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EA says something Brutal about Activision
Just when we thought things had finally settled down for Brütal Legend developer Double Fine and all the company's publisher worries were over, Activision has up and started some mess with the developer's new publisher, Electronic Arts. Variety's Cut Scene blog has word from "two sources familiar with ActiBlizzard's [Activision Blizzard's] position" that a letter was sent to EA from Activision stating their belief that a deal between Activision and Double Fine was "still in negotiations", thus rendering any deal made between EA and Double Fine null and void. EA has responded to the letter with guns fully drawn, saying, "We doubt that Activision would try to sue. That would be like a husband abandoning his family and then suing after his wife meets a better looking guy." We've got two words for you EA: Oh (and) Snap!Savvy Joystiq readers may remember that this isn't the first time Activision has made efforts to block progress on Brütal Legend's inevitable release. Back in October, an unnamed source at Double Fine was quoted as saying Activision was "blocking the process" (of being added to EA's publishing roster), just months after being dropped by the publisher. Though it's the weekend and we likely won't hear anything until Tuesday (what with President's Day and all), we've put in word to EA and Activision for comment and will update accordingly as news comes in.
Psychonauts soundtracks now available online
Those catchy tunes we remember from Psychonauts are now available online as Double Fine has released the soundtrack and cinematic score to Tim Schafer's mental adventure over most major online outlets, including iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, eMusic and Amazon.Oh sure, we already own the Peter McConnell-composed music on CD, but as the studio's blog puts it, eCopies free us from such dangers as "deadly plastic discs" and "eye-burning lasers." Well, when you put it that way, here take our digital money. Just please don't melt our brains.
Revel in OXM's Brutal Legend cover story
How's this for objectivity? We love every scrap of Brütal Legend we've ever seen and when it comes out it's going to be so good and we're going to love it so much that we can't think about it too long or our hearts start to hurt a little. Keeping all that in mind, it should come as no surprise that we didn't just read the OXM cover story on the game that's finally online. We bathed in it, letting its digital ink and virtual pages seep into our every eye pore. Could you have read most (or all of this) in the magazine? Sure. But not everyone's a subscriber and besides, it's been more than a month since we've had to go searching for our umlaut key, so there.And hey, imagine your delight at discovering even small details like the name for Eddie's massive, literal axe (The Separator) and his metaphorical axe (Clementine). Will those of you who haven't read the print version of this story find even more delectable details? Read on, friends, and find out!%Gallery-41208%
Game Developers Choice Awards finalists announced
The finalists for this year's Game Developers Choice Awards have been announced, with Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet adoring judges with nine nominations, including one for Game of the Year. Other titles up for the prestigious award include Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead, Grand Theft Auto IV and, of course, Fable 2. The Joystiq darling is also a shoe-in for snub of the year with Lionhead's opus going overlooked entirely in the Best Writing category. Seriously, what's the deal?Braid, Far Cry 2, Spore, World of Goo, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Gears of War 2 are all up for multiple awards, with winners set to take the stage during next month's gala event as part of the 2009 Game Developers Conference. The show will be hosted by Grim Fandango and Brütal Legend's Tim Schafer, promising a tongue-in-cheek good time even if our personal faves leave empty handed.
Classic LucasArts artwork turned into movie posters
All too often when mixing genres, the results – like that Mountain Dew left over from last night – fall flat. However, one enterprising forum-goer has has defied convention (and warmed our hearts), successfully marrying classic LucasArts adventure games with our wall's longstanding desire to be covered in nostalgia. The results consist of several beautiful posters, most based on original artwork lifted from an era when LucasArts wasn't afraid to point and click, including Tim Schafer and Dave Grossman masterpieces, The Secret of Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle. Designed to be printed and hung, we can't think of a better way to hide that unsightly crack above your bed.
Tim Schafer to honor Tommy Tallarico, Harmonix at GDCAs
Add this to the list of must-sees at this year's Game Developers Conference: The Game Developers Choice Awards (held during the conference) will be honoring Harmonix co-founders Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy with the Pioneer Award, and handing the Ambassador Award to The Pied Piper of Points, Tommy Tallarico. Oh, and the whole thing is presided over by Timothy F.* Schafer. Right, so, just to recap: Tim Schafer sharing a stage with the guys who made up the most rock 'n' roll game of all time and Steven Tyler's cousin? Note to everyone in attendance: Bring a backup, non-melted face.*That's "Freaking".
Psychonauts encyclopedia wants your brain
Double Fine has (thankfully) not forgotten its beloved platformer, Psychonauts -- and neither has its legion of fans. The developer recently launched a wiki-style "Psycho-pedia" to flesh out the game's 'verse, offering up articles on all of its important people, places, and things. Oh, so many things.What's more, Tim Schafer and crew have opened the tome of knowledge to ... your knowledge. By creating an account at the site, you can update the articles with info that (gasp!) even the developer might have overlooked. Double Fine is also soliciting fan art, fan music, cosplay photos, and "any other art you may have created while under the influence of Psychonauts." We can see this getting fittingly weird.
EA is the Brtal Legend publisher
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Report_Brutal_Legend_to_be_picked_up_by_EA'; We don't know exactly but there are really strong indications that EA will come to Brütal Legend's rescue. Most notably, www.brutallegend.com points to a non-existent EA domain, as noted by fan-site Brutal!. And if you tweak the address and plug in brutallegend.ea.com, you'll spot the above image. Seriously, try it for yourself, it'll do your spirit good after all the waiting.We're likely to hear something more official later today as Double Fine mastermind (and perennial Joystiq crush) Tim Schafer wrote on the company's blog that "Santa may be putting some sort of publisher news in our stocking during the night." For those about to rock ... well, you know.[Update: We just got the confirmation in our mailbox. The game is coming in fall of 2009 to 360 and PS3.]
How to design a classic adventure game
Tim Schafer is a man who needs no introduction.So, anyway, in celebration of adventure classic Grim Fandango's tenth birthday, he's magnanimously released the game's puzzle design document to the teeming TL;DR masses online. Not only is it a fascinating and often amusing read (be wary of nonlinearity's "repulsive, yet fascinating head"), but it's full of valuable guidance for those fledgling adventure designers still struggling to solve the classic "talking walrus in a trench coat" dilemma. We struggled with that one for weeks.And in case you're one of the sad types currently shrugging their shoulders and asking, "Grim Fanwhatnow?," know that it's one awesome div.schafer { margin-top: -78px; } adventure pie rhinoceros the meaning of life neo-classical breakfast cereal did I turn the stove off this morning blathering typhoon wrench flinging submarine spectacular.neato. pirate pastiche omnivore non-stick pan umbrella deleterious consternation savage clown groin kicking bats-in-your-brother's-belfry sugar mama extra special super
Born for Wii: Grim Fandango
If spending your existence selling travel packages to the dregs of society sounds like a peculiar form of Hell, that's because it is -- quite literally. For Manny Calavera, life-after-death in the Land of the Dead is little more than a series of disappointing clients and missed opportunities. But things are astir at the Department of Death. Strange things. On the Day of the Dead, Manny finds his life as an indentured travel agent in serious jeopardy -- but could hope lie in the saintly (and recently deceased) Mercedes Colomar?Released in 1998, Grim Fandango was an inspired capstone to an era of PC gaming. Though Lucasarts published Escape from Monkey Island in 2000, Grim Fandango represents the last truly great adventure game from the company. Like far too many of its point-and-click brethren, Fandango failed to sell as many copies as it deserved. Few games can match the sheer originality and style Tim Schafer crafted -- a comedy noir set in the Land of the Dead with a Mexican motif is like nothing else out there. In honor of its recent 10th anniversary and place in gaming history, Grim Fandango is this week's game that's Born for Wii. #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } NEXT >> %Gallery-35986% Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Eternal Darkness, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.
EA's Riccitiello deems Brtal Legend a 'significant creative risk'
Ever since the corporate Activision blizzard left Double Fine's Brütal Legend without a sturdy home, we've been engaged in an agonizing guessing game -- which publisher is brave enough to tackle the God of GWAR epic? If not MTV, how about the new, debatably less evil EA? "I have seen it," EA CEO John Riccitiello told Gamasutra. "I am well aware of what the game is. It's a very significant creative risk." Oh, what are you talking about, John? You know what's really popular right now? Guitar Hero. That, and outrageous ultra-violence, as seen in your company's very own Dead Space. Surely a combination of both would yield a powerful, nigh-undodgeable bullet point on the back of Brütal Legend's box? Mind you, Riccitiello isn't completely averse to "significant creative risks." He added that games described as such could "end up being some of the world's best products." Examples? "Spore was also a significant creative risk. So was The Sims. Portal, BioShock." But before you start reading between the lines, consider his next example: "But so was Grim Fandango." Ugh, we really dropped the ball on that one, world.
Brtal Legend isn't going to MTV Games
Here's a question for you. If MTV Games won't publish Brütal Legend, a video game about an axe wielding roadie who lives the legend of rock and roll and casts magic spells with a guitar, who will? When asked by The Cut Scene whether or not they the company would publish Tim Schafer's recently displaced title, MTV -- that's "Music Television" -- replied "We are big fans of Tim Schafer. We hope the game finds a good home." In other words: no.While Double Fine assures fans that Brütal Legend is "fine" despite getting the boot from Activision, we have to wonder just who will publish the thing. We hope a publisher is revealed soon, lest Brütal Legend's title becomes an ironically accurate description of the game's development.[Via Joystiq]
MTV won't pick up Brtal Legend
With its rock 'n' roll aesthetic and Jack Black-connection, currently publisher-less Brütal Legend seemed like a natural fit to be picked up by MTV Games, the way Variety saw it. But, the publisher denied the hunch saying, "We are big fans of [Double Fine chief] Tim Schafer. We hope the game finds a good home."Well, that's just great. So, who'll pick it up? We can rule out Activision and MTV ... and almost certainly Majesco. While we don't know who the most likely candidate is now, we'd like to humbly offer the services of Joystiq's publishing arm. Here's what we can promise.1. No interference from us, except when we occasionally but adamantly demand that our likenesses replace those of the lead characters.2. No knowledge of how to actually publish a game, specifically in regards to marketing, manufacturing and distribution channels.3. Lots of hugs.So, how bout it, Tim? Can we work together?
Activision Blizzard staff layoffs may nix WoW mobile
Previously we reported that a mobile version of WoW was being seriously considered at Blizzard. However, with the finalization of the Activision Blizzard merger, the odds of being able to play WoW on your iPhone just got a lot lower. The newly-merged company is laying off 53 employees in the Issaquah, Washington area by September 27, 2008. Additionally, they are evaluating whether they will keep Vivendi Games Mobile, an arm of the company which develops games for the various mobile markets, like phones. If Activision Blizzard does decide to divest themselves of VGM, you can probalby kiss your hopes for WoW mobile goodbye since the synergy and cost-effectiveness of having the mobile developers under the same roof will disappear. I'm not saying that the WoW developers aren't beyond creating their own mobile infrastructure, or even paying higher prices for it to an external company, but it will be much less likely if they don't have the luxury of teaming with folks who all report up the through same corporate food chain. Among the other companies which Activision Blizzard says are eligible for the chopping block are Sierra Online, Massive Entertainment and Swordfish Studios, with staffing "realignments" likely at Radical Entertainment and High Moon Studios -- the loss of any of which will likely have no effect on WoW development, but may affect other games. Activision has announced that a few highly-anticipated titles are on the bubble, including Ghostusters and Double Fine's Brutal Legend among others. I sure hope they don't mess with Double Fine, since I am a huge Tim Schafer fan, but the upside is that it looks like the new company will have an even stronger focus on keeping their cash cow, WoW, healthy and grazing in the pasture for a long while to come.
Double Fine: Brutal Legend is 'fine,' weevils not
In a way only they could, the mad minds at Double Fine have confirmed that Brütal Legend is not dead. (Unlike the weevils Tim Schafer found in his cereal and has been posting photos of to Double Fine Action News.)In fact, it's via Schafer's latest snapshot of dead weevil-age that the famous designer of such games as Full Throttle and Psychonauts delivered a status report on Double Fine's next creation. Mousing over the photo (under "More Information") reveals pop-up text which reads "Brütal Legend is fine." Rawk. Of course, there's still the matter of who's going to publish the game, given Activision Blizzard's apparent (and, as many agree, unfathomable) lack of interest in it.
Brtal Legend will not make E3 appearance
Due to the conference's inabilities to meet its exuberant demands (1,000 brown M&M to fill a Brandy glass), Double Fine's Brütal Legend will not be making an appearance at next week's E3 Media and Business Summit. Designer Tim Schafer and co-conspirator Jack Black made the announcement yesterday while floating across the River Styx on a yacht made entirely from the bodies of those whose heart stopped when LucasArts ceased making adventure games. The duo then proceeded to fly off on black motorcycles so fast that they broke the sound barrier and permanently deafened every person within a 20 mile radius, with engines that sounded like a Schecter guitar plugged into a wall of Marshall amps cranked to 12 (yes, one louder than 11).... Okay, so that's not really how it happened. Rather, Schafer told MTV Multiplayer via email that the game wouldn't be at E3, but he hopes to discuss it soon after, "as soon as the dust settles from this whole [Activision Blizzard] merger thing." We're not surprised, of course, given Activison won't be attending E3 at all, but it sounds like the game will be missing out on the publisher's non-E3 event set for next Tuesday.
Tim Schafer's baby and a Balance Board: a perfect Wii Fit
Normally, we take exception to the idea that Nintendo games are for babies, but when the baby in question is the newborn baby of adventure game legend Tim Schafer, we take it as a compliment. Look how well the Balance Board works as a display stand for gaming celebrity infants!But that's not all! Realizing how awesome it is to measure things other than ambulatory humans in Wii Fit, Schafer had the game calculate his young daughter's balance and Wii Fit Age. The poor kid is eight (in Wii Fit years) and underweight (in Wii Fit BMI). We wonder how a copy of Full Throttle would fare! Actually, we don't, because even a boxed copy of the game with the manual and jewel case would be much too light for Wii Fit to even register, but go with us here.%Gallery-4745%
Jack Black: Brtal Legend coming 'someday'
At the MTV Movie Awards a few weeks back, Jack Black came wearing a huge gash across his neck. But you'll want to direct your attention below the wound -- no, not to the pantaloons -- to Black's slightly more subtle statement: a "Brütal Legend" tee. We're not sure how many casual viewers have attempted to google the term, only to be stifled by the key command for an umlaut, but those of us attuned to Black's sense of style certainly appreciate the nod to Tim Schafer's seemingly in limbo project, for which Black lends his vocals. When questioned about his getup, Black responded, "I just wanted to represent. I do this video game Brütal Legend. It's coming someday."MTV Multiplayer followed up with Sierra on Black's impromptu plug, reporting that the publisher was, obviously, grateful for the nationally televised marketing. Still, Sierra declined to elaborate on Black's vague promise, saying only, "we are excited to reveal more details regarding our plans for Brütal Legend very soon."
Tim Schafer had a baby! (not literally)
We don't know what the title of Game of the Year 2031 is going to be, but we know the lead designer's name: Mary Schafer. How can we be so sure? Well, that's the name of Joystiq Favorite Living Human Tim Schafer's new daughter, born yesterday and sitting comfortably at 7lbs 10oz. So, why are we suddenly in the baby business? It's not because our icy, black hearts have softened any (they haven't). But think about how big of a deal the announcement of a sequel to any Tim Schafer game would be. Huge, right? Well, we've done one better and announced the sequel to Tim Schafer. Hope Digg is well-stocked with shovels, because we're headed to China.[Thanks, Danny]
Return to Quest Quiz: Tim Schafer
Alright, Tim Schafer, you win. After targeting various industry folks with a typically contrived adventure game puzzle and then assembling their responses in our GDC Quest Quiz feature, we simply weren't prepared for your relentless response to our silly challenge. Not only did you trick us into doing all the hard work, but you successfully navigated through our made-up-as-we-went-along chicane of bizarre logic. But don't grow complacent in your victory -- we'll get you next time.The PlayerDouble Fine's Tim Schafer, designer of Full Throttle, Grim Fandango, Psychonauts and upcoming god of gwar epic, Brütal Legend. Prior to the release of those games, he worked on The Secret of Monkey Island, Monkey Island 2 and Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle.The PuzzleYou're standing in front of a cave. The goal is to get inside the cave, taking care to foil the ferocious robot bear guarding the entrance first.The Inventory (1) perforated parasol (1) rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle (1) sealed manila envelope (1) miniature macaroni Tim Schafer statue Make your way past the break to read our adventurous e-mail exchange.
