Hi, guys! I'm back with part three of my interview with the amazing Josh Mandel. In this segment (which is frankly required viewing for any true fan of classic computer games), Josh talks about how thinks went awry at Sierra, eventually sending him on a quest to find a new publisher in Legend. He also chats about his favorite creation, Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, and the future of adventure games as a viable genre.

Download the mp4 here, and don't forget to drop a few dollars into the bard's hat!

I'm back this week with part two of my funtastic chat with Josh "Josho" Mandel. This time, the maestro chats about why point-and-clicks were a dumbing down from the parser days, the making of Freddy Pharkas, his voicework as King Graham, his thoughts on LucasFilm and Myst (loves the former; loathes the latter), and Space Quest 6.

If you want to buy Space Quest 4-6 for only $10, DRM free, get it here to support Matt Chat at no extra cost to you!

You can download the mp4 here as well.

Hi, folks. I'm back this week with another podcast, this time discussing my game pitch for "The Time Police," a project I've been brainstorming and planning for some time. It still has a long ways to go, but I'm excited enough about the idea to want to make a podcast about it. If you have thoughts or suggestions, please let me know.

Download the podcast here.

In this first segment of my interview with Sierra designer Josh Mandel, we chat about how Josh got his start, remaking King's Quest, Zeliard, Leisure Suit Larry, Laffer Utilities, and much more. We also talk about the difference between creating puzzles for parsers vs. point-and-clicks. Josh thinks the latter was a dumbing down with grave consequences for the genre.

Download the MP4.

This week, I finally get around to retrospecting Bethesda's 1996 masterpiece Daggerfall, the game that for many fans is still the best ever Elder Scrolls game. While not without its share of bugs and interface issues, it's still a terrific achievement and demonstrates the possibilities of procedurally-generated content in CRPGs. Just don't make the mistake I did of not checking ALL the options for keyboard and mouse. :)

Still, the resulting misadventures are pretty darn funny.

Download the mp4.

Turn on--the gameThis week, I address a question that I'm sure we've all pondered at some point--are videogames really addictive, and, if so, is that necessarily a bad thing? I'm particularly interested here in what it would take to design a videogame that would "turn you on," offering a comparable experience to taking LSD or even peyote but without the potential side effects. How close are we to developing true digital drugs? Will you be the Albert Hofmann of videogames?

Download the podcast.
If you enjoy this, please post a review on iTunes.

Lots of great stuff in this last segment of my interview with Gas Powered Games' Chris Taylor. Here we start getting into some stuff that really disappointed Chris, as he struggled to achieve quality despite pressure from publishers. He also talks about how important it is not to bite off more than you can chew (Space Siege), and why he thinks consoles are the future of RTS. He's very candid throughout, and you definitely don't want to miss the ending when he talks about striking the right balance between pleasing gamers (with modding tools) and publishers (with profitability).

Note: I encourage you to watch the downloadable version this time. YouTube is screwing me with their algorithms again, this time providing advertising for Square Enix at my expense. I'll post it here nonetheless. Last time I ever use clips from one of their stupid game trailers.

Download the video here.

Does Compute!I'm back this week to talk about the Five Games Every Designer Should Know. Read the blog post if you missed it. There's also quite a bit of listener feedback that covers such topics as why Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights aren't as good as Baldur's Gate, and why Portal isn't as unique as some people like to think. Enjoy, and feel free to comment below. Who knows, perhaps your comment will form the basis of my next episode!

Grab the episode here: Matt Podcast #3.mp3.
Post a review on iTunes.

Be sure to listen to Chris's episode first.

RetrosexualHi, guys. I've been working on a new song for the past couple of weeks and thought I'd upload it here for your enjoyment. I plan to make a fun video to go with it, but would like to see what you think of the tune first. I'm particularly interested in what parts you find the funniest.
Download Retrosexual.mp3.

Thanks, and happy listening! Lyrics below.