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Conversations with Curtis: oral histories of Phantasmagoria 2 and other 90s FMV adventure games

Boleskine

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https://www.youtube.com/c/conversationswithcurtis

https://www.facebook.com/ConversationsWithCurtis/

https://twitter.com/convoscurtis

https://www.patreon.com/conversationswithcurtis

“Conversations with Curtis” is a limited-time interview series of the cast and creators of the 1996 gore gaming classic Phantasmagoria 2, a Puzzle of Flesh.

Featuring behind-the-scenes content and narrative experiences, join Curtis as he returns twenty-five years later into one of the biggest FMV games of the 1990s.
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My name is Paul Morgan Stetler and 25 years ago, I played Curtis Craig in Sierra Online's Phantasmagoria 2, A Puzzle Of Flesh. Despite its relatively disappointing release in November of 1996 (I think we may have been the unwitting nail in the heart of FMV games), the game has since developed a huge (dare I say "cult") online following. Over the past 10 years, I've received hundreds of appreciative messages from fans all over the world, most of which I never replied to (sorry about that, I was shy). The fact is, I've rarely spoken publicly about my experiences making this game, at all.

Until now.

Paul Morgan Stetler from Phantasmagoria 2 randomly appears, announces a livestream "Conversations with Curtis" to happen in April.



More info:

https://www.facebook.com/ConversationsWithCurtis/posts/3667343006728258

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Boleskine

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Chapter 3 will feature the guy who played every Codexer's favorite character, Trevor.





The stream is scheduled for June 26 at 1:00pm EDT, 10:00am PDT.

 
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Boleskine

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Episode 4 coming on July 31.



Mystery guest revealed - composer Gary Spinrad.

 
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Boleskine

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Episode 4 is easily the best one yet. Gary Spinrad is one hell of a cool guy and had some great insights to the score he created.

Ross from Accursed Farms made an appearance, too!

 

Boleskine

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Finally, somebody else is posting in this thread!

Yeah, P2 is a decent game and enjoyable sci-fi/horror B-movie experience. Gameplay and puzzles are toned down, but the live action stuff is really well done. The acting is decent and not too cheesy. I've only played the game once but may go back and replay it sometime this fall.

This retrospective video series has been surprisingly fun so far.

Also, the song 'Rage' from the P2 end credits is ridiculously catchy.

 
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Divinity: Original Sin 2 Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
The puzzle near the end of Phantasmagoria 2 was a nightmare for me. But I really liked Curtis, and his story, plus the ending(s) were something less expected when it comes to adventure game. The soundtrack is one of my favourite, when it comes to 90's Sierra time. I wish someone made something similar with 1080p resolution and good practical effects.
 

Boleskine

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The Chapter 5 stream finished not too long ago. I'll probably watch it sometime this weekend.

edit - I didn't find this video as enjoyable as the previous ones. Most of the conversation drifted away from the game and is production toward things like Ragna's art. I think there isn't much more to discuss from an acting/performance standpoint. Andy Hoyos (director) would be the next logical choice, followed by Lorelei Shannon in the Halloween episode.

 
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Boleskine

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Update video. Here are the upcoming guests:

September - Wes Plate (editor)
October - Andy Hoyos (director)
November - Lorelei Shannon (writer, designer)
December - (mystery guest)

I'd guess that last person is either Ken Williams or Spoony. Probably not Spoony.

Also, when he's done talking about Phantasmagoria 2, Paul wants to do video series on other games like the first Phantasmagoria or Gabriel Knight 2.







 
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Boleskine

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https://www.pcgamer.com/phantasmagoria-2s-lead-actor-is-taking-us-on-a-trip-down-fmv-memory-lane/

Phantasmagoria 2's lead actor is taking us on a trip down FMV memory lane
By Christopher Livingston about 3 hours ago

Paul Morgan Stetler, who played Curtis, is interviewing the cast and crew to celebrate the horror adventure's 25th anniversary.



Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh released in 1996, and it had just about everything you could ask for from a full-motion video horror adventure game: secret experiments, psychic powers, mad scientists, alternate dimensions, alien creatures, government teleportation programs, a bunch of gruesome murders, frontal nudity, and at least one severed head.

Despite that impressive list, Phantasmagoria 2 wasn't exactly a critical hit at the time. It did have its share of fans, however, thanks to its campy B-movie charm. Even today, lead actor Paul Morgan Stetler, who played Phantasmagoria 2's tormented protagonist Curtis Craig, says he still gets plenty of mail from fans.

Since Stetler found himself with some extra time during the lockdown, and since this year marks 25 years since Phantasmagoria 2 launched, he decided to reach out to members of the cast and development team, many of whom he hadn't spoken to since the game was finished. Guests of his monthly interview series with the people involved with Phantasmagoria 2, called Conversations With Curtis, have so far included Monique Parent (who played Jocilyn), Todd Licea (Jonas Craig), Paul Mitri (Trevor), as well as YouTubers like Ross Scott (you may know him from Freeman's Mind) and Voidburger.

You can check out some of the livestream conversations here on Stetler's YouTube page.

As the interview series continues for the rest of the year, future guests will include the game's director and writer, as well as more of the cast.

Conversations with Curtis is a nice way to present an oral history of the game's development and a fun trip down FMV memory lane. There's even a great minigame on the official site, complete with FMV, that lets you point-and-click around Curtis' apartment and his office, where you might stumble across a few hidden clips, including a reenactment (over webcams) of a scene by Stetler and Parent. You'll also find Stetler's Patreon right here.
 

Boleskine

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The latest episode of CwC, featuring Phantasmagoria 2 director Andy Hoyos:



Part 2 of Paul's P2 playthrough:



At least he's doing better than Dean Erickson, who I remember said in an interview years ago that once he tried playing Gabriel Knight 2 but couldn't figure out how to leave the first room/screen.
 

Boleskine

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26 minutes of uncompressed game footage:



Paul getting in character for his chat with Lorelei Shannon:

 

Boleskine

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Haven't had a chance to watch the discussion with Lorelei yet, but there's some good news. The mystery guest for December is Victoria Morsell Hemingson, who played Adrienne in the first Phantasmagoria. Awesome!

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Recently joined Twitter, too.

https://twitter.com/v_morsell

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:bounce:
 

Boleskine

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The next guest will be the guy who played Don in the first Phantasmagoria.



I didn't bother with last month's video - Paul spoke with a voice actor friend, Jen Taylor, who is co-starring in a play he's doing. She's most well known for voice work in the Halo games.



As mentioned before Paul wants to keep the series going. Gabriel Knight 2 would be a good game to cover next - he could speak with Jane Jensen, Robert Holmes, Dean Erickson, and maybe even Peter Lucas and Joanne Takahashi
 

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