Denis Dyack Apologizes for X-Men: Destiny

[Riobux]

Okay, I cut a good chunk out. My defence wasn't to say congratulations or praising him for pooling funds elsewhere, but more a symbol that they do care about the project enough that it's not just to print money.

Besides, they might not even of been interested in doing it "right". Eternal Darkness is a classic, and they know it. They wouldn't have to do much to hype the game besides announcing it, and pre-orders alone for the title would of more than likely of been high, crap or not game otherwise. This was all around the point where the lawsuits were getting heavy, and for all we know they were just looking for a quick buck to save their (or his) ass.

If they wanted to just print money, then why did they sit on the project? As you said, all they needed to do is snap their fingers, declare "we're making Eternal Darkness 2 now guys, this is our soul project" and vomit that out in a year. There are other game genres and game types that are even easier to print money with in comparison to an Eternal Darkness sequel. Maybe it's because the series would be destroyed if they did it badly? Since you can only really make one bad game in a series before people declare the series dead. It is possible they were planning or are planning to make the game quick, cheap and easy but it's the same problem as burning your house for the insurance: You can only really do it once.

It'd also seem strange to follow up a bomb like Too Human with a completely different game if you viewed Eternal Darkness as a cash-cow. It'd be better to follow up Too Human with Eternal Darkness 2, and then use the money from the quickly-made sequel to make a game that can make a lot of money.

 

[Radoh]

Okay then, a number of things.
Firstly, who even pays attention to Kotaku anymore?
Secondly, I don't remember X-Men Destiny being a bad game. Not interesting and really boring, but not bad.
Thirdly, didn't Kotaku use to have integrity? I don't remember them always being a horrible mess.

 

[rob_simple]

Secondly, I don't remember X-Men Destiny being a bad game. Not interesting and really boring, but not bad.

It was a functional game, but little more than that. The touted ability-swapping mechanic was pointless outside a few combinations that essentially made your character a god; even for a multiple-paths game, the story has been re-tread so many times in X-Men comics, cartoons and films that I don't know why the even bothered with one...Oh, and it also still holds the prestige of having the worst moral choice system I've ever seen in a game, since literally the only thing it changes for about 90% of the game is who you speak to in a cutscene.

I would definitely go with the rush job theory, because when I played through it I assumed that it was originally meant to be an MMO whose bottle went and they decided to just release it as a very dull action/RPG; overall the whole game just lacked polish and felt extremely bare and unfinished.

Ordinarily in this situation I would say that no developer sets out to make a bad game and that sometimes you just misfire, but if he is honestly calling that their best effort then he should seek a different line of employment.

 

[Woodsey]

Wasn't Destiny absolutely awful? You would think they'd be better off saying they couldn't be arsed with it than saying that was their best effort.

 

[Lono Shrugged]

I am not giving that man a half hour of my time, let alone any of my moneycash.