"I think it is in a paper's interest to try to cast as wide a net as possible, especially to ensnare younger fish who prefer to read stuff online, who are in turn more likely to enjoy video games." Richardson said. "Gaming also provides striking images (like Eddie Riggs and his axe) which will always look cooler on the printed page.

Double Fine's San Francisco roots led to a easy-sell cover story, according to Richardson, who explained "I think gamers, at least speaking for myself, have this idea of games being made in these hidden bunkers and then sort of lobbed into the world, but they're not. They're made by people in your community."

The local angle love was mutual. Tim Schafer, the founder of Double Fine and designer of Brutal Legend, is an avid reader of the Bay Guardian, and took great pleasure in seeing his latest game snag the cover. "I have grabbed a Guardian off the rack every week for years," Schafer said "to reach in there and see Eddie Riggs smiling back at me-I had to look around to make sure I wasn't being Punk'd. Or is it P'nked? I thought I was on Candid Camera, I mean."

While Richardson shared heavy metal fandom with Shafer, being a fan of the man himself certainly didn't hurt "The game just spoke to my tastes in this really specific way." Richardson said. "Tim Schafer's games are among my favorite games of all time. He probably has at least two of the top five."

Of Schafer, Richardson also said "If you travelled back in time and told 13-year-old me that [I would get to meet Schafer], he would have a fatal conniption," a quote that parallels Schafer's awe in casting Brutal Legend, as he told the E3 Show Daily "I've met almost all of my heroes from my teenage years based on this game"