It’s time to wolf down a howling good bowlful of puppy love. Scratch that itch to bark at the moon and bury a bone in this doggone call of the wild instead. (Okami)

The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 80: “Show Me Those Canines” appeared first on RPGamer.

From the minds of Yuji Horii, Koichi Sugiyama, and Akira Toriyama came a long-running series that sets the charts afire in Japan. It grows up a bit in the games we talk about this time. (Dragon Quest, part 2)

The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 79: “Dragonwyck” appeared first on RPGamer.

It’s round-up time, and a big herd of steers is loose on the prairie. Looks like a might few RPGs are among ’em, so sit carefully to avoid the cacti and we’ll trade stories around the ol’ campfire. (Wild Arms)

The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 78: “Once Upon a Time in the West” appeared first on RPGamer.

Not many games that are offline feature going online as a key component of their setting. One episodic series with tie-ins from other media did it regularly, though, and hooked people pretty easily. (.hack)

The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 77: “Welcome to the Machine” appeared first on RPGamer.

Level-5 was a new company back when it made some games that featured town building in addition to dungeon exploration. How entrancing they are seems to vary from person to person, though. (Dark Cloud)

The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 76: “Under a Cloud” appeared first on RPGamer.

He’s a green-clad gadget man, a master of many dungeons with the tools to traverse them. He’s an elf, a mute warrior, an unquestioning savior of the land, a lover of sticking it to the porcine, and Nintendo is glad to have him. (The Legend of Zelda – part 2)

The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 75: “A Link to the Future” appeared first on RPGamer.

What would one’s probable reaction to encountering a demon be? In a realistic scenario death would most likely occur, but in video games making friends with the occult is a frequent experience. (Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey)

The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 74: “Night of the Demon” appeared first on RPGamer.

Among the formidable tasks undertaken by the Backtrack crew, none may demand more willpower than explaining how to play the most maligned Akitoshi Kawazu product of all. Things pick up from there. (Unlimited Saga, Romancing SaGa)

The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 73: “Romancing the SaGa” appeared first on RPGamer.

From the days of the Genesis right up to modern handhelds, Climax keeps making games. Looking at things from a different angle is strongly encouraged to make sense of them. (Landstalker, Lady Stalker, Dark Savior, Time Stalkers, Kingdom of Paradise, Steal Princess)

The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 72: “This Is the Climax” appeared first on RPGamer.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away LucasArts let a couple of RPGs be made. Many things die in the course of them, but sadly no Gungans were among those slain. (Knights of the Old Republic)

The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 71: “The Force Is With Us” appeared first on RPGamer.