Horrorsoft's Elvira 2: Jaws of Cerberus had a neat beating heart thing too, it's one of my favourite RPG's but unfortunately seems to recieve very little attention or recognition nowadays.
Good look to shine some light on this game which in my opinion, is the best game for the Coco franchise. I spent many hours playing this game and looking back, it's incredible that they did so much with so little. A 16K program pak! I am particularity glad that there was no online help etc. as it made the experience of beating it that much more fulfilling. A space R was easier for me to type.
WOW! I didn't know that ASIMOV (that IS him, right?) partook in any of the Tandy Promotionals! Oh, yeah, GREAT Matt Chat, as always, Matt!!! Your show is really helping me get through some challenging times right now as I sit in a hot and humid Japanese summer!
Man I wonder what percentage of today's "twitch" gaming generation would have the patience to play games like this. Probably a very few, easy to see why gaming was such a niche hobby back then. Another fantastic video, love watching these!
@sacheen1712 I doubt any would, to be completely honest. And you've got to look at what's happened with instruction manuals, too. It wouldn't surprise me if most of today's modern "twitch" gamers don't have the patience to read through a full manual!
Thanks for reviewing this game. It's one of my all time favorites. I love the old school interface because it makes you work hard to win the game. No window dressing here, just a spectacular game experience.
Also, thanks for reviewing the predecessors. It's great to learn about more classic titles.
Bwa-ha-ha! Wow, this takes me back. We always put the sword in the left hand, though. You can get a better rhythm typing A-space-L than A-space-R. Left pinky, right thumb, right pinky. Just seeing the title on the screen makes my fingers twitch in that rhythm. :)
I can see how this game gets the blood pumping. The heart pumping function is cool - reminds me of a dreamcast game I have. Illbleed, i think? Also - I love House of the Seven Gables. I think that's where the Hawthorne quote is from.
Hmm, that is a really old game! I'm not sure I would like to play it, but I enjoyed watching. There is a lot to learn about history of gaming, and that is what I like
Is their any CoCo computers woeking anymore? (he-he). Great review Matt! Ah, I remember the salesman at Radio Shack was demonstrating this game. He really hyped it up,and for the time, it was "cutting edge". I almost bought the CoCo for this game, but ended up buying a Texas Instruments color computer and got hooked on the Zork series. (I think I made the right decision). Anyway, how does one sharpen a wooded sword?
That's a good question. I have heard of martial arts experts who prefer wooden swords (hoboken or something like that). Apparently they have their advantages.
It's hard to find online details or a ROM, but essentially it was a text adventure with real time combat where you had to roam the locations (which changed slighty each time) collect the treasures, and defeat the monsters.
The combat basically consisted of you equiping a weapon and bashing/hacking etc the enemy while they were attacking you. Even now I'm sure I could fast type "hack orc" repeatedly ;)
From what I can tell the game was published by Spectral Ascociates.
I'm one of those who never heard of this game before Matt. Looks like it would have been interesting at the time. Did the US not get the Spectrum at all? What a shame if it didnt, fantastic machine... :)
The only game that I've played with the heart beat feature was Far Cry Instincts Predator. It's on the Xbox 360 and had a game mode called Predator. Not a single soul still plays this game, but it was exhilarating playing it. There would usually be a small amount of Predators (1-4) and the rest were Mercenaries. The game had a map editor so it was incredible. Whenever the Predator would come near you, the heart rate would increase. Since the controller has a rumble pack, it was very immersive.
I have always said that if there were more women at the top of gaming companies we would have a mainstream market like every says we have now - when we don't! People don't watch credits, but if they did, they would notice a woman high up in the listing for every great innovative game! Nomad Soul and Fahrenheit, for example...!
Hmm. I think I know who it is! If I'm right, it should be a fascinating interview, providing an "alternate" perspective to game development, and not necessarily because the person is female!
If I'm wrong, I will enjoy the surprise anyway. :-)
BTW, great Matt Chat as usual. I don't know what else to say that hasn't been said by the other commenters.
It's easy to forget how much the tech constraints of the time actually added to the sense of immersion in games like this. There was something so creepy and alienating about such simplicity. Difficult to feel that nowadays, though. My brain has sadly been conditioned to expect programmers to bring everything to the table in terms of imagination.
Funny, I've been noticing your views count goes up much quicker these days. hard work must be paying off in the world of Matt Chat! Soon I'll be able to tell peeps 'I knew his youtube vids when they were knee-high to a grasshopper!'
Those dungeon explorer type of games are really great. Is there a possibility of a "The Bard's Tale" video? I made a gameplay response of it, hope you enjoy it.
It would have taken me so long getting used to those controls. Still, the game looks mighty impressive! Excellent video as always, Matt!
That heartbeat reminded me of one of the old Alien games. I can't remember what system it was up, the only things I seem to remember is that it randomized what character would turn out to be a robot, and that darn heartbeat! It was a great game though.
And thank you so much for spreading the word about the fundraiser :)
Turns out it was Alien for the C64 I was thinking of. There's a constant heartbeat goin, that goes totally insane when an Alien attacks. Since the game is so silent otherwise, your own heart synchs up with the game one, so the chock of the attack is really intense!
Horrorsoft's Elvira 2: Jaws of Cerberus had a neat beating heart thing too, it's one of my favourite RPG's but unfortunately seems to recieve very little attention or recognition nowadays.
Jellicoid 3 months ago
Every video becomes better and better :D
00Miedo 9 months ago
Good look to shine some light on this game which in my opinion, is the best game for the Coco franchise. I spent many hours playing this game and looking back, it's incredible that they did so much with so little. A 16K program pak! I am particularity glad that there was no online help etc. as it made the experience of beating it that much more fulfilling. A space R was easier for me to type.
KenaiAndrews 11 months ago
omfg, i just cant stop listening to the long version of the intro song its so amazing, great vid as usual Matt!
elfmann243 1 year ago
...someone please solve a childhood mystery for me... what was the final name of the last ring?
plendzion 1 year ago
WOW! I didn't know that ASIMOV (that IS him, right?) partook in any of the Tandy Promotionals! Oh, yeah, GREAT Matt Chat, as always, Matt!!! Your show is really helping me get through some challenging times right now as I sit in a hot and humid Japanese summer!
jakdin 1 year ago
Man I wonder what percentage of today's "twitch" gaming generation would have the patience to play games like this. Probably a very few, easy to see why gaming was such a niche hobby back then. Another fantastic video, love watching these!
sacheen1712 1 year ago
@sacheen1712 I doubt any would, to be completely honest. And you've got to look at what's happened with instruction manuals, too. It wouldn't surprise me if most of today's modern "twitch" gamers don't have the patience to read through a full manual!
Chubzdoomer 11 months ago
Is this the game Tom Hanks played in Big? Melt wizard. Throw...thermal...pod.
vintagevideogamegeek 1 year ago
@vintagevideogamegeek No, that game never existed unfortunately.
JuntMonkey 1 month ago
Thanks for reviewing this game. It's one of my all time favorites. I love the old school interface because it makes you work hard to win the game. No window dressing here, just a spectacular game experience.
Also, thanks for reviewing the predecessors. It's great to learn about more classic titles.
civildiscord 1 year ago
Great Review! I am a TRS-80 Color computer enthusiast. I posted a link to it on coco3 (dot) com. A big Color Computer enthusiast site.
navydave1 1 year ago
@navydave1 Awesome, thanks.
blacklily8 1 year ago
how much would this game cost now? And with instructions?
carsonsmith 1 year ago
@carsonsmith I've no idea. Probably need to check eBay.
blacklily8 1 year ago
Wow, that takes me back. I haven't actually seen that game, but it reminds me of similar dungeon games I had back on my C64.
RichardEllwood 1 year ago
Bwa-ha-ha! Wow, this takes me back. We always put the sword in the left hand, though. You can get a better rhythm typing A-space-L than A-space-R. Left pinky, right thumb, right pinky. Just seeing the title on the screen makes my fingers twitch in that rhythm. :)
Jen52671 2 years ago
@Jen52671 Good to know, thanks.
blacklily8 1 year ago
I can see how this game gets the blood pumping. The heart pumping function is cool - reminds me of a dreamcast game I have. Illbleed, i think? Also - I love House of the Seven Gables. I think that's where the Hawthorne quote is from.
svicciarelli 2 years ago
nice to see the hardcore classics :) what no Gates of Delerium?? :P Going to cover any of the Nancy Drew stuff? casual girl gamer adventures??
Yakumo9275 2 years ago
WHOA! You are a genius, Yakumo. How in the heck did you guess???
blacklily8 2 years ago
I know your dying to have a fling with Nancy is all... :)
Yakumo9275 2 years ago
Wow, my guess was way off base.... Maybe my guess might make for a good future episode, though!
rowdyrob3d 2 years ago
Great review!
I'm interested in this charity you were talking about but I didn't see a link anywhere. Guess I'll just head over to TanukiKGA's channel.
Looking forward to the interview.
DlNKYDANA 2 years ago
Really? I used the annotations feature to put it in. Guess it's not working. :(
blacklily8 2 years ago
Very cool, I like how you manage to make every game you review seem so interesting!
laffer35 2 years ago
Thanks, laffer35! I try my best.
blacklily8 2 years ago
Another enjoyable episode Matt.
Must admit that i know very little about the CoCo so hadn't heard of this game before.
Do you know if the US CoCo was the same model as the UK TRS 80?
rawhide2803 2 years ago
I'm not sure. Bill L. of Armchair Arcade would definitely know, though.
blacklily8 2 years ago
Hmm, that is a really old game! I'm not sure I would like to play it, but I enjoyed watching. There is a lot to learn about history of gaming, and that is what I like
bobsat666 2 years ago
Hi matt
NickPaidaros 2 years ago
Brillaint, enjoyed that. Thanks Matt :)
Lorfarius 2 years ago
Is their any CoCo computers woeking anymore? (he-he). Great review Matt! Ah, I remember the salesman at Radio Shack was demonstrating this game. He really hyped it up,and for the time, it was "cutting edge". I almost bought the CoCo for this game, but ended up buying a Texas Instruments color computer and got hooked on the Zork series. (I think I made the right decision). Anyway, how does one sharpen a wooded sword?
tgaskill 2 years ago
That's a good question. I have heard of martial arts experts who prefer wooden swords (hoboken or something like that). Apparently they have their advantages.
blacklily8 2 years ago
We never got this over in the Uk, but I'm sure I would have gone mental for it at the time :)
Have you played Keys Of The Wzard on the Coco?
And great channel :)
MontyPropps 2 years ago
Thanks, Monty. Nope, I don't know anything about Keys of the Wizard. Care to enlighten me?
blacklily8 2 years ago
It's hard to find online details or a ROM, but essentially it was a text adventure with real time combat where you had to roam the locations (which changed slighty each time) collect the treasures, and defeat the monsters.
The combat basically consisted of you equiping a weapon and bashing/hacking etc the enemy while they were attacking you. Even now I'm sure I could fast type "hack orc" repeatedly ;)
From what I can tell the game was published by Spectral Ascociates.
MontyPropps 2 years ago
Think there's a game called Zil that's real-time text (IIRC). Anyway, KotW sounds interesting!
blacklily8 2 years ago
Great video Matt, very informative! I didn't even know about that system!
FenderLesPaul1989 2 years ago
I'm one of those who never heard of this game before Matt. Looks like it would have been interesting at the time. Did the US not get the Spectrum at all? What a shame if it didnt, fantastic machine... :)
ianwilson1978 2 years ago
I never saw one growing up, but apparently there were some in the form of Timex machines.
blacklily8 2 years ago
I love your work Matt :-) You have gotten me into liking old crpg.
Gylve81 2 years ago
Nice! Which ones are you playing?
blacklily8 2 years ago
Played Dungeon Master and Baldurs Gate. Really good games. About to begin with Gateway to the savage frontier :-)
Bought your book aswell. Dungeons & Desktops. There are so many games I want to play. Like Wizards Crown that looks amazing :-)
Gylve81 2 years ago
Thanks! If you like the book, please post a review of it on Amazon. It really helps!
blacklily8 2 years ago
Another great video mate. That game looks like a real old school classic!
Never played it, looks like an oldie ;o)
You make these videos very interesting to watch... keep up the great work ;o)
interghost 2 years ago
Cool, wondered when you would get round to this one ;-)
Balgorg 2 years ago 2
The only game that I've played with the heart beat feature was Far Cry Instincts Predator. It's on the Xbox 360 and had a game mode called Predator. Not a single soul still plays this game, but it was exhilarating playing it. There would usually be a small amount of Predators (1-4) and the rest were Mercenaries. The game had a map editor so it was incredible. Whenever the Predator would come near you, the heart rate would increase. Since the controller has a rumble pack, it was very immersive.
CoolKabbage 2 years ago
Sounds interesting; tying in the rumble pack is a nice touch.
blacklily8 2 years ago
Oh, i forgot this..
The interview! A woman! Woo!
Anne Westfall? Roberta Williams of Jane Jensen? Carol Shaw? :) Can't wait to see what Lesson In Retro You've planned for us!:)
crusader666 2 years ago
Well, it's not exactly retro, but you're getting close with the adventure game genre.
blacklily8 2 years ago
I have always said that if there were more women at the top of gaming companies we would have a mainstream market like every says we have now - when we don't! People don't watch credits, but if they did, they would notice a woman high up in the listing for every great innovative game! Nomad Soul and Fahrenheit, for example...!
HardWarUK 2 years ago
Hmm. I think I know who it is! If I'm right, it should be a fascinating interview, providing an "alternate" perspective to game development, and not necessarily because the person is female!
If I'm wrong, I will enjoy the surprise anyway. :-)
BTW, great Matt Chat as usual. I don't know what else to say that hasn't been said by the other commenters.
rowdyrob3d 2 years ago
It even has turning animation.. WOW!
Thanks for introducing that to me!
Now i need an emulator, Tandy's never his Poland.. ;)
Great chat! :)
crusader666 2 years ago
*hit
crusader666 2 years ago
It's easy to forget how much the tech constraints of the time actually added to the sense of immersion in games like this. There was something so creepy and alienating about such simplicity. Difficult to feel that nowadays, though. My brain has sadly been conditioned to expect programmers to bring everything to the table in terms of imagination.
marcusmalone 2 years ago
Yes, that's something the creator of the game has said in some interviews--the simplicity allows your imagination to fill in more of the gaps.
blacklily8 2 years ago
Funny, I've been noticing your views count goes up much quicker these days. hard work must be paying off in the world of Matt Chat! Soon I'll be able to tell peeps 'I knew his youtube vids when they were knee-high to a grasshopper!'
marcusmalone 2 years ago
My friend had this game. He did play a few minutes of it to show me... but I've never tried it.
newcoleco 2 years ago 2
Is that a Choose your own adventure book beside mysterious island? HELL YEA!
snaged911 2 years ago
You bet. Did you see my interview with the R.A. Montgomery?
blacklily8 2 years ago
Nope, but now ill go watch it :D
snaged911 2 years ago
good video as always
someonefromsomewere1 2 years ago
Those dungeon explorer type of games are really great. Is there a possibility of a "The Bard's Tale" video? I made a gameplay response of it, hope you enjoy it.
Maximusmadrica 2 years ago
Sweet! Yes, I do plan to cover it at some point. It's one of my favorite CRPGs from that era.
blacklily8 2 years ago
Matt WOw!
Very illuminating vid. LOve It!
broken1394 2 years ago 2
Yea Coco! Thanks for doing this. All us coco nerds of course know this game well. Thanks for posting this excellent review. :)
atarileaf 2 years ago 2
It would have taken me so long getting used to those controls. Still, the game looks mighty impressive! Excellent video as always, Matt!
That heartbeat reminded me of one of the old Alien games. I can't remember what system it was up, the only things I seem to remember is that it randomized what character would turn out to be a robot, and that darn heartbeat! It was a great game though.
And thank you so much for spreading the word about the fundraiser :)
TanukiKGA 2 years ago
@TanukiKGA
Turns out it was Alien for the C64 I was thinking of. There's a constant heartbeat goin, that goes totally insane when an Alien attacks. Since the game is so silent otherwise, your own heart synchs up with the game one, so the chock of the attack is really intense!
TanukiKGA 2 years ago
Ah, yes, I remember that one. That game scared me so much I was unable to play it. :)
blacklily8 2 years ago
Lower quality camera Matt? Having a hard time? Hope not! Same great video again!
HardWarUK 2 years ago
Not sure what you're talking about. Did you watch the video before it was finished processing?
blacklily8 2 years ago
Yes I did.
HardWarUK 2 years ago
Great Matt Chat my friend. Love to hear you talk and describe and you are always informative. So thank you and keep them coming my friend!!
CaptainRaven40 2 years ago 4
Great MATT CHAT!
IMMORTALONE19 2 years ago 3
I really hope to obtain a CoCo3 at some point. Great vid as always Matt!
MaximumRD 2 years ago 3
Nice Matt Chat, as usual.
KreatorRage 2 years ago 4