David Jaffe's GOTY 09: My very fast thoughts on the indie game scene

David Jaffe: "First off, let me make this clear: my 2009 game of the year is Flower.

Now I have yet to finish UNCHARTED 2 (playing thru it now) and so that could top it. But I
mention it because:
a- many folks have asked me what my 2009 GOTY is.
b- I need to make it clear- before I go off- that I'm a fan of all games, mainstream and indie
alike.

Having said that (yes, I watch Curb):

Shut the F*** up with the obnoxious as hell indie game maker attitude."

[Megaton]

It was my downloadable GOTY, but not overall. That would be UC2.

[Bungie]

hellz yeah

Flower is very hardcore :)

[3sq]

The little girl just got butthurt and changed her avatar. LOL :)

[DigitalAnalog]

Yet, this is coming from the guy who has created the most hardcore game series of all time.

-End statement

[bjornbear]

I agree, its probably just about as hardcore as Halo 3.

It has the same colour palate and skill level required to ace, thats for sure ;)

[sikbeta]

Guys, you read what Bungie wrote on the Open Zone and how he got OWNED

This is Priceless

[Major_Tom]

Flower received a lot of critical acclaim from critics and fans, especially developers. This doesn't really surprise me not to mention PSN basically has the best downloadable games as of right now.

[zeeshan]

Bungie, you got owned like I have never seen before. Brother keep it real and be a gamer and not a fanboy and you'll see how much you can enjoy video games regardless the platform.

As for the rest of the people, STFU!!! Let him be. He is not representing any gaming website nor is he a journalist. If Flower is GOTY for him then that's his choice. Free will, remember?

[3XP]

DJ calls flower GOTY and you guys agree with him? Or are at least NOT willing to challenge that, fkin' incredible.

Perhaps I'm missing something, can someone tell me how to play Flower? I've seen it but, can't quite understand what you do? And or how it's so exciting that it would be named GOTY.

Please provide sensible feedback, I'm curious.

Edit: @Blaster...(below) I agree.

@Lightningsax - Thanks :)

[lightningsax]

Here's the basics of playing it - if you're stuck at the start screen, tilt your controller toward the flower pot and it'll zoom in. It pretty much explains everything from there. Hold a button, any button, and tilt to go. Open up flowers, they'll open up more pathways, stuff will happen, and you'll reach a goal.

The cool stuff about Flower isn't so much the "message" that people seem to get from it, it's more about the great (and probably the only great) use of the Sixaxis controls, the integration of what you do in the game to the music that's created, brilliant use of color, and the pacing - there's no time limit here to push you around a la PJ Eden. It's also a very varied experience - each of the stages brings something new to the table, especially the atmosphere and "feeling" behind each stage.

I'd go so far as to say that this game doesn't aim to embody the term "exciting." It's a different kind of experience, just check it out.

As for it "earning" GOTY, it depends on what you're looking for. My favorite is probably Demon's Souls just because of how awesome the game works on a psychological level. When you beat something, you feel like Rocky at the top of the steps. For some people, though, Demon's Souls is unenjoyable, and they'll have a different game. That's okay.

Edit: No problem, 3XP!

[pixelsword]

That was some of the best judo I've seen since UFC.

[itisa]

Where every exclusive is another Game of The Year contender.
In my book,it is Uncharted 2 because it's a movie.
Others might say Demon's Souls for its atmosphere.
FPS avid will say Killzone 2,superhero lovers will vote for inFamous,mini developers praise Littlebigplanet to the sky for its possibility.

Can I say the same thing for Xbox360?I'm not sure.

[Proxy]

He should strengthen his position by using more F words next time.

[ReservoirDog316]

Haha

[NickIni]

Jaffe was clearly brought up to the belief that using obscenities for no actual reason will get people to like you.

[ThanatosDMC]

This guy again... ::facepalm::

[Guido]

Priceless. I just read it and wonder why he would even bother showing his face int he gamer zone. You just can't beat an owning like that one. lol

[immortal84]

It's obvious that he support indie games. Not bad though.

[Blaster_Master]

Now Im really worried about his next title. Flower. Really? This guy is really weird. Maybe he should just move to japan and start doing horror films. Im not joking. How can the creator of the most bad ass game ever created GOW say that flower is his GOTY is beyond me. I would think that maybe it was Demons souls, or NSMB, I would even settle for Pixel Junk shooter. But flower?! Wow, he must be suffering from Alzheimer disease or something. Scientifically doesn't make sense. Its like saying that Steven Segal is gay now. LOL!

[mfwahwah]

Blaster_Master

You sound like such a narrow-minded lackwit. How someone in this day and age can think like that is completely beyond me (unless you're 14 or so, in which case no offense).

[bjornbear]

he has something called creativity, and can understand when something is good and unique, regardless of what its context is.

I personally can't stand Nihilist and Dadaism art works, but I do have one or two that I love regardless of the fact that I dislike the art style.

If you are flexible, you can end up liking all sorts random stuff =)

[lovestospoodge]

You know, everyone says David Jaffe is such a badass, but I think he's kind of a sweetheart

[Blaster_Master]

you people are seriously messed up. Flower. Yeah that game is just so good, GOTY prospect. LOL! You guys are definitely in touch with your sensitive sides. LOL! BTW, Im not saying that games have to have blood and guts to be good, but really, most of you here probably still virgins from what Im hearing in here.

looking at 2.4 , LOL. Wow, somebody get the flour out. Fruit cake for everyone. I gotta show this page to my friends. LOL!

[lovestospoodge]

its a quote from a movie ur not old enough to see...
and also, find me a non-virgin who calls themselves Blaster Master

[Bungie]

enjoy flowers guys

it's the best game for ps3 owners

[FiftyFourPointTwo]

Flower
Metascore: 87

ODST
Metascore: 83 <----- EPIC FAIL! :D

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL ! OWNED!

[Mr Bot]

@FiftyFourPointTwo

u totally owned him!! bubble for ya

flower is a good game that help u to spend some nice and relaxing time with a cool game, something that never exist in xbox PC oh sorry i meant xbox 360!!

[camachoreloaded8806]

an 84 and an 87 is a B. Just saying. I'm not too comfortable bragging my ass off about how one game is 3 points higher than another when averaged out among critics.

[Killjoy3000]

Who said he was bragging his ass off? He simply made a true statement. If he wanted to show off, he'd be talking about how Uncharted 2, LittleBigPlanet, and MGS4 are the highest rated exclusives this generation, which they are.

[duplissi]

OUCH! that was cute

[Digitaldude]

I like how he doesnt comment again cause he knows he got owned.

[ATi_Elite]

"FLOWER" what kinda name is that for a Tactical First Person Shooter"?

I can't wait to stain all that green grass and Dandy lion patches with the blood and guts of my enemies.

I hope the Multiplayer has more maps. (These maps are to happy looking)

Are there vehicles in this game?

Flower, maybe that's like some covert name or acronym like F.L.O.W.E.R. Futuristic Laser Operation War Empire Reconnaissance or something.
I like the music they had playing, sounds like Vietnam music when they show dead bodies or coffins.

Those windmills must be spawn points or ammo caches.
Either way they make great Sniper Nest.

I don't understand all the colored confetti, they must have dropped a JDAM on a clothing factory.

Air Strike!!!! flippen Awesome just like MW2 oh boy! Can't wait!

F.L.O.W.E.R. - Tactical FPS is HARDCORE this game is going to rule!!!

I hope this is on the Xbox 360!!!!!! please be on Xbox!

[Kevin Butler of Sony]

What system is flower for again? Ohhh thats right. The multimedia monster known as the playstation 3.

[camachoreloaded8806]

I said he was bragging his ass off. As for those games you mentioned, well, then he should have used those exclusives to compare to ODST, especially if he's going to say something like:

"EPIC FAIL! :D

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL ! OWNED!"

A 3 point difference is not an epic fail.

[xbox3flopteen]

that bungie has all these bubbles is he un-destroyable!!!have to bee shut d fck up!!!always pouring sht from his fingers.

[callahan09]

Flower is a wonderful choice. It's so beautiful.

[callahan09]

I got 4 disagrees? I'm honestly surprised. Is it not beautiful? I wouldn't pick Flower for my personal game of the year, but if it's David Jaffe's choice, I think it's a good one, because Flower is so unique and serene. It's just a joy to play and behold. My father hates videogames but he bought a PS3 for Flower when he saw me playing it. He was just going to get a slightly less expensive standalone blu-ray player, but when I showed him Flower, he decided to get a PS3, and he loves the game. It's really a special game, so if someone wants to call it Game of the Year, I can get behind that.

[mfwahwah]

Welcome to N4G. Don't mind the Agree / Disagree ratio. Trust me.

[Eamon]

Yeah here at N4G, if a guy really hates your comment he'll sign in all of his 5 accounts to disagree with you.

Don't mind it.

[dead_eye]

It is so beautiful and very unique. i think this is why he picked it for his goty. and why not it was a fantastic experience and something new nothing wrong with that.

[Marceles]

I'm sure your disagrees was from one person with multiple accounts, Flower was an amazing game. Anyone that owns a PS3 MUST play it.

[Redempteur]

i spend to much time in flower to not love this game

[tripewire]

On Topic: Flower is pretty awesome.

Still On topic: Despite this I wish Jaffe would just shut his proverbial mouth. The guy seems like more of an idiot every time he communicates with the outside world. Except maybe this time.

[nogolis]

Anything to be different and buck trend, right Jaffe? Please, while Flower might be good, can't say for sure eitherway if I like it or not, it doesn't seem to be much of a game. Then again, neither did Flow.

[mfwahwah]

Different strokes for different folks. Who are you to judge someone's tastes and preferences?

[Carl1412]

I agree with Jaffe, flower was immensely awesome. Not my game of the year though.

[Sarick]

Making PS3 remakes for ps3 instead of letting the old versions continue to circulate. Selling them as a collection with higher rates was a smart move. I wish more developers did this. (Hint SE FFVII)..

A FF7 FF9 and FF10 remastered would make my dreams come true especially if the ff7 is totally upgraded to ps3 standards.

Back to topic it only took this gens consoles to hit the sweet spots in cost and a few great titles to finally kick start this gen into something worth remembering. I just wish developers found a way around there bs protected saves. Hopefully Jeffie didn't choose that direction with his games.

[bujasem_89]

is awesome soothing i love the trophy that says play this game after a week its cool

[biloz]

Flower is really one of a kind!! great choice for me

[Gamer7l]

...makes no sense. :/

[Gen0ne]

I thought I was the only one wrestling with that.

[n4gn4gn4gn4g]

still approved.

That's some quality approving:

BIoodmask (4) - 45m ago
biloz (1) - 1h ago
thorstein (1) - 2h ago
Game Force 4 (1) - 4h ago
bageara (1) - 4h ago
immortal84 (2) - 4h ago

[wildcat]

That's what it should look like.

[Gen0ne]

David Jaffe's GOTY *is* very unexpected. Actually, they should've substituted very with completely. Whoever wrote this needs better control over their written English if they want to be taken seriously.

[Gen0ne]

That would help explain his GOTY choice. Don't get me wrong, Flower's awesome. Just not GOTY awesome. Maybe I'm just pissed 'cause I can't get the trophy for going through the city level without getting electrified. Hmm...

[YogiBear]

His choice 2008 GOTY was Gears of War 2. Chew on that awhile.

[Noah]

I agree Flower is awesome.

[redDevil87]

@FiftyFourPointTwo

Nice ownage. Bungie you better be careful how you comment. We're only 2 days into 2010 and u got embarrassed! Wonder how many more time it's gonna happen this year lol

[Harlequiine]

Jaffe has a lot of hate around here... if you guys actually read and followed his blog, you'd see that he isn't full is sh*t like the gaming 'media' portrays him. He is passionate and defends his work, which I admire -- says a lot more than "Right, do this and we'll get more $$$" as other companies seem to think.

And while Flower isn't my GOTY (I didn't even finish it), I admire it. Demon's Souls all the way for me.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

I'm with you guys.

That title is ridiculous!

[GeoramA]

Always nice to see a dumbass Halo fanboy get owned.

This day's turning out just fine :)

[GeoramA]

Downloadable GOTY for sure.

There's absolutely nothing like it.

[DelbertGrady]

It reminds him of home. The Shire.

Imo Pixeljunk Shooter and Trials HD were the best downloadable games this year.

[WengYong]

I thought Shadow Complex was, and I got to play it for free too >:)

[DelbertGrady]

Yeah I forgot about that. Definitely Shadow Complex. MGS + Metroidvania. How can you go wrong? :)

[Akagi]

@Bungie

stop trolling, please. It isn't 2004 anymore.

[Figboy]

Jaffe is (working in the video game industry is NOT all fun and games; no pun intended...i think), i can see how a simple, relaxing, yet incredibly gorgeous game like flower would be his personal choice for game of the year.

on an artistic level, the game is beautiful. on a technical level, the way they implemented their grass physics is quite impressive.

i still play flower every once in a while when i'm trying to relax at the end of the night, before bed. it's surprising how well that works. before that it was flow.

my personal GOTY is Uncharted 2, but flower is a good choice. he was probably able to devote more time into that downloadable title throughout his year full of developing his game and thus being put under and insane amount of pressure and stress, because flower doesn't require a lot of commitment. there's no narrative that you just HAVE to complete, there's no MP clans complaining if you miss a day or two of gametime. you can play the whole game in one sitting, taking no more than an hour or two, and afterwards, you feel refreshed.

for a working guy, that's pretty useful. especially when you're putting in 10 to 12 hours a day, 6 days a week.

i'd be surprised if Jaffe has even been able to complete many of the "big dog" games released in 2009, or even 2008.

the irony of being a game developer is that even though you develop games for a living, you very rarely get to actually play GAMES. not even your own, actually. that's what your QA team is for. lol.

[Oner]

Exactly Fig. Personally it's not my kind of game...but that doesn't mean I can't understand and see why it has been given it's merits by gamers, devs, reviewers & etc. The issue here is that those with a limited scope and open mind will always $#@! on something they don't understand. Take a look at my Bio and read the quote I put in there recently; it actually says a lot and is relevant to what I'm talking about (in a way).

[Lou Ferrigno]

Titles is reDONculous but Bungie got OWNED in the OPen zone HAHAHAHA LOL,just sayin,sh!t was awesome!

[Kluv]

Flower is freaking amazing!!!!!

[yog-sothot]

Flower was nice, beautiful and very original, but not my personnal GOTY. That would be UC2, Dawn of War 2 or Dragon Age...

Among the downloadable only games, it is probably in my top 3... But PixelJunk Shooter, Plants vs Zombies and Trine (is it downloadable only ? not sure) were also really great

2009 has been a very solid year for gaming. Maybe nothing that I will really remember in 10 years (like Bioshock in 2007, MGS4 in 2008...), but a lot of fun anyway

[lightningsax]

"If you really want to be indie, stop giving a f*** about being indie and just be."

This is the best thing Jaffe's said in a very long time. I could care less about the rest of the article - he should have just posted this.

Also, this isn't too unexpected. He makes downloadable smaller-production games, after all. Flower was a great experience, and if it hit him harder than anything else this year, more power to him for saying it's the GOTY.

Now, if he said Rogue Warrior was GOTY, I'd start getting worried.

[Darkfiber]

Why is it unexpected that someone wouldn't pick just another shooter like Modern Warfare 2 or Uncharted 2 which are exactly the same as games we've already played 50 times? Flower is one of the most innovative games this year, I'll give him that. Not my pick but my hat goes off to anyone who doesn't pick the obvious 2, which are absolutely nothing special.

[Walrus]

I lol'd

[Walrus]

I wanted to buy flower... but I was 3 cents short (no joke) and I don't want to go and buy another $20 PSN card. I bought resi 2 instead.

[gtamike123]

Come on David Jaffe make Twisted Metal PS3!!!!! :D

[Justin_bristoe]

he failed bad.i feel sorry for that box zombie.

[ATm32]

the game for $5 i think :\

[jack_burt0n]

Was pleased to see flower at the top end of the top 10 of downloads for 2009 on psn, kudos to the jaffe cake for his taste and TGC 4 a great game!

[djtek184]

Bungie left himself wide open on that one.

[ATi_Elite]

"FLOWER" what kinda name is that for a Tactical First Person Shooter"?

I can't wait to stain all that green grass and Dandy lion patches with the blood and guts of my enemies.

I hope the Multiplayer has more maps. (These maps are too happy looking)

Are there vehicles in this game?

Flower, maybe that's like some covert name or acronym like F.L.O.W.E.R. Futuristic Laser Operation War Empire Reconnaissance or something.
I like the music they had playing, sounds like Vietnam music when they show dead bodies or coffins.

Those windmills must be spawn points or ammo caches.
Either way they make great Sniper Nest.

I don't understand all the colored confetti, they must have dropped a JDAM on a clothing factory.

Air Strike!!!! flippen Awesome just like MW2 oh boy! Can't wait!

F.L.O.W.E.R. - Tactical FPS is HARDCORE this game is going to rule!!!

I hope this is on the Xbox 360!!!!!! please be on Xbox!

[squirrelly89]

Jaffe is a douche bag as far as people go. One GoW game could have been enough because he lacks any true ingenuity as a designer. The only person who may be a bigger, ego-centric d-bag is Peter Molyneux. So who cares what this man-boy thinks is GoTY? Exactly

[YogiBear]

Uh yeah, Jaffe's also ten times more successful than some random a$$hole that calls him a douche on a comment section at N4G.

[artsaber]

The Evolution of Whack

[Figboy]

Jaffe had a hand in creating Mickey Mania on the SNES and Genesis, one of the best Mickey Mouse games ever, as well as the Twisted Metal series and the awesome and criminally underrated War of the Monsters. God of War is the series that put his name on the map, however.

Jaffe can say whatever the f*ck he wants because he lives in a free country. if you don't agree with what he has to say, you are totally and truly free to do that as well.

i find it funny that when a guy speaks his mind about the BS of the games industry and even the internet, he gets labeled a douchebag, but a company can come out and claim that their game is the "definitive game of the generation" barely 4 years into the generation, crap all over the competition and then get outclassed by that very same competition in every category, and it gets no commentary by the gaming media, but Jaffe opens his mouth, and there's like 12 stories about it. this one isn't filled with his usual colorful expletives, so this will more than likely be the only story about this particular Jaffe comment.

i don't understand why people get so up in arms about the things that comes out of his mouth. there are far more irritating personalities in the gaming industry than David Jaffe, and even Peter Molyneux.

Molyneux is pretentious, not a douchebag.

Jaffe is a loud mouth, not a douchebag.

Cliff Blezinski is a douchebag.

Aron Greenburg is a douchebag.

Bobby Kotick is a douchebag.

Turn 10 are douchebags.

Gabe Newell is a douchebag.

Regie Fils Aimee is a douchebag (he hides it EXTREMELY well, though).

considering that Jaffe lives and breathes the gaming industry, his frank incite rather interesting, and having worked in the gaming industry for 5+ years, i'm always interested in learning about the process from other developers, and how they deal with the day to day of building video games.

it's not an easy job by any means, and video games don't just magic themselves onto store shelves. a lot of blood, sweat, and tears goes into creating these games, even the sh*tty ones, and nothing feels worse than having something you worked so hard on get ripped to shreds by people who haven't even PLAYED it.

Calling All Cars wasn't a great game, but it WAS fun as a party game. it won't go down in the history books as Jaffe's masterpiece, but the guy is still young enough to surprise us, and he has a genuine passion for his craft.

it confuses me why the people that hate to hear what he has to say are always the ones flocking to stories about his latest comments. i mean, isn't that counterproductive?

i hate Jimmy Falon and Chris Katan, and i don't find myself standing in line to see their movies. *shrugs*

it SEEMS like that would be the logical course of action.

if you don't like something or someone, especially if that something or someone can be easily avoided by, say, NOT CLICKING ON THE LINK TO THE STORY, i don't know why anyone would then proceed to expose themselves to the thing they hate.

oh, right, it's the internet, and people are under the impression that other people actually CARE how much they hate something or another, and want to hear about it in excruciating detail, and why they themselves are stupid for not seeing why they should hate that something or another too.

people are weird.

[squirrelly89]

Ezactly so why right such a long diatribe for nothing? You sir, are a paradox.