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.

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.

Today's remarkable auction is Sierra On-Line's (OnLine Systems), Ultima II: Revenge of the Enchantress, big box version, for the Apple II. Ultima II was Richard Garriott's somewhat divisive sequel to the first Ultima game, and one of the most sought after entries in the series for collectors. There were several different versions of the game, some in large boxes, some in small boxes, and some with Origin as the primary publisher rather than Sierra. Origin also re-released Ultima II in yet another variation, this time in conjunction with Ultima I and III, in a materially scaled back compilation called the Ultima Trilogy. In any case, what makes this particular auction remarkable is not so much the final sale price, which was a relatively fair $257.00 with free shipping, but the fact that the game was sealed, which had the potential to drive the price even higher. As with most of the Ultima games, Ultima II saw release on a wide range of platforms, but the Apple II version was the original, and also was one of the only Western platforms to get a slightly upgraded re-release. I personally own all the games in the Ultima series boxed except for Ultima II, which I only have outside of PC CD-based compilations in the Commodore 64 version of the Ultima Trilogy, though I do have the original disks for the Atari 8-bit version of Ultima II. Though not spectacular, the Japanese-only FM Towns version of Ultima II, is arguably the nicest looking of the official releases.

Check out the video from LordKarnov42 below to see the original Apple II release in action for the RPG game that tasked you with traveling to every planet in the solar system, including Planet X:

We're like a bad penny - We always turn up. It's Episode 8! Did we cut the show down, or has it grown into something we can't control? You'll have to listen to find out! Matt Barton, Bill Loguidice, Christina Loguidice, Chip Hageman, and I - Chris Kennedy - give you the latest in listener bliss.

Click here to download the show.




Segments and approximate times below:

• Matt Barton on Indie games and their quest to save us from lack of originality in today's games (4:06)
• Chip Hageman on Commodoreserver.com (21:35)
• Christina Loguidice on the use of videogames in medicine (36:32)
• Bill Loguidice's first computer roleplaying experience (45:25)
• Chris Kennedy and videogame remakes (1:11:16)

As always, we'd really appreciate any feedback you have to offer on the episode. You can leave comments here, email us, or review the show on iTunes. You can also subscribe to our RSS Feed.

Tonight, we completed King's Quest I.

Our approach was quite different. We didn't know what to do about a giant in the game - how to defend ourselves, kill him, etc. We knew this from the previous night. Before starting the game tonight, Laura said that she wanted to discuss what to do next in the game. I was a bit shocked and said that I didn't really do "pregame." Rather, I just load up a game and play. So we loaded it up.

...but perhaps having a pregame exercise is a great idea when it comes to adventure games...

Day 2 of KQ1 was a true reflection of the nature of any given adventure game - We had to start over. The fun factor remained despite this, and we found ourselves establishing that "adventure gaming rhythm" that you want to have during gameplay.

I have several new years resolutions for 2011. One of them is to replay most of my library of Sierra adventure games. I started this year out by playing the original version of King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown. I played the game with my wife, and she hasn't played it before. I am therefore titling blog entries like this one "Play it Again for the First Time."

Well, here it is, episode 76 featuring Roberta Williams' monumental adventure game, King's Quest. This is the game that inspired the genre of point-and-click adventures that is still producing games today. Enjoy!