@bigsocrates: It's not a matter of success, it's a matter of delivering a good-enough product that won't be taken to court or publicly shamed to the point of stock valuation dropping. The longer they take to develop and the more money they rake in, the bigger a target they put on their back if the release goes sideways. Even if this is the only game they develop, poor choices could still hurt them financially in the long run even with all the money they have.
@onemanarmyy: I have heard of game companies toying around with the idea of in-game items being on the blockchain. I could definitely see this game adding ships to the blockchain, which I think will make the in-game marketplace (if there is one) boom.
@deer: I've heard about its expensive ships and whatnot. That's a dangerous game to play because while your audience is rich, it's growth is small. Unless the devs do a wipe (which won't happen because how much long-time players have invested into the title), I can see a lot of newcomers enter the game when (if) it does finally release and will be immediately turned off when they realize it's a rich kids club.
@justin258: The small inventory space is definitely an issue, but the way I think about is the typewriter rooms are my safe rooms and I'm doing runs for as long as I can until I have to retreat to safety to save and stock up on supplies. The oil was a permanent fixture in my inventory, so for the most part I either avoided or killed and burned zombies, so I didn't run into as many crimson heads. The ones I did run into are quite frustrating though. I actually like the ink ribbons idea because even though I have plenty in my inventory, I like having to strategize how much time I should send between saves. I'm not all the way through yet, but the zombies do eventually kind of leave later on and are replaced by a different enemy who is faster and stronger, but ammo counts are greater and they seem to disappear after being killed.
As for Selaco, I think it looks neat. I remember seeing a video on it a few weeks back about how this surprisingly modern looking game is made on such an old engine. I'm personally kind of burned out on modern retro shooters or whatever they're called, but I'm willing to check this one out.
@nuttism: I'm normally not into these type of games either, but what I think makes this game so great is how compact it is. Everything is just a short hike away, and the movement does feel great so that getting around is just as enjoyable as the destination. I also did really enjoy the music for that game, even though there isn't much.
@justin258: I 100% agree with you that this is a fine game, and anyone looking for specifically Left 4 Dead will find it here. I think the question people need to ask themselves, though, is if they want that exact experience again, or if their tastes have changed since those original two games and instead think they want L4D exact. If people know that is what they want, then here it is, but I have a feeling that a lot of people think they want L4D exact when in reality they are looking for something more. People's tastes and what they want out of a game change over the years, and the L4D-likes that have come out over the years have changed with them. Once people pick this game up and that nostalgic cloud dissipates, I think a lot of people are going to realize that this game does feel a bit stuck in the past and that they instead want a more modern and evolved form of this game like Deep Rock Galactic, Vermintide, World War Z, Payday 2, etc. As someone who has played a fair few of these L4D-likes, I already knew going in that riding on the success of its influence wouldn't be enough, but I fear there will be a large chunk of people who pick this game up in the hopes that they can continue off of the fun they had years ago with Left 4 Dead but will find otherwise and end up feeling disappointed.
I'm intrigued by your thoughts on the character dialogue. I can certainly see some of the characters getting annoying, and I did roll my eyes at a few of the conversations, but I personally wouldn't say it's as much of a make-or-break for me as it sounds like it is for you. I don't blame you though, as I think the dialogue and characters of Borderlands 3 makes that game considerably worse, so I can see how something like that can be a big factor.
I'm kind of in the same boat as you in regards to picking it up when it comes out. If I can play it on Game Pass or get it for free, then I'm not opposed to playing through all of the levels once or twice, but I also found myself wanting to play other L4D-likes while playing the beta for this. It is remarkably average and totally serviceable, but there is enough competition out there to where that isn't enough.
@allthedinos: I don't necessarily think this genre has come and gone just yet, but I believe it is crowded enough to where a new game has to stand out if it wants to be successful, and I think where you and I agree is in that this game should've come out sooner as I believe it would have more staying power if it did. I think a lot of people have really hyped this game up, and I think tempering expectations is the best course of action for jumping into the beta. This isn't a bad game, but I don't think this game will re-capture the L4D zeitgeist like those original games did.
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