April 12, 2024 • 31 mins
Step into the whimsical time machine of our latest episode where the pixelated past of '90s gaming gets a fresh coat of audio paint. From the star-studded, Poe-inspired adventure "Nine: The Last Resort," with its unique Tribeca Productions twist, to the maze of unlocking Indiana Jones' in-game secrets, the nostalgia is as thick as an arcade carpet. We promise a treasure trove of throwbacks, including how gaming nostalgia isn't just confined to the screen – it's a journey through the music moods of nu metal and the tiny tales of nations like Nauru.
The plot thickens as we dissect "Nine: The Last Resort," where you're tasked with reviving a creative haven turned chaotic. Cher's voice guides you through this artistic labyrinth, with a cameo that might just involve a song or two. And let's not forget the mischief of Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry! We reminisce about the influences these Hollywood voices had on the game, and how their participation spotlighted the curious intersection of video games and celebrity culture during the '90s.
Finally, we shell out some serious turtle power in an exploration of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" saga. Voices from the past echo as we clarify the real voice behind Shredder and the legendary Jim Cummings's lesser-known roles. Buckle up for a ride that's as wild as the streets of Seattle, as we prepare you for the next episode where we'll peel back the layers on more gaming, movie, and city trivia. So kick back, press play, and let's get that nostalgia flowing.
Feel free to check out our website for links to our YouTube channel and more!
https://oftofftopic.com/
Our host Nathan also does art in addition to this podcast, including having is own sticker store. Please check it out and purchase anything that strikes your fancy.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/stickersbytownsend
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review us on your favorite podcast platform. Even if you didn't like the show, please do it, we appreciate it. You can also email us at OftOffTopic@gmail.com and let us know what you like or don't like, maybe we will even read your email on our show!
Thanks for listening and stay tuned for more Oft Off Topic!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Shaun (00:00):
Nine, the last resort, the 1996 adventure game made for
Windows, dos and Mac OS.
Or, if you want a slightly moreaccurate representation of the
title, nine, colon, the lastresort, nate, what do you know
about?
Nine, colon, the last resort.
Nate (00:15):
I know about the little trailer.
Hit me watch.
And apparently Edgar Allen Poeis involved.
And I didn't.
To be honest, I even know Ididn't even pick up with the
name where the game was, becauseat the very age like they're
holding up by the sign sayingnine, I'm like, OK, what's that?
What is that?
I don't get it.
Shaun (00:29):
Is that the data is coming out?
Is that the guy of the game?
Who knows?
Nate (00:32):
Yeah, it's a kind of creepy like implication that you
would know that when you playthe game.
I guess I didn't.
It didn't even dawn on me.
That's the name of the game.
Shaun (00:40):
It's one of those things that when like people who knew
about the game, something likenine, but now the trailer is
meant to be intentionally obtuse, because the game itself is
kind of obtuse, as you know,games were back then.
So are you ready to learn aboutnine, the last resort?
Nate, let's do it, okey, dokey.
First of all, right off the top, before I forget, because I
will A lot of this info camefrom a YouTube video.
(01:02):
The channel was dungeon chilland a guy did like a trinketed
playthrough of this and Iwatched that and went out and
did some research and did my ownthing and now we have this
episode.
So if you want to actually seemore of the game, go check out
Dungeon Chill Channel on YouTube.
It's, it's worth it.
It's a fun little video, maybe40 minutes long or something
like that.
Yeah, let me know, off thetopic, send you to, if you pop
in the comments, me All right.
Now let's learn about nine, thelast resort.
(01:24):
Hmm, our story begins.
August 17th 1943, manhattan,new York.
Robert De Niro is born topainter couple.
Virginia Admiral and Robert DeNiro senior Get together.
Skip ahead to 1973, los Angeles, at Jaja Gabor's house.
One, robert De Niro has achance encounter with off-to-off
topic.
Subject Cassandra Peterson akaElvira.
(01:45):
Go check that episode out, it'sa good one.
1989 Robert De Niro meets JaneRosenthal.
They decide to do the mostbeautiful thing two people in
the world can do and gettogether and form a production
studio in the Tribecaneighborhood of Manhattan.
Robert and Jane summon all thecreative power they can muster
and come up with a genius nameTribreca Productions for this
endeavor.
Good job guys, good job.
(02:07):
Smell for it there.
Fun fact, tribeca actuallystands for Triangle Below Canal
Street.
So I always kind of wonder that.
I thought Tribeca was just aname they made up, but
apparently it goes back to anold New York neighborhood which
is a triangle.
Yeah, there you go.
So that's what Tribeca means.
Fast forward to 1995.
Robert De Niro and Rosenthalagain chose the miracle of life
by funding a video game studioso they too can get on on that
(02:30):
sweet, sweet computer game money.
Wait, robert De Niro did RobertDe Niro?
Yep, that's why we started outwith Robert De Niro in 1943.
Being born, I was wondering whyyou started.
Nate (02:39):
I thought it was like it was random.
Okay, Yep.
Shaun (02:44):
So, after much sacrificing of livestock and
summoning of demons for ideas,they come up with another banger
of a name Tribeca interactive.
Good job, guys.
Once again, creative juices offlowing.
Also a fun fact the Tribecaneighborhood isn't even a
triangle shape, it's aquadrilateral.
So take that Tribeca Boo, incase you're wondering what shape
it is.
Think of like a rectangle, withone of its shorter sides longer
(03:06):
than the other, kind of like adumb looking triangle of four
sides.
Got a triangle of four sides.
Yeah, triangle, it's a triangleof four sides.
That makes it a quadrilateral.
Yeah, it's not a triangle.
Nate (03:19):
Heresy, I say it's a triangle if I say it is just a
four sided one, just like asquare is a circle with angles.
You know it's like a dog but aburrow's in a round, yeah, and
it's got wings and flies to thesky.
Shaun (03:33):
But still I call it a dog .
So Tribeca interactive isformed and so this is going to
be the developer of the gamewe're going to talk about.
But this developer actuallyneeds a publisher to handle the
marketing and distributing.
For this they have to be ableto do a lot of things.
For this they approach GTinteractive, a division of good
times entertainment.
Good times entertainment.
You know those home videosoftwares.
That are those home videocompanies that soon, as soon as
(03:55):
a Disney movie comes out, theyimmediately release the worst
knockoff you've ever seen ohyeah, yeah, they sell them at
pharmacies.
So see, now grandparents candisappoint their disillusioned
grandkids on holiday.
Nate (04:05):
Yeah, yeah, you got me Nice princess.
Shaun (04:08):
Yes, exactly, you got me Hercules.
Oh, it's the crappy one.
So GT interactive was asubsidiary of that company.
Good times.
Nate (04:16):
However, at this point they were known for it wasn't
even the original shitty companythat makes this stuff.
It was an offshoot, it wastheir own personal.
So, instead of like frozen orice princess, it's I don't know
freezer monkey.
Shaun (04:33):
Yes, exactly.
So GT interactive winds uphandling the publishing for this
game and at this time they wereknown for doing one game and
that was Doom 2.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Actually I was kind ofimpressed by that.
Yeah, I remember reallyenjoying Doom 2.
Doom 2 was a good game, butkeep in mind, they didn't
develop it, they just publishedit, so they handled, you know,
the.
Yeah yeah, I just kind ofbrought the fact that the
(04:54):
publishers here, because youknow they did some neat stuff
and also we got to talk aboutknockoff pharmacies For I
respect them for a moment, yeah,and you know, pull the rug
after murdering like oh don't,don't give me any kind of
anything Right now.
We have Tribeca interactive.
They're getting to.
They got their publisher allsquared away and now they get
(05:15):
onto the game, so they starthiring the staff and get the
creative people they want inthis endeavor.
And, of note, this game waswritten by one, tom Minton, and
you probably don't recognizethat name, but he did a lot of
work on the 90s Warner Brotherscartoons like tiny tunes and a
maniacs free, kazoid, pinky andthe rain.
He wrote a lot of that stuff.
Okay, so he's pretty talentedYep, he is, and pretty well
(05:36):
known at this point too because,yeah, he actually has a pretty
decent little category of youknow, I am DB.
The art design was done by oneof Mark Riden, a man who
interview magazine dubbed thegodfather of pop surrealism and
you've obviously seen his work.
You probably know him.
By making those really creepy,goth looking precious moments
figurines that you see rememberthose precious moments figurines
(05:57):
Basically makes like creepyversions of those with like big
eyes and, you know, kind of bonylooking and weird.
Feel free to Google and look uphis art.
It's actually pretty cool Mostof the.
I was looking at Tom Minton fora second.
Oh, mark Riden, ma, rk RYD EN,pretty famous stuff.
Most of his stuff nowadaysseems to be just like around
doing creepy little girl art.
(06:17):
But if you actually look atsome of his other stuff like his
you know environment art or youknow doing stuff like trees
it's actually really cool andtrippy.
Okay, I recognize the styleyeah, guys and big yeah, and he
gets copied a whole lot.
But he, this guy's kind of likeone the OG's of doing that look
look at my giant creepy eyes.
Nate (06:34):
It's there to your soul.
Shaun (06:35):
Yeah, and the thing is, when you punch up his pictures,
like I said, it's almost allthose you know little kids with
big creepy eyes.
But he does more than that andhonestly I like his stuff that's
not creepy kid slightly better.
This game is actually a goodexample of his non creepy kid
stuff.
Nate (06:47):
Yeah no, there's.
I saw snow white one.
That's kind of off-putting yeah.
Shaun (06:51):
Oh yeah, I'd say they're creepy.
I just I don't know.
I, like you, know the non-humanart he does better.
Nate (06:55):
Well, I'm saying it's like it's a little girl with a big
face, like a big head, and she'snude.
Shaun (07:00):
Oh yeah, also he did a.
He did a series of like surrealBarbies that Mattel actually
promoted and stuff too.
Nate (07:08):
Oh, for real.
Shaun (07:09):
Yeah, so that's the most mad talented, I mean, I'm very
good.
Yeah, he just I know it does alot of pictures of little kids,
which is kind of weird.
Nate (07:17):
But yeah, and again, like the little girls, like little
lolly girls, I'm like yeah.
Shaun (07:22):
I know it's kind of like.
It's like if you see one or twoof those like alright, whatever
, moments like pages and pagesof it, you're kind of like, hmm,
for the music of the game theyhired one, marco de Ambrosio,
who another guy that you don'tknow his name, but he was hot
off working on Gumby the moviefrom 1995, the movie that I'm
pretty sure nobody asked for.
Yeah, 1995 Gumby the movie,because I guess kids in the 90s
(07:44):
we wanted Gumby back characterthat I really did not care about
.
Nate (07:48):
I've never seen some like Obviously reruns.
That was a kid, I wouldn't seehim first run, I don't know.
It seemed really kind of dumb.
Shaun (07:59):
I mean it is it's yeah, I never saw the appeal of Gumby.
I mean, maybe if you're a tiny,tiny kid in 1964 whenever first
came out is kind of cool.
Nate (08:06):
But I mean I like to occasionally refer to him.
You know, like I Talk with noinstructor who was like as
flexible as Gumby and that.
Yeah, there you go, I'm done.
Shaun (08:18):
Goofy looking Gumby MF or kind of thing.
Nate (08:20):
Right, you know you use an insult or two, impressed at how
so flexible someone's yeah,yeah, that's, that's not it.
Shaun (08:27):
It's more of a descriptor than an actual character
nowadays, but anyways he didhave a whole lot of credentials
at this point other than gummingthe movie.
But he did go on to go make abunch of other music for other
movies and games and cartoonsand stuff.
So he made out pretty good outof this.
The actual music in this gameis actually quite good.
It's very atmosphere, kind ofminimalistic, but it's got some
good music there to be had fitsthe game and the art style very
(08:48):
well.
And also one thing about thisgame I saw is watching the
playthrough is the sound effectare actually really well done in
this and the reason for that.
This might sound weird foranybody under the age of I don't
know 30 or 25, but rememberback when sound cards were kind
of a newish thing in computers,nate, and you know, not always
did your computer make soundsother than beep, beeps and boop
boops from a speaker.
Yeah, yeah, because this iskind of about the dawn when
(09:09):
people are starting to adopt thesound blaster, 16 cards and all
this kind of stuff and 16 Bitsound cards.
So video get our computer gives.
This time we're trying reallyhard to put in the highest
quality music and sound effectsthey could, and it actually
shows in this game, because I doremember back then the 90s,
like who people are gettingthese expensive.
You know hundred, two hundreddollar sound cards.
Let's crank up the soundquality of the highest we can do
for them and I had a 60.
Nate (09:30):
Hmm, I was thinking it's funny you mentioned the video
card or the sound card because Iwasa Just taking on my Google
classroom thing.
They're like have you evermessed with the computer?
I'm like, yeah, I've actuallyinstalled sound.
I Got new cell cards for thatfight, for games that actually
had required sound.
Shaun (09:46):
So is when I play my wolf inside 3d instead of like, yeah
, exactly instead you actuallyhave the old, like nice 8-bit
music going on, quote-unquotenice, but still self, definitely
a step up from the PC.
Speaker noises kind of buggedme sometimes.
Yeah, just, they're just soshrill and out of nowhere
(10:07):
sometimes and have times I heardthem too.
I just soon my computer washaving a meltdown, because
that's the noises they wouldmake when they're having a
meltdown.
So, yeah, I, I too alsoinstalled, did the same thing,
installed sound cards.
You know, drop a hundred bucksso I can hear really nice
quality sounds.
And at one point I even got asound blaster 32 which you could
like upload custom sound binsto and make sounds really fancy.
Oh my, oh, yes indeed.
Nate (10:26):
And it's so dumb.
Like back in the day they wereso awesome.
Now You're like it was.
My phone has like A thousandtimes better than that.
Shaun (10:35):
Yeah, it was like back in the day I was like I was so
proud of my sound blaster 32with 8 megs of ram on it, my SLI
3d, fx, voodoo cards thattotaled, you know, 16 megabytes
of RAM.
You mean 16 gigs?
No, no, no.
16 megabytes of megabytes.
Megabytes, not gigabytes, howfast does that appear?
200 megahertz, oh, you mean 2gigahertz?
No, no, no.
200 megahertz.
Nate (10:56):
Here's a dryer so you can draw your pants up.
Shaun (10:58):
girls, yep, hey, just 200 megabytes, yeah, 200 megahertz
Pentium processor.
Oh yeah, listen, that thing,power up and all I see was a
pretty sweet system for the time, yeah let's just think power up
for the next 12 minutes.
The lights start dimmingeverything.
I'm just like yelling outcomputer.
Don't touch the phone.
Nate (11:19):
God damn it.
Don't touch the phone, yeahright.
Shaun (11:24):
So the actual game itself .
How does the game play?
Well, you remember those gameslike MIST and all those.
It's exactly like MIST, just aslightly more psychedelic thing.
I never played MIST.
Yeah, well, if you never playedMIST, basically think static
pictures, and then there'd be apicture of a door there and you
could click on that door andit'd take you through the door.
Or sometimes you could click tothe left or the right and you'd
change your perspective, likeyour head was turning to the
(11:44):
left and the right.
You'd just move forward fromroom to room, collecting little
items and finishing puzzles asthey came along.
But one thing about this gametoo like a lot of games at the
time, it was pretty hardcorewith the puzzles.
One, a lot of them arerandomized, so guides wouldn't
really help you.
And two, these were the oldschool kind of puzzles where it
was like, hey, here's a giantdecoder wheel, you see, on a
wall of the basement.
(12:05):
Pull out a piece of paper andcopy this entire thing down,
because otherwise you will nevermemorize it.
Nate (12:10):
Oh my god, I hate that.
I mean those old schooladventure games.
To this day I'm still.
There was an India Jones videogame.
It was India Jones in the lastcrusade Lost City of.
Shaun (12:19):
oh okay.
Nate (12:21):
I've heard of that one too , but this particular one was
based on the movie, so, like Ihad somewhat vague idea of where
to go with it, do you see themovie?
But no, I didn't, becausethey're like it was one of those
things where, oh, you've got togo to the third stone to the
left and you have to type in ina God of Davida spell
phonetically and you're like,well, where's the hit to do that
?
None.
Shaun (12:42):
None, you just kind of got or it'd be like one of those
things to be like.
Nate (12:45):
look at the booklet on page 32 and you're like right or
in the museum there was apicture of Adam and Eve.
Somehow you're supposed to get.
Take that and like, translateit to not just the silly in the
God of Davida, but you have totype it in, as it said in a God
of Davida.
Shaun (13:00):
And this game actually did do a lot of that stuff too.
And it was kind of cool becausethe actual game itself, if you
get like an unopened or a youknow, complete copy, it came
with a whole lot of littlepaperwork and stuff in there,
like a full size brochure forthe last resort island that you
would read and that actually hadclues that you had to use to
pass a few puzzles and likelittle maps and this and that,
and actually had a copy of thewill that you're, that you get
(13:21):
saying you're inheriting thelast resort.
So that was kind of neat.
And of course, once thesethings all had clues in them too
.
So if you didn't have it,you're probably kind of a little
screwed in finishing the game.
Don't buy those used.
Also, one cool little tidbitPart of the game is you know you
and forget the story in asecond, but you inherit the last
resort from your uncle.
What happens is one of thepackings is a little copy of the
(13:43):
will and if you look at it itactually has a coordinates of
this mystery island where thelast resort is located.
Well, it's a latitude 27 Southand longitude 153 West.
Punch that into Google Maps andyou'll write up in the South
Pacific, approximately 3200miles southeast of the island
nation of Nauru.
Nauru, the nation built onphosphorus Another off-topic
subject.
Go check that one out.
So yeah, so we're basicallydown in the South Pacific for
(14:06):
this game, kind of by IshtarNauru.
I mean, 3200 miles isn't thatclose, but globally that's
pretty close.
Nate (14:11):
Get globally, it's pretty close.
Shaun (14:12):
Yeah, so we're about 3200 miles from the location of the
last resort, just so you know.
Oh no, that's from Shelbyvilleto Nauru.
Nate (14:19):
What a name.
Last resort, like you know.
Last resort's where thosethings like oh no, we're stuck
in the airways and the aliensare coming in both ways.
We have, and me and this otherdude who I've fought the whole
movie have a grenade.
This is our last resort.
Shaun (14:32):
These are sorts of something that happens after
your life is cut into pieces,kind of thing.
Nate (14:36):
BTW, that was an aliens reference an aliens reference.
Shaun (14:39):
Yeah, I made a Papa Roach reference, so, oh yeah, that is
your last resort.
Yeah.
Nate (14:45):
I heard your words.
It was slowly, like it took abit of weave through my brain.
I was too busy.
I was too busy envisioning, youknow, those two characters
blowing themselves up in aliens.
But yeah, yep, I used to rockout to the song, that's crazy
right Ra Yay Angry Early 20s.
Shaun (15:02):
Oh yeah Angry.
Nate (15:03):
White Kids yay.
Shaun (15:05):
Yeah, we were all there at one point.
Nate (15:07):
Yep, I was a well-fledged, though like I'll hear like a
little Bissick song, come onlike break stuff.
So it is so like new metal, youknow 2000s, oh yeah.
And it is like just rakes, butevery so often, like you know,
it's.
You know, whilst I wouldn'tactually like intentionally put
this on, if it comes on I'lllisten to it, you know.
Shaun (15:28):
Whatever, there's three stages of a music lover's life
when it comes to new metal.
When you first hear new metaland you're young, you're like,
yeah, new metal, this is awesome.
Then you hit another stage inyour life where you're like new
metal, this is stupid, thissucks.
Then you hit a third stage inyour life where you're like I
kind of like new metal becauseit sucks, yeah, right, yeah.
That's basically like the wholepath of a new metal fandom
Bitch.
(15:48):
You're just like I like newmetal.
Why?
Because it does suck, right.
Nate (15:51):
Like Deadpool is like.
I'm a 2DU with little biscuitdits of music in the 90s.
Shaun (15:56):
Yes.
So back to the game.
We're going to get a little bitinto the game right now, a
little bit of the story, andkind of go over what happens in
it.
So I'm going to let you, thelistener, know that there's not
going to be a lot of spoilers.
But if you're interested inhaving a virginal experience
with this game, you shouldprobably go play it now before
you we spoil tiny little thingsabout it.
If you want to play it, you cango to a website called the
(16:16):
Collection Chamber and you candownload.
And they have the whole thingin, like this installable DOS
box wrapped up in a nice littleinstallation file bam, 813 megs.
Installed, Super easy.
Did myself last night.
Fired up, worked fine.
So if you want, to play thisgame.
I played it for about 30 secondsjust to see if it worked, and
then I just moved on.
Yeah, I was like okay.
Nate (16:34):
I can't, I can't give you any reaction.
Real.
I basically like oh, you bootit out and delete.
Shaun (16:39):
Yes, that was, I didn't install it yet I might go try it
.
But yeah, I fired it up, I likemade it, you know, a couple
minutes in and clicked a fewbuttons and then I got to the
first puzzle that required youto, you know, like pull out the
paper copy of the will, and Iwas like no, I'm not doing that
because I don't have it and Ididn't want to look it up.
Nate (16:55):
Yeah, I, I very well could just pull this up on PDF and
like I'm not going to.
Shaun (16:58):
Yeah, yeah, it's not that .
Plus, I also watch a playthrough of it too, so I kind of
know where it's going, all right, well, there you go.
So, those of you that are stillaround hey, we're going to go
over the game now.
Those of you just got back fromplaying the game How'd you like
it?
We're going to go over it now.
The plot of your game.
The plot of the game is youruncle, named Thurston, last.
Yeah, let that name sink in fora moment, thurston last.
(17:20):
Thurston last.
Okay, thurston last.
Yes, he dies and you inheritthe mysterious last resort
located on a remote island.
At this resort are the ninemuses from around the world I
guess this kind of ageneralization of the plot.
But at this island resort thereare nine muses and artists who
lose their artist creativity goto this last resort out in the
(17:41):
middle of nowhere and they studyunder the muses and use those
muses as muses and, you know,get an artistic flair back.
And it's been this way for youknow who knows how long.
So there's all sorts of fun,magical, creative stuff going on
this last resort.
But then your uncle dies andstuff goes weird at the resort
and it starts falling indisrepair and people start
messing with the muses and weirdthings are happening.
(18:02):
So basically, your job is topack up your bags, head out to
this last resort that youinherited and figure out what's
going on.
So the game starts with one ofthose fortune you know those
fortune telling machines fromlike big you know, you know big
Yep.
Well, the game starts out with alady version of one of those
and her name is Isadora, andshe's the one that saves and
(18:22):
loads your games plays as acharacter in the game, and she
is actually voiced by none otherthan Cher.
By the way, did I mention thatRobert De Niro got some of his
acting Hollywood buddies to bein this game?
That's where we're going downthe road next Neat Yep.
So, cher, she has some lines.
She does a part in this one.
She even sings at one point,which is kind of cool.
She doesn't sing a lot, though,which makes sense, because it
(18:44):
does cost more to pay a voiceactor to sing than to actually
do talking lines.
Nate (18:48):
Well, I didn't realize that.
But it also makes sense forCher, because she's a singer,
yeah.
Shaun (18:53):
Well, also even for regular voice actors, because
there's a higher chance ofblowing out your voice singing
than there is talking.
So you know, risk reward thing,they have to charge just a hair
or more.
Okay, I got you.
Yeah, at least that's what Ihave been told.
I mean it's not like it's a tonmore.
I mean it's probably more forCher than it is, say, for, like
you know, rob Paulson orsomething but you get the idea,
though, when you're singingthere's a higher chance you
(19:15):
might blow out your vocal chords, so you got to charge a little
bit more just in case.
So yeah, save your game.
You load it up and make it pastthe gypsy lady and oh yeah,
also kind of funny that Cher'splaying a fortune telling gypsy
lady in this.
And she also did that song,gypsy's Tramps and Thieves.
Also, that's a song.
She refuses to sing concertsanymore because she says it's
culturally insensitive.
Nate (19:35):
I'll tell you something I barely know any Cher songs, so I
don't know what song you'retalking about.
I mean, I've done the big ones.
Like you turn back time, youfind a way, there's that one.
Shaun (19:44):
This is like the really old ones, like Gypsy's Tramps
and Thieves.
You hear it from the people ofthe town that call us Gypsy's
Tramps and Thieves.
That one, this is like circa1969 or something.
Nate (19:56):
No, this back when she was still like 15, being plowed by
Sonny Bono, who is like I'mgonna say it was still Sonny,
right, I know, because I don'tcut one or two Sonny and Cher
songs.
Shaun (20:05):
I got you babe and one of them.
Nate (20:07):
There you go, that's what I got you, babe.
That was the one I was tryingto go, yeah.
Yeah, I don't know, I justnever really gave a shit about
Cher.
Shaun (20:14):
Oh, honestly, neither did I.
I actually kind of like thatGypsy's Tramps and Thieves songs
.
But other than that, I meanshe's an all right actor.
She can sing good, Other thanthat.
Nate (20:21):
Yeah, she's fine, she's fine.
Shaun (20:23):
I have no hate or love for her.
It's just like their Cher.
There she is Good for Cher.
Nate (20:28):
Yeah, it's like Beyonce.
It was like, oh, again, like wetalked about this before, she's
fine.
Shaun (20:32):
Yeah, she's fine, I think it's her.
You go, beyonce, do whateveryou're doing, cool.
So when you start the game, youfind yourself at the resort and
the first puzzle is convincingthe resort's caretaker, salty,
to let you in.
Salty, the caretaker andmaintenance man of this place,
looks just like John Belushifrom the Spielberg movie 1941.
(20:52):
He's even flying a World War IIfighter plane and everything.
He is actually voiced by JimBelushi, who is actually doing a
John Belushi impression.
So that's kind of meta hereJohn Belushi character being
voiced by Jim Belushi doing aJohn Belushi impression.
You watch that commercial.
The guy at the very end that'sJim Belushi doing that voice.
Make it that past that puzzle.
And that is a puzzle too thatyou're supposed to punch in this
(21:12):
code in the door and it's onlyin the will.
So if you don't have that willin hand, prepare to go online
looking.
So you make it that past thatpuzzle and you meet the game's
antagonists, the toxic twins.
They kind of look like thesevaguely ghostly looking demon
things from you know, like maybea Persona game or something.
These guys are voiced by StevenTyler and Joe Perry of
(21:32):
Aerosmith fame Remember O'Shmyth?
Nate (21:36):
Do you?
I have a say.
You talk like in past tense,but I'm pretty sure there's no
out there.
Shaun (21:40):
Yeah, I think they might have retired, I don't know,
they're getting up there in age.
So Steven Tyler is there.
He does the main voices of thebat, the one twin, he doesn't
pretty much all the talkingdudes that go.
I'm Steven Tyler, what are you?
We?
You know you kind of had thatdirect quote.
Actually it's pretty close.
Actually it's more like where'sthe toxic twins and you're on
(22:00):
our turf now.
You need to learn that.
That's actually pretty close tohow it sounds.
Yeah, it's actually not bad,though Joe Perry just kind of
makes grunting and weird noisesusing that little Guitar blow on
the tube thing that he has.
You probably don't know I'mtalking about, but nope, you're
a fan of Aerosmith.
Joe Perry has this little thingwhere it makes a sound effect
by blowing it, like sucking andblowing this little tube, and it
(22:22):
makes that little, like youhear at the beginning, of sweet
emotion.
Anyways, he just basicallyplays to that.
So he's not really even voiceacting, he's just making noises.
So this character just can't go.
Yeah, so Joe Perry'scontributions are unremarkable,
much like his guitar work, ha ha, but I'm I mean the most.
Nate (22:44):
I know, when I think Aerosmith, I think of Armageddon
.
You know that's yeah.
Yeah, that's basically.
I mean.
I know there are other songs.
Of course I know those songs.
I haven't, you know, I'm notblind, but it's just, or I'm old
enough to remember all this,it's, I don't know, just
Aerosmith, so what the epops up,and I just don't care about
Aerosmith.
Shaun (23:04):
Like them, but I mean their music's fine.
It's also really like safe andeasy digestible music kind of
stuff.
So yeah.
Supposedly from what I heard,on like a VH1 thing.
Janie got a gun was like thefirst really big budget music
video, because remember howmusic videos used to be in the
early 80s, where it's just likea bunch of people standing in
(23:24):
front of green screen, at Bestjust strumming away.
Nate (23:27):
I guess Janie's got us like green screen.
Green screen was too expensive.
Yeah, yeah, so that's a twospecific.
Shaun (23:31):
We're just standing against a drywall.
Yeah, so my map painting, yes,exactly.
Well, I guess pretty muchJanie's got a gun.
I've heard is like one, thevery first like music videos.
It actually had like a fulldirector thing and scenes and a
story to it and this and thatand was kind of one that started
, you know, everybody else beinglike oh, we can do more with
our music videos, hmm, and Imean I, I see people still
(23:51):
occasionally making like fullyproduced music music videos, to
which I ask why you know who'swatching these.
Nate (23:57):
I mean, okay, and I also I'm coming from my little myopic
point of view I'm sure there'splenty people still like loving
on music videos I just don'treally see it in the popular
thing anymore.
Shaun (24:07):
They're there really as big as they used to be.
From what I've heard, musiciansdo it nowadays Just for their
own funding games, because theywant to make a music video,
because that's what you do is me.
That's fair, you know it.
Yeah, that's totally fair, yep,they really don't make any
money off of it or don't getthat much more exposure unless
it goes viral.
But they're just like hey, Ijust want to make a music video.
I have mad respect for that.
That's totally Yep, yep.
Also, pretty much all bandshave to pay for their own music
(24:29):
videos and stuff.
The studios don't pay for it.
Nate (24:31):
That's again.
You know, if they have, ifthey're making enough money to
do that and they want to do it,and then yeah, absolutely, you
know, put that shit on you too.
You know, get some more peopledo it.
Shaun (24:40):
Yeah, I mean, sometimes it's kind of sad what they come
out with you know, but sometimeslike remember that viral
treadmill video by Okay go whereI think it was.
Nate (24:48):
Yeah, that took off.
Shaun (24:49):
I mean, that took off and yep, that made that band for a
while.
Nate (24:53):
Yeah, I mean, the whole reason people even knew about
that band was because of that.
Treadmill video is a cool videotoo.
Okay, that's, that's a littleextreme.
I mean they're.
I'm sure they were fansbeforehand.
Shaun (25:03):
Yeah, there had to be, but still they that Watch them
into the lexicon in the daily.
Yeah conversation of stuff.
Radio stations were talkingabout them for once.
Yep, fun fact, we go to 1989real quick and there is a show
called heavy metal heaven andthat, uh, is a mini series on
heavy metal bands and itfeatures aerosmith and is also
hosted by one, elvira, fromoff-to-off topic episodes.
(25:23):
Yay, yeah, this is also backwhen aerosmith was considered
heavy metal.
So, yeah, the slider on thathas changed a little bit over
the years, I feel.
Yeah, yeah.
So after aerosmith it basicallyshows him, says, hey, we're the
bad guys.
Uh, stay tuned for us later.
Next you get some narration fromyour late uncle thurston last.
That name, your uncle, yeah, isin fact voiced by one christ
(25:48):
for reeve of superman, fame,also known for playing a
handicapped man in a wheelchairin a movie.
Shortly thereafter, winding upin a wheelchair on is in real
life Too.
That movie was, above suspicionoccasion, wondering Did you
know that?
No, yeah, like the last movieof us, what or I think it was
like the last movie ChristopherReeve made before he got
paralyzed was a movie about himbeing in a wheelchair For real.
(26:10):
That's well, that's it.
I know this because I worked ina video store and some people
like literally refused to rentthat movie because they thought
it was like a Sign of something.
Nate (26:17):
Oh, it was like cursed or something.
Yeah, but it's interesting howthat happens because I remember
the last video to my musicvideos to Pog did it was he got
shot.
He got, he was a killed in ashooting.
That was the whole thing.
I don't remember what musicvideo was, I don't.
I just remember that like hemade a video to him getting shot
and killed and he'd got shotand killed.
But also, you know the life youlived.
(26:37):
That was probably in, maybe aninevitable, who knows.
Shaun (26:40):
It also been my son.
He watched that video was likeyou know what, maybe I will go
shoot him.
And I put the idea in theirhead right, this, oh, the side,
yeah, yeah, right, it'd be like,oh well, if he's putting a view
obviously wants me to shoot him.
I mean, the odds of that arelow, but not zero.
Might actually be higher thanwe want to think too.
But so then you're going to goon your little journey solving
puzzles and you're gonna startmeeting the nine muses
(27:02):
throughout the Lost Resort, andthese muses are also voiced by
some famous people.
First of all, three of thesemuses T bear, charlie the robot
and mr Bones are all voiced byone of the legends of voice
acting, jim coming, most famousfor doing Will it?
Winnie the Pooh, dark wing duckthe tobacco juice spitting
cupcake from cabin boy andshredder from the OG Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtle series.
(27:22):
Yeah, and if you're one ofthose people who's like Nate's,
probably thinking right now islike I thought James Avery did
the voice of a shredder.
James Avery from Fresh Princedid the voice of shredder on the
original Teenage Mutant NinjaTurtles, because there's memes
that say that, and he did.
Also Dorian Harewood andTownsend Coleman did the voice
of shredder in the originalseries.
Four different people did thevoice of shredder in the
(27:42):
original Series of well, thereyou.
Nate (27:43):
I mean, let's be real.
And the original series?
They weren't exactly like.
Oh, we Must have a voice.
Fidelity here, yeah, yeah.
No, I mean because I've seen, ISeen a couple clips and, just
like the He-Man episodes, youcan't go back.
No, you really can't just can'tgo back, although I did.
There was actually a recentmovie.
I say recent, last few years.
(28:04):
There's an animated movie wherethe there's like time-traveling
stuff and like more currentversions of TMNT Intermingle
with that era of Ninja Turtles.
So you have, you know morerecent ones.
Go back in time to wherethey're like oh no, we're
getting attacked by pizza, likewhat?
Yeah.
(28:25):
So you have, these people areactually Deal used to dealing
with actual villains, of courseyou know, not like murderers,
but you know more nowadays wherethere's a little more.
Shaun (28:35):
It's not the rat king, radius yeah.
Nate (28:39):
It was kind of interesting to see, like the comp, the kind
of combining of more recentDark or you know whatever
turtles with the kind of veryvery.
Yeah, very cheese.
And then they finally actuallystumbled into the OG black and
white, you know, hardcore ones,yeah, and of course it was all
(29:01):
made for kids.
You know what made for me.
But I enjoyed it.
I watched the whole thing, itwas fine.
I didn't record it and likecommit to memory or anything,
but it was kind of just reallykind of.
Oh, there's a nice little walkdown memory lane.
Shaun (29:12):
So, as far as the OG series goes, this is something I
need to test out because it'ssomething I remember all the way
back to a kid.
If we go back and we watch thevery first two episodes of
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,you know like the ones that they
initially do is like theselling pilot, you know the ones
that are like, hey, this is ourproof of concept.
Yeah, I swear that the veryfirst two episodes were not only
had better animation, butactually you had like a slightly
(29:33):
more mature and serious plot toit, kind of thing.
I could be wrong on this and itwas like well, you got to
lighten it up before pickingthis up, kind of things.
So they you know, cow bunged itup a little bit.
I could be wrong on that.
I need to go back and rewatchthem.
I remember was kidding myselfthose first two episodes seemed
a lot cooler than the ensuingones, but well.
Nate (29:50):
I feel like the movies, like the first Teenage Mutant
Turtle movie, I mean it wasstill pretty tame, it was still
was.
No one got killed.
They didn't like Running bythrough the sword and no one got
thrown off a building or shotthe face, but it was still just
like parents.
Oh my god, ninjas.
Shaun (30:05):
So it has swords and weapons.
Nate (30:06):
Yeah, and the second movie , like no one like there was all
like slapstick.
Shaun (30:13):
Yeah.
Nate (30:14):
I'm like.
Shaun (30:15):
Waga, waga, waga, yeah, like just got it.
Dumb it down and put in morefart jokes.
Right, and that's gonna do itfor part one on our series on
nine, the last resort.
Stay tuned for the conclusionwhere we finish talking about
the game, including its criticalreception and sales, and I rank
the voice acting performancesof all those involved with the
(30:35):
game.
We also go off topic and talkabout other things like movie
tax breaks and where you can'tspeed in Seattle.
All that more on the nextepisode of off-to-off topic.
Nine, the last resort, the 1996 adventure game made for
Windows, dos and Mac OS.
Or, if you want a slightly moreaccurate representation of the
title, nine, colon, the lastresort, nate, what do you know
about?
Nine, colon, the last resort.
Nate (00:15):
I know about the little trailer.
Hit me watch.
And apparently Edgar Allen Poeis involved.
And I didn't.
To be honest, I even know Ididn't even pick up with the
name where the game was, becauseat the very age like they're
holding up by the sign sayingnine, I'm like, OK, what's that?
What is that?
I don't get it.
Shaun (00:29):
Is that the data is coming out?
Is that the guy of the game?
Who knows?
Nate (00:32):
Yeah, it's a kind of creepy like implication that you
would know that when you playthe game.
I guess I didn't.
It didn't even dawn on me.
That's the name of the game.
Shaun (00:40):
It's one of those things that when like people who knew
about the game, something likenine, but now the trailer is
meant to be intentionally obtuse, because the game itself is
kind of obtuse, as you know,games were back then.
So are you ready to learn aboutnine, the last resort?
Nate, let's do it, okey, dokey.
First of all, right off the top, before I forget, because I
will A lot of this info camefrom a YouTube video.
(01:02):
The channel was dungeon chilland a guy did like a trinketed
playthrough of this and Iwatched that and went out and
did some research and did my ownthing and now we have this
episode.
So if you want to actually seemore of the game, go check out
Dungeon Chill Channel on YouTube.
It's, it's worth it.
It's a fun little video, maybe40 minutes long or something
like that.
Yeah, let me know, off thetopic, send you to, if you pop
in the comments, me All right.
Now let's learn about nine, thelast resort.
(01:24):
Hmm, our story begins.
August 17th 1943, manhattan,new York.
Robert De Niro is born topainter couple.
Virginia Admiral and Robert DeNiro senior Get together.
Skip ahead to 1973, los Angeles, at Jaja Gabor's house.
One, robert De Niro has achance encounter with off-to-off
topic.
Subject Cassandra Peterson akaElvira.
(01:45):
Go check that episode out, it'sa good one.
1989 Robert De Niro meets JaneRosenthal.
They decide to do the mostbeautiful thing two people in
the world can do and gettogether and form a production
studio in the Tribecaneighborhood of Manhattan.
Robert and Jane summon all thecreative power they can muster
and come up with a genius nameTribreca Productions for this
endeavor.
Good job guys, good job.
(02:07):
Smell for it there.
Fun fact, tribeca actuallystands for Triangle Below Canal
Street.
So I always kind of wonder that.
I thought Tribeca was just aname they made up, but
apparently it goes back to anold New York neighborhood which
is a triangle.
Yeah, there you go.
So that's what Tribeca means.
Fast forward to 1995.
Robert De Niro and Rosenthalagain chose the miracle of life
by funding a video game studioso they too can get on on that
(02:30):
sweet, sweet computer game money.
Wait, robert De Niro did RobertDe Niro?
Yep, that's why we started outwith Robert De Niro in 1943.
Being born, I was wondering whyyou started.
Nate (02:39):
I thought it was like it was random.
Okay, Yep.
Shaun (02:44):
So, after much sacrificing of livestock and
summoning of demons for ideas,they come up with another banger
of a name Tribeca interactive.
Good job, guys.
Once again, creative juices offlowing.
Also a fun fact the Tribecaneighborhood isn't even a
triangle shape, it's aquadrilateral.
So take that Tribeca Boo, incase you're wondering what shape
it is.
Think of like a rectangle, withone of its shorter sides longer
(03:06):
than the other, kind of like adumb looking triangle of four
sides.
Got a triangle of four sides.
Yeah, triangle, it's a triangleof four sides.
That makes it a quadrilateral.
Yeah, it's not a triangle.
Nate (03:19):
Heresy, I say it's a triangle if I say it is just a
four sided one, just like asquare is a circle with angles.
You know it's like a dog but aburrow's in a round, yeah, and
it's got wings and flies to thesky.
Shaun (03:33):
But still I call it a dog .
So Tribeca interactive isformed and so this is going to
be the developer of the gamewe're going to talk about.
But this developer actuallyneeds a publisher to handle the
marketing and distributing.
For this they have to be ableto do a lot of things.
For this they approach GTinteractive, a division of good
times entertainment.
Good times entertainment.
You know those home videosoftwares.
That are those home videocompanies that soon, as soon as
(03:55):
a Disney movie comes out, theyimmediately release the worst
knockoff you've ever seen ohyeah, yeah, they sell them at
pharmacies.
So see, now grandparents candisappoint their disillusioned
grandkids on holiday.
Nate (04:05):
Yeah, yeah, you got me Nice princess.
Shaun (04:08):
Yes, exactly, you got me Hercules.
Oh, it's the crappy one.
So GT interactive was asubsidiary of that company.
Good times.
Nate (04:16):
However, at this point they were known for it wasn't
even the original shitty companythat makes this stuff.
It was an offshoot, it wastheir own personal.
So, instead of like frozen orice princess, it's I don't know
freezer monkey.
Shaun (04:33):
Yes, exactly.
So GT interactive winds uphandling the publishing for this
game and at this time they wereknown for doing one game and
that was Doom 2.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Actually I was kind ofimpressed by that.
Yeah, I remember reallyenjoying Doom 2.
Doom 2 was a good game, butkeep in mind, they didn't
develop it, they just publishedit, so they handled, you know,
the.
Yeah yeah, I just kind ofbrought the fact that the
(04:54):
publishers here, because youknow they did some neat stuff
and also we got to talk aboutknockoff pharmacies For I
respect them for a moment, yeah,and you know, pull the rug
after murdering like oh don't,don't give me any kind of
anything Right now.
We have Tribeca interactive.
They're getting to.
They got their publisher allsquared away and now they get
(05:15):
onto the game, so they starthiring the staff and get the
creative people they want inthis endeavor.
And, of note, this game waswritten by one, tom Minton, and
you probably don't recognizethat name, but he did a lot of
work on the 90s Warner Brotherscartoons like tiny tunes and a
maniacs free, kazoid, pinky andthe rain.
He wrote a lot of that stuff.
Okay, so he's pretty talentedYep, he is, and pretty well
(05:36):
known at this point too because,yeah, he actually has a pretty
decent little category of youknow, I am DB.
The art design was done by oneof Mark Riden, a man who
interview magazine dubbed thegodfather of pop surrealism and
you've obviously seen his work.
You probably know him.
By making those really creepy,goth looking precious moments
figurines that you see rememberthose precious moments figurines
(05:57):
Basically makes like creepyversions of those with like big
eyes and, you know, kind of bonylooking and weird.
Feel free to Google and look uphis art.
It's actually pretty cool Mostof the.
I was looking at Tom Minton fora second.
Oh, mark Riden, ma, rk RYD EN,pretty famous stuff.
Most of his stuff nowadaysseems to be just like around
doing creepy little girl art.
(06:17):
But if you actually look atsome of his other stuff like his
you know environment art or youknow doing stuff like trees
it's actually really cool andtrippy.
Okay, I recognize the styleyeah, guys and big yeah, and he
gets copied a whole lot.
But he, this guy's kind of likeone the OG's of doing that look
look at my giant creepy eyes.
Nate (06:34):
It's there to your soul.
Shaun (06:35):
Yeah, and the thing is, when you punch up his pictures,
like I said, it's almost allthose you know little kids with
big creepy eyes.
But he does more than that andhonestly I like his stuff that's
not creepy kid slightly better.
This game is actually a goodexample of his non creepy kid
stuff.
Nate (06:47):
Yeah no, there's.
I saw snow white one.
That's kind of off-putting yeah.
Shaun (06:51):
Oh yeah, I'd say they're creepy.
I just I don't know.
I, like you, know the non-humanart he does better.
Nate (06:55):
Well, I'm saying it's like it's a little girl with a big
face, like a big head, and she'snude.
Shaun (07:00):
Oh yeah, also he did a.
He did a series of like surrealBarbies that Mattel actually
promoted and stuff too.
Nate (07:08):
Oh, for real.
Shaun (07:09):
Yeah, so that's the most mad talented, I mean, I'm very
good.
Yeah, he just I know it does alot of pictures of little kids,
which is kind of weird.
Nate (07:17):
But yeah, and again, like the little girls, like little
lolly girls, I'm like yeah.
Shaun (07:22):
I know it's kind of like.
It's like if you see one or twoof those like alright, whatever
, moments like pages and pagesof it, you're kind of like, hmm,
for the music of the game theyhired one, marco de Ambrosio,
who another guy that you don'tknow his name, but he was hot
off working on Gumby the moviefrom 1995, the movie that I'm
pretty sure nobody asked for.
Yeah, 1995 Gumby the movie,because I guess kids in the 90s
(07:44):
we wanted Gumby back characterthat I really did not care about
.
Nate (07:48):
I've never seen some like Obviously reruns.
That was a kid, I wouldn't seehim first run, I don't know.
It seemed really kind of dumb.
Shaun (07:59):
I mean it is it's yeah, I never saw the appeal of Gumby.
I mean, maybe if you're a tiny,tiny kid in 1964 whenever first
came out is kind of cool.
Nate (08:06):
But I mean I like to occasionally refer to him.
You know, like I Talk with noinstructor who was like as
flexible as Gumby and that.
Yeah, there you go, I'm done.
Shaun (08:18):
Goofy looking Gumby MF or kind of thing.
Nate (08:20):
Right, you know you use an insult or two, impressed at how
so flexible someone's yeah,yeah, that's, that's not it.
Shaun (08:27):
It's more of a descriptor than an actual character
nowadays, but anyways he didhave a whole lot of credentials
at this point other than gummingthe movie.
But he did go on to go make abunch of other music for other
movies and games and cartoonsand stuff.
So he made out pretty good outof this.
The actual music in this gameis actually quite good.
It's very atmosphere, kind ofminimalistic, but it's got some
good music there to be had fitsthe game and the art style very
(08:48):
well.
And also one thing about thisgame I saw is watching the
playthrough is the sound effectare actually really well done in
this and the reason for that.
This might sound weird foranybody under the age of I don't
know 30 or 25, but rememberback when sound cards were kind
of a newish thing in computers,nate, and you know, not always
did your computer make soundsother than beep, beeps and boop
boops from a speaker.
Yeah, yeah, because this iskind of about the dawn when
(09:09):
people are starting to adopt thesound blaster, 16 cards and all
this kind of stuff and 16 Bitsound cards.
So video get our computer gives.
This time we're trying reallyhard to put in the highest
quality music and sound effectsthey could, and it actually
shows in this game, because I doremember back then the 90s,
like who people are gettingthese expensive.
You know hundred, two hundreddollar sound cards.
Let's crank up the soundquality of the highest we can do
for them and I had a 60.
Nate (09:30):
Hmm, I was thinking it's funny you mentioned the video
card or the sound card because Iwasa Just taking on my Google
classroom thing.
They're like have you evermessed with the computer?
I'm like, yeah, I've actuallyinstalled sound.
I Got new cell cards for thatfight, for games that actually
had required sound.
Shaun (09:46):
So is when I play my wolf inside 3d instead of like, yeah
, exactly instead you actuallyhave the old, like nice 8-bit
music going on, quote-unquotenice, but still self, definitely
a step up from the PC.
Speaker noises kind of buggedme sometimes.
Yeah, just, they're just soshrill and out of nowhere
(10:07):
sometimes and have times I heardthem too.
I just soon my computer washaving a meltdown, because
that's the noises they wouldmake when they're having a
meltdown.
So, yeah, I, I too alsoinstalled, did the same thing,
installed sound cards.
You know, drop a hundred bucksso I can hear really nice
quality sounds.
And at one point I even got asound blaster 32 which you could
like upload custom sound binsto and make sounds really fancy.
Oh my, oh, yes indeed.
Nate (10:26):
And it's so dumb.
Like back in the day they wereso awesome.
Now You're like it was.
My phone has like A thousandtimes better than that.
Shaun (10:35):
Yeah, it was like back in the day I was like I was so
proud of my sound blaster 32with 8 megs of ram on it, my SLI
3d, fx, voodoo cards thattotaled, you know, 16 megabytes
of RAM.
You mean 16 gigs?
No, no, no.
16 megabytes of megabytes.
Megabytes, not gigabytes, howfast does that appear?
200 megahertz, oh, you mean 2gigahertz?
No, no, no.
200 megahertz.
Nate (10:56):
Here's a dryer so you can draw your pants up.
Shaun (10:58):
girls, yep, hey, just 200 megabytes, yeah, 200 megahertz
Pentium processor.
Oh yeah, listen, that thing,power up and all I see was a
pretty sweet system for the time, yeah let's just think power up
for the next 12 minutes.
The lights start dimmingeverything.
I'm just like yelling outcomputer.
Don't touch the phone.
Nate (11:19):
God damn it.
Don't touch the phone, yeahright.
Shaun (11:24):
So the actual game itself .
How does the game play?
Well, you remember those gameslike MIST and all those.
It's exactly like MIST, just aslightly more psychedelic thing.
I never played MIST.
Yeah, well, if you never playedMIST, basically think static
pictures, and then there'd be apicture of a door there and you
could click on that door andit'd take you through the door.
Or sometimes you could click tothe left or the right and you'd
change your perspective, likeyour head was turning to the
(11:44):
left and the right.
You'd just move forward fromroom to room, collecting little
items and finishing puzzles asthey came along.
But one thing about this gametoo like a lot of games at the
time, it was pretty hardcorewith the puzzles.
One, a lot of them arerandomized, so guides wouldn't
really help you.
And two, these were the oldschool kind of puzzles where it
was like, hey, here's a giantdecoder wheel, you see, on a
wall of the basement.
(12:05):
Pull out a piece of paper andcopy this entire thing down,
because otherwise you will nevermemorize it.
Nate (12:10):
Oh my god, I hate that.
I mean those old schooladventure games.
To this day I'm still.
There was an India Jones videogame.
It was India Jones in the lastcrusade Lost City of.
Shaun (12:19):
oh okay.
Nate (12:21):
I've heard of that one too , but this particular one was
based on the movie, so, like Ihad somewhat vague idea of where
to go with it, do you see themovie?
But no, I didn't, becausethey're like it was one of those
things where, oh, you've got togo to the third stone to the
left and you have to type in ina God of Davida spell
phonetically and you're like,well, where's the hit to do that
?
None.
Shaun (12:42):
None, you just kind of got or it'd be like one of those
things to be like.
Nate (12:45):
look at the booklet on page 32 and you're like right or
in the museum there was apicture of Adam and Eve.
Somehow you're supposed to get.
Take that and like, translateit to not just the silly in the
God of Davida, but you have totype it in, as it said in a God
of Davida.
Shaun (13:00):
And this game actually did do a lot of that stuff too.
And it was kind of cool becausethe actual game itself, if you
get like an unopened or a youknow, complete copy, it came
with a whole lot of littlepaperwork and stuff in there,
like a full size brochure forthe last resort island that you
would read and that actually hadclues that you had to use to
pass a few puzzles and likelittle maps and this and that,
and actually had a copy of thewill that you're, that you get
(13:21):
saying you're inheriting thelast resort.
So that was kind of neat.
And of course, once thesethings all had clues in them too
.
So if you didn't have it,you're probably kind of a little
screwed in finishing the game.
Don't buy those used.
Also, one cool little tidbitPart of the game is you know you
and forget the story in asecond, but you inherit the last
resort from your uncle.
What happens is one of thepackings is a little copy of the
(13:43):
will and if you look at it itactually has a coordinates of
this mystery island where thelast resort is located.
Well, it's a latitude 27 Southand longitude 153 West.
Punch that into Google Maps andyou'll write up in the South
Pacific, approximately 3200miles southeast of the island
nation of Nauru.
Nauru, the nation built onphosphorus Another off-topic
subject.
Go check that one out.
So yeah, so we're basicallydown in the South Pacific for
(14:06):
this game, kind of by IshtarNauru.
I mean, 3200 miles isn't thatclose, but globally that's
pretty close.
Nate (14:11):
Get globally, it's pretty close.
Shaun (14:12):
Yeah, so we're about 3200 miles from the location of the
last resort, just so you know.
Oh no, that's from Shelbyvilleto Nauru.
Nate (14:19):
What a name.
Last resort, like you know.
Last resort's where thosethings like oh no, we're stuck
in the airways and the aliensare coming in both ways.
We have, and me and this otherdude who I've fought the whole
movie have a grenade.
This is our last resort.
Shaun (14:32):
These are sorts of something that happens after
your life is cut into pieces,kind of thing.
Nate (14:36):
BTW, that was an aliens reference an aliens reference.
Shaun (14:39):
Yeah, I made a Papa Roach reference, so, oh yeah, that is
your last resort.
Yeah.
Nate (14:45):
I heard your words.
It was slowly, like it took abit of weave through my brain.
I was too busy.
I was too busy envisioning, youknow, those two characters
blowing themselves up in aliens.
But yeah, yep, I used to rockout to the song, that's crazy
right Ra Yay Angry Early 20s.
Shaun (15:02):
Oh yeah Angry.
Nate (15:03):
White Kids yay.
Shaun (15:05):
Yeah, we were all there at one point.
Nate (15:07):
Yep, I was a well-fledged, though like I'll hear like a
little Bissick song, come onlike break stuff.
So it is so like new metal, youknow 2000s, oh yeah.
And it is like just rakes, butevery so often, like you know,
it's.
You know, whilst I wouldn'tactually like intentionally put
this on, if it comes on I'lllisten to it, you know.
Shaun (15:28):
Whatever, there's three stages of a music lover's life
when it comes to new metal.
When you first hear new metaland you're young, you're like,
yeah, new metal, this is awesome.
Then you hit another stage inyour life where you're like new
metal, this is stupid, thissucks.
Then you hit a third stage inyour life where you're like I
kind of like new metal becauseit sucks, yeah, right, yeah.
That's basically like the wholepath of a new metal fandom
Bitch.
(15:48):
You're just like I like newmetal.
Why?
Because it does suck, right.
Nate (15:51):
Like Deadpool is like.
I'm a 2DU with little biscuitdits of music in the 90s.
Shaun (15:56):
Yes.
So back to the game.
We're going to get a little bitinto the game right now, a
little bit of the story, andkind of go over what happens in
it.
So I'm going to let you, thelistener, know that there's not
going to be a lot of spoilers.
But if you're interested inhaving a virginal experience
with this game, you shouldprobably go play it now before
you we spoil tiny little thingsabout it.
If you want to play it, you cango to a website called the
(16:16):
Collection Chamber and you candownload.
And they have the whole thingin, like this installable DOS
box wrapped up in a nice littleinstallation file bam, 813 megs.
Installed, Super easy.
Did myself last night.
Fired up, worked fine.
So if you want, to play thisgame.
I played it for about 30 secondsjust to see if it worked, and
then I just moved on.
Yeah, I was like okay.
Nate (16:34):
I can't, I can't give you any reaction.
Real.
I basically like oh, you bootit out and delete.
Shaun (16:39):
Yes, that was, I didn't install it yet I might go try it
.
But yeah, I fired it up, I likemade it, you know, a couple
minutes in and clicked a fewbuttons and then I got to the
first puzzle that required youto, you know, like pull out the
paper copy of the will, and Iwas like no, I'm not doing that
because I don't have it and Ididn't want to look it up.
Nate (16:55):
Yeah, I, I very well could just pull this up on PDF and
like I'm not going to.
Shaun (16:58):
Yeah, yeah, it's not that .
Plus, I also watch a playthrough of it too, so I kind of
know where it's going, all right, well, there you go.
So, those of you that are stillaround hey, we're going to go
over the game now.
Those of you just got back fromplaying the game How'd you like
it?
We're going to go over it now.
The plot of your game.
The plot of the game is youruncle, named Thurston, last.
Yeah, let that name sink in fora moment, thurston last.
(17:20):
Thurston last.
Okay, thurston last.
Yes, he dies and you inheritthe mysterious last resort
located on a remote island.
At this resort are the ninemuses from around the world I
guess this kind of ageneralization of the plot.
But at this island resort thereare nine muses and artists who
lose their artist creativity goto this last resort out in the
(17:41):
middle of nowhere and they studyunder the muses and use those
muses as muses and, you know,get an artistic flair back.
And it's been this way for youknow who knows how long.
So there's all sorts of fun,magical, creative stuff going on
this last resort.
But then your uncle dies andstuff goes weird at the resort
and it starts falling indisrepair and people start
messing with the muses and weirdthings are happening.
(18:02):
So basically, your job is topack up your bags, head out to
this last resort that youinherited and figure out what's
going on.
So the game starts with one ofthose fortune you know those
fortune telling machines fromlike big you know, you know big
Yep.
Well, the game starts out with alady version of one of those
and her name is Isadora, andshe's the one that saves and
(18:22):
loads your games plays as acharacter in the game, and she
is actually voiced by none otherthan Cher.
By the way, did I mention thatRobert De Niro got some of his
acting Hollywood buddies to bein this game?
That's where we're going downthe road next Neat Yep.
So, cher, she has some lines.
She does a part in this one.
She even sings at one point,which is kind of cool.
She doesn't sing a lot, though,which makes sense, because it
(18:44):
does cost more to pay a voiceactor to sing than to actually
do talking lines.
Nate (18:48):
Well, I didn't realize that.
But it also makes sense forCher, because she's a singer,
yeah.
Shaun (18:53):
Well, also even for regular voice actors, because
there's a higher chance ofblowing out your voice singing
than there is talking.
So you know, risk reward thing,they have to charge just a hair
or more.
Okay, I got you.
Yeah, at least that's what Ihave been told.
I mean it's not like it's a tonmore.
I mean it's probably more forCher than it is, say, for, like
you know, rob Paulson orsomething but you get the idea,
though, when you're singingthere's a higher chance you
(19:15):
might blow out your vocal chords, so you got to charge a little
bit more just in case.
So yeah, save your game.
You load it up and make it pastthe gypsy lady and oh yeah,
also kind of funny that Cher'splaying a fortune telling gypsy
lady in this.
And she also did that song,gypsy's Tramps and Thieves.
Also, that's a song.
She refuses to sing concertsanymore because she says it's
culturally insensitive.
Nate (19:35):
I'll tell you something I barely know any Cher songs, so I
don't know what song you'retalking about.
I mean, I've done the big ones.
Like you turn back time, youfind a way, there's that one.
Shaun (19:44):
This is like the really old ones, like Gypsy's Tramps
and Thieves.
You hear it from the people ofthe town that call us Gypsy's
Tramps and Thieves.
That one, this is like circa1969 or something.
Nate (19:56):
No, this back when she was still like 15, being plowed by
Sonny Bono, who is like I'mgonna say it was still Sonny,
right, I know, because I don'tcut one or two Sonny and Cher
songs.
Shaun (20:05):
I got you babe and one of them.
Nate (20:07):
There you go, that's what I got you, babe.
That was the one I was tryingto go, yeah.
Yeah, I don't know, I justnever really gave a shit about
Cher.
Shaun (20:14):
Oh, honestly, neither did I.
I actually kind of like thatGypsy's Tramps and Thieves songs
.
But other than that, I meanshe's an all right actor.
She can sing good, Other thanthat.
Nate (20:21):
Yeah, she's fine, she's fine.
Shaun (20:23):
I have no hate or love for her.
It's just like their Cher.
There she is Good for Cher.
Nate (20:28):
Yeah, it's like Beyonce.
It was like, oh, again, like wetalked about this before, she's
fine.
Shaun (20:32):
Yeah, she's fine, I think it's her.
You go, beyonce, do whateveryou're doing, cool.
So when you start the game, youfind yourself at the resort and
the first puzzle is convincingthe resort's caretaker, salty,
to let you in.
Salty, the caretaker andmaintenance man of this place,
looks just like John Belushifrom the Spielberg movie 1941.
(20:52):
He's even flying a World War IIfighter plane and everything.
He is actually voiced by JimBelushi, who is actually doing a
John Belushi impression.
So that's kind of meta hereJohn Belushi character being
voiced by Jim Belushi doing aJohn Belushi impression.
You watch that commercial.
The guy at the very end that'sJim Belushi doing that voice.
Make it that past that puzzle.
And that is a puzzle too thatyou're supposed to punch in this
(21:12):
code in the door and it's onlyin the will.
So if you don't have that willin hand, prepare to go online
looking.
So you make it that past thatpuzzle and you meet the game's
antagonists, the toxic twins.
They kind of look like thesevaguely ghostly looking demon
things from you know, like maybea Persona game or something.
These guys are voiced by StevenTyler and Joe Perry of
(21:32):
Aerosmith fame Remember O'Shmyth?
Nate (21:36):
Do you?
I have a say.
You talk like in past tense,but I'm pretty sure there's no
out there.
Shaun (21:40):
Yeah, I think they might have retired, I don't know,
they're getting up there in age.
So Steven Tyler is there.
He does the main voices of thebat, the one twin, he doesn't
pretty much all the talkingdudes that go.
I'm Steven Tyler, what are you?
We?
You know you kind of had thatdirect quote.
Actually it's pretty close.
Actually it's more like where'sthe toxic twins and you're on
(22:00):
our turf now.
You need to learn that.
That's actually pretty close tohow it sounds.
Yeah, it's actually not bad,though Joe Perry just kind of
makes grunting and weird noisesusing that little Guitar blow on
the tube thing that he has.
You probably don't know I'mtalking about, but nope, you're
a fan of Aerosmith.
Joe Perry has this little thingwhere it makes a sound effect
by blowing it, like sucking andblowing this little tube, and it
(22:22):
makes that little, like youhear at the beginning, of sweet
emotion.
Anyways, he just basicallyplays to that.
So he's not really even voiceacting, he's just making noises.
So this character just can't go.
Yeah, so Joe Perry'scontributions are unremarkable,
much like his guitar work, ha ha, but I'm I mean the most.
Nate (22:44):
I know, when I think Aerosmith, I think of Armageddon
.
You know that's yeah.
Yeah, that's basically.
I mean.
I know there are other songs.
Of course I know those songs.
I haven't, you know, I'm notblind, but it's just, or I'm old
enough to remember all this,it's, I don't know, just
Aerosmith, so what the epops up,and I just don't care about
Aerosmith.
Shaun (23:04):
Like them, but I mean their music's fine.
It's also really like safe andeasy digestible music kind of
stuff.
So yeah.
Supposedly from what I heard,on like a VH1 thing.
Janie got a gun was like thefirst really big budget music
video, because remember howmusic videos used to be in the
early 80s, where it's just likea bunch of people standing in
(23:24):
front of green screen, at Bestjust strumming away.
Nate (23:27):
I guess Janie's got us like green screen.
Green screen was too expensive.
Yeah, yeah, so that's a twospecific.
Shaun (23:31):
We're just standing against a drywall.
Yeah, so my map painting, yes,exactly.
Well, I guess pretty muchJanie's got a gun.
I've heard is like one, thevery first like music videos.
It actually had like a fulldirector thing and scenes and a
story to it and this and thatand was kind of one that started
, you know, everybody else beinglike oh, we can do more with
our music videos, hmm, and Imean I, I see people still
(23:51):
occasionally making like fullyproduced music music videos, to
which I ask why you know who'swatching these.
Nate (23:57):
I mean, okay, and I also I'm coming from my little myopic
point of view I'm sure there'splenty people still like loving
on music videos I just don'treally see it in the popular
thing anymore.
Shaun (24:07):
They're there really as big as they used to be.
From what I've heard, musiciansdo it nowadays Just for their
own funding games, because theywant to make a music video,
because that's what you do is me.
That's fair, you know it.
Yeah, that's totally fair, yep,they really don't make any
money off of it or don't getthat much more exposure unless
it goes viral.
But they're just like hey, Ijust want to make a music video.
I have mad respect for that.
That's totally Yep, yep.
Also, pretty much all bandshave to pay for their own music
(24:29):
videos and stuff.
The studios don't pay for it.
Nate (24:31):
That's again.
You know, if they have, ifthey're making enough money to
do that and they want to do it,and then yeah, absolutely, you
know, put that shit on you too.
You know, get some more peopledo it.
Shaun (24:40):
Yeah, I mean, sometimes it's kind of sad what they come
out with you know, but sometimeslike remember that viral
treadmill video by Okay go whereI think it was.
Nate (24:48):
Yeah, that took off.
Shaun (24:49):
I mean, that took off and yep, that made that band for a
while.
Nate (24:53):
Yeah, I mean, the whole reason people even knew about
that band was because of that.
Treadmill video is a cool videotoo.
Okay, that's, that's a littleextreme.
I mean they're.
I'm sure they were fansbeforehand.
Shaun (25:03):
Yeah, there had to be, but still they that Watch them
into the lexicon in the daily.
Yeah conversation of stuff.
Radio stations were talkingabout them for once.
Yep, fun fact, we go to 1989real quick and there is a show
called heavy metal heaven andthat, uh, is a mini series on
heavy metal bands and itfeatures aerosmith and is also
hosted by one, elvira, fromoff-to-off topic episodes.
(25:23):
Yay, yeah, this is also backwhen aerosmith was considered
heavy metal.
So, yeah, the slider on thathas changed a little bit over
the years, I feel.
Yeah, yeah.
So after aerosmith it basicallyshows him, says, hey, we're the
bad guys.
Uh, stay tuned for us later.
Next you get some narration fromyour late uncle thurston last.
That name, your uncle, yeah, isin fact voiced by one christ
(25:48):
for reeve of superman, fame,also known for playing a
handicapped man in a wheelchairin a movie.
Shortly thereafter, winding upin a wheelchair on is in real
life Too.
That movie was, above suspicionoccasion, wondering Did you
know that?
No, yeah, like the last movieof us, what or I think it was
like the last movie ChristopherReeve made before he got
paralyzed was a movie about himbeing in a wheelchair For real.
(26:10):
That's well, that's it.
I know this because I worked ina video store and some people
like literally refused to rentthat movie because they thought
it was like a Sign of something.
Nate (26:17):
Oh, it was like cursed or something.
Yeah, but it's interesting howthat happens because I remember
the last video to my musicvideos to Pog did it was he got
shot.
He got, he was a killed in ashooting.
That was the whole thing.
I don't remember what musicvideo was, I don't.
I just remember that like hemade a video to him getting shot
and killed and he'd got shotand killed.
But also, you know the life youlived.
(26:37):
That was probably in, maybe aninevitable, who knows.
Shaun (26:40):
It also been my son.
He watched that video was likeyou know what, maybe I will go
shoot him.
And I put the idea in theirhead right, this, oh, the side,
yeah, yeah, right, it'd be like,oh well, if he's putting a view
obviously wants me to shoot him.
I mean, the odds of that arelow, but not zero.
Might actually be higher thanwe want to think too.
But so then you're going to goon your little journey solving
puzzles and you're gonna startmeeting the nine muses
(27:02):
throughout the Lost Resort, andthese muses are also voiced by
some famous people.
First of all, three of thesemuses T bear, charlie the robot
and mr Bones are all voiced byone of the legends of voice
acting, jim coming, most famousfor doing Will it?
Winnie the Pooh, dark wing duckthe tobacco juice spitting
cupcake from cabin boy andshredder from the OG Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtle series.
(27:22):
Yeah, and if you're one ofthose people who's like Nate's,
probably thinking right now islike I thought James Avery did
the voice of a shredder.
James Avery from Fresh Princedid the voice of shredder on the
original Teenage Mutant NinjaTurtles, because there's memes
that say that, and he did.
Also Dorian Harewood andTownsend Coleman did the voice
of shredder in the originalseries.
Four different people did thevoice of shredder in the
(27:42):
original Series of well, thereyou.
Nate (27:43):
I mean, let's be real.
And the original series?
They weren't exactly like.
Oh, we Must have a voice.
Fidelity here, yeah, yeah.
No, I mean because I've seen, ISeen a couple clips and, just
like the He-Man episodes, youcan't go back.
No, you really can't just can'tgo back, although I did.
There was actually a recentmovie.
I say recent, last few years.
(28:04):
There's an animated movie wherethe there's like time-traveling
stuff and like more currentversions of TMNT Intermingle
with that era of Ninja Turtles.
So you have, you know morerecent ones.
Go back in time to wherethey're like oh no, we're
getting attacked by pizza, likewhat?
Yeah.
(28:25):
So you have, these people areactually Deal used to dealing
with actual villains, of courseyou know, not like murderers,
but you know more nowadays wherethere's a little more.
Shaun (28:35):
It's not the rat king, radius yeah.
Nate (28:39):
It was kind of interesting to see, like the comp, the kind
of combining of more recentDark or you know whatever
turtles with the kind of veryvery.
Yeah, very cheese.
And then they finally actuallystumbled into the OG black and
white, you know, hardcore ones,yeah, and of course it was all
(29:01):
made for kids.
You know what made for me.
But I enjoyed it.
I watched the whole thing, itwas fine.
I didn't record it and likecommit to memory or anything,
but it was kind of just reallykind of.
Oh, there's a nice little walkdown memory lane.
Shaun (29:12):
So, as far as the OG series goes, this is something I
need to test out because it'ssomething I remember all the way
back to a kid.
If we go back and we watch thevery first two episodes of
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,you know like the ones that they
initially do is like theselling pilot, you know the ones
that are like, hey, this is ourproof of concept.
Yeah, I swear that the veryfirst two episodes were not only
had better animation, butactually you had like a slightly
(29:33):
more mature and serious plot toit, kind of thing.
I could be wrong on this and itwas like well, you got to
lighten it up before pickingthis up, kind of things.
So they you know, cow bunged itup a little bit.
I could be wrong on that.
I need to go back and rewatchthem.
I remember was kidding myselfthose first two episodes seemed
a lot cooler than the ensuingones, but well.
Nate (29:50):
I feel like the movies, like the first Teenage Mutant
Turtle movie, I mean it wasstill pretty tame, it was still
was.
No one got killed.
They didn't like Running bythrough the sword and no one got
thrown off a building or shotthe face, but it was still just
like parents.
Oh my god, ninjas.
Shaun (30:05):
So it has swords and weapons.
Nate (30:06):
Yeah, and the second movie , like no one like there was all
like slapstick.
Shaun (30:13):
Yeah.
Nate (30:14):
I'm like.
Shaun (30:15):
Waga, waga, waga, yeah, like just got it.
Dumb it down and put in morefart jokes.
Right, and that's gonna do itfor part one on our series on
nine, the last resort.
Stay tuned for the conclusionwhere we finish talking about
the game, including its criticalreception and sales, and I rank
the voice acting performancesof all those involved with the
(30:35):
game.
We also go off topic and talkabout other things like movie
tax breaks and where you can'tspeed in Seattle.
All that more on the nextepisode of off-to-off topic.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!