As the original "bad boys" of game development, Running With Scissors (RWS) launched their Postal series with flaming marching bands and followed it with a sequel that features cat-based gun silencers and first person urination. As a "reputation title," Postal 2: Share the Pain (www.gopostal.com) may get unjustly dismissed as "not for me," even by those who've never tried it. A first person shooter dripping with mature situations and the potential for gore, it's not meant for everybody. But for the right mature audience, this "only as violent as you are" game delivers clever AI, raunchy humor and scathing satire with attitude and identity. And no one personifies those qualities more than RWS CEO Vince Desi. Warning: Mr. Desi speaks his mind and does so in colorful, conversational fashion. If a couple of *&#% words are gonna get your joystick in a tangle, I suggest clicking on over to the "Adventures of Sunshine Squirrel in Blandyland" article, instead.Inside Mac Games (IMG): What's your best "come hither" description to get a gamer to try out Postal 2? Vince Desi: There's nothing like playing POSTAL, period. And if you don't like to play games then just watch and laugh your ass off as you piss in your pants. IMG: Is it true you helped launch Macuser magazine? If so, are those roots in any way responsible for wanting to do a Mac version of the game?Vince: Yes, that was a long time ago. I was working in NY as a business agent and someone named Felix Dennis called me from London and said he wanted to start a Mac mag, there wasn't anything for Mac folks. I had a Mac and had already done some Apple games, so I was cool with the idea. I hired the first Editor-In-Chief and the VP of Marketing and launched the first issue. IMG: Why bother with the Mac platform? Vince: Why not? I understand the financials aren't exactly great for a game publisher, but we're fortunate to have some great Mac talent, Ryan Gordon -- and hell, everyone has a bad day, so we wanted to make sure we do our part and give Mac users all the relief they need. We also published the original POSTAL on Mac, too. IMG: Did Apple's rejection of the game for its stores cause you to reconsider your plans for the platform? Vince: Apple's rejection was their loss, too bad they're all image and no substance. IMG: Some reviews of the PC version of the game criticized slow loading zones. Is this an issue on the Mac version? Is there anything performance sticklers should watch out for? Vince: No, we cleaned up a lot of the crap we had with the first release of the PC version. IMG: Are there any special features, enhancements or Easter eggs that Mac users can look for in their version of the game? Vince: Honestly not sure. I doubt we have a "sexcapade," but Ryan is very capable of making the Mac do things that others can't. IMG: You've stated, "Our fans are our secret weapon." How have you been getting the word out to the Mac community that the game is available? What's been the reaction from Mac gamers so far? Vince: Mac users have been great, I think even Mac users that don't play games like POSTAL. Mac users tend to be more mature, artistic and better adjusted to the world in general, so they have a clearer insight to the insanity of the world and hence a greater appreciation for things like POSTAL. We haven't done anything special for any audience, we're just too small of a company, but the one thing we do is we answer our email and we're honest. Wow, what a concept. We've proved that it works, that's what I'm most proud of. IMG: Any chance of an Apocalypse Weekend expansion for Mac OS X? How about a version of Postal 1? Vince: YES and YES. Apocalypse Weekend will be out on the Mac real soon, and the original will be re-released as well.
|
