Sunday, January 31, 2010

OK, I KNOW I AM NOT THE FIRST TO SAY/NOTICE THIS...

...but man, it would SO SUCK to be that dude behind Lady Gaga. He's like, "I spend my whole life trying to get into the Grammys and I finally get to go and now I'm stuck behind this stupid ass Fortress of Solitude hat wearing motherfucker?!? Aw hell naw!"

And look at his eyes...look at them!! I COMMAND YOU!

Ahem...:)

But check him out: he's totally going, "I just wanna reach up and snap that damn thing off her fucking head"...

That said, I dig the Gaga...like her music, like her style, like her spirit. Plus my old Jewish grandma was called Gaga. And while she was too old for me to ever really know, people always tell me she was a fierce, independent, creative spirit. So who knows- maybe she was reincarnated as Lady G.

Or not.

But still, that POKER FACE song is really good. I assume- by the way- that it's SUPPOSED to sound like she's saying 'fuck her face' when she says 'poker' during the 'po-po-po-po-po-po-po-po-poke her face' part?

David

Friday, January 29, 2010

GOD OF WAR III SLURPEES!!!!!!!!

ARES! GIVE ME A CHERRY COKE SLURPEE AND MY LIFE...IS YOURS! 


So...how fucking cool is this?!? Here's the news story on adage if you are so inclined. Much thanks to GOD OF WAR III art director Ken Feldman for sharing this cool news with me! 


By the way, sorry the video stutters. Tried to get a higher res version and this is what I get...so fucking sick of this shit just not working. Youtube is out of sync and Viddler has issues with sound quality and buffering when it's high quality. Will record medium quality video from here on out. Later!


David

Thursday, January 28, 2010

IN DEFENSE OF THE IPAD


Had the nite to sleep on it. Waking up, I want one. I want one bad.

I get all the arguments against it and they are valid. I just don't care. I still want one to surf the net with in coffee shops, on my couch, and in my hotel when I travel. HATE there is no camera (must have my video chat!) but when they offer one with a camera on the next gen, I'll upgrade if I can afford to.

Main reason for wanting it: reading Marvel Comics digital comic service (man those comics are gonna look sweet on this thing!), online news sites, and game sites on a more comfortable device than a laptop. Oooh, and I will prob use ibooks if they start publishing graphic novels and some good non fiction stuff. And man, I HOPE more magazine like applications are coming soon. Not websites, but magazine style apps (like reading full issues of ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY on the thing...NOT just a link to the EW website)....

Also some people have been writing about how cool video board games would be on it (think it was Kotaku or Joystiq) and I certainly agree.

But I get it's not for everyone. The data plans are expensive, there's no REAL reason to ditch your laptop and/or iphone for this...those devices are much more robust than this device. But end of the day, this thing is just cool and I think I will use it a lot, and those are the two main reasons I want it.

But sure, maybe it will flop. If you take the geek net's majority reaction as an indication of mainstream interest, the Ipad is DOA. Lots of people sure are disappointed in what the thing does and does not do. And I get that. Like I said, I can see how it's not for everyone. That's fair.

BUT I really hate the argument I've seen pop up today where one reason to hate Ipad is cause of it being a closed system that Apple controls. Same old anti-Apple argument. And it's a stupid fucking argument because people who buy Apple know what they are in for with Apple products. And in most cases- at the very least mine- not only do they know what they're in for...they FUCKING LOVE what they're in for!

Man, I LOVE that my Apple products just freaking work 99% of the time. I can't STAND PCs. Can't stand the interface, can't stand how long they take to boot up, can't stand how fucking inelegant they are, hate the stupid Windows start up and shut down sound. Hate everything about them.

And I don't WANT to tinker with my fucking computer. I don't WANT to add cards and cables and have 5 monitors hooked up to it and some such shit.

I want the shit I buy to do the shit I need it to do...I don't care if it's a new shirt, a pack of condoms, or a brand new $2000 computer. If I buy something, damn thing BETTER work the way it's designed to work or it's going back to the store.  And none of this, "Well a PC DOES work how it's designed to work but you have to know what you are doing and nut fuck it up". Oh FUCK YOU. I'm kind of busy living a life here, you know? Kids, a business, making games, hanging out...not all that interested in getting a fucking IT degree before my PC will work how it's supposed to.

I get there is a subset of users out there that want more control over their home computing experience and God bless em', that's what a PC is for. But I wish the haters would stop trying to present Apple's closed door/tight control policy like it's a bad thing. Us Apple lovers KNOW what we are getting into with the closed door policy and dammit, most of us LIKE IT because it means the shit will work the way it was designed to. It's a damn good trade off for many of us out here. So PLEASE Apple haters, stop trying to present it like it's a bad thing to so many of us. It's just not.

Ahem...rant over :)

Damn...90 days is a LOOOONG time to wait to kick back at Starbucks and read an Amazing Spiderman digital comic.

Later!

David

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

SYNC TEST...

Am I in Sync?!?



By the way, hate the audio quality but I guess it beats being out of Sync! :) LATER!


David


ps. Oh no! He typed LATER in all caps! He's shouting!!! He's shouting the word 'Later' at me!?! Oh my stars and garters!

JAFFE'S PICKS



For those who give a shit about the stuff I like...here's a write up on the newly re-launched UGO.COM that covers 8 of my most recent favorite things.

My buddy Tracey John just started writing for the site and we did a really fun mega interview last week that will be hitting the site next week as well. I'll post a link.

Ok, just wanted to share. Back to work and back to eagerly awaiting news from Apple :)

David

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

WHAT AN HONOR...





I will be part of a panel with the legendary Atari 2600 game creator David Crane at this year's DICE. For more on the legend who created such classics as PITFALL! and LASER BLAST click here.  If you are a youngun' or just new to games I get how you could have no clue who this man is. But trust me, he made some of the best pure fun games of all time and it's such an honor to be sharing the stage with him. Surreal as hell, but a major honor for me.





From time to time, me and the teams I work with hear people telling us how much our work has meant to them, how much joy/fun/good times they've gotten from our games. And man, what a great feeling. But I gotta say, I feel the SAME WAY about Mr. Crane as people say they feel about us and our games! Me and my brother and my neighbor Michael would spend HOURS in our den, parked in front of our Atari 2600 and just lost in the worlds that David created.  To me- as a lover of all things Indiana Jones- Pitfall! is one of the best games ever created. Not only did it introduce so many of the concepts for the genre we now define as the platformer, but it just oozed adventure and excitement and stirred the hell out of my 6th grade imagination!  And Laser Blast...oh man, what a game! My brother was the best Laser Blast player but I could hold my own in that one. Oooh, and he made GhostBusters too! Oh, and Pitfall II which was crazy ambitious for the time...and a really fun game as well.


David and his games really shaped and defined my childhood in the same way that the 70's and 80's works of Lucas and Spielberg did. And I know he's just a guy, just a man...but damn, to be sitting with him, to be sharing a stage with a person who had such a significant impact on games, gameplay, the game industry, and- most importantly- my life...well that's gonna be a hell of a thrill! I hope he doesn't think I'm some kind of stalker :)

Ok, so in other news: back home from all the video editing for our video. We're showing the game to the folks at SCEE and needed to cut a trailer to give them a quick idea of what our game is. Now that that's done, back to working on the game itself! Man, sometimes the press and dog and pony and E3 and PAX stuff takes up so much time you wonder when the hell you'll be able to get back to actually working on the damn game! But hey, at least it means people care and are interested in what you and the team is making. Beats the alternative :)

Later!

David

UPDATE: Just to be fair, some people credit Crane with the first ever platformer in Pitfall! Donkey Kong doesn't count to many because it was one screen/level where Pitfall! allowed the player to run back and forth with screens linked into a seamless (for the most part) cohesive world (ala today's 2d Mario games). The thing about this is, I'm not sure if Pitfall! was the first to do this or if it was actually Smurf's Rescue on Colecovision. Since they both hit in 1982 however I think it's safe to assume they were both working to crack the nut around the same time. So, there's that :)

Friday, January 22, 2010

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

NEW RULE...

...if game sites are going to report on every little rumor- no matter how solid or no matter how clearly full of shit- then they must stop bitching about GDC and E3 not having any surprises.

I don't think it's a game site's job to hold back leaked news, even tho- in the above case- it could very well be bullshit.  They need to attract readers, readers want up to the second news, and as long as the news is not obtained illegally, then what the hell- it's a free country.

But to use an overused net cliche: this is why we can't have nice things. Or more specifically, this is why the days of E3 and GDC being full of jaw dropping surprises are pretty much over.

And that sucks.

I used to love that about those shows. :(

David

Monday, January 18, 2010

WHAT THE HELL IS THAT FALLING FROM THE SKY?!?

It's raining in So Cal!

Not just raining but freaking POURING! And I LOVE IT!

I liked Tina Fey's take on all the water at the Golden Globes last nite. She said, "This isn't rain. It's God crying for NBC."....or something to that effect. She so funny :)

I love the rain. I would not love it if it rained all the time. But 2-3 weeks of rain per year? Oh man, that's da bee's knees as the Brits say. It's like snow used to be when I lived in Alabama. We'd get it MAYBE a few times a year and it was a major novelty. That's how rain is here in San Diego.

Plus I'm kind of a homebody at times so I really love to get my coffee, open the window, and work while the rain just pours down. It's very cozy and productive and just feels like...I dunno...like I'm wrapped up in a little work cocoon. Yes, that is crazy dorky I know. Whatever. Here's the view from my window today:



Hard to tell from a still shot taken on an iphone but this year we're getting some major wind as well, so that's a cool bonus. In the pic above that big ass tree on the right is going nuts, dude! Whipping around and banging against my window just like in Poltergeist!  Speaking of: a big tree came down a few blocks away, that's how windy it is.

Now I know that most of ya'll who get this kind of stuff year round must think I'm nuts. "What's the big damn deal?!?" you must be asking.

I get that. But whatever.

Ohh and it's all overcast too (duh). Check it:



Me and the ex took the girls to PF CHANGS for lunch today. They were home from school celebrating MLK day. So this is the drive home, shot from inside the car. I post it for a few reasons:

#1- look at those palm trees! Windy I tell ya! Not as crazy as it was when I drove to the Spike awards a few weeks ago...then the wind was pushing my car all around the freeway and I literally could see about 5 feet in front of my car. Very tense but very cool. I'm racing down the freeway, blasting Jay-Z, part terrified and part like, "Come on motherfucking rain! This all you got?!?! Bring it rain bitches!"...

#2- People think I'm rich because of the games I've worked on. I am SO not rich. I make a good living for sho, but check it all you 'peeps who think I live in a mansion': I don't! I live in a nice but typical suburban neighborhood in San Diego. So all you bitches out there saying I'm all rich, please stop. OR better yet: please send me lots of cash so I can live up to your swanky image of me! :)

#3- I know the dude who made Paranormal Activity lives in San Diego and shot the movie at his house. He also used to work at Sony San Diego (which is pretty close by). So I wonder if he doesn't live around me and shot his flick in my neighborhood cause the exterior of the house in that movie looks JUST like my neighborhood!

Ok, back to work. Prepping for a video capture session with the San Diego Sony peeps tomorrow so we can cut a video for the European Sales/Marketing teams. Later!

David

ps. Man I'm kinda hyper. What the hell?!? Can you tell?!?

Saturday, January 16, 2010

YES, I'M AN IDIOT


Just got back from seeing Avatar a second time.

Some of you may recall I walked out of the movie about 30 minutes in the first time I went. I was just way too bothered by the cliche story to tolerate the thing.

Just goes to show that one's mindset when doing any sort of activity is everything. From watching a film to consuming any other sort of entertainment to eating a specific kind of food, if you're head's just not into it, it don't matter how good the thing is you're trying to vibe with.

When I tried to watch the flick the first time, I think my head was way too into our game (I had gone right after work) and I couldn't really give myself over to anyone else's creative vision. I was too tied into our own vision to get swept up in anyone else's, too focused on what we were trying to do with our new title.

Today however-prob cause it's the weekend and I've had about 12 hours to detox from the job- I could just let go and let the movie wrap me up. And it did! And I loved it! I don't think it's the next big thing but it was pretty darn fantastic and some parts of the flick downright classic!

Ok ya'll: it's Saturday nite and I'm hunkering down for a late nite of planning a video that we're making to show to the European sales/marketing folks in the next few weeks. Besides that, gonna be taking breaks by  pounding away on Splosion Man on XBLA, my new addiction. What a fantastic game and a what a fantastic new character!




Talk soon-

David

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND

And that's all she wrote folks.

In a few hours, the Calling All Cars servers go down for good. And after that, there's no way in the foreseeable future to play Calling All Cars online.  Heck, if I'm being honest, truth is: she's never gonna be online again.

I'd say she had a good run online, but she really didn't. With the exception of the first few hours when the game hit PSN, there were never more than 3-5 people playing at a time. Until tonite, that is, when a handful of loyal CAC supporters came out to say their goodbyes. Thanks for that, ya'll. I know it's just a fucking video game but that meant a lot to me to see a good chunk ('good chunk' being relative) of you folks online and giving her one more go. Check it out:


I'm a little sad, naturally, to see the online aspect shut down. This was the first online game I'd ever done and so it was a HUGE learning experience. And it was my first step away from the more story based games I'd been working on (Twisted Metal:Black, God of War) and my first step into the arcade, play mechanic experiences our new company is focused on now. I loved working on it and many on the team did as well. My biz partner Scott Campbell often says this was the most fun he ever had making a game. I don't know if it was- for me- the MOST fun but it was indeed a damn good time.



I think the game had it's flaws for sure.

The biggest one being a lack of stickiness.

Even playing tonite after 3 very, very fun matches full of shouting and overtimes and comebacks, I was done. I didn't want to play anymore. I think we did a really good job making a fantastic piece of bubble gum that was sweet and jam packed with sugar and had a hell of a bang when you put it in your mouth. But for some reason I still have not totally figured out, the flavor faded VERY fast. You could come back to it after 2-4 weeks and have that same great experience, but it was always a really short ride. Some folks say leaderboards and trophy support would have helped.  And they would have, for sure. But the core game was lacking something that kept people coming back...I think most likely in our attempt to create a fast, furious, pick up play party game that reminded us of the classic SNES and arcade games we grew up on, we neglected the depth. I know you can have both in this kind of game...hard to know if Calling All Cars doesn't have the depth because we were so focused on short term play goals that we simply forgot to put it in or because it never occurred to us to put it in in the first place (i.e. we thought the moment to moment fun would be more than enough)...



Lack of defense when carrying the criminal was another problem the game had. Not sure what the logic was in making it so you could not fire weapons when you carried him (I recall this being my request, truth be told). Not sure why we didn't have a team mode. Not sure why we didn't have a pure combat, Twisted Metal style mode. Don't know why I didn't fight harder for the bawdy, XXX rated vibe the game was originally designed to have...I think that would have been much more targeted to early adopter PS3 buyers. Hell, we shoulda just made it war themed and fucked the cartoony stuff. Not kidding about that. Altho I gotta say, I love the cartoony look :)

I guess we just didn't know what the hell kind of game was expected of us, truth be told. No one's fault but ours. But you gotta remember, this was the launch of PSN and no one really knew what these small games needed to be. I mean, Geo Wars was huge on 360 but we were not making a high score driven game, so it was hard to use what we learned from playing that title when designing this title.

I guess it really came down to us gambling wrong in terms of what kind of and how much entertainment people wanted for their 10 bucks on a- at the time- $600 HD state of the art game machine. We just thought, for 10 bucks, people woulda been trying these things and sampling them like candy. But alas, much of the same logic that applies to what people buy for 60 bucks also applies to what they spend 10 bucks on.

Perhaps it would have done gang busters as a Wii game. Perhaps it would have done just as poorly over there (altho I do think we broke even on CAC and we did get a majority of favorable/ good reviews and got a decent number of GREAT reviews. I think CAC is perceived as a failure even tho it actually was not...it wasn't a smash hit or even a hit, but it was not a critical turd and I am pretty sure IF it lost any money, it was a very, very modest sum).

Whatever the case, for me, 10 bucks was totally worth the fun I've had online and off with the game. But for many, it was clearly not.

Still I'm really proud of our baby. It's a really fun game in short bursts and gets people yelling and laughing and swearing at the tv and that was always the core goal we set out to achieve. We wanted to make people happy with this game. And so when I hear stories of people playing together and having a great time, it really does mean tons to me. And I'm sure the rest of the team would agree. And so while I'm sad to see online go, most folks never played online anyway. It seems to have found a home- albeit a very modest home- via split screen and I'm glad Calling All Cars will live on as a local party game for years to come.

Perhaps Calling All Cars marks the beginning of the end of my career making hit games. Maybe when I'm 90 and sitting in the game designer retirement home, I'll be like, "Yep, after Calling All Cars hit, it was all downhill"...

Or perhaps it will be viewed as simply a stepping stone, a learning process that we had to go thru so me and the team could move on to our next mega blockbuster!

Who knows. Who cares. That's for the future to know.

All I know is I'm really damn proud of the game.

And I know I'm grateful for all of ya'll out there who played it and who continue to play it.

And I know I'm so thankful for the amazing team at Eat Sleep Play who built the damn thing. Ya'll made a damn fine game people. Thank you so much!

Ok, enough sissy talk! Time to get back to work and make another hit! Not being in the top 10 motherfucking sucks! :)

LATER!

David

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

META GAMES, COOL MEETING, WALKING OUT OF AVATAR

Yep, sync is still fucked up. Been posting on forums to try to get some help, but no luck :(
Fuck I'm tired- later ya'll!
David


Sunday, January 10, 2010

COME ON MOVIE MARKETING PEOPLE!




Clearly I love Greek Mythology. And clearly I love cars mounted with machine guns and rocket launchers. And what do ya know?!? From watching the trailer, this movie has both!!!?!?

And I'm not one of these Chris Columbus haters. I think he's a solid director and used to be a great screenwriter (Goonies, Young Sherlock).

So I'll be there for this movie, hells yes. Not as excited for this as for the CLASH OF THE TITANS remake but I'll be there day one for both.

But COME THE HELL ON! PERCY JACKSON!?! That is the name of your hero? And that is the name of your fucking franchise?!?

I get that you can't just call it THE LIGHTNING THIEF, like the book cause you want to build brand awareness of the lead so you can do sequel after sequel and still keep the core protagonist in the title. Makes good sense. But change the fucking dude's name. You're launching a movie that- from the looks of it- cost at least 150 mill. I'm sure you've made lots of changes from the book to make the story more appropriate for the movie medium. When you were tinkering with the book to movie adaptation, didn't anybody go, "Dude, Percy Jackson is a stupid, wimpy, lame name for a hero and FUCKING TERRIBLE name for a movie franchise?!?"

Think about it: HARRY POTTER, INDIANA JONES, JAMES BOND, AND...Percy Jackson?!?! Percy Motherfucking Jackson?!? Come the fuck on. So dumb.

Hell, when the trailer voice guy even says the title at the end, you can so easily imagine after he recorded it he turned to the sound guy and was like, "Percy Jackson?!? Are they fucking kidding with that shit?!?"

"Hey mom! I wanna Percy Jackson action figure!"

Ugh.

Later ya'll! Hope your weekend is going great! Just got back from taking my kids to see Alvin and the Chipmunks Part Deux. I dug it! Liked the first one as well and David Cross is always really funny in these flix.

Oh speaking of movies, I walked the fuck OUT of Avatar on Friday nite. I get I'm in the teeny, tiny minority on this one so I ain't gonna deny that people clearly love it. I just ain't one of them. And you all know my taste's. I'm not some elitist movie going snob.  Love mainstream movies and popcorn flix more than any other kind. But man, the story was SO boring and I've seen that story done over and over and over that I really was just kind of bored by the whole thing. But again, I get that I'm kind of alone on this as it's made over a billion bucks in less than a month?!!? Holy hell!

David

Thursday, January 07, 2010

THANKS MOD NATION RACERS!

Just got this from Scott McCarthy, our game's new kick ass marketing dood!

Seems Tooth is getting some love over in Mod Nation! Whoever made this, thanks! It's so cool! Now if I could just get a real one! :)



Seems someone also made a KRISTA SPARKS (from Twisted Metal 2) and BRIMSTONE (from Twisted Metal: Black!) Thanks for the Twisted Metal love ya'll! What a cool idea: Twisted Metal on PS3! SWEET!!!!






Wednesday, January 06, 2010

LIKE I HAVE TIME FOR THIS...





Just got back from lunch and the siren's call of new games- especially new games that I've been eager to play and/or are getting stellar reviews- was too strong. But hell, I'm still playing Uncharted 2 and Mario & Luigi and a crap ton more. What am I thinking?!?!

Interesting thing on Darksiders: where the hell is the THQ logo?!? I thought THQ funded and published the game...it's rare enough to see a dev reach a status of getting the logo on the front of the box at all. But VIGIL is the only logo on the front OR back of the box (not even a THQ logo on the rear...just the name THQ in the legal text). I know THQ now owns VIGIL, perhaps they are trying to start a new brand? Anyway, just curious.

Ok ya'll- if I can get done with work early enough tonite you know what I'll be doing!

David

ps. Saturday at Comic Con already sold out?!?! Thank god a friend reminded me I can get a PRO badge which ain't sold out yet. I'd go nuts without all 4 days :)

LET'S BE HONEST...

Kotaku just put up an article on what parents think of video games. Journalist Stephen Totilo asked parents what they thought their kids got out of video games. Good read, check it. 


All of the responses are pretty standard by now, with some weighing in on the values, others saying games are a waste of time,etc,etc,etc. Heard them all before. But one response from a parent really stands out:


Lets be honest most "Popular Games" don't require analytical thinking or planning or creativity. Sure you might find the one game out of 30 that require you to use the grey matter, but for the most part, they will not. MW2, probably the most popular game in recent history was just basically a rail shooter. Even the competitive component favors twitch reflexes over actual planning and tactics. WoW, the most successful game to date does not require analytical thinking or analysis.


So why does this stand out (aka annoy the fuck out of me)? Well I'll tell you ('he's going to tell, he's going to tell):


1- 'Let's be honest'- I fucking hate when people say or write that. Granted I've probably done it too, which is why I hate it even more. But writing 'let's be honest' is such a pussy way to argue. It's like the LAMEST attempt at debate, as if putting 'let's be honest' in front of the bullshit you are about to spew makes your listeners more apt to swallow it. Like 'I didn't think you were right before, but yeah, since now we're being HONEST and not just LYING to ourselves, sure, I gotta concede your point'. Fuck you.


2- Why is Popular Games in quotes? Is Modern Warfare 2 not REALLY a popular game but just an imaginary popular game? Is all that money Activision is raking in just pretend money? I don't understand. Perhaps this parent has a point if he's talking about imaginary games. Altho I would think imaginary video games are even MORE valuable for kids because they promote, you know, imagination.


3- Finally to his/her actual point- what a stupid fucktard. MW2 requires no tactics or strategy? Guess he has not actually played the game but just seen the tv commercials (which tends to be the case with these people who make this argument). Guess he/she has not played the Spec Ops mission where your buddy is in a copter and you are on the ground in the burbs trying to reach an extraction point. It was tense and required team work, communication, planning, resource management, and a host of other cerebral skills to succeed at the mission. Any good game designer KNOWS that a even a mediocre game HAS to tickle the brain or the game gets old in 5-10 minutes. 90% of what designers DO is try to figure out how to make a game engaging and trust me, it's got NOTHING to do with blood and effects and machine guns. That surface stuff TOTALLY matters to get your core audience of adult males INTO your game to begin with. But what keeps them playing- and purchasing versus renting- is engaging play. The presentation- which is what most people who know NOTHING about video games bitch about- is JUST the trick you use to entice the player to show up in the first place. But once they show up, your game better deliver the gameplay (read: mental) goods or you are sunk.


Man, I'm so fucking sick of this argument from people who don't play video games and yet- for some stupid ass reason- they think their opinion is worth something in this debate. 


Ok done- off to work! Later ya'll!


David 

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

THIS IS WHY THE INTERNET=GOD DAMNED GOLD!!!!



Adam Orth at LucasArts sent me this and I just fell on the fucking floor. This is just gold man! GOLD!

David

Monday, January 04, 2010

Sniff...Sniff....

DAMN YOU KOTAKU!!!

This is a link to the Kotaku Darksiders game review.

Glad to see most other reviewers don't feel the same. However Kotaku usually has pretty good reviews so I'm not sure what to think. Ah hell, I'm gonna get it anyway as I've been looking forward to it since I played it at Comic Con a few years back (and really dug it). Love the main character and world design (just a Joe Mad fan I guess). Here's hoping the rest of the game has something special to offer!

Anyway, so there's that. :(

David

ps. Ugh, this is why Twitter was so good. Easier to do a quick tweet about this...ah well, I'm just in the sadness phase of losing Twitter.

pps. Speaking of Joe Mad, remember Danger Girl? That was J. Scott Campbell but it was the same line of comics and it hit when Battle Chasers came out. Man I loved Danger Girl. Battle Chasers was great too but Danger Girl was my fave of that time. Shame the DG games were never any good. And every time they try to bring the comic back, seems someone has to put their own damn spin on Danger Girl. Screw that- I want classic Danger Girl back! :)


Saturday, January 02, 2010

My very fast thoughts on the indie game scene...

First off, let me make this clear: my 2009 game of the year is Flower.

Now I have yet to finish UNCHARTED 2 (playing thru it now) and so that could top it. BUT I 
mention it because:
a- many folks have asked me what my 2009 GOTY is.
b- I need to make it clear- before I go off- that I'm a fan of all games, mainstream and indie 
alike.

HAVNG SAID THAT (yes, I watch Curb):

SHUT THE FUCK UP WITH THE OBNOXIOUS AS HELL INDIE GAME MAKER 
ATTITUDE.

Yes, I get the irony of a loud mouth, obnoxious guy like myself telling folks to shut up for the 
same behavior. So this is kinda tongue in cheek. But it's also kind of serious.

Here, this clip MEGA64 made for the IGF sums it up better than I could anyway:


Granted, this funny as hell clip was made FOR the IGF and so I imagine it's meant to be a
badge of honor that supports the indie game dev community. And I get that and I sort of 
respect that. On one hand, I want to say: good for the indie game makers who are pushing
back against the mega corps that rule the gaming roost. I'm down with that fight, even tho I'm
not participating in it.

But at the same time it occurs to me that the indie game scene seems to be trying awfully hard these days to make it clear how cool and indie they actually are. One would think that the 
games they make- because clearly they are so artsy and amazing and meaningful and more 
communicative than anything mainstream games can shit out- could communicate that 
message for them. But I guess not. Hell in some cases you've got indie game makers publicly calling out other indie game makers for NOT being indie enough or not being worthy at all of 
the independent badge.

Well here's what I told a buddy of mine who makes indie games and who was called out for just that very crime (he had had mainstream success and now is finding success as well on the indie scene):


If you really want to be indie, stop giving a fuck about being indie and just be; just keep doing ya'lls thing and fuck what anything thinks. THAT- to me- is hella indie. Hell, the people who go out of their way to make it crazy clear they are indie seem a tad suspicious to me anyway. If they were really so indie, wouldn't that be clear from their games? Why do they have to keep reminding us?







Lots of games from the indie game community wear their angsty-ass hearts on their sleeves and- as an outsider- it's fucking annoying. We GET it: you're intelligent, you're free thinkers, you think the mainstream is beneath you and you are here to save the day. Yadda-fuckin-yadda.


Do you REALLY want to be grouped in with that bullshit mentality given how entertaining and accessible your games are? 



So ya know...there's that.


I dunno- I just hate it when mainstream games are so vilified. As a guy who LOVES mainstream games (playing and making them), it just seemed to be a good time to stand up for big, accessible, in your face, good old fashioned entertainment. 


And for my friends in the indie community: I LOVE some of your games (clearly) and crazy respect what SOME of you guys/gals do. Hell, if I have the talent, perhaps one day I will make an indie game as well. I think some of you are onto something. But it's not the only game in town and I sure wish some of ya'll would remember and respect that fact from time to time.


But for the rest of you assholes, get yourself a copy of this and shut the fuck up :)


David


ps. I know the formatting on this is shit. But it's 3AM and I don't have time to deal with it right now. When I came back to blogging last week I found BLOGGER had changed their interface and beats the hell out of me how to make it work. I'll get around to it in the next few posts but I'm frankly too tired and bizzy to deal with it right now. Hope ya'll don't mind too much- thx!