprises when we start up the game.


-Left 4 Dead has not yet received the support and content which Valve has repeatedly stated will be delivered.
Well, it has now.

We Request:

-That Valve honor its commitment to release ongoing periodic content for Left 4 Dead.
You are in luck. They did. A new campaign titled Crash Course is set to be released in September.

-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.
Then what is all of this gibberish about? "-Valve is a company with financial needs and cannot be expected to survive without the release of new games."


-That Left 4 Dead owners be given discounts for Left 4 Dead 2, should it be released as premium content.
But what about Valve surviving financially. The United States is in a recession.

Therefore, we - the members of this Left 4 Dead 2 Boycott - promise to abstain from the purchase of Left 4 Dead 2 until our requests are addressed.
November 17 is judgment day then.

As you can see from that boycott, a lot of contradiction occurred. In one way or another, this statement contradicts the whole boycott; -Valve is a company with financial needs and cannot be expected to survive without the release of new games. Go back and reread their manifest and see what I mean. In the end, I am not commanding you to purchase Left 4 Dead 2, I am telling you why you should. On November 17, the choice is yours.