(s) Archive
2020-02-08
All of us remember the first RPG that “clicked” with us. Maybe we played a few and they didn’t work, or maybe it was your first. But regardless, since you’re here reading this feature, there probably is that one game that started your love affair with the genre, and if you’re anything like us, you haven’t looked… Read More »
2020-02-03
Leona McCallum It’s no secret to anyone who knows me well enough that Suikoden might just be my favourite JRPG series of all time. Political plots, fantastically nuanced characters, and addictive game mechanics are just the perfect combination to me, and Suikoden V does not disappoint on that front. Following what I would consider the… Read More »
2020-01-17
Dear reader: Do you happen to be an ardent admirer of cute animals and deckbuilding (cards, not patios)? If so, you may want to make room in your game library for Tangletorn, a roguelike set in a beautiful hand-painted medieval world, featuring card-based combat and enough anthropomorphic characters to pique your cat’s interest in addition to your own.
2020-01-14
Welcome to yet another year of the most anticipated games for the upcoming year! And what a year it looks like it will be. Look, we say this every year, but 2020 is just loaded with huge titles that we can’t wait to play. When we sat down to make the list, the number of available titles… Read More »
2020-01-03
Do you aspire to be a politician one day? Personally, I don’t recommend it, and will instead direct you to this delightful pixel-graphic adventure/RPG by Herbarium Games, a small studio based in Moscow.
2019-12-07
Hear ye, hear ye. RPGs here are pretty great I guess. Hopefully, we didn’t miss too many. Happy reading. Or skimming, for you terrible people only looking for the top 3. The past decade in RPG releases has been fascinating to watch. Early in the decade, even as many other games were adopting keystones of… Read More »
2019-11-22
Generation 8 is finally here! Pokémon Sword & Shield are the first mainline console games for Game Freak’s monster-collection RPG behemoth. In the 21 years since Red & Blue released in the West, Pokémon has been through a lot of changes; Sword & Shield arguably bring some of the biggest and, at times, most controversial… Read More »
2019-08-04
Final Fantasy VII Remake is real, and it’s looking to be extremely special. Aiming to please fans of the original 1997 PlayStation game and newcomers who’ve either started the Final Fantasy series recently or never even played an RPG, Square Enix have tackled this massive task head-on and are creating something that looks and feels… Read More »
2019-08-03
My wife and I made the big decision to attend Origins as new parents this year. We wanted to bring Zoe to her first gaming convention and share with her something we found incredibly important to us. Although she was only nine months old at the time and probably incapable of remembering anything about the… Read More »
Origins has an awards ceremony every year, honoring designers in the board gaming industry in one fashion or another. Historically, developers, artists, and writers have all received awards, and being added to the Hall of Game is truly an indicator of prestige. With names like Gary Gygax, Richard Garfield, and Reiner Knizia standing among all… Read More »
Amongst Borderlands fans, Tiny Tina is a beloved character whose daft demeanor is brought to life by Ashly Burch. While this translates well to video games as an interactive medium, when it’s up to players to recreate Tiny Tina’s persona on the table, how far can the character go? XYZ Game Labs got this license,… Read More »
With Origins Game Fair 2019 complete, another Origins passes, this one demonstrating growth not just in the size of the venue and the number of attendees, but in how the event accommodates others. I attended the show as a father this year, and I came to realize how much Origins tries to make parents feel… Read More »
KeyForge For those not in the know, KeyForge released last year with a gimmick that I sneered at. I’m not sneering anymore! After earning the Origins award for Best Collectible Game (which I voted for), Richard Garfield’s latest creation is here to stay, and fans couldn’t be happier. I have a lot to say about… Read More »
2019-07-08
Conducted by Mike Salbato and Michael Sollosi Last year at E3, we had the pleasure of interviewing Masayoshi Soken, Sound Director and Composer on Final Fantasy XIV. This year, we got to talk to one of the other key people behind the successful MMORPG, Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida (as if those titles weren’t enough, he is also a… Read More »
2019-07-07
by Zach Wilkerson and Stephanie Sybydlo If you’ve been following our coverage of E3 for the last couple of years, it’s no secret we are eagerly awaiting the release of Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin. The game follows Sakuna, a harvest goddess who has been banished to a dangerous, demon-filled island with a group of… Read More »
2019-06-16
In the third and final part of our 30 Best RPG Dads feature, we have lawyers, blacksmiths, aliens, and everyone’s favorite Nopon. Olaf Craig (The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel series) Writeup by Audra Bowling Olaf Craig has an imposing and awe-inspiring reputation as a general, but he is also a caring family man… Read More »
The middle part of our 30 Best RPG Dads feature runs the gamut of consoles and generations, featuring father figures from current-gen consoles, all the way back to the 16-bit days of the 1990s. Let’s blitz! Ben Hyuga/Fox Face (Shadow Hearts) Writeup by Peter Triezenberg We don’t see much of Ben Hyuga over the course of… Read More »
2019-05-22
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is often held up as one of the greatest RPGs ever made. Not only did it help cement BioWare’s reputation as a preeminent RPG developer, but its storytelling and gameplay mechanics have influenced countless RPGs that came after it. This past April, Boss Fight Books published a brand… Read More »
2019-05-13
We at RPGFan wanted to give some appreciation to the mothers out there on this Mother’s Day, so we’ve compiled a list who we feel are the 20 Best RPG Moms, along with commentary. Some are incredibly giving, some are complex, and two…well…let’s just say the last two are antagonists where those mother-child bonds come… Read More »
We at RPGFan wanted to give some appreciation to the mothers out there on this Mother’s Day, so we’ve compiled a list who we feel are the 20 Best RPG Moms, along with commentary. Some are incredibly giving, some are complex, and two…well…let’s just say the last two are antagonists where those mother-child bonds come… Read More »
2019-05-01
Open-world games are far from uncommon in the modern gaming landscape, but when it comes to JRPGs, there are far fewer offerings that allow freedom on such a scale. If there is one thing that Square Enix excels at, it’s coming up with innovative and fresh takes on the JRPG genre. Starting with 1987’s now-legendary… Read More »
2019-04-04
As Star Wars fans, we’ve been kind of spoiled the last few years. Not only are there episodes VII through IX, but also multiple animated series, countless video games, and a brand-new trilogy on the horizon. Even if you don’t enjoy one particular aspect of the Disney Star Wars era, you have many other options… Read More »
2019-03-06
It’s possible to forget that there is more to Kingdom Hearts than Square Enix’s engaging presentation and storytelling or Disney’s charming, familiar characters and environments. With the series spanning more than half a dozen games and containing over twenty worlds based on various Disney franchises, there is a wealth of inspirational material. It’s no secret… Read More »
2019-01-02
Most board games start players off with approximately the same setup, and gameplay ensues in a linear fashion from there with everyone having equal opportunity for success or failure based on turn order, randomly revealed cards, or any other of several board game mechanics prevalent today. Not so with Vast. In Vast: The Crystal Caverns,… Read More »
2018-12-22
Important Question: If you were trapped in your living quarters during a blizzard and could choose only one video game to play in the meantime, what would it be? Answer: Probably something on a portable system, as the blizzard would likely knock your power out, and you would end up sad, grumpy, and very cold.… Read More »
