Podcast Archives | Page 20 of 27

Retro Encounter 211 – Grandia Part II

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on November 8, 2019

We’re back for the second half of Retro Encounter’s journey through the world of the first Grandia! Our pair of panelists discuss the rambunctious Rapp, the secrets of Alent, and what Baal and his cronies are up to. Listen in for more discussion of this Game Arts classic! Featuring: Zach Wilkerson,… Read More »

Retro Encounter 210 – Final Fantasy Fantasy Draft

Posted by Michael Sollosi on October 31, 2019

In a very unusual episode of Retro Encounter, the host selfishly combines two of his longtime obsessions: Final Fantasy and fantasy football. Four panelists attempt to draft Final Fantasy characters into an ultimate Final Fantasy team, purely for fun and not competition (publicly), but each panelist… Read More »

Retro Encounter 209 – Grandia Part I

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on October 24, 2019

Grandia, the Saturn classic later ported to PlayStation, saw new life in 2019 with ports available for Switch and PC. Two Retro Encounter panelists check and see if the Game Arts opus holds up, examining its intriguing battle system, maddening dungeons, and relentless optimism. (Thankfully, our podc… Read More »

Retro Encounter 208 – The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening Revisited

Posted by Michael Sollosi on October 12, 2019

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is a beloved 1993 classic with a recent 2019 remake. We wanted to discuss it in detail on a podcast, but we did so back in 2018! Hence the “revisited” in this episode title and also the emphasis on that recent remake and the future of Zelda. Today’s Retro is all… Read More »

Retro Encounter 207 – Fire Emblem: Three Houses Spoilercast

Posted by Nathan Lee on October 11, 2019

Fire Emblem: Three Houses made a huge splash among RPG fans in general and Fire Emblem fans in particular in July 2019, and a few months later we’re ready to dive deep into a spoilercast all about it. Favorite characters, the nuances of different story paths, and more all take center stage in this f… Read More »

Retro Encounter 206 – Wild ARMs 3 Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on September 26, 2019

The second half of Wild ARMs 3 is loaded with hidden puzzle rooms, secret bosses, unidentified flying objects, and story surprises. Wild ARMs 3 has many hidden depths buried in its post-apocalyptic sands, and Retro Encounter’s panel is ready to dig in. So is Wild ARMs 3 good, bad, or ugly? Listen to… Read More »

Retro Encounter 205 – Wild ARMs 3 Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on September 19, 2019

Wild ARMs fans can’t agree which game is the best in the series, but Wild ARMs 3 won a public poll held earlier this year, so that’s the Ramen Western our two Retro Encounter panelists are taking on. Post-apocalyptic cowboys, shamanistic magic, and an excess of JRPG statistics populate this PS2 gem,… Read More »

Retro Encounter 204 – DS Encounter

Posted by Michael Sollosi on September 12, 2019

Retro Encounter celebrates Nintendo’s massively successful handheld in a new console-dedicated episode! Melodramatic lawyers, gentleman professors, Square-Enix remakes, and even rotoscoped detectives get their shine in this episode celebrating as many D.S. acronyms as we can remember. So which Drago… Read More »

Retro Encounter 203 – Which Dragon Quest Is Dragon Best?

Posted by Michael Sollosi on September 5, 2019

With Dragon Quest XI’s Switch version on the horizon and Dragon Quest Builders II in the rearview mirror, two of Retro Encounter’s distinguished Dragon Quest dilettantes delve into the entire series catalogue. Eventually, the dynamic duo determine Retro Encounter’s official favorite Dragon Quest. Do… Read More »

Retro Encounter 202 – RPG Villains: Luca Blight

Posted by Michael Sollosi on August 22, 2019

Luca Blight, the mad dog of a bad prince from Suikoden II, is one of the most memorable villains of Japanese RPGs, and Retro Encounter is bringing back the RPG Villains format to celebrate, analyze, and reproach him. What was Luca’s most horrible act? Could Luca have joined the heroes in different c… Read More »

Retro Encounter 201 – The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on August 15, 2019

In their second exploration of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, a panel gets deep into Erebonian politics, giant robots, and school dances. Plot twists, connections to other Trails titles, and more take center stage at the Thors Military Academy festival. Who’s the cutest couple at the sc… Read More »

Retro Encounter 200 – The Retro Encounter Awards

Posted by Michael Sollosi on August 12, 2019

Retro Encounter celebrates 200 episodes with its very own awards show! Five panelists discuss more than twenty awards subjects, except they aren’t beholden to particular years, specific genres, or common sense. The categories, winners, and panelists follow no rules at all except “Must either be unde… Read More »

Retro Encounter 199 – The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on August 6, 2019

Retro Encounter braves their second Falcom journey of 2019 with The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, an epic tale of generations of war, an economic class divide, and questionable school field trips. Four panelists of Trails veterans and newcomers tackle the fan-favorite RPG with enthusiasm f… Read More »

Retro Encounter 198 – Trials of Mana Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on July 25, 2019

Four Retro Encounter panelists each finished Trials of Mana (maybe more than once) and there is plenty to discuss. The game hits its non-linear middle chapter and choice-determined finale, and everything from elemental weaknesses to class changes to endgame loot hunting comes up. Beat up those Benev… Read More »

Retro Encounter 197 – Summer Nights

Posted by Marcos Gaspar on July 21, 2019

Three RPGFan panelists spend a warm July evening reminiscing about the games of summer. Games played durring summer break from school, games that have a summery feeling, or even games tied to specific middle-of-the-year-in-the-northern-hemisphere memories. This episode covers an enormous range of to… Read More »

Retro Encounter 196 – Trials of Mana Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on July 11, 2019

Seiken Densetsu III spent more than two decades on lists of “great Japanese RPGs that never left Japan,” until June 2019. It was added to the Retro Encounter schedule minutes after the announcement during E3 2019. A month after that fateful Nintendo Direct, four Retro Encounter panelists have played… Read More »

Retro Encounter 195 – Worst in Show

Posted by Michael Sollosi on July 4, 2019

It’s fun to talk about what you love, but almost as much fun to wallow in shared disdain. For this episode of Retro Encounter, four panelists discuss their LEAST favorite games in a few of their favorite series, from Kingdom Hearts Re:Remakes to flawed first or second games of legendary JRPG series… Read More »

Retro Encounter 194 – Until Dawn

Posted by Michael Sollosi on June 30, 2019

Retro Encounter gets spooky in June as two panelists discuss Until Dawn, the 2015 horror-narrative game where everyone can live, everyone can die, and everyone will definitely get chased around a resort cabin by psychopaths and wendigos. It’s a cool game about cold weather in the hot summer for Retr… Read More »

Retro Encounter 193 – Mythology and Folklore in RPGs

Posted by Hilary Andreff on June 20, 2019

Mythology, including everything from fairy tales to foundational beliefs of ancient peoples, has influenced storytelling, literature, and human civilization for thousands of years. Many RPGs are heavily influenced by myth, and on today’s Retro Encounter three folklore enthusiasts talk about mytholog… Read More »

Retro Encounter 192 – Honor Thy Mother and thy Father

Posted by Michael Sollosi on June 18, 2019

RPGFan recently celebrated Mother’s Day and Father’s Day with separate features dedicate to the moms and dads of RPGs, and Retro Encounter is here to piggyback on those pieces like they’re a dad at a swimming pool. Three panelists discuss the best moms and dads of RPGs, from hands-off mothers suppor… Read More »

Retro Encounter 191 – Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Revisited

Posted by Michael Sollosi on June 7, 2019

Retro Encounter did an episode all about Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in late 2015, but back then Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night wasn’t on the horizon and Timespinner didn’t exist in a playable state. With the benefit of hindsight, two longtime Castlevania fans revisit the PS1 nonlinear sid… Read More »

Retro Encounter 190 – Ask Me Another: An RPGFan Quiz Show!

Posted by Michael Sollosi on May 30, 2019

In our third and final episode of Retro Encounter’s Podcast Tribute series, our hosts emulate Ophira Eisenberg and Jonathan Coulton for an RPGFan episode of Ask Me Another. Four contestants tackle sixty RPG trivia questions for the chance to win nothing but a good time. Because Retro Encounter is to… Read More »

Retro Encounter 189 – Chrono Cross Part II

Posted by Peter Triezenberg on May 23, 2019

The dream is not over yet. Retro Encounter’s journey through Chrono Cross continues, with a discussion of the latter half of the game. From the Dead Sea to Chronopolis, the depths of the ocean to the heights of Terra Tower, to beyond the darkness of time itself… there’s a lot to unpack here. We ta… Read More »

Retro Encounter 188 – How Did This Get Made: Pokemon: Detective Pikachu

Posted by Michael Sollosi on May 17, 2019

Maybe art is subjective? Retro Encounter emulates How Did This Get Made for an episode all about Pokemon: Detective Pikachu. The panelists break down the movie’s plot, themes, and style in our most cinematic episode since the Final Fantasy Film Festival. And we may learn some Second Opinions. Sneak… Read More »

Retro Encounter 187 – Chrono Cross Part I

Posted by Peter Triezenberg on May 9, 2019

On this episode of Retro Encounter, we take a look back at one of the most divisive sequels in gaming history. When you’re following up on what many consider to be the greatest RPG ever made, it would be easy to stick to the tried-and-true, but Chrono Cross does anything but. The Yang to Chrono Trig… Read More »

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