Grumpy Gamer DeathSpank Named Game of the Century

DeathSpank Named Game of the Century

Dec 19, 2009 twenty five to eight am

People often stop me on the street and say "Hey Ron!" and I say "I don't have any change...get job!" and then they say "We're not beggars, we just want to know why you're working so hard on DeathSpank?" and I say "We do it for you so you can play the best damn game ever!" and then I give them some pocket change so they can buy booze.

One of the things we've been working so hard on the last 2 months is dialog. Over 6000 lines of the funniest crap you'll ever hear. How do I know it's funny? Because actors never study their lines. They just come in to the studio and begin recording and quite often they will start laughing and we'll have to stop recording because it's the first time they've read it and it's funny.

I wanted to introduce you to a couple of the actors in DeathSpank and who better to start with than Michael Dobson who plays DeathSpank. When we did auditions back in March I had no real idea what DeathSpank should sound like. Michael was the first person to read for the part and he nailed it so perfectly that we just stopped looking. He's top notch and when he's in the recording studio he becomes DeathSpank. I can't imagine the game without him.

Second on the list is Brian Dobson (no relation to Michael Dobson...oh wait...my mistake, they're brothers). Brian plays Eubrick the Retired with perfection (not to mention several other roles). For those of you that saw the demos at PAX, we were showing one of the dialogs between DeathSpank and Eubrick.

Next up on the star studded list is Orange Couch. Not sure how we would have made it without Orange Couch. This is where I'd sit and pour over scripts and do last minute rewrites if things weren't working out or as funny as they could be.

And last is Hothead's "Sound Guy" Adam. Don't let the unassuming name of "Sound Guy" fool you, despite having his fingers on all the wrong buttons in the this picture, he knows what he's doing right up there with the best I've ever worked with and the sound design in DeathSpank is excellent.

Well, that's it for this episode of "Why the Hell Doesn't Ron Post More on His Blog!".

Other people's comments:

Funny is not good enough. I demand blood tears of laugh.

I've never trusted your voice casting since you picked me for Guybrush for the MI prototype. I mean, do I sound like a clueless dork? Maybe Mark Hamill in the unreleased NPR audio version of Star Wars Ep IV talking about his power converters is a clueless dork, but I sound more like George Clooney. I'm sure of it.

The last month I often thought: "Why the Hell Doesn't Ron Post More on His Blog?"
Now I know, well in fact I knew before... You're of the hook, but only if the game is gonna blow my mind.

IF it's going to blow my mind, and my prof is gonna let me, I'm considering writing my bachelor thesis in german linguistics about the reflection of the game industry in the dialogues of Deathspank or something like that, so give me something to work on ;)

Yay Ron. So I suppose you're getting close to release date, huh?

Nice cast Ron, but when will you give us the release date.

Gamasutra has a recent interview with Ron saying that almost everything is done and they're now playtesting and balancing the game. So a release somewhen early 2010 sounds reasonable to me...

Gamasutra: What phase are you guys in now?
RG: I don't know what phase [laughs]. I can't put a word to that. We're getting very close. The whole world is completely carved out, totally textured. Everything's all done. All the adventure game is done. All the monsters are placed. It really is just about playing and tuning, playing and tuning, over and over and over, just making sure everything just works perfectly. (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4221/ron_gilbert_a_new_adventure.php)

Yeah, sounds like that... Ron, we will hold you to an early 2010 release based on this interview!

Damn there goes my theory of Ron working on the next MI :) Ha ha. Ron glad to hear you are fine. Finish DeathSpank we want to play it pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Aaaargh! An post.

falls of chair

Great news! DeathSpank is coming !!!!!!!!

nice i love dialog
dont rush the release make it worth waiting 4*

Just the "Game of the Century" Ron? Not the Millennium or Eon? There you go...thinking small again.

How much for Orange Couch Ron? Start a bid!

Ron I think you owe to the fans a section of commenting on what themes and ideas are based on your concepts regarding the Tales of MI. We want to know which additions are your inputs and if the twists at the end are also your inputs. At least a basic review or something no need to criticise. Thank you.
Demetris

Rod, I think you owe it to the fans a section completely ignoring Tales of Monkey Island.

Many thanks,

Nathan

...

Dammit. I clicked submit and then reread that comment. I don't want it to be read as negative at all; I loved ToMI. I just think it needs to stand on its own merits and let the fans judge it for themselves.

Too bad. Some mistakes are bound not to be corrected.

Thanks a lot for that link, tenochtitlan!

Hail to the Orange Couch.

Yeah right! Just date it back so it seems as if it were just 101 days since the last blog. Pretty smart!

Ok I read it. When is the next blog update Ron?

May

Is that when you will reveal the secret finally?!!!

Sigh... this joke is getting old, Demetris.

We can only live in hope!

May? As in "May, when I will post about the release of Deathspank" May?

No May as in `May I will tell you when the next announcement for another anouncement will be`
Demetris

I think there's a good chance DeathSpank will be released in May.

Yeah, how could Ron make a joke, let alone lie on December 25?? May is gonna be interesting.

Ok, when MAY the next update be then?

I was actually a bit disappointed with how DeathSpank sounded when he talked to Eubrick... But I'll only be able to make my final judgement once I've actually played the game, and I understand the character better...

sorry to talk off topic but this guy is an insanely brilliant game designer
http://www.distractionware.com/

I totally agree. Don't look back was huge for me, I'm also glad Kong was the sponsor. Talented folks for sure.

Doesn't it strike you as strange that Michael Dobson's brother is Rowan Atkinson?

Yeah, Brian Dobson even looks a bit like Mr. Bean!

Don't forget the Wiiiiiii !!!!!
Well... is there any chance it will be for this platform?

Thx!

There are no official plattform confirmations from Hothead yet (except Ron using an Xbox 360 controller on a PC during PAX demos), but judging from the Penny Arcade games PC, Mac, Linux, PSN and XBLA seem possible. As far as I know Hothead never did a port for Nintendo consoles so far, so that stays (yet) another "maybe" ;)

Ron. I was watching the DeathSpank gameplay video here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPQrcXzMao0

and I noticed something again which I wanted to ask but forgot. Why does no monster attack DeathSpank unless that monster is attacked by DeathSpank? Is it just for the demo or will the final release be like that.
Demetris

Good Eye! When we captured the game play footage, I had aggro turned off. It's easier to capture footage when monsters aren't doing things you don't expect.

Does that mean we will be able to turn it off :) if we wanted?

Of course not. He might be using an Alpha version with developer controls.

That would be cheating.

Boy, Ron must have scared the guy in the last picture and told him a joke at the same time...

Ron did you see this alternative ending to MI2?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-CTx-S9f-8&feature=related

that one is not bad...

Ron and everyone Happy New Year.

Sounds like it's going to be a great game

Thank God u posted a blog post

"Uh, excuse me, Mr Simpson. On the Itchy & Scratchy CD-ROM, is there a way to get out of the dungeon without using the wizard key?"

Ron?

Hi ron,
Do you ever get a bit tired of people not so much asking questions but having a bit of a "gimmie gimmie gimmie" mentality to their posts?

Suckup.

Sorry I gotta ask:

If you need help to record lines for, say, a Troll with a French accent, I'd be glad to do it for free just to have my name in the credits.

Or a boring Irish voice, could play a character who has an monotonous and incredibly boring voice, for comedic affect of course

Irish Leprechaun character. So original.

That will never be as funny as a French Troll.

I agree. A French Leprauchan with an accent would indeed be funny

You're right, it's even better !!!

Who said anything about a Leprechaun?

We have other things over here you know!!
like... cows, nuns, and sausages

Now a sausage with a boring Irish voice, how ordinary is that!!!

An Irish nun with a dirty mouth, cursing away all day in hard to understand English would be funny too.

Ron, can you share with us any news on which system DeathSpank will be available?

...or can you at least share any news?

CONFIDENTIAL

finally a new blog entry!
so, iam still waiting for my christmas present aka deathspank.
you guys at hothead better hurry!

from germany with hugs

PS: mr. gilbert, you still have to sign my thong of justice!

Mmmmm Orange Couch -> Ron ... ......Orange Couch -> Ron
yuuum :D

.....akward silence.....

Will there be any rubber chickens in this game, that's all I want to know.

DeathSpank DeathSpank I want DEATHSPANK!!!
OR A relese date! Ok, I will be satisfied with a release date announcement.
Well AT LEAST the month, yes I WANT to KNOW the month of its release!!!
OK I can go for the quarter!!! Q2? I must be Q2!!!
Please, Ron please can you at least confirm a 2010 release...?

He pretty much confirmed its release in 2010 in an earlier blog post. And I'm guessing it's May (see comments above).

One month without a blog entry behind, four to go.

Thesis: Avatar is the remake of Pocahontas in 3D.

Discuss.

Here is James Cameron's ripped off cough I, mean original cough treatment... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/04/avatar-pocahontas-in-spac_n_410538.html

Ron do you like Avatar? Or do you hate it like you hated The Dark Knight?

I haven't heard of this film called Avatar... is it any good?

Ron's blog - where cynics come to mate.

Ron's blog - where cool comes to die.

Ron's blog - where everyone is present except Ron

For all it's admittedly impressive production values and effects, this film pretty much breaks the cliche meter:

1) The scientists are enlightened secular saints.

2) The military are bigoted, trigger-happy killers rather than professional soldiers.

3) The corporate CEO is an aloof, money-hungry but otherwise bland white guy whose job is to say "Hey, audience, see this little rock? It's the film's MacGuffin. Okay, back to our story..."

4) The noble savages are just that. No messy fighting among themselves, despoiling their environment, enslaving each other, ritual sacrifice of their own people, or any other behavior would make the audience less sympathetic to them.

5) Our hero. Initially, White Guilt Guy who learns from the natives how evil his culture, exemplified by the aforementioned Military and Corporate Strawmen, is. Later, White Pulp Magazine Hero Guy who beds the exotic native chick who was betrothed to Native Warrior Guy and then through an act of profound bravery (because physical courage translates to a deep knowledge of troop deployment, maneuver, tactics, supply line management, et cetera) comes to lead the noble savages, thereby assuming the role of White Man's Burden Guy.

By the way, James Cameron, thanks for taking the bold step of using the sci fi film medium to convey to the audience that forcibly displacing indigenous people to strip mine their land is wrong. Maybe in your next film you can tackle other cutting-edge topics like giving women the vote.

There's a huge difference though: it's set in space and the natives are blue.

Wow dude, it's a goddamn movie. Aren't people allowed to make movies anymore?

DeathSpank named Game Longest in the Making.

That's untrue, there's still hope for DNF

More Deathspank news ASAP please!

Matt Damon!

Maaaaatt Da-mon!

Ron, xbox360 pretty much confirmed isntit?

Do I have to buy the newest AdLib to hear these funny guys?

"Why the Hell Doesn't Ron Post More on His Blog!"

The lack of news about Death Spank sure is annoying.

I think less hype is better, Brutal Legend taught me that.

But hype is also part of good marketing... I'm sure Ron is interested in selling a few copies of DeathSpank.

You can obviously release news about comming soon games without hyping or spoiling the community, take Dead Rising 2 as a example, tell us what you guys are working on, how is it going, show us some screenshots, present us some characters, theres alot of info that can be released without "hyping" up the customers ;-) and like they say, I'm sure Ron is interested in selling a few games atleast.

Even Capcom is delaying some games in order to get more sells (without competing with other Games/Companies) where is DeathSpaink going to fit on that?

There's no better hype than Ron's name in the game's title.
No marketing-stupid-team of Dragon Age, Mass Effect or Call of Dty can do it better with all of their hype hideous arsenal of spam and lies... that only make one suspect about the quaility of the game

P.d: I'm playing Msss Effect 2 and i like it :P (Dragon Age sucks anyway)

This is awesome! Congrats.

What engine did you use for Deathspank? Did you make it? or it's a thirdparty one.

Beautiful! The voice recording is a very important part of the game. I can't wait for "Deathspank"!

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DeathSpank Named Game of the Century

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