RPGFan's Retro Encounter

I'm a sucker for a good podcast!

25 years ago, RPGFan started life as LunarNET, and five years before that, Lunar: The Silver Star released in the West. So, in honor of that, we got four of our resident Lunar fans together to chat about the various versions of Lunar: The Silver Star. 

Are we fans of the Working Designs localization? How does the combat hold up? Are Jessica and Kyle the best couple in the series? Listen in to find out!

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Ben Love, Noah Leiter, Scott Clay; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri. 

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Quest Like A Dragon! 

One Warrior, one Rogue, and one Mage separately traveled across Ferelden to recruit allies in order to stop a Darkspawn Blight, but how did it go for them? Our panelists explored the diverse societies presented in BioWare’s dark fantasy RPG this month, but to what ends? Listen and find out why Dragon Age: Oranges’s narrative is so engrossing, this podcast forgot to discuss combat! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, Wes Iliff; Edited by Paul Dennis

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Dragon Age: Origins on RPGFan

Dungeons and Darkspawn

Dragon Age, a standout mini series from BioWare's golden age of RPGs, is a blend of high fantasy, dark fantasy, politics, and dating sim that made a big splash in 2009. Two Grey Warden veterans and one Dragon Age neophyte form a Retro Encounter panel to take on the Darkspawn Blight, save a group of mages, and confirm that Dog is a very good boy.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, Wes Iliff. Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Dragon Age: Origins on RPGFan

I think I heard a shot.

We finished Bloodborne! Four very enthusiastic hunters suffered through hunters, Great Ones, Street Sharks, and many other horrors to conquer this PS4 classic. So what are our favorite bosses? What the hell does Insight do? How many times do we mix up "Great Ones" with "Old Blood?" Listen to learn!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Aleks Franiczek, Zach Wilkerson. Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Bloodborne on RPGFan

Bleeding its horror / Creating my structure

Welcome, good hunter! Retro Encounter discusses a From Software Souls-like in detail for the first time, with the Playstation 4's Bloodborne. Four panelists discuss the city of Yarnham, trick weapons, the Souls formula, and more in this episode about a bloody excellent video game.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Aleks Franiczek, Zach Wilkerson. Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Bloodborne on RPGFan

Back in the 90s and early 2000s, the localization of JRPGs was never a given. We RPG fans would often wait with bated breath, a copy of GamePlayers or Electronic Gaming Monthly in hand, hoping Squaresoft and other Japanese publishers would announce they were bringing their incredible games to the West. And more often than not, we would be disappointed.

While many of these untranslated games have slowly made their way to our shores over the years in the form of remakes and collections, there are still tons of classic JRPGs that are out of reach. That is, they would be if not for fan translations! Starting with Final Fantasy V in 1998, fan translations allowed us to experience the games Japanese developers decided weren't worth the resources to localize. And this week, our panel will discuss some of our favorite fan translations and why they deserve to be available to Western audiences!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Audra Bowling, Ben Love, Pete Leavitt, and Steph Sybydlo; Edited by Jono Logan.

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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This Episode's Related Links:
Legends of Localization - Tales of Phantasia
Genso Suikoden: Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki Review
Dai Gyakuten Saiban: Naruhodō Ryūnosuke no Bōken Review
Hilltop YouTube Channel

Only one person gets to be the hero. But is it always the right one?

Just about every RPG has a main character that can be singled out as the hero of their story, but this is not about any of them. Quite often, there's a companion or even an NPC that is more fun or interesting than a video game's protagonist. That's who we want to discuss today - three RPGFan staff pick a few of their favorite less-important characters who are compelling enough to star in their own games, but never got the chance.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi.

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Boys and girls of every age / Wouldn't you like to see something strange?

Halloween is a time to experience scares, eat candy, and also celebrate fandom through costumes. Costume changes in RPGs can take the form of in-game bonuses, clever references, or expensive DLC, but it's undeniable that a classy costume change can enhance the video game experience. Today, three panelists talk about their favorite alternate costumes in RPGs.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Jimmy Turner; Edited by Michael Sollosi.

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Could you imagine? A puppet seeing another puppet- and then making it work?

Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure is... cute. Energetic. Pleasant. But also sort of twisted? Is Cornet an earnest puppeteer or an unsuspecting necromancer? Do we want to play the rest of the trilogy now? In today's episode of Retro Encounter we explore these topics and more, from sad pirates to frog centaurs.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff; Edited by Paul Dennis.

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure on RPGFan

In Marl's Kingdom, the girl saves the handsome prince.

Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure is remarkable for a 1998 RPG, in that it subverts a few traditional fantasy tropes, has multiple character-specific side quests, and punctuates it plot points with musical numbers. It also kicked off a trilogy of RPGs with multiple spinoffs, which received worldwide releases in 2022 and 2023. But how does it hold up to a modern audience of Retro Encounter panelists? Listen and find out!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff; Edited by Paul Dennis.

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure on RPGFan