After just officially releasing the latest update to Insurgent Games' Skeleton Key, Micah Lee, head of the studio and the game's programmer, was kind enough to send me a promo code so I could do a review. With iTunes being such a hot bed for app development these days and there being countless games available in every possible category and price point, it's not surprising that this is the first time I heard of the game. Since my time is extremely limited these days, I do most of my gaming on the go with my iPhone 3G, so I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to leverage my current situation and put up a review. So, with all that said, exactly what is Skeleton Key?

I recently completed my advance copy of Phantomery Interactive's Outcry:The Dawn, a 2008 game now being published by Mamba Games under their Odyssia label. Outcry is a great game in the style of Myst, with fun puzzles, a rich story, and creepy, surreal atmosphere.

OutcryThe story is complex enough that even after finishing the game you may not be quite sure what happened. At least, that's how I ended the game--though this isn't a criticism; indeed, the mysterious and unexplained aspects of the storyline make it even more intriguing to play. Basically, though, we have here a sort of H.P. Lovecraft take on Jules Verne. The protagonist travels to another dimension, which is apparently built of fragments of his own rationality. The game is psychological to the point of having players read snippets of Freud and Yung (as well as experiment with mind-altering chemicals).

Today's casual photos, taken with my iPhone 3G, are three sealed Walt Disney Personal Computer Software titles from Sierra for any 64K minimum Radio Shack (Tandy) Color Computer (CoCo 1, 2 or 3). These titles were created and released during a time when Sierra supported multiple 8-bit platforms before going exclusively 16-bit, until finally pretty much putting all of their focus into PC's, with occasional console detours like the Sega CD. The photos are Mickey's Space Adventure, Winnie the Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood (note that MobyGames misses the CoCo version completely), and Donald Duck's Playground, all from 1986. Enjoy:

I just came across this, don't know how long it has been or will remain available but I figured a great free game from a great site there is no better time to check it out/sign up. I did a video to let my Youtube subscribers know but they are doing site maintenance right now DOH! Thought I would fill you guys in to! Below my original post/info (On my Facebook group)
BENEATH THE STEEL SKY

Phil CampbellBoy, do I have a scoop for you! One of the best interviews we conducted at GDC was with Phil Campbell, creative consultant and the genius behind Lights, Camera, Action!, the first "casual" Nancy Drew adventure game. I played through this game recently and was very impressed. What Phil has managed to do here is make a full-length Nancy Drew adventure game without any of the tedium associated with the genre--this one is pure fun, all the way through. I think Phil is one of the best brains out there when it comes to game design, so I got in touch with him after we got back and sent him some questions. He was kind enough to respond with some really incredible stuff. What follows is an illustrated essay he wrote about his work that gives you a behind-the-scenes-look at one of the best adventure games in recent years. Enjoy!

You asked for it, you got it! Matt Chat #13 is Adventure for the Atari 2600, programmed by Warren Robinette. Enjoy!

The Labyrinth of Time, created by Bradley W. Schenck and Michal Todorovic of Terra Nova Development, and published by Electronic Arts, was a CD-ROM-based graphics adventure released in the wake of Myst and 7th Guest, which explains why the game never really took off and why the game's intended sequels were never created. After all, if you're basically third after two of the biggest selling computer games of all time to that point were released, you don't stand much of a chance in the marketplace. Anyway, what's interesting is that beyond being released for the Apple Macintosh, Commodore Amiga and PC platforms, there was also a version specific to the Commodore Amiga CD32 released, and in the US to boot.

It took literally all day and all night to get it done, but here it is: Matt Chat 8: The Secret of Monkey Island. This one should be available in HD soon, but it's my understanding that it can take awhile for YouTube to post the option. This is the first time I've attempted to do a HD video, so bear with me. Hopefully, the options will appear after the video has finished processing.

Enjoy the video and please let me know what you think!

Just a quick note--my review of Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express is now available. If you intend to buy the game, be sure to use the link below.