Community vs. Choice

My youngest daughter is having her birthday party tomorrow and the picture above is going to be scanned onto her cake.

That's right. We're in an age where kids- and people in general- are no longer limited to pre fab, licensed approved cake kits. When I was a kid- and up until not so long ago- you'd really only have a handful of choices for what would go on your cake. Into super heroes (like I was)? You'd have your Batman, Superman, Spidey, Hulk, and that was pretty much it. These days? FUCK THAT LIMITING SHIT! These days you can get NOVA or Namor or Alfred Pennyworth (Batman's Butler) on your super hero cake!

Just grab a pic from the net, shoot it to your grocery store, and BAM! You got yourself a one of a kind custom cake! And as of this writing, the grocery stores don't seem to care about using copyrighted materials. Which is why my kid is getting a Moshi Monsters cake tomorrow!  I made the image above using Photoshop and a handful of Moshi pics from the net. And I think my kid will flip when she sees this- versus some pre-fab cake kit from a Nickelodeon or Disney TV show-  given how much she loves Moshi Monsters. Yeah, she digs the Disney TV stuff for sure. But she LOVES Moshi Monsters.

Pretty amazing how the media we consume is becoming so personalized.

I kind of miss the days when the whole country had- for the most part- the same frame of pop culture reference. It tied everyone closer, there was a sense of community because of it, a sense of warmth and belonging. We all watched the same handful of tv shows, we all went to the same big movies, we all listened to the same 10-15 pop hit songs during any given month. But on the flip side, yes, it was pretty homogenized. But you never really felt that; at least I didn't. I just dug the sense of belonging that came from those shared references. So I wonder sometimes which cost is the worst one to pay: giving up community for choice or giving up choice and gaining the warmth and connection that comes when everyone is drinking from the same pop culture well?

David

ps.It does make you rethink the idea of yesterday's successes as well. So much stuff was mega successful not because it was amazingly great but because out of the limited choices we had. So yes, while most thinking people would still concede that the last episode of M*A*S*H (highest rated non sports television show ever) was amazing television, out of the 106 million people who watched, my guess is that at LEAST 30% of those people would have watched something else if they had the choices they have today. But until all the choices came along, it was just assumed that M*A*S*H- and all other successes- deserved every last 1 of those viewers based on quality alone.

Have Fun Storming The Castle!

As a parent, I feel a big part of my job is observing my kids and seeing when their eyes light up, taking note of what causes their imaginations to fire. And then- once I have a rough idea what excites them- I try my best to expose them to all sorts of opportunities to explore that thing.

With my oldest it's reading, stories, animals, gymnastics, physical sports.

With my youngest it's turning out to be video games and puzzles. Watching her navigate 3D space in a video game, master the many kid flash based MMOs she plays, or even if she's just solving a 2D puzzle you can tell her brain feels at home with this sort of thinking; like she is in her element when she's thinking in this specific puzzle solving way.

So with that in mind- and wanting to find some other outlets for her to explore her gifts- I got my youngest daughter a big Lego Kingdoms set for her birthday last week. I figured if she dug 2D puzzles, she'd love a 3D one. And boy was I right! She's taken to this like a pig in shit, as they say in the south. Actually, I don't know anyone who says that other than my parents. But they live in the south...so...there's that.

But yeah, what a joy to see your children get excited and turned on and connect with something that really speaks to them. Will this lead to her being an architect? A 3D modeler? Perhaps just someone with a life long love of Legos?!?! All- or none- would be fine with me. I'm just digging watching her connect with a part of herself that is clearly and naturally very strong. 

Here's what we've done so far. We just spent about an hour on it last night and she is only 5 but I'm pretty darn proud of her! 

This is the throne room about 70% complete. We're doing the roof and fine details tonite when she gets home from school. As you can see, we lost a few of the tiny bricks and had to pull the pink and orange ones- that stick out like a sore thumb- from some other Lego set we had. But again, for a little kid I think this is darn neat! 

On a tangent: This is the first time I've ever watched a real Lego set be built. I used to play with Legos as a kid but never did a real kit/set. I just took the pieces and made what I wanted and never followed the instructions.  But low and behold: doing the pre-made Lego sets is really cool! I should done this when I was a kid! :) Can anyone recommend a great, challening Lego set for adults...or are those called models??!

David 

Makin' Tha Game

I've spent most of the last 2 days working with Scott trying to figure out how we want to adjust some of our levels to create maps that support smaller numbers of players. We start our levels off thinking about NUKE and 16 player games, but since there will be times players will want to play with fewer people- as well as just wanting to give players a large variety of places in which to battle- we break our mega levels up into smaller chunks as well. So by the time we ship, each mega map will have 2-4 variations. Sometimes the variations simply are to accomodate different numbers of players. Other times the variations create totally new play experiences based on where we throw up our walls.

The image above shows one of our levels- high enough of a view that I can't be accused of giving much away other than pure layout- in the planning stages. The way it works is Scott, Kellan, and I send each other maps all marked up like this and then we pick the top 3 versions and those go in the game.

So I thought I'd share some of the process. Sorry I've been away as of late, between working on the game and getting my kids back to school, there's been very little time to breath let alone update the blog.

Ok, crazy busy around here. Talk soon!

David

Join Us This Week In Los Angeles!

Hope to see some of ya'll there! Should be a blast!

Goodbye Summer Movie Season 2010!

Ok, that's a wrap on summer movies 2010! And ya'll knows I luvs me the summer movie season! But this year was kinda meh. Granted, I didn't see as many as I usually do. Part of that is just me getting older and digging watching movies at home more. Part of it is I've been slammed busy with work. Part of it is there just wasn't tons that got me off my ass and to the theater.

BUT there were some things I really dug, some things I hated.

So- if you are curious- here are my top 3 movies of summer 2010 and my most disappointing 3 as well.


TOP 3 SUMMER 2010 MOVIES (in order of favorites):


PRINCE OF PERSIA- Fun, entertaining, some great action. A solid B movie that wanted to be nothing more. Sometimes good enough is much better than movies with a reach that exceed their grasp.

GROWN UPS- Yeah, yeah. I know. But look, as a guy nearing 40 who practically grew up with these actors AND as a guy nearing 40 who could relate to the character's mid life crisis plights, this was pure win for me. Funny, gross out, old school stupid Sandler humor along with a bit of heart. What's not to love?

INCEPTION- I had some issues with it but so what. Imaginative, creative as hell, and smart.


RUNNER UP: THE LAST EXORCISM


MOST DISAPPOINTING 2010 SUMMER MOVIES 
(in order of ones that bummed me out the most):


IRON MAN 2- Blech. Dull and overblown and missing the heart and soul and spirit that made the first such a blast.

TOY STORY 3- Yes I cried at the end. LOVED the ending. And I LOVED the Night/Day cartoon that kicked off the movie. The rest tho was typical Pixar: too long, too emotive, lacking a fresh narrative drive. Toy Story 2 was the last great Pixar movie. All the rest since then have had flashes of brilliance but they just don't hang together.

THE KARATE KID- Meh. LOVED the original. LOVED the casting of Smith and Chan. But this movie needed more heart, a few more script tweaks, and a director who can shoot fight scenes that the audience can follow.

RUNNER UP: THE A-TEAM 

To be fair, some stuff I have not seen yet: ROBIN HOOD/MACGRUBER/GET HIM TO THE GREEK/KNIGHT AND DAY/AIRBENDER/SORCERER'S APPRENTICE/SALT/SCHMUCKS/OTHER GUYS/EXPENDABLES/SCOTT PILGRIM/PIRAHNA/SWITCH

I'll be catching those on blu ray in the next few months. For now, bring on the Fall! Looking forward to The American!

Holy Cow! I needs me some!

Saw this over on Kotaku! Check out their story and video about a guy who made some custom GOW sneakers! WTF?!? How damn cool is that?!?

I mean, that's damn neat, yes? Now if the guy would just make some Twisted Metal sneaks, I'd be complete! Maybe he can make some Calling All Cars sandals or some such as well...since Calling All Cars was not a hit, maybe I can just convince him to do some Calling All Cars Crocs for that game :)

Where it all began...

Just got back from a nice weeklong trip to my hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. Took my daughters to visit with the fam and we had a blast. Great to be back in San Diego tho. I'm ready to work (not that I didn't work over the break, but it;s great to be back in my office, dev kit by my side, ready to crank). One thing I wanted to share first:

My dad and I took my kids to Brookwood Mall, the mall that was my hangout from probably 6-18 years old. Readers of the blog have heard me talk about the mall before, probably in very amateur but still loving poetic terms. But I can't help it: this mall was crucial to my creative development. It's where I spent thousands of my parent's quarters at Aladdin Castle, where I poured over game and movie magazines at Bookworld, where I fell in love with the imagery and vibe of heavy metal album covers at Musicland, where I practiced my basic programming and made little adventure games in the walled off area of the Radio Shack, where I stared longingly thru the glass case at Atari 2600 games at Circus World, where I fell in love with Chick-Fil-A waffle fries, and where I- at this little end of the mall that you see in the above picture- discovered my creative soul.

It doesn't look like much now (the big mall- which went thru a major renovation a few years back- is on the other side...this picture shows shows just a little side arm of the place. And it hasn't been touched. It looks pretty much just like it did 30 years ago!).

Yeah, it's just a little strip mall area but for me, this place is mythic. It's the shell of the movie theater where I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET, Excalibur, and many more seminal geek movies. It's where I- as a 10 year old boy- discovered my passion for living a creative life. And it was good- just for a moment this week- to be back there.

I used to be a pretty nostalgic person. Not so much anymore. Having kids cured me of that. Now I like to  live for today, tomorrow. But it was still neat to go back, see the old place.

Ok, just wanted to share. Gotta get to work. Chat later in the week!

David

Sittin' Up In My Room

Hey all- in Utah for a magazine feature a really great games mag is doing on TM. Also here for a coupla days o' design meetings. Not sure what our official agenda is but I think we're going to be hammering on online features (rankings, stats, flow), 1 player campaign mode, breaking out the smaller and alternate versions of the suburbs map we showed off at E3 (i.e. we're looking at making just the movie theater a tight, fight for your life style map for 16 players as well as a smaller 2-4 player split screen map), and messing around with some of the core pick up mechanics. But you never know the day will end up unfolding.

Above is my hotel desk with my grilled cheese, Sun chips, Perrier, and my MacBook (think it's a mac book...I get the names of Apple products mixed up with one another). Been checking out the GamesCon stuff and there's some great footage coming out of there. Loving what I'm seeing for Dead Space 2 and Halo: Reach. Bulletstorm is looking sweet too. As I've said before, much as I'm grateful and honored when a game we make is deemed worthy of being at a big game show, I still like 'attending' game cons virtually. So much more relaxing and fun. The people who run these shows- from E3 to GDC to Comic Con to Gamescon- really need to create an online pass where people can enjoy the show from the comfort of their own homes. I get that the social aspect is a big part of it but it's not the only part. Plus, if I could attend GDC from time to time from the comfort of my office, picking and choosing the individual panels that I want to watch in real time (even submitting questions to the panel for the q/a sessions) I would totally pay for that. Or the same for Comic Con...you'd have access to all the panels live (including Hall H) streaming in HD, as well as show floor cameras and events and even a comic con Ebay exclusive site (just for people with online passes) to purchase and bid on exclusive geek items! Ok, ok, I'm getting jazzed now. Someone make this shit happen!!! :)

Ok, gonna get to bed early. Gotta be up at 5:30 to type up a doc for the day's meeting.

Later ya'll- hope you're well!

David 

Message From An Old Friend

Man, I got a tweet from the Twisted Metal 2,3,4 Calypso Voice Over actor, the great Mel McMurrin!

He saw my previous video and saw how frazzled I was. I guess he decided to make me this as a tonic! Old school fans of Twisted Metal will get a kick outta this!



Man, it's great to hear that voice again!

As for fans of the series wondering if Mel will return: well as you know, we've shot live action videos for the new TM and so the role of Calypso is already cast. However, my mind is rolling over a number of cool ways we may be able to bring Mel back into the TM family. Nothing set in stone, it may or may not happen, and PLEASE do not send me ideas or suggestions on ways we could do it as we just are not allowed to see them.

But GOD he nails that 'THANK YOU FOR PLAYING TWISTED METAL!" ya know? Thanks Mel!

Jaffe and the Stresses and Joys of Making Games

Here's the Rocky Balboa speech I reference in my video above.


And here's Pachino's amazing Any Given Sunday speech. This one gets your ass out of bed every morning no matter how challenging the day ahead may seem.

ps. By the way, the Boy Scout Rejects? That idea is so mine! Don't rip it off- I think it'd make a super cool comic or game or movie or something! Kthx! :)

Rest in Peace Sweet Tooth!

I am so fried...

...just thought I'd share. Between full time on the end movies, full time on the game, being a dad, trying to work out 4-5 times a week, and just live life, I think I'm officially spent.

Plus I have little headaches these days cause I'm getting very little sleep AND I'm trying to cut back DRASTICALLY (again) on the diet Cokes (evil motherfucking brew). So yeah, I'm a mess.

Not to complain- I have an amazing life, an amazing job.

But FUCK! I need a break! When this game is over I'm taking 1-2 weeks off and going to Hawaii or NYC or some such.

Ok, just venting!

Gonna go pop some popcorn, watch some movies (Costner's Open Range, Demme's Manchurian Candidate) , and veg.

Talk soon ya'll! I promise I'll get back to mega regular blog updates. Just honestly have had little to talk about as of late cause all my life is is TM (which I can't talk too much about).

Ok- later!

David

SPAM FILTER UPDATED+NASTY ASS INTESTINAL WORMS!

Hey ya'll- just an fyi: I turned on comment moderation on posts older than 2 weeks. This should help a bit with the recent spam explosion in the comments section.

If ya'll have any other ideas on how to combat Spam on Blogger (other than having to go thru every comment before it hits, which I won't do), let me know.

Also- as a special treat for coming to visit me today, check this out:

So we thought my oldest kid had pinworms. Lots of little kids get them, I had them as a kid. They go away with a tablet and washing all the sheets in super hot water. Not a big deal.

But so how did I know she had pinworms? She said her butt itched. As I recall that's a pretty good sign that some animals have made themselves a home inside your body. But I didn't know for sure so I hit the internet to see what was up. One of my first stops? Youtube. And when I typed in PINWORMS one of the first things to come up was this hellish video.



I shit you not, this is scarrier and more distrubing than any horror movie I've ever seen. I LOVE it!!! :)

Now let's be clear: my kid didn't have THAT! That's not a pinworm. A pinworm is a microscopic or almost microscopic little strand that looks like a tiny piece of string when viewed under a scope. THIS? This is a motherfucking anaconda that has clearly crawled up someone's ass and made a nest. HOLY FUCK!

Ok, that's it. Had a great design meeting with Scott and Kellan this morning. Now I'm off to Sony to review edits for the end movies and look at how the post processing of the shots is coming along (i.e. adding in the cool CG visuals instead of the green screen background). Talk soon!

David

EXTENDED interview from Comic Con with Geoff Keighly

Here is the full on extended cut of my interview with Geoff Keighly of Gametrailers TV. I talk about Twisted, my original not used ending for GOD OF WAR 3, and other stuff. This was fun to do. I thought when it was over I had given Geoff a shit interview (which I hate doing) but people seem to dig this one. So here ya go!

Video Games | GTTV Extended Cuts | SDCC 10: David Jaffe Interview HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

More Proof That I Have No Artistic Bones In My Body

Pancakes for my kids- and me!- this past Saturday morning. My oldest asked for a Pegasus/Unicorn. The unholy terror on the right is the result. I dig the horn on the head- upper left circle that looks like broccoli- cause it looks more like a growth of some sort than a fucking unicorn horn.

I made my youngest a snowman and that came out a bit better!

And for me...a circle. I can do circles :) But hell, even that has this odd, weird little globule thingy coming off the top. What the hell, man?

Ok- back to work- crazy week! Hope all is well for ya!

David

Twisted Metal At San Diego Comic Con!

Hey- in case you missed it- the press was very kind to us at this year's San Diego Comic Con! We got a great deal of press from the show. Here's some of the stuff you may have missed. If you are interested in our new game, please give it a watch! Thanks!



This is an interview Scott and I did with the Playstation Blog. This was actually from E3 but they launched the vid during Comic Con so it still applies! :)


This is the full on panel we did at the con. Me, Scott, and Kellan gabbing about the game. Lot of behind the scenes end movie stuff in here, as well as us showing off our very early rooftops and desert chase levels.

And here is a little one on one with super nice Ryan MacDonald of Gamespot fame.



This is an interview I did at the Sony cocktail party. So I was well on my 2nd or 3rd shot of Patron. I actually sound a bit more focused in this interview than most. Perhaps it's cause I knew I was already tipsy and really had to concentrate on what I was saying. Hmmmm....maybe I should drink before all my interviews! :)




Here's the GameTrailers TV episode with Geoff Keighly from the con. I'm in there somewhere, along with other lots of cool comic con stuff. It's a great episode!

JAFFE AT COMIC CON (aka GEEK CHRISTMAS!)

Readers o' tha blog know that I loves me the San Diego Comic Con. I eagerly anticipate those 4 days in July each and every year, sometimes getting jazzed for the Con as early as December the year before! It's a great, great show for people- like me- who obsess over geeky pop culture. And this year was no exception. It was a fantastic Comic Con.

My super bad ass assistant managed to get me into the Hard Rock hotel this year which- it turns out- is really THE hotel to be at during the con. Tons of stuff/parties/events always going on plus it's right across the street from the convention center (at 6am I'd look out my window to peep the already GARGANTUAN line waiting to get into Hall H).  It's also a great place for wall to wall geek celeb sightings. Dignitaries from movies, comics, and gaming were swarming the place the entire four days! Harry Knowels of AINT IT COOL NEWS fame, movie director Guillermo Del Toto, and little Scotty Evil (aka Seth Green) were all eating breakfast in the same joint as me! I almost ran over Marvel Comics editor in chief Joe Quesada while trying to get my car to the valet stand. I ran into game designer Cliff Blezenski as he was heading in and I was heading out of the lobby. And Scott Campbell and I had dinner sitting right next to Data, Jordi, and Troy from Star Trek: The Next Generation! Jordi even came over and professed his love for God of War!!! What's not to love?!?

I will say this year there was a lot more working involved during the con than ever before (meetings, press, interviews, design sessions) but it's hard to complain about that. I love doing that stuff and it's a great feeling to have a game coming out that people care about. That said, I still coulda used a non-work/no obligations day to just walk the floor and hit more panels. Perhaps next year! 

Ok, so here's some shots of stuff I found cool/neat/interesting from the show:

Two of my faves: Freddy and Jason! 

Hyper Violent, Super Bloody Star Wars! What a fantastic combo! Lucas should let the God of War team take a crack at a Star Wars game! It would fucking sell thru the mother fucking roof! Dunno if he wants his property all M rated but M rated Star Wars would kick all kinds of ass! 

Mary Marvel! Circa 1940s! Love the old school/Golden Age look...even her hair was all 1940s'd out!

This was my in-the-back-of-the-room view,watching the Ready At Dawn team talk all things God of War. Good panel overall and the King Midas drag sequence is fucking FANTASTIC! I gotta say: really interesting experience to watch other people talking about a franchise and character that I had such a hand in. Not that I ever had any doubt- or any issues- that the franchise had moved on from me and was in super great hands, but this panel made that all the more clear. 

Don't look at it Marion! Keep your eyes SHUT! And no, I didn't buy it. Not much of a prop/toys guy. I love that stuff, like to look at it, but I don't have an office full of it. 

Speaking of cool props and toys: here's the amazing Sideshow Collectables Kratos statue! Isn't it great!?!? Man, I hope we can find someone to do statues for us for Twisted Metal! But this one, this one is just great! 

Thought these Chrono Trigger little figures/action scenes were fantastic. I woulda bought those but they are not out yet. Man there is so much cool stuff at the con! 

The extended Comic Con trailer for the new Nic Cage flick- Drive Angry- looks like a shit ton of fun! LOVE movies like this! 

This was a GIANT mural of Marvel characters posted on the back wall of their booth. You can kinda see the two out of focus people walking by next to Hawkeye's bow. So you can see it's big! And there's more of it too! My camera would not capture it all. It's about 2x the size of this. So one day- when I'm crazy rich and living in a super cool penthouse apartment in New York City, I want this on one of my walls.

I was incredibly unimpressed by the stuff I saw for the new Thor movie. Looks like a SyFy channel original flick or something. And this is coming from someone who actually liked Wolverine Origins. But the Thor stuff just looks...dull? Cheap? But the CAPTAIN AMERICA flick- little I've seen- seems like it's going to hit the spot. Great director, great setting, great costume, great promo poster/art. Just the whole thing feels like it could really work. Fingers are crossed! But so...here's cap's shield. In some ice. :)

Get inside a box, make it look like the chicks are killing you. That's what this display was. Kind of cool. Ya'll know I loves me the horror. But I hate this shit is in full display to little kids, especially on the Comic Con advertised/promoted KIDS DAY. Either make the show adults only (which I am totally opposed to) or put the gore stuff in its own adults only section. Don't take the gore out- the gore rocks! But come on Comic Con, be a little responsible; ya'll should know better. 

Saw this really cool book called MOVIES ARE FUN. It's designed like a kid's board book but each page depicts very non-kid appropriate scenes from famous drama/horror movies. Here's THE SHINING and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS! Loved this! 

 
Man, I love old pulp sci fi! The concepts were just so imaginative and clever!  I mean, this image alone- what a cool ass set up for a story! Anyone who digs the end movies for the Twisted Metal games- especially TM2- can see an attempt at this sort of storytelling reflected in the stuff we do. Granted, our stuff is not as good as the classic stuff from pulp mags like this (duh) but I think with some of the TM2/TM:BLACK stories (as well as- perhaps- some of the news ones we are doing for the new TM) we are clearly taking inspiration from this sort of pulpy vibe. 


Ok ya'll- that's a wrap on the con! Hope your weekend is going well! Gonna play some more Splinter Cell: Conviction (loving it!), type up notes from our Twisted Metal play test on Friday, take a walk with the kids, and get a work out in! Talk soon!

David

Thoughts from Comic Con

Hey- just wanted to pop in and say a quick 'hey' to everyone, post a few pics, let you know what is up.

So we had a fantastic panel yesterday- packed house! To all blog readers who were there, thank you SO MUCH for showing up. We were so surprised we packed it. I shit you not: I expected about 20 people. Ya'll are too kind.

Will be posting some pics of stuff I saw and loved from the show a bit later in the weak. Meantime, two things:

#1- PICS FROM THE LIVE ACTION SHOOTS

Here are some behind the scenes pics from our ending movies for the new Twisted Metal. Lots more work to do on the post processing effects but I think we're off to a great start!

NOTE: YES, Tooth is gonna have flaming hair. As you can see from all the green, we're going to be doing TONS of post effects on these, from adding in the backgrounds, to adding in props, to- in this case- giving Tooth his signature hairdo.

Image of PREACHER represents the direction we're heading in for the look of the flicks. Not done yet by a long shot, but we think it's off to a cool start.

NOTE: A good 85% of the shots will be dream like slow motion with Twisted Metal:Black style voice overs. To be 100% frank, that helps reduce the cheese that can sometimes creep into these sorts of game flicks. Some scenes that we showed for comic con may end up feeling too cheese for our taste and so our secret weapon is to slow it down, add the voice over while still seeing the actors talking but no longer hearing the cheese dialogue. Again, most of the slow mo shots were planned way in advance but just so you know: we're looking out for the cheese and if it creeps in, we have a way to eradicate it! :)

#2- WE HEAR YOU! :) - Scott, Kellan, and I went to breakfast today to discuss the overwhelmingly positive comic con reaction (as well as to get some design work done). We also discussed the fact that some of ya'll are not digging only seeing 3 of the Twisted Metal characters in the game (4 actually if you count Preacher). Two things to that:

a- please keep in mind this Twisted Metal single player and co-op will be more varied than ANY TM you've ever played. We are NOT doing GTA style missions or vehicle escorts and such BUT we DO have mechanics laid on top of the core campaign deathmatch that adds to the play varied so you don't get bored. We also have more bosses than any TM game. We also have around 35-45 minutes of live action and- when it's done- super cool stories in the game (more than- I THINK- we've ever done). So while you may be disappointed by the fact that there are currently no plans for Marcus Kane or Bloody Mary or No Face, please know that the one player/campaign game you DO get is going to be the best one we've ever made.

b- we hear you. We talked about it at breakfast today and discussed possible ways to address the concern. Can we make those adjustments to the game in the time we have left? Not sure, no idea. But for those who respectfully voiced your issue, it is appreciated, the development and publishing team is aware of your issue, and we are looking to see if there is anything we an do about it. No promises at all. But just so ya know, ya'll are being heard. And it's appreciated.

Ok, heading home to get my kids. I always have them stay over in the last nite of the con (they are still so young that they get a mega kick out of staying in a hotel). Then in the morning we're gonna hit the Comic Con Kid's Day! Gotta bolt- hope all is well!

Later!

David 

COMIC CON...HERE I COME! Well...soon...if I can get enough shit done tonite......

Oh My God! It's 11pm and I still got a metric shite ton of stuff to get done before tomorrow! Sheesh!

Screw it- gonna go to bed and get up at 5am. Trying to work while running on fumes=futile and shitty.

A few things first:

#1- If you like, check out this interview I did with the very cool website mydvdinsider about our LIVE ACTION stories for the new Twisted Metal! Wha!?!? Did I just say LIVE ACTION!?! I DID! Can you believe it?!? We're kicking this shit old school, Jungle Strike FMV style! Except with no white tigers.

#2- 1UP just put up an interview I did with them about all things Twisted Metal. Please do check that out as well, if you please :)...

Ok, I think I hear the laundry buzzing. I shit you not: I have like 4 shirts right now that I just wash over and over. And like 2 jeans that I can still fit into (yes I'm putting on some weight as the stress of the game kicks in...man this sucks!)...so anyway, I hope I can find another pair of jeans I can get into and I'm not bumming around the con with nasty ass 2 day old jeans on :)...I really should go shopping but I fucking hate clothes shopping.

Oh- and if you plan on attending our panel at Comic Con- and I hope ya do- here's some info: We had some issue with customs in China and so we only got 100 masks to give away at our panel. Our room- Room 8- seats 350 but to be frank, I would be thrilled if we could get 50-75 people in there. I don't see us filling the place. So all you who plan on showing up should be taken care of if you want a mask. But just so you know, if you plan on coming and you really are dying for a Tooth mask, get there a few minutes early just to be sure. But again, I ain't expecting a full house given the competition we're up against at Friday 1pm. That's cool tho...it'll be nice and intimate for just us hard core Twisted Metal heads! :) We'll have fun!

Oh and the extra 1-2 thousand masks we HAD planned to give out at the con are still coming. Just need to figure out how to give them out. PAX perhaps? Not sure, will let ya'll know!

Ok-later ya'll! Hope all is well!

David

JAFFE'S PHOTO ALBUM

Being away from the blog for over a month allowed me to accumulate a bunch of photos. Perhaps ya'll would be interested in checking them out?  Hope so cuz I'm a-fixin ta share some pictures :)

Oh, I also plan to post a bunch of comic con photos in the next week. I LOVE blogs and websites that post pics from the con. There's just so much cool stuff to see and- if I may let the depth of my nerdiness be known- a handful of times during the year I'll get to craving the con and it's always cool to hit the net to remind myself of/relive the annual mega explosion of all things geek. So I'll get those up next week once the con winds down.

But for now, chex my random shit: 

PICS FROM E3

We were so excited and grateful that Sony pulled the trigger and made a full fledge Tooth van for the E3 unveiling. What a great, fun way to make an entrance! This is me a few days before the show at a rehearsal for the press conference. 

Pretty darn good replica if I do say so myself! 

Interior was pretty bland. If it would have gotten any screen time at the press conf I guess we would have had to tackle what exactly the inside of Tooth's truck DOES look like. I imagine it like a serial killer's lair, with dead bodies stuffed into the ice cream freezers and hundreds of little hanging pictures of the neighborhood kids- carefully cut out from school year books- dangling from the roof of the truck on dirty little pieces of string; sort of like his 'bucket list' of the kids in the hood he's yet to get to. Man, that's kind of sick. What is wrong with me?!? :)

Just a few of the many Eat Sleep Players who made it to the show to promote our baby. They all did an amazing- and tireless- job of helping new players settle right in to the Twisted Metal experience. Thanks ya'll! 

This was the ballroom of the Shrine Auditorium where we prepped and practiced our on stage press conference demo. As a film nut who grew up religiously watching the Oscars with my family, being in this room was a real thrill. This is the room where- for years- the Academy would host the Governor's Ball, the big, swanky first party of the night. This is the room where Spielberg celebrated after winning his first Oscar; where Cameron probably had to live down a shit load of evil eyes after saying he was king of the world. Not trying to over dramatize it- it is just a fucking old building- but for me, the whole dang place was just filled the ghosts of my childhood heroes. It was a real thrill to be on the same stage, walk the same halls, and pee in the same bathrooms as the movie directors that I used to idolize. But speaking of ghosts, man this building is old and dank and creeky and I would LOVE to spend the night in it with some ghost hunters cause you KNOW it's fucking haunted! 

My view backstage a few minutes before they shoved us in the back of the ice cream truck and we hit the stage. I took this pic to remind myself how amazing the opportunity we were about to have really was; to remind myself how grateful I was to be in the position we were in. To close the Sony press conference, to be included among such amazing games as Killzone 3 and Assassin's Creed and Little Big Planet 2 (and many others), to be at a level in the industry that a game that I had a mega hand in bringing to life was now about to be presented in such a cool way...well, it's just hard not to take it all in with a mega sense of gratitude. You never know if the game you are making is your last game. You never know if the game you are making will crash and burn and in doing so never allow you to have such support and press and interest again. And so- for me- when moments like the press conference arrive, I really try to take it all in and process it and remember all the details so it really stays with me, so I really am living in that very exciting moment. Jimmy Buffet has a great, apropos quote: "If you decide to run the ball, just count on fumbling and getting the shit knocked out of you a lot, but never forget how much fun it is just to be able to run the ball!"  To me, right now, we're getting to run the ball in the fucking NFL. Will we score a touch down? Will we get our back's broken as we get slammed by the opposition? Will we win the Super Bowl? Who knows. But it is sure is fucking fun to run that ball. 

Me and Scott meeting Sweet Tooth backstage, a few hours before the conference started. What a total thrill for me to see one of our creations brought to life. Love that machete! 

Our little corner of the Playstation Booth :) Look at the line! The game had lines the whole 3 days which sucked for convention goers. But for us, it was great because it meant interest in the title, great word of mouth on the show floor, and people coming back to play the game again and again. When I worked for Sony it was cool to have a game I was involved in in the Sony booth. But now that I'm independent, it becomes more clear what an honor it is to be part of the Sony family. To have our game chosen to stand shoulder to shoulder with such amazing first party titles like Killzone 3 and GT5 and LBP2...it's just a cool thrill to be included in that line up! 

Kellan Hatch, Eat Sleep Play's art and creative director taking a pic with our baby in the background :)

Close up shot of our booth.

MY KIDS LOVE CHARLIE

I had never heard of one time Youtube sensation Charlie The Unicorn until my kids became obsessed with watching it over and over and quoting the little web movie verbatim during mini van trips all over town. Heck, I really like it as well. Very PG rated South Park stuff, very strange in a great way. Charlie is now my oldest daughter's favorite character and so when it was time to have the grocery store cake maker put something on my kid's b-day cake, Charlie was the obvious choice :) 

COOL STUFF AT DISNEYLAND

Had my kids at D-land last month and saw these very cool Hot Wheels style cars. Boba and Indy are two of my favorite characters ever created so to see them given the Hot Wheel treatment was pretty sweet. Didn't buy them because- as I've said before- I'm trying not to clutter my office with tons of toys (been there, done that) but they are still pretty cool. Maybe LucasFilm will let us put them in the new Twisted Metal!?!? :)

DEL MAR FAIR

Me and my brother took my girls to the amazingly big and fun Del Mar fair on the 4th of July. We had a total blast! Great games, foods, and rides! And since people didn't start flooding the place till the night (for the fireworks) we pretty much had the place to ourselves all morning and afternoon. So NO LINES! :) Here are two random pics:

For some strange reason, the Del Mar racetrack- and thus the Del Mar fair- has a small, miniature version of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor.  Readers of the blog knows how much I loves ma' Farrells! :) So I took a pic of the candy counter. Doesn't come CLOSE to the amazing relaunch of Farrell's in Orange County but this one is only a few miles from my house :)

What's this I see on my soda cup?!? Dennis DeYoung (original lead singer of Styx as well as the main man who wrote most of the band's classics) was at the fair this month?!? And what's this?!? He was NOT doing his own, original post Styx stuff (which is kinda...not great) but he was actually doing music FROM Styx! Oh man! And I missed it?!? FUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKK! Man I dig Styx! :)

THE ART OF DARK RIDES 

Dark Rides- for those not in the know- are the haunted house ride-thru attractions you find at pretty much every fair in the country (world?)...some are lame and shitty; some are downright scary! Here is a great website about dark rides for those who are interested. But man, I just love dark rides! And there were a lot at this year's fair and I rode most of them. And the thing I love the most? The artwork on the outside of the dark rides. 

Now I can't put my finger on the art style. I don't know if there is a name for it. Cynics and people who have lost touch with their inner 14 year old would probably use the word 'bad' to describe it but I say, 'fuck them'. I just love this kind of stuff. It's has this sort of this '70's/early 80's airbrushed-on-the-side-of-a-van' look that just really appeals to me. It's got this 'little kid, sci fi/fantasy, Heavy Metal Movie-Magazine, 2000 AD comic, Tales From The Crypt, EC Comics, music of Styx with the D&D lyrics of Zeppelin'  kind of mentality that I just LOVE so much. Anyone who has played Twisted Metal and God of War should recognize the same vibe because they are one and the same. Here are some pics of some of my fave dark house exteriors from this year's fair: 

 Check out the chick with the mega boobs up top. There's always this sexuality sprinkled in with the sci fi/fantasy stuff. Which I love. Just like God of War, it really represents that perfect balance when you were still a kid but you were also growing up. So you still loved the imaginative stuff of your childhood (dragons and sci fi battles) but you were also starting to dig girls. I like to think I've kept that balance over the years and well into my adulthood as- for me- I find it a very nice place to be :)

Japanese flavored sci fi dude battling some demon?!? Totally makes no fucking sense but in such a great way! 

Again, sci-fi meets sexuality. Check the demon out grabbing at the half-naked chick's tush. 

Castle INSIDE the mouth of a monster rock...with a fucking DEMON ON TOP! That's metal baby! And I LUVS it! :)

Sex and MONSTERS! Great mix! 

Very Creepshow! I LOVE IT!

Neat underground comic/70's drug influenced stuff. Love this as well. Had hoped Calling All Cars would feel more like this, more XXX rated and sexy and druggy but...well, that's a totally different story. NEXT TIME! :)

Fantasy MEETS sci-fi?!?! HOLY FUCK I AM IN GEEK HEAVEN!!!

Ok ya'll! So that's what's up! Now I'm heading off to clean the house a bit (kid's bday party last nite+kid sleep over= house is a fucking disaster), gonna write up notes and design docs for a game design/production meeting we are having next week (when Sony and Eat Sleep Players are in town for the con), gonna work out, and then catch an afternoon showing of INCEPTION. So that's what's up...

Great weekend ya'll!

David