• lucasarts

    Tim Schafer Publishes Original Grim Fandango Design Doc

    We're a decade on from the undisputed greatest year in video gaming, a year in which we saw the release of the Tim Schafer designed Grim Fandango just one of 1998's many, many highlights. Schafer, perhaps feeling the sting of nostalgia of the release of Grim Fandango, has graciously released the classic adventure game's original design document, submitted to LucasArts in 1996.

    The doc, penned by Schafer, Peter Tsacle, Eric Ingerson, Bret Mogilefsky, and Peter Chan, is available publicly as a 72-page PDF. It's full of fanboy giddiness-inducing behind-the-scenes details, character sketches, puzzle designs and stuff from the cutting room floor. More »

    7:30 PM on Wed Nov 5 2008
    By Michael McWhertor
    10,852 views, 59 comments

    Most discussed catapult37: DO WANT!! My wife and I just finished playing this game for the first time, and we LOVED it. more »

  • brutal legend

    Activision Cock-Blocking Brutal Legend Release

    Most games left homeless from the Activision-Vivendi merger have now found new homes. Indeed, the only high-profile game left whose future is undecided is Brutal Legend, Tim Schafer's heavy metal orgy of celebrity voice-actors and demonic riffage. But that's not for want of trying! According to Variety and "sources" at development studio Double Fine, Activision have been "an impediment" to the game finding a new publisher. Catty! What's unclear is why Activision have been "blocking the progress"; do they want more money for the project than suitors are willing to part with? Did they have a spat with Double Fine and are simply taking the chance to punish them? Who knows. We don't. So we'll settle for some conjecture, with an added dash of praying that someday this game will actually be released.

    Brutal Legend still homeless, sources blame Activision Blizzard [Variety]

    1:30 AM on Thu Oct 30 2008
    By Luke Plunkett
    7,543 views, 95 comments

    Most discussed Miksho: I can't believe how bull-headed you fucking fanboys are. Has anyone thought of Activision's stance in this matter? Here comes more »

  • tim schafer

    We Won't Be Seeing Brütal Legend At E3 :(

    Sunday night's pre-E3 Kotaku party is going to be a booze-fueled, feel-good adventure. None of that, however, will dull the pain of Brütal Legend's absence at E3, an absence confirmed by MTV Multiplayer today. Double Fine Productions frontman Tim Schafer confirmed the bad news earlier today and I'm just barely keeping it together.

    Sure, we knew that Vivendi and Activision and their subsidiaries weren't doing the E3 thing proper, but Activision is at least holding a press conference. Chalk it up to denial. The good news, according to MTV, is that Mr. Schafer says we may hear more about it "soon after" E3. I'm ignoring Tim's "we hope" caveat.

    We're also going to refer to the newly merged Activision Blizzard as Activision Blizzard Brütal Legend to show just how important we think the game is.

    No ‘Brutal Legend’ At E3 [MTV Multiplayer]

    7:00 PM on Tue Jul 8 2008
    By Michael McWhertor
    2,283 views, 30 comments

    Latest by Tye-The-Czar: That's as heartbreaking as Episode 12 Code Geass R2 at the end. WAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!! (watch Code Geass! Please.) more »

  • brutal legend

    Jack Black's Immensely Helpful Brütal Legend Update

    It's been awhile since we've heard anything about Tim Schafer's Brütal Legend, which stars Jack Black as a heavy metal roadie who bleeds into his cursed belt buckle and is transported to Nordic Heavy Metal land. Lucky for us, MTV Multiplayer has the scoop directly from Black himself, who attended the recent MTV Music Awards wearing a Brütal Legend t-shirt and...well, just read.

    “I just wanted to represent. I do this video game ‘Brutal Legend.’ It’s coming someday. And these pants are pantaloons. And I went with these purple people eaters [shoes].”

    There you have it folks! Mark someday on your calendars and get ready to rock!

    Multiplayer did at least manage to contact Sierra spokesman Tom Stratton, who for the most part told him the same thing, more or less, adding that more details would be made available soon. Someday soon. I can't wait!

    Jack Black Says ‘Brutal Legend’ Will Be Released ‘Someday’ [MTV Multiplayer]

    12:00 PM on Tue Jun 10 2008
    By Mike Fahey
    3,487 views, 50 comments

    Latest by Tye-The-Czar: Jack Black sounds like the kind of guy who would really fit for anime dubs for characters such as TTGL's more »

  • combat

    How Brutal Legend Fighting Works

    We'd never question the brilliance of Tim Schafer and Double Fine's upcoming action/rockventure title Brütal Legend. But we were...curious, that's all...about how the game would actually play. PSX Extreme explains:

    The battle axe is Eddie's primary attack, and it works much like Devil May Cry's sword attack does - basic, yet effective. Riggs will shred on the guitar when he needs to cast various types of magic, and performing these magic attacks will require timed combo entry on your controller.
    Magic attacks include fun like literal "face melting" solos. Hmm...maybe it's all the Rock Band brainwashing, but all this button mashing music creation combat sounds pretty fantastic.

    Brutal Legend [PSX Extreme via The Adventuress]

    1:00 PM on Wed Mar 12 2008
    By Mark Wilson
    4,051 views, 45 comments

    Latest by yamiseth: Anything voiced by Jack Black (or steve blum) is win no matter how bad it is... fortunately this looks amazing more »

  • playstation 3

    Tim Schafer Mystified By Uncharted's Shirt Tech

    Double Fine Productions founder and funny man Tim Schafer isn't so much a fan of Naughty Dog's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune as he is the next-gen thermal shirt that protagonist Nathan Drake wears throughout. The Psychonauts creator compares the PlayStation 3 title's heretofore ignored technological marvel that is a casually dirty, half-tucked shirt to "an unfinished symphony." He heaps praise upon the adventure game's clothing choices and lauds a poly-cotton top that speaks volumes about its wearer.

    He writes of Drake's shirt "Jet skiing, swimming, and almost kissing—nothing can dislodge or fully tuck Drake's half-casual shirt. It is draped in a purgatory state, half in, half out, never completely free." A bold and fascinating analysis from a visionary mind that anyone who has even a passing interest in video game fashion should read. Compelling stuff.

    Half-tuck is the new Mullett [Double Fine]

    3:00 PM on Wed Jan 23 2008
    By Michael McWhertor
    4,992 views, 83 comments

    Latest by Dual45s: Listen kids, it's called being eccentric, it's what Schafer does best. It's also entertaining as hell. more »

  • brutal legend

    Tim Schafer Talks Shit About XBLA Development

    Oh, not in a bad way. You didn't think based on that headline that... no... oh, no. He's quite a swell fellow that Tim Schafer, despite the potty mouth. He's simply crafted one of the finest analogies in response to questions if he and the team at Double Fine Productions are working on an Xbox Live Arcade title. With Schafer speaking warmly of "blue-sky prototyping" and of a flood of ideas during the development of Psychonauts that didn't make the cut, one would assume that Double Fine was dedicating at least some resources to Epic Saga: Extreme Fighter HD Remix. Nope, says Schafer. More »

    5:20 PM on Tue Nov 13 2007
    By Michael McWhertor
    6,051 views, 51 comments

    Latest by reywing: So the PS3 is the great dane and the 360 is the poodle (in Japan... other way around in the more »

  • freebies

    Xbox LIVE Turns Five, Gives Away Carcassonne

    We've long been waiting to hear what Xbox LIVE would be pulling out for their fifth anniversary. Now we know. Carcassonne, an already released XBLA board game, will be available for free download between 12:01 a.m. PST on Nov. 15 and 11:59 p.m. PST on Nov. 16. In addition, members of LIVE who've been faithful since 2002 will be gifted 500 points.

    Also, our new press release has mentioned that Psychonauts is coming to XBLA as a classic Xbox download with the fall update. Score. Here's the full press release: More »

    11:00 AM on Tue Nov 13 2007
    By Mark Wilson
    10,167 views, 121 comments

  • classic clips

    I Feel Like I Could...Play Another Tim Schafer Game


    Little known fact, I think about this classic opening from Tim Schafer's Day of the Tentacle almost once a day. OK...maybe not quite that much, but a lot, especially since the announcement of Brutal Legend. Every element up to the low angle shot of the newly empowered tentacle genius is absolute brilliance.

    And that's why I never drank toxic waste again.

    1:40 PM on Wed Oct 24 2007
    By Mark Wilson
    5,284 views, 78 comments

    Latest by UnnDunn: DOTT is just a classic, classic game. Best part (apart from "Bernard, float over here so I can punch you") more »

  • rumor smash

    Psychonauts Sequel Not Happening (Tear)

    Despite how we may have gotten your hopes up about Tim Schafer's potential exciting new Psychonauts project, according to the man himself, Double Fine is not ready to announce a new Psychonauts project...yet.

    Haha. Nooooo. There's no new Psychonauts game in the works right now, but I'm glad some people got excited by the idea. I know *I* got excited.
    Mr. Schafer, a storyteller as powerful as yourself should understand the mystique of darkness. You could put a donut in silhouette and half the Internet would be speculating glazed or powdered.

    5:00 PM on Tue Oct 23 2007
    By Mark Wilson
    2,792 views, 32 comments

    Latest by Anicode: Another dream crushed :( more »