...but I'll be back. Always am :)
Just need a little break.
Take it easy, all! Looking forward to hooking back up down the road.
Thanks for all the support, as always!
David
Monday, June 30, 2008
Gone Fishin'
...but I'll be back. Always am :)
Just need a little break.
Take it easy, all! Looking forward to hooking back up down the road.
Thanks for all the support, as always!
David
Monday, June 23, 2008
MAKE MINE MARVEL...PART TWO :)
EDIT:
Two things have me very pissed off:
#1- G4...come on guys. What is with this ultra sensationalist headline? I HATE Spiderman games?!? Would you PLEASE show me where in my 2 posts about COMIC BOOK GAMES (not Spiderman games, by the way but hey, good try) that I say I HATE- or even come close to saying I HATE Spiderman games...or hate ANYTHING?!?! What the fuck Patrick Roche-Sowa (author of the article)? Did you go to school for journalism or for tabloid reporting?
Always loved G4, love doing stuff with them. Appreciate the interest and the body of this web article was great. Accurate, fair, all that good stuff. But the headline just sets people off...and that's ok, that is your job. But the problem I have with it is that it's a fucking lie and it's a lie attributed to me....
#2- Always flattering when gaming press feels I've posted something worth putting on their sites via links and stories. I am really grateful for the interest. So thank you, gaming sites. But damn, some of ya'lls readers are just fucking stupid. Have you read your comments section? You guys need to post a reading comprehension test that must be passed before anyone gets into your site. Suddenly I want to take THE POWERS of out superhero games? I want the games to be ALL story and no gameplay? I want to remove all swinging from Spiderman games?!?! Where are the readers getting this shit?!?! Probably from the sensationalistic headlines and not from the actual body itself....it's like: fucking READ THE SHIT before you make an ass of yourself and comment, people. What the hell...
Ok, chat later ya'll!
END EDIT
+++++++++++++++
Follow up on the Spidey/Marvel/Superhero game deal...I had a fun discussion last nite about the very issue on neogaf (if you don't go there daily, you are missing out on the best game talk around).
Thought I'd repost some of my comments from there on here given that alot of these neogaf reposts contain stuff I wish I had written in the original post but just kinda didn't...sort of clarifies my stance on the issue, especially for those people who assumed I was simply calling for more cut scenes ( to help with story) in super hero games....
Out in Utah next two days so I may not get a chance to post. If not, chat with you guys Thursday!
David
ps. To those who have asked, yes I played Ultimate Spiderman and enjoyed aspects of it very much and feel it was one of the best Spidey games ever. Some great moments. That said, it still suffered- to me- from the rinse/repeat syndrome.
NEOGAF POSTS:
++++++
POST #1-If you read my post on my blog, you'll see I'm not saying that a super hero game needs a great story told via cut scenes to be good. It's not that I don't want to DO the cool superhero things...I totally do. And it's not like I feel that a dud of a superhero game would be great if the story were great. What I am saying is that I want to take a journey into the Marvel Universe in the same way I step into Solid Snake's universe or Link's universe or the Call of Duty universe. I want to be immersed in an experience, not play a tech demo...which is- to me- what alot of the superhero games end up being.
It's like they do some cool powers, do the window dressing of setting the game in the licensed world, and then have the player tackle 3-4 generic goals and then rinse/repeat. To me, not only is this dull- once the fun of using the powers wears off- but it (and this is the gist of my post on my blog) goes against what makes comics great in the first place.
I agree- for example- the combat video on 1up looked great! In the same way that the Indy Jones combat video Lucasarts showed last year looked cool. But if history serves, I would not be surprised if combat was the crux of both of those games and it's combat combat combat all day long and to me, not only does this get boring, but it doesn't speak to the promise of playing a game set in a comic universe, or Indy's universe.
I hope that makes a bit more sense?
David
ps. and by the way, I appreciate some of you may not have liked/loved Calling All Cars. But I don't think that limits my right to have an opinion about the industry or game design in general. I mean, when I think back to your last game I think abo-....oh wait, that's right. So Shut the fuck up. :)
+++++++
POST #2: The license holder is ultimately responsible for the quality of the product they allow to come out into the marketplace. They choose who they work with, they have language- I assume (as most license holders do)- in the contract that says they have to approve milestones and approve the game in general before it comes out,etc.
And as I said in my post, Marvel is making money and so are many of the publishers and devs who work with them. They seem to be doing good business and I don't fault them for that.
But I address them directly because they are- end of the day- the ones responsible for what happens to their licenses. And they should be the ones who care the most. Not saying they are not but if Activision can ship a Marvel game based on a hit Marvel movie using a pre-existing engine/design and a developer can do the same, it is usually in the pub/dev best interest to do so. While everyone benefits from a game that takes chances and succeeds, in this scenario, Marvel would benefit the most because it would increase the value of their brand within the game space.
++++
POST #3: Part of the problem is everyone assumes that story=cut scenes.
Good story in games IS mission design and IS character mechanics. For me, good story in game design for a spidey game would be stuff like:
-Spidey swinging above the city when his powers begin to give out and he has to- on the fly- adjust to slowly losing his powers (one by one, but in the order you- as a player choose- so there is some strategy to which powers you keep the longest before you are drained of them all)- ...so it begins with him battling the Green Goblin as Spidey- with all his Spidey powers- and by the end of the battle, you've lost all your super powers and all you've got is Peter Parker's very limited abilities (which=nothing but his intellect)...but you've still got to figure out how to stop the bad guy (cause, as Peter, you've still got this massive sense of responsibility)....granted, if not tuned right, this could be annoying to play, but for the sake of this discussion, assume it's tuned right. To me, this is a great example of a story scenario that you would see in the comics tied into the gameplay.
-Spidey being forced to deal- thru gameplay- with his ever present 'with great power comes great responsibility' dilemma...again, have not thought this thru play wise but perhaps over time there is some sort of guilt that builds up if Spidey takes the easy way out too often (allows pedestrians get hurt when battling bad guys, doesn't go after some bad guys that are able to be captured but do not need to be caught in order to win the mission,etc). Once the guilt meter is filled up, it begins to affect play or story/mission. Sort of like the fear meter in Eternal Darkness but less surreal and more tied into the actual mission design. A great way for the classic aspect of Spidey's character to come thru via play.
Again- it's very late (can't sleep) and I am not putting these out here to be judged as great play mechanics (I know they need work) but more as an example that- when I say story- I don't mean cut scenes and spoken dialogue but story that affects the core play itself. In essence, mission design and play mechanics taking into account the character and story elements seen- and loved- from the comics.
Good nite ya'll.
David
++++
POST #4: You are not wrong...BUT this is the same sort of thinking that kept Marvel from making hit movies for years. But eventually they realized: oh wait, if we put passionate directors and writers and actors into our movies, we get MASSIVE hits...from the big guns like Spidey, to more obscure- to general audiences- characters like IRON MAN.
Same thinking- if applied to the games- would yield- I feel- similar results. One need only look at the staggering success of GOLDENEYE to see what happens when a great license is given the time and passion to be turned into a product that can stand alone WITHOUT the license. When that happens- in any medium- you tend to get gold. That scenario- sadly- is all too rare in the game biz.
Which is my main point: I LOVE Marvel comics and want to see them start making games worthy of their amazing history of great products and characters. I want to see them apply their smart logic to making films to their games division.
+++++++
Two things have me very pissed off:
#1- G4...come on guys. What is with this ultra sensationalist headline? I HATE Spiderman games?!? Would you PLEASE show me where in my 2 posts about COMIC BOOK GAMES (not Spiderman games, by the way but hey, good try) that I say I HATE- or even come close to saying I HATE Spiderman games...or hate ANYTHING?!?! What the fuck Patrick Roche-Sowa (author of the article)? Did you go to school for journalism or for tabloid reporting?
Always loved G4, love doing stuff with them. Appreciate the interest and the body of this web article was great. Accurate, fair, all that good stuff. But the headline just sets people off...and that's ok, that is your job. But the problem I have with it is that it's a fucking lie and it's a lie attributed to me....
#2- Always flattering when gaming press feels I've posted something worth putting on their sites via links and stories. I am really grateful for the interest. So thank you, gaming sites. But damn, some of ya'lls readers are just fucking stupid. Have you read your comments section? You guys need to post a reading comprehension test that must be passed before anyone gets into your site. Suddenly I want to take THE POWERS of out superhero games? I want the games to be ALL story and no gameplay? I want to remove all swinging from Spiderman games?!?! Where are the readers getting this shit?!?! Probably from the sensationalistic headlines and not from the actual body itself....it's like: fucking READ THE SHIT before you make an ass of yourself and comment, people. What the hell...
Ok, chat later ya'll!
END EDIT
+++++++++++++++
Follow up on the Spidey/Marvel/Superhero game deal...I had a fun discussion last nite about the very issue on neogaf (if you don't go there daily, you are missing out on the best game talk around).
Thought I'd repost some of my comments from there on here given that alot of these neogaf reposts contain stuff I wish I had written in the original post but just kinda didn't...sort of clarifies my stance on the issue, especially for those people who assumed I was simply calling for more cut scenes ( to help with story) in super hero games....
Out in Utah next two days so I may not get a chance to post. If not, chat with you guys Thursday!
David
ps. To those who have asked, yes I played Ultimate Spiderman and enjoyed aspects of it very much and feel it was one of the best Spidey games ever. Some great moments. That said, it still suffered- to me- from the rinse/repeat syndrome.
NEOGAF POSTS:
++++++
POST #1-If you read my post on my blog, you'll see I'm not saying that a super hero game needs a great story told via cut scenes to be good. It's not that I don't want to DO the cool superhero things...I totally do. And it's not like I feel that a dud of a superhero game would be great if the story were great. What I am saying is that I want to take a journey into the Marvel Universe in the same way I step into Solid Snake's universe or Link's universe or the Call of Duty universe. I want to be immersed in an experience, not play a tech demo...which is- to me- what alot of the superhero games end up being.
It's like they do some cool powers, do the window dressing of setting the game in the licensed world, and then have the player tackle 3-4 generic goals and then rinse/repeat. To me, not only is this dull- once the fun of using the powers wears off- but it (and this is the gist of my post on my blog) goes against what makes comics great in the first place.
I agree- for example- the combat video on 1up looked great! In the same way that the Indy Jones combat video Lucasarts showed last year looked cool. But if history serves, I would not be surprised if combat was the crux of both of those games and it's combat combat combat all day long and to me, not only does this get boring, but it doesn't speak to the promise of playing a game set in a comic universe, or Indy's universe.
I hope that makes a bit more sense?
David
ps. and by the way, I appreciate some of you may not have liked/loved Calling All Cars. But I don't think that limits my right to have an opinion about the industry or game design in general. I mean, when I think back to your last game I think abo-....oh wait, that's right. So Shut the fuck up. :)
+++++++
POST #2: The license holder is ultimately responsible for the quality of the product they allow to come out into the marketplace. They choose who they work with, they have language- I assume (as most license holders do)- in the contract that says they have to approve milestones and approve the game in general before it comes out,etc.
And as I said in my post, Marvel is making money and so are many of the publishers and devs who work with them. They seem to be doing good business and I don't fault them for that.
But I address them directly because they are- end of the day- the ones responsible for what happens to their licenses. And they should be the ones who care the most. Not saying they are not but if Activision can ship a Marvel game based on a hit Marvel movie using a pre-existing engine/design and a developer can do the same, it is usually in the pub/dev best interest to do so. While everyone benefits from a game that takes chances and succeeds, in this scenario, Marvel would benefit the most because it would increase the value of their brand within the game space.
++++
POST #3: Part of the problem is everyone assumes that story=cut scenes.
Good story in games IS mission design and IS character mechanics. For me, good story in game design for a spidey game would be stuff like:
-Spidey swinging above the city when his powers begin to give out and he has to- on the fly- adjust to slowly losing his powers (one by one, but in the order you- as a player choose- so there is some strategy to which powers you keep the longest before you are drained of them all)- ...so it begins with him battling the Green Goblin as Spidey- with all his Spidey powers- and by the end of the battle, you've lost all your super powers and all you've got is Peter Parker's very limited abilities (which=nothing but his intellect)...but you've still got to figure out how to stop the bad guy (cause, as Peter, you've still got this massive sense of responsibility)....granted, if not tuned right, this could be annoying to play, but for the sake of this discussion, assume it's tuned right. To me, this is a great example of a story scenario that you would see in the comics tied into the gameplay.
-Spidey being forced to deal- thru gameplay- with his ever present 'with great power comes great responsibility' dilemma...again, have not thought this thru play wise but perhaps over time there is some sort of guilt that builds up if Spidey takes the easy way out too often (allows pedestrians get hurt when battling bad guys, doesn't go after some bad guys that are able to be captured but do not need to be caught in order to win the mission,etc). Once the guilt meter is filled up, it begins to affect play or story/mission. Sort of like the fear meter in Eternal Darkness but less surreal and more tied into the actual mission design. A great way for the classic aspect of Spidey's character to come thru via play.
Again- it's very late (can't sleep) and I am not putting these out here to be judged as great play mechanics (I know they need work) but more as an example that- when I say story- I don't mean cut scenes and spoken dialogue but story that affects the core play itself. In essence, mission design and play mechanics taking into account the character and story elements seen- and loved- from the comics.
Good nite ya'll.
David
++++
POST #4: You are not wrong...BUT this is the same sort of thinking that kept Marvel from making hit movies for years. But eventually they realized: oh wait, if we put passionate directors and writers and actors into our movies, we get MASSIVE hits...from the big guns like Spidey, to more obscure- to general audiences- characters like IRON MAN.
Same thinking- if applied to the games- would yield- I feel- similar results. One need only look at the staggering success of GOLDENEYE to see what happens when a great license is given the time and passion to be turned into a product that can stand alone WITHOUT the license. When that happens- in any medium- you tend to get gold. That scenario- sadly- is all too rare in the game biz.
Which is my main point: I LOVE Marvel comics and want to see them start making games worthy of their amazing history of great products and characters. I want to see them apply their smart logic to making films to their games division.
+++++++
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Why Don't I Cut Off All My Fingers And Put Them In A Salad?!?
Rest in Peace, you old cocksucker. We'll miss you tons.
EDIT/ADDITION: And for those folks who don't get the genius of the man, and/or don't get why I happen to think Carlin was one of the funniest and smartest comedians (let alone observers of humanity) around, here's a little taste...this is Mr. Carlin talking about the uproar over Jane Fonda using the word "cunt" on television:
+++++++++++
That incident is the shining example of what I was talking about earlier, about the inconsistency. Here's two people talking about something called "The Vagina Monologues." So, there's an implicit agreement that it's okay to talk about, it's okay to use the word "vagina" and refer to the female organ. So that's given, and that's okay, and everybody agrees that yes, we will allow that, we can talk about the female organ - unless we use a different word for it! If we use the word "cunt" we can't do that! "But it's the same piece of the body" "Yeah, yeah I know, but we don't like the sound of that word 'cunt' - some women don't like that." So there we are down the whirlpool into the drain. It's just so much hypocrisy, and insecurity - people don't trust themselves and others to be able to handle things in a mature way and to be able to look at real life as it is. That word 'cunt' didn't come from the devil it came from people - it's part of the human language - so's 'fuck' and 'cocksucker' and 'motherfucker' and 'shit' - and the fact that they bother some people on a superstitious level is really kind of too bad. It's kind of unfortunate. You know, I understand the reason for taboos, and all that stuff. But I think, it would be really nice if this species would grow up one of these fucking days.
+++++++++++++
Fucking genius!
Later ya'll!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
CODE MONKEYS...THE RETURN!!!
Hey- catch me and Scott on a brand new episode of CODE MONKEYS. It airs tomorrow night on G4TV!
I think it's at 10pm Eastern/7pm Pacific...but check your listing cause I'm not 100% sure. But it airs all week if you miss the premiere...and hell if someone puts it up on youtube, I'll link to it here. Not sure if that's allowed or not but everything else ends up on youtube after 10 seconds...either way, check the damn show out!!! :)
Oh and check out our toons!
Ain't that cool??!? I keep wanting to get these framed with pics of me and Scott behind the mic. I should do that soon...
So, I was at the Code Money offices last month and they showed me some of the scenes from this new episode and it's really gory and violent and very, very cool! Not my place to spoil anything, but here's the link to the episode info if you wanna get a better idea of what the episode is about:
CODE MONKEY EPISODE INFO
Ok, gotta run. Making cornbread with my kids tonite...my wife (er, Ex- wife...man that's still odd) has been making it for us for years but she makes it the healthy way...it's good but it's not REAL cornbread, you know? ... but she's out of town tonite so I'm gonna show the kids how we make REAL cornbread down in the south, dammit!....err, that is as soon as I call my mom and she gives me recipe cause- truth be told- I don't have a clue...I just remember liking it a whole lot :)
Layer ya'll!
Dear: The People Who Make Marvel Comics Video Games
Please stop putting Spiderman games in big open sandbox environments where you swing around and do oh so slight variations on 4 pretty dull mission types (chase/race/collect/etc) and then once in a while toss in a boss fight and/or a somewhat unique mission.
I LOVE Marvel Comics and I LOVE the promise of games based on Marvel Comics. But why can't you guys make a game that feels like a comic? I don't mean art style wise; I don't mean like Comix Zone with panels and cliche stuff like that. I mean feels like a comic in a story based, narrative way: a game that shows off the OTHER aspect that makes Marvel Comics so special: The characters/story. It's not JUST about the powers, you know. But your games are always ONLY about the powers.
The thing that made Stan and co's comics so unique back in the 60's is he was the first guy to say, "Hey, let's treat these stories with some respect, let's treat these characters with respect and in doing so, we'll grow the audience well beyond 8 year old boys- who ONLY care about the powers"....and with that thinking, the entire medium of American comics was reinvented.
As a huge comic and game fan- and as a game designer as well- I really hope Marvel stops ONLY using the HOW TO MAKE A MARVEL GAME template that seems to demand: Open City, Hero Powers, Recycled Missions ad nauseam, and a few Unique things tossed in. And I hope they stop because this template- in most cases- goes against the very thing that makes the comics so special: story.
The games- as well made as some of them are- get boring fast and betray the source material upon which they are based.
If I was making the calls about Marvel games, here's the #1 thing that I would do:take the templates of story based games like God of War, Metal Gear Solid, Devil May Cry 1, etc. and use that template as a jumping off template for games with Spidey, Wolverine, Captain America. Make STORY based games, not POWER based games. I'm not suggesting you take the powers away. I AM suggesting a much more scripted experience that allows players to revel in what makes the comics upon which the game is based so special. You can HAVE some open areas within that structure. Have like 3 really amazing web slinging areas that really show that mechanic off in a fun, excitingly designed way. Just don't base the WHOLE game around it.
And heck, if you gotta go open environment, at least TRY To do unique missions every time. GUN from Activision- who publishes alot of the Marvel games- did a good job of this. It was a big open world but it still felt like I was living in a very cool story/adventure. And I loved that about it.
Now let's be honest: the day to day reasons why things happen in a game company go well beyond the rants and desires of an almost 40 year old man who still occasionally reads comics and still LOVES the Marvel characters (yes, even typing that makes me feel a little pathetic, but what can I do...it true! :)...
And I get why decisions are made for business reasons...games have to come out and there are developers who already have a sandbox game engine and a work structure that allows a sandbox game to get made; games have to come out and publishers know that players like sandbox games so why risk the formula that makes them money,etc. I understand all that. I respect all of that. Makes sense.
As a gamer tho, and a Marvel fan for life, I just don't like it.
David
ps. these pics above are from 1up.com AND they are from the new Marvel game WEB OF SHADOWS. It could be the best game ever. I'm not knocking it as I have not played it. These images were just the impetus behind this post so I figured I'd post them here. And I hope I am wrong, BUT to be fair, from the images it does LOOK like another big open city/run around/swing around game. Now maybe they can make it more fun this time than similarly designed games from the past. I'm hoping cause I'm still gonna be playing it...at least for a few hours!
pps. Yes, I even played the last Spidey game: Friend or Foe and to be fair, that was a better structure for a Marvel game...it was just a- no offense to the team- pretty bland, boring game. Combat was actually pretty good but there was nothing really to it. Granted, it was more for kids so maybe that target group loved it.
ppps. I also played the GHOST RIDER PSP game that was- I thought- pretty good and used a DMC structure. I liked that game; combat was really good/fun. But again, too combat centric. Hell, that's ALL that game was. What is the deal with this pattern? And it's not just comic games...tends to be almost ANY licensed game from an action source (comic/movie/tv show). It's like: let's model the characters and locations and then just have people fight! When will developers or publishers learn that the combat is like ONE PART of the meal...it can't be the whole thing! A whole game that is pretty much JUST going arena to arena and fighting DOES have an audience. But it's not a very big one. And yet, they shove this template down our throats over and over. Why!?!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
MISTER PRESIDENT, SHUT THE FUCK UP!
...ahh, better! I said what Keith O could not (if you don't know what I'm talking about, watch some of Olberman's stuff on msnbc)...
Hey ya'll...this is political but it reflects my views. If you don't like political stuff, don't click play.
You've been warned so please, no need to post to tell me you come here just for gaming information and don't want to hear my political views. The moment I start charging admission to read my ramblings, then you get the right to complain about the content.
Plus:if you've ever been to this blog, you know I post about ALL the stuff I am passionate about: games, movies, family, politics, religion,comic books, etc. If all you want is gaming info, then this ain't the place for you :)
But if you wanna debate politics and this particular ultra-liberal piece of one sided (albeit mostly true) propaganda ...well then, grab some coffee and pull up a chair! You;'ve come to the right place! I love me some political discourse!
But keep in mind: I am not of the mind that Republicans are evil. My views are not that black and white.
I am however of the mind that if you HAD to label a party at this PARTICULAR TIME that reflects the largest number of views that I would lump into the category of evil, well then, the Republicans would be the party I would pick for that honor :)
Can this change? Yep. Has it flip flopped over the years? At times but- to be honest- not all that much. But I'm not saying the Democrats have clean hands either.
But either way, RIGHT NOW, it's time for the Republicans to have the worst batch of ideas out there. You don't get to have a president/piece of shit like Bush in office for two terms and have a party that- for the most part- seems/seemed unwilling to challenge the douche bag, and then get away without the stink of -at least- a small globule of fecal paste. And in this case, it's a hell of a lot more shit paste than globular. It's more like the end of the skate board scene in Back to the Future. You remember...when Biff and the boyz got covered in horse shit? It's more like that. :)
David
Hey ya'll...this is political but it reflects my views. If you don't like political stuff, don't click play.
You've been warned so please, no need to post to tell me you come here just for gaming information and don't want to hear my political views. The moment I start charging admission to read my ramblings, then you get the right to complain about the content.
Plus:if you've ever been to this blog, you know I post about ALL the stuff I am passionate about: games, movies, family, politics, religion,comic books, etc. If all you want is gaming info, then this ain't the place for you :)
But if you wanna debate politics and this particular ultra-liberal piece of one sided (albeit mostly true) propaganda ...well then, grab some coffee and pull up a chair! You;'ve come to the right place! I love me some political discourse!
But keep in mind: I am not of the mind that Republicans are evil. My views are not that black and white.
I am however of the mind that if you HAD to label a party at this PARTICULAR TIME that reflects the largest number of views that I would lump into the category of evil, well then, the Republicans would be the party I would pick for that honor :)
Can this change? Yep. Has it flip flopped over the years? At times but- to be honest- not all that much. But I'm not saying the Democrats have clean hands either.
But either way, RIGHT NOW, it's time for the Republicans to have the worst batch of ideas out there. You don't get to have a president/piece of shit like Bush in office for two terms and have a party that- for the most part- seems/seemed unwilling to challenge the douche bag, and then get away without the stink of -at least- a small globule of fecal paste. And in this case, it's a hell of a lot more shit paste than globular. It's more like the end of the skate board scene in Back to the Future. You remember...when Biff and the boyz got covered in horse shit? It's more like that. :)
David
Friday, June 13, 2008
Real Fast Before Weekend Hits:
a- Tim Russert died :(
God, I loved Tim Russert. Loved his shows, his passion (I still recall how excited he seemed trying to use his little white board to figure out who was gonna win the 2000 pres election), dug his book about fatherhood. Seemed like an all around decent man and a giant in his profession. As a semi-political junkie, I can tell you that am gonna miss him during this election season and certainly on election day/night. Man, what a loss. And only 58 :(
b- I didn't know Laurent from Nintendo was a man...
...now I do. Laurent just seemed like Lauren to me and we don't have many/any Laurents here in the states...it's a very uncommon name for America and so I made an assumption. My mistake.
How pathetic some folks thought I was trying to diss him by 'changing' his gender. Says more about them than me, I think.
Also, was glad to see they offered an apology. As I made clear, I'm a fan of the big N- always have been- and it's great that it seems they will continue to support their core fanbase while also making huge inroads into the mainstream.
Great weekend ya'll! And for all of us dads out there: have a great father's day!!!
David
God, I loved Tim Russert. Loved his shows, his passion (I still recall how excited he seemed trying to use his little white board to figure out who was gonna win the 2000 pres election), dug his book about fatherhood. Seemed like an all around decent man and a giant in his profession. As a semi-political junkie, I can tell you that am gonna miss him during this election season and certainly on election day/night. Man, what a loss. And only 58 :(
b- I didn't know Laurent from Nintendo was a man...
...now I do. Laurent just seemed like Lauren to me and we don't have many/any Laurents here in the states...it's a very uncommon name for America and so I made an assumption. My mistake.
How pathetic some folks thought I was trying to diss him by 'changing' his gender. Says more about them than me, I think.
Also, was glad to see they offered an apology. As I made clear, I'm a fan of the big N- always have been- and it's great that it seems they will continue to support their core fanbase while also making huge inroads into the mainstream.
Great weekend ya'll! And for all of us dads out there: have a great father's day!!!
David
From The Masters Themselves...
Tina Kowalewski- newly appointed head of external game development for Sony Santa Monica- has been an industry staple for years. As I said in an earlier post, the woman freaking knows EVERYONE in the biz. And one of the things she's been doing over the years is keeping this sketch book with little cartoon sketches from the biggest creators in gaming. Think of a game developer you know and like, and chances are, they've contributed to Tina K's sketch book. Some of the sketches are characters from the game creator's biggest games...others are just silly little drawings (mine was a terrible 'sketch' of Spiderman swinging over some buildings)...Either way, it's a damn cool piece of game biz memorabillia. And Tina's given me permission to show you/reprint three of her many game dev sketches on this very blog. Enjoy!
And don't forget to Hulk out this weekend! I hear it's pretty fun! Will let ya'll know what I think about it next week.
David
In honor of this week's MGS4 release- still not had a chance to play it- here's snake from Shinkawa-san himself!
Miyamoto sketching his greatest creation!
Something from the genius Will Wright that I am not sure I understand all together...what else is new! :)
ps. Tina! Get like 20 more of these and then get the folks who drew them to write little 1-2 para blurbs and publish this damn thing! I wonder if there are legal issues with it tho, as in: can someone do a sketch of a copywritten character and you put that in your book? Or do you need to get clearances for them all? I dunno...still, if you can do it, you should! :)
And don't forget to Hulk out this weekend! I hear it's pretty fun! Will let ya'll know what I think about it next week.
David
In honor of this week's MGS4 release- still not had a chance to play it- here's snake from Shinkawa-san himself!
Miyamoto sketching his greatest creation!
Something from the genius Will Wright that I am not sure I understand all together...what else is new! :)
ps. Tina! Get like 20 more of these and then get the folks who drew them to write little 1-2 para blurbs and publish this damn thing! I wonder if there are legal issues with it tho, as in: can someone do a sketch of a copywritten character and you put that in your book? Or do you need to get clearances for them all? I dunno...still, if you can do it, you should! :)
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Why the do we even try? :)
Jeeze- what's the point of all those marketing meetings where we bang our heads against the wall, trying to find the perfect name for our titles?
This toy is on a SECOND SERIES already! So it's gotta be working!
And I love the Z in BAD GUYZ...like was that JUST so they could trademark the thing or was there some sort of creative logic behind it? Like POLICE VS. BAD GUYS would not send the same message? Are these particular bad guyz of the Mountain Dew drinking, extreme skating variety?
Fucking love it! Not sure if I already posted this pic, but I was in RITE AID last nite and saw the second series and it jogged my brain that I had this pic on my cell phone.
And what was the game I saw yesterday? Something about Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ?!?! Genius!
Hell, that right there's the game version of SNAKES ON A PLANE. The game could be damn near unplayable and they will still turn a small profit on the name alone. I know I'm picking it up.
That sounds like a great biz plan for a new publisher: fuck the games, it's all about cool, clever names!
By the way, here are some names we were considering for some of our games at one time:
TWISTED METAL could have been named:
URBAN ASSAULT
CARS AND ROCKETS...I STILL love this...no one else does tho :(
HIGH OCTANE
FIRESTORM
GOD OF WAR could have been called:
AT THE HANDS OF THE GODS
DARK ODYSSEY
OMEGA
Just the OMEGA SIGN and no name....
CALLING ALL CARS was gonna be:
CRIMINAL CRACKDOWN
DAMAGE!
Oh and Kratos- from GOD OF WAR- was going to be named Dominus for a long, long time until uber marketing genius Susan Panico suggested Kratos (not sure where she got that from)...and thank God she had that idea because I had designers on the team for over a year doing the, "get the door, it's Dominus" joke...and I assume they would not have been the only ones.
David
ps. also saw this in the toy store! Love they are bringing these back!
My oldest wants this for her birthday! Can't wait to make these this summer!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
YOU SHIT ON MY HOUSE!!! YOU SHIT ON MY HOUSE!!!
Ok, I saw this on a neogaf posting today:
++++++++++
Originally Posted by Edge 190:
First Nintendo will not be concentrating any significant marketing spend on the service - journalists attending Nintendo's preview event were told that it was their job to spread the word about WiiWare titles via reviews and other coverage.
... when asked a pertinent question about the limited Wii system memory was raised, Laurent Fischer, managing director of marketing at NoE, easily slipped into talking about how "geeks and otaku" were the only people who want this issue addressed.
+++++++++++
Ok, so if this is true, it's really, really sad.
And not so much because Nintendo seems to be telling a chunk of its loyal fanbase to go fuck itself, but because it's just reeks of junior high school vibe immaturity bullshit.
Ok, take this tangent with me for a sec:
Is it lame that I've seen the movie CAN'T BUY ME LOVE? Is it even lamer that I know the movie well enough that I can quote lines from it for a blog heading? Yeah, that is pretty lame. But fuck you, it's a good movie and Amanda Peterson- she of Explorer's fame- was the siren who sucked me in...and it ended up being a pretty damn good movie...
But anyway, stick with me here...cause Nintendo saying this- IF they actually said it- is like when Ronald put the lit bag of shit on the door step of the geeky kids he used to hang with...I mean, these kids were his BEST FRIENDS for years and now not ONLY is he too cool to hang with them, but he thought it was ok to shit all over their houses too?!?!
Well if this statement is true- if Nintendo said this- then Nintendo=Ronald. And you all know what happens to Ronald.
Well actually he goes back to being kinda geeky AND he gets the girl...but you get my point, yes? He was an asshole.
Now look: I like Nintendo. And I LOVE old Nintendo. And both old and new Nintendo have brought SO MUCH to this industry that they SHOULD be proud and excited and even a little cocky when it comes to their amazing accomplishments. Anyone in our business should envy their ability to read, direct, and redirect the market. And to also- when they want to- make some world class, ground breaking games.
But this statement, especially coming from a marketing person, reeks of one of two things:
a- arrogance at a level that should make Nintendo- if this statement reflects the core of the company- very ashamed.
b- a marketing person who has no real clue about games and thinks she's being cute and coy by dissing the 'geeks' cause she thinks the mainstream loves them now....if this is the case, she really needs someone to sit her down and explain to her which side her fucking toast has been buttered on for years and will eventually get back to being buttered on....
Ok, so that's what I'm thinking today.
Grr!
Back to work :)
David
Saturday, June 07, 2008
One more thing...
..hey, Monday will resume more gamey posts, I promise :)
BUT I did want to clear something up real fast as I was concerned- for a number of reasons- about how my video post came across to some people.
And while I am SOOOOO grateful and honored that so many of you all were both supportive and willing to share your own stories of love, divorce, marriage, and all that other touchy-feely stuff (and I learned a lot from a handful of them), this will be the last word from me on it. Again, the details are personal and for my family alone. The video post was just to give everyone an update on my life (a key point- for me- of this blog). I will continue to share aspects of my life, the good and the bad and always the honest, with the reader's of this blog. But I've said as much as I feel I want to on the current subject.
And as to the video:
1- For those who thought I was being nonchalant about the break up, or being kind of like, "Meh, whatever" about it, please understand: this is semi-old news for me. I've had about 2 months to deal with the reality of it and much longer before that to work on the situation with my wife. I have been sad, I've talked to therapists to work thru issues of the break-up and- most importantly- to try and find a solution that will be the best for my children (who-if you don't get from reading the blog over the years- are everything to me). So I am 100% not flip about this situation. It's just that I posted the video months after alot of the shit went down. Trust me, if I had posted the video on the DAY me and the wife decided to separate, I would have seemed less pulled together, less 'it is what it is'....
2- The other thing is, I'm not trying to be a maverick or anything when I say I pretty much 'fart in the general direction' of quite a bit of the rules of society. I respect pretty much all the laws of society (even tho I may not agree with some of them) but the stuff about, "this is what society says you must do to be happy and good' I think- in many ways- is horse shit. And I don't reject these societal laws/rules because I think I'm cool or want to be different or anything like that. I spend a decent amount of time trying to live a soulful, spiritual, good life and I find more often than not that when I really tune into what makes my soul happy, the rules that society lays down for how we are supposed to live seem- to me- silly and not workable. I respect we all have our own internal barometers. And I respect that for many/most people the rules of society are gold and work great. I respect that. But my internal compass points me in different directions than a lot of people when it comes to things like marriage and politics and art. I am fine with that. And I am fine with the fact that- because of this- a handful of you may very well think I am the devil.
3- I don't hate marriage and I don't think it's wrong for people and families. I think it's wrong for me RIGHT NOW. I may remarry one day. I may not. My gut right now says I think it's kind of a- for me- silly institution... but I've been known to change my mind (just ask the teams I work with who want to kill me each time I do :) ). I also think there are many great kinds of families and the idea of a nuclear family being the only kind that works is a silly, naive idea that disrespects and hurts those families who have chosen- or who have been forced to choose- to do things differently.
Ok, not gonna respond to any posts. Lotta work to do this weekend plus, I've said all I need to say on the subject.
Thanks for all the support- see ya'll Monday with something less heavy...I promise!
David
BUT I did want to clear something up real fast as I was concerned- for a number of reasons- about how my video post came across to some people.
And while I am SOOOOO grateful and honored that so many of you all were both supportive and willing to share your own stories of love, divorce, marriage, and all that other touchy-feely stuff (and I learned a lot from a handful of them), this will be the last word from me on it. Again, the details are personal and for my family alone. The video post was just to give everyone an update on my life (a key point- for me- of this blog). I will continue to share aspects of my life, the good and the bad and always the honest, with the reader's of this blog. But I've said as much as I feel I want to on the current subject.
And as to the video:
1- For those who thought I was being nonchalant about the break up, or being kind of like, "Meh, whatever" about it, please understand: this is semi-old news for me. I've had about 2 months to deal with the reality of it and much longer before that to work on the situation with my wife. I have been sad, I've talked to therapists to work thru issues of the break-up and- most importantly- to try and find a solution that will be the best for my children (who-if you don't get from reading the blog over the years- are everything to me). So I am 100% not flip about this situation. It's just that I posted the video months after alot of the shit went down. Trust me, if I had posted the video on the DAY me and the wife decided to separate, I would have seemed less pulled together, less 'it is what it is'....
2- The other thing is, I'm not trying to be a maverick or anything when I say I pretty much 'fart in the general direction' of quite a bit of the rules of society. I respect pretty much all the laws of society (even tho I may not agree with some of them) but the stuff about, "this is what society says you must do to be happy and good' I think- in many ways- is horse shit. And I don't reject these societal laws/rules because I think I'm cool or want to be different or anything like that. I spend a decent amount of time trying to live a soulful, spiritual, good life and I find more often than not that when I really tune into what makes my soul happy, the rules that society lays down for how we are supposed to live seem- to me- silly and not workable. I respect we all have our own internal barometers. And I respect that for many/most people the rules of society are gold and work great. I respect that. But my internal compass points me in different directions than a lot of people when it comes to things like marriage and politics and art. I am fine with that. And I am fine with the fact that- because of this- a handful of you may very well think I am the devil.
3- I don't hate marriage and I don't think it's wrong for people and families. I think it's wrong for me RIGHT NOW. I may remarry one day. I may not. My gut right now says I think it's kind of a- for me- silly institution... but I've been known to change my mind (just ask the teams I work with who want to kill me each time I do :) ). I also think there are many great kinds of families and the idea of a nuclear family being the only kind that works is a silly, naive idea that disrespects and hurts those families who have chosen- or who have been forced to choose- to do things differently.
Ok, not gonna respond to any posts. Lotta work to do this weekend plus, I've said all I need to say on the subject.
Thanks for all the support- see ya'll Monday with something less heavy...I promise!
David
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Love and Marriage?!?! Maybe...but not today....
Pardon video quality...seems to be hit or miss these days...
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
VBlog: Adjusted Vblog Post (earlier post adjusted)
NOTE: The links and videos in this post- besides my youtube video- are CRAZY NOT SAFE FOR WORK and ARE NOT FOR KIDS/CHILDREN or ANYONE under 18!!!! DO NOT CLICK IF YOU ARE A KID or if you are EASILY OFFENDED by stuff of a sexual nature....
Click here for more Death Race Pics!
PORN ALERT! DO NOT WATCH IF YOU DON'T WANNA SEE PORN!!!!! I DON'T WANNA HEAR FROM IRATE PARENTS OF KIDS OR FROM IRATE ADULTS WHO GET OFFENDED EASILY....I AM WARNING YOU NOW!!!
DO NOT CLICK PLAY IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 OR EASILY OFFENDED...or hell, even semi-easily OFFENDED...this is PORN, ok?!?! IT'S PORN!!! DO NOT SAY I DID NOT WARN YOU!!!! But it IS some funny shit!!!
So if you WANNA SEE IT...CLICK ME!!!
Nasty, eh?
And finally: The teaser for the Kevin Smith flick....again: NOT SAFE FOR WORK and NOT SAFE FOR ANYONE UNDER 18!!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
Click here for more Death Race Pics!
PORN ALERT! DO NOT WATCH IF YOU DON'T WANNA SEE PORN!!!!! I DON'T WANNA HEAR FROM IRATE PARENTS OF KIDS OR FROM IRATE ADULTS WHO GET OFFENDED EASILY....I AM WARNING YOU NOW!!!
DO NOT CLICK PLAY IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 OR EASILY OFFENDED...or hell, even semi-easily OFFENDED...this is PORN, ok?!?! IT'S PORN!!! DO NOT SAY I DID NOT WARN YOU!!!! But it IS some funny shit!!!
So if you WANNA SEE IT...CLICK ME!!!
Nasty, eh?
And finally: The teaser for the Kevin Smith flick....again: NOT SAFE FOR WORK and NOT SAFE FOR ANYONE UNDER 18!!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!