Okay it might not be called Final Fantasy XIII , but... This week on Retro Encounter, three first-timers get together to discuss Mistwalker's Xbox 360 cult classic Lost Odyssey . It certainly has some big names behind it, and we want to find out if it lives up to the previous works of the masters. How does it hold up? How brown can one game get? Does the turn-based combat work this time around? Listen to find out! Featuring: Peter Triezenberg, Aleks Franiczek, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Zach Wilk...
May 18, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Thou shalleth listenen to thisen episode. Luckily, you won't hear any conversations about broken Early Modern English, because this time we're not talking about the original. Instead, we have a spoiler filled chat about Octopath Traveler II , a sequel that our panel loved even more than the first game. How does the game look? What about that combat? Oh, the music has to be good. What about any funny accents? Listen in to this week's episode to find out! Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Patrick Gann, A...
May 04, 2023•2 hr 11 min
It's time to make history! This week, we're revisiting one of our favorites: Persona 4 Golden . After all, with the new release on modern consoles and Wes' glowing review for us at RPGFan, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to revisit some of our old friends. But there's an even better reason we're revisiting this classic! We're also joined by special guest, and friend of the podcast, Alex from Backlog Battle , to talk about everything that makes the game special to them, too. Does the game ...
Apr 20, 2023•1 hr 32 min
More brutal murders than John Wick and more mistaken identities than Twelfth Night. Ryu Ga Gotoku: Ishin! plays fast and loose with the events of Bakumatsu Japan, with multiple historical figures assuming second personas, a legendary alliance forged through a drunken brawl instead of careful diplomacy, and much more than can be contained in a mere podcast description. Today's Retro Encounter is all about the king-making, life-taking, and chicken racing of the latest to come out Ryu Ga Gotoku Stu...
Mar 30, 2023•1 hr 28 min
Kamurocho has nothing on the mean streets of 1860s Kyo. Ryu Ga Gotoku: Ishin! was probably a lost cause to most fans of the Like A Dragon / Yakuza series, but Sega shocked everyone last year with the announcement of a full remake of the 2014 historical fiction samurai drama to arrive in February of 2023. RPGFan had at least four panelists eager to play it, so they gathered here to form their own Shinsengumi to discuss the swordplay, writing, performances, and historical context of the Ishin! rem...
Mar 23, 2023•1 hr 21 min
All RPGs and no fighting games makes Jack a dull boy. We don't *solely* play RPGs here at RPGFan, and today is exactly the podcast to express that. Four RPGFan panelists discuss a few of their favorite games that can't be classified as RPGs with even the most liberal interpretation of the term, from crossover fighters to atmospheric horror to block puzzles to epic bug sagas. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Tom Cox, Ben Love, Nick Mangiaracina; Edited by Michael Sollosi Opening and ending music by Mi...
Mar 16, 2023•1 hr 30 min
Today we enter the realm of video game fantasies, but not Final Fantasies. Remakes are a regular part of the video game release schedule in the 2020s, and here at Retro Encounter we have a few ideas on a few that should come soon. A PS2 rogue-like, a Squaresoft RPG never released in Japan, and some Game Boy Color classics are only a small sample of what's in store in this episode of Retro Encounter! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Joshua Lindquist, Jonathan Logan, Tin Manuel; Edited b...
Mar 10, 2023•1 hr 42 min
E-I-E-I-oh boy I almost went to bed without watering the corn. Oh, hello. On today's Retro Encounter, we're breaking out the farm equipment and digging into the ever-growing farm simulation genre. Many of them overlap with RPGs, especially as modern games have expanded their systems beyond crops, animals, and relationships, offering combat systems and more. Of course we talked about Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons and Stardew Valley , but we covered much more ground in discussing how we all got ...
Mar 03, 2023•1 hr 58 min
You would expect that first-party game releases for a system would dry up three years after its successor is released. But that certainly wasn’t the case with Zoda’s Revenge: StarTropics II ! Released in 1994 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, StarTropics II was a bit of an anomaly. Developed by the legendary Nintendo division R&D3, this time-traveling sequel to StarTropics was, much like its predecessor, only found on the NES in North America. It was also an 8-bit game in a predominantl...
Feb 23, 2023•1 hr 21 min
There are some first-party Nintendo games that became legendary franchises. This… is not one of those games. Released in 1990 for the NES, StarTropics was specifically designed by Nintendo R&D3 with Western audiences in mind. In fact, it was never even released in Japan until 2008 on the Wii Virtual Console! This stylish and innovative game, featuring a genre mash-up with Dragon Quest -style villages and Zelda -like dungeons, gained a cult following of devoted fans, three of whom are on this...
Feb 16, 2023•1 hr 24 min
There are plenty of ways you can hurt a man / And bring him to the ground. Today we correct a podcast injustice, and publish Part 2 of Retro Encounter's Ogre Battle 64 podcast duology. One podcast host with a lot of questions and two OB64 veterans with all the answers discuss the twisting story paths, confounding Chaos Frames, and multiple endings of Ogre Battle 64, along with some light speculation about the future of the Ogre saga. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Pete Leavitt, Joshua Lindquist; Ed...
Feb 12, 2023•1 hr 17 min
Did this Ogre need a decoder? Ogre Battle 64 occupies a curious part of RPG history, as a Quest game made after Yasumi Matsuno's departure from Quest, as a hybrid real-time strategy game and traditional JRPG, and as an RPG for the N64, a system conspicuously lacking them. Today's episode of Retro Encounter is an Ogre Battle 64 skeptic and two longtime Ogre Battle 64 fans trying to reconcile OB64's peculiarities with modern sensibilities. What are their feelings? Listen and find out! Featuring: M...
Feb 07, 2023•1 hr 7 min
"Do you think games are silly little things?" Most RPGs aren't designed to be played multiple times. You take in the story, see a few numbers increase incrementally, fight a boss, and roll some credits. But that doesn't stop a huge number of RPG fans from replaying their favorites multiple times, and Retro Encounter's panel is no exception. Today, a team of panelists details eight of their favorite games that they've replayed multiple times - sometimes the games cooperate by providing new choice...
Jan 26, 2023•1 hr 18 min
Hey, at least there’s no gacha in today’s episode. While we might not love gacha mechanics in RPGs, we sure do love the characters in the Xeno series, and for today’s episodes we gathered four of our biggest Xeno fans on staff to draft our very own fantasy teams. Which protagonists do we love the most? Where does Citan go? Does Wes steal all of Zach’s picks again? Listen in to find out! Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Wes Iliff, Izzy Parsons, Tyler Trosper; Edited by Zach Wilkerson Opening and ending...
Jan 19, 2023•1 hr 41 min
Wild PODCAST appeared! The 12 months from November 19th, 2021 to November 18th, 2022 were monumental for the most popular RPG franchise in the world. The Pokémon Company had three major releases in that timespan, with a set of remakes, a groundbreaking prequel, and a new pair of flagship games. In today's Retro Encounter, four panelists discuss Pokémon's remarkable year: Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl , Pokémon Legends: Arceus , and Pokémon Scarlet & Violet . Featuring: Michae...
Jan 12, 2023•1 hr 10 min
"If fashion were easy, wouldn't everybody look great?" Today, Retro Encounter channels their inner Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn and discusses a few of the best and worst clothing choices made by RPG characters. What Persona character wore it best? Who has the best Mass Effect space suit? What oldschool accessories need to make a comeback? And what's Link's worst outfit ever worn? All of these questions asked and answered in the most fashion-forward ever episode of Retro Encounter! Featuring: Michael ...
Jan 05, 2023•1 hr 29 min
Should auld RPGs be forgot, and never brought to mind? No, that's why this show exists, and auld lang syne. It's that time of year again, where Retro Encounter lives in the very recent past and goes over several of the present panel's favorite games of the calendar year. From remasters of 1994 Square classics to 1995 strategy game homages to modern action RPG masterpieces, this episode highlights some of the best and brightest RPGs of the year. And wait for the end of the episode for a sneak pea...
Dec 29, 2022•1 hr 37 min
It's a Xenomas Miracle! Xenosaga is a game about humanity, starring a cast that rangers from an android unable to distinguish empathy from protocol to an artificial human clinging to memories of her human parents to a cyborg trying to reject his own humanity. But regardless of the biology or technology behind anyone in Xenosaga's cast, the story told is deeply human, right until that one traumatizing torture scene. Please enjoy today's episode on the PS2 cult classic! Featuring: Michael Sollosi,...
Dec 25, 2022•1 hr 11 min
KOS-MOS isn't a doctor, but she'll die-a-Gnosis. Retro Encounter recorded episodes on Xenogears, Xenoblade, and Baten Kaitos several years ago, but what about the series that put Monolith Soft on the map? Today one superfan and three newcomers discuss the background, themes, characters, and early story of 2002's Xenosaga Episode 1, the first of a trilogy with subtitles from Nietzsche, the flyest nihilist. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Peter Triezenberg, Tyler Trosper, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Ant...
Dec 15, 2022•1 hr 2 min
It's in the singing of a street corner choir / It's going home and getting warm by the fire / It's true, wherever you find love, it feels like Muppets. It's the Muppets episode! Three RPGFan podcast hosts are lifelong fans of The Muppets, so in the grand tradition of A Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island, they are re-casting classic RPGs with iconic Muppets characters. Which Muppet portrays Kefka from Final Fantasy VI? Which crew member of the Normandy is Kermit the Frog? Does anyo...
Dec 08, 2022•1 hr 21 min
And now it's time to dive into something a bit meatier. Monolithsoft's latest game, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 , finally dropped in July, and we gathered five of our biggest Xeno fans to discuss the gall of Tetsuya Takahashi's new jam. Listen in as we chat about the delightful British-isms, if there's finally a Nopon character who isn't annoying, and whether the game is really as sparkin' good as everyone else seems to think it is. Choose your future. Listen to this episode. Featuring: Zach Wilkerso...
Dec 01, 2022•2 hr 26 min
Silversun Strip Apartments. When you're here, you're family. Mass Effect 3 was an RPG event when it launched in 2012, and underneath the vitriolic reaction to its ending and multiple waves of DLC both expansive and reconstructive is an excellent shooter RPG. In today's episode of Retro Encounter, three panelists discuss not only Mass Effect 3's resolutions to the Krogan, Geth, and Reaper conflicts, but also the adventure, romance, and legacy of the Mass Effect trilogy. Featuring: Michael Sollosi...
Nov 24, 2022•1 hr 48 min
I am the very model of a sci-fi shooter RPG! From Omega to Luna I'm the zenith and the apogee! 2010's Mass Effect 2 continues the story of Commander Shepard's quest to save the galaxy, but with new crew members, new benefactors, and way more planet scanning. An RPGFan away team discusses Mass Effect 2's villains-turned-allies, new alien cultures, and daring final mission in today's episode of Retro Encounter! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Jonathan Logan; Edited by Anthony Krolikowski Op...
Nov 17, 2022•1 hr 34 min
Back on our BioWare business. Mass Effect was one of the biggest phenomena in video games from the late 2000s through the early 2010s, and all three games in the original trilogy hold up as role-playing games, first-person shooters, and science fiction stories. Through the month of November, Retro Encounter is playing through the original Mass Effect trilogy, starting with the first game (which Retro Encounter also covered in June of 2018). Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Jonathan Logan; ...
Nov 10, 2022•1 hr 19 min
Thank you for listening to Retro Encounter for a Quite Interesting seven years! If you know two things about Retro Encounter, they’re probably that the podcast plays through great RPGs from every era and that its host loves game shows. Today, to celebrate 350 episodes of Retro Encounter, that host emulates a classic panel quiz format to go over a dozen discussion topics. Have a listen and maybe you’ll learn something! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Wes Iliff, Mike Salbato, Zach Wilker...
Nov 03, 2022•2 hr 20 min
This game is from 2022, but horny teenagers getting murdered at a summer camp is Retro as can be. Happy Halloween! As far as Retro Encounter is concerned, Halloween begins in early September and lasts three solid months. As such, we are celebrating the horror season and providing a coda to Retro Encounter's Autumn of Adventure with The Quarry, the most recent cinematic horror adventure from Supermassive Games, the same studio that gave us Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology. So who lives,...
Oct 27, 2022•1 hr 30 min
Broken Age is a stunningly beautiful coming of age story. Beyond the narrative itself, its Kickstarter-fairytale-turned-cautionary-tale development cycle has been entertainingly and meticulously documented and helped chart the frontier of large-scale crowdfunded videogame projects. Listen to the Autumn of Adventure panel muse on this, the Double Fine Adventure documentary detailing this game's development, and the amazing characters while we retrace our experience through this incredibly framed ...
Oct 20, 2022•1 hr 36 min
Hey there Little Red Riding Hood / You sure are lookin' good / You're everything a Big Bad Wolf could want Retro Encounter continues their Autumn of Adventure with The Wolf Among Us, a narrative adventure game set in the Fables comic book universe and originally released in five parts in 2013 and 2014. The panel dives into Telltale's unique brand of video game storytelling, The Wolf Among Us's fascinating portrayals of characters from fiction and folklore, and every decision Bigby Wolf makes in ...
Oct 13, 2022•1 hr 33 min
Welcome to the first episode of Retro Encounter’s Adventure Game Month! Throughout October, we’re looking at four adventures across several eras of gaming. First up, the seminal point-and-click classic, The Secret of Monkey Island! SoMI is a foundational game for LucasArts. Under Ron Gilbert’s direction, it brought in many of the conventions that would define the point-and-click genre moving forward, including a refined verb interface, dialogue trees, and an inability to die (unless you try REAL...
Oct 06, 2022•1 hr 16 min
Live (A Live) from the Middle Ages, it's Thursday night! Live A Live is an anthology RPG comprised of eight miniature stories that lead to a grand finale, and its 2022 remake gets three thumbs up from today's Retro Encounter panel. They discuss the tragic eighth chapter, as well as the twisted endgame which brings together seven triumphant heroes and one disgraced would-be savior into a clash between good and evil. And it's all set to a killer Yoko Shimomura soundtrack. Featuring: Michael Sollos...
Sep 30, 2022•58 min
