(s) Archive
2023-06-06
Peter Triezenberg Lost Odyssey is a special game. While it doesn’t necessarily bring anything new to the table, it’s an exemplary RPG made by experienced developers and talented artists. Much praise has been given to the Thousands Years of Dreams, and they’re indeed beautiful, but I’m in love with the rest of the package as… Read More »
2023-06-05
Get this, folks: RPGFan is in its 25th year as a website! 25 years of reviews, news, features, and all kinds of other RPG coverage. As a person who has been following the site almost since the beginning it both blows my mind and makes me feel very, very old. So, we’ll be bringing you… Read More »
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening – Lost in a Dream By Noah Leiter My six-year-old nephew is a baller at video games. He can beat Donkey Kong Country solo. He understands how to play Pokémon games — he even keeps a full party with different types. He just beat Insomniac’s Spider-Man on his own.… Read More »
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Darth Revan Twist By James Turner I met my wife in 2005, who just happened to be an Xbox owner. Up until that point, I was a PlayStation fanboy through and through. One afternoon we were looking for a new game to play, and a memory of… Read More »
2023-05-24
The Kingdom Hearts games have been around for over twenty years now. Odds are pretty good that you’ve at least heard of them, or your kids have pointed one out at the store because they want the game with Mickey Mouse on the cover. Seems like a no-brainer purchase, right? If it has Mickey on… Read More »
2023-05-22
Disclaimer: This is a special version of the game made for media to experience, and content may differ from the final version. FINAL FANTASY XVI © 2023 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved. Thanks to the amazing people over at Square Enix, I got another chance to play Final Fantasy XVI. This time, however,… Read More »
2023-05-19
Final Fantasy XVI is just around the corner, and it’s the first mainline Final Fantasy release in almost seven(!) years. That’s the longest wait between mainline entries in the series yet. Like many of us, I’ve been inclined to reflect on the legacy of these games, and the little ranking demon in my brain has… Read More »
2023-05-17
“Xenosaga is a prequel to Xenogears.” “Mira in Xenoblade Chronicles X exists in the same world as the Bionis and Mechonis of the original game.” Starting a game in the Xeno series may feel daunting, but these myths and theories make it seem far worse. The beautiful yet tragic thing about the Xeno series: you… Read More »
2023-05-10
In an effort to support diversity and representation in gaming, I am writing about a topic near and dear to me: neurodiversity—specifically, neurodivergent characters in RPGs. I knew this was a project that would take a good deal of time and research. Add on the struggles and distractions that come with being ADHD myself, and… Read More »
2023-05-07
Hello RPG friends! I have returned from a short absence to bring you a tale of daring detectives, respectable robots, and even a bit of murder.
2023-04-28
“A hero is what he wills, and what he does.” Anime adaptations of video games can be mixed bags regarding quality. Those that approach the adaptation as a condensed retelling of an RPG’s plot run the risk of being too much “the same” to attract viewers already familiar with the title, and newcomers might not appreciate… Read More »
2023-04-12
This feature is intended to help parents determine if their children can successfully play the following video game. As parents, it’s important to know what your child is playing, but sometimes the rating on the box isn’t enough. How hard will it be for them to control? How complicated is the strategy? Will they be… Read More »
2023-03-25
For the uninitiated, One Deck Dungeon is the definitive casual dungeon-delving experience anyone can have on a table top, full stop. I reviewed it and one of its expansions, Forest of Shadows a few years ago, giving both high marks for their teeth and presentation. Here, I’m a little late to the party, but the… Read More »
2023-03-15
A New Story For a New Audience Yasumi Matsuno’s Final Fantasy Tactics is a tough act for any game to follow. The Final Fantasy series’ first foray into tactical RPGs garnered universal acclaim, left an indelible mark on the subgenre, and set fan expectations for Final Fantasy spinoffs that could rival and even surpass the… Read More »
2023-03-11
Skyrim is on eight platforms: nine if you count both Xbox Series X and S. Is it on mobile yet? While the board game iteration isn’t a port, it remains faithful to the massively successful title in its theming. Aside from the sheen, is this a deep, rich experience or a cash grab based on… Read More »
2023-03-10
I love fishing games. I remember that, as kids, my friends and I would huddle around a Mattel Bass Fishin’ handheld on summer road trips to the Lake of the Ozarks, a famous Missouri hot spot for money laundering fishing. We had the time of our lives with that low-tech masterpiece. That’s because fishing is our beloved pastime: a perfect mixture… Read More »
2023-03-09
As parents, it’s natural to want to share your passions and hobbies with your kids. RPGs have been such a big part of my life that as soon as my kids began to show interest in gaming, I wanted to show them all the genre has to offer. I think RPGs have a unique ability… Read More »
2023-02-28
Disclaimer: This is a special version made for media to experience, and contents may differ from the final version. FINAL FANTASY XVI © 2023 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved. Intro and Presentation Key Points Thanks to the lovely people over at Square Enix, I attended a Media Tour Event for Final Fantasy XVI… Read More »
Along with writing up my hands-on impressions from my time with Final Fantasy XVI, I wanted to showcase some footage and talk more in-depth about the battle system, including some helpful accessories that will let players tailor the gameplay to how they’d like. I’ll also get into some of the incredibly cinematic Eikon battles, and… Read More »
To wrap up the Final Fantasy XVI Media Tour, I had the privilege of a roundtable interview with the developers of Final Fantasy XVI: Creative Business Unit 3. This is part of a three-part feature that includes written hands-on impressions of the playable demo and an in-depth video on the battle system. There is some… Read More »
2023-02-16
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. Final Fantasy Music in 2000 –… Read More »
With Theatrhythm Final Bar Line out today, take a trip through gaming history to savour the finest notes across 35 years of Final Fantasy music. It’s truly impossible to discuss the music of role-playing games without referencing Final Fantasy and its prolific composer, the undisputed father of RPG music, Nobuo Uematsu. With a career spanning… Read More »
2023-02-15
Our Music of the Year 2022 feature has some items that may surprise you, but before you ask, yes, these albums did release in 2022*, even if some of the games they represent were from 2021. Huge releases from the likes of Square Enix and From Software make appearances, alongside Atlus, Nintendo, and several notable… Read More »
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 than Gestalt/Replicant or Automata. For the arrange style, Square Enix went… Read More »
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 its personal connection to the… Read More »
