Retro Encounter Archives | Page 4 of 13

Retro Encounter 333 – Suikoden I Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on June 30, 2022

Young master… listen to this episode. That is my first… and last… request. Determined duels! Shocking departures! Sudden but inevitable betrayal! The second half of Suikoden the first is not lacking in drama, and four Retro Encounter panelists relish it, whether they’re experiencing it for the… Read More »

Retro Encounter 332 – Suikoden I Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on June 23, 2022

Odessa told me: “A talkative man who doesn’t have a podcast is a coward.” One of the very first RPGs on the PlayStation, Suikoden created a legion of new fans in 1995, spawning nearly a dozen sequels and spinoffs over the next decade-plus. Retro Encounter has discussed multiple Suikoden sequels in o… Read More »

Retro Encounter 331 – Suikoden Fantasy Draft

Posted by Michael Sollosi on June 16, 2022

Hundreds of heroes hire an agent, only thirty-two get the call Retro Encounter returns from its 77-day hiatus to deliver three Suikoden episodes in a row! But before we get to our journal through the first Suikoden, we’re going to draft Suikoden characters through the lifetime of the entire series,… Read More »

Retro Encounter 330 – Salt and Sanctuary

Posted by Michael Sollosi on March 31, 2022

Three hosts enter. One leaves satisfied, one leaves salty, and the third… is still on the island. For Retro Encounter’s third and final game of Metroidvania Month, three panelists took on Ska Studios’ Salt & Sanctuary, a 2016 action RPG inspired heavily by both Metroidvania games and From Softwa… Read More »

Retro Encounter 329 – RPG Adaptations III

Posted by Michael Sollosi on March 26, 2022

Of warrior mice and podcast men. Adaptations! In advance of an RPGFan feature later this month, three Retro Encounter panelists talk about their favorite stories and IP from outside the realm of video game RPGs, and how they each could be adapted into RPGs. 1980s novels aimed at young adults, 2000s… Read More »

Retro Encounter 328 – Super Metroid

Posted by Mike Salbato on March 17, 2022

A couple weeks ago, we kicked off Metroidvania March with an episode on Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. Today we turn our attention to what is, in many ways, the true origin of this sub-genre of adventure games, and the first half of its name before “-vania” would be added in subsequent years: Super Me… Read More »

Retro Encounter 327 – Pokémon Fantasy Draft

Posted by Michael Sollosi on March 11, 2022

Jay Bilas is on hand to break down Flying-type wingspans. It’s time to d-d-d-d-draft! Several RPGFan staff are enjoying Pokemon Legends: Arceus in the early days of 2022, so four Retro Encounter panelists are celebrating good times by drafting teams of their favorite monsters and trainers from the P… Read More »

Retro Encounter 326 – Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

Posted by Michael Sollosi on March 3, 2022

First of all / I’m the soloist / The soul controller Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow was a highlight of the run of handheld Castlevania games of the 2000s, starring the soul-collecting teenager Soma Cruz. Four panelists with varying levels of Castlevania experience played or replayed Aria of Sorrow for… Read More »

Retro Encounter 325 – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on February 25, 2022

In which we all followed the Light, and read spoilers on the Dark Three Retro Encounter panelists finished runs of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic this month, and discover the truth of the Star Forge, the Sith Academy, and Darth Revan. Droids guarding riddles, Sith guarding crystals, and one… Read More »

Retro Encounter 324 – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on February 17, 2022

A few decades ago, in a BioWare far, far away… Way back in 2003, Knights of the Old Republic was a standout RPG for the original Xbox that helped raise the public profile of BioWare, a sizeable Canadian developer of western-style RPGs. And less than a year before KOTOR is slated for a huge remake,… Read More »

Retro Encounter 323 – The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope

Posted by Michael Sollosi on February 11, 2022

Abandon some hope, ye who play this game In a semi-sequel to Retro Encounter’s 2019 attempt to play the horror adventure sensation Until Dawn, the same two panelists reconvene with the 2020 Dark Pictures Anthology title, Little Hope. 17th-century witch trials, building character traits, and navigati… Read More »

Retro Encounter 322 – Skies of Arcadia Part II

Posted by Alana Hagues on February 5, 2022

Skies of Arcadia has big ambitions in the second half of the game, and the Retro crew are finally allowed to sail beyond the sunset! With a new ship, their own secret base, and their very own crew to hand, these four foolhardy sailors discuss their favourite discoveries, crew members, and superbosse… Read More »

Retro Encounter 321 – Skies of Arcadia Part I

Posted by Alana Hagues on January 28, 2022

Once dubbed the official Retro Encounter game, 2000’s Dreamcast classic Skies of Arcadia finally sails on to the show. It’s a fickle ship to get your hands on, but luckily, four Retro Encounter regulars are onboard to discuss this RPG all about optimism, friendship, exploration, and adorable space b… Read More »

Retro Encounter 320 – This Episode Is Not About RPGs, Again

Posted by Michael Sollosi on January 20, 2022

RPGFans? Not today, we’re not! Here at RPGFan, we write and talk about RPGs almost nonstop, but that’s not all of who we are as fans of video games. Today, five RPGFan staff discuss ten of their favorite video games or series that aren’t quite RPG enough for RPGFan, in a self-indulgent sequel… Read More »

Retro Encounter 319 – Top Ten PS2 RPGs

Posted by Michael Sollosi on January 13, 2022

What will be the Final Fantastic game among our Personal picks? It’s a new year, and Retro Encounter rings in 2022 with a bang, counting down a ranked list of fourteen PlayStation 2 RPGs, compiled from the panelists’ own preferences, to eventually crown an official Retro Encounter Best PlaySta… Read More »

Retro Encounter 318 – 2021 Year in Review

Posted by Michael Sollosi on January 2, 2022

Happy Last Year! (Good riddance) A year has come and gone, and Retro Encounter has always been more about the past than the future. Four RPGFan staff discuss twelve of their favorite games of 2021, from remade trilogies to time loops to demon summoning to canine companionship. Listen to the end for… Read More »

Retro Encounter 317 – Final Fantasy V Part II

Posted by Jonathan Logan on December 23, 2021

Three worlds, four (maybe five) characters, and a whole whack of potential jobs: That’s Final Fantasy V in a nutshell! In today’s Retro, our four panelists will finish their exploration of the story of FFV, talk about some of our favorite jobs, and take a look at other versions of the game tha… Read More »

Retro Encounter 316 – Final Fantasy V Part I

Posted by Jonathan Logan on December 16, 2021

Four RPGFan panelists discuss the “odd one out” of the Final Fantasy 16-bit era, 1992’s Final Fantasy V. For those who loved RPGs during the SNES era, there was a game that forever seemed out of reach: Final Fantasy V. This unlocalized title was so legendary that it inspired the very first fan trans… Read More »

Retro Encounter 315 – Impostor Factory

Posted by Michael Sollosi on December 11, 2021

Husbands should be like Kleenex: Soft, strong, and disposable. Romance, drama, comedy, regret, and… rice? Impostor Factory is a visual novel of sorts that looks like a 16-bit RPG, the third game in Kan Gao’s Sigmund Corp trilogy after To the Moon and Finding Paradise, and oh boy does it leave an i… Read More »

Retro Encounter 314 – RPG Villains: Emet-Selch

Posted by Michael Sollosi on December 2, 2021

Remember us. Remember that we once podcasted. Emet-Selch, the principal antagonist of Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, is a unique blend of a foppish eccentric, a world-erasing psychopath, and a grieving survivor. He’s a complicated, entertaining foil to the Warrior of Light, and Retro Encounter i… Read More »

Retro Encounter 313 – Ys Origin Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on November 25, 2021

Hiya, Hugo! Hiya, stupid! Whatcha wanna go get demon energy for? Our two panelists navigate through Ys Origin’s three protagonists in our second episode on the 2006 prequel! Up for discussion are the Ys Origin endgame narratives, midgame boss battles, and family dynamics of the cursed Fact bloodline… Read More »

Retro Encounter 312 – Ys Origin Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on November 19, 2021

It rhymes with “Geese.” Not with “Wise.” Retro Encounter travels between 1989 and 2006 in playing Ys Origin, the prequel to the original Ancient Ys Vanished, Nihon Falcom’s influential action RPG. In today’s Retro Encounter the panelists discuss co-protagonists Yunica Tovah and Hugo Fact, the layout… Read More »

Retro Encounter 311 – Star Trek: Judgment Rites

Posted by Jonathan Logan on November 11, 2021

It wouldn’t be Star Trek without an inevitable sequel! The crew of the USS Retro Encounter is back after last week’s Star Trek-focused episode. This time, we’re taking a look at the follow-up to 25th Anniversary, the 1993 point-and-click adventure game, Star Trek: Judgment Rites. With the cast of th… Read More »

Retro Encounter 310 – Star Trek: 25th Anniversary

Posted by Jonathan Logan on November 5, 2021

It’s time to explore strange old worlds with the crew of the USS Retro Encounter! In this episode, our landing party of Trekkies beam into the 1992 point-and-click adventure game, Star Trek: 25th Anniversary. Featuring the vocal talents of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and the rest of the Enterpri… Read More »

Retro Encounter 309 – Cosmic Star Heroine Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on October 30, 2021

Retro Encounter finished their star-studded journey across the cosmos this month, but does Cosmic Star Heroine live up to to Zeboyd’s influences and fan expectations? The panel loves the visual design and battle designs of the game, but has issues in other places. But which boss was designed by the… Read More »

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