Behind the Scenes!

Went to Disneyland last week with my oldest daughter. We had a blast!

One of the best parts-for me-was when the Winnie the Pooh ride broke down while we were on it. Instead of making us sit there for 5 minutes while they ironed out the kinks, the Disney folks walked into the ride, got everyone out of their honey combed shaped vehicles, and lead us- on foot- out of the ride and back to the exit!

Now I'm a theme park nut. I love rides and I am especially a fan of the 'dark rides' (what they call the story based ride thru attractions like Winnie the Pooh,Pirates of the Caribbean,Haunted Mansion,etc). So you can image (I'm assuming) what a thrill it was for me to be able to stroll thru the path normally limited only to the ride vehicles. It was so cool to get up close and personal with the props and to touch and examine the animatronic characters in the Winnie ride! Sure, Pirates of the Caribbean woulda been a better, cooler ride to breakdown in, but this was a still a thrill!

My daughter is only 5 and I tried to explain to her what a big deal this was but it was clear that she was not that amazed. What she doesn't realize is just how rare this is! At least I think it's rare. The only other time anything like this has happened to me was in MR. TOAD'S WILD RIDE back when I was around 10 years old. And in that case, the lights just came on for a few minutes while we sat in our stalled cars while the Disney folks tinkered with this or that (they never explained what the problem was to us). Then the lights went back down and we finished the ride. No fuss, no muss. But it was still cool.

But THIS? This was totally different! We were WALKING thru the damn ride! To me, that is just the coolest thing in the world! Here are some picks I snapped on the way out (and the Disney folks didn't even seem to mind...how cool is that?)...


Here's the Ride Guide coming around with these little step stools to help the guests out of our vehicles...it was very organized, very 'not a big deal' which means that this either happens a lot more often that I am aware of OR Disney is just that good and that prepared for EVERYTHING that could happen in their parks...


Walking thru the ride- while crazy cool- also felt very natural...it made me wonder why there are not any walk thru dark rides like this...I guess crowd speed and crowd control gets tough/impossible in those sorts of cases. But the experience of walking thru the ride and getting right up to the displays was very, very cool and it made me think a walk thru dark ride would go over great (lots of stuff to touch and interact with and hidden things to find and discover,etc).There is something like that at LEGOLAND (the ADVENTURE CLUB or something like that that you get to walk thru) but it's real low rent compared to the amazing dark rides at Disneyland.


Check out all the blacklite! I feel like I'm at Spencer's Gifts at the mall! Where's the +18 section and DIO posters!?!? :)


Here is one of the mythic Hidden Mickeys that the ride guide showed us as we walked thru. I thought there were only like 50 Hidden Mickeys in the whole park, but it seems there may be around 500 or more! They really are everywhere if you know where to look!

Ok, later ya'll!

David

Game Design Theory...

Here it is: THE ULTIMATE GOAL!


What I learned most from CALLING ALL CARS!

Yes, I will be watching...

UPDATE:

Thought the show was really great! Best one in years. Three things:

#1- If they care about the value of the broadcast show, they need to ditch the awards that are not relevant to mainstream movie goers. They should always award and recognize folks like SOUND MIX EDITORS and such, but just like they give out technical awards off camera and at a different ceremony, the more techy awards really need to happen off camera (again, assuming they want to boost the ratings and make the show itself more entertaining). I love the movies, have relatives who work behind the scenes, and respect the behind the scene jobs immensely and I don't even want to watch that shit.

#2-Replace those more technical awards with a few more mainstream awards. It was nice to see some airtime given to the less arty flicks. And as Will Smith said, the action movies (or the comedies or horror flicks,etc) have many, many fans. It only makes sense that if you want to bring more folks to the show, you should focus more on the movies that millions of people actually love. I'm not saying change the voting process to make sure flicks like KING FU PANDA make it into the BEST ACTOR and BEST PICTURE categories. I am saying that the academy needs to invent a few new awards such as: BEST COMEDY, BEST ACTION MOVIE, MOST ENTERTAINING, A PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST PICTURE,etc. Every one of those I would stay tuned for and be eager to see who won. And what would be so bad about adding a few extra awards? Those are valid categories and don't take away from the main BEST PICTURE category at all (at least not to me).

#3- Wow, my boyhood idol- Steven Spielberg- is looking old. Which is very weird for two reasons:

a- when you see you childhood heroes age it makes you feel old and makes you realize that we're all only here for a finite amount of time. This- obviously- is obvious. But when you see it laid out like that, with Spielberg kind of limping (it seemed...or shuffling or something odd in his walk) onto stage with his unkempt Einstein hair and very, very white hair and beard it just hit home for me....

b- He's only like 61 or 62. My dad is 82 and looks more full of life and energy that Steven Spielberg. Maybe he just had the flu or something because he just seemed- for the first time that I've ever seen him- to have lost a bit of the sparkle behind the eye. Maybe all the funding issues with his new company have taken a toll. Maybe he's still kicking himself for Crystal Skull (he should be ... :) )....

Ok- later!

END UPDATE:

++++

I have a love/hate thing with the Academy Awards.

As a kid, I looked at Hollywood (movie directors and writers and other behind the scenes folks) as a window into what my adult life would be like: a glamorous, exciting, and rewarding window into what I was 100% sure was my future.

As an adult, working in a creative industry, having won some awards in my industry, and having seen our pervasive tabloid culture give rise to the obliteration of Hollywood's magic, the reason I now watch the Oscars has changed. These days- depending on my mood- I watch the Oscars for one of the following three reasons:

REASON #1: Nostalgia- As a kid, the Oscars were my Super Bowl. It's fun to think back to those early morning band rehearsals where I would sit with my equally obsessed film buddy Jay while we poured over the just announced nominations that had come out at 5am that morning. It's fun to recall obsessing over the Oscar ballot in USA TODAY that I would carry around in my pocket and study during lunch, arguing with friends over who would and should win. It's fun to recall how excited I was to enter into the movie business and entertain the world with the movies I would make one day. And it's fun to dip myself in the 'magic waters' of nostalgia (as James Earl Jones says in Field Of Dreams) that bring me back to the days where I was sure I would become the next Steven Spielberg*. What a great, sustaining fantasy that was, back when I really needed it the most!

REASON #2: Mocking- it's fun to shout at the tv and make fun of how self-important and full of shit many of the folks on stage and in the audience seem to be (Sean Penn proclaiming that ,"Jude Law is one of our finest actors" was bad enough, but then the entire audience applauding like this is some sort of 'true dat'/'it's about fucking time someone trumpeted the brilliance that is Jude Law' kind of statement?!?!...or the 'All Hail King Jack Nicolson as he holds court!' cut aways that we get every fucking year and the host always kissing his ass while 'King Jack' just sits there in his shades and nods and smiles as if to say, "I am the Godfather of this town!"...ugg, how I fucking hate that shit)! But now look, I love the movies. Love them! Depending on the day, they are my #1 or #2 favorite form of entertainment (movies swap places with video games depending on what I am watching/playing). So movies- for me- are gold. And I am so happy there are people who are great at making the movies that entertain the world. BUT so often you just want to punch these fucktards in the mouth when they go on and on about the magic of their medium. Or the glamour of their town or of their lives. Or how if you just dream big enough, you can be just like them! Or how they- too- were once little kids prenteding to give an Oscar acceptance speech in the bathroom mirror with a tube of toothpaste subbing in for the Oscar statue. Oh Jeeze. Oh Blechh!

Oh and that "Blechh" sound? In case you were wondering, that was me puking. Because how many magical movies hit in a year? 1-3, at best? And as for the life of glamor? Well you know good and well that these celebrity's lives are just as normal/exciting/boring/mundane/magical as our own lives and yet they insist on perpetuating this damaging fantasy of glamor and godhood in order to...what? Convince themselves that their normal life IS actually unique? Create a persona that will help them sell more movie tickets, but in the process continue to damage society by presenting false images of what life is actually like? I dunno...I- clearly- got a real issue with this issue. And it comes to full bloom on Oscar night. And so I tend to shout at the tv. A lot. It's good fun :)

REASON #3: Fantasy- With all that said, it's still fun to kick back at the end of the day and watch the beautiful people walk the red carpet as the warm California sun bathes them in its glow; as people scream their names and rush to get interviews; as we get to see modern versions of fairy tales come to life, where nothing goes wrong for these people, they always look great, everyone always loves them, life is exciting, and there is no reason to ever fear anything. I know it's all bullshit, but just for a few moments amid the 3-4 hour show, I get to indulge in the fantasy that all is well. And the ironic part is, all IS well. But you only end up knowing that if you leave the fantasy behind, live in the real world, and realize that it's actually not so scary after all. But that takes work...and that's hard. So for a few hours, it's fun to imagine the alternative.

So I'm gonna go spin and get some exercise, then do some work on the game for a few hours, and then plop my ass in front of the tv, a pizza slice in one hand and my Tivo remote in the other (I sure as SHIT don't watch the Oscars without 30-45 minutes of buffer on the hard drive that lets me skip the boring shit). Hope you guys/gals- who choose to watch- dig the show!

Chat later!

David

*NOTE: I still think dreaming HUGE is important...nothing wrong with those sorts of goals, but I think you gotta plot your own course/walk your own path versus shooting to live someone else's already spoken for life. As Oprah Winfrey likes to say, "There can only be one Oprah, and I already have that job and I do it very well".

JAFFE/MYSTERY JOURNALIST

Hey- just got done chatting with reporter in question from a few posts down.

I'm gonna answer his questions because he has agreed to resubmit them without the negative slant.

Then, he and I are gonna do a podcast together and talk about this issue and the PS3 and games in general.

Should be fun! It ain't FROST/NIXON, I grant you, but hell, we'll get a kick out of it!

I'll post the conversation once it's done.

David

ps. and I heard the new 1up podcast show tonite- or whatever they are calling it now. If you guys are reading this, would love to go on your show for a few minutes to have a chance to explain myself and defend myself. If not, no worries...I don't have a game coming out for a while and it prob makes more sense to bring folks on with specific games to talk about. Maybe as we get closer to release. Either way, glad your show is still around- I thought it got lost in the layoffs. I love 1upyours!

THE MYSTERY WINDOW!

And here is the amazing box art from SLOT RACERS! I saw this and HAD to have it when I saw it at Service Merchandise at Eastwood mall (a place enshrined in my childhood geek memory, along with Aladdin's Castle at Brookwood mall and the Brookwood mall theater).

With box art like that, how could you turn it down?!?! SO AMAZING!!! My little kid imagination was going off the rails!

And then this is what I see when I plug it in to my 2600:

Errr....yeah...ok....now look, the old school games never looked that amazing and compared to the Intellivision, Atari 2600 had the worst graphics for sure (kind of like the 360 having shittier graphics than the PS3....I KEED! I KEED! Man, it's so easy to stir up a shit storm....or AM I kidding?!?!)

...but yeah, that fucker went back in the box and back to the store in no time flat! I don't recall what we exchanged it for....but it sure as shit was better than fucking Slot Racers!

Ok, later!

David

Is this biased journalism? Or is it just me?

UPDATE:

Let me rephrase, based on some of the comments:

Sure all journalism is biased. Let me rephrase:

is this obnoxiously biased to the point that most rational folks would be offended to get such an email?

Or is this just biz as usual (altho I've never gotten such slanted questions before)...

END UPDATE

+++++++++++++


Here is the email in question:

+++++++++

David,

I'm working on a story for MSNBC examining the life-to-date chronology of the PS3. As a respected PlayStation developer, would you be willing to answer a few questions? In the interest you are, here goes:

In hindsight, noting the PS3's lukewarm reception and relatively high cost, a lot of people wonder what Sony was thinking when developing the PS3. So... what were they thinking?

It's been said that Ken Kutaragi and Howard Stinger dictated what technology the PS3 should include instead of doing proper research to what the consumer wanted while paying little mind to price. As a development partner, did you feel that was the case? Why/why not?

It seems that releasing a feature-rich console for $600, now $400, was a crippling move for Sony, especially given the recent economic downturn. Would you agree? Why/why not?

Did you ever perceive low morale within the company once the $600 price was announced in 2006? Can you elaborate?
Consumers appear indifferent to Blu-ray technology. Do you feel Sony overvalued Blu-ray, after DVD helped the PS2 become such a huge success?

It seems the PS3 has been cobbled together since its release: feature-cutting to help cut costs, patched with controller rumble, patched with Home, patched with trophy achievements -- like the console never had a specific plan. During your tenure, did you feel the powers that be at Sony had a grip on what exactly would make the PS3 a success? Why/why not?
What has been your biggest concern as a PS3 developer?

Was the Wall Street Journal right: has hope faded for PS3 as the "comeback player"?

Kindly,

Mystery Journalist

So you tell me...am I just being ultra sensitive? If so, I apologize to the journalist in question. To be fair to him, he says he's looking at the PS life to date (and not focusing on upcoming things that could swing the console's fortunes ((ala KILLZONE 2, GOW 3, UNCHARTED 2, MLB 09, potential price drop,etc)) )....BUT even so, he seems to ignore ANY of the success it has had up till this point or any of the missteps the 360 has made...but again, I could be wrong...

Take it easy ya'll-

David

HEY! NICE KRATOS!

THANKS! I just had it stuffed!

Ahem...little Naked Gun 'humor' for you there....anyway:

So I saw this on NEOGAF, thought it was one of the best Kratos cosplays I've seen! Not sure about the story behind it, where it's from, was it for a contest,etc...shit, maybe this isn't cosplay...maybe the dude really looks that way! Shit, now I feel awkward :)...anyway, here ya go:


While we are talking cosplay, this one is pretty damn good too:

Wait- is that the same dude? I don't think so...anyway:

I gotta say- it's pretty damn neat when people take time and resources out of their lives to dress up as a character you had a huge hand in creating! I've seen a small number of Sweet Tooths over the years as well, which is nice (in fact, I need to post some cool, fan made Sweet Tooth Ice Cream Trucks in the next few days as well)....

Ok- gotta run! Later ya'll!

METAL GEAR FINISH! + FLOWER + DISNEYLAND

God Of War 3 + Metal Gear thoughts + Valentine's Day

+++++UPDATE:

I've been amazed at some of the posts here and on the youtube channel where folks are assuming I don't like or love MGS or that I out and out hate it. I think I've made it pretty clear that MGS is one of my fave game series ever and Snake is one of my fave game characters ever. I've also said time and again that MGS4 is in my top 2 games of the year and depending on when you ask me, is my number one fave game of the year. So I 'get' Metal Gear. I LOVE Metal Gear. I even have accepted and embraced the cut scenes this time around, given how good they are. I like the operatic, bombastic story telling and the over the top characters. I was simply pointing out that- to me- the game loses some steam at the end because:

a- the microwave scene was not effective to me. Perhaps if they had not split the screen I would have enjoyed it more, but trying to take it all in and be affected by two things going on at once was distracting, especially on top of the gameplay (simple as the gameplay in that area was). Sometimes I get the feeling choices are made in the MGS series because the choices are very creative and very cool but they don't take into account the bigger picture of the overall game experience. I have been guilty of this as well in my games, mainly the Twisted Metal series, where I would haphazardly toss in story elements because I felt they were cool or mysterious but didn't really respect the overall tapestry of the master story. Not saying this is what Kojima does, but it feels like this to me in some cases.

b- And to that point, Snake should have died once he reached the server room. That micro scene should have been the end of the game...even if he would have battled Ocelot before and the two would have gone into the microwave tunnel in a chase and by the end they are both on their hands and knees, with Snake struggling to reach the end of the tunnel and Ocelot trying to stop him (altho animation wise, this could look comical if they didn't handle it just right)...but either way, all that angst in the micro tunnel, all that danger, all that sadness... and then he just kinda takes a rest and he's back up and battling. It's like, again, it makes it seem like that scene was put there for an 'oh cool' moment but didn't take into account the rest of the game's story. And I get the whole 'hero dies and is resurrected' Jesus thing that some action movies and stories in general do. No issues with that. But the game didn't really turn the resurrection into a big, clearly intentional moment. Snake just kinda passed out and....now he's fine again! Up and ready for battle! I think it would have been much more emotional and intentional- and made the microwave scene actually matter more- if the final battle with Ocelot had Snake inches from death (because of the microwave scene) and he could not stand and was crawling around getting his ass kicked in the gameplay and had to find a way to kill Ocelot anyway. THAT would have been Snake! But now I'm just delving into fan fiction at this point :)

But so there you go...

...and to those folks thinking I can't get immersed because I work in the games biz, it's a good point and I've thought about this, but its just not true. The recently released flower immersed me and made me feel something. Hell, I even felt a bit of emotion in Gears of War 2 (altho, to be fair, it was emotional connection created via cut scene, not gameplay). But overall, I feel the medium is either not capable of creating and sustaining deep emotions or we have simply not come close to understanding how to do it on a consistent basis. I am open to it, but I'm just being honest with how I feel about the current state of storytelling in gameplay.

And I'm not saying folks who say they get emotional are 'wrong'. That's great they feel that way. Altho sometimes I get the feeling that SOME of those folks are just clinging and making false claims because they WANT games to be that way and are willing to tell themselves that games are that way even tho they actually are not. I guess I feel that way because I am an easy cry. I cry at everything. EVERYTHING...movies, tv, commercials, greeting cards. Very sentimental guy, at times. But why not games? I mean one poster was like, "I cried 4 times in MGS4"...and I'm like: shit, really?!? Did I miss something? Where are you crying cause I- the dude who cries during diaper commercials- didn't come close to shedding a tear.

Anyway, endless debate. One day it will either be solved cause someone finally makes a game where the storytelling power of games can not be denied or we'll just keep going round and round.

Main reason to post was that I wanted to make sure no one thought I was bagging on MGS. It really is one of my fave game series, and fave pieces of entertainment ever. Snake is not Indy or Spiderman...but every new game he gets a little closer and closer to being one of my fave fictional characters.

Ok, now off to McDonalds!

Happy VD day, ya'll!

David

LET IT SNOW!

Hey ya'll- in Utah this week working on the game. Great meetings, great progress. Spent the last month or so mainly focused on visuals and level design. Now we're turning lots more attention back to pure gameplay, so I'm happy :)

As you can see, it's cold and snowy! LOVE IT! Would not want to live in weather like this (which is why I live in SoCal) but a damn nice place to visit!

Anyway- sorry so little blog love this week but it's tough when our days are packed with meeting after meeting. I'll hit ya'll up this weekend and let you know my final take on MGS4 (I am currently on- what I assume- is the final boss: a battle with Ocelot way up high is pretty much the end, yes?!?)....

Ok, gotta get to bed- early morning tomorrow.

Later!

David

JAFFE LOVES THE PSN STORE...

Killzone Demo, 3 on 3 NHL HOCKEY (sweet! LOVE ARCADE SPORTS!), and Punisher as an exclusive this spring!

Fucking LOVE the PSN store!


Can't wait for this! Man, I am tired of sim sports games. I hope this plays like BLITZ!

Ok, that is all.

And yes, this could have easily been a twitter.

:)

David

LEFT 4 DEAD 4 REALZ

Ok, you all must have seen these all over the net. I ain't showing you anything new, I know that. But I just have to say two things about these road signs that hackers have been hacking into and messing with:

a- OH MY GOD! I fucking LOVE that we live in an age where someone can do this! This is so funny and so perfect! How damn funny!

b- The one that says, ""ZOMBIES IN AREA! RUN!" (which I have not seen, just heard about) is just about the funniest thing in the world to me. It's not enough that the sign lets you know the current area's zombie status, but it also gives you a helpful way of dealing with the zombies! The only thing funnier would be if someone actually above the age of 10 got scared of these signs and were all worried and shit (i.e. War of the Worlds broadcast back in the 20's?)...

David

BRUTAL COUPLA YEARS, EH CHARLIE?

Readers of the blog know how much I really dislike CRYSTAL SKULL and how crazy disappointed it made my inner geek. Nothing sums it up as good as this great fan (?) made trailer sent to me by long time blog reader and fellow game designer Arnaldo. Tragic man...just tragic. But hilarious as well.



ps. Yes I know it's just a movie and I should just stop whining already. Don't wanna. Indy is the main reason I do creative work today and to see him and his universe treated like this is not only annoying but really disappointing cause it probably means there will be no more Indy flicks. At least not any good ones.

pps. This directly relates to the work we do but I can't speak to how. And it has nothing to do with us working on an Indy game. I will tell you once the game we are working on hits the streets.

While My Tea Gently Steeps...

The entire house is sick.

I have Pink Eye. And I swear I didn't eat poo or have someone fart on my pillow or whatever it was that got those guys Pink Eye in KNOCKED UP.

My 3 year old has it and she gave it to me.

Now she may very well have eaten poo. She's done it before. She'll probably do it again.

And word on the street is, Pink Eye is very contagious. Hell, you may get it yourself just by reading this blog post.

Anyway, so I'm waiting for my cup of tea to steep, eager to gulp it down in my American McGee's Grimm mug that I got from GAMETAP last year (thanks Gametap)! It's a pretty neat mug that gives you the dark version of the fairy tail (not sure which one) when it's filled with hot water.

Also ran to Gamestop tonite to grab a few games I've been meaning to play for research. When you are sick, crashing on the couch and gaming is a great way to rest while not going stir crazy. Not sure what to think of LORD OF THE RINGS: CONQUEST. I like aspects of it a lot. It's clearly a well made game with some very fun and very creative elements. And I was a fan of the movies so it's cool to get to play them online. But the success at the combat seems kind of random. Not sure if that is the combat system itself or if it's the nature of trying to process semi-speedy melee attacks with 15 other players online. Again, I do like the game. I think I will play it some more when I get the time. But I'm at that very dangerous point in a game where I'm searching for depth- now that the fun. visceral aspect has worn off- but where that depth is going to come from is not apparent.

Gameplay really is like layers of an onion. You need at least 2 layers to keep things interesting when you are talking pure game systems (shallow and medium). If you don't have that- GOD OF WAR did not- then you better have lots of variety to your level and mission designs to counter the shallowness of the system so you do not bore the player. Now I am not saying LORD OF THE RINGS: CONQUEST is shallow. In fact, looking at the level designs, there's a sense that much thought has gone into the layouts in order to bring out some nice depth. But I'm at a point right now where the core play- the combat- is feeling like it needs to have something else to offer (or needs to have more technique that- once mastered- gives me the upper hand) because right now I walk up to an enemy and it totally feels like luck in regards to who is going to live and who is going to die. But like I said, gonna keep playing, at least a while longer, and see what surprises the game has in store.

Ok ya'll- gonna do some work and then hit the hay. Chat later-

David

Focus, Jaffe...FOCUS!

****UPDATE: Thanks tons to lb003g0676 over on my youtube channel for providing me with a new, cool, kick ass banner! I love it!

*******************




ps. TO THE TWO JACKET WINNERS- please comment on this post your email ONE MORE TIME? I am so sorry I've just been so swamped...gonna get those out this week I promise but I need your addresses and need your email so we can get your addresses from you....thanks for your understanding. David

SAH-WEET!

So some thoughts on this:

#1- Ok, the animation is way too cartoony for my tastes...if the visual style matched the cartoony CLONE WARS style, it would make great sense. But the art direction looks realistic while Indy animates all cartoony. Interesting choice, but based ONLY off my viewing this trailer a few times, I wish they would have committed to one direction or the other.

#2- Don't really care about it being canned for PS3 or 360. I have a Wii and I like my Wii and hey, if you are doing whipping action, better to use the Wi-mote, you know?

#3- The Indy franchise seems a bit slippery to get a strong handle on, you know? I mean, little kids of today are not Indy nuts (as the poor toy sales from Crystal Skull proves) so is Wii the best place for this game? I mean, dads and moms have the Wii too so maybe it's a smart choice; make something that connects with the moms and dads in the Wii crowd, something that connects with their generation. And the thing is, Indy- as a brand itself- has never been as popular as the kind of stuff that connects head on with the 360 and PS3 core audience...so perhaps it's a pretty wise move.

Either way- I AM SO STOKED! I LOVE Indy and will play ANY Indy game there is. I played Emperor's Tomb on my XBOX and while it was very rough around the edges, I still really dug it. So yeah, I'm really jazzed about this.

Love the way the trailer is put together with the whole transition gimmick. Love the variety of locations as well.

Totally jazzed. Be there on day 1. Thanks Lucasarts for keeping my boyhood hero alive and kicking!

David

EAT SLEEP PLAY JACKET CONTEST WINNERS

Hey ya'll- We will send those out Monday of next week Fed Ex. Sorry about that. We've just been so caught up with this greenlite meeting that we just have not had the time to do anything else. We'll take care of it first think Monday- I am sorry about that. Totally my fault. Thanks for understanding.

David

FOCUS GROUP NITE 2

YES WE CAN...HAVE BED HEAD! :)

Focus Testing the New Game

Hey Kotaku? Yeah, you!

HIATUS OFF:

Hey Kotaku- I know you read this. So you gotta give me an answer.

What is with the whole, "Here is your..." sentence structure that you guys seem obsessed with these days.

Here is your New Final Fantasy Playstation Console
Here are your XBLA top ten retro games
Here is your super dooper next-gen graphics PC car
Here is your daily dose of publisher hyperbole
Here are your monthly NPD numbers


Oooh, I know:

Here is your chance to knock it the FUCK off cause it drives me up the fucking wall!


Ahem... :)

So, are you guys riffing on some net meme that I am not aware of? Is it indeed a joke that I simply don't get cause I musta missed the kick off meeting (ala the whole DUDE HUGE thing, which in the end, had to be explained to me by a kind poster on this blog)?

The only thing I can think of is when that Playstation spokeswoman ages ago was showing the XMB and she's all like- after showing it, "And there's your new interface"....

...that stuck with me cause I just found her wording a touch on the odd side...

...but that probably has nothing to do with what you guys are doing/referencing/talking about, but it's the only thing in my memory bank that even comes close to feeling like a cross reference.

So I ask: What is up with this, Kotaku?!?

Anyway...it's my problem, not yours. I still loves ya, Kotaku. But for the love of God, explain the joke or tell me it's NOT supposed to be a joke and it's just the way you guys talk/write so I can stop getting annoyed by it.

High maintenance? ME?!?! Nah... :)

David

HIATUS BACK ON-

Brief Hiatus

Hey all- sorry for the lack of posts this week. Been swamped getting ready for our big dog and pony (as well as focus tests) next week in San Fran and Los Angeles.

I will be back to regular posting next week or the start of the next. So check back then for new updates.

Have a great weekend- take care- see ya soon!

Thanks for understanding! We are just crazy swamped!

David


UPDATE: A brief interview I did with the ACADEMY OF INTERACTIVE ARTS AND SCIENCES just went up. Thanks to commenter GUY for pointing this out!

From Creator to Fan + my kid is sick of Granola bars...

And here's part II :)



Have a great weekend ya'll!

David

If we ever make another Twisted Metal...

...now I know where to go for our vehicle designs!



Man, that's cool!

David

Well Hell...

My heart goes out to all those 1up and EGM folks who lost their jobs today. It's a real shame considering what an important part you guys/gals have played in the US gaming world all these years. Thanks for the many, many years of great, entertaining work.

Good luck landing on your feet and finding new jobs that you love.

David

JAFFE VS N'GAI + TM MIGHTY MUGGS!+ EAT SLEEP PLAY CONTEST WINNERS!

Here is the link to N'gai's response to my previous video post...


And here are the AMAZING Mighty Mugg Twisted Metal customs, compliments of Mrs. Ven0m over at Twisted Metal Alliance!



Sweet Tooth!


Mr. Grimm!


And even AXEL! Love the tires!

Ok ya'll- chat soon! Take it easy!

David

Last Post Of The Year + Nyquil Dreams + WIN AN EAT SLEEP PLAY JACKET!

UPDATE!++++++++++

Wow- that didn't take long. I guess I should have said the FUNNIEST overall cause there were some funny ones in there. But according to the rules- that I made up while tired and getting my first buzz of Nyquil- the FIRST 2 things to make me smile/laugh are the winners. So with that said, here they are:

Lateralus sent me this that both amused me and made me kind of sick to my stomach:




And then this little gem from Delriach! Fucking love this! Where did it come from? How did I miss this?!?!


So there you have it. The first ever winners of the official EAT SLEEP PLAY jacket!

If you two guys will shoot me your emails in this post, I will get your jackets mailed out around the 5th of January. They are both the same size I think and I don't recall what that size is. And as always, I am not responsible- nor is EAT SLEEP PLAY- for getting you the jacket at all, getting it to you by a certain time, making sure you don't do stupid shit with the jacket,etc...we WILL send it but just saying that once it hits the mail, we're off the hook :)

But when you get it, would love to get a pic of you wearing it for the blog :)


Happy New Year everyone. Be safe, have fun, and thanks so much for all the great support over the last year!

David











Check back once the ball drops Pacific Time to see who the 2 winners are :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH, AND ALL OTHER HOLIDAYS!

Swamped- sorry for such a dull holiday post!

Hope you all had a great, safe holiday and have been making the time to do all kinds of fun stuff.

Will hit you all up in a few days with details on how to win our annual EAT SLEEP PLAY New Year's prize. This year. we've got a couple of EAT SLEEP PLAY jackets to give away! They are cool!

Ok- gotta run. Talk in a few- Happy Holidays ya'll!

David

SICKY SUNDAY + EAT SLEEP PLAY INTERVIEW

Whole house is sick with colds. Up all nite with my oldest who had a fever. At one point neither of us could sleep so we just said screw it (well, she didn't say that, she is 5) and we went downstairs, rented Disney's Aladdin on the Playstation Store (God I love digital distribution!), and watched cartoons for a few hours.

Today has been a mix of watching Christmas cartoons on TV with the girls (along with bits of the Wizard of Oz), reading a book, and playing games on STEAM (Crazy Machines, Pirates, TF2...inches away from downloading a new game I had never heard of until I got into Steam called NEXUS: The JUPITER INCIDENT)...

Oh hey, speaking of Steam: do any Steam users know if there is a way to get an itemized bill of all the games you have purchased and what they have cost?

Ok, but so anyway- back to my Sunday:

So it's crazy low key and we're all sick...but it's actually kind of a nice, chill Sunday. I'm digging it.

Oh and I wanted to post a link to an interview Scott Campbell and I did last week for PSX EXTREME, a blog/game site focused on Playstation.

Give it a read if you are so inclined!

Take care- talk later!

David

I HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE...

...with STEAM!!!


Sitting here as the weekend rolls in and thinking, "I'm in the mood for some PC games"....now I know I have some I need to play for the awards and such, but I was like, "Nah, this weekend I wanna play some stuff I just want to play for me..."...and so I go to the STEAM store and grab Sid Meier's Pirates! (played on the psp for about 1 day and loved it but never went back cause I got busy)...and so I am getting that now and also getting TF2, as I only played that on console.

How fucking cool is this to shop for mass market, BIG, full games from your fucking desktop?!?!

I know I am 18 months late leaping onto the Steam train but fuck it, better late than never!

I love this shit!

David

THE NASTIEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN...AND ONE OF THE SADDEST AS WELL...:(

Self-explanatory.



I was going to link to this for you. I really was. But I'm just not. I'm not a tease. If you want to see it yourself, search it yourself.

But man, maybe this is fake. This has to be fake, yes?

David

My next car...

Minus the racist flag, naturally :)

David

SPIKE AWARDS + GAME AWARDS IN GENERAL

UPDATE: VIDEO UPDATED/FIXED:



Oh and my 10 min. YOUTUBE limit ran out...but I was done rambling anyway :)

And here is the post I did on neo-gaf about the whole GOD OF WAR 3 Trailer reaction:

So my take on all of this, FWIW:

a- The footage aired on Spike looked meh. It was dark and grainy and I was watching on a SD television. But the SAME footage shown in screen grabs from this thread- which I guess was taken off an HDTV playing the footage in HD- was 100% ONE of the two GOD OF WAR 3 things I saw when I was in Santa Monica a few weeks ago. It is NOT the thing I was raving about- as I made clear in a video post a week ago- but I still think it looks darn good. To me, the stuff Spike showed when viewed in proper resolution looks like a AAA God Of War to me. It doesn’t rock my world but it doesn’t look: meh. It looks like I’d expect a next-gen GOW to look. Granted, the team still has a long way to go and I imagine the final game- in all areas- will look much better. But I still thought it looked good. Fair to disagree but at least you know where I am coming from/where my barometer is set for my expectations of AAA next gen graphics.
b- What I was raving about has not been shown outside of internal Sony meetings. I imagine it will be shown soon, but I have no idea. I also assume that the Spike stuff was turned in earlier than the stuff I saw (that I raved about) as the stuff I saw was for a meeting and didn’t need to be edited, reviewed by Spike,Sony marketing,etc. The stuff I saw that I raved about was probably finished 1-2 days before I got to the studios. The Spike stuff I saw had aleady been turned into Spike so it was 100% older. Not that I thought it was bad- again- just I can see how the new stuff I saw looked further along, for sure. And to give you an idea, the stuff I saw that I raved about looked about 25-30% better than what you see in this thread (the Spike footage played on HD). If that’s not exciting and cool enough for you, fair enough. It happened to blow me away and remains the best looking console game I’ve ever seen…beyond Gears 2 which so far is the best looking console game ever released.
c- Fuck you idiots with the painting thing. It’s not semantics, it’s not a trick phrase. If you know God of War then it doesn’t take much of a leap to assume I meant the footage looked like a painting of the concept art or a realistic, but bold and dramatic Renaissance era style painting. I am well aware a painting can be Andy Warhol style or can be Wind Waker style or can be- as one eloquent Gaffer wrote- simply them wiping their ass on paper and calling that a painting. But come on…is this really something you want to bust my balls on? We can argue and debate- when the footage comes out- if you agree with me that the footage DOES INDEED feel like a GOD OF WAR painting/GOD OF WAR concept art piece come to life…that seems a fair debate. But do you people really want to keep wasting your time and energy acting as if I was trying to sneak something by you because the term ‘painting’ can encompass all art styles? I think it was pretty clear what I meant. If I had seen something in GOD OF WAR 3 that indicated the art style had changed to a PAINTED Manga style or a WINDWAKER painted style or even something that tried to emulate the painted stylings of one particular neo gaffer’s fecal paste splattered onto a sheet of Charmin, then I would have hinted at something like that…but I didn’t so isn’t it kind of obvious what kind of painting I meant?
d. Some of the venom aimed at me is amazing. I'm not out to get anyone, I'm not out to screw anyone over. I was expressing my feelings on a game I had seen. It was not PR it was not spin it was not marketing. It was being jazzed about some ultra cool graphics and tech and I was sharing that info and excitement. I stand to gain NOTHING if GOD OF WAR 3 is a success. Hell, I stand to lose more if it is a big hit given that if the game fails- which it will not come close to failure, by the way- but if it DID fail, I look even better because then folks will go, "well, see what happens when Jaffe leaves...the game falls apart" and my stock goes up. Not that I want that to happen and not that that will happen given the talent on that team and what I have seen so far, but all I am saying is: to those who think this was/is some sort of attempt at starting a hype train, use your heads.


Take care- eager for the footage I saw to come out and then have that discussion/debate.

Later ya’ll…

David

FUCKING BRILLIANT

I was actually on HOME last nite, started a club and everything (Sweet Tooth's Lair)...I think there is much potential there but they need to get LOTS more stuff to do in it....but still...this video...fucking great!

David

FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND...

...ok, a bit dramatic. Hell, WAYYYY over dramatic...but:

LOOOOOOVE the new functionality of Kotaku. It really is fantastic how you can get more news and not miss posts. LOVE IT!

But I HATE the look- it's confusing and garish. And this is coming from a guy who has a blog that looks like liquid poo.

But I'm not a pro...those guys are.

Dear Kotaku: love the change...please fix the look :)

Or don't...still one of my fave sites! :)

David

FUCK WILLPOWER...

We are making sugar cookies for our oldest daughter's school holiday festival.

We are supposed to make them early tonite, before she goes to bed.

It is 11:30am right now.

This was the last tub of sugar cookie dough the store had.

I pray to God that- by the time she gets home- there will be enough dough left for us to make the amount of cookies we promised...

...hell, I pray there will be enough to make a single cookie...

...and yet...I can feel it...calling me...needing me...me WANTS it...



It begins...

THAT'S ALL SHE WROTE!

Ok guys, that's it! Thanks! Last one in under the wire was- I think- name was Jguy? Something like that?

Will send the cards out end of the week- if you care to do so, take a pic with your shiny new EAT SLEEP PLAY holiday card and I'll post it on the blog...but only if you want to...I like stuff like that. I know some people hate to be 'on the net'...so no worries.

Also, keep an eye out for our end of the year EAT SLEEP PLAY 'big' holiday gift. If we can swing a few extra, we'll be giving them out via the blog to Eat Sleep Play fans. Maybe a random drawing, maybe a CALLING ALL CARS competition...not sure yet. Will let ya'll know.

Take it easy, ya'll!

David

MY HOLIDAY GAMES+ WHY SO MANY GAMES AT XMAS?!?!+ GOD OF WAR RUMORS

SPIKE TV HATES ME+ DIGITAL MEDIA LOVE IN + MGS4+ GAME BIZ WOES+ CASUAL MARKET

Hey! Happy Monday ya'll!

REST IN PEACE, FORRY... :(

If you don't know Forrest J Ackerman, this should help...

I was more of a Starlog kid myself, just missing out on the heyday of Famous Monsters of Filmland. But I still read Forry's mag (he was its creator and editor) and was always excited to see the covers. Never made it to his prop filled house in LA, always meant to...never did. But I always recognized a kindred spirit in Mr. Ackerman and I'm sad to see him go.

These days his role is probably best being played by Harry Knowles and that seems- to me- like a damn fine fitting transfer of power. One uber fan to the next.

It's also cool that the internet has brought all us geeks together in a way that a magazine from the 60's and 70's never could. But Famous Monsters- and Forry- was one of the first big steps in letting so many of us geeks- so often isolated and alone and feeling like outsiders- know that they were not alone. And that's a damn cool legacy to leave, you know?

Good Old Days...

My brother- who is celebrating his bday today- went to Davenport's Pizza in Mountain Brook Village tonite with much of the family. Wish we coulda been there...ah well, next time!

BUT check it- he just sent me these; pics from the pizza place:






They STILL got arcade games in there! And look! Thems are some OLD SCHOOL arcade games too! Donkey Kong!??! And what's this I see?!?! Is it?!?! IT IS!!! It's Phoenix! Man I loved that game- used to play it all the time at the bowling alley at Eastwdood mall...ah memories!

To younger readers you prob. don't get the big deal, do you? Ah well, was from another time...the arcades of the old days are dead and gone, have been for well over a decade...but GOD they used to be magical places. And this just brings it all back...so glad I got to grow up during that time...

So damn cool!

David

LORDY, LORDY...LOOK WHO'S 40!

...well it ain't me...not yet...but I saw that on a sign ages ago in Cahaba Heights (near where I grew up) and I always liked it :)

Ok so hey- here's a l'll video post ah dun made :)



Later ya'll :)

David

WHEREIN I GO ON ABOUT...pretty much nothing...

Lord, I can ramble on, can't I? I need to make some time to edit this shit...still, perhaps there's something in here for you!

Take care!

David

O HOLIDAY TREE! O HOLIDAY TREE!

Yes, I have a holiday tree.

Yes, I am agnostic.

Which is why I don't really call it a Christmas tree. Except when I do :)

I love the holidays and about 5 years ago I decided that I was going to celebrate the season any damn way I pleased.

And part of that celebration is embracing Xmas trees and decorations as well as lighting the Menorah on the first night of Hanukkah. Part of it is watching HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS and the CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS special and opening the door for the Hanukkah man (I'll explain later) while also being fully aware that I may very well not believe in God...or maybe I do. Depends on the day. Today- and certainly lately- I kind of do. To the point that there are days where I buy into the more new age concept that we are all God...or even that we are all the same being spread out into multiple consciousnesses.

So like I said: agnostic.

Or fucking insane.

All the damn way, baby.

Check out my Christmas tree decorations! We put it up Thanksgiving morning! A few years back we decided to try to do a sort of old fashioned Christmas tree and that is mainly what it is (in terms of ornaments and such) but as of late, more pop culture elements have been creeping in :)

Hope you guys/gals had a great holiday!


'taint Xmas without the web slingah! Why did I just type 'slinger' that way? What am I, at a baseball game selling peanuts?


Jews for Jesus? Nah. Just seems appropriate given our mixed family and backgrounds. Like I said, it's a HOLIDAY tree :)



Saw these at the Hallmark store and thought they were cool. Not SD manga style, but close. And ya'll know I'm on a Disney kick these days.



There he is! Gotta have one of these, yes? Think I got this at last year's EAT SLEEP PLAY Xmas party. Someone should make a GOD OF WAR one...that would be sweet!

Ok, gonna head out for some coffee (addicted to the Einstein Bros. Winter Blend...I kid you not, it tasted like fecal paste smells at first...but now I can't go a day without it)....

Later!

David

ps. YES, it's a fake tree. Had a real one several years back and dug it but the pine needles got all over the place and it was a pain to chop up enough so it would fit in the trash bins...but one day when I strike it GUITAR HERO rich, I'm buying one of those massive trees that you see the rich folk have in the movies that fit into the giant living rooms and what not :)

pps. no, there are no presents under the tree. The economy man! The economy!!! Actually, we just have not been shopping yet. Also, with a 3 and a 5 year old, you think I'm sticking stuff to unwrap under the tree, out in the open? HELLS no! Plus, I never got that. Maybe some Christians can help out here: if Santa brings the gifts on Xmas eve, why do I always see trees with presents under them much sooner than Xmas eve. Where do you tell kids those came from?

Any geek worth their salt...

...must have already seen this going around the net. But I just saw it today for the first time and wanted to share in case you happened to miss it.

Best thing ever!




David

Is it totally 'the G word' that I want this?

I grew up in a time when the words 'GAY' and 'FAG' were easily tossed around as insults. I am ashamed to admit that I- as a boy and teenager- used both terms when jokingly insulting my friends (and seriously insulting my enemies) more than I should have (i.e. more than once). But it was the times and back then it never occurred to many of us that using those words in such a fashion could have really been hurting a gay person who was in earshot- closeted or out, but back then, I didn't know a single gay person in my school...I imagine that's very different for high schoolers today?...

...but today, for me and the people I know, the F word in any context and the word 'Gay' when used in a derogatory way are simply unacceptable. I hope visitors to this blog feel the same.

But the issue now is, I find myself without a good word to describe a guy- or the action of a guy- that is wimpy and soft and girly. I mean, I could use the words: wimpy, soft, and girly, but none of those have the same punch as the old 'G word', you know? How much of the power of the 'G word' tho, comes from the fact that a portion of our society still has an ignorance and hatred of gay people? And how much of it comes from the actual phonics of the word itself? Probably the former. Especially considering that I do know gay people now and with the exception of one, I no longer associate gay people with the adjectives wimpy, soft, or girly.

And before you accuse me of being ultra PC, remember, that same sort of 'oh you're being too sensitive' sentiment was tossed around back in the 60's when discussing civil rights for African Americans. And look where we are- thank God- today. Look who is in the White House.

And so, no, I don't think I am being too sensitive about this. Words matter in that they help form our reality. And so I will choose to continue to avoid these two words. But that brings me to the issue, the dilemma, and the whole point of this post.

I saw this online this morning, and I really, really want it.




Does that make me totally...err....wimpy, soft and girly? :)

David

HAPPY THANKSGIVING YA'LL!

Be safe! Have fun! And- if I may be so bold as to offer advice- do try to take some time out to appreciate and be thankful for what you've got. You hear about shit like these attacks in India today and it makes one grateful for all that is good in life. Granted, it should not take a terrorist attack to make you feel that way, but sometimes you do forget.


And I tell you, my life has been a heck of an interesting ride this last year, but I wouldn't change a thing and I am so grateful for all that I do have. I hope you guys/gals feel the same. Thanks for reading, enjoy your holiday, and I'll chat with you guys later on.

As for my plans: Watch Macy's holiday parade with the kids, Tgiving lunch with the family, then dessert at a friend's house, some games (MGS4, GEARS OF WAR2, MK VS. DCU), and maybe I will catch a movie (Australia maybe but I didn't like the director's other flicks...maybe 4 XMASes even tho I hear it's totally average and forgettable)...but hey, it's the holidays so I gotta see SOMETHING!

Oh, and I leave you with this internet classic. I am sure you've seen it 1000 times but- for me anyway- it NEVER gets old!

Later!

David

CAPITAL LETTERS WILL KILL US ALL!!!

CAPITAL LETTERS ARE COMING TO GET YOU! THEY WILL KILL YOU! THEY WILL FIRST OFFEND YOU AND THEN THEY WILL DRAIN THE LIFE FORCE FROM YOUR EVERY ORIFICE! CAPITAL LETTERS...THEY WILL BE THE END OF US ALL!!!!!


DAVID

VGXPOWTF?!?

+++++UPDATE:

Two things:

a- LOVE MGS4...have yet to finish it but I LOVE it. I just think as an overall game- for ME- Gears was able to achieve its goals better and thus, the overall game experience- for me- was better. But MGS4's ambitions were clearly very, very lofty, ambitious, and forward thinking and I think they succeeded at achieving those ambitions 90% of the time. GEARS SEEMED - what do I know?- to shoot for a simpler set of goals and they- to ME- nailed every single one of those goals. Both games are essential playing (and will probably remain so beyond 2008) and it's very possible that given how much unique stuff MGS4 tries to do, it could eventually be seen as the 'better' game. And I think it will certainly be seen as the game that influences more games- from a pure mechanics standpoint- going forward. Altho the Gears reload 'mini game' is genius and for some reason- for me- works SO MUCH BETTER in Gears 2 than in Gears 1 (altho I don't think it's changed so I dunno why I am saying that...but in GOW2 it just seems to fit in better). But come on, they are both classics.

b- We have not gone multiplatform. We are 100% exclusive to Sony and we are proud of and grateful for that affiliation. It means a lot to us to be exclusive to Sony, given our history with the company and love the idea of providing ultra fun games exclusively for the PS3 audience. I remember being a kid with my ATARI 2600 and my best friend had the INTELLIVISION and it rocked to have exclusives that helped define my console. It was also fun to go over to his house to play stuff that I could not play at home (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, B-17 Bomber!) In this day and age, exclusives gets more and more rare and so it's pretty cool to be aiding in carrying on with that tradition. Doesn't mean we will ALWAYS be single platform, but right now we see no reason not to be and are- again- very, very happy with the situation and would love to think Sony will always want us to be exclusive to them.

END UPDATE

++++++++++



For those wondering where I was this weekend- when I had just posted saying I was going to be making a Skype enabled appearance at the Video Game Expo in Philadelphia- well here is your answer:

I was sitting at home, on my ass, playing some MK vs. DCU and waiting to go virtually on stage.

But then as the minutes ticked by, I started to realize, "Hey, this thing ain't happening..."

So I went for a walk with the ex-wife to get some coffee and hang out.

Odd thing is,I JUST found out- as in minutes ago, as in TONITE, SUNDAY NITE-that the appearance was officially cancelled an hour (or perhaps just minutes) before it was supposed to occur.

So on my end folks: I had- and still have- no idea what happened.

I had been in very regular contact with the VGXPO people over the last month. Very nice folks, clearly they are interested in putting on a good show and if they continue to want my support in the future, I see no reason to withhold it.

BUT you'd think sometime between last Thursday afternoon (when I first started trying to reach them to get some 411 and confirmation) and, say, 5 minutes before our talk was scheduled to go on, SOMEONE from the show could have called or emailed me to let me know what the fuck was going on.

Alas, it's Sunday nite at 10 in San Diego and I've not heard a word from these guys.

What the fuck.

But I'm sure they cancelled it for a good reason. I know as of Monday, there were some firewall issues we were trying to deal with in order to get the Skype going. So I got no beef with them canceling it. Hell, it's not like I was gonna get paid for it (I don't take money for this kind of stuff). My issue is more with: hey, could you guys have fucking given me a heads up? Before you cancelled it? DURING your canceling it? How about over a day AFTER we were scheduled to go on. But alas, nada. Still have not heard word one.

And damn, it's a good thing I didn't, you know, have PLANS or anything that I had set aside in order to be there for the dang show. You know, the one I wasn't getting PAID to do? The one I did for FREE cause I'm a nice guy and thought it would be fun to support a 'game show for gamers instead of just industry peeps' kind of deal? Yeah, that one. THAT show. Sheesh.

Anyway, hope no one showed up to see me and was pissed. And hell, I hope everyone involved in putting on my part of the show is ok. Hope no one got sick or anything.

But anyway, there's the info.

If there's any interest, we'll do a live video blog again- at this site- in the next few weeks and we can all get together online and chat games. Deal?

Ok, gotta run. Office is a damned mess and I wanna clean it before the week gets going. It's real hard for me to get focused on work when the office looks like nuke hit.

David

ps. I saw GOD OF WAR III when I was in Santa Monica last week. I can and will not give away details. But I think it's ok for me to say two things:

a- HOLY HOLY HOLY FUCKING HELL!!!!
b- I thought GEARS OF WARS 2 looked about as good as a next-gen game could look....and that game is currently- and will probably remain- my game of the year. And hell, I think I actually get to vote on that kind of stuff in some circles :) And unless I get blown away by POP or something else I missed, GEARS 2 is the SHIT....this year. Dudes and dudettes, fucking WAIT till you see the amazing graphics...just fucking wait. And yes, Xbots, accuse me all you want of being a Sony fanboy. Just remember two things:

#1- I just said GEARS 2 is the BEST fucking playing and looking game of the year....better than any PS3 game. And there are some damn good PS3 games, I feel.

#2- FUCK YOU! I ain't no fan boy but this mother fucking game looks like nothing you've ever played...and you can hold me to that when this thing hits and when they start showing gameplay footage. It looks like a painting come to life- it's THAT good looking.

David

COME SEE ME THIS WEEKEND!...well, sort of :)

Hey- so the folks who put on the Video Game Expo (that's VGXPO to you and me) asked me to come speak this weekend at the big show. Problem is, it's in Philly and I didn't want to travel so close to Thanksgiving...lots to do around here, ya know?

BUT they were kind enough to allow me to attend via the magic of Skype and/or Ichat. Now I know we tried something similar in Nottingham a few weeks back and had some tech glitches. This should go smoother as we:

a- are gonna prob. go with the stabler Skype versus Ichat
b- are going to test it out more thoroughly than we did in Nottingham...we DID a test but failed to take into account duration which- it turns out- matters. Longer you are on the signal-especially so far away- worse it seems to get. I don't know why, but there you go.
c- The show location and my house are much closer than my house and Europe so the signal should be stronger/better.

Anyhow, I've been turning down many of these very generous invites over the last year as I really have little to say that I don't already say here on the blog. And I figure if you care enough to come see me talk, you've already cared enough to visit my blog (where you can see me rant from the comfort of your own home/laptop) and so, what are you really going to get out of this? Also- until I have a new game to promote- what the hell am I really? A guy with a big mouth and a blog who has cranked out some hit games working with some amazing teams but has not had a real hit since 2005? I mean, shit...I'm this close to signing autographs sitting next to the game designer of Hungry Hungry Hippos and the chick who played Small Wonder at Comic Con next year :)...and trust me, some of the Jaffe haters would tell you that I don't even rate that! Fucktards.

BUT this whole virtual appearance thing is pretty darn neat to me. And so doing it that way is enough to bring me out into the semi-real world. But after this, I prob. won't be doing anything like this till we are promoting the new game. I mean what's the point really?

As for promoting the new game, when is that, you ask? Well at least I hope you ask!

Who knows. Going to visit Sony today but we prob. won't pick a launch day. My gut/guess tells me we're looking sometime in 2010. Certainly not later than that. Perhaps sooner.

Ok, gotta pack for my trip!

Take it easy ya'll! And come see the virtual me this weekend in Philadelphia!

David

SHAZAM!!!

++++UPDATE:

HOLY FUCK! Look what I found in this interview with Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon!

In talking about downloadable content for MK VS. DCU he says:

BOON:: No. I think [the characters we chose] are the most popular. I think that pretty much encompassed 90% of the audience. We'd hear people complaining if we didn't have Superman in the game. ... There was the occasional person who said Lobo or Doomsday or someone like that [should have made the cut] but we're hoping to do downloadable content on this game, so that could also be a great opportunity to add some of the ones that were left out.

WOW! FUCKING DOOMSDAY!?! Hell...better yet: FUCKING LOBO!?!? IN A MK GAME?!?! Ok, count me in. Best DLC ever man! Please make this happen, Midway!

Ok...ahem, I'm calm now :)

END UPDATE
++++++++++++



Had forgotten this hit this week. Saw a review on Kotaku, realized it was out. Ran and picked it up during lunch yesterday and played for a few hours late last nite. I have ALWAYS loved MK, but especially the earlier 2D games. This one feels like a decent cross between old school 2D MK and some of the later 3D efforts.

I'm digging it. The online is buttery smooth and Captan Marvel fucking ROCKS! He's my fave...his special attacks are so fun and really link well together. Green Lantern so far seems kind of cheap but I must just be fighting him wrong cause I know in this day and age they would not allow a character to be that cheap in a fighting game. But man, once someone gets me with that hammer attack, I just can't get up to defend or counter.

Never been much of a SF or TEKKEN or VF fan...that stuff is amazing but way too deep for me. MK is more my speed, for sure! And I am digging this one. Something is a BIT off in the combat, tho. It's not that it's sluggish. It may have to do with reach for the jumps and some of the attacks...the distance the attacks go is a bit too short for me and keeps me from falling into that great combat rhythm I used to get with earlier MKs. I find myself missing a good 30-50% of the attacks just by a few virtual inches. And that bugs. But overall, it's fun! Enough to keep me from finishing the stunning GEARS OF WAR 2 for at least another few nights while I learn some more characters, finish the story mode, and battle online. But then come the weekend, it's back to Gears!

Also, played this yesterday:


CLICK HERE FOR PETA'S COOKING MAMA PARODY...IT'S COOL! PROMISE!

NOTE: Took the actual game off the site as it turns out the sound was interfering with the video posts....


I've always been an 'on the edge' Vegetarian. Not a vegan (but we do make sure to get most eggs and cheese products from animal friendly farms). But the meat stuff- since I was a kid- always kind of grossed me out. I DO like the taste of chicken and steak. But the concept of eating something that was very recently walking around is usually too much for me to stomach. But sometimes I deal with it and enjoy a steak at Ruth's Chris or an egg and bacon biscuit at Mickey D's ('mamma! mamma! Grandma won a Centipede game at Mickey D's!!!)...but after playing this- and watching the movie at the end- fuck it. I'm done. For good this time. And I feel pretty darn good about it. It's not for everyone, but it is for me, that's for sure.

Big dog and pony with the Sony folks tomorrow- wish us luck!

Talk later!

David

ps. the sound is coming from the Peta game- sorry about that. Wish I could turn it off....if it gets annoying, I will just rip the game from the post and put up a link.

False Advertising

Here's Mad World:


And here's Prince of Persia's GREAT but (I think) totally misrepresentative trailer. The bullshit flies off the chart at 3:30...check it:


NOTE: And before anyone posts- yes I KNOW the job of advertising is to evoke feelings in the potential customer. BUT usually those feelings are somewhat tied to what the actual product has a potential shot at evoking. Buy a sexy sports car and you VERY WELL MAY feel like a bad ass for a while. So it makes sense to sell me the car with an ad that stimulates that feeling. But attaching a desirable feeling to a product that in no way has a shot in hell at evoking that particular feeling? That's dishonest and lame and- worst to me- disrespectful to our great medium. ESPECIALLY when the product in question already evokesperfectly desirable feelings that can be used to sell the game (i.e. sell me Gears by promising I get to be a bad ass mother fucker...that's honest).

SECOND NOTE: And where the fuck is the gaming press in calling us out on all our bullshit? It's not that I want to be called a liar- cause again, I'm guilty of this shit too- BUT our games- as an INDUSTRY- get BETTER when we get called on bullshit and are forced to do better with each swing at the bat. Instead, most of the press seems to get all fanboy geekout over this shit and they should be holding our feet to the damn fire about it. And if there is a game journalist out there that is calling 'foul' on this, I am not aware. But I apologize in advance if I was not aware of you.

THIRD NOTE: One thing I should consider is perhaps this is a way to bring non gamers into the fold. They come expecting a certain experience that they are comfortable with and then get into gaming. Hard to sell a non gamer on some of the gamey things games do so well unless they know how cool it is...and perhaps this is a good way to trick them into taking a game for a test drive that they never would. It's still lying and I hate it and think it disrespects what we do. And I think gamers- who are gonna show up for the great gameplay either way- should at least not be so easily swayed. But I can see the point- if that is indeed the case- about bringing in the non gamers...

Great weekend ya'll!

David