JAFFE'S PHOTO ALBUM

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

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

But for now, chex my random shit: 

PICS FROM E3

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

Pretty darn good replica if I do say so myself! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Close up shot of our booth.

MY KIDS LOVE CHARLIE

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

COOL STUFF AT DISNEYLAND

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

DEL MAR FAIR

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

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

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

THE ART OF DARK RIDES 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sex and MONSTERS! Great mix! 

Very Creepshow! I LOVE IT!

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

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

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

Great weekend ya'll!

David 

Twisted Metal: Apocalypse!

There was a time- 2 years ago about- that the new PS3 Twisted Metal was going to be set in an apocalyptic wasteland. Co-Director Scott Campbell was not in favor as he doesn't dig the whole post apocalypse vibe. So we nixed it. Good thing we did given the glut of apocalypse style games now flooding the market. Scott so smart! :)

That said, I still love this design for post nuke Sweet Tooth!

Come see more images from TM:APOCALYPSE as well as images of the also nixed urban vibed Twisted Metal (along with cool give aways and other cool Twisted Metal stuff) at the Twisted Metal panel at the San Diego Comic Con! It's in room 8 on Friday at 1pm!

Hope to see ya there!

David

Jaffe Ramble!

Hey world, check me out! I made a video!






And here is the link from the Eurogamer Twisted Metal hands on I was mentioning.


Later ya'll!


David

I swear I'm not dead...

...and neither is the blog. We've just had a hell of a crazy milestone that's been taking all our time. With all the execs in town for E3, Sony scheduled a milestone for our game the week of E3 so the upper ups could swing by the Santa Monica studios and we could demo for them how the game is coming along. That's the great news. The BAD news is we've been head deep in fecal paste trying to make this demo kick ass to the point that the execs will forget about all the sweet Sony games from E3 and leave LA talking about OUR game demo instead :)

Granted, we're a bit behind those other games that are show floor ready BUT still...one can hope! :) Milestone is looking great but it's taken all our time and so that's what's been up with lack of updates. I WILL be at E3 for a day next week it turns out cause I'm driving up to LA to show the execs the game. Figure if I'm in town anyway, I'd be nuts if I didn't swing by the convention center. So perhaps I'll see some of you there. If not, chat with you on the blog in about a week!

So excited- E3 is days away! Gosh, what do I really want to see the most?!?!

Here's my initial list of games I'm eager to play/see/learn more about. I am sure I'm missing some but this is just what leaps to mind:

MORTAL KOMBAT
MOTORSTORM 3
ZELDA
BULLETSTORM
NATAL (want to try it, I'm curious. Already played with the MOVE and I dig that as well)


Ok back to the grind! Talk next week!

David

ASHAMED TO BE FROM ALABAMA

I LOVE the South. And I LOVE Alabama.

But these recent ads make me ashamed to say I am from Bama.

Just a fucking disgrace.

12:30 AM RAMBLE

I need to go to bed.

But first:

1. the EATSLEEPPLAY forum is now open! Please visit our newly birthed community to get to know members of the team (who never get enough press, credit, or face time), chat about some of the great games the team has made over the years, talk about our new game (when the time is right), and just shoot the shit with fellow game lovers. Here's a link so ya got no excuse! :)

2. SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2 STAR REPORT: 10 stars including a mystery star. Loving it so far, just started 2 days ago. Grabbing a bit of play here and there and I think it rocks.

3. SPLIT/SECOND- Playing this too- LOVING it.

4. NO MORE PAPER?- Have not bought a physical magazine or read a physical newspaper since my iPad arrived in the mail. Have also read two books in the same amount of time. Amazing device- I love it!

Ok, what a shitty blog post. I know, I know. But I'm fried. Going to bed- talk soon!

David

MILESTONE CRUNCH & GAME MAKIN' LESSONS!

Hey ya'll- sorry been away for a few days. Game is in milestone crunch on all fronts and there is just no time to breathe.

Wanted to pop in and say hey and share 2 things that have come up in recent days that have really struck me as important lessons about making games or making anything creative or...hell, perhaps living life in general? Dunno. I will elaborate more when I have more time but for now, here goes:


1. BEING NICE IS NOT THE SAME THING AS BEING A PUSHOVER...AND OFTEN TIMES EVEN BEING NICE CAN BE MISTAKEN FOR BEING A PUSHOVER SO SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN- At times I've had a reputation for being kind of a hard ass to work with. Demanding, basically. I'm not a yeller or a shouter unless I'm yelling more at the tv or the game and something's not working. Then I'm all like, "FUCK THESE MOTHERFUCKING SWORD ATTACKS! NOT TRANSITIONING FROM ATTACK TO ATTACK DAMMIT!"...but It's rare that I deal with people that way. I DO sometimes, but not often.

Again, I can be demanding and very protective of a game's vision and I can be relentless in pushing myself and pushing others to improve that vision. And the people I love working with are the same in that they push me and force me to improve the vision too. Nice thing about that is, the game gets better. But you do take on a reputation for being a pain at times.

So as of late I've tried to be nicer, kinder, more inclusive.

Fuck that. Doesn't work.

Can I still be nice? Always. But not at the expensive of the game's vision. Thank God no real harm was done to our current game because of it. Nice wake up call tho. Grateful for the lesson.

Here's the reality: on a creative project there's the vision that once it's locked, we all must be slaves to. Protect that vision at all costs. And sometimes that means you open the doors a bit to let the vision grow and be improved by the right members of the team who 'get' it. But not everyone on a game will always get it and so it's key to know when an idea improves and when it takes away from the game's core.

And never allow your desire to be nice and liked to get in the way of the vision because the game will suffer.  And the team will suffer as well because a failed game means the studio is at risk.


2. AH-HA MOMENTS ARE RARE WHEN STARTING A GAME- Been thinking about future games to make as of late and as we're head deep in this current one and it's taken on its own life and it's come together as it's own living, breathing thing, I caught myself thinking that a new game idea should have the same sense of purpose and meaning and locked vision that a game as far along as our current game should have. I felt the same after GOD OF WAR when looking for new game ideas: that the game idea should feel solid and locked and I should just 'know it' when the idea came to me or was pitched to me by someone else. But I only recently realized that it rarely works that way. Often times you just start the journey of a new creative project confident or semi confident in where you are going but until the team comes in and adds their amazing talents, before you get the- hopefully- great ideas that you contribute and see come to life, your game really is this lifeless thing. And so as I search for new ideas it's key to remember that a lot of faith is needed in knowing what idea to pull the trigger on because it's very rare that the idea itself is a slam dunk.

Ok- back to it. So slammed no time to proof read so hell if I know if what I just wrote even makes sense!
Sure there is a shit ton of typos!

Talk soon- later ya'll!

David

WHA?!?

This is from Kotaku's just posted, very positive preview of the 14.99 download only TOMB RAIDER hitting this summer:

My only concern is that The Guardian of Light may be over too soon after you start, with just eight or so hours of gameplay. But there are a couple of things that lead me to believe that won't be a big issue.


Wha?!?! 8 hours of fun for 15 bucks. That's a BAD DEAL?!?! 


Kotaku, you know I love you- and MOST of your writers :) - but come the hell on. Really? 8 hours for 15 bucks is not ok in your book? And your preview is so positive as well that I'm now dying for this game! But I think our views on the value of a dollar are way outta whack.


David 


ps. When is Kotaku gonna do their own PAX kind of convention. I bet it would be a big success. 

ONE HYPER ASS MOTHERFUCKER

That's me! :)

Later ya'll! Hope all is going well!


David

MY LA WEEKEND

Hey- slammed with work so this is gonna be fast.

Went to LA on Friday to do a playtest and now am back with a trunkful of very useful notes. Gonna spend most of the day getting those on lists and then sending off to Utah to see which ones we can/should/want to address and which notes we want to let go (always a tough a call after a play test: which comments to incorporate and which to throw back).

But a few things about my trip- if I may:


#1- I SAW KEVIN SMITH!

Caught the Kevin Smith Q/A live at the House of Blues on Sunset. Me and my brother went and it was...ok. Yeah, just ok. I dig the Smith a lot but his schtick is feeling tired and no longer feels genuine. I get it tho- I feel for the guy. I am a fan, to be sure. But you see the same kind of 'tiredness/struggle' in his movies as well: where he's been trying since Jersey Girl to step away from his View Askew stuff but has not had a lot of success with that and so keeps going back to his old vibe because (just guessing here) it's either safe/feels natural and/or it's lucrative. I don't begrudge the man- it's tough to grow creatively and I wish him the best. But we left the show 2 hours in (he's known to go on for 3-5 hours sometimes). Nice and kind a guy as he seems, the show just dragged and got pretty dull. Still, cool to see he can pack a house. As I said: I'm a fan, so good for him!

#2- IRON MAN 2=IRON MEH 2
Yeah, I wrote that...whatever! Would have been happier catching this on Blu Ray when it hits in 4-6 months. It was fine but nothing close to being special. IM1 was crazy fresh and had a heartbeat that was incredibly attractive and charismatic and the story was so tight and smart. This one just felt...corporate? Serviceable? Certainly not a BAD movie in the scheme of things. It was solid for sure but it just was not special enough to merit me spending 2 hours of my life at a theater. As I get older, I still love movies but I get a lot more picky now and this one - for me- just didn't cut it as a full price,  big event deal. Watching at home or catching with medium expectations at a matinee= the perfect way to watch Iron Man 2.  Come on Marvel Studios...don't start slipping on us now!

#3- FULL CIRCLE!
So I caught IM2 at the fantastic GROVE in L.A. with my brother. Before the flick we browsed the amazing Barnes & Noble superstore that they have there and check out what I found!

How cool! I had seen early versions of this at the studios, but to see it on the stands (last copy left too!) was just crazy neat! I grew up loving comics and still buy and read comics and hell, some of my personal inspiration for God of War 1 came from my love of comic books. And to see a comic based on a story/world/character that I had a huge hand in crafting? And to see it as a REAL comic in a REAL store (vs. a one off comic that is done JUST for promotional purposes and handed out at trade shows and such?)...Well wow man. That's just amazing to me. How cool is that?!?!

#4- PHYSICAL MEDIA IS DEAD TO ME
Got the ipad. LOVE the ipad. Read comics, books, magazines on the thing all the time. I've spent way too much cash already on ipad digital media that used to fill my house as physical media. Man, it's all nice and tidy and simple to carry around on my little ipad. Totally rocks. I love it. But having all that digital media on the pad made it odd going into Barnes & Noble Saturday cause I LOVE bookstores. Always have. And mega book stores like the B&N at the Grove make me crazy happy and I could spend hours in there just browsing and getting lost. But now that I've had a week of buying and reading magazines and comics and books on the ipad, a real life book store just seems archaic to me. I know some peeps will always love their physical media (and I get it...I LOVE to smell new books and fold magazines and carry around a weathered paperback that I'm working thru)...but once you go digital with this stuff, the waste of space and death of trees and mega effort to create and store and sell and buy real life paper media just seems...stupid.

#5- SPAM- Hate all the spam the posts have gotten as of late. Turned on the spam filter which means if you want to comment you gotta enter in one of those little code words they provide you. Sorry about that. I know it's a pain. But it beats having 50 messages about buying some bullshit this or that.

Ok, tons to do! Later ya'll!

David

In Defense Of Non Arty Box Art

Lots of gamers- myself included- like nice, artistic box art.

Lots of gamers- myself included- bitch when a publisher kicks a nice, arty box to the curb and replaces it with a lesser box. ICO is a pretty famous example of this:

Neither box is that commercial and no doubt the box on the left better represents the brilliance of the game inside the box. BUT I would say that the box on the right- which promises an action adventure to the average person just strolling by the box- is a smarter marketing decision. It's simply more commercial. Not by much cause there are better looking action/adventure boxes out there. But compared to the two, if I HAD to choose one based on which box would generate the most sales, I'd take the one on the right.

Two More Examples:

EXAMPLE #1: Twisted Metal:Black box art. I fucking LOVED it.

Thought it was and still think it is a powerful image. But it was a terrible box for a game about car combat. And I think it hurt our sales. I pushed for the mood and theme of the game over the game itself and I think it was a mistake.

Granted, you can go too far with JUST putting the core mechanics on the box. For example:

 

Now I really like the Split/Second demo and wish the game well. It looks tons of fun. And to be fair to Split, I think they have a new, better retail box and are not using this early box for the retail space. But there are lots of final, retail boxes out there like the one on the left and it illustrates the danger of being too literal and SIMPLY reflecting the mechanics and setting and leaving out the spirit of the game; leaving out the FEELING that the game promises to provide. Hell, now that I think about it, the perfect box for TM:BLACK would have blended the Black image above (what you FEEL) with the Split/Second image to the left (what you DO). With some guns and rocket launchers thrown in for good measure and so it was clear TMBLACK was not a racing game :)...

EXAMPLE #2: HEAVY RAIN. Lots of people don't like the SCEA version of the Heavy Rain box. They'd have rather seen SCEA go with the SCEE box. I happen to disagree. Here is why:

Do you see it? See how the Heavy Rain box- in CONTEXT- kind of...well...to me anyway...fails?

Now Europe- duh- is clearly a different market. So perhaps the lone origami image works great over there. And no doubt it's a very nice cover. But is it an effective cover? I would say- at least for America- it is not. Just look at it: amid the sea of boxes that promise action, adventure, power, fantasy, much loved movies, being a sports hero, and taking home a virtual pet, the Heavy Rain box looks like some dull puzzle game. Is it a jigsaw puzzle game? Do I fold virtual paper to make shapes? For me, I would totally pass it by if I just had the box art to go on (which is how a good % of shoppers look for games. Sure, many use the net or word of mouth to aid in their decision, but when they go into a store, the box art is a major factor in if they are going to take the time to reach out and grab the product).

So I guess what I'm really saying is: I've changed. I don't need art for my box art. I don't need a box that can be turned into a nice poster or tee-shirt or an icon that those in-the-know will respect. These days I want a box that functions, a box that screams- to the masses- pick me up, bitch! :)

David 

ps. I get that for SOME people- and maybe some cultures even- a nice, arty box is JUST the thing that makes them reach out and grab the box. I just don't think this is the case for the majority of American game shoppers.

pps. I also get that for new, unique games like HEAVY RAIN there is value in standing out as different from the crowd. Because a good argument to be made is that a large number of the people who will love HEAVY RAIN are the same kind of people whose eyes are glazing over at ANOTHER box with a power fantasy or sports star...and they would pick up the SCEE HEAVY RAIN box simply because it looks DIFFERENT. I get that. Makes sense. But in the case of the box above, I think that idea could have come across while still creating a box that seems less like a puzzle game. For example, the SHUTTER ISLAND movie poster seems like it could have been a good inspiration for 'something different but still commercial'. Anyway, just rambling now :) 

ppps. Shit, they made PAIN into a retail game over in Europe? Sweet! Did not know that :)

Things Are Tough All Over

Creative products do not magically appear via wishing and pixie dust and good old fashioned hope. Yeah that's part of it for sure. But the rest takes good, old fashioned hard work and hustle.

I know, I know: no shit, Jaffe.

And I should know this.

Given how challenging it is to get a video game made, I should be as aware of this fact as anyone working in the creative industries. Every day all of us on a game deal with the pressures of budgets and schedules and expectations and creative differences and egos and technical snafus and our personal lives that affect how we do our day to day, and the pressures to be great that come from us, from our fans, from the press, from the haters,etc,etc,etc. It never, ever ends. Cause when one game is done, you're off to the next one. Hell BEFORE a game is done, you're already thinking about the next one. 

It's a tough ass job to pull something worthy from the ether. 

And I should know this.

I should know that ANY product- and certainly any creative product- is a multi year long battle just to push that motherfucking bolder to the top of the hill.

Speaking of, here's a little pic I keep taped to my monitor to remind me- when the days are hard as hell and you just want to give up- how great it feels to get that boulder to the top.

Yeah I know. I can't draw for shit. Fuck off. :)

And yet, when I read something like this (detailing the recent challenges and mad rush of the Disneyland corporation to turn around the California Adventure theme park using a 1 billion dollar influx of cash), I am still amazed. Because as a fan- with no stake or involvement in any theme park- I nurse this fantasy that theme parks magically appear and magically run and that there are no egos or budget issues or late nites or time away from family in order to make those truly magical places come to life. To me places like Disneyland simply ARE. They are wished into being and that's all there is to that.

And as a fan, this is how it should be. Unless you want to get into the business of making this stuff (and I highly recommend it cause it's a fucking blast!) then you really never should peek behind the curtain.

Cause if you peek behind the curtain you realize that this stuff- no matter the format- is HARD WORK.

But in many ways I am glad to see how tough the Disneyland people are having it right now. Because it makes me realize that EVERYONE who does creative work is always up against the shit, day in and day out. That it's ALWAYS a struggle. And that it's NOT just me, not just my design partner Scott Campbell out in Utah, not just the amazing team at Eat Sleep Play, not JUST the super talented folks at Sony or Microsoft or Nintendo. And not just people in games. But people in movies and music and comics and television and theme parks and plays and on and on and on.

So I dunno, in some ways, it makes me feel like part of a big ass, hard working club, you know? Like we're all busting ass just to make people happy. I like that :)

And speaking of busting ass- back to work! Later ya'll!

David

Just a shot of the tots of behind the scenes work being done at Disney's California Adventure to create the new CARS LAND area of the park. As a fan, I can't wait. But I'm sure the Disney peeps are shitting a brick to get it done in time :) Thanks Disney! That's why you get my money!

PEEP MY SCHWAG!

Slammed with work and stomach flu. Wanted to share pics of some of my newest office mates real quick tho :)

Got my Doctor Who Tardis in the mail the other day! :) And that's my BEFORE YOU QUIT YOUR JOB book on the right, by the way. Read that to assuage my fears before I left Sony (after a 13+ year run). Didn't help. Was still scared shitless. :)

Damn thing even opens up, lights up, makes cool sounds,etc.  Used to think Doc Who was so stupid (a dude flies around in a Police Public Call Box?!? What?!?!)...now I can't get enough of it. Downloaded the soundtrack to work to a few days back as well :)

LOVE Darksiders! Love the character of War! Love the whole world and art style of the game! Thanks to lead designer Haydn Dalton and comic book super star (and Darksiders Creative Director) Joe Madureira for the super neat signed Darksiders schwag!

Ok, gonna work till I pass out or vomit. Lots of work over the weekend so I hope I sleep this damn bug off. Later ya'll! Have a great weekend! Part of me wants to see the new NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (I LOVE Freddy and that series in general) but I hear it sucks. :( But hell, it's a horror movie. What, I expect Oscar nominations? Freddy is like pizza anyway. ANY Freddy is good Freddy...altho I do not dig this new dude playing him...but I'll give him a chance. He rocked in Little Children.

David

JAFFE ON DAY ONE DLC/DOCTOR WHO/GAME SHARING

FINALLY got my video blogs working again! Pardon the bed head and the messy office. Between tons of work and 2 sick kids at home, it's been a hell of a week so far!

QUICK HITS (E3+SPIELBERG+AFTERBURNER+RED DEAD)

Hey ya'll! Been crazed with work as of late working on TWISTED METAL: HARBOR CITY!

Just kidding! You seen this?!?

Man you'd think if someone bothered to go thru the trouble of trying to fake peeps out with a 'what will be shown at E3' list, the least they could do is avoid some stupid mistakes like listing games that were cancelled a few years ago (like Harbor City or Road Rash HD).

Just for the record: Even tho we can not talk about what we are working on (it is Sony's game so they will announce it when they want to), there is NOTHING on this list that we are making or have ANYTHING to do with. I guess it's possible this list is real tho but I really doubt it given the crazy errors and brain farts that I already mentioned. Kind of hope it is real tho cause MAN I would LOVE to see a new Road Rash!!! :) Altho it would suck if Sony had someone else making a Twisted Metal. I'd love to think if there were ever gonna revive that series they would come to us first. But hey, not my call. 

STILL, gotta admit I'm pretty excited for E3. People keep asking if I'm gonna go and I think I will TRY to get up there for at least one day this year. I missed last year so I've yet to see the new improved 'bigger than before but not as big as back in the day' E3. But my oldest daughter is doing PETER AND THE WOLF on the first day of the show so there's no way I'm missing that. She plays the duck :)...So I think I'll end up just watching the whole thing from the comfort of my office, banging away on our game while the great internet coverage blares in the background. I especially like the Gamespot ON STAGE demos that they stream live from the show floor...makes me feel like I am there. As I've said before, fun as it is to go to E3, I really like experiencing it from home more. Nothing beats live E3 coverage in one window, Neogaf in another (with threads being added to like wildfire), Rubio's at my desk, and the press conferences playing on G4. 

Anyway, so been too swamped to deal with my video blog issue so I'll get to my thoughts on gamesharing and day one/On Disc DLC in a bit. For now, some very quick hits and just saying 'hey!'...

#1- HD KILLS YOUR IDOLS- As many of you know, I grew up IDOLIZING Steven Spielberg. I mean, he was my mega hero and I pretty much wanted to BE him when I grew up. For real. Over the years as I've grown up, built my own life, had my own successes, and actually met the man a few times the hero worship has faded significantly. I still admire and am crazy inspired by the guy but I'm now very happy being David Jaffe. I don't need to be Steven Spielberg anymore. BUT I gotta admit, there's still a tinge of idolization left over, probably always will be there. And I dig that, I like that. I kind of never want to lose that hint of what it was like to be a kid and having a crazy amazing hero/role model. However when I see stuff like this, it helps to make it VERY clear to me that he's just a man, not a God:

So here's a screen grab of my new MINORITY REPORT BLU RAY that I just got from Amazon. Pretty decent Spielberg interview about the underrated  flick (which I think- with age- will find more and more fans). But anyway, point is: what did I notice most about this interview? Was it a new insight into precrime? Or a cool new factoid about the Cruise/Spielberg working relationship? Nah. What I most got out of this interview was this: watching Steven in full HD it makes it SO CLEAR he's just a guy. You see his pores and a few blemishes and lots and lots of unkempt hair and a scruffy beard. All of that oh so human detail just sucks away the magic I usually associate with the man. If I woulda seen this as a kid, who knows if I would have tried to be a movie maker?!? On one hand I think it's very, very good to see our idols as the people they really are. But I admit a part of me is sad by this cause it really does make you realize there are no magical people walking around. We're all just human. And so seeing this interview in all its HD glory goes a big step towards bringing this guy down to a human level. Now most people probably never idolized Spielberg like I did so for you, you'll probably be going, "Well no shit, Jaffe...of course he's just a man!"...but think about someone you do or DID idolize when you were younger? Wasn't it cool/weird/sad/strange/amazing when you finally realized they were just a person? 

#2- PLAYING AFTER BURNER ON PSN- 

Not much to say...it's Afterburner. No surprises but well made, fun, and Sega blue skies! What's not to love?


#3- RED DEAD REDEMPTION- GREAT write up in the Sunday LA TIMES Calendar section! Aimed at an educated mainstream audience the write up makes the game sound really, really fun! Here's a link to it online. The one thing that KIND OF annoys however is the opening quote by Dan Houser. It's hard to make it out in the image above but basically when asked what the game is about, Dan says, "It's America. The birth of modern America. What was gained and what was lost."...

Uhm...yeah. Excuse me but my hyperbole/bullshit/games-as-art detector is going off.

And hey, I dig GTA and think what Rockstar has done for the biz is FANTASTIC! And for all I know Rockstar has cracked the nut and players playing RED DEAD will actually understand and feel what Houser is talking about. And if that's the case, I will take back my cynicism. But for now, please allow me to be a smarmy prick as I think back to the days when I was telling the press that Twisted Metal:Black was 'about' depression and dealing with inner demons. Uhm, sure Jaffe.

Ya know, a good reporter woulda called me on that bullshit and been like, "Ok, tell us about that." Or better yet they'd have said, "You sure it's not really about cars blowing each other up with you basically riffing on the Seven and Jacob's Ladder visual style and surface tone without really understanding what made those movies tick on a more human level? And even if you DO understand those movies at a deep level, how in the hell are you infusing those themes and that meaning into a video game at all...let alone a video game where you drive around and shoot power missiles and napalm at other cars?".... Yeah, a good journalist woulda asked me that. But they never did. Suckers :)

But either way, the Red Dead looks FANTASTIC and I can't wait to play it! 

Ok ya'll back soon with a damn video blog once I get the whole thing sorted out and we're not so damn bizzy with the game. Hope you are all well!

David 

UGH!! DAMMIT!

Hey ya'll- sorry so few posts this week. Hate that. But I tried to do a video post 3 times (which means I spent about 30 minutes total recording). Each and every time, when I hit STOP RECORDING, my browser would crash (using Youtube). So I gotta figure that shit out.

Anyway,I really want to chat with ya'll about my issues with GAME SHARING and DLC DAY ONE/ON DISC stuff. But fuck video for now, I'll just use text. Also wanna show some of the amazingly cool DARKSIDERS toys/schwag that the game's lead designer Haydn Dalton sent me. He also had Joe Mad sign the stuff! Holy cow! Will post pics and do my write up this weekend.

For now, just saying hey and letting ya know why the posts have been so spotty this week. Will look into the YOUTUBE issues as well when I get a sec.

Ok great weekend! Talk tomorrow or Sunday!

David

ps. VIDDLER crashed on me too when I went to process the video so it's gotta be on my end. An update to my software maybe? 

Movie Makin' With The Sony San Diego Peeps

Spent the last few days in the Sony Cinematics offices in San Diego. They are the group that does most of the movies for Sony games, along with mocap, behind the scenes footage, stuff for HOME, and all kinds of other cool, hi-tech stuff that I'm not allowed to share. But they're a cool bunch and always fun to visit with.

So the crew there is handling the flicks for our latest game. And as I've said in a previous blog post, a number of issues have cropped up in the last month (budget, timing, story telling syles) that have necessitated rewrites to the script. But production is so close to starting that we figured we'd skip the rewrite script phase and jump right into storyboards, adjusting (and in some cases out and out rewriting) the story as we boarded. 

So that's what we did, and that's what I've been doing all week.

Super producer Nick Kononelos rolled white boards into his office and we had a big ol story telling/story boarding jam session as we worked thru all the shots and the story. It was fun! Check it out:

That's Tony Washington, super nice dude and he of this video clip right here. World of Warcraft and Comic Con fans may recognize super talented Tony from his super cool work on the WOW and Dragon's Lair comics, as well as the animated Ninja Turtles flick. He's also got a pretty cool audio/visual story telling world going on that he's designed called Stations Stories. To learn more about all the cool stuff he's up to, Check out his site.

And here we have uber talented Mr. Steve High. Great artist, great visual storyteller.

Check out his cool stuff here!  

Steve and Tony split up the work over the week so we could get the whole story banged out (and I still gotta go back on Monday to finish it up with them). THEN the Sony producers gotta take the new boards and run it thru the Dream Killing Machine (AKA the spreadsheet they use to estimate and calculate the budgets) and then we'll prob. have to make some more adjustments so we can afford to make these movies. And then- once that is all done (should be next week)- we can roll into production of the game's movies. Whew! 

Ok, last 2-3 days have been all story telling, now it's time- thank God- to get my ass back to the gameplay! Gotta run- great weekend ya'll....who is going to see KICK ASS?!?!? I know I am! 

Later!

David 

ps. check it out- just got tickets to these two super cool events in LA this May! 

Harrison Ford doing Q/A after a screening of Empire Strikes Back at the Arclight! And all the cash for tix goes to charity!

Kevin Smith Q/A at House of Blues in Los Angeles! 

Can't wait! May's gonna rock! 

Arguing the Argument

Agree 1000% w/sentiment of this Kotaku write up about the new Game Dev Magazine/Gamasutra 'key people in the biz' list not having any women on it.

But I call bullshit on the details.

 MAYBE I'd agree on Meggan Scavio because she is so dang important but it's debatable if she fits on a list that is intended to show off people IN GAMES. Isn't Meggan's business more along the lines of the convention business? As for the list itself, it's utter bullshit Amy Henning is not on it.

But for the rest of the women this article lists- talented and key players as many of them are- the ones I would put on the main list from this list have not (far as I know) released anything in the last year. For example, Kim Swift made a great game in Portal...but that was 2-3 years ago. Why put her on a list for this year? Be the same as someone putting ME on a list for the last few years...why would they do that? They would not.

And splitting the list with 50% men, 50% women = bullshit. Unless you are releasing a list of 'THE KEY MALE PLAYERS" and "THE KEY FEMALE PLAYERS" then fine. But to split a main list just to be 'fair'? Doesn't sound like that would be doing the list the respect it deserves. Women are key to our business and they some of them should be applauded and noticed more than they are, no doubt. But let's not knock key males off the list just so less deserving women can be on it. That's bullshit.

David

COMMENTS ARE BACK UP

Hey- for those who are into such things, I've turned commenting back on for registered users.

Glad to be chatting again with you all!

David

MODNATION RACERS!

Sony sent me a copy of the super cool MODNATION RACERS a few weeks ago and then filmed me talking about the experience. Tell you what man, the creation tools in this game are fuckin' sweet! Within minutes (as in 5 minutes, I kid you not), I was making levels!

Check it out!


Isn't SD Kratos cool?!?!

Ok, gotta run ya'll! Tons to do! Hope you're all well!

David

ps. they listed me as FOUNDER of EAT SLEEP PLAY. Trust me, I was a CO-founder. Other than that, I dig the clip!

HOW TO WRITE GAME MOVIES...THE MARVEL WAY!

Running out of time to get our game movies into production (these things take 12+ months to create). Have already written the scripts a handful of times but production changes everyday which necessitates rewrites.

At this point, we need story boards by end of week and that's just not enough time to write the scripts in. So instead I am meeting tomorrow with some storyboard artists at Sony San Diego and we are going to bypass the script stage and go right to storyboards based on these little stick figure sketches I've been working on all day:

Scary, eh? Gulp! :)

Wish us luck!

David

ps. So I cleaned my office pretty hard core over the holidays and put a lot of my geek toys in the garage. Well 95% of them are still down there but it was just feeling too sterile and lonely up here so I brought my faves back :)

Tweeting Again

Hey all- still super slammed- but I'll back soon.

Real quick tho: I decided to start Tweeting again cause I miss it. Plus I'll be getting an ipad next month (waiting for the WiFi/3G combo to hit in May) and really want to go back to tweet deck.

A few things:

1- my twitter name is davidscottjaffe (as djaffe and davidjaffe seem to be taken). Pretty sure this is the link:

https://twitter.com/davidscottjaffe

2- be warned- when I tweet- I tweet A LOT! I do not do this 'one tweet every 15-36 hours' thing. So if you get your tweets on your phone or you get annoyed by tweet spamming (not ads but like 5-20 tweets and multiple conversations that I have over tweet) then this is NOT a tweet you want to be following. I totally respect that a lot of people like to use tweet in a certain way. Just know that I don't use it that way so subscribe knowing that. I really like following and tweeting on tweet deck and similar programs and that is why I love conversational tweets. So seriously, DO NOT follow me if you are not down with that. It would be a miserable for you (as people who followed my old tweet account told me).

3- Please don't tweet me ideas for games or anything else creative. I don't want or need them. I want to be in touch with people who dig the work we do. I LOVE that. But don't send in your ideas. Thanks!

Ok, heading off to a fun Del Mar lunch with the ex and our kids. Talk soon!

David

This Is The Best TIme Of Making A Game!!!

Hey all- well I gotta say, I have not been this busy in a looong while. And it's really, really good. I love being slammed when the stuff we're slammed with are real, concrete game making tasks. This phase of the game is fantastic, where the pieces SLOWLY start falling into place and you- finally- begin to get glimpses of what you wanted the game to be from the very start. Still a long way to go and still not close to having the game of our dreams yet but we're working our asses off to get there....

...and that's the point of this post. I'm gonna stop posting just for a bit...nothing long, 1-4 weeks just cause I'm too busy to do anything other than post links and videos of other people...and I really don't care for blogs that do that.

I will 100% be back. Not leaving for good or for long so please come back soon and visit. I love this blog and am still eager to keep letting ya'll in behind the scenes of the game making process. Just right now, we're all super slammed.

So I'm off...just for a few weeks- back soon!

Take it easy ya'll!

David

Oh HELL Motherfuckin' YES!

Day ONE! Bitches! DAY ONE! 

Go Wil Wheaton!

Off to LA for a few days of Sony meetings.  Not sure if I'll get to post till I get back.

So hey, meanwhile, watch this if you have not. It's a bit forced, a bit over earnest BUT it's still really, really good. It's Wil Wheaton's keynote kicking off this weekend's PAX EAST. Wish I coulda been there, hope to get to Seattle PAX in the next few months.

Ok, lots of prep work to do before tomorrow am. Gotta run! Take it easy ya'll! Later!

David

Make Over

This just ran on the fantastic Hero Complex blog. Hero Complex is blog from the LA TIMES that covers all things geek and it's a great, great read.

Anyway- the piece is about the writer of the original Karate Kid movie saying he doesn't get why anyone would remake the movie and thinks many fans of the original are pissed about the remake/not interested in the remake.

You know, I just don't get this mentality. I'm all for remakes. They make total sense to me.

And look: I LOVE original movies. And I can see how there is some frustration on the part of movie lovers if they think the remakes keep the studios from making the new stuff. But that's not a great argument cause the vast majority of what the movie studios pump out IS new content.

And I loved the first Karate Kid, but hell, this new one looks pretty good too. How much of that is cause it uses the kick ass song from Fort Minor? Hard to say. BUT it still looks like a it could be a good flick. I know I'll see it. I know my kids watched the trailer and my 6 year old wants to see it too.

And why NOT remake stuff for a new generation? Times change, tastes change, but good storytelling never dies. So why not redress it so it can appeal to the new generation? Sure they COULD watch the classic, but how effective will that be for MOST younger people? It's kind of hard to get fully caught up in the drama of Daniel VS. the Cobra Kai when you are giggling at Elizabeth Shu's big ass hair, snickering at the lame soundtrack ('You're the best around! Nothin's ever gonna keep you down!'), or wondering what kind of a mother would let her young son spend so much time with a very old, very single man who works in the maintenance shed (in 1984, for some reason, this just didn't seem like an issue).

I think most movies have a shelf life of 10-30 years and then you tend to respond to an old flick in one of the following ways:

a- you're nostalgic for it cause you grew up with it
b- you appreciate aspects of it (story, acting, theme) BUT you can't really get fully immersed because the techniques and cultural touchstones present in the movie are no longer relevant.
c- watching the older movie allows you to romanticize a time you never grew up in (i.e. watching an old horror movie or a classic from the 30's and 40's).

I mean, as much as I love IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and CASABLANCA (and even E.T. and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK), I watch those flicks with my 'this is an old movie' filter turned on. Watching them any other way and it's clear- distractingly so- how creaky and boring and dated sections of those old movies are. And not because they are bad movies. Far from it. They are some of the best movies EVER made. But those old movies are hard to watch in sections because times AND technique have changed SO MUCH that our brains-constantly exposed different,fresher types of visual storytelling- just don't want to go backwards.

And I am not knocking old flicks. To be crystal clear: I LOVE old movies. But I also support remakes of old movies (and old video games too where applicable). On a remake you will probably never capture the same lighting in the bottle as the original, but most of the younger generation isn't going to watch the original anyway. So redressing a classic (if done well) allows a whole new generation to fall in love with the essence that lies at the core of those old flicks (again, assuming the remake is made with an understanding of what made the original so special).

And to answer a question that I imagine someone may be thinking: yes, I'd LOVE to see a remake of a game I've worked on in a few years. Take God of War I. Do it with better graphics, add new puzzles and characters, twist the story a bit, fix the stuff that sucked, redesign Kratos (bad ass in 2035 is gonna look a lot different than bad ass in 2005). I got NO issues with this and think it would be very cool. Ideally they would retain the core of the game (violent action with a strong central character and a blend of accessible combat mixed with some puzzles and platforming all set against the backdrop of the ancient Greek myths). As long as they didn't walk away from that core, I'd have 100% no issues.

Same reason I'd love to see a RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK remake with a new, younger Indy and a more modern director (much as I LOVE Spielberg).

But I know full well there are MANY movie lovers out there who would disagree with me. Ah well, can't please everyone :)

Ok, later- great weekend ya'll!

David

ps. I don't see a lot of theater so I don't know how this argument applies to remakes of plays and musicals. I do know musicals went thru a phase of getting grander and more expensive (Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, etc). And I do know that many musicals DO get reimagined as the years go by (Sweeny Todd, Annie,etc). And I do know that some old plays (Ibsen, Shakespeare) for ME feel like taking medicine (I appreciate what it does for me, but I still don't like it...not one bit). So in their own, medium specific way, my gut tells me my thoughts on remakes for movies and games also applies to theater/musicals.

Books as well...but books do seem to have a longer shelf life. Probably because:
a- A book occurs in your brain and so you bring your own sensibility ((which naturally you like/enjoy)) to a book. You add your own music, sounds, smells, pace, hair styles, clothing choices. Not always (sometimes an author will do this for you) but your brain- on a subconscious level- fills in a lot of blanks, plugging the wholes with your own made up stuff that resonates with you. Because of this, there is more protection against the culture and trends of the times whittling away at a book's power.
b- In a book, the out of date stuff is not always pushed in your face. For example: if The Karate Kid were a novel, I may read a description about Elizabeth Shu's character's big, 80's style hair but I probably would not have that on my brain every time her character appears in the story (cause the prose would probably not mention it every time she does something). Not the case with a movie. In a movie, you can't escape it.
c- Because books tend to do a much better job than movies at expressing the internal desires and wants and needs of the characters, that aspect tends to wind up being the essence of a book. Thus the surrounding trappings (which can clash badly with modern times if the book is old) are not as relevant because so many internal wants and desires- brought to the fore in a book- resonate strongly across millennia (love, longing, hope, ambition,etc).

 Even still, I think there is a shelf life for books as well mainly because of the language and shift in narrative techniques. Because of that, for me, trying to read a book written before 1850 or so and it feels like something I'm doing to better myself, not something I actually enjoy.

YES, IT'S VERY COOL

LOVED the first IRON MAN. Fully expect to love IRON MAN 2 even more.  Favreau clearly has a strong sense of American movies and must have studied those rare sequels that are better than the original (Spidey 2, Empire Strikes Back, Godfather II,etc). So I expect this new one to eclipse the first. 

My #1 flick to see this summer! Altho off the top of my head, I can't recall what else is hitting this summer. But you know me, if it's a summer flick, I'll be seeing it! Can't wait! 

David

Oh Come The Hell On!

Regular readers of the blog know of my extreme love for the Disneyland resort. I take my kids all the time and just think the world of the whole place (Magic Kingdom, California Adventure ((now that it's losing it's initial So Cal theme and getting more traditional Disney Magic attractions)), even Downtown Disney has its charms).

We usually go and stay in one of the surrounding hotels (I dig CANDY CANE INN, if you must know). Rates are good, you are 1-2 blocks from the park, and I just love staying in hotels with the kids. Even tho we live only 50 min. away, I have such fond memories of staying in motels while on vacation as a kid that I want my kids to have those great memories too (room service, watching cartoons while lying on the bed, playing in the pool with my mom and dad, going to the lobby and stocking up on pamphlets and brochures for other local attractions, etc).

I really want to stay in one of the official Disney hotels very soon before my daughters get too old to care. I think they will always dig theme parks (what's not to love?) but they are still young enough that they really buy into a great deal of the Disney magic (they get excited to see the characters, love to hear dad prattle on about Walt Disney and the many talented peeps he worked with, love the parades and new rides,etc).  I did take them to see Captain EO a few weeks ago and they thought that was pretty lame (and I have to agree, even tho I do consider myself an MJ fan...I don't recall ever really caring for it all that much and it sure as heck didn't age well...).

But anyway, so yeah, I want to take them to stay in the Grand Californian or at least the classic Disneyland Hotel in the next 1-2 months. It's pricy but hey, you only live once and they'll make some great memories. Also, going to the parks in April/May- right before school lets out- is fantastic cause there are days you can hit it just right and the place is a ghost town. NO LINES and you just walk right on to SPACE MOUNTAIN and INDY and SOARIN' OVER CALIFORNIA (and all the other big, usually packed rides) with waiting times of no more than 0-3 minutes. For a theme park nut, it's a damn treasure to get a day like that.

ANYWAY- the whole point of this post is this: STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM DISNEYLAND THIS MONTH!!!! LOOK AT THIS!!!!

Oh my God I would want to shoot myself. Bad enough to be an adult trying to traipse thru this hell. But trying to navigate these crowds while also keeping watch over crazy excited 6 and 4 year olds? No thanks, man.

That said, check out this pic:

Only thing better than SEGA Arcade game blue skies are real life, theme park blue skies! Man, spring is So Cal is just an amazing time!

Ok ya'll just wanted to share those crazy ass crowd pics. Eager for April when spring break dies down and us locales can get our parks back :)...altho that said, how cool for all those people who never get to go and are there now, digging what I get to enjoy at least once a month!

Later ya'll!

David

ps. by the way, these pics are from the fantastic Disney Parks fan site MICEAGE. If you are a Disney geek like I am, you owe it to yourself to spend some time at that site. TONS of great fans of the theme parks over there, lots of good forum discussion about everything from ride design to nostalgic trips from childhood and everything in between. Every week they also do a good number of meaty photo updates from the parks which allow you to track the major construction going on (and there is TONS of it happening in California Adventure) as well as just get your Disney theme park fix when you are not able to hit the parks in person. Check it out!

My First Comic Book Crush...

...was Ms. Marvel. I had the very first issue and just thought- and still do- that she was the coolest- and hottest- female super hero around.

Sideshow Collectables- who make simply AMAZING props and statues that I really, really love- just released shots of their very first Ms. Marvel statue. Check it out:

Man, I think she looks so cool! The details, the color, the pose. Just great stuff! It's not her original outfit- which I love much more than this new one- but she still looks great!

Thing is, it's like $270 bucks which- to me- is too much to pay for something that's just going to sit on my shelf and probably get broken by my kids (or me and my clumsy ass self).  Plus I go thru phases where I take all my statues and trophies and toys and stuff and stick them in boxes in my garage. It's an energy sort of thing, like I just want my office clean of clutter (even cool clutter like this) so new ideas and new passions and new adventures can more easily flow into my life. This stuff is really cool but it almost feels like clinging to the past, you know?

Anyway- even with all that said- I still love this statue and if I see one at Comic Con this year for a good price, I may just pick her up.

Ok- later!

David 

Welcome HOME, Old Boy

You can now walk around the virtual PS3 world of HOME as SWEET TOOTH or MR. GRIMM! Check them out!

No, Sweet Tooth, those pants don't make your ass look fat. Your ass being fat makes your ass look fat. 

When I first heard about HOME I kind of hoped there would be Sony game characters walking around but that they would be Sony controlled, so it would be like seeing Mickey at Disneyland and they would be controlled by members of the team who could go out and be the mascots and stay in character, give out cool demo codes, exclusive virtual goods,etc. I still like that idea more than anyone/everyone getting to dress as the characters. BUT that said, these are still dang cool! Hopefully we can get Dollface, Calypso, and a few other characters from Twisted Metal in as well. 

Ok, gonna get to bed so I can be up at 5am to get some work done. Take it easy ya'll!

David 

Still Alive, Still Bloggin'

As regular readers know, I hate blogs that don't get updated.

But work has been super, super busy this last week and so I've just had no time. Sorry bout that ya'll. 

It's 2:30am Sunday morning as I write this (got woken up) and figured I'd say hey before I drop back to sleep.

Here are some quick hits:

- Tried to watch NINJA ASSASSIN tonite. Opening was campy, bloody fun...rest of the movie was kind of boring to me. Saw a panel with J. Michael Strazensky (sp?) at Comic Con last year and I THINK this was the movie/script he said he banged out in 48 hours. It shows :(...I wanted to dig it in a B movie kind of way but just could not get into it. Very dull. Way too much of an origin story (tons of flashbacks) for a character we don't know or care about or think is interesting. 

- Speaking of bad movies, walked out of GREEN ZONE with Matt Damon. Hurt Locker, Rendition, Three Kings, The Kingdom, and about 3-5 more Iraq war movies were better and this one brought nothing new to the party. And so many of the Iraq War Movie Cliches were on display here that after about 45 minutes I had seen enough. People don't get how I walk out of bad/boring movies. I don't get how more people don't. Isn't your time more valuable to you? I know mine is to me.

- Bought some toy eggs at the grocery store yesterday while picking up breakfast fixins for the kids. You put these in water and after about 8 hours, they hatch on their own and little toy dinos come out. Then if you keep the dinos in the water, the dinos get like 500% bigger! I lied to my kids and told them I found the eggs outside and they were bird eggs and we had to clean them in the sink so the mama bird would be willing to take the eggs back to her nest (kid logic=easy and fun!). Toys are so cool these days!

-Got my Comic Con hotel reservation! Sweet! Still not the hotel I wanted to stay in but hell, it's Comic Con! Hard to complain! Plus it's only 6 blocks from the show so much geeking out will be done during the day and lots of trolling the Gas Lamp district and drinking will be done at night. And I'll never need my car...just footing it everywhere!  Man, for a geek like me, Comic Con is such a fun show! 

- Ipad only about 5 week away! Yes, getting the 3G/WiFi Combo! 

- Can't wait to see the God of War 3 sales figures for the week. Did they do a million in the first 7 days?? I Hope so! That would make it the biggest GOW launch week by a looooong shot!  

- Speaking of God Of War 3, been seeing some very cool Kratos/GOW 3 billboards all over Los Angeles via pictures posted by the team (Facebook). I think that is so damn cool! 

-I went to a school fundraising party/function/event for families Friday night at my daughter's grammar school and almost tripped over a kid's backpack. Next to the backpack? A God of War Slurpee cup! :) I was both excited and kind of appalled (this is grammar school... I sure hope 1-4th graders do not play God of War games).

Ok need to crash/go back to bed. Hope you are all doing well. Talk more next week, promise :)

David