Podcast Archives | Page 2 of 29

Random Encounter 317 – Pirate Watcher in Eora

Posted by Jonathan Logan on February 24, 2025

On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re talking about two of the most highly anticipated games of 2025! We’ve been eagerly awaiting Obsidian’s answer to Skyrim for years, and Avowed is finally here. A spin-off of the beloved CRPG Pillars of Eternity series, Avowed replaces the isometric view and… Read More »

Random Encounter 316 – Canadian Encounter

Posted by Jonathan Logan on February 19, 2025

On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re celebrating all things Canadian! For absolutely no reason (certainly not related to any current events in February 2024), Jono has gathered a few of his fellow Canucks at RPGFan to chat about some of their favourite Canadian games. The thing about games fro… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 155 – Music of the Year 2024: Part II

Posted by Mike Salbato on February 17, 2025

It’s time for more of 2024’s best RPG music! In the last episode, we featured nine excellent songs from last year, and today we return with Part II, bringing nine more tracks! Look for some Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, Flowstone Saga, a double dose of Stellar Blade, and more! Scarlet Moon’s Jays… Read More »

Retro Encounter 453 – Hironobu Sakaguchi Encounter

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on February 13, 2025

This is his story. This week on Retro Encounter, we take a deep dive into the themes, obsessions, and gameplay quirks of the “father” of Final Fantasy: Hironobu Sakaguchi. How much did he really matter to the series? Does his work after leaving Final Fantasy hold up? Who can’t stop talking about the… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 154 – Music of the Year 2024: Part I

Posted by Mike Salbato on February 10, 2025

It’s time for Music of the Year! 2024 was absolutely stacked with game releases. Some even felt it was one of the all-time best years in gaming. And the side effect of a year filled with excellent games means a year of excellent soundtracks. For this annual special, we let each panelist bring on thr… Read More »

Random Encounter 315 – Sleepless in Ephinea

Posted by Jonathan Logan on February 3, 2025

On this episode of Random Encounter, it’s a double dose of sci-fi and fantasy! First, Aleks joins us to talk about Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, a sci-fi RPG with a strong tabletop influence. As a sequel to 2022’s Citizen Sleeper, Starward Vector expands its universe with multiple settings and… Read More »

Retro Encounter 452 – Final Fantasy IX Part II

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on January 30, 2025

Bring my beloved Retro Encounter to me. This week we dive into the second half of Final Fantasy IX, chatting about the emotional story beats, rooster men, and terrible card games that some of us somehow enjoy. Does it still hold up all these years later? Listen in to find out! Featuring: Zach Wilker… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 153 – Build Your Own RPG Soundtrack: Hard Mode

Posted by Mike Salbato on January 27, 2025

Almost exactly a year ago, four panelists came together to build a soundtrack to an imaginary RPG out of 8 fragments of other RPGs. Today, we’re doing it again, except our “Hard Mode” rules dictate that we must choose songs from our source games with different use cases. So our Town Theme could be a… Read More »

Random Encounter 314 – The Switch 2 is Real (and Other Stories)

Posted by Jonathan Logan on January 20, 2025

On this episode of Random Encounter, Jono is back to chat with the panel about two recent big January releases! First up, Wes has managed to fight through hundreds upon hundreds of foes to deliver their verdict on Dynasty Warriors: Origins! This latest entry in the long-running series dramatically c… Read More »

Retro Encounter 451 – Final Fantasy IX Part I

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on January 16, 2025

Doesn’t it feel nice to listen to Retro Encounter under the stars? This week, the new host and a few huge fans dive into the first half of Final Fantasy IX. How does this classic hold up? Do we like the combat? Which monster doesn’t like Vivi very much? Listen in to find out! Featuring: Zach Wilkers… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 152 – New Year, New Music

Posted by Mike Salbato on January 13, 2025

Between our recent milestone of 150 episodes and the start of a new year, we will have some fun changes coming to Rhythm Encounter, starting with this episode. New games and music release all the time that don’t always fit with our episode themes. Starting today, we will release a “new music” episod… Read More »

Random Encounter 313 – Jono-Less Encounter

Posted by Jonathan Logan on January 6, 2025

On this first episode of Random Encounter for 2025, Jono is missing, and it’s up to the panel to find him! Just kidding; we aren’t a semi-educational game from the 1990s. Jono has bronchitis this week, so it’s up to the brand-new full-time host of Retro Encounter, Zach Wilkerson, to fill in for him!… Read More »

Retro Encounter 450 – Thank You, Good Night, and Good Luck

Posted by Michael Sollosi on January 2, 2025

“Saying goodbye doesn’t mean anything. It’s the time we spent together that matters, not how we left it.” In a reminiscence-heavy episode of Retro Encounter, four panelists discuss the podcast’s origin story, recording process, and favorite episodes and memories of nearly ten years of podcasting. Lo… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 151 – Slay the Princess with Composer Brandon Boone

Posted by Patrick Gann on December 30, 2024

WARNING: This episode contains major spoilers for Slay the Princess, so listen at your own risk if you have not yet played the game! Every now and again at Rhythm Encounter, we have the chance to bring on a special musical guest. For today’s episode, RPGFan Music editor Patrick Gann sits down with B… Read More »

Retro Encounter 449 – 2024 Year in Review

Posted by Michael Sollosi on December 28, 2024

Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. 2024 is (finally) behind us, and there is plenty to talk about. In one of the strongest years for RPGs in recent memory, five Retro Encounter panelists bring ten games to show and tell in discussing a few of their favorite RPGs of the calendar year. F… Read More »

Random Encounter 312 – RPGFan’s Most Anticipated Games of 2025

Posted by Jonathan Logan on December 23, 2024

In our final Random Encounter of 2024, we’re diving into the games we’re most excited to play in 2025! Every December, RPGFan unveils one of our biggest features: a list of the most anticipated games for the year ahead. What better way to close out 2024 than by joining our panel on Random Encounter… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 150 – Name that (RPG) Tune

Posted by Mike Salbato on December 21, 2024

Retro Encounter can’t be the only one making quiz show episodes. Rhythm Encounter had to get in on the action to celebrate our 150th episode milestone! Which of course means making our contestants identify songs, composers, and more across five themed rounds. Who will triumph? Feel free to play alon… Read More »

Retro Encounter 448 – Dragon Quest III Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on December 19, 2024

Life is like a hurricane / Here in Townburg Dragon Quest III’s open-ended exploration and high-stakes story comes to a conclusion for our four intrepid panelists, who struggled through volcanoes, ghosts, and unchecked capitalism to obtain the six orbs and take on Dragon Quest III’s final run of anta… Read More »

Random Encounter 311 – Merry Game Awards 2024!

Posted by Jonathan Logan on December 16, 2024

On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re chatting about gaming’s biggest night: The Game Awards 2024! After a few rocky years, The Game Awards have finally hit their stride for their 10th anniversary. There were some astonishing reveals, wonderful tributes, and a surprising amount of empathy for t… Read More »

Retro Encounter 447 – Dragon Quest III Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on December 12, 2024

A podcast episode appears! Dragon Quest III was a blockbuster success in Japan in 1988, and its nonlinear progression, fun job system, and spirit of adventure influenced every Dragon Quest game to come. DQ3 also has a shiny new 2024 HD-2D remaster, and today on Retro Encounter different panelists pl… Read More »

Retro Encounter 446 – Metaphor: ReFantazio Spoilercast

Posted by Michael Sollosi on December 9, 2024

“My favorite book is Moby Dick; no symbolism, just a simple tale about a man who hates an animal.” Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of 2024’s most acclaimed RPGs, about a royal succession that spirals out of control into a struggle for the soul of the world’s people. Clashes of ideologies, dramatic chara… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 149 – RPG Music Origin Stories

Posted by Mike Salbato on December 2, 2024

We all have origin stories about how we got into RPGs (several of us shared them almost six years ago in this feature!), so today our panel discusses music origins — what RPGs attuned us to the RPG music scene or otherwise elevated our senses and made us take notice. For some of us, this dates back… Read More »

Retro Encounter 445 – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on November 28, 2024

For a true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart. Retro Encounter concludes its 2024 Zelda Month with a second episode on A Link to the Past for the SNES, discussing the game’s excellent second half of Dark World exploration and dungeoneering. So which pan… Read More »

Random Encounter 310 – Preview Week with Avowed & Path of Exile 2!

Posted by Jonathan Logan on November 25, 2024

On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re chatting about previews of two games we’re excited for in 2025! First up is a hands-on preview of Obsidian’s newest first-person RPG, Avowed. A spin-off from the beloved Pillars of Eternity series, Avowed is being presented as Obsidian’s answer to Skyrim. T… Read More »

Retro Encounter 444 – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on November 22, 2024

Sky, Sea, Earth, and a Kidnapped Princess A Link to the Past is an unassailable classic of a Super Nintendo game, as a crystallization of multiple gameplay concepts that established the formula for dozens of Zelda games to come, but also as an entertaining action RPG that stood the test of time. Thr… Read More »

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