"God of War" and "Twisted Metal" creator David Jaffe didn't grow up a rap guy. But now he's listening to a lot of it, especially the more aggressive stuff of the 90s.
Why?
Consider it emotional research for Jaffe's next game at his studio Eat Sleep Play. Late last week he told me that "Come Sail Away" from Styx was his unlikely soundtrack of inspiration for "God of War." Now he's on an N.W.A and Public Enemy bender.
I joked that that must mean he was asked to help out on the new "Saint's Row."
Completely wrong, he said.
Instead, he caught me by surprise by delivering an unusual theory about how video games should relate to music (hint: he says "NBA Street" gets it very, very wrong). In the process, he talked about why "Shadow of the Colossus" didn't make him cry, what game developers could learn from Martin Scorsese, and --because it's what must happen at least once a day in any true gamer's life in 2008 -- we chatted some "Endless Ocean."
How do you give gamers the feeling of a rap song without putting a rap song in a game? Read on for one of my favorite chats with a game developer so far this year.
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What we learned in "Calling All Cars" is that right now on console we're not interested in doing what we thought we were going to be doing entirely as a company.
-- David Jaffe, San Diego, January 31, 2008
David Jaffe would keep making PS2 games if he could. He's done with $10 PS3 games. And he's got some ideas for PC. And he's not making a Nintendo or Xbox game any time soon. Those are his plans.
So if David Jaffe was on your fantasy game development team, which console would you assign him to?
He has overseen hit PlayStation 2 games, and made a return to the platform this week with his new studio Eat Sleep Play's "Twisted Metal: Head On: Extra Twisted Edition." But he's also already dabbled in small downloadable PS3 games, with "Calling All Cars," flirted with PSP development, and now that he's not a Sony employee anymore, maybe he could start making games for the Wii or Xbox 360?
Jaffe and I talked through the possibilities last week, as he confirmed that Eat Sleep Play just started development a few weeks ago with the first of three contracted PS3 titles -- coming late 2009 at the earliest -- and that he won't be making games for any other console any time soon. "We would love to be with Sony as long as they'll have us," he told me from his home in San Diego. "We have no interest in going anywhere else."
Nevertheless, Jaffe had some surprising things to say about his future on PS2, PS3 and PC, including a complete about-face on what he thought Eat Sleep Play was really going to be focusing on.
Read on and see what you think of his plans.
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(Below is the beginning of my latest GameFile column. For the full thing, check out MTVNews.com)
The last time I was a video game judge, I carried a gavel, gave it to a chimp to nibble on and wound up on national TV doing the hula atop a special exercise step machine called the Wii Balance Board.
So when I was asked to be a video game judge again, I said, "Sure." The last time I was judging games, I was doing it as a so-called Game Critic at the big E3 games show. This new opportunity would allow me to help select the best up-and-coming computer games for this year's Independent Games Festival in March. It was a good offer. The IGF contest is the top American competition for independent computer games and has honored many games I've enjoyed, including "Braid," "Narbacular Drop" and "Everyday Shooter." Plus, with no hula games apparently on the nomination list, I could play everything I was judging while sitting.
Or so I thought.
It turns out that you can't play a mash-up of "Super Mario Bros." and "Guitar Hero" without standing up.
Check out the rest of this column at MTVNews.com
Right after today publicly became Bungie Independence Day, I quickly dashed off a few questions to those "Halo"-makers.
And wouldn't you know, they answered them!
Are they working on any other systems? When will we hear about their first original projects? Will they make any more "Halo" games? And has Reggie given them a call yet?
Read on...
(Did they just give me a scoop about their first project post-independence?)
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[UPDATE -- Friday, October 5, 6:20 PM EST -- Bungie has replied to a few questions we sent them. Check our interview with Bungie about life post-Microsoft-ownership]
A week of rumors, started by a blogger Jacob Metcalf, have been proven true. Bungie Studios, creators of Microsoft's blockbuster "Halo" franchise, are going independent.
The studio had been owned by Microsoft since 2000.
According to the official statement:
Microsoft will retain an equity interest in Bungie, at the same time continuing its long-standing publishing agreement between Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie for the Microsoft-owned “Halo” intellectual property as well as other future properties developed by Bungie.
Note that Microsoft will retain all rights to "Halo," which perhaps legitimizes this blog's early handicapping of which other developers Microsoft might tap if it wants to continue to expand the franchise.
But Bungie is now free to make what it wants for whoever it wants. At this time, Bungie suggests that they may stick to some familiar things. Here's Harold Ryan, studio head of Bungie, in today's statement:
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My co-winner for most hypnotic game of E3 was Jon Mak's one-man-show, "Everyday Shooter." The game will be the first on PS3 to be created by a single developer. But that's not the best reason to pay attention to the project. The hook, I submit, is the music, the sound effects ... everything you hear from this game. It's all the product of Jon Mak strumming his guitar.
I nominated his game for a "Special Commendation for Sound" award. Read on in my GameFile column at MTVNews.com and I think you'll be able to understand why.
You might also want to check out Jon's homepage. Do note that the "ES" trailer he has there plays part of the game's soundtrack but does not demonstrate how the guitar-based sound effects actually work in the game.
Jon is wrapping the game up right now, but was able to chat with me about his goals for the project two weeks ago in Santa Monica. Look for the game on PS3's download store later this summer.
