Split-Screen :: The Game-Geek’s Daily Read

by Ravi Sinha

Attention Shenmue II – You’re record has officially been broken (took about 3 to 4 hours to get interesting). Silicon Knights’ Too Human has been officially reviewed by most major gaming portals, and the decision is unanimous on it’s squandered potential. To paraphrase a GameNow review, “Do you have what it takes to play a game for 12 to 15 hours before it gets interesting?”

However, as much fun as it is to blast this Xbox 360-exclusive (this just in: PS3 fans are dying in hoards from, of all things, laughter), the main focus here is on the pompous and rambunctious ring-leader, Denis Dyack. He’s been recently banned from the NeoGaf forums for his controversial comments, including his latest stating that it was “the worst forum out there…and you might as well pick the worst one.” Picked for what? Well, a retconned social experiment, a call for the closing of NeoGaf and the aforementioned “worst forum” tag.

But what else has Denis the Menace been infamous for in the gaming neighbourhood? Let’s find out!

• Electronic Gaming Monthly sure had a tough time with Too Human when they awarded it “Most Disappointing Game of E3” at one point. Naturally Dyack hit out against the publication, stating everything from “What does an early build have to do with anything?” to “Big meanies pushed me off the swing”. You’d think he’d end his whining there but then…
• In a 3 hour session of the podcast, 1Up Yours, Dyack appears about half-way through to “politely discuss” why his game should not have been considered E3′s worst showing. Translation: A repeat of “big meanies pushed me off the swing”, only this time immediately followed by, “can it be ‘hugz time’ now?” What started as a normal discussion eventually degenerated into Dyack emphasising again and again how societies are falling apart and how forums play a big role in it. Kind of like how Marvel Comics’ Illuminati (in this case, NeoGaf) shot the Hulk (in this case, Dyack) into space to avoid any more of his explosive emotional baggage. Sounds just about right.
• In case any one is wondering, yes, Dyack has been one of this unfortunate souls stupid enough to take on Penny Arcade. Taking one of their strips and modifying it to showcase some of the unfavourable reactions to Tycho and Gabe partaking in game development. Awkward? By way of bad writing and editing, yes. Funny? Only if you’re dating Denis for his cash.
• In what would be the most controversial case of last year up until now, Silicon Knights sued Epic on July 2007 for “breach of contract”. It sued the developer for failing to provide support for Unreal Engine 3, which was reportedly the original engine Too Human was based on. However, Epic counter-sued the company in August 2007, accusing Silicon Knights of attempting to “take Epic’s licensed technology, pay nothing for it, and use it any way it pleases.” In this past month, Dyack recently slammed Epic for taking this matter to the press, stating, “it’s a thing for the courts we think needs to be held separately.” More negative (aka free) publicity for Too Human, at that time a few weeks from release? Well, why not?
• In a recent interview with Official XBox 360 Magazine, Denis Dyack was interviewed and quoted as saying, “…What we’re also seeing is for the people who don’t like it, generally just don’t get it. And it’s because we’ve created something so innovative and different. It’s ironic, it just shows that human nature of ‘if you don’t understand something, you immediately attack it’. It’s pretty interesting in that regard.” So, people who don’t like to play an uninteresting game with a frustrating camera just don’t get it. Either Dyack is an incredible liar, or he’s masochistic enough to find the public butchering of his game ‘interesting’.

Looking back at some of the efforts of Silicon Knights, like MGS: The Twin Snakes and Eternal Darkness (both on the Gamecube), it would have been unfair to label the company as incapable of delivering on its promises. Would have been, but not any more. Now, with Dyack announcing his brand-new effort that will be “completely different from Too Human”, you have to wonder when this verbal-diarrhea-afflicted excuse of a big, green menace will just kill us all already. That is, unless he believes in slow torture with words (and constant press updates).