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Why a PS3 port of Left 4 Dead shouldn't happen

Justin Kemppainen, Minnesota Games Examiner writes:

There have been a few rumors floating about lately that there is consideration to the creation of a Left 4 Dead port to Playstation 3. One came in the form of a fake EB Games receipt, and the other a Best Buy preorder card.

This kind of thing is not terribly new. A great game comes out for other systems, so people wish and try to create rumors and whatnot to stir up the forlorn hopes of everyone else who wishes they could play the game. Bioshock was an example of this, although it did eventually get made. Mass Effect is another, although there are more rumors circulating that it will also eventually arrive on the Playstation system. Heck, there were rumors of Halo coming to PS2 back in the day.

Right now, of course, the game in the spotlight is, of course, Left 4 Dead, VALVe's latest Source shooter with solid design and fun, addictive gameplay (even if it is a little brief). Such a port would be a terrible idea.
Saladfax - contributor
Published: 293 days 8 hours ago | Article | PlayStation 3
 
 

Showing: 1 - 43 of 43 Comments
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Action Bastard - 293 days 8 hours ago
1 -
The concerns are legitimate. I too would be concerned as the track record for EA/Value PS3 ports is sh!t. That said, IF the PS3 version becomes a reality, the only reason I would buy (already owning the 360 version) is if the PC mods were available.
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butterfinger - 293 days 8 hours ago
1.1 - If the PC mods...
were made available in a PS3 version, I'd pick it up on day one - no question.
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Mindboggle - 293 days 7 hours ago
1.2 -
Id rather have a crappy port than nothing at all, plus it doesnt effect me either way. I dont have to buy it if its a crap port.

Plus who's to say it would be another orange box. I think EA have made enough PS3 games to know how to port them. This isnt 2007 remember, we are 2 years on and PS3 development has became much better.
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Action Bastard - 293 days 4 hours ago
1.3 - @ butterfinger
Yeah, if PC mods were available in a PS3 version, I would trade my 360 version in.
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darkride66 - 293 days 3 hours ago
1.4 - Wait, what the hell was wrong with The Orange Box?
I played that game from beginning to end on my PS3 and I thought it was fantastic. You'd think from the way people were talking it was unplayable. Nothing could be further from the truth. It received a Metacritic score of 89 and certainly ran a lot smoother than my PC could. And they patched the PS3 version as well. I don't know what was fixed in the patch, but I know there was one.

Maybe the 360 port was better somehow, I don't know...but I still think that if you're a PS3 fan you can't go wrong picking up a copy of this.
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Powertesties - 293 days 2 hours ago
1.5 - PS3 Deserves good ports...
and only good ports. If EA can not make this happen, keep the crap off the shelves.
Simple as that in my book.
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BrianC6234 - 293 days 2 hours ago
1.6 -
Left4Dead isn't a complicated game so a PS3 version should be easy. Didn't Gabe Newell recently say something good about the PS3? If so now is his chance to change his tune. Don't make a lazy port. Make a PS3 version of the game.
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GVON - 293 days 2 hours ago
1.7 -
if it does happen I'll only get it if it has mod support.
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jonondaspot - 293 days 2 hours ago
1.8 -
he lists a few reasons but the real one is obvious - fear, holding onto outdated tech.
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Jinxstar - 293 days 2 hours ago
1.9 -
Why don't you guys just get the PC version. System Reqs really aren't that high... I have it on PC and it's great...

I'm not agains't a port but imho it's to little to late for vavle. They don't support the PS3 then the PS3 should not support them.
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pain777pas - 293 days ago
1.10 -
Why are articles like this even written? Some people have absolutely nothing to do. LAME!!!!!!!!!!!
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Expy - 293 days 8 hours ago
2 -
Where do these random journalists come from?
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RAM MAGNUMS - 293 days 8 hours ago
3 - I would buy it only if...
they allow mouse and keyboard support to work like UT3.
and the mods should follow suit. I mean they cant really stop that even if they tried because someone would find a way since ps3 has the browser support.

As a matter of fact, I should be able to download this thru PSN so its conviently on my XMB. Those are my terms or PASS !
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DIRTYHAIRYJOYSTICK - 293 days 7 hours ago
4 - Why a PS3 port of Left 4 Dead shouldn't happen
PC and 360 ports to PS3 stink. If they put the needed time and effort into making a seperate version (which it would be) because PC and 360 ports to PS3 stink, then OK. But since it would basically be a port and PC and 360 ports to PS3 stink, forget it. Pass.
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shawnsl65 - 293 days 7 hours ago
5 -
this game belongs on the PC Only, you need some quick mouse reaction to keep those damn zombies away.
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lokiroo420 - 293 days 6 hours ago
5.1 -
Last time I checked ps3 can use a mouse.
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shawnsl65 - 292 days 23 hours ago
5.2 -
question is, will they port the mouse/keyboard over? if not then it should stay on pc where it belongs (which i have on my pc). ;D
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Azuske - 293 days 3 hours ago
6 - Wow...
FOR SOME THAT DONT WANT ME TO DISCRIBE WHY I DISAGREE WITH TOPICS LIKE THIS MY MAIN POINT IS THAT PORTING IS BEST FOR DEVELOPERS AND CONSOLE SALES AND CONSOLE WARS BETWEEN HIT GAMES LIKE THIS ARE DUMB.

FOR PEOPLE THAT WANT DETAILS:
The PS3 should have got left for dead 1st because it can use the same commands as the PC. The PS3 can use USB & Bluetooth Keyboards and mouses which makes it a better choice over the 360 but its still a great game nomatter what system its on. All the ps3 version will give is more PS3 sales and more sales to valve. Its stupid to say games shouldn't be released for one system.

The reason people make a big deal about the PS3 and Killzone 2 is because some don't believe its possible to create the experience they want people to experience on the xbox because of the fact it uses DVDs.

If Killzone was to be made for XBOX 360 it would be multi-disk and some don't care about that but many people rather have it all on one disk because of the fact that if u mess up one disk on a multi disk game you will not be able to complete the game but all on one disk makes it easier to manage and prevent messing up your disk.

Left 4 Dead should be on all platforms (Not including Wii even though its a good console just not for hardcore games such as this one).
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mint royale - 293 days 2 hours ago
6.1 - What makes the wii not 'hardcore' enough?
I'd want it on all platforms except:

the 360 because my batteries in my controller ran out
the ps3 because its too black
the psp because its ghey
the DS because of teh touchscreens!!!!!!

:)
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Ace_Shooter - 293 days 2 hours ago
6.2 - actually....
PS3 too black?? what??
i lol'd though at not getting it on 360 because of the batteries lol. thats true as i hate when my batterie life clearly shows "HALF" battery power but somehow manages to stop me in the middle of a firefight to warn me that my battery life is dead. dude...i still have HALF, what gives??
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Saladfax - 293 days 3 hours ago
7 - Meh
A L4D port would be great if they'd actually try to make it halfways decent.
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darkpower - 293 days 3 hours ago
8 - I don't think L4D was that great...
...but a lot of people seem to like it, and it would make things right short term between Valve and PS3 owners (no, it wouldn't be a permanent fix, but it would be a start). I DID say that they need to do it RIGHT this time and don't make it into the mess that became The Orange Box.

There's another reason I forgot to list that I think I'll post later, since it deserves it's OWN article, I think.

@Itrguy001 below: They obviously read MY piece ( http://www.gamegazette.net/... ) on why it SHOULD happen (which I do stand behind).
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darkride66 - 293 days 2 hours ago
8.1 - Again, what was so wrong with the Orange Box?
Yet again! "The mess that was the Orange Box"
What the hell? Did no one even try this on the PS3? It was awesome! Did the 360 version wash the car or something? I played through all 3 episodes and thought it was great. It had some occassional slowdown towards the end but I was used to that playing the game on my PC. It still didn't dampen the fun of this game. Come on! A metacritic score of 89 for the PS3 version! Do any of you know how rare that is?
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mint royale - 293 days 2 hours ago
8.2 - Thats stupid
why the hell do Valve owe ps3 owners anything because of the orange box? Im sick of these generic comments. What about what valve owes nintendo owners? *expects generic wii is ghey comments*
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Godmars290 - 293 days 2 hours ago
8.3 - mint royale
EA/Valve owes PS3 owners by not half @$$ing any games they offer. Based on Orange Box the only way they'd sell half as many as on the 360 at this point is by dong a decent if not better job.
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00 - 293 days 2 hours ago
8.4 - Lmao
valve and EA owe you nothing if you don't like what they do just move along.
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evrfighter - 293 days ago
8.5 -
Valve owes nothing to the ps3. I'd rather they work on their pc games.
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Itrguy001 - 293 days 3 hours ago
9 -
Man i live in Minnesota but i have never heard of these guys ever
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Godmars290 - 293 days 2 hours ago
10 - But if the PC mods were made available to a PS3 version,
Exactly how pissed would MS be? More so if the mods are already free.
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JayX666 - 293 days 2 hours ago
11 - Why i dont care...
Plus whats with this mint royale guy, and his love for nintendo?!
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vlazed - 293 days 2 hours ago
12 -
Seems like an underhanded attempt to hang on to the last of the 360's 3rd party exclusives. 3rd party exclusives are dead and the talking point spreadsheets are getting very thin, but it is okay there is always sale's numbers. That is if you leave out the Wii.
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callahan09 - 293 days 2 hours ago
13 -
This is one of the worst articles I've ever seen approved here.

I knew something was fishy when he started naming various games that "other console owners" would want ported out of some kind of jealousy. I figured Metal Gear Solid 4 would be an obvious one, but, nope, he only mentions Xbox games that PS3 owners would want. That's minor clue number one.

I am too exhausted to even get into it. But, seriously, his entire reasoning basically boils down to, "I already own the game on PC, so it shouldn't get ported at all because I personally wouldn't buy it."

He uses the PS3 port of the Orange Box as an example, but, all told, that game was still worth buying if you didn't have a 360 or a PC. It was the inferior version, everyone knows that, but I've got first-hand experience with it and the other versions, and the difference is very small. The majority of the games in the package worked great, and some parts of Episode 2 suffered frame-rate drops. Oh well.

Just because EA didn't do a bang-up job on that port doesn't mean they shouldn't even attempt for Left 4 Dead. They could get it right. And even if they don't, you know, I'm sure it'd be playable to those who don't own a 360 or a PC.

The only reason one could possibly have for saying a game shouldn't be ported to another system is this: fanboyism. If it can be done, it probably should be done.
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Cajun Chicken - 293 days 2 hours ago
14 - Disagree.
Its either both HD consoles or neither. Valve making games for 360 and not the PS3 is hypocritcal seeing their view against consoles previously. What Gabe has against the PS3 I don't know.
If its a port, its not the same game. I want VALVE to make it. Same with any of the other titles Valve have made.

As Valve keeps on saying; if they want to be known as a PC game developer, JUST make PC games if not, do 360 AND PS3, no favoritism.
14.1 JokesOnYou | 293 days 1 hour ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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-GametimeUK- - 293 days 2 hours ago
15 -
Well from what I read on here most people dont want the game or have it on 360... Or did you guys just not want it cos you couldnt have it on your PS3's?

either way I still dont want this game... It looks teh sucks!
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Saladfax - 293 days 1 hour ago
16 -
Console version of Orange Box is crap by comparison to the PC version. The PS3 OB will probably never see any new content; god knows the 360 version still hasn't. Do you really think L4D will be treated any better.

It's not about coveting a game, it's about doing a good game justice.
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gammaman - 293 days 1 hour ago
17 -
I do not see what all of the hype is, I thought this game sucked big time.
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Magnus - 293 days ago
18 -
I hope the game comes for the Ps3 i really want to try it out.
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pixelsword - 293 days ago
19 - I don't know if left4Dead is coming out for the PS3 or not...
...but if it does,

I hope they invest in some graphical upgrades. The game is fun, but it looks like a maxed-out 386 game in a lot of parts, and the zombies don't look like they have blood stains on their mouths, it looks more like bruises.

I also hope they add keyboard functionality. I don't know why all PS3 games don't have it, maybe some would be awkward like side-scrollers, but L4D is definitely one that should have it.

It also needs to support mods like UT III; I still play UT III a lot because the mod community is rather big on UT III, so to extend this rather short game, modding is a must.

Valve should also pack it in with extras to fill up Blu-Ray space, because looking at this game, it probably doesn't even fill up a DVD uncompressed.
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yojoe26 - 292 days 22 hours ago
20 - I don't own a 360 so I
don't know anything about this game, but I would like to try it. It sounds like an arcadey kind of shooter where there isn't any strategy involved at all so I'm not sure if I would like it. I'm very picky about my shooters sometimes. I LOVE Call of Duty, Resistance, and Timesplitters. Unreal Tournament, however, I have to be in a specific mood for and I heard Left4Dead was similar to it minus the crazy futuristic weapons.
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Lombax - 292 days 19 hours ago
21 - Is it just me or...
does VALVe need to pull that (I hate the PS3) stick out of there ass?

But hey, if the cell is to hard for them to develop for oh well, I guess... Just a shame for them that all PCs are moving in the parallel programing direction too.
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Gun_Senshi - 292 days 9 hours ago
22 -
Best Version of L4D is on PC, by far.

Same as The Orange Box.

Its requires for PC are very low to.

Though I refuse to pay a full retail price for a mod that was free in Counter Strike Source.
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mastiffchild - 292 days 8 hours ago
23 -
L4D is ten times better on PC than 360 anyway. As it's best in co-op(seriously Valve how can you criticise anyone for anything, let alone the PS3 for being too difficult for your poor tiny minds, when you release any game with THAT SP campaign-lame gets nowhere near)t avoids my biggest PC shooter problem(that whoever has the best set up(ie most expensive gaming mouse and keyboard)has a nuge unfair advantage), the inherent inequality, and is undeniably great fun(if not very pretty).
So, no, we do not need another console version seeing as the 360 already has a sub par one they won't even try for PS3. Unless they introduce some cool versus modes without keyboard and mouse support(pad versus pad is THE ONLY fair test of online skill)or make the SP thirty million times better then the only reason for a PS port will be EA's greed. As A former Valve fanboy(Gabe-you're a fool and could do with a mouth alert to prevent sticking your foot in the orifice), PC gamer(sick of the arms race in gaming peris)PS3 gamer and(and i'm even proud to say it) Wii gamer I honestly see zero point in a PS3 port in the games current state.However not for the vague reasoning that the fool article writer states-if he dislikes the PS3 having one of HIS games at last have the sack to say it.
Now a Wii port! That would be funny!
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