Matt Chat

A video review of SSI's classic Pool of Radiance for the Commodore 64.

Matt Barton's in-depth look at Cyan's 1993 masterpiece MYST.

In this episode, Matt takes a look at Cinemaware's Defender of the Crown, one of the earliest and best games for the Commodore Amiga 1000. As their name suggests, Cinemaware was focused on providing more theatrical or movie-like games, which Defender of the Crown clearly shows.

An in-depth look at Ozark Softscape's M.U.L.E. (1983), published by Electronic Arts. The footage here is from the original Atari 400/800 computer.

This episode of Matt Chat covers Acornsoft's classic Elite (1984) for the BBC Micro and Acorn line of computers. Of course, you may be more familiar with the Commodore 64 and other ports that were published a year later by Firebird.

In this episode, Matt takes a look at FTL's Dungeon Master (1987), a smash hit for the Atari ST and one of the first real-time role-playing games. Dungeon Master was also popular on the Commodore Amiga and was ported to several other computers and consoles.

This week, Matt looks at The Sims, the best-selling PC game. Unlike most popular games, which focus on violence and conquest, The Sims is all about...consumerism! This sophisticated celebration of suburbia and capitalism has been tremendously successful, spawning sequels and countless sequels.

In this episode, Matt plays one of the best adventure games of all time--Lucasfilm's The Secret of Monkey Island. Shown here is the original DOS EGA version, but ports followed for Amiga, Atari ST, VGA, and several other platforms. Unlike many early games, The Secret of Monkey Island is still quite fresh and fun to play today, nearly 20 years after its original release.

In this episode, Matt looks at one of the greatest educational games of all time, The Oregon Trail, developed by MECC. The Oregon Trail was developed in 1971 as a game for mainframe computers, but was later published commercially for the Apple IIe in 1985. It has also had sequels and several ports, including recent remakes for the iPhone.

In this episode, Matt reviews DMA Design's Lemmings, a game published by Psygnosis in 1991. Originally for the Commodore Amiga platform, Lemmings was a huge international hit, selling millions of copies on many computers and consoles. The game is known for introducing indirect gameplay, in which players can't actively control characters but rather influence their behavior.

Sid Meier's classic 1991 PC game Civilization is one of the most well balanced and engrossing strategy games ever designed. It led to an epic franchise that is still going strong today, and its influence is plainly felt in recent games like Empire: Total War. In this episode, Matt takes us on a tour of this brilliant game, showing off its dynamic gameplay. Be fruitful and multiply!

In this episode, I look at Metroid for the NES. Released in North America in 1987, Metroid is my favorite game for the platform and represents some of the best platform action you'll find in the late 80s. I love the game's dark ambiance and brilliant soundtrack. While Mario and Zelda remain more popular than Samus, Metroid's avatar, I think it's an underrated series that deserves more attention.

Do you remember Adventure for the Atari 2600? This venerable classic is noted for its famous easter egg, but there's a lot more to celebrate in Warren Robinette's pioneering action adventure game. In this episode, Matt delves into the history of this game and walks you through some of the best gameplay available on the platform.

The Lost Vikings (1993, Silicon & Synapse) is one of the best games available for the Super Nintendo, but it debuted on the Commodore Amiga and DOS. Most people don't realize that the team who made this game went on to form Blizzard and make Diablo, Starcraft, and World of Warcraft. The game is notable for its innovative gameplay and carefully contrived level design--as well as the hilarious antics of the titular vikings. Enjoy! Note: SNES version shown.

In this episode, Matt takes us on a tour of the PLATO computer system, an early mainframe-based learning system that flourished in the 1970s. Not many people have seen the incredibly advanced games that originated on this system--games that would inspire later classics such as Elite, Battlezone, Star Control, and many others. Tune in to learn about Spasim, Panther, Empire, Orthanc, Avatar, and Airfight! Special thanks to The Computer Museum for some of the images in the video.

Lode Runner, a 1983 game by Douglas Smith, is an all-time favorite old-school platform game. Besides being "lodes" of fun, its level editor won it critical acclaim in the gaming media of its era, and it remains one of the best-loved platformers of the early 80s. Although not entirely original (Space Panic is a clear precedent), Lode Runner became a definitive game on several platforms, and its smooth and varied gameplay still inspire today.

This week's episode covers Ultima VII: The Black Gate, one of the most ambitious and influential computer role-playing games ever made. Designed by Warren Spector and Richard Garriott, The Black Gate is probably the best overall of the single-player Ultima games. It was critically acclaimed and remains a favorite of many aficionados of the genre. The key draws are an immense and highly interactive virtual world, real-time gameplay, and a deep and compelling story.

Have you ever dreamed of competing in the Olympics? In 1984, Epyx gave gamers that chance with their celebrated sports title, Summer Games. Who could forget the joys of competing with up to three friends to take home the gold? Originally released for the Commodore 64, Summer Games would be followed by a string of successful sequels and spin-offs, including Winter Games, World Games, and California Games.

Gauntlet is one of the best 4-player arcade games and certainly one of the most voracious quarter-gobblers of the mid-80s. It was also widely ported and received many sequels. In this episode, Matt explores this charming blend of RPG, adventure, and arcade-style action.

Team17's Worms is another addictive and must-play game that originated on the Commodore Amiga platform, but was widely ported and has many sequels and spin-offs. In this episode, Matt gives a brief history of the artillery game genre, which includes Scorched Earth as well as plenty of lesser-known classics like Artillery Duel. Artillery games were inspired by life-and-death military applications, but became an important if often underestimated genre of videogames.

This week, I look at Bioware's Jade Empire, a wonderful hybrid of fighting and role-playing. Praised for its original setting (based on the Medieval Orient), memorable characters, and epic storyline, Jade Empire is one of the best action-RPGs ever made.

This week, I look at Irrational Games' System Shock 2, a cult classic hybrid of FPS and RPG. Set in a cyberpunk landscape of robots and mutants, System Shock 2 might be classified as survival horror--yet its RPG system seems distinctly inspired by the likes of GDW's Traveller role playing system. In any case, System Shock 2 inspired many later FPS hits, particularly Bioshock. In the video, I give the history of the game's development, showing footage from Ultima Underworld, System Shock, and Thief: The Dark Project.

This week's Matt Chat covers Infogrames' Alone in the Dark, the granddaddy of survival horror games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Released in 1992, Alone in the Dark introduced a number of important conventions that would show up in many later games, particularly its mix of static and dynamic graphical elements. While the backgrounds were pre-rendered and detailed, the moving objects (characters, monsters, etc.) were rendered on-the-fly and composed of colored polygons. While this setup would be a liability in most types of games, it worked very well for horror. Have a happy Halloween!

This week, I cover the greatest real-time strategy game ever made: Blizzard's Starcraft. Released in 1998, Starcraft is still moving copies 11 years later--as well as inspiring thousands of people to go online everyday to battle it out in multiplayer. Starcraft offers some of the best gameplay in any RTS, with a perfectly balanced tri-faction system and an epic single-player campaign. Although the graphics may not have aged as well as the gameplay, Starcraft is still very playable today and well worth your attention. As we eagerly await the sequel, let's see what all the fuss was about. Enjoy!

This week, I look at Bullfrog's Syndicate, a cult-classic, isometric action strategy hybrid first published in 1993. Produced by Peter Molyneux of Populous and Fable fame, Syndicate's setting is cyberpunk, reminiscent of films like Blade Runner. In this video I discuss Syndicate's predecessors and its innovative gameplay.

This week, I look at Chuck and John Dougherty's 1987 classic, Legacy of the Ancients. Published by Electronic Arts, Legacy is one of the finest examples of the classic Ultima-style RPG, with an emphasis on travel and exploration. The game is unusual for its quest-based leveling system and arcade mini-games, as well as its story and accessible interface.

Part one of my history of World of Warcraft video. This episode covers WoW's predecessors, which include MUD, Neverwinter Nights Online, Meridian 59, Ultima Online, and Everquest. Part two covers gameplay footage with special guest Max Shelton! Check it out, and if you want to adventure with us, send a tell to Anaximander, my horde rogue character on Uther server.

In Part Two, I'm joined by my friend and fellow World of Warcraft fan Max Shelton. This part offers a more in-depth look at the game, focusing on cooperative gameplay.

This week, I look at my favorite CRPG from the early 80s, Jeff McCord's Sword of Fargoal. SoF was a hit on both the Commodore VIC-20 (1982) and the Commodore 64 (1983), and it looks set to re-emerge as an iPhone masterpiece. The show features a Skype interview with Jeff McCord himself, who I interviewed earlier for my book Dungeons & Desktops and who graciously agreed to appear in Matt Chat. Enjoy!

In this episode, I interview Bob Jacob, co-founder of Cinemaware. Cinemaware published some of the best and most definitive games ever made for the Commodore Amiga, including such hits as Defender of the Crown, the TV Sports games, Wings, The Three Stooges, and many more. Bob tells us the story of Cinemaware and its fabulous movie-inspired games.

This week, I cover Bioware's new epic role-playing game Dragon Age: Origins. An evolution of earlier Bioware classics such as Baldur's Gate and Knights of the Old Republic, DA:O's interface is comparable to Blizzard's World of Warcraft. However, like Bioware's other games, DA:O focuses on story and character, with some of the best role-playing I've seen in recent years. Offering spectacular graphics, tactical combat, and romance, DA:O is a game you'll want in your stocking this year.

This week, I look at the 8-bit computer classic, Archon. Developed by Free Fall Associates and published in 1983 by Electronic Arts, Archon is a hybrid strategy/action game based loosely on chess. Beloved by fans all over the world, Archon is still amazing fun today and well worth hunting down for its superbly balanced two-player gameplay.

This week, I interview Ralph Baer, inventor of the Brown Box protoype and the Magnavox Odyssey. Baer's contributions to videogames are unparalleled, and his careful, meticulous notes of those early days are vital for anyone serious about their history. Here, Baer talks about the earliest days of the videogame industry.

This week's episode covers Michael Toy and Glenn Wichman's celebrated Rogue, one of the finest and most influential games ever to originate on the UNIX platform. Rogue would inspire a whole series of clones called "roguelikes," and be ported in one form or many to almost every viable platform. Despite (or perhaps because of!) its lack of advanced audiovisuals, Rogue is terrific fun and infinitely replayable thanks to its foundation on procedural generation.

Lori Ann Cole's epic masterpiece, Quest for Glory. QFG is a fantastic hybrid game with adventure, role-playing, and arcade action sequences. Beloved by legions of fans all over the world, QFG introduced a unique formula that has never been successfully duplicated. In the video, I look at the original game as well as its many sequels. If you want to learn more about the game, be sure to check out my books Dungeons & Desktops and Vintage Games (co-authored with Bill Loguidice).

Let's take a look at Dyna Micro's fabulous Dungeons of Daggorath, a 1982 hit for the Tandy Color Computer (CoCo). Probably the best CRPG for the platform, DoD offers real-time, first-time perspective with some of the most innovative audio of the era. Still fun to play almost 30 years later, DoD is a great example of just how much a talented and ambitious programmer can achieve even on "humble" hardware.

No games for girls? Whatever! In this episode, Matt talks with marketing producer Jessica Chiang about Her Interactive's Nancy Drew adventure games. Based on the celebrated novels of a smart and sassy detective, Her's Nancy Drew games have millions of fans and have even outsold Cyan's Myst series. Still, despite their innovative approach, fun gameplay, and impressive sales, the Nancy Drew games have yet to achieve the fame and recognition they deserve. Matt and Jessica also discuss the market for girl-centered games and why more women should consider jobs in game development.

In my 50th episode, I interview Al Lowe, creator of Leisure Suit Larry. In part one, Al talks about the inspiration for Larry Laffer and the public's reception to his game. Who knew that women enjoyed Larry as much as men, or that Radioshack kept the game off their shelves?

In Part II of my interview with Al Lowe, the creator of Leisure Suit Larry talks about his comedic influences and what it takes to make a genuinely funny game. Visit Al's website to subscribe to his joke-a-day system, Cyberjoke 3000!

This episode covers id's Quake, the 1996 smash hit that pushed the first-person shooter genre to new heights. Unfortunately, it also marks the last great collaboration between John Romero and John Carmack.

In this exclusive interview, John Romero tells the story of Daikatana, a tale of pain and passion that overshadows the game itself. Contemporary critics slammed it, perhaps more out of indignation over the ill-fated bitch" advertising campaign than the actual gameplay. In this episode, Romero discusses the game's development and the backlash brought on by disgruntled team members.

This episode features my review of Ocarina of Time, the epic masterpiece for the Nintendo 64. Critically acclaimed and considered by many the definitive Zelda game, Ocarina of Time offers a vibrant world, clever puzzles, intense action, and a memorable storyline.

This episode features Kevin Kenney's masterpiece for the TI-99/4A, Tunnels of Doom. One of the earliest games to combine role-playing with wargaming (in the form of tactical, turn-based combat), ToD would inspire or at least predate plenty of later hits, including SSI's Wizard's Crown and Pool of Radiance.

In this episode, I review Blue Byte's classic The Settlers, one of the best real-time strategy games of all time.

This week's episode features Julian Gollop's epic strategy game, X-COM: UFO Defense. This extremely sophisticated game pits planet Earth against wave after wave of alien invaders. A difficult and often punishing game, X-COM demands patience and rewards intelligence.

This episode features the first part of my interview with Chris Avellone, Creative Director of Obsidian Entertainment and Senior Designer of Planescape: Torment, one of the greatest computer role-playing games ever designed. This part of the interview covers Chris how Chris's deep background in pen and paper role-playing influenced his later work as a computer games designer.

This is part two of my interview with Chris Avellone. Here, Chris discusses his design philosophy behind one of the greatest computer role-playing games of all time, Planescape: Torment.

This episode is the first part of my interview with British programmer Sean Cooper, best known for designing Syndicate. This part covers Sean's childhood and first few days at Bullfrog, where he would design his masterpiece. Please excuse the occasional rough spots in the video feed; it was an international connection.

In part two of my interview with designer Sean Cooper, the creator of Syndicate tells the story of its development and what it takes to make an epic game.

This is the first part of my interview with Tim Cain, producer of Fallout and many other of the best computer role-playing games. In this part, Tim discusses his early days and begins telling the story of Fallout.

In the second part of my interview with Tim Cain, Tim talks about the politics and philosophy of Fallout and what happened after Interplay realized it had an unexpected hit on its hands.

In the final segment of my interview with role-playing maestro Tim Cain, we discuss Fallout 3, Arcanum, The Temple of Elemental Evil, and the top-secret MMO Tim is working on with NCSoft. Special thanks to Troy "Aether" Hewitt for helping me get in touch with Tim.

This is the first part of my interview with Howard Scott Warshaw, developer of Yar's Revenge and E.T. for the Atari 2600. In this episode, Howard talks about his origins as a games programmer and what it meant to be dazed and confused at Atari under Ray Kassar. He also discusses the challenges and opportunities posed by the Atari 2600.

This episode concludes my interview with industry pioneer Howard Scott Warshaw. This time, Howard describes his triumph with Yar's Revenge, and then his sudden fall from grace with the infamous E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial.

In this episode, I look at Michael Cranford's 1985 masterpiece The Bard's Tale, or Tales of the Unknown: Volume I. This epic role-playing game updated the Wizardry formula with full-color graphics and a detailed town called Scara Brae. Originally developed for the Apple II, The Bard's Tale launched a great series and remains a favorite of many fans of the genre.

This episode is about Warren Spector's Deus Ex, a cult classic that blends the first-person shooter with adventure and role-playing elements. Featuring a brilliant soundtrack, great storyline, dynamic gameplay, and smart level design, Deus Ex is a gritty but enjoyable masterpiece.

This episode features one of the best science fiction adventure games of all time, LucasArts' The Dig. Widely panned for its linear gameplay and short duration, I argue that The Dig is a triumph of masterful story-telling and drama. Warning: If you haven't ever played the game, try downloading it from Steam before watching the video.

This episode features Westwood Studios' Dune II, the first modern real-time strategy game. Still fun to play after nearly two decades, Dune II introduced a new genre of computer game and a wonderful adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic.

In this episode, I interview two of the world's foremost experts on games for girls: Megan Gaiser (President) and Robert Riedl (Executive Producer) of Her Interactive. Megan and Robert discuss the hardships they faced trying to get their series off the ground, as well as plenty of fun facts about their design.

It's time to return to the Kingdom of Daventry! Roberta Williams' epic King's Quest series is one of the most important and influential adventure games ever made, revolutionizing the genre and laying the ground for hundreds of later games. Who could forget Sir Graham and all his amazing adventures?

This week we look at the most historically accurate CRPG ever made, Arnold Hendrick's Darklands. This innovative 1992 game for DOS features real-time with pause combat and a magic system based on alchemy and Christian saints. The setting is a mix of the literary and historical 15th century Holy Roman Empire (Germany). Darklands is an amazing achievement and still great fun to play today.

This is the first part of a multi-segment interview with Arnold Hendrick, the designer of Darklands as well as several of Microprose's best military simulation games. In this part, Arnold and I talk about how history influenced his designs, what it was like working with Sid Meier on Pirates!, and why Darklands was such a difficult production.

In the second segment of our interview, Arnold talks about the influences of Darklands, the limitations of real-time with pause combat, possible controversy with the Catholic church, and why the game doesn't feature mounted combat.

In the final segment of my interview with Arnold Hendrick, we discuss sandbox or "themepark" style vs. linear gameplay, tips for Darklands novices, an awful show-stopping bug that doomed Darklands to poor sales.

Scott Adams was a software pioneer, designing and publishing a line of adventure games when personal computing was still in its infancy. His company, "Adventure International," in many ways epitomizes the earliest days of the computer gaming industry. In this first segment of the interview, Scott talks about his childhood, high school years, first projects, and science fiction.

In the second installment of my interview with the industry pioneer, Scott Adams and I focus on Adventureland, the first-ever commercial adventure game for home computers. Programming on a humble TRS-80 Model I, Scott achieved what many in the industry considered impossible. We also cover Colossal Cave Adventure and Scott's favorite computers, the Atari ST and the TI-99 4.

In this third and final segment of my interview with computer games pioneer Scott Adams, we talk about the Questprobe series featuring Marvel super heroes. We also talk about Scott's current gaming interests and his thoughts on the history and current state of the industry.

This is the first part of a multi-segment interview with Rebecca "Burger" Heineman, one of the most influential women in the history of the videogames industry. In this first segment, Becky and I chat about her background--and how a knack for Space Invaders on the Atari 2600 led to her amazing career as a games programmer and designer.

This is the second part of my interview with Rebecca "Burger" Heineman, one of the most influential coders and designers in the games industry. In this part, we discuss Becky's programming background, John Carmack vs. John Romero, text vs. graphical games, and why Sir-Tech's Wizardry is such an important game.

In this episode, Becky and I talk about her game Tass Times in Tonetown, one of the quirkiest and best-loved point-and-click adventures. She also reveals the origin of her nickname, "Burger," and what it was like to be at the cutting edge of game development and still be perpetually broke.

In this fourth segment of my interview with industry great Rebecca Heineman, we discuss The Bard's Tale and Dragon Wars. Becky goes into detail about the drama between Michael Cranford and Interplay over Bard's Tale, her struggles with transgenderism, and her proudest achievement: a game that would have been The Bard's Tale IV.

In this bonus segment of my interview with industry star Becky "Burger" Heineman, we pick up where we left off. Becky talks about the problems between publishers and developers and why so many great games don't get made--and why almost every new game is a sequel or licensed title. We also talk about her ill-fated port of Half Life for Mac, the future of Bard's Tale and Wasteland, the Apple II and Amiga, and much more.

Finally, it's the new and improved "Matt Chat" with Don Kurtz, aka Soulgotha. This episode features the game Twilight Scene It, an epic masterpiece based on the groundbreaking novels and movies. Are you team Edward or Jacob? Don explains the game's appeal and why games like this are so much more influential and important than raunchy old games that just aren't hip.

Don "The Donimator" Kurtz vs. Matt Barton in an epic game of Death Sword...Who will win? Will Don complete his month-long Twilight series? You decide!

In the first part of my interview with the founder of Interplay, Brian and I discuss his early days, the story of Bard's Tale, life at Interplay, Wizardry, and the humor of Battlechess.

In the second segment of my interview with industry legend, Brian Fargo and I talk about Wasteland, Fallout, Stonekeep, and more. We also chat about modern CRPGs and why the 80s style (parties and turn-based) went away.

In this episode, Brian Fargo and I discuss the fall of Interplay even in the face of triumphs like Fallout, Baldur's Gate, Descent, and Icewind Dale. Big changes in the gaming industry led to publishers increasingly playing it safe with fewer and fewer original titles. Brian also discusses his favorite CRPG--Icewind Dale--and how the iPhone and Facebook platforms might be our last great hope for true gaming breakthroughs.

In this episode, it's all about Mail Order Monsters, the 1985 classic that takes the 1-on-1 combat of Archon and upgrades it with a sophisticated system of genetics and advanced weaponry. Designed by Paul Reiche III, Evan Robinson, and Nicky Robinson, Mail Order Monsters represents some of the best gameplay you'll find on the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit platforms.

This is the first installment of my extensive interview with Agustín Cordes, designer of the award-winning Scratches and the upcoming Asylum. A master of horror and adventure game design, Cordes is based in Argentina. In this epsiode, Cordes and I discuss Asylum, the engine formerly known as Kinesis, Scratches, horror, indie development, puzzle design, and plenty of other topics. Cordes also gives me several scoops, preview footage, and exclusive insider information!

In the second part of my interview with horror-adventure game maestro Agustín Cordes, we delve into horror games vs. horror films, game narratives, why adventure games are better as stories than games, what it's like to be a game developer in Argentina, Risk Profile, and much, much more. We even cover Cordes' plans for the iPad and a top-secret project with a mystery developer.

This is the first segment of my interview with game industry luminaries Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford of Toys for Bob. Paul and Fred are responsible for the DOS-era classic, Star Control, and Paul is known for many classics including Archon and Mail Order Monsters. In this segment, the three of us talk about their latest project, Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures, the relationship between toys and games, Dungeons & Dragons, game narratives, and much more.

In this installment of my interview with celebrated videogame designers Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford, we talk about Paul's days at Freefall Associates, the formation of Toys for Bob, Archon, and Star Control.

In the final segment of my interview with Star Control creators Fred Ford and Paul Reiche, we discuss abandonware, The Horde, Little Witching Mischiefs, Star Control 4, and the duo's preferred beverage.

This is the first part of my interview with shareware guru and Apogee and 3D Realms founder Scott Miller. In this segment, we talk about his Radar project, movies & games, Star Wars vs. Star Trek, shareware, piracy, abandonware, and much more.