Holy.... Left 4 Dead 2 is really violent!

[ItsAChiaotzu]

ZOMG!!!! LEFT 4 DEAD 2 IS VIOLENT, WHAT IS THE WORLD COMEING TOO!!!!!

A few things:

1) Caps are not cool. If anything, they make everyone immediately dislike you (unless it's in irony) and not care what you say.
2) Try to read the post before commenting so as not to make yourself look like an idiot. She didn't show surprise at the violence, but at the level of it.
3) Not contributing to the thread is called 'trolling', if you keep doing it, you will almost certainly get probation/suspension because people like the forums to be a friendly place.

1) I think he was using caps in irony, that was the point.

2) Yeah, the fact that she was surprised by the amount of violence is pretty silly in my opinion, I mean, it's a zombie game, where you use chainsaws to cut them up, what did she honestly expect?

3) If that's trolling then more than half the posts on this site that go unmoderated are trolling.

When people post ironic comments they usually tend to give a real answer afterwards (which he has now).

Not really, Valve have only done gore in a comical way (TF2) before, so for them to have some serious levels of it is somewhat surprising (although not necessarily bad) I don't see why everyone needs to jump on new topics straight away. If people don't see why it's surprising then maybe they should give a valid discussion on why it isn't rather than being sarcastic.

Yes, they are. Some are small enough that the Mods don't bother with them.

Well on the irony thing I think you should try and give people the benefit of the doubt.

I still maintain that the hint is in the chainsaws and other stuff you use to cut up zombies, I would generally expect that to be gory.

And no, they are not, lots and lots and lots of posts don't add to the discussion but are not troll posts, troll posts are ones specifically written to provoke an argument, usually about something fanboyish.

 

[CanOfPop]

Y'know, I am getting really tired of this fad of splattering blood on the screen after a kill. It obstructs your view and annoys THE FUCK out of me. There needs to be an option to turn it off, not for the violence or anything like that, but for gamers who don't play games for a cinematic, instead GAMEPLAY.

I think it's supposed to balance out the power of melee weapons.

 

[CanOfPop]

Y'know, I am getting really tired of this fad of splattering blood on the screen after a kill. It obstructs your view and annoys THE FUCK out of me. There needs to be an option to turn it off, not for the violence or anything like that, but for gamers who don't play games for a cinematic, instead GAMEPLAY.

I think it's supposed to balance out the power of melee weapons.

Ahhh, good insight. Still, I would rather the melee weapons be nerfed than have my view obstructed.

Sadly they are too popular. I doubt we will see a nerf. Best case scenario is Valve allows you to toggle it on / off if enough people complain about it.

 

[PAGEToap44]

I know, isn't it great?

I love gory films myself and not only is Left 4 Dead 2 gory, it's up close gory!

The machete and chrome shotgun are my choices of mutilation.

Aha! The first post on here that makes sense!

 

[ultimateownage]

The gore is awesome, it just shows how hard the development team went to make the game look cool, most developers just wouldn't bother. I remember shooting off a zombies arm and shooting a hole straight through it's face and it still kept coming.

 

[Halceon]

The hangup here for me is that this gore doesn't seem to add anything to the gameplay value, (being blinded by prolly bloodsplatter nonwithstanding) and it doesn't seem to add to the atmosphere, at least in my opinion.

This is the one bit, where i heartily disagree. Atmosphere is the one spot it adds to immensely. There are several important elements to the zombie apocalypse trope. The part that games thrive on - killing people that aren't really people en masse because it's ok. The part that great narratives are born from is the dissonance between darwinian kill-or-be-killed and empathic but-it's-my-grandpa. The more natural the gore and the more lifelike the zombies, the more emphasis on the dissonance.

 

[JWAN]

I know, isn't it great?

I love gory films myself and not only is Left 4 Dead 2 gory, it's up close gory!

The machete and chrome shotgun are my choices of mutilation.

what are the differences between the shotguns anyway?

I like the Mag, it rips off arms, keeps going and rips off MORE limbs

 

[Christemo]

i´ve loved gore in games ever since God of War, and L4D2 made me howl with joy. seriously, gutting the guts out of a zombie in a gorefest is just me.

 

[wordsmith]

Really, though, I have to ask yall: how do you feel about the level of violence?

I don't have a problem with it, but a certain un-named Escapist (*Cough* Phoenix Arrow *cough*) definitely felt uncomfortable about it. In fact, I think the direct quote was "Ewww! That's disgusting! I can't believe that happens when you shoot them in the stomach!"

As it is, I use gibs as a way of making sure my shot hit the target.

 

[Ariosona]

I admit the amount of gore turns it from being a survival horror to being a bit like a roflknife sliecsliecsliec fest, which is fun, but not what l4d is about. I never thought id say it but i wish there was a few less airborne limbs.

L4D was never a survival horror game to begin with IMO.

WAY to much like an action game for me.

Yeh that's a good point i guess, its deemed survival horror because the aim is generally to survive (focusing on the 'survivors').
But i do agree after you got used to the maps and the weapons it was more like a run'n'gun horror game.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Are you serious?

I thought the violence was very cartoony and silly. Made me chuckle.

Don't ever play Condemned 2...

Oh the joys of tossing a brick into someone's face.

And beating them to death with the toilet seat they were just sitting on.

 

[Kajt]

I really don't care about the violence and gore in the game. The only thing that interests me is the gameplay.

 

[Wanderer1911]

The gore in Left 4 Dead 2 caught me off guard. The first time I saw an arm come off I thought it was a glitch and was amused and fascinated. After a little playing I realized that its a gory game which almost bothered me on some level but I got over it pretty quick. I think the gore is a good addition for the most part but, admittedly, unnecessary. There are still a few times when it will catch me off guard and almost make me nauseous but its still cool. I think I like it because it changes the feel of the game from fun/funny zombie killing game into something a little closer to what survival horror should be.
The Zombie Apocalypse won't be pretty and people need to keep that in mind.

 

[Cowabungaa]

I was surprised as well, but pleasantly surprised. For me it does add to the atmosphere, makes it all feel more vicious. I could do without, that's for sure, but it's a nice little thing. It's quite satisfying to decapitate a zombie with a guitar while yelling "DECAPITATIOOOOON" ala Eddie Riggs, no matter how cheesy it is.

 

[Doc Theta Sigma]

It's quite satisfying to decapitate a zombie with a guitar while yelling "DECAPITATIOOOOON" ala Eddie Riggs, no matter how cheesy it is.

I thought I was the only one! :O

I was surprised about the more realistic gore but I think it only enhances the experience. When you look over an area after you've killed everything there you see entrails in places. That's an attention to detail I salute Valve for.

 

[Erana]

The hangup here for me is that this gore doesn't seem to add anything to the gameplay value, (being blinded by prolly bloodsplatter nonwithstanding) and it doesn't seem to add to the atmosphere, at least in my opinion.

This is the one bit, where i heartily disagree. Atmosphere is the one spot it adds to immensely. There are several important elements to the zombie apocalypse trope. The part that games thrive on - killing people that aren't really people en masse because it's ok. The part that great narratives are born from is the dissonance between darwinian kill-or-be-killed and empathic but-it's-my-grandpa. The more natural the gore and the more lifelike the zombies, the more emphasis on the dissonance.

I guess you've got a point there...
Reading these posts make me realise the real origins of the zombie genre, which I must admit I'm too much of a wimp to watch...
For me, its been more a matter of zombies in video games, which are somehow more friendly.

Often as in the case of Left 4 Dead 2 the violence no longer adds anything and in fact detracts from the experience in significant ways. The benchmark for this is when people (such as your significant other) can no longer watch or participate in the game.

Also, very much this in my personal experience.
For me, gaming is at its best when you have someone to be with you when you play. Not on the internet, but a friend to joke and giggle with who doesn't even need to be playing. And L4D can work for that. It had its moments, but there's nothing quite like having seven girls huddled around a Valve game and screaming in unison when the zombies pop out from nowhere, then spending ten minutes arguing over whether to use the sawblade or the exploding barrels more.
(OK, so I'm referring to Half-Life 2 in the second part there, but that night was just epic.)
L4D was already pushing it.
L4D2 would probably get legislation within my college to keep people from playing video games in lounges...

 

[Ymbirtt]

I agree with you here. I've played violent games before, and I'm used to a bit of gore from time to time, but this is the first game to ever make me feel just a little bit uneasy about how much blood there actually is that's building up on the screen.

The worst bit is that I don't object to seeing it, and whilst I'm playing I'll go through quite happily, even taking steps to fill as much of the screen as possible with blood just for the sake of it (those Riot Zombies are really good for that), and then I finish the game, go do something else, and then look back and think "Wait... that guy was running at me with his intestines trailing across the floor, wasn't he?". That's a scary insight into the gaming mentality right there, I think.

 

[Blimey]

Woah, people have a problem with it being too gory? I thought it was fucking perfect! Personally I thought L4D1 could have had more gore, and L4D2 has now made this happen, at least in the demo. Its reminiscent of the good old days of zombie movies when the had over the top gore and blood (Dead Alive, anyone?)

 

[CanOfPop]

Type -lv into the launch parameters, you pansies.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

I think it's mildly over-the-top- a single 7.62mm round really shouldn't remove most of a human's abdomen, since these are still living people and not necrotic zombies- but it doesn't bother me all that much... although I did sort of wince when I shot a climbing Infected in the back with a shotgun at a downwards angle and blew off most of her back straight down to the spine and ribcage. I do have to admit that it really adds to the atmosphere, though- it feels more like you're wielding high-powered weaponry against live targets, rather than shooting blanks at actors with exploding squibs hidden in their clothing.