The Worst of All Possible Worlds
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202 - Steven Spielberg’s The Dig
🕑 Added 2025-08-13 06:00:09 +0000 UTCThe lads grab their engraved rods and play with some loose bones as they cover the LucasArts’ 1995 xenoarchaeologist point-and-click adventure: The Dig. Topics include the gaming prowess of Steven Spielberg, the incredibly fraught production process, and what it means to have have a point and click adventure imprint upon you as a child that requires you to turn a turtle into a bomb.
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Media Referenced in this Episode:
The Dig. LucasArts. 1995.
A Conversation with Gary Brubaker. Tech Talk with Daniel Albu. April 6th, 2025.
The Dig by Jimmy Maher. Digital Antiquarian. July 23rd. 2021.
“Exclusive Interview with Noah Falstein” by Santiago Mendez. The Dig Museum. December 27th, 2004.
“Interview with Brian Moriarty” by Paco García. Aventura y CÍA. March 2006.
“LucasArts Secret History #11: The Dig Bills Tiller and Eaken”. The International House of Mojo.
“So, a Giant Asteroid is Heading for Earth…Again…” by Luke Plunkett. Kotaku. November 2nd, 2011.
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Interstitial: “Brink” // Written by A.J. Ditty // Featuring A.J. Ditty as “Professor Ludger Brink”
Comments
Just a Fish
In the closing comments, you mention that gameplay has "moved past" adventure games, and ALL I could think about was the Elder Scrolls Skyrim puzzle where you had to rotate an item in your inventory to see the lock combination to a door (I actually thought of it when you were talking about engraved Rodneys (how is 'Rodney' pluralized?). How visual item inspection is still a mechanic so many years later, but it completly flummoxed so many people. Also on guidebooks as a THING. I was once a disappointed owner of a Final Fantasy IX guidebook, which referred you to their Online guide, marking the apex and complete collapse of "Guidebooks" as a thing.
Jonathan David
My earliest exposure to LucasArts and the overall CompUSA experience was 1996’s “Mortimer and the Riddles of the Medallion,” which I think would make for a fantastic episode
Wilko
The first video game I fell in love with as well as one of the first ones I ever played, full stop, was an advertising game for BIFI (the mini salami, in case you're not familiar). BIFI Adventure, I think. Takes place in a movie studio and is pretty well done, considering what it is. I played it with my cousin and I have very fond memories of it. Actually, all the games I remember playing as a child, I did with friends. I totally understand why playing The Dig with your dad would leave a lasting impression. BTW. I don't know who needs to hear this, but if you like story-focused adventure games please give "The Drifter" a try. It is one of my favorite games this year so far.
