Dennis Dyack (the Lead Designer on Too Human for Silicon Knights) gets his own page here. Dyack has been none too happy since Human demoed at E3 back in 2006. Humanreceived all kinds of negative press for how it looked and played. On a 1up podcast in early 2007, he essentially criticized EGM/1up editors Mark McDonald, Shane Bettenhausen and Bryan Intihar for the EGM preview. Strangely, he also demanded immediate reforms in game journalism and scrutinized reviewers for not being harsher.
In the last month on popular industry message board NeoGAF, Dyack lashed out at forum posters criticizing Too Human. Here’s what he had to say:
"I think it is time to draw the digital line. Too Human will be out in August and I think there is going to be a lot of trolls crying here. Either way when the game comes out this forum will likely be on fire. So in order to try to put it out some gasoline on this fire I will ask those interested to stand up and be counted.
"I feel Too Human is a great game, likely to be better than most that will come out this year. I certainly feel it is the best game we have ever made. I also believe the press and gamers alike will believe this. This puts me in the 'For' camp.
"I know there are many who feel strongly in opposite camp. I also would ask you to stand up and say 'Against'.
"When the game is released and everyone plays game all the speculation will be over. If I am wrong and gamers in general think the game is 'crap' then I am comfortable with getting tagged "Owned by the GAF".
"However, if I am right and it is received well, I would like to see those 'Against' to be tagged with 'Owned by Too Human'.
"I invite anyone who seeing someone trolling Too Human in other threads to point them here.
"So it's time to be stand and be counted:
"Denis Dyack -- 'For'"
After receiving much more criticism for this “challenge”, Dyack reappeared on 1up’s podcast and spoke about why he wrote those comments.
"I was basically calling out people who had no way of assessing the game. I went through all of this for two reasons.... If you're going to look at the NeoGAF forum as a non-profit organization, if it does not reform itself, it's eventually going to crumble. There's going to be a point where they step over the line where someone's going to shut them down. That would be a loss for everyone.... The question I have to ask the moderators of GAF: Are you going to follow your own rules?
“NeoGAF and other forums like this that don't have good management are not only hurting society and hurting the videogame industry, they're in decline, and they need to reform quickly before people stop listening to them.... If the moderators and people who run the site think they aren't doing any damage, they are sorely mistaken, and it's only a matter of time before something bad happens."
And there you have it. Dyack’s lunatic ranting has made him the target of many message board pranks. Essentially, he’s learned the hard way that he is one and the Internet is many. Too Human hits the 360 in August and in the meantime, get this man a hanky
Jul 10, 2008
