Gee, I wonder if the crew from Portal sent him some cake? I wonder if Valve will hire him? I wonder if he likes Portal? Portal portal portal...ahh, enough!

"Funnily enough, people really don't read instructions..."

Isn't that the truth. I read them, and it's the first thing I do before playing the game for the first time. I like knowing the controls before I pick the controller up, and it's nice to know the back story as to what's going on.

Seriously... this game was funny for a few seconds, but I don't get this whole force for Internet fame. Things like this should happen naturally, yet every news site or blog I read in the week or so after the game appear was spouting hyperbole crap like 'this is the best thing you'll ever see' or 'absolutely incredible!' which it just isnt.

It's a funny joke, and thats about it. There's no need to try and make it something it isnt.

And the song? I'm sorry but to all those people comparing it to Portal - are you stupid? Or are you, too, just trying to force this into being what you wish it were? The song lyrics aren't amusing in the slightest, and the delivery is quite rotten.

@MrsXBob: way to suck the fun from the room

"(and no whining about the state of game blogs!)."

"Chris Plante has an interesting post up on kid's games - well, sort of. "

Man, Maggie Greene hates me. :(

It's cool, though. She's still tied with Leigh Alexander for favorite Kotaku writer.

That was a great little interview. Thanks Maggie!

At least you know now that you had to burn the rope. o_o

@dead_red_eyes: So do I! I think we're part of a select crowd that thinks the documentation is important :P It's one of the reasons I love Atlus -- they almost always do full color booklets, put great story stuff in, plus excellent instructions.

@MrsXBob:

The song was obviously a send-up of Portal's "Still Alive." The lyrics are intentionally stupid, as if to say, "clever wordplay in songs is too hard to understand, so we're just going to spell it all out for you."

@chrisagain:

Kidding, they're all my favorites. Like Public Enemy, each has their own role to play.

Chuck D: Crecente, the mastermind

Proffesor Griff (minus the anti-Semitism): Bashcraft, the muscle

Terminator X: Fahey, the style

Flavor Flav: Owen Goode, the comic relief

There's everything and nothing to this game at the same time. Everything, in that only one run-through made my day wonderful. Nothing, in that there's nothing to it.

@chrisagain: The 'well, sort of' was in reference to the fact that you were talking about 'kiddie games' in a really broad context (NG:DS, not exactly the first thing we think of when putting together a list of games for kids), not to the interesting bit. ;)

Just gotta get a little stick poking in when I can - it's usually open season on Kotaku & Kotaku writers on the blogosphere and it gets tiresome!

Hardcasual is one of the places I've seen appreciation for the timeless classic Escape Velocity, and so I'll forgive them this transgression. This time ;)

Nice interview for a nice game. Thanks for the info, Maggie. Appreciate it.

@Maggie Greene:

Trust me, we deserve all the jabs we get.

And you're right, as of late, Kotaku has become quite the whipping boy. Benjamin Gilbert from Quarterplay said this on blog duels, and I think it's appropriate.

"..I wish we'd, as an industry, spend less time worrying about the other guys and more time worrying about ourselves. Oh, and we should all hope for the budget that comes with working at Newsweek or MTV. That probably helps too (though not with the style, just the whole reporting power thing.)"

@Pombar:

Hardcasual totally less than threes you. <3

@Maggie Greene:
Don't worry, we deserve all the jabs we get.

And you're right. Reently, Kotaku has become the whipping boy of game journalism. Benjamin Gilbert from Quarterplay gave Hardcasual a great tip.

"I wish we'd, as an industry, spend less time worrying about the other guys and more time worrying about ourselves. Oh, and we should all hope for the budget that comes with working at Newsweek or MTV. That probably helps too (though not with the style, just the whole reporting power thing.)"

@Pombar:
We totally less than three you. <3

OH NO! ACCIDENTAL DOUBLE POST! My editing process is showing!

...how do I delete a comment?

@chrisagain: I suppose I just get a little incensed with much of the criticism lobbed since I don't fit much of it (and thus am left going 'Hey! HEY! What about ME! [Or Leigh!]'). C'est la vie. It's taken some adjusting to jump from obscurity to obscurity-while-writing-for-a-big-blog. :)

@Maggie Greene:

It's taken some adjusting to jump from obscurity to obscurity-while-writing-for-a-big-blog. :)

Comment of the weekend!

@Maggie Greene: Wait... People write bad things about Kotaku?
Who are these people, and why have they not been cleansed with fire?

@Dunny0:Because we live in world where free speech is a human right. :-D

But honestly, if is an constructive critic which those bloggers, ehm, blog, then why not? Kotaku has got some flaws. Why not pointing them out?

Hours spent on La-Mulana: 48
Hours spent on YHTBTR: .001

So forgive me if I don't see what all the fuss is about.

I have never been able to get YHTBTR to work properly. like ever. I've tried it on different computers, different browsers, different operating systems, different browser versions, and it never works properly. ever. it always ends up crashing out the browser.

I agree, why are most people saying it's the best thing they've ever played? It's fun, but not something super genius.

I've had more than a laugh with this game on forums. Make a topic labeled "The difficulty of this game astounds me."

Word your post so most people go in expecting this tough Flash-based game, and voila, instant lulz.

@DarkTetsuya: That is by far the silliest way to evaluate something.

One is a platformer, the other is a joke, a commentary.

That's like saying "Hours spent reading War and Peace: 40. Hours spent reading A Modest Proposal: .5. I don't see what all the fuss is about."

oh, come on Kotaku, SPOILER ALERT PLEASE.

I linked the game to my girlfriend and when I came home from work she asked me if the game was a joke because the boss wouldn't die no matter how many axes she threw at it...

Should I be embarrassed?

Loved the whole idea behind that game.

Also:

Congratulations.
You managed to kill that boss, you see...
The Grinning Colossus.
You're the hero we all wish we could be!

You made it through The Tunnel.
Then you grabbed that Fire on The Wall!
You jumped up above him.
Then you burned The Rope and save us all.
You burned The Rope and saved us all.
You burned The Rope and saved us...

Now you're a Hero.
You managed to beat the whole damn game.
We're happy you made it.
But how are you going to spend the rest of this day?
Maybe watch a video.
Maybe press refresh and start again.

Now you're a Hero.
You managed to beat the whole damn game.
We're happy you made it.
But how are you going to spend the rest of this day?
Maybe watch a video.
Maybe press refresh and start again.

Yes it's over now.
We didn't want to make a longer game.
This is it, I swear it's true.

Now you're a Hero.
You managed to beat the whole damn game.
We're happy you made it.
But how are you going to spend the rest of this day?
Maybe watch a video.
Maybe press refresh and start again.

@UltimatePancakeSensation: Yes.

@onidavin: I just dont get it. It's over and done with faster than it takes to load...

I guess the guys at Nigoro/GR3 just spoiled me.

@MrsXBob: I have referenced Portal when discussing this game...mostly because I first saw the game as a subtle jab at Portal.

An interesting concept, put in a short and somewhat easy game.

Add a humorous song during the credits and WHAM instant classic.

I played it on the weekend and I didn't really get it, now I see what he's trying to do. Though I wasn't sure if it was being satirical towards games or the people that whine about them. The ending credit was pretty good though, not as great as Portal but still good.