Retro Encounter Podcast Thread

[DaviKaze]

They get fake married and Joshua buys Estelle a wedding ring... tone.

[Taelus]

you know what we could also do... is put a frame on it. hang it up, you know?

opposite of serious

[Dice]

Also, Rudra no Hihou has amazing music.

God yes.  That game I'm also pretty sure was written under influence of all sorts of crazy sh**.  And the sprite work and frame rate (and this boss and his "time bores me" look).... Hot damn this was just a solid hidden gem.

They get fake married and Joshua buys Estelle a wedding ring... tone.

Seriously though, they're a couple who don't really do anything "new", but they're still so cute together.  Estelle is the 'genki girl' done beautifully (and her love of sneakers and bugs is tomboy-perfect).

[Rucks]

Joshua irritates me (and not just because he shares my name and is the polar opposite of me). He's just too BLAH for my particular taste.  Though I do love me some Estelle (who I identify with a lot more).  She is a breath of fresh air in a genre too full of Alfina types (though if we stick with Grandia III analogies she is a dead ringer for Miranda).

Too many (). sorry.

[Dice]

Too many (). sorry.

Yeah I'm guilty of that too (butt whatevs).

I think I like Joshua because he's...normal.  If Estelle is fiery, he's the calm and cool one.  But I totally get putting characters you share a name with under a microscope.

[Klutz64]

I'd love for you guys to play Shadow Hearts or Illusion of Gaia or one of the early SMT games. Basically anything that quickly evolves from "Typical RPG fare" to Batshit Crazy.

[Dice]

= Guys... literally, GUYS, y'all a sausage fest, it makes me laugh a little.  And some of the commentary makes it seem...like yeah a group of guys... For example and to be fair, if I lived in anime-world, I'd love to be given a (literal) boy present.  But...y'know.  I loved that part though, I thought it was well played up for comedy anyways, Estelle wasn't keen on the "present" either.

= You SHOULD do a Final Fantasy Retro Podcast, I think that's just a matter of time... I'm curious which would be first.

= Trails really has a bad prologue.  It's really slow and pretty boring.  But its world-building and the depth of dialogue is a small price to pay; not many games afford that kind of love/time to characterization, or really, 'joking around' with its cast. =/
Fortunately after that it's over the hump and just gets progressively better...even when it is doing its "anime high school chapter".

= It cannot be understated enough: SC is huge and XSeed took on a huge load to translate.  Bravo.

= I actuallly never noticed 'arts and crafts'.....


= Two spells in Trails mattered: The area hitting ones (because one enemy at a time is bananas), and the Earth spells that makes you immune for one round which is useful for the last boss and a guild challenge

= How long are you commiting to a game for the podcast?  This sounds like it'll be a multi-episode thing (Trails is a pretty long choice and not everyone 'sounds' terribly willing to commit).

I'd love for you guys to play Shadow Hearts or Illusion of Gaia or one of the early SMT games. Basically anything that quickly evolves from "Typical RPG fare" to Batshit Crazy.

Since I'm just agreeing with everyone's choices, I'm just gonna throw up a gif when I see something recommended

[Jean Of mArc]

Hey guys!

I'm new around the boards here, but have been familiar with this site and its podcasts for years. Now that there is an open invitation to "join in" and play along with the podcast hosts I'd thought I'd give it a go, especially because Trails in the Sky is a game I have always had an eye on but have never invested into. I bought the game on GOG and just started playing it. I was surprised when an hour in I saw the word "Prologue"... could be a long one. I'm following a guide for the shortest path through the game, as my playtime is very limited these days.

Anyway, thought I'd say hi!

[Taelus]

We'll be doing every game in three episodes, and each will be done through a month-- a 'beginning' ep, a 'we're deep into the game' ep, and a 'we've finished it' ep. So we'll definitely be finishing the game-- part of the show is seeing how people react ot the WHOLE game, not just "i didn't like the intro." So you'll definitely see us finish it!

Sausage fest indeed. But with a rotating cast, it won't always be!

And FFIX would obviously be first because I'll cut anyone else.

Jean-- welcome! Great to see you here! Please do play the game along with us! We'll be recording episode 1-2 sometime this weekend, I believe, so you can look forward to that sometime next week, I think. The 'final' episode will always be at the end of the month, so everyone has enough time to finish.

Thanks again to all of you for your comments and feedback!

[DaviKaze]

Sorry about the all dude party, Dice (pretend we're getting ready for FF15.)  I was kind of thinking about asking my wife to come on if we play a Tales or Seiken Densetsu game, since we'd end up playing it together.  I've always had a secret dream of starting a twitch show called The Married Stream Team too xD;;

Welcome, Jean!  Yeah, I clocked my playtime at the start of chapter 1 at almost exactly two hours.  It reminded me a bit of Star Ocean 2's incredibly slow start.

[Dice]

Sorry about the all dude party, Dice (pretend we're getting ready for FF15.)  I was kind of thinking about asking my wife to come on if we play a Tales or Seiken Densetsu game, since we'd end up playing it together.  I've always had a secret dream of starting a twitch show called The Married Stream Team too xD;;

Welcome, Jean!  Yeah, I clocked my playtime at the start of chapter 1 at almost exactly two hours.  It reminded me a bit of Star Ocean 2's incredibly slow start.

SO2's start is the worst...  I'm happy I've gotten so good to know the exact NPC to talk to or place to go and when to bring it down to a swift....45 minutes... but blleehh.

And don't worry about the "dude party".  I think a chemistry is important to these discussion, so much like FF15, if that's what you got (and who's available based on time available and playtime on the side) I definitely couldn't judge.

[Wild Armor]

Howdy and welcome to the boards, Jean Of mArc! ;)

Same deal with myself--I don't get a lot of game-time now of these days, so I have to be a bit more calculated on what I do and how to approach certain games. So far, if you learn the basics right away, then the game should be fine. Glad to have you aboard the gameplay train!

= Trails really has a bad prologue.  It's really slow and pretty boring.  But its world-building and the depth of dialogue is a small price to pay; not many games afford that kind of love/time to characterization, or really, 'joking around' with its cast. =/
Fortunately after that it's over the hump and just gets progressively better...even when it is doing its "anime high school chapter".

it's funny, because like I said on the show, I find the prologue very fascinating. It's incredibly entertaining to see the life of the village progress as your character progresses through the chapter. Like, let's use these love birds for example:



Ellie & Armand
The first time you are introduced to these characters, one is literally loitering behind a house (Ellie) and the other (Armand) doting over them from a distance on a elevated walkway (creepily). Armand totally wants Ellie, but he has to work up the courage to do so. Later on after the Bracer test, you come back to find them behind the house Ellie was behind, where you find out Armand confesses/proposes to her. Guess what? She refuses to accept him because she's a romantic at heart and want's to be proposed in a more romantic setting. Armand is baffled--especially when she says he is her type!

It's not until after the events in the tower after the bracer test, when it is evening, where you find these two on the clocktower spending a happily romantic moment together because he decided to propose to her there during the setting sun. (For your amusement, I have Estelle being a total creep in my picture). ;)

Also, let's not forget little claire!



Claire
She's a little reporter and knows the deets on this OTP. She's already got that boat shipped in her mind. ;)

Also, the localization is comically entertaining. Let's not forget lines like this:



This occurs after Soft-Ball-Mustached Dad bails these two out from what could have been a baaaaaad situation. I don't, maybe it's just me, but I like observing things like this. I enjoy watching them unfold. ;) (Also, Dice, I hope by the end of this game Estelle gets her pair of Stregas Sneakers.) ;)

[ultra7k]

Assuming time allows for it, I'll probably also join in in playing along with the podcast. Depending on how far you get by the 2nd episode, I'll take note since it's been some time since I let the game lie fallow. Really looking forward to playing it though.

[Wild Armor]

Assuming time allows for it, I'll probably also join in in playing along with the podcast. Depending on how far you get by the 2nd episode, I'll take note since it's been some time since I let the game lie fallow. Really looking forward to playing it though.

Totally, and if you need to use a game guide or whatever to help speed the process, there's no shame in that either. I occasionally check on gamefaqs in regards to Bracer points, not so much story/battles/etc.. ;)

If I recommend anything, however, is take the time to talk to everyone and see how wacky things really are in this game. ;)

[DaviKaze]

Welp, I just got murdered by a bunch of flying cats in a box.