Click To Unmute

Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?

Sign up or Sign in now!

Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.
This video has an invalid file format.
00:00:00
Sorry, but you can't access this content!
Please enter your date of birth to view this video

By clicking 'enter', you agree to Giant Bomb's
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

PAX East 2011: Erik Wolpaw Mentions Portal 2

Jeff and the writer of Portal 2 discuss midgets, Demon's Souls, and occasionally Portal 2's single-player.

Mar. 17 2011

Posted by: Drew

125 Comments

Avatar image for killydarko
KillyDarko

1991

Forum Posts

165933

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 43

Edited By KillyDarko

Great interview. It was amazing how Erik Wolpaw went above and beyond to defend Demon's Souls even if this was basically about Portal 2. Valve is kinda awesome ^^

Avatar image for beard_of_zeus
beard_of_zeus

2021

Forum Posts

4665

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 37

Edited By beard_of_zeus

Funny interview, very enjoyable.

Avatar image for jakob187
jakob187

22972

Forum Posts

10045

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 9

Edited By jakob187
@PhanThomas said:

" THAT Eric Wolpaw, form the good ol' Gamespot days? "

Yes, as in "Wolpaw's Law". 
 
Also, it's kind of insane how many former Gamespot employees work in the gaming industry now.  Greg Kassavin, Rich Gallup, Carrie Gouskos, Eric Wolpaw...  It's kind of fucking awesome to see actual gamers and critics of games making games!  That's not even mentioning the roles of Alex at Harmonix and Rorie at Obsidian.  Geez!
Avatar image for time allen
time allen

2329

Forum Posts

29

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By time allen

stephen merchant? 
 
nicccccccccceeeee.

Avatar image for rxanadu
Rxanadu

614

Forum Posts

44

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 10

Edited By Rxanadu
@august: I love how everyone who has commented on my stance against Day 1 DLC IN GENERAL feels sooo empowered when they make comments with absolutely no backbone.  What is is your argument against my stance on Day 1 DLC?  What makes Day-1 DLC so great that you have to defend publishers -that's right, dunce; I'm NOT just talking about Valve, or Rockstar, or Infinity Ward, or any of your precious developers (who, of course, have absolutely NO say in what they want to do with their product, since they're untouchable when it comes to criticism)- who would love to pump every drop out of you to pay for their game that probably won't break even due to their overblown production budgets?    
 
Thought so.  Next time you try to argue with me again, bring an ARGUMENT, not a pathetic biased statement you thought up because you felt butt-hurt.   
Now, get ready to get learned in the art of the argument: 
  
Let's take a look at Alan Wake.  You know, that one game made by the people behind the critically acclaimed Max Payne series.  For all intents and purposes, it tanked.  Despite all the advertisement they pumped for and INTO the game, the developers and publishers knew they couldn't compete with an instant blockbuster like Red Dead Redemption.  Thus, they went ahead and released it around the time RDR came out.  Then, they went and included DLC with limited editions of the game.    
 
Another scenario is Dragon Age: Origins.  It had tons of Day 1 DLC that came with limited edition (or maybe it was all of them, can't remember) versions of the game that people had to shell out more money to get.  Unlike Alan Wake's DLC, it was available for play (as far as I can remember) when you opened up the case.  Everyone who wanted the game but couldn't afford $10 more for the limited edition was at a loss, since they couldn't experience the same amount of content as people who could afford the limited edition.  Obviously, this leads to inefficient use of Bioware/EA's resources, as it makes some people (in this case, those who couldn't afford the limited edition) worse off while making others(the ones that could afford it) better off - a basic principle of economics you're familiar with, I'm sure.  This, however, bears the question as to why the developers/publishers didn't just include the DLC on the disc (or at least set up an update to get more) to make all the people who paid for their game on the first day of release better off.  
 
And there you have it: an argument.  Not a sarcastic comment which could have been made by a child the age of 3.   
Avatar image for yummylee
Yummylee

24646

Forum Posts

193025

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 88

User Lists: 24

Edited By Yummylee

Stephen Merchant to voice the Maneater!

Avatar image for joeltgm
JoelTGM

5784

Forum Posts

1760

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

Edited By JoelTGM

that was awesome.  I can't wait for Portal 2!!  Got the 2 pack on Steam, so I am READY.

Avatar image for slaker117
Slaker117

4873

Forum Posts

3305

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 11

Edited By Slaker117
@Rxanadu: 
Why did you bring a discussion of day one DLC into a video for Portal 2 if you aren't talking about Portal 2? Seems kinda out of place. There are plenty of arguments for why those DLC packs are ugly, and there are reasons not to like them, but why bring it up here, when everyone else is talking about a game put out by a developer who is the antithesis of what you're complaining about?
 
People were defending Valve because you put your little rant in a context where, by all accounts, it looked like you were accusing them of something they have never done. They weren't even attempting to argue against your stance on day one DLC, they were only pointing out that it doesn't apply here. If you can't understand that, you clearly aren't as smart as you think you are.
Avatar image for zero_
zero_

2105

Forum Posts

378

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 6

Edited By zero_

This interview makes me want to really see a Vinny Jeff Demon Soul's Endurance Run...    

Avatar image for sayishere
Sayishere

1854

Forum Posts

4422

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 5

Edited By Sayishere

yea demon souls was a good game 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
oh...yea..portal 2....looks good to :D

Avatar image for jackel2072
Jackel2072

2510

Forum Posts

370

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 11

Edited By Jackel2072

im going to go get this on PS3. im kind of a 360 guy but i want to see this STEAM support on the PS3. if Valve took over the Playstaion store and treated it like steam proper i dont think i would ever touch my xbox again. we need to get this digital distribution stuff  rolling on the consoles. Games on Demand and PSN is not the answer... not at all. 

Avatar image for authenticm
AuthenticM

4404

Forum Posts

12323

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 2

Edited By AuthenticM

Who's the black dude!?

Avatar image for wandering_idiot
Wandering_Idiot

143

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By Wandering_Idiot
@Rxanadu: 
 
Nice job talking about every developer other than Valve, given that your original post was obviously directed at Valve.  If that wasn't your original intention and you aren't just trying to backtrack by pretending it was a more general statement after everyone noted how very wrong you were, you are either the worst communicator in the history of the Internet, or a troll.
Avatar image for keeng
Keeng

1023

Forum Posts

2513

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 5

User Lists: 3

Edited By Keeng
@Underachiever007 said:
" @Nottle said: 

" I think Jeff sees Mortal Kombat with rose tinted glasses. If it's coming out the same day as portal 2, how many people are going to care about Mortal Kombat? "


   @Keeng said:
" Portal 2. Socom 4.   ...Mortal Kombat? lol sure. "
Considering all the pre-release hype that's been surrounding Mortal Kombat for awhile now it probably has a better shot at taking on Portal than SOCOM. Major sites like IGN and Gamepot, neither of whom have ever cared much about MK in the past, are doing some pretty extensive and positive coverage of that game. "
I agree with most sites that Mortal Kombat seems like a much better game than that franchise has seen in about a decade. I won't buy it, but it's more of a personal preference thing than a quality of that game thing. I just feel like MK is finally a game worth being excited about in a franchise that has essentially been dead. Socom 4, a follow up to Confrontation, which sold pretty well (despite the fact it didn't review well due in equal parts to both its horrible launch and a LOT of bad journalism) is releasing with a very positive legacy. In the last ten years, MK has failed and Socom has thrived. NO ONE bought a console for this MK game and lots of people picked up a PS3 because of their love for the Socom series. I'm not saying either of these games is "taking on" Portal 2, because there's certainly room in the market for all three. I'm just saying Portal and Socom are pretty big deals to a much larger chunk of the market as sequels to incredibly popular, thoroughly beloved games. Mortal Kombat is perhaps the second good MK title in two generations of hardware. 
Avatar image for sameeeeam
sameeeeam

2469

Forum Posts

687

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 2

Edited By sameeeeam
@Keeng said:
" @Underachiever007 said:
" @Nottle said: 

" I think Jeff sees Mortal Kombat with rose tinted glasses. If it's coming out the same day as portal 2, how many people are going to care about Mortal Kombat? "


   @Keeng said:
" Portal 2. Socom 4.   ...Mortal Kombat? lol sure. "
Considering all the pre-release hype that's been surrounding Mortal Kombat for awhile now it probably has a better shot at taking on Portal than SOCOM. Major sites like IGN and Gamepot, neither of whom have ever cared much about MK in the past, are doing some pretty extensive and positive coverage of that game. "
I agree with most sites that Mortal Kombat seems like a much better game than that franchise has seen in about a decade. I won't buy it, but it's more of a personal preference thing than a quality of that game thing. I just feel like MK is finally a game worth being excited about in a franchise that has essentially been dead. Socom 4, a follow up to Confrontation, which sold pretty well (despite the fact it didn't review well due in equal parts to both its horrible launch and a LOT of bad journalism) is releasing with a very positive legacy. In the last ten years, MK has failed and Socom has thrived. NO ONE bought a console for this MK game and lots of people picked up a PS3 because of their love for the Socom series. I'm not saying either of these games is "taking on" Portal 2, because there's certainly room in the market for all three. I'm just saying Portal and Socom are pretty big deals to a much larger chunk of the market as sequels to incredibly popular, thoroughly beloved games. Mortal Kombat is perhaps the second good MK title in two generations of hardware.  "
That's fair. It's tough to discount all the journalistic hype surrounding MK, though, and the fact that it's multiplatform. The MK lines at PAX East were absolutely crazy.
Avatar image for keeng
Keeng

1023

Forum Posts

2513

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 5

User Lists: 3

Edited By Keeng
@Underachiever007: (replying to prevent giant text wall) Journalists are going nuts over MK, and rightfully so. I'm curious to see how much of that enthusiasm translates to actual players, though. Either way, it seems like April 19th will be an awesome day for games. 
 
EDT: Also, I rhymed.
Avatar image for jumanji
Jumanji

463

Forum Posts

2

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By Jumanji

Wolpaw is a baller. Demon's Souls is great and he set it out just the right way. I always thought the GB guys shortchanged it , and now we know from the pros that they did.

Avatar image for deactivated-5a1e236944295
deactivated-5a1e236944295

60

Forum Posts

60

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Man, video games are so fucking awesome. Well-done, genuine interview. Bring it on April!

Avatar image for videogames
Videogames

264

Forum Posts

22

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By Videogames

The fact that we are still talking about demon's souls almost a year and a half after the american release really says something about the game. 

Avatar image for somedelicook
SomeDeliCook

2353

Forum Posts

61

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

Edited By SomeDeliCook

"It was overblown how hard Demon's Souls was" 
 
I love Erik

Avatar image for hef
Hef

1239

Forum Posts

486

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 7

Edited By Hef

Who in their right mind who buy Mk or Socom over Portal 2.  Seriously.

Avatar image for xableassassinx
xAbleAssassinx

247

Forum Posts

76

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 5

User Lists: 3

Edited By xAbleAssassinx

Hey fun fact, my Dad was totally in that show OZ for like 5 years!!

Avatar image for nottle
Nottle

1933

Forum Posts

5

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By Nottle

Man. I need to play Demon's Souls and so does Jeff. Maybe he can play Dark Souls and use more skill to review it. He didn't even read the tutorials in the first game which i think was kind of funny. I've been looking up videos of the game all day.     It's like 20 bucks on amazon, I want to see if I can get it for any cheaper around town.  

Avatar image for gwonam
Gwonam

24

Forum Posts

230

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By Gwonam
@Rxanadu said:
" @august: I love how everyone who has commented on my stance against Day 1 DLC IN GENERAL feels sooo empowered when they make comments with absolutely no backbone.  What is is your argument against my stance on Day 1 DLC?  What makes Day-1 DLC so great that you have to defend publishers -that's right, dunce; I'm NOT just talking about Valve, or Rockstar, or Infinity Ward, or any of your precious developers (who, of course, have absolutely NO say in what they want to do with their product, since they're untouchable when it comes to criticism)- who would love to pump every drop out of you to pay for their game that probably won't break even due to their overblown production budgets?     Thought so.  Next time you try to argue with me again, bring an ARGUMENT, not a pathetic biased statement you thought up because you felt butt-hurt.   Now, get ready to get learned in the art of the argument:   Let's take a look at Alan Wake.  You know, that one game made by the people behind the critically acclaimed Max Payne series.  For all intents and purposes, it tanked.  Despite all the advertisement they pumped for and INTO the game, the developers and publishers knew they couldn't compete with an instant blockbuster like Red Dead Redemption.  Thus, they went ahead and released it around the time RDR came out.  Then, they went and included DLC with limited editions of the game.     Another scenario is Dragon Age: Origins.  It had tons of Day 1 DLC that came with limited edition (or maybe it was all of them, can't remember) versions of the game that people had to shell out more money to get.  Unlike Alan Wake's DLC, it was available for play (as far as I can remember) when you opened up the case.  Everyone who wanted the game but couldn't afford $10 more for the limited edition was at a loss, since they couldn't experience the same amount of content as people who could afford the limited edition.  Obviously, this leads to inefficient use of Bioware/EA's resources, as it makes some people (in this case, those who couldn't afford the limited edition) worse off while making others(the ones that could afford it) better off - a basic principle of economics you're familiar with, I'm sure.  This, however, bears the question as to why the developers/publishers didn't just include the DLC on the disc (or at least set up an update to get more) to make all the people who paid for their game on the first day of release better off.   And there you have it: an argument.  Not a sarcastic comment which could have been made by a child the age of 3.    "
Yep, because Alan Wake and DA:O had day 1 DLC, OBVIOUSLY Portal 2 will have it as well. You have no idea what you are talking about. I'm pretty sure that no one here likes day 1 DLC, and that's not why people were "arguing" with you. Valve has never charged for DLC in their life, except once on the Xbox 360 when they were FORCED to. Valve is not the company to release day 1 DLC, they have never done it in their existence. Quit spewing your stupid shit and acting all high and mighty being a "rebel" because people are defending a video game company. You're not as smart as you think you are, so get off your high horse and be quiet. And your comment is shit and irrelevant to the matter at hand.
Avatar image for halfdane1975
halfdane1975

299

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

Edited By halfdane1975

Good interview Jeff !