Malefactor
|
Re: NO respect for this site anymore *READ*
Reply #12 - 07/27/17 at 03:30:08
I've never shared this particular Jaffe story and since it's part of Twisted Metal's history, and this thread has gained life (so thank you for giving this site energy for a bit), I'm going to share it. Since it's a Jaffe story it's relevant too.
First, I used to correspond with him occasionally. Not like we were buds or anything, but he knew me from TMA, knew my TMA name, etc. I was very supportive of some of his more controversial changes. For example, removing all but three characters, doing full motion video - I was willing to keep an open mind and he seemed to appreciate it. He gave me a free game once where I was in the credits. Awww memories.
He kept asking us for feedback. I gave him mountains of feedback, particularly on his ESP site where he said it was all being archived and stored. He claimed he was at least reading it, though he was under no obligation to follow it (which I understood).
Then a few weeks before the game's release he asked us what we meant by dodging and my world was shaken up. How could you have not understood my core complaint about TMHO? Did you actually read any of what I'd written? That stuff took HOURS AND HOURS to write and put in an organized form . . . There's more stuff that happened too but this really isn't that story . . .
It's the story of a meetup I had with him about a year later, in 2013.
Back then Jaffe's blog was more active, and he would occasionally host chats there. For some reason he was hosting a chat, and I entered it. By then I was certain that if I used the name he knew me from he'd kick me from the chat, so I went in as a no name.
I told him that I had a question. He told me to go ahead and ask. The following is a reenactment of the conversation, paraphrased, but I think pretty fair and accurate to both parties:
Malefactor: We always praised you and your teams as Gods. Even when the new game came out and the majority of the hardcore fan base vehemently rejected it, we still said great things about you, but you completely cut your ties and scorned us. Why?
Jaffe: I certainly didn't mean to criticize everyone, or everybody, but this was our baby. We put tons of time and money into it and the reaction was painful. I don't hate all the fans, I love most of the fans and appreciate their support.
Malefactor: I can understand where you're coming from and even think I'd have a lot of the same feelings, but you're reading a hardcore fan site. It's going to have strong opinions, that's what a fan site is. We're not writing the stuff thinking about how you will feel about it. Passion is what a fan site is built on.
Jaffe: I understand that, but I think you could be more self aware about how the people who made this product you care about are reacting to your comments. You can choose to be more diplomatic about it when you know that we are reviewing it and when you claim to care about us as people.
Malefactor: Do you remember how strongly you reacted online to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?
Jaffe: Yeah, but I don't think Steven Spielberg was reading it either. I think if he had been I would have been more gentle.
Malefactor: But don't you think he read a Jaffe like comment somewhere from someone numerous times? He's not oblivious to the reaction to his movie, and isn't that a good thing? Notice he hasn't come out against the fans?
I just think that you are probably right in a just world we would temper our feedback because of the feelings involved . . . But I think people like Spielberg rightly recognize that that feedback, however harsh, is essential to getting it right the next time. I'm worried your approach is going to come back to bite you in the long run.
****END STORY****
At that point I exited the chat before he could boot me . . . Not saying he would have . . . But I felt like I was on borrowed time as it was and my point had been made, and he'd done a good job of explaining his views.
Honestly, I think he has a point, and I do often look back and feel bad that feelings were hurt with how much I said the new homing missiles sucked, and on and on and on. I met the vast majority of the team who worked on the new Twisted Metal in person. For many of them it was their first project, and they were excited to work on a legendary series and probably hoped it would lead to career sucess (as we've all felt at times in our careers). All of us know how much those failures hurt, and I bet they felt backstabbed because it probably seemed like all of our praise was fake (it wasn't - it's just that the love of the product always hinged on the condition of quality). Numerous bridges were burned in 2012.
Yet, as much as I empathize with those feelings and understand them, I think at the end of the day Jaffe's idea simply can't work and if he tries to fight against it he loses a bigger battle. I am the consumer of Twisted Metal. I'm the one who dropped the $60 and I'm the one who actually plays a role in keeping the franchise alive through word of mouth. History shows time and time again that if you come out against the fans and claim they're just dead wrong you're product eventually stalls and dies.
Look at recent history. Mass Effect's recent release was much maligned, and the designers didn't come out in huge scorn against the fans. They still have a chance to get it right. Same thing happened to Dragon Age, and they followed up with a third installment that was much beloved. Diablo 3 was completely re shaped to be a much more successful product after Blizzard realized the fans did have some valid points. Disney's Marvel Universe movies that largely, and for the most part, listen to fans have done far better than the DC Universe which hasn't made that part of its paradigm (except for Wonder Woman which DID start to listen - and it's the most successful one yet).
Games, movies, even music where designers rage against everyone for not "getting it" fade out of existence.
Which, so far, is exactly what Drawn to Death ... and Twisted Metal ... is doing.
|