The Upper Memory Block Podcast from billybob

[Jobydrone]

Nice!  That game was hard and creepy!  Can't wait for the Xcom show...Enemy Unknown was just about my favorite game of 2012!

[billybob476]

I'm happy I found a way to sliude a modern game review in every once in awhile. Excited to talk about this one, lots to say. Feel free to send in your own thoughts!

[Feathers]

We're well into territory I know little about with some of these but the format of the show still makes for quite compelling and informative listening.

Love the genuine French accent by the way, you've obviously practiced for years!

[billybob476]

Yup, growing up in Québec forced me to practice whether I wanted to or not! Glad you're finding it fun to listen even if you haven't played the games.

[Feathers]

I was working by the 90's - didn't have time for games ;)

I was in France last week and am stunned at how much I've forgotten. Even being asked if I wanted coffee in the morning was a struggle :(

The interest lies as much in the back story and tech focus bits as in the game content itself. You cover it all very well.

[billybob476]

and episode 19 all about XCOM: Enemy Unknown is out!

http://umbcast.com/episode-19-x-com-enemy-unknown/
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Welcome once again Blockers!

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.

Enjoy!

Direct download:
http://umbcast.com/podcast/019-UMBCast-X-COM-Enemy-Unknown.mp3

[Jobydrone]

Very disappointed that the Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition couldn't get a working build for the iPad 1.  They had said all along it would be playable on all iPads and it was possibly the game I was most looking forward to playing on my iPad ever.  But they couldn't get it to work, and that was aparrently the cause of all the delays with the release of the game as they tried and tried to get it playable.  Oh well, I guess I'll wait until I upgrade, whenever that is...

[billybob476]

It is unfortunate. I mean, I understand from a development point of view, but it's be interesting to know what the issue was. Is it purely a performance issue or is there some other major stumbling block programming for iPad1 vs others.

The game runs great on my iPad 2.

[Jobydrone]

According to the devs it's because the iPad 1 has half as much memory and they were getting unavoidable crashes at certain points in the game

[billybob476]

Episode 20 all about Independence War it out!

http://umbcast.com/episode-20-independence-war/
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Happy new year Blockers!

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!

Direct download:
http://umbcast.com/podcast/020-UMBCast-Independence-War.mp3

[billybob476]

Forgot to post this one! Ep 21 came out last Thursday!

http://umbcast.com/episode-21-full-throttle/
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Hi Blockers!

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.

Direct download:
http://umbcast.com/podcast/021-UMBCast-Full-Throttle.mp3

[Feathers]

Interested to hear the Elite news in this last show. I was never too big a player but I still sank a far few hours into that game (probably on Sinvlair ZX Spectrum...). I've occasionally done a trawl of the App Store for anything like an iDevice version without much luck but, in one sense, that's probably good for me and my free time budget. It may be something I have to avoid trying out!

[billybob476]

It does look pretty cool. Obviously a much more graphical game then the oroginal but I do hope they keep the falvour of the original. I wasn't a huge Elite players myself (a touch before my time) but I'm a big fan of the genre. I sepnt waaay too much time playing Trade Wars 2002 with my friends in the BBS days.

[billybob476]

Episode 22 all about Rollercoaster Tycoon is in the can!

http://umbcast.com/episode-22-rollercoaster-tycoon/
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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!

Direct download:
http://umbcast.com/podcast/022-UMBCast-Rollercoaster-Tycoon.mp3

[Meds]

Awesome, looking forward to some more Joe chat.