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RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Unconventional or Hybrid RPG

Posted by Hilary Andreff on January 26, 2024

Winner: Theatrhythm Final Bar Line No more seeking out All-Star Carnival in random mall arcades! We finally got the robust musical Final Fantasy experience we’d all been waiting for with Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. This latest iteration in the Theatrhythm franchise is grander than ever, boasting a v… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Remake or Re-Release

Posted by Neal Chandran on January 26, 2024

Winner: Star Ocean: The Second Story R Star Ocean: The Second Story R is the poster child of how a remake should be done. It beautifully blends the nostalgic sprites of yore with stunningly redone environments that look even better than we could have imagined. This iteration of Star Ocean: The Secon… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Sleeper Hit

Posted by Michael Sollosi on January 26, 2024

Winner: Dave the Diver Dave the Diver is a fishing roguelike, a business management sim, a bullet heck shmup (not brutal enough to qualify for “bullet hell”), and completely addictive and charming. The gameplay loop of exploring the ever-changing lagoon as Dave and running a restaurant with your mys… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best DLC

Posted by Tyler Trosper on January 26, 2024

Winner: Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed The Xenoblade Chronicles series gained a reputation for extensive DLC expansions, such as Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna – The Golden County and Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition: Future Connected. Thankfully, Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeem… Read More »

Patrick Gann’s Top 25 RPG Soundtracks (Part 2)

Posted by Patrick Gann on December 31, 2023

Part 1 Part 3 Soundtrack review: A Realm Reborn: Final Fantasy XIV Original Soundtrack 9. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn I had a much more difficult time ranking the modern Final Fantasy music compared to the original nine Uematsu solo efforts. Seriously, this was a stressful choice. I love the F… Read More »

Patrick Gann’s Top 25 RPG Soundtracks (Part 3)

Posted by Patrick Gann on December 31, 2023

Part 1 Part 2 Soundtrack review: Genso Suikoden II Original Game Soundtrack Complete 18. Suikoden II “The heart has its secret currents: deep, and without guide.” The above lyric comes from the song “Currents,” found on the Suikoden II arrange album Orrizonte, with an upbeat rearrange utilized for t… Read More »

RPGFan’s 30 Most Anticipated Games of 2024 (Part 2)

Posted by Mike Salbato on December 23, 2023

Below, you’ll find not one, but two Final Fantasy games, along with some long awaited releases and localizations of franchises that are almost as popular. Go to Part 1 Go to Part 3 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth We’ve arrived at last. With Midgar in the rearview, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth l… Read More »

RPGFan’s 30 Most Anticipated Games of 2024 (Part 3)

Posted by Wes Iliff on December 23, 2023

Here you’ll find remakes of some of our staff’s all-time favorite games, a number of new entries in long-running series (including a newly announced bonus game), and plenty of others! Go to Part 1 Go to Part 2 Persona 3 Reload Persona 3 marked a new style for the venerable series, opening the more n… Read More »

Origins Game Fair 2023: Games and Demos

Posted by Jerry Williams on July 26, 2023

If you’re usually chasing after the latest and greatest, Origins is one of the premier events to attend every year. Here, I got my hands on some fantastic demos. While I’m rarely shy about doling out bad news when a video game doesn’t deliver, I’m going to remain positive here, as most of the demos… Read More »

Origins Game Fair 2023: Artists

Posted by Jerry Williams on July 26, 2023

Whether it’s crocheting, the ancient art of ukiyo-e, or good ol’ fashioned pen and paper, Origins 2023 brought a variety of exceptionally talented artists. Resisting the urge to turn my home into a museum of fan art was challenging this year, though I certainly purchased a few works. Contained here… Read More »

Origins Game Fair 2023: Peripherals for Immersion

Posted by Jerry Williams on July 26, 2023

Origins always brings something new and exciting to the board gaming and RPG scene with peripherals. In years past, I praised companies like the Broken Token—who I believe was missing from this year’s show—for their meticulous work making board game box inserts to help keep everything neat and tidy.… Read More »

Origins Game Fair 2023: Inclusivity

Posted by Jerry Williams on July 26, 2023

For several years before the pandemic, pride parades occurred the same weekend as Origins. For most of us, this was a welcomed occasion, despite the increased traffic and congested restaurants. While the typical parade didn’t occur this year, the Pride Gamers of Columbus had a room prominently displ… Read More »

Origins Game Fair 2023: Hero Realms Card Game Review

Posted by Jerry Williams on July 26, 2023

Card games within the board game scene blew up once Dominion made a splash in 2008, just as board games started hitting a certain quality and mainstream appeal. Since then, several released titles built on what Dominion did fifteen years ago, such as Thunderstone, Ascension, various video game intel… Read More »

25 Long Shot RPG Localizations That Actually Happened (Part 2)

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on July 5, 2023

Go to Part 1 Go to Part 3 The Great Ace Attorney By Niki Fakhoori Ace Attorney localizations weren’t doing so hot during the days of the Nintendo 3DS. Hot on the heels of Investigations’ unlocalized sequel were digital-only releases of Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice—and these games were let of… Read More »

25 Long Shot RPG Localizations That Actually Happened (Part 3)

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on July 5, 2023

Go to Part 1 Go to Part 2 Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love By Alvin Lim SEGA’s dating sim/visual novel mecha SRPG hybrid series, Sakura Wars (or Sakura Taisen if you prefer), has often been absent from Western shores — at least game-wise. When Sakura Wars V was released in Japan in 2005, there was virt… Read More »

25 Years, 25 RPG Moments (Part 2)

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on June 5, 2023

Go to Part 1 Go to Part 3 SPOILER WARNING: Several of the memories shared here may spoil small or large moments of their respective games, so read beyond the titles at your own risk. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening – Lost in a Dream By Noah Leiter My six-year-old nephew is a baller at video ga… Read More »

25 Years, 25 RPG Moments (Part 3)

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on June 5, 2023

Go to Part 1 Go to Part 2 SPOILER WARNING: Several of the memories shared here may spoil small or large moments of their respective games, so read beyond the titles at your own risk. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Darth Revan Twist By James Turner I met my wife in 2005, who just happened t… Read More »

The History of Final Fantasy Music (Part 2)

Posted by Ben Schuster on February 16, 2023

In honor of the release of Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, we are taking a trip through gaming history to savour the finest notes across 35 years of Final Fantasy music. In this second half, we pick up where we left off, starting with the music of Final Fantasy IX. Return to Part 1 for FFI–FFVIII! Final… Read More »

RPGFan Music of the Year 2022: Part 2

Posted by Patrick Gann on February 15, 2023

NieR Re[in]carnation Chill Out Arrangement Tracks by Patrick Gann Sometimes Square Enix makes surprising picks for which games get their own dedicated arrange albums. In this case, it’s NieR Re[in]carnation, the mobile game side-story with a soundtrack that is strong but certainly less noteworthy th… Read More »

RPGFan Music of the Year 2022 ~ Editors’ Favorites: Sam-James Gordon

Posted by Sam-James Gordon on February 15, 2023

My two top picks for 2022 brought me a sense of nostalgia that only video game music can, yet for completely different reasons. Triangle Strategy is a brand new IP, drawing inspiration in its presentation from older games. Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered is originally from the PS2 era, but… Read More »

RPGFan Music of the Year 2022 ~ Editors’ Favorites: Patrick Gann

Posted by Patrick Gann on February 15, 2023

It’s been another great year for game music. I have some special individualized awards this year, so be sure to keep reading! BEST CHILL INDIE OST: Tunic Original Soundtrack Matching the game’s visual aesthetics perfectly, Lifeformed and Janice Kwan came out of left field to write one of the most im… Read More »

RPGFan Music of the Year 2022 ~ Editors’ Favorites: Audra Bowling

Posted by Audra Bowling on February 15, 2023

2022 saw some phenomenal RPG soundtracks and album releases. It was hard to narrow down the OSTs I wanted to talk about here, but I decided to try! After all, we’re all here to share great musical vibes, yes? So, here are some of my favorite RPG soundtracks that you might’ve missed this past year. B… Read More »

RPGFan Music of the Year 2022 ~ Editors’ Favorites: Gio Castillo

Posted by Gio Castillo on February 15, 2023

For me, one soundtrack stood above the rest this year. This write-up won’t surprise anyone who reads the overall list first, but I do have a little bit more to say about my favorite video game music from 2022. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 OST I don’t think I can identify a single song that feels off or ou… Read More »

RPGFan Music of the Year 2022 ~ Editors’ Favorites: Hilary Andreff

Posted by Hilary Andreff on February 15, 2023

Where did 2022 go? It felt like a blur of high-profile games released in bursts throughout the year, which consequently affected my ability to keep up with music releases and even what I wanted to listen to. We didn’t get all the music releases we should have yet (coughXenocough) either, but here ar… Read More »

RPGFan Music of the Year 2022 ~ Editors’ Favorites: Mike Salbato

Posted by Mike Salbato on February 15, 2023

Endwalker: Final Fantasy XIV Original Soundtrack In May 2022, I agonized over how I could objectively review the Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker soundtrack. Now it’s time for Music of the Year, and I don’t have to be objective, right? Right. Both the story and soundtrack for the latest FFXIV expansion… Read More »

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