The 17th is the day Paramount will release J.J. Abrams' popular Star Trek on DVD. It's also the day Valve Software unleashes Left 4 Dead 2 to the zombie-killing public. It's also the day John Mayer's long-awaited follow-up to 2006's masterful Continuum hits retail.
I can't say much about Trek that hasn't already been said. It's a wonderful science fiction actioner, and I find it amusing how literally Abrams took the term "reboot." This is a Star Trek for a new generation, featuring a delightful cast, jaw-dropping action and a whole lot of lens flare.
The standard single-disc version of the DVD is available for pre-order on Amazon.com for $16.99 includes the film, a commentary featuring Abrams, screenwriters Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Bryan Burk. It also includes a documentary on Abrams' vision for this film, and a gag reel.
The 2-Disc Digital Copy Special Edition is available for pre-order on Amazon.com for $22.99 and features the same content as the single-disc edition, along with a slew of extras on disc 2. These extras include a digital copy of the film, a bunch of deleted scenes, DVD-Rom content, four featurettes and a free trial of the Star Trek D-A-C video game.
The 3-Disc Digital Copy Special Edition is available for pre-order on Amazon.com for $25.99, only on Blu-Ray, and features all the aforementioned content plus more featurettes and a Starfleet Vessel Simulator.
Valve Software's Left 4 Dead 2 has actually seen a bit of controversy on its road to release. Valve has a tendency to release expansions rather than sequels, a habit fans have apparently become quite fond of. I'm a huge Half-Life fan myself, and that series hasn't seen a true sequel since 2004. Instead, Valve has released two expansion episodes, a masterful little puzzle game called Portal, and Team Fortress 2.
It was a big surprise, therefore, when Valve announced the sequel to Left 4 Dead just a year after the original hit retail. Some fans even called for a boycott, accusing Valve of trying to milk its followers for as much cash as possible.
Think what you will, but Left 4 Dead 2 looks like a true sequel to me, and seems well worth the $60 price tag. This sequel features new characters, weapons, a new level structure (which includes certain parts of certain levels that change each time you play them), new enemies, better AI, and more.
My favorite new feature is unquestionably the melee weapons. The official Left 4 Dead 2 Web site reports that there will be more than 10 melee weapons. Joystiq.com claims to have all 10 listed, but Valve's site says there are "over 10," so who knows? Joystiq list consists of the following: an axe, chainsaw, frying pan, cricket paddle (Shaun of the Dead, anybody?), katana, machete, police baton, crowbar (Half-Life 2-style), electric guitar and my personal favortie, the baseball bat.
The game starts in Savannah, Georgia, and follows four new characters (Coach, Ellis, Rochelle and Nick) as they battle through the zombie horde toward evacuation and rescue in New Orleans. Instead of four seemingly unconnected campaigns like the original, Left 4 Dead 2 features five that run in order, which should make for a more streamlined and logical story. Valve has said that although the story is a bit more fleshed out this time around, the essential simplicity is still a primary factor. We don't want story taking precedent over zombie killing.
Melee weapons were notably absent from the original, and I'm pretty sure playing Left 4 Dead 2 will make the first game feel all kinds of obsolete. I already have my weapons picked out (shotgun and baseball bat), and I'll be first in line for this game once November 17 finally comes around. Left 4 Dead 2 will be released for the Xbox 360 at retail and on Valve's Steam service for the PC.
John Mayer will give us his fourth studio album on the 17th as well. Titled Battle Studies, it's honestly a little difficult to know what to expect out of this album. That fact is strange, since Mayer's Battle Studies blog has provided us with a unique window into Mayer's creative process. Still, it's tough to predict what we'll hear on the 17th. Mayer has claimed that it'll be something different, and even said early on that people may not like it at first. I'm pretty sure people said that about Continuum before its release, but as far as I'm concerned, that's one of the best albums to come out of the music industry in a very long while. Hopefully Battle Studies lives up to that.
Mayer released the first single from this new album a couple days ago, titled "Who Says." It's a great song, with Mayer's usual lyrical genius at work (argue with me on that one if you want). It reminds me a lot of "3x5" from Room for Squares and "Stop This Train" from Continuum.
Mayer doesn't do a lot of collaborations on his albums, but Battle Studies features a duet with Taylor Swift, which will be interesting, to say the least. I appreciate Swift's music, so hearing her with Mayer will probably be a treat.
The teasers on the BattleStudies YouTube channel make it sound like this album will be a lot more mellow as a whole than some of his previous work. I'm totally okay with that, but it will be a big change for Mayer. We'll find out just what this album means for his career in November.
There you have it. Three big releases, one big day. Yet another reason I hope I have a job before then...
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