Is Left 4 Dead 2 Racist?

Once I saw screen shots of black zombies in Left 4 Dead 2, I knew it was coming. Someone will label the game as being racist. And to no surprise, a newspaper writer has blogged about it. That person is the Houson Chronicle's William Jefferson.

"I am disturbed by the growing trend of racist undertones that are cropping up in video games," writes Jefferson.

"One of the games that comes to mind is "Left 4 Dead 2." Though the game isn't out yet, it's already causing an uproar. Set in New Orleans, players will have to fight their way through hordes of zombies - with several of them who appear to be African-Americans. When I saw the first trailer for the game, all I could think about was Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath."

It's understandable for African-Americans and victims of Hurricane Katrina to be angry at the game and I share Jefferson's concerns for that. At the same time people should also understand that Valve is not in the business of making racist games, because that's never been a part of their history. Gamers in general are not racists, so Valve would only be shooting themselves in the foot if they gave gamers the impression they are out for African-Americans.

Jefferson forgets to mention that two heroes you can play in this game includes an African-American male and female (pictured above). So Valve is actually one of the few video game companies to feature playable African American characters. I think what Valve is going for in Left 4 Dead 2, as they have always been known for in their previous games, is to just deliver a good FPS for players to enjoy.

Activision May Stop Supporting Sony in 2010 and 2011

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick recently expressed his disappointment in Sony's continued stance on not cutting the price of the $400 PlayStation 3. In an interview with the Times Online, Kotick warned Sony the possible consequences within their relationship if this issue was not dealt with:

"They have to cut the price, because if they don't, the attach rates [the number of games each console owner buys] are likely to slow. If we are being realistic, we might have to stop supporting Sony.” Ask when and he says: “When we look at 2010 and 2011, we might want to consider if we support the console — and the PSP [portable] too."

Nice bluff Kotick. I guess this was his way of putting more pressure on Sony (as if they needed any more), because I can't imagine Activision's Call of Duty and Guitar Hero franchises not being a part of the PS3's future. It's easy to agree with Kotick about the expensive PlayStation 3, since he is one of the many who share the same sentiments. At E3 2009, despite Sony giving a great press conference, the media still criticized the company for not announcing a price cut on the PS3.

Sony has two significant problems when it comes to the PS3. First, in today's struggling economy a $400 product will easily scare away any customer, despite how good it is. Second, Sony is competing with Microsoft's Xbox 360, whose console is much cheaper at $199. The problem for Sony then is that most games on their PS3 is also on the Xbox 360, so it's common sense for customers to play their games on a cheaper console.

Angry Fans Form Group to Boycott Left 4 Dead 2

I was happy to hear that Valve would be releasing Left 4 Dead 2 on November 17, 2009, but to my surprise, many hated the news. Shortly after the announcement some angry Left 4 Dead fans went to the online Steam community and formed a club called L4D2 Boycott (NO-L4D 2), pledging not to buy the sequel. So far more than 38,000 members have joined the boycott.

Valve has a good reputation for supporting their games long term with new content, so fans were concerned when they heard that Left 4 Dead 2 would arrive only a year after the original. They believe Valve will not support Left 4 Dead the way they have for their other games, like Team Fortress 2, because their focus will be on Left 4 Dead 2.

Here is some of their arguments posted on the front page of L4D2 Boycott:

“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.”

This club may be the cry of fanboys but they do have reasonable arguments. I do agree that Left 4 Dead 2 coming so soon will split the communities since the pre-orders for the sequel is already twice as many as the original. Their second argument has less legs since Valve has repeatedly told the media that Left 4 Dead 2 will be an entirely new game, with improved AI and new weapons, bosses, modes, and other features. I don't agree with their third argument, since Valve has already released new content for Left 4 Dead, including a Survival mode, two new versus campaigns, third-party campaign support, and improved match making.

I already know the ending to this saga. L4D2 Boycott will only end up losing many members once they hear how much better Left 4 Dead 2 is compared to the original.

Quick Look at Fallout 3's Good and Bad

Fallout 3 was an enjoyable game, but one I didn't return to after I finished it. The DLC's new items, characters, and locales doesn't interest me, since I feel I've experienced enough of the Fallout 3 universe. After piling the Wasteland with so many dead bodies of Super Mutants and other creatures, and having to see the same items over and over, it became a bit nauseating for me.

I would give Fallout 3 a B, since its good outweighs the bad. There are serious faults with it, like the repetitive task of collecting junk and the same old strategy of shooting creatures in the head. It's not even that good for a FPS since you can't aim as conveniently in the way you could with Bioshock or Half-Life 2. I did enjoy speaking with the Wasteland characters and leveling up my gal (a smart choice since I had the Black Widow perk). One thing I felt they could work on is the perks. I recently wrote a top ten worst perks article at Bright Hub a month ago. The best part about Fallout 3 was just being part of the stories, where you can determine the fate of so many people in this world.