actually, the only people really see talk about the game are people who know who Tim Schafer is(people on other gaming websites mostly), how ever if it actually becomes a serious hit it will probably be because of Jack Black, but its a Tim Schafer game so that'll never happen.

oh PSYCHONAUTS GUY. yeah okay admittedly he has a rabid fanbase but you're still insane if you think the press this game is getting is for anything other than jack black.

i mean every tim schafer game has pretty much commercially failed and this one has hype behind it.

oh PSYCHONAUTS GUY. yeah okay admittedly he has a rabid fanbase but you're still insane if you think the press this game is getting is for anything other than jack black.

i mean every tim schafer game has pretty much commercially failed and this one has hype behind it.

yeah but the press usually gives glowing praise to every Tim Schafer game, I mean everyone loved Psychonauts and Grim Fandango and both got great reviews and GAME OF THE YEAR titles and all that shit but flopped commercially. The press has always been really good to him and there's always been a little hype around him. I think Jack Black is still probably helping his case more this time around though.

Part of it might be that we're in a time now where every game journalist has a blog and there's a FLOOD of information, whereas most of Schafer's games came out back when print magazines were the best and most realiable source of info. Psychonauts has definitely been elevated to the realm of cult classic status at this point and is available on Steam, and he's probably benefiting from much higher exposure this time around. It's worked for Beyond Good and Evil, which flopped horribly as well, but is now getting a sequel because there's been enough buzz and positive reaction in the years following its release.

i think you're overstating the influence of blogs! like you said the BG&E example but that came out in 2003. 2003 to 2009. it took six years of absurdly positive praise to get them to even start making a sequel. and they put it on EVERYTHING man. they threw it on every console, every country, it was like five dollars on steam.

I mean fucking FAMILY GUY came back after three years. aaa according to what i looked up futurama released all their movies after cancellation before 2009. FUTURAMA.

no I don't think vidcon blog press matters to anyone but US, and even then I can't in fairness include me in that anymore as I had to be told by someone who Schafter was and I can't in all fairness say the reason he's getting press is because the press of videogames is changing. it is but it's because there are soon going to be no magazines and IGN et al will take over, not blog press.

so yeah no I am sure the reason anyone else knows about this game is because JACK BLACK. it's like product placement! the good product wouldn't exist without him for most people. and if your rebuttal is a six year delay for one of the most critically acclaimed cult games of all time to finally get someone WORKING on it nah I don't think things have changed much in videogames. we wouldn't have waited a decade for fallout or whatever.

the reason we know about this game is probably because we would anyways, but the reason i know about it is because of jack black and i think we all have to pause and wonder whether or not that means anything when tim schafer games pretty much require a celeb to get any real press.

btw this game does have real hype behind it if you didn't know! i saw it on IGN FRONT PAGE which boggles the mind.

I think the point he was making was that people know Tim Schafer games are great. The sole reason they did so poorly commercially was because there was absolutley know exposure of the game to the public. He was pretty much proving that making a game that is good, and that people like a whole lot is not enough.

In fact, it doesn't really count for anything if nobody ever knows about your game in the first place.

The way I see it, putting some known quantity to give his next game more notoriety is the only sensible thing to be done. People know about the game, and judging from the previous games I've played by it's going to be a game that's fun for pretty much anyone interested enough to pick up a copy. If it's a good game, then shouldn't it be known to the public? Does it really matter how or why the people know about it in the first place if they enjoy it?

Are you just against the principle of the thing? Would you respect Tim Schafer more if he tried to generate notoriety on his merits alone (Wasn't the record of his last two games proof postive that this doesn't work no matter how good a game developer you are?), rather than by signing on a well-known name that just happens to fit the theme of the game you are making perfectly?

Am I the only one that thinks getting Jack Black to feature as a voice in your game is a little easier than changing the paradigm in which the entire entertainment industry operates?

I mean, it's either that, or just let the next Chronicles of Riddick videogame get more notoriety than you ever would.  At least then you get to keep your self-respect. (That's more than I can say for Jack Black.)

I think the point he was making was that people know Tim Schafer games are great.

and the point I'm making is your definition of people are barely even gamers but the type of gamer that knows instantly who Tim Schafer is and jesus christ why am I explaining the basic concept that by putting Jack Black in the game that is how almost anyone knows about it?

fuck was there even a topic for Psychonauts on GW when it came out? have you EVER heard the words GRIM FANDANGO in real life (please do not answer this)?

I mean holy fuck you guys have an absurd goddam opinion of TIM SCHAFER and you think ANYONE knows who he is? I wouldn't bet much but I'd give 50% odds without the Jack Black connection this topic wouldn't exist yet (we're big enough nerds and not much is happening so I can see after reviews a topic coming up)

actually no. I would win! it took seven posts for someone to bring up Tim Schafer for the first time.

Jack Black came up five times before Tim Schafer did. VIN DIESEL was mentioned twice before Schafer in regards to ANOTHER GAME.

jesus christ EDC you just get on the dumbest kicks sometime. how do any of you think TIM SCHAFER: GAME WOULD HAVE GOTTEN ATTENTION ANYWAYS is a realistic position when this topic demonstrates most people on a gaming forum had no fucking clue who he was?

there are basically only three names i'd say that if they were attached to any project we would discuss the name as well as the game and those are hironobu sakaguchi, nobuo uematsu, and shigeru miyamoto. there might be a few more but the first two have a rabid RPG audience and it's been proven that virtue of being attached to shit we acknowledge it (unless you think anyone would have noticed BLUE DRAGON on its own merits) and miyamoto made mario and founded nintendo.

otherwise maybe like CLIFFY B and that's kind of different and even then no I don't think saying CLIFFY B IS MAKING A NEW GAME would instantly fire off a WHOA LOOKIN AT THIS mentality for everyone.

like do you really seriously think anyone memorizes NAMES in gaming? it's studios. it's ALL studios. SQUARE sells games. NINTENDO does. no one gives a fuck about TIM SCHAFER, it's because Jack Black's attached anyone but the really big nerds who actually know fucking names like TIM SCHAFER (aaaaah jesus christ how do any of you think this is even close to a selling point) knows about this!

I've been keeping an eye on Brütal Legend for some time now, but it was this topic that made me google who the hell Jack Black is. Is this good/bad?

no offense but you're also foreign and once on these forums i linked a video of cam'ron and Bonehead asked why Will Smith was peeing in a guys mouth so it's probably just not that important.

man, you really have it set in your head that tim shafer is totally unknown, dont you?

i admit he isnt like uh.. its not like saying SQUARESOFT but he's as big as any of ye olde developers. like, the kind of person who knows what id software is would know who tim shafer is.

except u.

that is because everyone on the planet played doom anddddd dummy you just compared him to a studio which is my point.

guys what proof do you need when it takes seven posts for the first person to mention tim schafer in an OP that is longer than most here about HIS NEWEST GAME that no we would not be talking about this without jack black for a while.

like i am really boggled any of you think he's a selling point for anyone BUT YOU. no one said he was unknown but this is like me hearing
"oh my god fucking KANYE WEST is going to be on the new Copywrite album" and then saying YOU DONT KNOW WHO COPYWRITE IS???? HE TOTALLY ETHERED ASHER ROTH EVERYONE KNOWS THIS, EVERYONE WAS EXCITED FOR THE NEW ALBUM ANYWAYS!!! as if anyone other than people who fucking would know Copywrite would know about the album before Kanye got on it.

I am literally astonished you guys think this game would be on anyone's radar other than, you know, YOU, without the fact it's got a CGI Jack Black. basically here is basic uh LIFE 101 the more famous a name attached to something the more people know about it and no one knows about Tim Schafer and some of YOU GUYS barely know about him and acting like oh yea man oh yea this game was gonna be on anyone's brain otherwise is actually ignoring the track record of every game he's ever made (no one buys them remember!)

the only one who seems to have figured this basic point out is rowain who i obviously think is overhyping the influence of blogs and indie gaming press because if they really had the power to sway anyone it wouldn't take six years to get real rumors about an intensely popular cult sequel to get started.

but no if you are thinking TIM SCHAFER ALONE could pull in any audience you are probably delusional and once again ignoring the fact he never has ever so unless you can think of something that's changed since psychonauts (and once again, i'm gonna need some more proof than just THINKING he developed into a big name that sells games alone because once again topic clearly indicates he wasn't on anyone else's minds) i'm pretty sure i'm right! jack black is the reason we're talking about it now, jack black is the reason people will talk about it, and jack black will still be the reason most people talk about it PROBABLY because as someone said this is far more interesting of a subject than "tim schafer made a game" just by what it represents.

i compared him to a studio because i cant think of any other lone people that make games!

like, i dunno what else to tell you, people do know tim shafer. you just didnt.

okay here is what to say (because it is right):

and the point I'm making is your definition of people are barely even gamers but the type of gamer that knows instantly who Tim Schafer is and jesus christ why am I explaining the basic concept that by putting Jack Black in the game that is how almost anyone knows about it?

like you guys are saying this like since bg&e he's become someone but there's no proof of this! at all! he became someone TO YOU, is all that happened. the copywrite example is exactly this. copywrite got a little press among dudes LIKE ME and almost EXCLUSIVELY like me because he's the only guy who bothered to even call Asher Roth on his shit. so he's got a little hype going into his album...from the people that knew about him already.

i mean what else do you want? the gw topic about his game barely talked about him until i said WHO? everyone in this topic has to admit that everyone of tim schafer's games have been commercial failures. the main character LOOKS LIKE JACK BLACK.

where did this perception arise that inbetween 2005 and now Tim Schafer actually acquired a real rep, big enough that you've created the idea that this topic would have existed anyways (which is how this all got started, Harland said WE'D STILL BE TALKING ABOUT IT when no apparently the topic wouldn't have even been made and until I brought it up Schafer's LEGENDARY STATUS was not discussed beyond "oh he makes good games!") when there's no evidence of this?

you guys didn't even talk about psychonauts! what changed in four years? I'm honestly curious if you all believe the POWER OF YOUR INTERNET LOVE has propelled Tim Schafer into the legendary game dev guys because there's nothing I've seen other than once again Rowain saying the increase of the blogosphere that would account for this.

just because you guys found out a really good developer exists doesn't mean anyone else other than the same small subset who would have paid attention ANYWAYS on hearing the developer was the same guy who did BG&E noticed.

i mean go ahead show me some proof here because all I'm seeing is a bunch of people getting irritated that no one knows someone only they know about and don't want to admit it. it's not like it takes away from his credentials but I'm actually quite confused as to what you think changed in these years or if you REALLY THINK the slow inexorable build of BG&E into a cult hit had an impact.

because surprise I actually do remember Schafer now because he had an old game that did this! Full Throttle still has a die hard audience.

how come no one talks about Full Throttle's slow rise into the cult hit it became? what about the OTHER GAMES?

the only thing that has changed is INTERNET and I think you're all overstating the impact of that.

i mean this is how shit happens all the time, someone gets a cult hit from a cult audience and no one else notices but the audience thinks the name alone will sell it whenever they release a new product and has it EVER? even michael gondry and charlie kaufman are still in an audience and those guys hit it HUGE with their successes. they will never have a michael bay draw.

like the reason i'm talking about this is because i want to shift the discussion back to whether or not the necessity of adding celebrity and basically GIMMICKS to games that will otherwise flop is worth it to have better games come out (because really whats the difference between jack black and the artificial sandbox panda was talking about other than both are selling points) but apparently people don't believe the game would in all likelihood commercially flop without Black taking such a role in it because they think Tim Schafer can sell a game for SOME REASON no one is telling me (or more likely, the naive belief that the games industry rewarded him for his better games by now thanks to the slow increase in sales and has learned to reward creativity over quantity and really guys???)

someone is being hilariously naive here and I'm going to bank on the side that doesn't think in the years since BG&E the gaming audience and industry changed so much they are okay with not making terrible games for the masses and have slowly reached the hand to creativity.

one game of patapon vs ten thousand wolverines.

FUN FACT ABOUT FINNISH PEOPLE:
the most widespread gaming magazine in Finland, Pelit-magazine, is sort of old school/nerdy in a way that it likes to give attention to things they like, like for example: russian games & publishers; indie-games; PEOPLE behind games like Tim Schaffer and similiar. Especially Tim Schaffer has always been regarded highly in Pelit.

So yes, the reason why Markus and I know this game from the fact that it's tim schaffers game is propably because of this!

shiggy will aways be short for shigesato itoi in my heart

ahaha

shiggy will aways be short for shigesato itoi in my heart

but people do know tim shafer

I do agree, I don't think if a newspaper printed NEW TIM SCHAFER GAME, no one where I work but me would have any clue what that meant, but JACK BLACK IN A VIDEOGAME has a lot more punch.

My point is within the "videogame" community, Tim Schafer's name DOES carry a lot of weight and even if Jack Black wasn't in this, I would bet my next six paychecks IGN would still frontpage it. Like I said, Schafer has always been a darling to the GAMING press, but he's not a household name yet at all. If it weren't for Jack Black, it probably wouldn't be connecting with near as many people.

hmmmm next six paychecks. ign is pretty bad but conversely its a dead season and he is a name for their audience. hm i dont know if they would but if your paychecks culminated in more than a 100 bucks (lets hope so) i would not take that bet yeah.

and that's mostly because IGN is really awful and frontpages the worst thing. lets see whats up now actually! i'm trying to remember if they frontpaged any of his other games and i dont think so but also i'm not going to deny he has gained INTERNET momentum (i'm just saying that accounts for zilch).

its actually not on their main page but something called FAIRY TALE FIGHTS was. not a fair scale though because the game has no new info atm but yeah i probably wouldn't take that bet at this time!

if this was december or one of the big seasons though i would have won all six of your paychecks i'm sure because no one would give a fuck when HALO GROUND WARS or whatever stupid shit releases an info sheet.