Commentary:Futurama (video game)

This commentary is unique in that it is for a special feature of a DVD called The Lost Adventure, which is based on content from Futurama (video game).

Topics of Discussion

 * Stewart explains that this is a commentary for the game, he thinks it was called Futurama: The Game, but it was actually called Futurama.
 * The special feature, against which the commentary is played, uses the FMVs (cutscenes) of the game (and the attract movie FMV, for gameplay footage).
 * The transition to 3D, what do the actors think of this look for their characters?
 * Billy finds it beautiful.
 * John had seen it previously, having played the game.
 * Stitched together, the scenes come out to be over a half hour long, making it bigger than an episode. Players needed to play the entire game to see the whole story, or look up some cheat codes on the internet.
 * Reviews for the game were bad or mediocre, but the episode it contained received positive reactions making the overall review positive, provided you were a fan of the series.
 * Maurice doesn't like that his son always skips through the cutscenes. He describes most games as "...run, pick up the thing, blast something, run, pick up the thing, get more health, blast something, jump through something to the next level." but finds that cutscenes are entertaining.
 * The game suffered from poor early levels on Earth with Fry collecting things and not much story happening yet.
 * Notes content cut from the game to make an episode, such as the references to this being a game.
 * Whether this could air in syndication as an episode.
 * Gameplay footage is needed in the episode to make the story connect.
 * The "sewer monsters" died in pathetic ways due to their animation.
 * The game was also criticised for similarities to other existing games.
 * Jumping physics were odd as you could steer while jumping.
 * Pawnbroker's dialogue was replaced by off-screen gunfire because it was too mundane.
 * This technique is now known as the Calder, after editor Paul Calder. It was also used on Everybody Loves Hypnotoad
 * Initially, the joke was Fry having travelled only about a block to reach the pawnshop. Unfortunately, this didn't make it into the game leaving no joke for the scene.
 * While the feature's sound effects were updated to episode quality, music was already by Christopher Tyng, provides episode music.
 * A level had been written by Stewart, but not coded the developers, that took place at Mars University. It had no enemies or killing and had the player visit the Professor's office to get papers.
 * The commentators had never noticed Sal's Wristlojackimator and some seem to think only Leela had one.
 * The original footage no longer existed, Lee was given the task of finding it, but they ended up having to get the FMVs from David's XBox using the component cables (which needed to be purchased).
 * He hadn't collected all the Nibblers for each level so some hadn't been unlocked. Luckily there is a cheat code to do this.
 * A lot of UDS staff did try to help them find the original footage.
 * The three or four companies involved in the game (excluding the Curiosity Company) have either been absorbed or gone out of business in the five years since it was made.
 * Futurama met or exceeded sales expectation and was not to blame for this
 * A lot of the in-game audio (jumping, killing, being hurt) was improvised by the cast.
 * Making these noises is always the most tedious part o the process according to John.
 * Other game roles for the cast include:
 * John in Final Fantasy XI, Gears of War, X-Men
 * Billy in Ren and Stimpy, Baldur's Gate
 * Maurice in Baldur's Gate II, Full Throttle, Descent 3, Guild Wars, a Yosemite Sam game which caused him to take a break from games, The Simpsons Game.
 * A lot of gameplay footage is missing from Leela's levels and there is a jump in the story because of it, she had to cause lasers to move from tower to tower. Most of it happened without cutscenes.
 * Scripts are similar to the episode ones but with the addition of hundreds of one line reactions and not needing to go back to the other writers as often.
 * Time travel is a rarity in Futurama but is now allowed due to the Emmy winning, also written by Stewart Burns.
 * The time travel path is identical to that in Roswell that Ends Well
 * John couldn't finish the game.
 * Adoy and Bogad being Star Wars references.
 * They once said that if they ever came back they had to bring back Adoy.
 * Racing of Zoidberg's horse was very fun.
 * Originally there was to be a time machine that Bender would travel two minutes back so many times that there would be about a thousand of them.
 * Billy's voice work.
 * The "One Week Earlier" chyron was added for the special feature.
 * The ship crashing, then the crew walking out calmly is now a running joke in the series
 * The Reanimator allowed Stewart to explain the ability to die and return to life.
 * Amy and Hermes were omitted to save money.
 * A lot of Destructor's footage and fleeing from him is gone, this was a boss level.
 * Stewart thought the hat should be different each time.
 * Credits from the game are used, seen in AL1.
 * It includes Matt's children.

Highlights / Quotes

 * J. Stewart Burns: I remember when were doing this game, there was a point where the stuff came back and I guess it looked kind of crappy, I thought it looked good because I used to play the games where everything looked bad. And Matt Groening gave the note like, "This looks awful. It should look better", and a week later and it looked all great, so apparently always give that note.

Goofs

 * Maurice's phone rang in the commentary booth, he apparently then threw it at a wall.
 * John says he was in Final Fantasy XI, but he was actually in Final Fantasy X as Wakka.

Commentators

 * Matt Groening
 * Executive Game Designer
 * David X. Cohen
 * Voice Director
 * J. Stewart Burns
 * Story and Dialogue
 * Billy West
 * Actor (Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Zoidberg, miscellaneous)
 * John DiMaggio
 * Actor (Bender, Sal, Ignar, miscellaneous)
 * Maurice LaMarche
 * Actor (Morbo, Destructor, Walt, Sun God Impostor, miscellaneous)
 * Michael Rowe
 * Writer for Series
 * Lee Supercinski
 * Producer for Series