The Upper Memory Block

This time around, we're talking about Dynamix's 1992 puzzle game, The Incredible Machine. This week in the news: Death Inc Kickstarter Mage's Initiaition Kickstarter Back in February, the Guys from Andromeda podcast interviewed Jim Walls, creator of Police Quest and he announced his intention to kickstart a new Police Quest style game. Finally, Lord British has something to say at http://www.lordbritishpresents.com/ A few links from listener emails: BJ Used to read this interesting eductionial software magazine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_Kidsoft King's Quest fan remakes from Father Beast: 1, 2 and 3 from AGD Interactive: http://www.agdinteractive.com/games/games.html Episode based remake: http://www.tsl-game.com/episodes.php IA King's Quest 3 remake: http://www.infamous-adventures.com/kq3/ Finally, on the The Incredible Machine. We discuss all the usual suspects and cover the whole series of games. Buy The Incredible Machine on GoG: http://www.gog.com/gamecard/the_incredible_machine_mega_pack Next time we're going to cover the awesome LucasArts space sim: X-Wing. I'm super excited for this one! Enjoy!

Welcome to episode 23. This time around we're talking about the huge Sierra adventure series that started back in 1984, King's Quest. Before we get into this huge topic, we have a few small items of news to cover: Ken Allen put out a very interesting podcast where he discusses how he came up with the music for Space Quest 4. Also, it turns out that he will be able to rearrange his own creations despite the fact the rights are owned by Activision through mechanical licensing. Secondly, big news on the GoG.com front. System Shock 2 is now available for purchase for 9.99 USD. I definitely need to give this one a whirl since I didn't get a chance to play it when it originally came out. So that's that for the news, now we get on to our main topic, Roberta Williams' King's Quest series. I talk about the history of the series and cover some interesting points of each of the eight games in the series. Buy King's Quest 1, 2 and 3 on GoG: http://www.gog.com/gamecard/kings_quest_1_2_3 Buy King's Quest 4, 5 and 6 on GoG: http://www.gog.com/gamecard/kings_quest_4_5_6 Buy King's Quest 7 and 8 on GoG: http://www.gog.com/gamecard/kings_quest_7_8 Next time around, I'll be covering my first puzzle type game, Dynamix's The Incredible Machine. Enjoy the show!

Howdy Blockers! Welcome to episode 22 where we talk about the 1999 Microprose game, Rollercoaster Tycoon. Before that though, there's quite a bit of news this week: Leisure Suit Larry Reloaded's Greenlight campaign was a success. It was approved along with other games in the fourth round of Greenlight inductees. In addition, Leisure Suit Larry's Greatest Hits and Misses is now available on GoG. This compilation includes Larry 1 - 6 and is a mere 10 dollars. Back to Greenlight, a cool game called Pinball Arcade is trying to get approved. Looks like a very cool reproduction of some classic pinball tables. Check it out! In SpaceVenture news, former Sierra star composer Ken Allen is now confirmed to be on board to do the music for the game. This is awesome news. n addition, Ken Allen himself has launched a Kickstarter. Under the Half Dome will be a modernized compilation of some of Ken's best game music work. Finally, in beta news: The Elder Scrolls online beta signup is open. SimCity 5 closed beta has begun. After all that news, we get into our main topic, Microprose's 1999 game, Rollercoaster Tycoon. We talk about the game, dev story, listen to a voicemail and all the rest! Buy Rollercoaster Tycoon on GOG: http://www.gog.com/gamecard/rollercoaster_tycoon_deluxe Buy Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 on GoG: http://www.gog.com/gamecard/rollercoaster_tycoon_2 Buy Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 on GoG: http://www.gog.com/gamecard/rollercoaster_tycoon_3 Next time, I'll be covering a big series, Sierra's King's Quest adventures. This series is a cornerstone of gaming history. I'm looking forward to covering it!

Time for episode 21! This time around, I'm covering the great 1995 Lucasarts adventure game, Full Throttle. But first, a bit of news: It's the new year which means it's time for CES. I talk a little bit about some things announced there and my hopes for the upcoming Steam Box. A kickstarter campaign who's aim is to remake the original space trading game, Elite successfully funded. Check it out! Finally, it seems the remake of Leisure Suit Larry is on schedule for a Q1 2013 release. A quick voicemail from Rick Moyer all about the creation of the show's intro song. Then on to the main topic, Full Throttle. I cover all the usual topics and play a lot of clips from the game. Next time, I'll be talking about the 1999 business sim, Rollercoaster Tycoon. Enjoy!

Welcome to 2013 and episode 20 of the show where I discuss the 1997 Particle Systems/Infogrames space sim, Independence War. Not much in the way of news over the holidays aside from Steam and GoG both having their holiday sales. Check them out if they are still on! Then we read some emails including a fun one from Martin where he tells us about an attempt to release Wing Commander 2 on the SNES. Then on to Independence War, I cover all the usual suspects and give my verdict on the series! Buy Independence War on GoG: http://www.gog.com/gamecard/independence_war_deluxe Buy Independence War 2 on GoG: http://www.gog.com/gamecard/independence_war_2 Next time, we're going to discuss the great 1995 LucasArts adventure, Full Throttle. Enjoy!

A little early, episode 19 is here. This week we change gears a bit and talk about a new and current game, XCOM: Enemy Unknown. First things first though, a bit of news: The remake of the original Leisure Suit Larry has been submitted to Steam Greenlight, give it a vote so they can make it onto Steam for distribution! The new Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition is now available for iPad both from the app store. GoG.com's winter sale is currently under weigh, over 450 games are on sale including many great games I've already covered. Some great deals to be had on both old and new games. Then, on to our main topic, XCOM: Enemy Unknown. I don't cover the history of the whole series, I do that back in episode 4. I try to keep to the standard format as much as possible, we talk genre, story, gameplay ad dev story. Buy XCOM: Enemy Unknown on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/200510/ Next time I'll be talking about the 1999 space sim, Independence War.

Time for episode 18. This time around, we're talking about the grandaddy of 3D survival horror games, 1992's Alone in the Dark. But first, there's lots of news this week! Hero-U, the new game from Quest for Glory's Lori and Corey Cole has successfully funded! They just made it to their 400,000 dollar goal. Congrats! I wasn't quite correct last show when I said Chris Roberts' Star Citizen had funded. It had a day or so left and instead of raising 5 million dollars, they raised 6.5 million! Incredible. A new remake of 1998's Baldur's Gate is already out and ready for purchase. Peter Molyneux has launched a kickstarter to bankroll a new god game in the vein of Populous. I'll be keeping an eye on this one. I also found a new site where you can play an online version of Dune 2. This is a really great port to the web. Finally, if anyone is interested in health, fitness and nutrition, check out this cool new podcast, Fit for Radio! It's awesome. Whew! After all that news, we get to the meat of the show, Infogrames' 1992 game, Alone in the Dark. We take a look at all the usual suspects here and cover a lot of cool info. Buy Alone in the Dark 1, 2 and 3 on Steam: http://www.gog.com/gamecard/alone_in_the_dark Next time I'm doing something a little different. I'll be doing an in-depth review of the new game X-COM: Enemy Unknown. Kind of a look at an old series in a new incarnation. Enjoy! Stream the show live: [audio src="http://umbcast.com/podcast/018-UMBCast-Alone-in-the-Dark.mp3"] Direct download: http://umbcast.com/podcast/018-UMBCast-Alone-in-the-Dark.mp3

One week late, but here's episode 17 where I cover the iconic first person shooter series from id software, DOOM. There's so much to say here that I don't spend much in the way of time on news, I only mention that Chris Roberts' Star Citizen project has concluded its funding campaign successfully. They are still collecting for stretch goals so check it out! I then read a quick email and jump right into things with the main topic, id software's DOOM series. I cover the story (such as it is), gameplay, get reasonably deep into the design of the game engine and look at the very interesting development story. Play DOOM for free online: http://www.kongregate.com/games/mike_id/doom-1 Buy Doom 3: BFG Edition on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/208200/ Next week, we cover a very interesting game series: Alone in the Dark. Hope to see you then!

The time has come for episode 16 where I cover the great 1990 game series from Toys for Bob, Star Control. Before I even get to the news, a small program note: From now on, the show will be releasing on Sundays instead of Thursday as it has been in the past. Housekeeping aside, news time! Hero-U, the new game project from Lori and Corey Cole, creators of Quest for Glory now has an active kickstarter! If you want to give to this project, go check out their page. Big news over at GoG.com, they have released over 50 games with native mac support! OSX-ers rejoice! The developer of Boxer, who is working with them also posted a great article talking details of his work. Finally, SimCity 5 now has a release date! After an email, we get to the main topic, the great Star Control series. I cover all the usual suspects for the first two games in the set. We end off with an email and a cool look into the lego community with a set of Star Control ships competing to be made into a real licensed lego set! If you want to see these happen put in your vote. Buy Star Control on GoG: http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/star_control_1_2/ Get the open source Ur-Quan Masters: http://sc2.sourceforge.net/ Check out Project 6014: http://code.google.com/p/project6014/

Hi Blockers! Welcome to episode 15! This week we talk about Bullfrog's 1993 game, Syndicate. Before we get to that though, lots of news this week: Pledge Quest, the fan game supporting the Two Guys SpaceVenture released a second part. Give it a look! X-Com: Enemy Unknown has released to great reviews! In SimCity 5 News, it appears the game will not allow you to restore or delete your cities. Wing Commander's Chris Roberts launched a crowdfunding campaign to create an ambitious new space sim called Star Citizen / Squadron 42. Finally, Mechwarrior Online is going to open beta, giving everyone a chance to give the game a try. After all this news and an email, we get to the main topic of the show, 1993's Syndicate. Lots of great info here. Get Syndicate on GoG: http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/syndicate/?pp=1106a1dda2d680438ecfb0bb70fd479c55a1791f Get Syndicate 2012 on Origin: http://store.origin.com/store/ea/en_US/pd/productID.108004900 Next week, we take a look at another game from 1993, Star Control. Hope to see you then!

A little late, but here I am with episode 14! This time around we chat about the great paranormal mystery adventure game series, Gabriel Knight. As usual though, the news: Project Eternity is a kickstarter RPG made in the vein of late 90's PC RPG's like Icewind Dale and Planetscape: Torment. If you like that style of game, check it out! Sword of Fargoal 2 is an attempt (again on kickstarter) to bring back the Sword of Fargoal roguelike dungeon crawler from the Commodore 64. Again, if this type of game is your bag, give it a look! Finally, in Steam news, the demo for the new X-COM: Enemy Unknown game is available for download. The full game is due to release on October 9th, 2012. We then have two great listener emails where we go back and chat a bit about Command & Conquer. Now, on to our main topic for the week, Sierra's Gabriel Knight series. I go into great detail about the first game, Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers. We talk story, gameplay, tech focus and the rest. In dev story I go into the rest of the games in the series as well. I end off with a live performance of some soundtrack music from the first game. You can get all three GK games on GoG.com: Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned Next time, we check out an interesting 1993 tactical strategy series, Syndicate. Hope to see you then!

Time for episode 13! This week we delve into the world of Mechwarrior and Battletech. Since I'm such a big fan of this series, I've got too much to say, so I forego the news except for one small item: Over the weekend I guest hosted Treks in Sci Fi episode 401. There I talk about two 90s Star Trek adventure games by Interplay. Check it out if you'd like! Then we quickly get into things. I talk about both Mechwarrior and Mechwarrior 2. I cover quite a bit of Battletech backstory, how the games differ, gameplay, tech focus on each and a great development story. In current Mechwarrior news, I discuss the upcoming game, Mechwarrior Online. I discuss how to get these games running using the community-made source port, MechVM. Finally, we listen to a great voicemail, I give my verdict as to whether or not Mechwarrior holds up today and close out the show. Next week: The really cool Sierra adventure game series, Gabriel Knight. Enjoy episode 13!

The time has come for episode 12! This time around, we look into our first game from the king of simulation, Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon. Before we dive into the business simulation pool, some news: Command & Conquer: Generals 2 will apparently not be a traditional retail boxed game. Initially, it will be released as a free to play multiplayer online game with a single player campaign to follow. In Kickstarter news, the creator of the Broken Sword series has started a campaign with the goal of funding a new game in the Broken Sword series. There's still quite a bit of time left so check it out! Finally, Chris Pope of the Guys from Andromeda podcast recently interviewed Lori and Corey Cole, creators of the original Quest for Glory series. In the great audio interview they discuss memories of working at Sierra and also discuss their new project, The School for Heroes. We then get on to the main topic, the very deep, detailed and challenging 1990 business simulation game, Railroad Tycoon. As usual we talk genre, gameplay, dev story and the rest. Download Railroad Tycoon Deluxe for free Get Railroad Tycoon 2 and 3 on Steam. Next time, we join the clans with Mechwarrior! Hope to see you then!

This time around, we're heading back to the adventure genre with a great LucasArts game from 1990, Loom. First though, some news: Shortly after the last show, strange rumours started popping up about a new Rise of the Triad game by Apogee software. Turns out they are true! Some more info about the new X-COM: Enemy Unknown game has come out. We're talking competitive multiplayer and a release date! You can also pre-order at their site. Finally, some sad news: 3D modelling pioneer Paul Steed, who worked on games like Strike Commander and Quake, passed away suddenly this week. After the news we read a few listener emails covering a few topics. Business aside, I then start to delve into the fantastic and wonderful world of Loom. As usual we cover all the aspects of story, gameplay, development and more relating to this truly unique adventure game from Lucasfilm Games. If you want to give Loom a go, it can be purchased on Steam. Next week, we put on our conductor's hat when we look at yet another game from 1990, Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon.

Welcome to episode 10! This time around we go deep into the mines with Parallax Software's amazing 1995 FPS, Descent. As usual, before we get into that, a bit of news: First of all, I joined the GoG.com affiliate program. So, if you were planning to pick up any of the games I talk about on the show, I'd really appreciate it if you went to GoG via the show site as it gives me a small kickback that I can use to cover some of the show's expenses. You can get there by clicking the GoG banners in the right hand column! Aside from that, last week's Red Baron show led me to check out some current games in the flight sim genre and I came across Microsoft Flight. It's free to play so I'll definitely be giving it a whirl in the near future. Finally, I blogged about a really cool article earlier in the week. In it, one of the original developers of Warcraft: Orcs vs. Humans talks about the very beginnings of that seminal game. It's a great read! I read an email from BJ, where he provides a bit of additional info on emulation, which I talked about back in episode 6. Then, on to the main topic, 1995's Descent. I cover the usual suspects and talk about some cool and different ways to play it today ending off with some listener voicemails. Buy Descent from GoG.com Descent source port downloads: DXX-Rebirth and D2X-XL. Next time, I'll be talking about the unique LucasArts adventure game from 1990, Loom. Hope to see you then!