Podcast Archives | Page 2 of 20

Retro Encounter 351 – Mass Effect Revisited

Posted by Michael Sollosi on November 10, 2022

Back on our BioWare business. Mass Effect was one of the biggest phenomena in video games from the late 2000s through the early 2010s, and all three games in the original trilogy hold up as role-playing games, first-person shooters, and science fiction stories. Through the month of November, Retro E… Read More »

Random Encounter 254 – Asexual Representation in RPGs

Posted by Jonathan Logan on November 7, 2022

On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re talking about asexual representation in video games. A few weeks ago, RPGFan published a feature by our own Caitlin Argyros, focusing on asexual characters in RPGs. Spoiler alert: it’s a pretty short list. Though queer representation has been on the rise ov… Read More »

Retro Encounter 350 – You Might Learn Something

Posted by Michael Sollosi on November 3, 2022

Thank you for listening to Retro Encounter for a Quite Interesting seven years! If you know two things about Retro Encounter, they’re probably that the podcast plays through great RPGs from every era and that its host loves game shows. Today, to celebrate 350 episodes of Retro Encounter, that host e… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 95 – Castlevania: Rhythm of the Night

Posted by Mike Salbato on October 31, 2022

While our friends at Retro Encounter just wrapped a month of graphic adventures — and by extension, a month of games featuring wolves — we wanted to record a Halloween-appropriate episode. The gothic halls of Dracula’s Castle are a popular spot for spooky adventure, and the Castlevania series is kno… Read More »

Retro Encounter 349 – The Quarry

Posted by Michael Sollosi on October 27, 2022

This game is from 2022, but horny teenagers getting murdered at a summer camp is Retro as can be. Happy Halloween! As far as Retro Encounter is concerned, Halloween begins in early September and lasts three solid months. As such, we are celebrating the horror season and providing a coda to Retro Enc… Read More »

Random Encounter 253 – Yakuza Encounter

Posted by Jonathan Logan on October 24, 2022

On this episode of Random Encounter, Jono and GC are taking a comprehensive look at Yakuza/Like a Dragon! Every now and then, RPGFan publishes a game primer to help newcomers get into a new series. We’ve covered Trails, Tales, and Xenos, and now it’s time to cover Yakuza! With its recent rebranding… Read More »

Retro Encounter 348 – Broken Age

Posted by Hilary Andreff on October 20, 2022

Broken Age is a stunningly beautiful coming of age story. Beyond the narrative itself, its Kickstarter-fairytale-turned-cautionary-tale development cycle has been entertainingly and meticulously documented and helped chart the frontier of large-scale crowdfunded videogame projects. Listen to the Au… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 94 – Masafumi Takada: Trigger Happy Cyber Sleuth

Posted by Mike Salbato on October 17, 2022

Composer Masafumi Takada is likely not as well known as some VGM composers by name, but it’s very likely you have at least heard of the games he has worked on, especially the Danganronpa series. It’s been awhile since our last composer-centric episode—we gushed about the wonderful Kumi Tanioka in ep… Read More »

Retro Encounter 347 – The Wolf Among Us

Posted by Michael Sollosi on October 13, 2022

Hey there Little Red Riding Hood / You sure are lookin’ good / You’re everything a Big Bad Wolf could want Retro Encounter continues their Autumn of Adventure with The Wolf Among Us, a narrative adventure game set in the Fables comic book universe and originally released in five parts in 2013 and 20… Read More »

Retro Encounter 346 – The Secret of Monkey Island

Posted by Jonathan Logan on October 6, 2022

Welcome to the first episode of Retro Encounter’s Adventure Game Month! Throughout October, we’re looking at four adventures across several eras of gaming. First up, the seminal point-and-click classic, The Secret of Monkey Island! SoMI is a foundational game for LucasArts. Under Ron Gilbert’s direc… Read More »

Random Encounter 252 – Random Book Club – Fight, Magic, Items

Posted by Jonathan Logan on October 3, 2022

On this episode of Random Encounter, it’s Random Book Club again! Here at RPGFan, we love our JRPGs: Tales, Trials, and everything in between. But to understand where the genre came from, we need to look back almost forty years to two legendary Japanese creators: Yuji Horii (Dragon Quest) and Hirono… Read More »

Retro Encounter 345 – Live A Live Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on September 29, 2022

Live (A Live) from the Middle Ages, it’s Thursday night! Live A Live is an anthology RPG comprised of eight miniature stories that lead to a grand finale, and its 2022 remake gets three thumbs up from today’s Retro Encounter panel. They discuss the tragic eighth chapter, as well as the twisted endga… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 93 – Wild HEARTs

Posted by Mike Salbato on September 26, 2022

As soon as we learned that the creators of the Wild ARMs and Shadow Hearts series were launching a Kickstarter for two new projects, Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood, we knew it was the perfect time to talk about the music of the teams’ legacy. Also, how else would we get away with combining the music… Read More »

Retro Encounter 344 – Live A Live Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on September 22, 2022

Rhymes with “Drive Survive,” not “Sieve Forgive” Live A Live, an influential 1994 RPG developed by Square during their Super Nintendo apex, is an anthology RPG which tells eight short stories that eventually coalesce into a satisfying finale. Live A Live’s 2022 Nintendo Switch remake is the ti… Read More »

Random Encounter 251 – Yakuza NO MORE!

Posted by Jonathan Logan on September 19, 2022

On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re tackling one of the biggest news weeks in recent memory! First up, we’re discussing the recent Nintendo Direct, speculating about the big The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom announcement, and wondering how these 2023 release dates can possibly be comi… Read More »

Retro Encounter 343 – Fabula Nova Crystallis

Posted by Michael Sollosi on September 15, 2022

Never Gonna Give Yeul Up Fabula Nova Crystallis, the high-concept collection of Final Fantasy games dating from 2006, resulted in five games of varying tone and execution. Retro Encounter spent much of August playing and discussing Final Fantasy XIII, and today three panelists break down and lift up… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 92 – Blast Processing: SEGA Genesis RPGs

Posted by Mike Salbato on September 12, 2022

Last month, we celebrated the music of the SNES with The Road SNES Traveled (episode 89), and today we turn our ears to Nintendo’s then-competition, the SEGA Genesis! While SEGA’s 16-bit console didn’t have the sheer number of RPGs found on the SNES, there are plenty of gems to be found in the likes… Read More »

Retro Encounter 342 – Say Yes to the 3DS

Posted by Michael Sollosi on September 10, 2022

Finally, we connect Xenoblade Chronicles to Abraham Lincoln. The 3DS eShop is on its last legs as Nintendo phases out online support for its successful handheld, but Retro Encounter hasn’t given up on this 3D-enabled machine yet. Five panelists (including three new ones!) discuss their favorite 3DS… Read More »

Random Encounter 250 – Temptation, Thy Name is Final Fantasy XIV

Posted by Jonathan Logan on September 5, 2022

On this episode of Random Encounter, Jono is, once again, tempted to play Final Fantasy XIV! With the release of the 6.2 patch of FFXIV, Mike is taking up the torch to try and convince Jono to create an account. Will he be successful? And Audra is here to chat about Dusk Diver 2, an anime-inspired a… Read More »

Retro Encounter 341 – Final Fantasy XIII Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on September 3, 2022

How clear is Final Fantasy XIII’s story? Not exactly Crystal. Final Fantasy XIII has a wild ride to the finish, and three Retro Encounter panelists cap off their personal experiences playing it by reacting to FF XIII’s remarkable design changes, confusing character motivations, and beautiful i… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 91 – At Least the Music is Great

Posted by Mike Salbato on August 29, 2022

On Rhythm Encounter, we enjoy discussing games and music we love, but sometimes excellent RPG music comes from unlikely places. Our panelists’ challenge this time around was to find games that generally don’t make it to any “best of” lists, whether based on our personal preferences or a wider critic… Read More »

Retro Encounter 340 – Final Fantasy XIII Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on August 25, 2022

Thunderbolts and Lightning / Very very frightening Final Fantasy XIII, one of the most divisive games in the world’s most popular Japanese RPG series, is certainly old enough to be considered Retro, but its style and tone are anything but. Our panelists are one FF XIII veteran, one FF XIII neophyte,… Read More »

Random Encounter 249 – RPGFan is A-OFK

Posted by Jonathan Logan on August 22, 2022

On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re going virtual! First, Caitlin examines the origins of a virtual band in the music biopic game, We Are OFK. Then, Brian steps into a virtual fantasy world in one of the only full-scale JRPGs available on VR platforms, RuinsMagus. And finally, Jono… Read More »

Retro Encounter 339 – Story vs. Gameplay

Posted by Michael Sollosi on August 18, 2022

What’s the story, RPGFan? Do you think it’s worth a look? It seems kinda familiar, like a story from a book. RPGs and adventure games very often have an outsize focus on storytelling, in part because so many of them are about a group of characters growing and changing over the course of their… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 90 – Tropical Tunes

Posted by Mike Salbato on August 15, 2022

As the summer heat goes on for many of us, what’s a better way to chill out than with a cold drink? A cold drink AND an episode of Rhythm Encounter packed full of summer-y tropical music! Today we sail the seas, spend time in port, and visit an oasis, island, and even an archipelago, with music span… Read More »

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