RPGFan's Retro Encounter

Time to listen to an episode or three.

On this week's Retro Encounter, we dive into the opening hours of the systems-heavy 2017 RPG Xenoblade Chronicles 2. We chat about giant titans, Blade and Drive relationships, and the million other things you need to pay attention to in this game. What rare Blades did we pull? Can we stand Rex? Did we even remember to talk about the amazing music? Listen in to find out!

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Alana Hagues, Michael Sollosi; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Glory to Retro Encounter.

On this week's episode of Retro Encounter, we dive into RPGs that have a science fiction twist. Since science fiction tropes crop up in more games than we realized, how did we narrow down our picks? Does the host bring up one of his favorite games once again? Who is intimidated by Bethesda games? Listen in to find out!

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Audra Bowling, Dom Kim, Rob White; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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More like revenge of the four (panelists).

This week on Retro Encounter we dive into the second half of Romancing SaGa 2. Topics include unfair quest structures, our favorite classes, and the absurdly challenging final boss. Did everyone finish? Do we have have any new SaGa fans on the panel? Did anyone pull their hair out? Listen in to find out!

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love, Matt Wardell; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

Artwork credit: SaGa Wiki (https://saga.fandom.com/)

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A group of four panelists rise up and face a merciless RPG.

This week on Retro Encounter we do something we haven't done before: we discuss the SaGa series! Specifically, we dive into the opening hours of the recently remastered Romancing SaGa 2. Can we figure out the mechanics? Can we figure out where we're supposed to go? Is SaGa actually worth playing? Which panelist is insane enough to play the original? Listen in to find out!

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love, Matt Wardell; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Being off Retro Encounter makes Cuno sad!

This week on Retro Encounter, our host returns to talk about a topic near and dear to him: the best and worst kids in RPGs. We know know children are usually the worst in media, so what does a good one look like? How many of them are secretly much older? Which games will some panelists never play after this conversation? Listen in to find out!

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love, Paul Skevington; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Your tier list met with a terrible fate, hasn’t it?

This week brings Part 2 of Retro Encounter’s legendary The Legend of Zelda tier list. There are still 11 more entries to cover and the final ranking to decide. How do less popular entries like Spirit Tracks stack up against classics like A Link to the Past? How much can these guys yap about their favorite and least favorite Zeldas? Find out what our group’s Frankenstein list looks like by listening now!

Featuring: Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love, Mike Salbato, Matt Wardell; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Retro! Retro! Kooloo-Limpah!

This week’s Retro Encounter marks the return of the tier list! This time around we’re ranking 20 entries in The Legend of Zelda franchise. What better way to celebrate 40 years of the beloved series than for our four panelists to upset each other with their differing takes? Apparently, opinions were so strong and thorough that we had to divide the lengthy recording into two episodes. What games did we prioritize for our first nine picks? What ranked higher: Zelda II: Adventure of Link or Tears of the Kingdom? The answer may or may not surprise you, and you'll have to listen in to find out!

Featuring: Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love, Mike Salbato, Matt Wardell; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Three years hence the War of the Knights...The old ways rang of their death knell, a fresh wind began to blow. The path the one knight chose, he continued being a knight even after.

This week on Retro Encounter, our panel returns to discuss the second half of Falcom's oft-forgotten dark fantasy action RPG Xanadu Next. We cover the game's creative boss fights, the emergence of Castle Strangerock from the depths of Lake Orwell, and wax poetically about the bittersweet ending sequence. Give it a listen and find out why Xanadu Next remains one of Falcom's all-time classic titles.

Featuring: Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love, Audra Bowling; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Still...An ancient castle that only appears in the mist, and a holy sword that rests therein...It's like a fairy tale! Just hearing about it makes my heart beat faster!

This week on Retro Encounter, a panel of Falcom afficianados (and one relative newcomer) explores the ruins of Xanadu Next's Harlech Island. Released all the way back in 2005 (and brought to US shores courtesy of XSEED Games in 2016), Xanadu Next is one of Falcom's oft-forgotten classics, with a dark, somber tone and slower pace influenced by Yasumi Matsuno's Ivalice universe (Vagrant Story in particular). We discuss Charlotte Wells and our unnamed protagonist knights' inauspicious start to their investigation of Harlech Island's ancient mysteries, how the game's combat compares to other isometric action RPGs like Diablo, and the merits of interconnected world design. Give it a listen if you love Falcom's golden era of PC releases, or if you're curious about the game's ingenious (at times frustrating) key economy.

Featuring: Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love, Audra Bowling; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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This podcast is historically accurate. You can attack its weak point for massive damage.

The era of the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii was a monumental one. The advent of high-definition visuals, the improvement of online play for consoles, and unprecedented console processsing power lead to seven-plus years of generation-defining video games. Naturally, we're here today to talk about the RPGs. Today, four RPGFan panelists compiled a list of ten RPGs that debuted on one or more of the above consoles, and they have a lot to say about them. So which panelist thinks highly of Folklore? How many BioWare games made the cut? How does Final Fantasy XIII figure into this? Listen for all that and more, in today's Retro Encounter!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love, Matt Wardell; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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