SEPT 11 + SLEAZY POLITICS + NEW GAMES!+ DOORKNOB+ SHIT, I'M GETTING FAT!!!!

and ps: even the educational quotes BEFORE the smear are taken out of context and newer quotes from the SAME sources say Obama has done more for education in the last year while McCain has done nothing! Amazing...

BEHIND THE SCENES...

++++UPDATE:
Here she is, as requested!


+++++END UPDATE:

Took the family to Disneyland last week for my youngest's 3 year old bday! What a total blast- I love that place; love taking my kids. We did the whole shebang: stayed over, did the character breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen (Oh my GOD the woman playing Princess Jasmine is so hot!), rode EVERYTHING at least once at Dland, stayed for the parade, and got to California Adventure for the first time! Heck, even bought a couple of season passes as I plan on going back at least a couple of times this year with my kids.

Two quick things about it:

1- We went in the off season in the middle of the week and let me just tell you- if you can swing it- THAT is the way to go to Disneyland. On Wednesday there NO lines! And I mean NO lines. The amount of time it took to get on space mountain was LITERALLY the amount of time it took to walk the distance from the entrance of the ride (outside in tomorrow land) to the place where you actually sit your ass down on the coaster. I rode that thing three times in the span of an hour! So great! But I will say the experience of WAITING and ANTICIPATING to get on a ride DOES add a lot to the experience. Without it, the ride actually feels a bit less special. But it was still great. And I don't know if anyone out there knows but on Wednesday Space Mountain felt so damn fast that I think it was the fastest coaster I've ever been on. Road it again Thursday and it felt slower, more normal. Do they change the speeds on any given day?!?!

2- California Adventure was even less crowded and I really dug it. Tower of Terror?!? Oh my GOD! Talk about AMAZING presentation! SUCH a wonderful experience. I took my 5 year old without realizing how scary it was gonna be (me being an idiot, I guess I ignored the word TERROR in the fucking title of the ride)! But still, it is so fun! Anyway, caught this pic:



I just thought this was pretty funny as Disney does such a great job at keeping a lot of the behind the scenes stuff hidden. But me and my oldest are on the ferris wheel type thing that really is quite scary if you are afraid of heights and as we are about to start the ride, they send this woman out to clean the puke from the car in front of us. See that trash bag she's holding? Full of paper towels that have sopped up quite a bit of vomit.

Not sure why, but I enjoyed that/found it interesting.

Magic Kingdom huh??! How about the Kingdom Where You Puke and Vomit and Stuff and Get Reall Sick And.......errr....ahem...yeah...anyway....

And man, I was really, really scared being way up there. I never understood how people got scared going to theme parks because I'm always aware that- for the most part- everything is ultra safe. But being up so high really pressed some primal buttons in me. And being aware we were/are in earthquake country pushed even more buttons. And I really had to force myself to joke and chat with my kid just so she could see her dad was not afriad...but dude, I totally was. It was kinda fun to be scared like that...rides NEVER scare me.

Ok, back to it. Just saying hi- chat later!

David

BATH TIME FUN!!!

I used to bring my super hero action figures into the tub with me when I was a kid. I have fond memories of massive battles between Superman, Spidey, The Penguin, and the rest of the legion of doom, battling it out amid giant fortresses constructed out of Mr. Bubble.

Here's a a pic from our tub tonite, right after my two girls got out...my how times have changed:




Have they no respect for their dad's work?!?!

Ah well, at least they ain't playing with action figures from some damn Xbox game :)

David

Politics...ONE MORE TIME!!!! :)

While this blog will always deal with my passions (games, movies, comics, kids, politics, spirituality, religion,etc) I have to admit, it’s been a bit lopsided last week with all the political talk. It’s tough cause there are only 50something more days till a pretty important election and if you are a political junkie like me, it tends to stay on your brain.

BUT I’m gonna get some other posts going this week- one on game saves inspired by the great gamasutra article that ran the other day. Also gonna post a cool pic- I think- of some Disneyland employee cleaning puke out of a ferris wheel car. I took it when me and my oldest kid were at the park last week...never actually seen that before at a theme park :)

So we’ll get back to some more fun and game making stuff in a day or two, promise! ☺

BUT I did want to post a few last words about the political stuff, at least for now, just to get some stuff off my chest. Here we go:

#1- THANK YOU guys, haters and supporters alike, who posted well thought out, well researched comments on the previous posts. I have always said I am open to changing my mind on all kinds of things (from God to politics to Dc Vs. Marvel…although truth be told- much as I love DC- you got a much better chance of getting me to vote for Bush again before I take DC over Marvel…)…but you guys really made me think and made me do some more research and really open my mind more to both sides. Heck, BECAUSE of some of you more conservative folks, I even went out to get the TIME issue with McCain on the cover so I could learn more about the man. Check it:


And yes, I dig Mercs 2 alot....graphics need some love and there are bugs galore...but a 5/10?!? Come on Gamespot...what the hell?!?

But back to McCain:

So to the conservatives and/or pro-McCainers, thanks for that. I hope at least a few other readers got as much out of it as I did.

#2- What have I learned? Well, the reality is, you NEVER know the whole truth. Even when the damn candidate HIMSELF stands in front of 40 plus million people and tells you something, it don’t mean it’s true. And this goes for Obama as well as McCain. Here’s just two examples of things I found totally depressing and disheartening on both sides:

OBAMA SAID THIS A FEW WEEKS AGO:

"The fact is that although we have had a president who is opposed to abortion over the last eight years, abortions have not gone down.''

Turns out- best as I can tell- that is not true. Click on this...

So that sucks right? Lying sack of shit, yes?

But

McCAIN SAID THIS A FEW DAYS AGO:

"Obama says Iran is a 'tiny' country, 'doesn't pose a serious threat.'"

Turns out- again, best as I can figure- not true. Click me!


And it goes on and on and on. The whole Palin opposed the BRIDGE TO NOWHERE bit? Sort of true but not really…turns out she was for it for long enough for a lot of the financial and political damage to be done. But you’d never know that from listening to Sean Hannity or reading much of the news. As for Biden saying that McCain has changed his position on invading Iraq, well from what I’ve found, it turns out he really has not.

And so while I know it's obvious and should come as no surprise that politicians lie, I guess for some reason, it’s just so damn easy to get caught up in the my team/your team bullshit because they are telling you SO MUCH of what you want to hear. And some of them are so damn good at pitching and spinning that you just get caught up in it. At least I do/did. Cause look, when Obama hits the stage and talks about a better life for ALL of us and making the country respectable in the eyes of the world again and he does it so well, you just WANT to believe him. Or at least I do. When Palin talks about fuck the media, she is here for the people, well for folks who feel they are not represented in the media they see every night on tv, well hell, I can see how you would WANT to believe her as well.

And so all these lies, just to get my vote....well, it just sickens me.

But I won’t become apathetic. I’m just going to work harder to find out what is true and what is not before I make up my mind. And while I am pretty sure I will vote for Obama, it’s the first time I’ve considered McCain in a serious light. He probably won’t get my vote if some of the more extreme stuff I’ve heard about Palin turns out to be true, but thanks to a lot of you readers, I’ve opened my mind to the possibility of at least considering him. And so for that, I say thank you.

By the way, here’s a great site I found that does not seem to swing left or right that has journalists go thru speeches and interviews with the candidates and determine what is true, half true, or a fat out lie.

Politifact.com

Ain't the net grand?!?!

#3- SHE’S A MILF, DEAL WITH IT- I don’t and won’t take this back. There are PRO Palin supporters saying the same damn thing. Perhaps you live somewhere where calling someone a MILF is the equivalent of calling someone a bitch or a ho’ or a prick or something. Where I am from- and I live in the burbs and am surrounded by moms all day, many of them very hot- being thought of as a MILF is a compliment. Is it crass? Sure, but come on, look at the address in your address bar. You know where YOU chose to come visit, yes? So sure, it’s crass. But it’s not some big deal to me. She’s a total MILF and I’d be happy to fuck the shit out her, even if she loses the election. ☺

#4-FOR THE RECORD- People have attacked me for saying, "I am a liberal so that makes me intelligent". The video in question is a few inches down, so please watch it again if you are so inclined. Anyone WATCHING it and listening to what I was rambling about would clearly take from it what I intended...which was: 'being a liberal, of COURSE I think the ideas I am spouting are intelligent and if you are a conservative, you will think my ideas are stupid.' I think I was pretty clear on that but some of you reading this blog- no offense- are stupid fucking idiots who have little to no reading comprehension skills and clearly you don't have any video watching skills either.

#5- THE PROMISE- Here is my promise to you, in writing. In interviews with me about our games and on our website and when promoting the game, you will ONLY get Jaffe the game designer. I respect the fact that if you click on an interview with me that is suppose to be about T-...err, the GAME we are making- or a game we HAVE made- you don't want or need to hear my ramblings about politics or movies or being a dad. I appreciate that and respect that. If you come HERE you're gonna get all of that stuff and more- and for FREE no less!!! :)- but I will not force it on folks who simply want to enjoy our games. There are SO MANY people who make the games I work on and many of them do not share my views, not by a longshot. But the games we make are as much theirs as they are mine and as they- ultimately- are yours. It is not fair to ANY of us for my views to taint the games we make. So that is my promise to you. Come here for the personal; Jaffe stuff. But I won't talk personal stuff anymore with the press...only games...unless it's a specific interview that is supposed to be about JUST ME and I am not promoting a specific game.

What I CAN NOT control is if a game site picks something up that is not game related from my blog and posts it. But please- if you see that- know that that is not my doing.

Ok, sick today but trying to do a map for the guys in Utah thru this foggy head…real slow going. Gotta run- chat soon and more game posts on the way!

David

DO I EVEN WANT TO VOTE ANY MORE?!?

SECOND UPDATE:

Real fast:

a- I've seen some comments where people assumed I was stoned when I made these videos. Just to be clear. I do think weed is fine FOR ADULTS to use SOMETIMES. I have used it in my adult life a small number of times, but not many. But I have nothing against it. BUT I never show up to work- or in this case, when I'm about to start work in the morning- stoned or having had a drink (which I also rarely do). I was really, really tired yesterday cause I had spent 2 days walking 2 little around Disneyland and I was wiped. That is why I seem so fried.

b- I never said that I was intelligent because I was liberal. I said that the views I had just expressed in that part of the video to me- because I am liberal- were intelligent TO ME. And then said, if you are a conservative, you would think the views I had just expressed in the video were STUPID. Some of you people need to learn to read and watch shit better, but hey, what's new.

END SECOND UPDATE:

UPDATE:

Note to Kotaku: Come on guys, you really think this is worth putting on your blog? I LOVE Kotaku but this is nuts...when we talk about our games- which yes, you smarmy Kotaku journalist asshole, we ARE making a new one :) - we would LOVE for you to cover it and hell, if you gotta cover this in order to cover that, then go ahead. But please, the people who give a shit what I say know to come here....no reason to put this totally non game related rant on your site, is there?

And this is not me saying: JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!! If you think your readers care, put it up. I'm cool with that. It's just odd that you would think they actually care. By reading the comments, they sure don't seem to.

And yes, calling you an ass is a joke- I love your site!

END UPDATE

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

Sorry about the double videos- accidentily hit the stop button when recording the first one.

Have a great weekend ya'll!

David






ps. I think it's cool how it looks like Jeanne D'arc is looking up at me over there on a bit to the bottom right...

Bugging the Fuck Out...

**********FINAL UPDATE:

Well folks- thanks for the lively debate today. I really enjoy debating, discussing, and learning about politics and ya'll sure did not disappoint, on any side of the argument :)

I am out for the next 2 days- we're taking our kids to Disneyland to celebrate my youngest daughter's 3rd birthday! So I'll chat with ya'll- about something NON political- when I return.

But in closing, I gotta point this out, cause it's something I learned/realized today during chatting with some of ya'll.

So I posted this in the comments early tonite:

Wouldn't it be nice if we could all step back - myself included0 and see we are ALL little fucking drones, spewing the bullshit talking points of our respective parties? We are doing what they want us to do to keep making them money. They don't care about us, they care about getting elected and making more cash.

And then some anon commenter posted this in response:


Spoken like someone who truly knows they have lost the debate.

You can't just pull out the everyone does it arguement. It doesn't wash.

Not totally sure about what his last sentence means but I get the gist I think.

But I was serious because I think it was this anon poster- hard to keep them all straight- that was countering all of my issues with Palin with rebuttals.

And that is why I started thinking: well wait a second, who DOES have the monopoly on the truth. Here, check out where I got my news/research on some Palin's dealings:

HUFFINGTON POST PALIN

Now I'm not fool. I know Huff Post is left leaning. But I still read it. Just like I read Drudge- which tends to lean to the right. And CNN that I feel is balanced mostly but leans a bit left. I stay away from FOX as I do think it's a joke.

But this got me thinking: with all of the spin doctors out there, why do ANY of us think we have the right to say we KNOW what the truth is. It seems like for every fact, there is someone out there who would benefit from that fact being incorrect that is allowed to tell you- under the guise of authority- that their counter fact is the true statement.

I mean, somebody wrote in telling me how wrong I was about the GORE/BUSH electoral recount but you know, I've seen a number of reports that say Bush and his team were the ones trying to manipulate the system so they came out the winners. And I've seen reports that say the press did recounts and by those recounts- that if the court would have allowed them to occur- Gore would have won.

So newsflash anon: I'm not walking away from the debate because I feel I lost.

I'm walking away from it because:
a- I've changed my mind a bit about MY news sources. I mean, they are preaching to my liberal mindset and so I think it's smart for me to always be wary about that, even tho I get all warm and fuzzy reading what I want to hear because it's what I already believe so it feels nice to have something line up- true or not- with the beliefs I already have. And it's my responsibility to be smart and not get suckered into that and call that the truth, just because it makes me feel better. But doesn't the same go for the right wingers? Unless some of you get your news sources from some ultra pure place that is not corrupt and influenced by business and spin doctors, what makes you think your info is more reliable? And so I just kind of say: well, I'm not going to read 20 news stories on the same issue and then filter out the 'truth'. I just don't have that much time or that much interest. And I guess that makes me feel it's kind of a stalemate and it makes me feel that we all do miss out as citizens because we are just pawns being pushed around the board by the powers that be. And if you think that is me walking away because I lost a debate, you are wrong. It's me walking away because I don't have the tools to debate anymore since I don't know where to go to get the truth.

b- Some issues- as one of you said- are moral issues where facts are irrelevant. I guess those are the only things you can vote on and know for sure. And in that case, I am pro-second amendment assuming MANY restrictions are put on that amendment (i.e. why the FUCK it's legal to buy assault rifles, I have no clue) and McCain is not....I am pro-choice and McCain is not...and the idea of teaching anything other than science in the science classroom makes me ill...and it makes McCain and Palin happy. So for me, those are the only issues I can really know about so that is why McCain does not have my vote.

Ok, well I'm off to try to get Darth Vader thru hard mode of Soul Caliber before I hit the hay and get up early to drive to Wally World. Chat you all a bit later in the week- and thanks again for the cool discussion!

David

++++END FINAL UPDATE:


****UPDATE:

Looking at some of the comments on this post, I want to clear a few things up here, in the post itself, so it doesn't get lost:

a- if you come here looking for JUST game news- and not news about my passions (movies, comics, AND politics) or my family/personal life- you've come to the wrong blog. I like writing and reading blogs from folks who make stuff I dig that are more personal and give me not just insight but even- to an extent- a real connection with the person whose blog I am visiting. This is not a PR site. It's my personal blog. When we launch the EAT SLEEP PLAY blog soon, you can expect a more professional, game only writing style from me on that blog. But here, it's just me, the real me without the need for a professional front. If that's not working for you, I understand and respect that totally. But it's not going to change. And it's about to get worse so if you don't like this sort of stuff, come back in a few days and I'll have some gamey stuff up, I promise! :)

b- this election is more heated than most and especially amongst a lot of Democrats and liberals like myself (I am a liberal, but an independent). You folks have to understand that alot of us were told to 'get over it' when Gore 'lost' the election in 2000. it's not so much that he lost. It's that a lot of us feel the vote counting should have continued to allow at least the illusion of democracy to continue. The fact that it did not- and that who we got as president because of the Supreme Court's decision- still stings and will for a long time. It's the political equivalent of telling the country to get over Pearl Harbor or even 9/11. A massive injustice, a massive attack was perpetrated on our very democracy when the Supreme Court put an end to the recount and it will take a long time to heal. The fact that the last 8 years had George Bush and company rubbing more salt in the wound by pretty much pissing all over our constitution doesn't help the pain go away faster. The fact that us folks who yelled about it then and yell about it now are/were told to shut up and just deal with it created alot of anger and desire to put an end to the current administration's way of doing things. For a long time, McCain seemed like a man who didn't drink from the same well as the current administration. That in the last few years- since he's wanted to be president again- has changed. And so many of us see McCain as another 4 years of Bush. And that's something that is not going to go down easily.

c- After 9/11 when folks were united over going after Bin Laden and the Taliban and then Bush pulled Iraq out of his ass and those of us who called him on it were told we were unpatriotic and should leave the country, well that sucked. And now- after many of us who opposed the war have been proven right (i.e. 9/11 and Iraq had nothing to do with each other, we've been stuck in Iraq way longer than plan/promised, there seems to be no exit strategy, this war is creating more terrorists not protecting us), we're now told, 'Well, get over it, we're there now, gotta finish the job'. No one seems to be holding Bush and company accountable and us in the opposition party are once again being told to just roll over and take it. And that's something that is not going down all that easily.

d- Bush should be impeached and you can't even bring that up, even tho he prob. deserves it more than any other president in our history. So when you've got McCain hugging and kissing the guy and voting with him the majority of the time, it makes you question if you really want that guy in the office for the next four years.

So there is much anger among left thinkers in this country. And you know what alot of us see in Obama? We see a guy who- experienced in key realms or no- is actually punching back and saying, "No more'. And we like that. We deserve that. And we want to see him elected in many ways BECAUSE of that.

And ALL THAT SAID, I still respect the Republicans and right wing,conservative thinking. They have some darn good points and I am glad we can all debate them and discuss them.

But for you guys who come here for just game news, I love politics man. It's important stuff AND entertaining stuff and it's not gonna go away from this blog. It's not a political blog, but it IS part of my life. So I hope even if it's not your cup of tea, you stick around for the kinds of posts I put up that you DO like.

Thanks for reading and visiting the blog- gotta go take my kid to school! L8!

David

++++END UPDATE


Couldn't have said it better myself :)

Go Diddy!

SWEET TOOTH COSPLAY!

Hey- check it!




Seen a semi-decent number of Kratos coplayers over the last few years, which is always exciting. Heck, I heard there were a few at this year's comic con but I missed them :(

But this is the first time I've ever seen TM cosplay! How cool! Love these!

I'm totally in a Sweet Tooth state of mind these days, so it make this even more exciting!

Ok, outta here- taking the kids to see FLY ME TO THE MOON, that 3d kids cartoon!

Later!

David

Intention of Games + Vice President MILF + White Board Insanity!

10 DOLLARS?!? I CAN GET BLOWN FOR 10 DOLLARS!

Shit- where is that quote from?!? Eddie Murphy, I think...but what movie?!?

Anyway:

Sorry for the lack of posts this week- things have been very, very hectic. Tons of design needs + lots going on at home (trip to LA, my oldest going to Kindergarden for the first time and trying to come up with a good, functional schedule with that in mind, reading legal documents that put me to sleep, trying to get a level of the ultra fantastic Bangai*O spirits made for the contest but missed the deadline,etc,etc,etc...)...So I've been bizzy. Will try to get a video update today or tomorrow.

Meantime, saw on Neo-Gaf that Snowblind Studios was making this XBLA game called DEATH TANK and went to the SBS webpage to see if there were screens. There were not but there was this:



Not sure what it's from- concept art from a new game? From an old game? I dunno.

I have appreciated alot/all of the Snowblind games in the past, respected the top down 'Gauntlet meets D&D rule set' titles they did (I get the whole SOE/Snowblind Norrath/Chapions thing all confused...are they the same?!?)...and wait, didn't they do the Balduer's Gate action game too?!?! So confused.

Either way, I appreciated them, but never got into them all that much. Perhaps I should give them a second chance, but I got bored real fast walking into Inns and being told to go kill some rats in a basement. I get that that is the genre and D&D folks are used to starting slow and building up, but for me, that is just too dull.

But again, I thought they seemed like very, very well made games and I know they have their legion of fans.

But so I saw this image and, like I said, I don't know if it's from a new or old game. But MAN I see this and go: I SO WANNA PLAY THAT GAME!!! I so wanna play a D&D flavored multiplayer game with 4-8 people in my party and be sent on intricately designed quests that call for platforming, puzzle solving, and combat.

Not a big WOW guy cause- hell, I dunno why...but I'm not so much about the level grind. The whole fascination with/addiction of leveling up a character is missing from my DNA. Never got swept up in Diablo fever or WOW fever for that very reason. And it seems so many RPGs are about that kind of stuff. But I want an RPG that puts most of the focus on living the fantasy promised in the amazing concept art: the traps and puzzles and monsters and amazing locations to explore. To me, that = RPG...not spending 10 hours trying to find the purple cloak of doom to show off to my friends. I mean, that has its place, but it's not the stuff that gets me jazzed about D&D style worlds.

Anyway, so there is one more useless tidbit you get to know about me. :)

Oh, and I played THE LAST GUY demo last nite- that's pretty darn cool. Not sure if the full game will keep me interested that long but I do like it. I'll wait for more reviews (I saw the 9.0 IGN one!) and see if it's my cup of tea. It's actually kind of useful being an independent developer making a lot less money now than I did at Sony. I ain't eating mac and cheese and ramen every nite (not that I would mind, I LOVE those things!) BUT money is MUCH tighter now that I ain't a Sony man anymore. No complaints, and it's actually kind of cool because suddenly I look at 10 bucks for a game in a new light. To me it used to be: ah,10 bucks, whatever...10 bucks for 45 min of fun=good deal.

But now? I mean, yeah, I got SOME cash to burn, and it's not like us Eat Sleep Play folks are little Dicken's characters pressed up against the window of the inn and begging for scraps. But these days I am more aware of what I spend and 10 bucks for that game- at the moment- seems kind of high. Not that I don't like the demo- thought it was great! But seems like it'll get kind of samey after about 20 minutes. Am I wrong?

But isn't that amazing? Back when we put out Calling All Cars I had a totally different take on it. So I am very appreciative of this new perspective. Maybe it will make me a better designer!

Ok, so I really gotta get back to level design. So lemme update a bit later today or tomorrow, catch up with ya'll, cool?

Hope all is well with everyone!

David

MEESA GANNA DESIGN A SHOOTER?!?

+++++++++++
UPDATE: OH MY GOD! The level editor in this thing is sooooo fun!!!!
++++++++++++++++






ps. been brought to my attention this was a game on Dreamcast and, among shooter fans and Treasure lovers (dug Gunstar, but have not really played a Treasure game in a while) this game is kind of creme of the crop. So wow- no pressure or anything!!! :)

XRAY? XMAS? XECELLENT!!!

++++++++++
UPDATE: WOOO-HOOOO! Ratchet on PSN is out tonite!!!! Sweet!!! I'm gonna try to finish the whole dang thing in one sitting! :)
+++++++++++++++++++


Dude...that title is sooo stupid.... :)

What else can I say? Perfection...

++++++++++
UPDATE: While I'm in the mood to post political pics that I had nothing to do with- but think are great, here's another one I came across at the great left leaning website, Huffington Post:



It's Obama's short list for his VP pick.

Man, I hope he picks Hillary. I don't like her public persona but I think she'd make a great VP and eventually a great pres. If they can swallow their pride, I bet they'd make a great team and MAN, I bet they would clean up in November...I would be happier with Wes Clark but dunno if he is as strong from a pure 'get out the Democratic vote' standpoint. I like Biden as well, but feel he has the same lack of 'kick' that Clark does. Sad that that is what it comes down to but, it kinda does in this day and age. It's what happens when we put most of our tax dollars into stupid shit like bullshit wars and ignore public education.

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



Got this from Wil Wheaton's great blog. I mean, I don't know how I can add anything else so I'll just say: good night! :)

Flower Power!

********************
UPDATE: Seen a few posts on other sites (that have linked to this post) where people are assuming the reason Flower works on an emotional level is the graphics and the music. Let me just say- without giving anything away- that Flower's music and art- great as it is...and it IS great- is NOT the core thing I am responding to. That is why I think Flower is so special. And so rare in games.

I am not one of these guys who can be so easily manipulated...there are classic games- some of my faves of all times- that people call 'art' just because you hear the wind blowing and the colors are kind of washed out/blown out and there's not alot of killing going on and it's all kind of echoy and stuff....love the game I am thinking of, btw (in my top 5 of all time) but it does not- in my book- get to be called art just cause it has this layer of 'arty farty' over the gameplay...and hell, I think flOw got some of it's love because of this same sort of 'arty farty' presentation....just like GOD OF WAR got some of it's love because of its brutal presentation....and that was- design wise for GOW- intentional....so I get the technique, I understand it and like using it. It's a short cut technique to making the player feel, and it works by taking techniques that the player has already been trained to respond to- usually by the movies-and simply applying them to games. But let's be honest about it: it's cheating. In these cases, the games never really earn the emotion they ellicit (and you'd think critics would call us on it, but they don't. I mean, man,Twisted Black got MUCH better reviews than the core play deserved because of the dark theme that was simply us ripping off movies like Seven....not that TMB is not a good game, I think it is a really good game, but it was NOT as good as TM2, but you would have never known it from the over blown review scores.)....either way, that technique is not why I am responding so strongly to Flower. The cheating technique is there- by the way- in Flower,in spades. TCG does it better than most companies these days. But that's not the magic in the sauce...at least not for me...

END UPDATE
*********************



Hey guys- sorry for the lack of updates last few days. Just been swamped.

A coupla quick hits:

#1- Got a great demo of That Game Company's newest game FLOWER when I was in Santa Monica last week. Holy Shit! Now I had played the first level before and really liked it. I had liked it alot more than flOw which- as I always say- I APPRECIATED but never really enjoyed as a game experience. But this new game? Shit, man. It's on the road to being a classic, no doubt. And I don't say that lightly cause while the core game mechanics are fun, it- in my mind- lives or dies by the emotions it creates while you play. And you guys know I'm a disappointed cynic when it comes to video games evoking subtle emotions in players. But I'll tell you what- from what I saw on Friday- these guys/gals at TGC are well on their way to having made one of the most emotional games of all time. I love what I saw. And if the whole game feels like the stuff I saw last week...well wow! Just wow! And the coolest thing to me is, hell, now I'm inspired to step up to the plate and try to do something a bit more meaningful as well. Maybe not with our current title, but one day soon. Thanks TGC!

#2- I was having a hard time coming up with some ideas today so I figured I'd take my mind off work by sticking my Mighty Muggs Indy that I got from Comic Con into my fake bamboo plant and pretending he was in the jungle.

Yep, I am a total loser :) I am not sure if this is one of the benefits or one of the pitfalls of working at home, alone, where there is no one around to judge you :) Except little kids...who happen to think stuff like this is cool. Still, 5 minutes after I did it, I took Indy out of the plant and put him back on the shelf. I just felt too lame.

#3- Saw Tropic Thunder- a few great lines, Cruise rocked, Downey rocked. Rest of the movie=rental, and better still: cable flick.

#4- Not plaid Braid yet. Probably will, people seem to like it alot. Anyone on here played yet?

Ok, gonna try to get a little more work done. Talk later!

David

CHECK IT OUT! I'M PATHETIC!

Hey, you wanna know what's lame? This movie:


Wanna know what's even lamer?

The fact that I am CRAZY EXCITED TO BUY IT when it comes out on the just announced date of OCT 14th!!!

Lord help me!

David

ps. yes, yes...I know there are a few really great moments in the thing but overall, as I've said many times, it is pretty shit. But I so don't care! God, I'm such an Indy freak.

MY NAME IN LIGHTS!!!

There is an interesting and- for me- thought provoking write up over at the MTV Multiplayer Blog today about should game devs get names on boxes.

Check out Mr. Totilo's latest right here! Then come on back to read the rest of my take on the whole thing...

Back when we did Twisted Metal 1, the first printing of that game had my name on the box, on the back under a small little designed by credit. I think it said- DESIGNED BY: DAVID JAFFE & SINGLETRAC...here, check it out:


Sorry it's a bit blurry...

My desire for this came directly from seeing Sierra Online do something similar with their PC adventure games. Heck, those folks got names AND their pictures on the box!!! My desire also came form the fact that I wanted to make a name for myself as a game designer and hell, at the time, Sony didn't even think about it and just said:sure. But then they changed their minds! Some of it was the complaints from the rest of the team...some of it- I assume- came from them going: 'wait, why are we helping this guy become his own brand?!? A brand that we financed but don't own? Hell no!!!'

...well that is what I assumed happened in SOMEONE'S mind. Or not...maybe it was just the team complaining :)

But in the case of Twisted, the team- rightly so- did indeed scoff and so upon second printings, my name was removed.

Now I am not saying my name should NOT have been on the box. It should have. But so should perhaps 5 other folks from Singletrac who did key design and/or creation work and really birthed that franchise. And that is not to take away from all the work the rest of the team did or all the work the publisher did. And hell, if we were a logical business and shared a handful of game engines across all games versus all of this 'let's make our own fucking engine so our graphics can be 2% better than our competition even tho most of the public could really give a rat's ass when you are talking about that level of a difference', then a few of those 5 would not be on the box either because they would be being given credit for having written an amazing engine that LOTS of games used, not just TWISTED METAL (and WARHAWK)....are we getting there with stuff like the success of UNREAL ENGINE? And with the success of Wii where it's been made clear that a vast number of gamers do not think graphics have to make your eyes bleed for a game to be worth buying? We'll see...

So two more things on the NAME ABOVE THE TITLES issue:

#1- The idea of ASKING a publisher what they think about this issue and expecting an answer that is actually balanced is absurd. Trust me, if movie studios didn't HAVE to give credit, they would not. Why would they- or why would game publishers? It's bad business. The pubs and studios put up the cash- usually- and they take the biggest risk. Why would they EVER want the success of a movie or game associated with anyone other than them? I get that. But in movies, they do it cause it's contractual and they do it because they are forced to do it or those above the line talents will go work somewhere else. And in DOING so, the above the line names become valuable brands which do benefit the studios on a movie by movie basis, but benefit the individual actors/directors for the duration of their career- no matter what studio they choose to work with.

In games, it's not the case because so far, game developers (either as teams or as individual 'stars' on a team), have yet to prove that they can bring in cash on a consistent basis. What brings in real cash in games are brand names of franchises: GTA, HALO, CALL OF DUTY. Yes, those names become brands because talented teams make amazing products BUT all one needs to do is look at the mega success of Twisted Metal 3 and Twisted Metal 4 (games that many folks did not think were as good as the originals) to see that the majority of the buying public is as fine with a 70% metacritic rated game as they are with a 95% metacritic rated title. As long as they get the core fantasy delivered and it's marketed well, they'll show up.

And so until developers- be them individual stars or the core members on the team- can really prove- on a consistent basis- that they can make hit after hit after hit IN DIFFERENT FRANCHISES (without NEEDING to attach an expensive comic or movie license to their games in order to do so), game makers have little room to negotiate. Even the guys who make CALL OF DUTY, HALO, and GTA are not in a perfect position, as amazingly genius as they are. Because All of those games- even if given to C+ level developers- can still make crazy cash for at least 2-4 more iterations before the public catches on and stops buying the series. I am almost certain that if those developers walked away because their money demands were not met, the folks who own the rights to those series would keep pumping them out- regardless of quality- and keep raking in the cash.

Maybe the problem is game makers have been assuming quality=value. But it does not. Hell, GOD OF WAR- which many folks felt was a quality game- got it's ASS KICKED ALL OVER THE PLACE in sales by the FANTASTIC FOUR movie video game (which many folks felt was not a very high quality product...and I know some of the folks who made it and they worked their asses off, but look, let's call it like it is...it was not a great game by many people's standards). But I'll tell you what, it sold like crazy cakes dude.

So the reality is, sales=value; ability to create sales=ability to negotiate. So if a developer out there is able to create consistent hit franchises, then you will see the name(s) of those folks above the titles because then they will have the leverage to demand such treatment.

Reality is, I can't think of anyone in the biz who has done that other than perhaps Miyamoto (if you look at ALL the stuff he's made). And for whatever reason, he seems content to stay at the big N and not demand his due. And you guys who like to go all hater on me and call me arrogant can talk all you want about company loyalty and that Miyamoto is a class act who would never demand such things. What-the-fuck-ever, dude. He may very well be a saint. Good on him. I got nothing but love for Miyamoto. But business is business and if you are a key player in making someone a shit ton of money over and over and over, in my book, you damn well better be getting your due (be it mega bucks or name above the title or whatever the hell you want). And Miyamoto may very well feel that he is very well compensated. I am aware there is a vast cultural difference between East and West on this subject. I have no way of knowing the details of his situation. All I am saying is, he's the only one I can think of who has been key in making mega hits in various franchises. Can you think of anyone else?

#2- Alot of the net posters commenting on this story are assuming game devs who want this treatment are ego maniacs. They then go on to say that movie stars and movie directors are ok to ask for it because that's just how it is, but game makers are assholes if they as for such treatment. To these folks I say: go fuck yourself. The movie folks negotiated for those credits and fought tooth and nail for them. They were not just given them by the movie gods or the kind folks who run the movie studios or the movie going public. So don't accuse us of being arrogant just because some of us would like to be treated with as much re$pect (be it money or credit, and preferably both) as we can get away with. Plus, granted Miyamoto and Wright are not as big of names as Spielberg. BUT THAT IS BECAUSE MIYAMOTO AND WRIGHT DON'T HAVE NAMES ABOVE PRODUCTS and they don't have ability to negotiate for the sort of press treatment and PR perks that movie folks get (which, in turn, turns them into brand names). The only way they will become mainstream is if they MAKE THEMSELVES mainstream. It is not magic, it's a calculated process. But that ain't really gonna happen unless there is a big shift in the way games are financed. I just saw some of the ex Midway guys are starting a console game co. with VC money...so maybe when the money comes from VC versus publishers, the VC will be more willing to let the game makers have their very valuable time in the sun.


Ok, gotta get back to work- talk to ya'll soon- David

There Goes My Life...

As most parents with small kids do, I am always ‘almost tripping’ over all sorts of toys that have been scattered about the house. Stuffed animal on the stairs, Littlest Pet Shop figures on the bathroom floor, stray Baby Einstein DVDS- their cases having gone missing months ago- strewn all over the living room, waiting for me to crack them in half with one poorly placed step.

This morning I almost tripped and fell on the way into the bathroom. My kneejerk was to scream out, “MOTHERFUCKER!!!!”…then I thought better of it (much as I am cool with cussing, I try not to do it in front of the girls) and so instead I decided to yell, “AAALLLLVIN!!!!” But that was only because we had just seen the movie version of Alvin and the Chipmunks a few weeks ago. The girls would have thought I was just goofing on the movie so I decided not to, as I didn’t want them to think leaving their stuff all around was ok.

But amid the annoyance and anger, it occurred to me how amazingly lucky I am. How amazingly lucky to even be in a situation where I could have almost tripped over some toys that would not even be in my house had I not had kids.

I have kids.

And I’m one of those people who WANTED to have kids. And- by the grace of whatever it is that you think is out there- I actually got them. And it really is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

And so tripping over toys, or waking up at 3am to take care of my youngest who has the croup (which I did last nite), or taking my oldest to the circus when I’m really not in the mood to go (which I did today) are all things that- when I stop to think- are things that I am so grateful I get to experience. These experiences, these memories are some of the greatest treasures of my life and to be aware that these things are indeed treasures WHILE I are in the midst of raising my kids- versus years later when, in some ways, it's sort of too late- well, for that, I am blessed and I am grateful.

I was taking the trash out the other day and both my girls were ‘helping’ me wheel the cans to the curb. I ran into a neighbor who was packing up his car and he looked a little shell shocked. I don’t know him all that well, but he’s always friendly. I waved, he waved. Then he pointed at my girls and said something to the effect of, “Enjoy it man, goes by so fast…”

And he would know.

Because on that very morning he was in the process of loading up his car with luggage for his 18 year old daughter (he has two girls as well) who would be- a little later that day- heading off to her first year of college.

And I was so grateful for that moment, because it was like God/The Universe/The Angels/a Random Firing In My Brain That Has No Spiritual Aspect To It At All was tapping me on the shoulder and reminding me that I have been given a gift. And even though it’s so incredibly easy to forget- when all the day to day chores of being a parent are crashing down around you- the reality is: it is a gift.

Those gifts are- finally!-sleeping in the room next to me as I type this. And I am grateful for the silence in the house.

But a small part of me is hoping they will wake me up again at 3am just so I can hang out with my girls a little bit more :)

Chat later!

David

DARK DAZE

1997-1998 were some of the worst years of my life.

I weighed 220lbs and lived in a place I really didn't care for (Foster City, California).

Here's a horrific video of what I looked like back in the day:



Pretty bad/sad, ya know?

Alot of what was making me so unhappy was the stress of my job. I had just come off the massive high of Twisted Metal 2 and had no freaking clue how I would ever follow it up. Granted, it wasn't just me who made that game. There was a whole team of mega talented folks who made the game, not to mention we had a huge help from Lady Luck cause, to this day, none of us really know WHY that game turned out so well. It just kinda...did.

But at 26 years old, I had an over inflated sense of my importance. Not to belittle my contributions, cause they were significant. But it was not all me. Not by a looong shot.

But I put the pressure on myself to follow it up with another big hit. Which was made triply tough given the fact that I was producing AND directing/designing the new title. What a mistake that turned out to be! Producing always took a back seat to design...and since I made the final calls on the team, I over designed the game when I should have been building the team and making sure the team was happy and functional. Instead of searching for balance, I went in search of the perfect game design doc and thought, once we had that, all would be well.....HA!

Before production even began, we went thru three full design documents, each one consisting of well over 150 pages and at least $100,000 of concept art!

Stunning...just stunning.

Over the next few days, I will update this entry to share some of the amazing concept art from the game we were working on during this time. It was called DARK GUNS and was to be a top down Raiden like shooter that had tons of personality, felt like Mad Magazine meets R Crumb, and was going to capture the growing casual market on the PS1 (Frogger had just shipped and done over a million units...I assumed its success meant a new audience was buying PS software that wanted simple games...I failed to take into account the value of nostalgia and a world famous brand!)....

Will also try to conclude with a gameplay video if I can get the game running and capture good enough footage right off my tv (no way to import it here at home)...

Which makes me wish PSN would do a feature on Qore soon dealing with cancelled first party Sony games. Would be so cool to let the public see a bunch of the stuff- some of it pretty far along- that never made it out the door.

Ok, well it's late...lemme just start with a cover...will put up more over the weekend:

OUR NEW GAME...well, sort of :)

I present to you: OUR NEW GAME!!!

Well, sort of.

This is just my screen showing my doodles for level design of our newest level. I have not even sent these off to Utah yet, so who knows if they will make it into the game or not.

But I figured I'd share a bit of what's up with the work on my end. Out in Utah I know the team is scrambling to get a nice, sexy build of the game going for a Sony Dog and Pony next week. While I am sure I would drive some of them crazy if I was out there everyday- and the very successful, very functional alliance we've forged over the last 12 years would prob. not work with daily,real life connection- it's times like these I WISH I was out there, so I could help with the crunch.

Ah well, I can always hop a flight :)

David

ps. I am going to upgrade the ram on my mac- my core computer- from 512MB to 2gigs today!!! I AM SO FUCKING EXCITED!!! I love my mac and it's been soooooo slow and soooo sluggish the last 6-8 months...will be so great to get it all speedy and functioning at 100% again!

Step inside my brain, won't you?

UPDATE:

Check it out!



Ain't that great?!?! Thanks to blog reader sadeq for the heads up!

Thanks Sadeq! I had not seen that yet...which I guess answers the question regarding if I have been asked to design a GOW level for LittleBigPlanet. I've heard/seen a few game biz sites speculate that I have and I can officially say: ain't nobody asked me for nothin' in regards to that. Maybe they are having Cory do one? Or the GOW 3 team? I really have not heard a thing but I think it's a cool idea!

END UPDATE

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

Just had this IM conversation with my brother...figured I'd post cause...hell, who knows why...I find stuff like this cool, I guess :)

+++++

David Jaffe
wouldn't it be so creepy and cool if your iphone rang and you looked at it and the
number calling was: (xxx) 967-xxxx? (note: the phone number of our house from when we were kids)
AND
you answered it and on the other end you heard what sounded like
two little kids doing a prank call that sounded a bit like us as kids...
and heard a tv commercial for BARGAIN TOWN USA in the background? (Note: Bargain Town was a store in Alabama with a really catchy jingle that we still remember)....
Creepy!!!!
That JUST happened to me!!!!

9:08 PM
Philip Jaffe
no fucking way

10:20 PM
Philip Jaffe
Were you dreaming?
That's a Twilight Zone episode!

10:30 PM
David Jaffe
is it really?
a TZ episode?

Philip Jaffe
sounds like one
i dunno

David Jaffe
very cool

Philip Jaffe
did that Happen?

David Jaffe
please- hells no. Can you imagine if it did tho?!?!?!
how cool!

Philip Jaffe
why did you say it happened?

David Jaffe
I was joking.

Philip Jaffe
ahh

David Jaffe
and I thought you were respond rite away but you were not there.

Philip Jaffe
what would you do if that happened/?

David Jaffe
call the number back.
and the cool part would be
I would try to explain to them who I was and as I did, the world around me would begin to change and I
and my house would transform into a loony bin because I had made myself in the past
crazy by giving them that knowledge and thus change the present.
Ok...can I post this conversation on my blog?

Philip Jaffe
I guess, but is it interesting?

David Jaffe
to me!

Philip Jaffe
I mean it's a neat idea, but this conversation?

David Jaffe
yep...good blog fodder!

Philip Jaffe
ok then

David Jaffe
thx! Then I am going to bed- so tired....

++++++++++

Ok...there ya go...these are the things I am thinking about as of late. I think it'd be amazing!

Ok, really am going to bed- later ya'll!

David

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EAT SLEEP PLAY!

++++UPDATE:

Well I am already crazy sore (tomorrow is going to be hell!) and I'm covered in dust from 2-3 really lame, stupid looking slides into third base. In my head, I was a freaking softball superstar...but Mike B (super supreme coder and all around genius at getting console games blazing fast on the net) caught the whole game on video tape... so I'm sure next week- when I see the replays-I'll realize how dorky I really looked. Either way, it was a blast! Now I am tired, super sore, bruised, dirty as hell, and ready to just get my ass back home. I am stunned they didn't stop me at security when they saw me limping- YES LIMPING!!!- up to the gate and covered in dirt :)

Check out some pics from the game:


Here we are, about to start the game...man, I haven't played base/soft ball in AGES...like over 20 years! But hey, I can still hit that ball and it still feels great to connect with it in JUST the right way....no home runs for me, but it still felt great! Thanks Angelic- production manager (I think that's her title)- for setting the whole thing up :)


New Idea: FIRST PERSON BASEBALL! Has that been done before?!?! If not, I got dibs!!!

And just for fun, here's a pic of the toys I picked up for my girls at the airport gift shop. I sometimes bring stuff home for them..but not always. I like to keep them on their toes and not spoil them. But I'm dying to see them and make pancakes with them in the morning...and I just figured, what the hell! Check it out:


Cute, eh?

Oh man! TV IS SO DATED!!!! They got Wolf Blitzer playing on the airport tv doing his 'situation room' thang and trying to punch the news and make everything feel all important and exciting...but I'm like: dude, I read that news on the net like 2 hours ago. He's all like: STAY TUNED AND FIND OUT WHAT THE HECKLERS SAID TO OBAMA TODAY!!!!....and I'm like: yeah, already knew about that before we started the softball game. Man...amazing how far we've come! :) So cool!

Ok...chat later- great weekend ya'll!!!!

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



Has it been a year already?!? Actually, a little over a year!!?!? AMAZING! Seemed like just yesterday we were trying to figure out if we even wanted to leave the safe haven of Sony and venture out on our own...so glad we did!

After one year, we're still in business, we've been successful enough to pay out some bonuses to the amazing team, and we're ramping up for our best T...err, never mind! Can't talk about that...not quite yet :)

The gist is: we're just getting started!

Out in Utah rite now to celebrate! Gonna head out soon for softball and food with the team! Will take pics and update over the weekend!

Talk soon!

David

ps. yes, I've read the Mummy reviews. And YES, I'm gonna see it anyway! Let ya'll know what I think...if you guys see it, please comment and give us the high level 'good or bad'...with no spoilers please :)