Molyneux: 'I feel sorry for Denis Dyack'

by James Ransom-Wiley { Jul 23rd 2008 at 7:00PM }

Fable frontman Peter Molyneux has raised his metaphorical fist of solidarity, showing support for fellow game designer and Too Human trumpeter Denis Dyack. "I feel sorry for Denis Dyack because you know, I think a few things were said wrong, there was that really unfortunate showing at E3 a few years ago," Molyneux told VideoGamer.com at E3 last week. "Everyone got on the bandwagon of saying things about Too Human. Now I've played it and, you know, it's a good game. It doesn't deserve a lot of that harsh criticism. But as soon as something starts it's very hard to turn the tide and pull it back again." Molyneux, of course, speaks from experience, having survived a similar "avalanche" of negative criticism after the first Fable game was released in 2004 and failed to meet expectations hyped by Molyneux himself.

While Molyneux doesn't offer any sage advice for braving the inevitable storm to come (you don't actually have "something" in your back pocket, do you Mr. Dyack?), might we suggest, sir, that you quietly step away from the computer and out into the open air. Take a deep breath. You'll be safe there. Remember, it's not the whole world that's judging you (just a teeny, tiny nugget of web real estate). And besides, just like your pal Peter, you've always got the sequel to make good on empty promises.

Tags: denis-dyack, e3-2008, peter-molyneux, silicon-knights, too-human

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Rob Accomando @ Jul 23rd 2008 7:06PM

I feel sorry for Molyneux because I don't feel like shelling out $60 for a 12 hour RPG.

Jakka (Not sure why he got banned?) @ Jul 23rd 2008 7:17PM

The length of main story doesn't make the game.Oblivion story was roughly six hours long yet it featured endless sidequests.Fallout could be done in ten minutes.KOTOR could be done in ten.

And frankly, Molyneux is the person who knows how Dennis feels.After ten years of development, people loathe his game for no reason other than an imaginary hate bandwagon.That's pretty much similar to what happened with Fable.

Peter went for Mars but ended up on the Moon and while it still was better than other games, people hated his great title because of what he promised.

Knight Marquise @ Jul 23rd 2008 7:22PM

Don't feel too bad for him Rob...there's plenty of folks like me who have 3 copies pre-ordered (myself and my twins). ;)

Misfit Toy @ Jul 23rd 2008 9:48PM

Play it twice. Now its 24 hours...magic!

Misfit Toy @ Jul 23rd 2008 9:49PM

Actually, I like shorter games. It encourages me to enjoy them more than once. And the feeling isn't so intimidating and daunting to finish the first time. Many people these days have less and less time. Not more and more. So it only makes sense.

I'd rather pay $60 for a dense 12 hour experience than a 50 hour repetative one.

BananaBoat @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:13PM

If you don't watch the cut scenes, Metal Gear Solid 4 can be completed in like...2 hours. Does that make it a bad game?

The original fable was a GREAT game, it just didn't live up to the ridiculous claims that Molyneux made about it to begin with. Fable II looks like it might correct some of the problems with Fable, and I'm sure it'll be about the same length as any other RPG on the market.

After playing the too human demo, I can honestly say that all of the criticisms that were thrown at the game, all turned out to be valid. The game truly is a downright bore, but I can see why Dyack would be pissed, since everyone, myself included, knew YEARS in advance that the game would turn out terrible, from that showing at E3.Instead of taking everyones criticisms and fixing the game, it feels like the exact same game shown at E3 years ago. I guess we'll see when the NPD numbers are out the month after it releases, whether or not there will even be a sequel to too human, but I'm with the 1up guys when I say that I doubt it.

whosmav @ Jul 23rd 2008 7:13PM

YOU NEED HATERS!

Lone Starr @ Jul 23rd 2008 7:17PM

Dyack sort of put himself in the position, which is unfortunate for him and gamers.

Residentevil72501 @ Jul 23rd 2008 7:23PM

I think Too Human will be just fine, and like you said at least it wont be a 12 hour game lol! Longer games ftw!

EliteBeatsAgent08 @ Jul 23rd 2008 7:27PM

Too Human is actually pretty good IMO. Liked the demo a lot. Unfortunately...

I say unfortunately because now it means I've to shell out even more money for my 360 addiction.

Aaron @ Jul 23rd 2008 7:49PM

Will critics like it? Probably not. Will people play it? For sure.

Jake11 @ Jul 23rd 2008 7:53PM

i really liked the too human demo. Dyack has nothing to worry about, he made a good game.

eugene @ Jul 23rd 2008 7:56PM

I was meh about 'too human' until the demo, it sold itself, I'm getting the game when it comes out and I'm sure Fable 2 will be in the used section before long. There's plenty of people out there who will play it and return it the second they finish it.

DarkNessBear @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:42PM

I thought the demo was pretty fun. But like everyone else I still would like to see the game fail. Just because Dennis put himself way to out there.

Once you do that everyone wants to see you fail.

finaldarklord @ Jul 23rd 2008 7:57PM

I don't feel too bad for the guy. Yeah, much of the hate was unwarranted, but he did put the game out to get some feedback on it, and when he was given a list of issues he essentially told everyone to "fuck off." Then the whole fiasco with him trying to shut up the general trash talk...

Anyway, I feel for the guy but he brought this shit on himself.

Also, what game out there takes 3 generations to see finished? Jesus Christ.

j.howlett @ Jul 23rd 2008 9:17PM

kameo?

finaldarklord @ Jul 23rd 2008 7:58PM

LaughingTarget @ Jul 23rd 2008 8:15PM

Game critics don't amount to crap. I loved the demo, I'll slap down my $60 for it, and no matter what critics rate the game, it'll sell what it sells.

Remember, Carnival Games is a smash hit and Psychonauts nearly put Majesco out of business.

Dyack shouldn't care if the game makes a boat load of money.

Mathilda @ Jul 23rd 2008 8:21PM

That game will be garbage, you know it, i know it, everyone knows it, it's too ambitious for dyack and sillycrap knights, it's too much for them. his aryan will-to-power story shall collapse under the weight of his own ego.

Jacksons @ Jul 23rd 2008 8:25PM

Aww, I liked Fable 1.

Saria the Cat @ Jul 24th 2008 3:03AM

Me too! I didn't know the first one had gotten crap...I thought it was rather awesome and one of the best games on the XBOX for a while.

Dirty @ Jul 23rd 2008 8:39PM

Sweet new videos showcasing the pre-order armor sets on gametrailers.

http://www.gametrailers.com/game/2207.html

Dirty @ Jul 23rd 2008 8:42PM

Molyneux knows what it is like, after fable everyone hated on him for over hyping his game. The game was great but not a lot of people could get past the over promising.

The thing that sucks about this situation is that a developer opened its doors and let us see in on the development process, we got to see a lot from this game. Then people just turned it around and slammed them for everything they did, started judging it before they played it. Dont expect Silicon knights or any other developer to make that mistake again.

tim @ Jul 23rd 2008 8:55PM

I'd have to say their situations aren't as similar as most people think. Yeah, they both promised really, really big things, and they ended up not fully delivering, but the difference lies in their attitudes. Molyneux was very apologetic, and knew beforehand that they weren't quite able to pack everything in that they intended to.

Dyack, on the other hand, has continually blamed other factors as the source of Too Human's problems. First he blamed Epic, and now it's the gamers fault for bashing his game. Even with all the dropped features, they should have been able to put together a good game. I loved Fable 1. Sure, it didn't have all the features that were promised leading up to its release, but it's still a fantastic game, and still contains more depth than most modern games.

Cyro @ Jul 23rd 2008 9:12PM

Well I have my copy of Too Human pre-ordered. I played the demo and I liked it. Something different; something fresh in my opinion.

Its been ages since I played a dungeon crawler anyways. Feels like new. :)

Misfit Toy @ Jul 23rd 2008 9:51PM

I also have it pre-ordered. Despite the bad press...that was the game TWO YEARS AGO. Things can change. I've been pretty happy with any Microsoft Games published games I've bought, and Silicon Knights has yet to show me a bad game. I'm giving this one the benefit of the doubt.

j.howlett @ Jul 23rd 2008 9:20PM

"You feel sorry for who?" - O Dog

thenino85 @ Jul 23rd 2008 10:44PM

I played Fable without hearing about all the hype for it beforehand, and I thought it was a completely awesome game. One of the best games that I played for that console generation. Didn't know why so many people in message boards were ragging on the game when I started following video game news closely.

Yes, hype sucks, but sometimes the backlash from hype sucks more. A game that was great but a little hyped suddenly becomes a horrible, terrible game.

Also, for most people that aren't anti-social, having a large group of people say that you are a talentless hack hurts. You may know that that group of people are just angry malcontents, but it still hurts to know that there are groups of people that strongly dislike you. It's a basic human trait. Quit acting as though you DESERVE to make fun of Molyneux and Dyack. I'm sure that you've done things that turned out to be failures or that you've said some angry things while not thinking clearly. In a way, Dyack's latest rant was right. The Internet really does bring out the worst in people and turn them into bloodthristy, mindless animals (with some "clever" epic fail comment to boot!)

Vidikron (FU) @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:05PM

I'm glad to see some other people liked the demo. I loved it... so far I've played through with 4 of the 5 classes. I love dungeon crawlers with lots of loot to sort through and the co-op pretty much makes it a must-buy for me. I can't wait.

Anyway, for those that haven't tried it yet... please do. And make sure you actually play it for a while and don't give up on it 5 minutes in. It takes a few minutes to get used to the battle system and the wonky camera, but the game is worth it IMO.

Cyro @ Jul 24th 2008 12:48AM

It took me more like 20 minutes to get the hang of the controls and the camera. But thats fine. Its just different thats all.

OneTopJob6 @ Jul 24th 2008 1:16AM

Molyneux is the most self-second-guessing man in the industry. Self-criticism is generally a good thing, as it helps people learn from mistakes and improve their work, but Molyneux pulls it right up to an unhealthy level. I mean, how such a genius game as Black and White came to fall short in Molyneux's mind is beyond me.

rruss79 @ Jul 24th 2008 2:07AM

Well include me in on the people that liked the Too human demo. As everyone has stated, once you get use to the controls and the camera, things start to click together better. Just keeping a combo going was tought and enjoyable. Once I started to get that down, it really opened the combat of the game for me.

free99 @ Jul 24th 2008 4:24AM

I liked the cut scenes, but I thought the gameplay and graphics sawked bawls. I only gave it 5 mins.

After reading comments here I think I'll give it another try, just to make sure that I'm not missing out on a potential 'gem'.

E.J. @ Jul 24th 2008 4:39AM

Molyneux overpromises and still pumps out a decent game and accepts criticism. Denis Dyack can't accept criticism. Too Human still 'needs improvement'. I played it at E3 06 and played the recent demo: no obvious changes.

KilgoreTrout XL @ Jul 24th 2008 9:33AM

I don't feel sorry for him- I bet they make a fortune on that game. It's fun.

Anyone who likes a good dungeon crawl with lots of inventory options to fool around with should take the time to get used to the rather simple controls, and I bet you'll start to like it. Just don't expect your character to respond like it does in Ninja Gaiden 2.

zoso @ Jul 24th 2008 9:41AM

I have a hard time feeling sympathetic for Dyack, a lot of the stuff being said about the game is because of false promises he made himself. But that's Dyack's nature. I've met him on a few occasions (we live in the same city) and his manner is way too cocky. One time I talked to him just after the split with Nintendo and he was speaking like a fifteen year old kid who just broke up with his girlfriend, saying stuff like "they're not going anywhere" and "the Wii is a waste of time, they're not being serious." He bashes Sony for no good reason, and acts as though his title will put the nail in the coffins of the other systems. I will say this for him though, he's proud of what he does and is a great supporter of the local community, it's just when he's talking about his game that his panicked enthusiasm worries people.