According to the NPD Group the controversial loot-grinder Too Human cracked the top ten sales chart for the month of August. Selling 168,200 units in a ten day period, Too Human landed the number 8 spot beating out Madden 09 for the Nintendo Wii and Guitar Hero: On Tour for the Nintendo DS.
While reactions have been mixed since Too Human's release, Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack told X3F in a post game release interview that the team from St. Catharine's, Canada, couldn't be happier with the final product. Controversy aside, Too Human debuted strong and continued sales only solidifies that the previously announced sequels are still in the works. That Valkyrie death animation can still fall in a well and die, though. Just saying.
In the final part of our three part interview with Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack we discuss the future of the studio. From genre bending, clarifications and the unanswered question regarding the ownership of the Eternal Darkness IP, this interview covers everything you'd want to know about the future of Silicon Knights.
Stay tuned tomorrow for a special giveaway to round out our Too Human coverage.
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In the final part of our three-part interview with Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack one of the biggest questions lingering in our mind was the ownership debate regarding the Eternal Darkness IP. Some say Nintendo is the sole owner of the name, some say they were simply the publishers.
While Denis agreed that the question is one they have never answered in the past, he still kept silent on the answers. ""It's a complicated question with a complicated answer and we're not answering that question."
However Dyack surprised us by stating that Silicon Knights still has a "silent partner" in Nintendo when discussing Eternal Darkness but reiterates that nothing has ever been announced for a sequel to the famed horror title.
In the final part of our three-part interview with Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack we discussed the one console future, specifically the topic of consolidation. With companies such as Electronic Arts purchasing developers like BioWare and Pandemic and Microsoft purchasing Lionhead, does Denis Dyack see Silicon Knights joining a major company in the future?
"I think I see that for everybody," Dyack told X3F. "I think what is really important for us, more than anything else, is that we're allowed to create great games, grown in the way we want to grow [and] maintain our culture."
While Dyack isn't adverse to the possibility he did contend that any thought on the matter now is pure speculation on his part. "Who knows, it's like trying to predict what the weather is going to be like a week from now."
In the second part of our three part interview with Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack the conversation focuses in on Too Human. After listing off his three high points and low points from his experiences of the game, Denis discusses his overall impressions of fan response -- refraining to comment on videos from Kevin Pereira and Giant Bomb -- and whether or not the game has lived up to the studio's expectations.
Due to length this video split into two sections, the second portion of the Too Human interview can be found after the jump.
Stay tuned tomorrow for the final part of our three part Denis Dyack interview. In part three Denis and Xav discuss the future of Silicon Knights, the studios relationship with Nintendo and the genre possibilities for the development team.
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In part two of our three part exclusive interview with Denis Dyack during a studio tour of Silicon Knights the subject of much debate was pointed out in the room like a 300 ton gorilla. Whether you're on the Too Human hate train or defence camp nearly everyone agrees the unskippable Valkyrie death animation breaks the flow of the game and gets downright boring.
When asked why the animation was not skippable, Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack was quick to compare the animation with loading a save file in other titles or an MMO corpse run reiterating that the Valkyrie scene is the only real penalty for death.
"If you're getting frustrated with the Valkyrie cinema, you might be dying a little too much," Dyack joked. "The bottom line is ... If it's a sign that people love the game so much that they just want to get back in and play, could we make it skippable? Sure, it's an easy change. Is it something we ever would have anticipated since we thought it was faster than going to get your body or losing experience [which does not happen in Too Human] ... is that a change we can make in the future? Sure."
While Dyack makes a valid point, many detractors and even fans - ourselves included - agree the scene feels dated and while he told us it could change, X3F was never told that that it would.
Stay tuned for the full interview at noon today where Xav and Denis discuss Too Human.
In the first part of our three part interview with Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack we discuss the origin of the studio from an Atari, Amiga and PC developer of RTS titles to the GameCube remake of the classic PS1 title, Metal Gear Solid. How did Silicon Knights get tapped to create the remake, when did the studio's relationship with Nintendo begin? Part one of the interview gets to the bottom of things from the games that Silicon Knights develops to the people and culture that make up the studio.
Stay tuned tomorrow for part two of our three part Denis Dyack interview. In part two Xav lists the top three things he likes and dislikes about his experience with Too Human - discussion ensues.
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In our exclusive three-part interview with Denis Dyack, the Silicon Knights president revealed the company is built much like a guild. "We do games differently than other companies," Dyack told X3F. "We're not saying we have it right and everyone else has it wrong but we do it our own way."
With ten staffers soon to be added to the, already long, list of decade long employees at Silicon Knights, Dyack told X3F that he hopes the company continue to support the industries most vital resource: People. "Everyone at Silicon Knights realizes that we're a knowledge based company and in a knowledge based company computers are $5,000 pencils -- the only value is the people."
After launching the controversial title Too Human, Silicon Knights invited X3F for a full tour of its studio and a one-on-one interview with company president, Denis Dyack. In the first of four videos, Dyack walks X3F through its St. Catharines, Canada, based studio showcasing the company culture and the process of creating its latest release.
Stay tuned tomorrow for part one of our three part Denis Dyack interview. In part one Dyack describes the "Origins of Silicon Knights."
In an exclusive studio tour and interview with X3F, Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack discussed his frustration regarding the common misconception that Too Human has been in development for over a decade.
"I cannot dispel that rumor enough," Dyack told X3F. "That is a bad way to talk about Too Human because that is factually incorrect."
Too Human is commonly noted as being in development since it was first showcased as a PlayStation title in 1999 but, according to Dyack, production on the game did not begin until sometime after Silicon Knights shipped Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes for the Nintendo GameCube. "People think, 'Oh the game has been in development for 18 years plus...' it isn't possible," Dyack told X3F.
Stay tuned at noon for a full studio tour video and image gallery with Denis Dyack.
In an exclusive studio tour of its St. Catharines, Canada, studio, Silicon Knights lead Denis Dyack revealed to X3F that ten staff members are poised to be honored for ten years of service during an upcoming Too Human launch party. The process of being 'knighted' at Silicon Knights continues a longstanding tradition that hearkens back to the formation of the studio, staffers who reach ten years of service are honored with a unique sword to be placed in their office.
Ten more members achieving this goal contradicts rumors swirling around GDC that claimed Silicon Knights staff members were leaving in droves due to development issues with Too Human.
Stay tuned at noon for a full studio tour video and image gallery with Denis Dyack.
During the Too Human launch signing in St. Catharines, Ontario, Denis Dyack took a few minutes to answer some of our questions. While reserved, Dyack did speak fondly of the community Silicon Knights represents, the success of the demo and misunderstandings within the media.
Surrounded by fans awaiting a signature from the Silicon Knights development team, Dyack brushed off our questions regarding the recent reviews of Too Human, message board communities and the future of both the franchise and the studio's next announcement.
In our exclusive three-part interview with Denis Dyack, the Silicon Knights president revealed the company is built much like a guild. "We do games differently than other companies," Dyack told X3F. "We're not saying we have it right and everyone else has it wrong but we do it our own way."
In an exclusive studio tour and interview with X3F, Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack discussed his frustration regarding the common misconception that Too Human has been in development for over a decade.
In an exclusive studio tour of its St. Catharines, Canada, studio, Silicon Knights lead Denis Dyack revealed to X3F that ten staff members are poised to be honored for ten years of service during an upcoming Too Human launch party. The process of being 'knighted' at Silicon Knights continues a longstanding tradition that hearkens back to the formation of the studio, staffers who reach ten years of service are honored with a unique sword to be placed in their office.
