Podcast(s) Archive
Random Encounter 183 – Walk Me Through This, Please.
On this episode of Random Encounter:- Greg manages to find his way of the dungeon in Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls long enough to talk about it!- Jono has been kicking, punching, and singing his way through Yakuza, the latest being Yakuza 5!- The backlog is real, we all know that, and Jono has b… Read More »
Retro Encounter 225 – NieR: Automata Part I
Retro Encounter discusses the 2017 RPG superhit NieR: Automata, in which the panelists discuss the philosophy, action, music, colors, and more of Yoko Taro’s magnum opus. Nothing can stop us from getting to the end of A-Route, except for aggressive moose. Do androids dream of electric sheep? We don’… Read More »
Random Encounter 182 – We Attac, But We Also Protec RPGs
On this episode of Random Encounter:- Nathan has gone back to Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE now that it’s on Switch, and so far, the port holds up!- The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics just dropped and Greg is here to discuss what works and what doesn’t!- The PSO2 Beta is live and Caitlin is one… Read More »
Retro Encounter 224 – The RPG Dating Game
Retro Encounter thought that a game of “Wed, Bed, Behead?” was too disturbring for a G-rated program, so we added an explicit tag and removed murder. Three RPGFan panelists put forth sets of hypothetical bachelors and bachelorettes and play a 1970s Dating Game remade for the 2020s. Which Final Fanta… Read More »
Random Encounter 181 – A Quick Start to 2020
On this episode of Random Encounter:- Greg tried out the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX demo, reveling in its sweetness!- Pete has immersed himself in Harebrained Scheme’s latest expansion to BATTLETECH and is living his best merc life!- Continuing the trend of dungeon-delving, Greg has dipp… Read More »
Retro Encounter 223 – Suikoden V Part II
Our three Stars of Destiny return for Part 2 of our Suikoden V game journal episode! Come listen to our panellists dissect every inch of this Playstation 2 gem and maybe the rest of the Suikoden series while they are at it. Warning: this episode contains betrayal, romance, pirates and copious amount… Read More »
Retro Encounter 222 – AI: The Somnium Files Spoilercast
AI: The Somnium Files was one of the understated hit visual novels of 2019, except that the game’s tone and story is anything but. Five Retro Encounter panelists break down Kotaro Uchikoshi’s wild dream-dropping murder mystery, discussing its characters, themes, moments, and abundance of porno mags.… Read More »
Random Encounter 180 – RPGFan 2019 Game of the Year Awards Pt. 3
On this episode of Random Encounter:- Our panelists cover the last of this years awards!- It’s mostly Cold Steel III and Shadowbringers from this point on, but so much good stuff came to us in 2019!- We shout out to readers/listeners!- A Jedi baby?! Featuring: Greg Delmage, Caitlin Argyros, Peter Tr… Read More »
Retro Encounter 221 – Suikoden V Part I
Almost two years since our first Suikoden game journal, we return to the series with three dedicated fans of the series. Our three panelists all agree Suikoden V is a return to form after the fourth entry, with arguably the finest cast in the whole series. Join us as we discuss the first half of the… Read More »
Random Encounter 179 – RPGFan 2019 Game of the Year Awards Pt. 2
On this episode of Random Encounter:- Our panelists cover the next few categories in this year’s awards!- As before, we maybe didn’t all play everything (too many games), but we all have thoughts!- Danger, the enemy is approaching. Featuring: Greg Delmage, Caitlin Argyros, Peter Triezenberg, Tyler T… Read More »
Random Encounter 178 – RPGFan 2019 Game of the Year Awards Pt. 1
On this episode of Random Encounter:- Our panelists cover the first few categories in this years awards- Some of the games we got to play, others we really want to, and a few aren’t even on our radar! To each their own!- Happy New Year! We chit chat about the holidays and such! Featuring: Greg Delma… Read More »
Retro Encounter 220 – Cthulhu Saves Christmas with Zeboyd Games
Retro Encounter welcomes a special guest for the first time in its brief history, with Robert Boyd and Bill Stiernberg of Zeboyd Games visitng to discuss their latest RPG, Cthulhu Saves Christmas. The Zeboyd duo discuss their ten-year careers in indie game development alongside pricing strategies, f… Read More »
Retro Encounter 219 – Top Ten PSone RPGs
Retro Encounter recorded podcasts on over a dozen PlayStation games over the past five years, so naturally we have some ideas about which are the best and worst. On the first Retro Encounter episode of 2020 four panelists rank their favorite PlayStation One games, and discuss the list of ten. Which… Read More »
Retro Encounter 218 – 2019 Year in Review
The final Retro Encounter episode of 2019 is a celebration of the year that was, in which five panelists detail over a dozen new RPGs they played in the preceding twelve months. Afterwards, the panel shares role-playing game regrets and resolutions for 2020, for auld lang syne. Join us as we shut th… Read More »
Retro Encounter 217 – Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Part II
Ghost Trick’s second half has twists, switcheroos, and some Very Good Animals and we’re here to discuss all of it. Alternate timelines, supernatural magic, and prognostication of how painful a t-shirt gun is each get their moments in a very tricky episode of Retro Encounter! Get ready for a wild rid… Read More »
Retro Encounter 216 – Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Part I
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is an offbeat adventure game from the creative team behind Capcom’s Ace Attorney series. A ghost named Sissel wakes up above his dead body, and decides to solve his own murder. From there a tale of using supernatural ghost powers to save murder victims and thwart inter… Read More »
Retro Encounter 215 – Another RPGFan Quiz Show!
Retro Encounter brings back its homage to Ask Me Another in a new quiz show for the end of 2019! Two new contestants, two returning contests, one new host, and sixty new questions are here to play, and the topics range from Suikoden characters to Zelda dungeons to professional wrestling. We got weir… Read More »
Retro Encounter 214 – Vagrant Story Part II
We’re back for part 2 of our Vagrant Story discussion! Our two panelists go over the Vagrant Story endgame, Ashley Riot’s motivations, and the future of Vagrant Story in today’s episode. There are some kind words about Yasumi Matsuno and some less-kind words about block-pushing puzzles. Does Vagrant… Read More »
Retro Encounter 213 – Vagrant Story Part I
Vagrant Story is an experimental, cinematic RPG of the year 2000 with a battle system that’s complicated both to navigate and explain. Fortunately, today’s podcast goes deep into the presentation and mechanics of this Squaresoft classic, from graphics to gameplay and from Rosencrantz to Guildenstern… Read More »
Retro Encounter 212 – Earthbound Revisited
Earthbound got mentioned on a stream, Kat and Sollosi had a short discussion, and a podcast was born. Two panelists from Retro Encounter’s 2017 Earthbound episodes join with two relative newcomers to the RPGFan staff for an all-new Earthbound discussion, which connects Super Smash Brothers to One Pi… Read More »
Retro Encounter 211 – Grandia Part II
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
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
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
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
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 »
