The Upper Memory Block
Joe Mastroianni
The Upper Memory Block podcast is all about DOS and pre-Windows XP gaming. Every two weeks we talk in-depth about a game, game series, company and/or technology from this era. Enjoy!
All episodes
Best episodes
Top 10 The Upper Memory Block Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Upper Memory Block episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Upper Memory Block for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Upper Memory Block episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
UMBCast 074 - UMBNews June 2015
The Upper Memory Block
06/21/15 • 59 min
It's the news! This time I'm switching up the format a bit and we'll have a bit of a casual chat about things that have happened since the last news ep, up to and including E3! Here are the stories covered: Broken Age Act 2: http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/28573 GOG's Galaxy client is making good progress: http://www.pcgamer.com/gogs-galaxy-client-is-making-good-progress/ HANDS ON: OCULUS RIFT CONSUMER MODEL: http://www.digitaltrends.com/vr-headset-reviews/oculus-rift-hands-on/ Hulu Lands ‘Myst’ Drama From Legendary TV & Matt Tolmach Based On Video Game: http://deadline.com/2015/05/myst-tv-series-video-game-hulu-legendary-matt-tolmach-1201421271/ STAR TREK PREMIERES ON GOG.COM https://www.gog.com/news/star_trek_premieres_on_gogcom Hero-U Fantasy Adventure Role-Playing Game: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/transolargames/hero-u-adventure-role-playing-game Master of Orion reboot coming from the team behind World of Tanks: http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/9/8746959/master-of-orion-reboot-coming-from-the-team-behind-world-of-tanks XCOM 2 details emerge, and it's bad news for humanity: http://www.pcgamer.com/xcom-2-details-emerge-and-its-bad-news-for-humanity/ Fallout 4: http://www.fallout4.com/ Fallout Shelter: http://toucharcade.com/2015/06/19/toucharcade-game-of-the-week-fallout-shelter/ New King's Quest is out Next Month: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-06-16-the-first-chapter-of-the-new-kings-quest-is-out-next-month After the news, we hear from Brian about his experiences with Mod music and the Demoscene. Jaime sent in a great segment for us talking about the Demoscene, here are the links to what he discusses kenny chow (cc catch from renaissance) one must fall 2097 music remake: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvlVaQl7kEk second reality by future crew: http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=63 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Reality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFv7mHTf0nA fr-08 the product: http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=1221 kkreiger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.kkrieger http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=12036 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NBG-sKFaB0 8088mph runs on ibm cga 4.77mhz http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=65371 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHXx3orN35Y
UMBCast 010 - Descent
The Upper Memory Block
08/03/12 • 69 min
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!
UMBCast 025 - X-Wing
The Upper Memory Block
03/18/13 • 72 min
Hi Blockers! This week, we're talking about the incredible space sim series, X-Wing. Before we talk about that, the news: The team that brought us the original Planetscape: Torment are kicksarting a new game, Torment: Tides of Numenera. Lord British told us what he meant to. Check out his new game on kickstarter, Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues. Finally, the developers working on the new Shadowrun Returns game, which raised 18 million dollars last year, released 20 minute of alpha gameplay footage. Looks like they're on track. Next, a quick email talking about Humungous games and where you can get them today. Finaly we get to X-Wing. We talk about the story, gameplay and tech focus. In dev story, we go through the history of the series and a bit about each of the sequels. Then we hear a few listener memories of the games. Buy X-Wing on eBay Buy X-Wing on Amazon Next time, not only is it the podcast's 1 year anniversary, but we will also be discussing the awesome Fallout series! Enjoy! Stream the show live: [audio src="http://umbcast.com/podcast/025-UMBCast-X-Wing.mp3"] Direct download: http://umbcast.com/podcast/025-UMBCast-X-Wing.mp3
UMBCast 060 - UMBNews November 2014
The Upper Memory Block
11/24/14 • 29 min
It's the first news-only episode thanks to your incredible generosity on Patreon! News discussed in this episode: 3D Realms bundle released: http://www.pcgamer.com/3d-realms-returns-with-32-game-anthology-bundle/ Lucasarts games now available on GoG: http://www.gog.com/news/new_publisher_disney_interactivelucasfilm Star Citizen FPS module revealed: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-11-03-star-citizen-first-person-shooter-gameplay-unveiled Ken & Roberta Williams get a sneak peak of the new King's Quest: http://blog.theoddgentlemen.com/post/101694832159/meeting-roberta-and-ken-williams Tim Schafer discusses an open-world Grim Fandango sequel: http://kotaku.com/tim-schafer-dreams-of-an-open-world-grim-fandango-seque-1654750107 Thimbleweed Park, a retro adventure from the creators of Maniac Mansion: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thimbleweedpark/thimbleweed-park-a-new-classic-point-and-click-adv Elite: Dangerous drops offline single player gameplay: http://www.pcgamer.com/elite-dangerous-boss-says-online-only-is-the-right-decision/ Hero U has a revised release date of October 15, 2015: http://www.hero-u.net/hero_u_about.html Music: 'In Ten Years' by H.P. Mendoza: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/everything-is-pop/id922961764 'Pirate Shout' by audio fidelity, Derek Meler, Eric Griffin, Marcus Affeldt: http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02179 Support the show on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/umbcast Next time, I'll be covering the 1985 Micoprose sub simulation, Silent Service.
UMBCast 097 - Hangout #6 - Game Music & Sound
The Upper Memory Block
12/04/16 • 139 min
It's Patreon Hangout time once again! This time around, Akago, Brian, Craig, Jim, Ryan, Tomer, Martin and myself got together to chat about game music and sound! We get deep into hardware and play clips form some of our favourite game music. It was a great time and big thanks to the participants and those who watched! Keep an eye out for our upcoming guest shows on I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, A Mind Forever Voyaging and Cyber Empires in addition to my next show on Star Trek: The Next Generation - A Final Unity. Lots of great content coming up!
UMBCast 014 - Gabriel Knight
The Upper Memory Block
09/30/12 • 61 min
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!
UMBCast 012 - Railroad Tycoon
The Upper Memory Block
08/30/12 • 54 min
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!
UMBCast 073 - Crusader
The Upper Memory Block
06/03/15 • 60 min
Here's episode 73, where I discuss the 1995 Origin Systems action series, Crusader. As always, I go into the genre, story and gameplay. We also delve into the game's tech specs and engine before talking a bit about the history and definition of tracker music. After some great listener emails and voicemails, I give my thoughts about whether or not the game holds up. Ending music: "The Traveler" Main Theme Remix by Andrew Sega: http://www.echosector.com/music/ Crusader: No Remorse intro cinematic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvAt3hDcNT4 Buy Crusader: No Remorse on GoG: http://www.gog.com/game/crusader_no_remorse?pp=1106a1dda2d680438ecfb0bb70fd479c55a1791f Buy Crusader: No Regret on GoG: http://www.gog.com/game/crusader_no_regret?pp=1106a1dda2d680438ecfb0bb70fd479c55a1791f Buy Crusader: No Remorse on Origin: https://www.origin.com/en-ca/store/buy/crusader-no-remorse/pc-download/base-game/standard-edition Buy Crusader: No Regret on Origin: https://www.origin.com/en-ca/store/buy/crusader-no-regret/pc-download/base-game/standard-edition Support the show on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/umbcast Next time, we'll be doing the news. After that, we'll cover the 1998 Lucasarts 4X game, Star Wars: Rebellion. Enjoy!
UMBCast 068 - Grim Fandango
The Upper Memory Block
03/11/15 • 82 min
Welcome to episode 68 where I discuss the 1998 Lucasarts adventure game, Grim Fandango. We go through some emails, then get into the nitty gritty in the land of the dead. If you like Grim Fandago, you might also enjoy a game called The Cheap Detective (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cheap_Detective). For great Grim Fandango and other retro gaming art, clothing and jewellery, check out Maya Pixelskaya (http://shop.mayapixelskaya.com/) Buy Grim Fandango on GoG: http://www.gog.com/game/grim_fandango_remastered?pp=1106a1dda2d680438ecfb0bb70fd479c55a1791f Buy Grim Fandango on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/316790/ Support the show on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/umbcast Next time, I'll be covering the 1998 Stainless Software game, Carmageddeon. Enjoy!
UMBCast 070 - UMBNews April 2015
The Upper Memory Block
04/16/15 • 51 min
Time for episode 70 and the news for March and April 2015! Here's the rundown: Homeworld Remastered puts you in command of the most stunning space battles ever: http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/24/8098381/homeworld-remastered-collection-gearbox-interview Underworld Ascendant Kickstarter reaches its goal: http://www.pcgamer.com/underworld-ascendant-kickstarter-reaches-its-goal/ Electronic Arts closes SimCity studio Maxis Emeryville: http://www.pcgamer.com/electronic-arts-closes-simcity-studio-maxis-emeryville/ Passing The Hat: An In-Depth Look At The New King's Quest: http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/03/06/passing-the-hat-an-in-depth-look-at-the-new-kings-quest.aspx King's Quest: How Sierra plans to reboot a three decade old classic: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-03-17-kings-quest-how-sierra-plans-to-reboot-a-three-decade-old-classic Kickstarter: Descent: Underground https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/descendentstudios/descent-underground Broken Age Act 2 release date announced: http://www.pcgamer.com/broken-age-act-2-release-date/ Kickstarter: "Order of the Thorne" & "Roehm To Ruin" by Infamous Quests: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1992695780/order-of-the-thorne-and-roehm-to-ruin-by-infamous Stardock Star Control FAQ: http://www.littletinyfrogs.com/article/463278/Star_Control_FAQ Lucasarts' Afterlife on GoG: http://www.gog.com/game/afterlife?pp=1106a1dda2d680438ecfb0bb70fd479c55a1791f Videogame Publishers: No Preserving Abandoned Games, Even for Museums and Archives, Because All "Hacking" is Illegal: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/04/videogame-publishers-no-preserving-abandoned-games-even-museums-and-archives Outtro music: “The Enlightened Alaskan” by MazeDude: http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01690 Support the show on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/umbcast Next time, I'll be looking at the 1996 Activision FMV adventure, Spycraft: The Great Game.
Show more best episodes
Show more best episodes
FAQ
How many episodes does The Upper Memory Block have?
The Upper Memory Block currently has 115 episodes available.
What topics does The Upper Memory Block cover?
The podcast is about Leisure, Podcasts, Technology and Video Games.
What is the most popular episode on The Upper Memory Block?
The episode title 'UMBCast 113 - Unreal' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The Upper Memory Block?
The average episode length on The Upper Memory Block is 67 minutes.
How often are episodes of The Upper Memory Block released?
Episodes of The Upper Memory Block are typically released every 16 days, 21 hours.
When was the first episode of The Upper Memory Block?
The first episode of The Upper Memory Block was released on Mar 29, 2012.
Show more FAQ
Show more FAQ