This week's episode is focused mostly on David's later career, which includes the FMV game Cadillacs and Dinosaurs: The Second Cataclysm, which he'd probably rather people forgot about. ;) Still, the story of its creation is definitely worth listening to. David also talks about his news and iOS projects with Electric Eggplant. Finally, the ale of the week is perhaps the ultimate vintage gamer's ale: 8-Bit Pale Ale!

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Wasteland 2Hi, folks, I'm back this week with a new podcast. Topics include Wasteland 2 and Kickstarter funding, brainstorming Matt Chat DVDs and documentaries, Baer vs. Bushnell, and a closer look at the Mass Effect 3 ending fiasco. Don't forget to visit the Wasteland 2 Kickstarter page.
Download the mp3 here.

Mass Effect 3I was having such a good time this morning WRITING about Mass Effect 3 that I decided to do a 40 minute podcast about it, too. In addition to elucidating why I like the ending, I also jabber on about why gaming NEEDS this sort of thing--indeed, why sheltering kids from unpleasant realities may do them more harm than good in the long run. I also nitpick about the game and why it needs a lot more variety in its gameplay. (Note: I don't address the internal logical inconsistencies of the story here; I admittedly don't pay enough attention to this kind of thing to care if plot point A in the first game doesn't jive with plot point B in the second and makes utter nonsense of plot point C in the third. I'll leave that kind of thing for the alpha nerds.)
Download the mp3 here.

I'm back this week with David Fox round III, this time focusing on his epic adventure game, Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders. David has plenty of great stories about the game's development, as well as Lucasfilm Games development strategies in general. It's really fun hearing him talk about the competition between his company and Sierra On-Line--and speculate why Zak was so much more popular in Germany than elsewhere. The ale this week hales from the Netherlands, so naturally I had to offer a toast to our very own Mark Vergeer. ;)

Download the mp4 here.

I'm back this week with part 2 of my interview with Lucasfilm designer David Fox. In this part, we talk about a lot of issues David faced in the 80s, such as why he disliked working on conversions (ports) and the steps they took to combat piracy. We also talk about Koronis Rift and Eidolon, as well as Maniac Mansion. We start talking about Zak here as well. Lots of good stuff for fans of Lucasfilm games.

Download the mp4 here.

Here's a Matt Chat for all fans of Zak McKracken, Rescue on Fractalus!, and all the other great Lucasfilm Games classics. In this first bit, David and I chat about his early days and what was going on behind the scenes during the development of Fractalus. Did you know that it was George Lucas who proposed the alien imposters and that any mention of them be kept out of the manual? Classic stuff.

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Hi, folks! I'm back this week with another retrospective--or rather, a review of a new action-RPG called Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. I usually don't like this genre, but this time the developers have done a good job uniting action with strategy. Above all, else, I like the speed of this game and the excellent control you have over the character. R.A. Salvatore, Todd McFarlane, and Ken Rolston have done some good work here.

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In this part of my interview with Peter Oliphant, we finally get the dirt on Stonekeep's storied development cycle. What was going on behind the scenes of this monumental game? Peter gives us the lowdown in an emotional rant about the frustrations he suffered as control was wrested for him in a series of executive decisions by Interplay's Brian Fargo. Even with all of his experience working in Hollywood, his feedback was not even considered during the making of the FMV sequences--to disastrous effect.

Download the MP4 here.

Hi, all. I'm back this week with another hour long, poorly organized rant about everything from why L.A. Noire sucks as an adventure game to why Arkham City is to quests what bullet hell is to bullets. I also talk about the real reason why we hoard videogames and how, no matter how many games we collect, we'll never find The One.

Foam and cry with me by downloading this downer now!
Matt's Podcast Episode 8