Tim Schafer lends some LOLs to Fallon on Late Night

by Ben Gilbert { Oct 3rd 2009 at 11:30PM }

That's it, folks -- the game industry has finally made it into the bigtime! With Brütal Legend's dark overlord Tim Schafer appearing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon leading up to the game's October 13 release (video found after the break), it's become clear to us that we've finally made it. What more could we ask than one of the game industry's greats appearing on a late night television show? Next thing we know, editors of Joystiq sister site Engadget will be appearing on Fallon and Halo will have its own soda! Yeah, right, like that will ever happen.

[Via Kotaku]

[Image credit]

Tags: brutal-legend, double-fine, jimmy-fallon, late-night-with-jimmy-fallon, pc, tim-schafer

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Malek Onaissi @ Oct 3rd 2009 11:33PM

wow

Bobby Kotick 2: Echoes @ Oct 4th 2009 12:18AM

You didn't actually watch the video first, did you?

You posted that comment 3 minutes after this post was released, and the video was 5 minutes long.

yolarrydabomb @ Oct 4th 2009 1:33AM

The son of a bi-ch wanna be first.

GewurztraminerX @ Oct 4th 2009 1:47AM

because, you know, it'd be impossible to have seen it say, Friday night, when it aired.

fundando @ Oct 4th 2009 3:38AM

What about Goerge Harrison's son on Conan promoting Beatles Rock Band?

Turd Ferguson @ Oct 4th 2009 11:18AM

well, considering his ratings, the chances of anyone having seen that interview on friday night when it aired are pretty slim

Autobot @ Oct 4th 2009 1:39PM

http://yepyep.gibbs12.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/yahoo.jpg

aacman007 @ Oct 3rd 2009 11:35PM

Gonna get brutal legend. Demo was bananas.

Cheesus Crust @ Oct 4th 2009 12:03AM

So was it good? I might try it.

aacman007 @ Oct 4th 2009 12:07AM

It was indeed. I don't like Jack Black very much, but once I got that out of my head, the game because even more hilarious. And what the demo shows is good... practically everything. Funniness, simple and uncomplicated yet rewarding and gory gameplay, variety in gameplay, metal, etc.

Just try it! lol, it'll also have multiplayer, which is something I didn't expect!

Filthy Assistant @ Oct 4th 2009 12:41AM

I didn't really like the on-foot controls/camera/combat but that's mainly because Arkham Asylum has spoiled me. The driving was surprisingly fun.

why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 4th 2009 1:00AM

I also was let down by the combat. The game (or at least the demo) has a ton of it, which seems dumb since the combat doesn't play terribly well. Don't emphasize your weaknesses.

I also agree that partly I'm spoiled by games like Arkham Asylum or Uncharted. Go ahead, say Uncharted's combat isn't perfect. That's true, it's not. But it's better than this combat by a long shot.

Reaper man @ Oct 4th 2009 1:48AM

Was it bananas, or was it BEE-AY-EN-AY-EN-AY-ES?

BananaBoat @ Oct 4th 2009 1:53AM

How can you judge the combat by the demo? You barely have any combos to use. I'm sure there is more depth to the combat once there is more to do than hit X or square over and over.

I was on the fence about purchasing the game until I played the demo just now. It is freaking awesome. Just the atmosphere alone is enough to sell it, but the humor really puts the icing on the cake. Don't watch the movie that plays after the demo though, because there is a spoiler (or I think it is a spoiler at least, it sure looks like one).

This holiday season is going to be huge for games.

(Oh, and so that you don't get frustrated like I did, and have to consult a FAQ like I did, you need to use the earthquake move (or whatever it's called) to lower the gate near the end of the demo)

aacman007 @ Oct 4th 2009 1:58AM

lol, i just randomly hit a bunch of combos... thankfully the shockwave reached the engine blocks from where the monster's head was...

In retrospective, the combat was indeed a little lacking, but, it truly wasn't that bad and it sure was satisfying... Though the guitar attacks were a bit weird imo.

Also, it's kinda hard to switch targets with the right stick when i'm attacking... because I need to do both at once... =P

Cheesus Crust @ Oct 4th 2009 2:07AM

Ok I tried it! It was VERY fun! Nice break from COD/GTA. Will be picking this one up.

acme @ Oct 4th 2009 6:06AM

i slid across the floor and uppercut a demon with my axe in slow motion. thats fucking WIN.

The combat is fine.

Filthy Assistant @ Oct 4th 2009 6:07AM

@bananaboat there are no more combos. What's in the demo is what's in the game. You hit X/A a bunch.

To be fair it probably wouldn't have seemed so bad if not for Arkham and Uncharted being around now, but it seemed sorta lackluster. I do think the rest of the game, its style and general "feel" will make up for it.

After all, Psychonauts wasn't a particularly great platformer, but its characters, humor, and level design is what made it great.

BananaBoat @ Oct 4th 2009 7:24AM

Seriously? That is all of the combos? I guess you could add the things you can do with others (like throwing the chick from the demo), but even then, that isn't a whole lot of variety.

I hope that doesn't turn out to be the case. Did you hear that in a review or something?

LaughingTarget @ Oct 4th 2009 7:54AM

Tim Schafer games have never been about revolutionary gameplay design. They're about games with extremely well written stories, creative settings, funny characters and situations, and solid, yet simple, gameplay.

That is exactly what Brutal Legend is, nothing particularly new in the gameplay department, yet something that's never been done before. Games are no longer judged about how long the combo memorization list is, they're much more today. You've got one on one fighters for those who really feel memorizing huge lists of button presses is what a game is all about as opposed to content.

Brutal Legend will be a funny game that draws you into a bizarre, yet believable world and leaves you satisfied until the end.

Besides, to be fair, all we saw in the demo was an extremely linear experience, not the open world gameplay of the retail product and we didn't see other things like the flight mechanic, the RTS elements, and all of one guitar solo power.

Alex @ Oct 4th 2009 10:22AM

Mine is downloading now.
1.53GB? Seriously?

I began downloading it on the day it cam out (UK), and because of my god awful internet speed, it's only on 46% now.

Hakaisou @ Oct 4th 2009 11:40AM

Hold it right there!!! Who the hell are you to blanket declare that fighting games are somehow lesser than any other genre?

PSN: John-Paul-Jones @ Oct 4th 2009 3:28PM

I admit the story was funny. The atmosphere and dialogue really felt like a Tim Schafer game, BUT the audio was horrible and a lot of the audio bits sounded like 32 kbps quality. The visuals were also a letdown and it didn't have a consistent frame rate (see: GTA IV on consoles) and I also experienced tearing. People may say "But it's a demo! It could be a lot better on the final release!", but I highly doubt it. I've played so many demos before the release dates and it was exactly the same experience with the same bugs when it came time to play the final version.

why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 4th 2009 5:11PM

My complaint isn't with the number of combos. There are 6, right? A, hold A, X, hold X, A+X and A-X-A. I expect it has more combos later when you get different weapons.

My complaint is just how the combat works. Like with X, which baddie will you attack? It's difficult to tell. I often would press and hold X and it sets the wrong dude on fire. With press X it's not too bad, since you can hit it rapidly, if you get the first wrong, just do it again. But with press and hold X, if you thought you'd hit one guy who is relatively near and it hits another who is far away instead, it can be a bit of a problem.

And then there is that the combat just isn't terribly dynamic.

I don't know what people are saying about the graphics. They're not top-notch, but they're more than sufficient. What exactly were you expecting? How did you get the idea from Double Fine's previous efforts that this would have cutting edge graphics?

Sora @ Oct 3rd 2009 11:36PM

I wouldn't call late-night television the "big time," but it certainly foreshadows a good future.

Ridgecity @ Oct 4th 2009 4:23AM

Does anyone get the feeling Jimmy Fallon is just trying to get the gamers to add to the ratings? He never did any gaming sketches during his whole SNL years, now he features something every couple weeks...

At least it seems to be working with gamers, now with normal people, it's a whole different case.

Hydrophobicfish (PSN: HydrophobicFish) @ Oct 4th 2009 7:34AM

Well, Ridge... Maybe he is, maybe he isn't.

Maybe the situation was that the heads at SNL were like "No, gaming sketches aren't mainstream enough, only a small percentage will understand the jokes."
Because really... Master Chief getting plasma grenades stuck to his balls, but them not detonating, him getting a normal job with the plasma on his crotch, getting married, having kids, retiring, being on death bed, then finally they explode, to symbolize his death... Nobody's gonna understand what the hell is going on beyond "lol ball punishment."

Now, however, he holds more sway, and can do more of what he wants... and let's be honest, as far as television programming goes, gamers are a relatively untapped market, that's rapidly growing. Sure, we have G4, but anyone who's really a gamer doesn't watch that channel. Admittedly, most people who are gamers tend to gravitate towards Colbert Report, and Jon Stewart, but that's not specifically done with us in mind.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely HATE being marketed to as a separate entity from everyone else (why do I need my own special energy drinks, or snacks? I'm capable of digesting normal food). But it is nice to be thought of, at least.

offday @ Oct 4th 2009 10:58AM

I never thought there would ever be a worse late night talk show host than Carson Daly. Then Jimmy Fallon came along.

Jay @ Oct 4th 2009 11:14AM

Actually, Jimmy Fallon gets really good ratings for his time slot - well above what was expected. So, they pretty much let him do what he wants. He likes games and thinks they belong in the pantheon of music and movies, so he features them from time to time.

Omega2k3 @ Oct 4th 2009 6:58PM

You know, Fallon gets a lot of flak, and I certainly didn't think he would do well, but the only problem with his show right now is his nervousness. I'm betting most people haven't tuned in that are insulting him, because any bits of the show that I've watched have been entertaining at least, and the jokes haven't really failed to cause lulz. It also includes gaming with mainstream tastes, and that's pretty damn cool.

He just needs to work on his nervous ticks, and he'll alienate less viewers.

Cj @ Oct 3rd 2009 11:42PM

Can't wait to get this.

jonathonfwagner @ Oct 3rd 2009 11:42PM

Tim Schafer is a charismatic individual. He's what I want everything game-related should be rolled into one roly poly game developer.

aoday91 @ Oct 3rd 2009 11:43PM

Mani wish it was rocktober already instead of shitty october the only cool thing that happens this month is Halloween I WANT BRUTAL LEGEND NOW

Anthology @ Oct 3rd 2009 11:48PM

I'm glad Schafer is giving Fallon some LOLs, god knows he and his writers aren't any good at making them on their own.

Sonic @ Oct 4th 2009 12:03AM

Yeah, Fallon is probably near the bottom of the late-night list. I think he's got some decent material... he just sucks at presenting them.

Timett @ Oct 4th 2009 12:43AM

I was never a Falon fan but I must say I find his show much more entertaining than I expected. He seems to have a lot of good people around him and he's got a lot of good ideas he's just a bit rough around the edges. I like his casual approach and how he seems to be genuinely interested in talking to his guests he just needs to learn to be a funnier talk show host..

People forget that Conan was pretty terrible at first.

I can get behind hating on Carson Daily though. That guy has been on the air long enough and every time I happen to catch his show I can't believe he's still on television.

LegendaryRedass @ Oct 4th 2009 1:05AM

He's like this generations Joe Piscipo. Only Piscipo knew when to go away. He plays the gamer card (no pun) to get us to watch him. I don't buy it. "How's that Sony dreamcast workin Jimmy?

"Awe it's awesome, Cant wait for grand theft turismo to come out, watch my show, I like games."

I know I'm being a dick, but I loathe fake ass Hollywood douchebags.

Jrinswand @ Oct 4th 2009 9:29AM

Jimmy Fallon is pretty terrible. He has never been funny. That is why I was so surprised the other day when I found out that The Roots are his house band. I can't understand why The Roots, a band that is so incredibly awesome, would deign to be on Fallon's show.

abelpc @ Oct 4th 2009 9:41AM

I think it is funny that at the end of the interview Fallon sez coming this ROCKTOBER.. didn't Activision copyright that? LOL How Ironic since Activision was originally going to publish this game, dropped it, then tried to get it back after they realized their stupid mistake. Oh Activision.. are they going to Sue Fallon now?

offday @ Oct 4th 2009 11:01AM

He looks so nervous, like he's constantly having to throw up.

bluezy @ Oct 4th 2009 11:15AM

abelpc: Who's Sue Fallon?

abelpc @ Oct 4th 2009 4:29PM

Sue is Jimmy's secret Intern lover! LOL

JACK @ Oct 5th 2009 11:49AM

Craig is best period.

Fullmetal Salchemist @ Oct 5th 2009 1:45PM

Fallon's writers are fine; in fact, he's got most of Conan's old writers. He's just not a good host.

PR0F3TA (PSN - PROPHETA) @ Oct 3rd 2009 11:54PM

i wish there was a way to change Jimmy Falon into someone who is actually funny, then maybe i'd be more into the interview

Kattleox @ Oct 4th 2009 1:51AM

Like Tim Schafer? I mean, if there were two Tim Schafers there it would have been hilarious.

Deatharea @ Oct 4th 2009 4:11AM

But then that would create a Tim Paradox and trust me, you don't want to know what happens then

GewurztraminerX @ Oct 4th 2009 12:20AM

Been on the fence about this because I enjoyed Psychonauts, but I'm not a metal fan and I don't care too much for blood & gore in my games.

but damn, this game has a good demo!

Sold!

Nobledevil @ Oct 4th 2009 12:22AM

I just saw the interview and I gotta say, Tim Schafer always makes me laugh. That dude is straight up witty.

Jimmy: "Oh, you know Satan? How's he doing?"

Tim: "Oh, yeah, he's great. Gaining a little weight, though."

(That's not exact, but I'm not gonna transcribe the damn thing so just go watch it on Hulu).

Nobledevil @ Oct 4th 2009 12:25AM

One thing, though: I really wish they showed a part of a cutscene from the game instead of random ass clips. When showing a movie clip they don't show 2 second glimpses of randomness, but I guess that's something this industry will have to earn from the fogies who think it's all kid's stuff for people with no attention spans.

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