Steam Update news today includes the following item:

Valve offering exclusive L4D2 hat for TF2 if you pre-order now!

I’m still very much on the fence about the whole Left 4 Dead 2 thing.  I’m sure that at some point in time, I will be tempted into buying it (probably when it’s offered at some crazy Steam discounted price).  For the time being, however, I don’t feel particularly compelled.  New L4D content would be nice (be it in the form or L4D or L4D2), but things have been rather stagnant for some time now, leaving me more than somewhat bored with L4D in general.

I’ve lost a fair bit of interest in TF2 as well.  Though I think it’s interesting and nice that Valve is throwing in bonuses for one game (TF2) by purchasing another game (L4D2), it’s still not enough to convince me to pre-order.  I know that pre-orders for L4D2 have exceeded those for L4D (not entirely surprising given that L4D now has an actual fanbase), and I stand dangerously close to being considered a stubborn hater by continuing to hold out.  I’m not clinging to the old arguments that Valve has abandoned L4D or stabbed its players in the back.  I’m just not that interested in what’s being offered so far.