Final Fantasy XIV has experienced one of the greatest resurgences in modern video game history. Faced with a disastrous launch, Square Enix did the unthinkable and destroyed their world in an apocalyptic event designed to reboot their MMO. A Realm Reborn completely revamped the game and corrected its course, setting it on a path to the massive and enduring success Final Fantasy XIV enjoys today.

With three core expansions and numerous free patches continually adding or reworking content, it might just be the most thriving MMO on the market. However, does that make it one of the best games of all time? 

To help us answer that question, this week we are joined by friend of the show Kazuma Hashimoto (who you should follow on Twitter: @JusticeKazzy_). He's a long-time player of Final Fantasy XIV, has locked down impressive interviews with members of the development team, and released an evolving review of the latest expansion, Shadowbringers for RPG Site. 

Outro music: Donkey Kong Country 'OSHA Violation' by Reuben6, Earth Kid, and sleffy (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03971)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
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Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Tanya DePass, the founder and director of I Need Diverse Games. She was gracious enough to talk at length about diversity, feminism, and the unique intersection those have with tabletop gaming. It's a really fantastic conversation, so I hope you all enjoy hearing all of it!

A huge thank you to Tanya - you should all give her a follow on Twitter: @cypheroftyr

The finale of Dragonguard has arrived! Nomsooni, Barphus, and Scratch make choices to determine the fate of their world and their own respective futures.

"Shadowlands 1 - Horizon" "Super Power Cool Dude" "Bittersweet" "Dreamer" "Furious Freak"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games!

Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend!

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Stepping through a portal to another world, Scratch, Nomsooni, and Barphus have the nature of their existence revealed and have the future of their universe placed into their hands. 

"Furious Freak"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games!

Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend!

Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

In November 2017, Trinket Studios released a unique puzzle-fighting game onto PC and Nintendo Switch. The title, Battle Chef Brigade, had garnered a colossal amount of support following a successful Kickstarter campaign raised over $100,000 in 2014. The game focuses on Mina Han, an up and coming chef who leaves her rural home to make it as a member of the Battle Chef Brigade, an elite group of chefs who battle monsters and use the spoils to make the most delectable dishes in all the land. Battle Chef Brigade currently sits with a spotless rating of 10/10 on Steam and has earned itself a persistent cult following since release. 

This week we are joined by game critic and noted Battle Chef Brigade evangelist Caitlin Galiz-Rowe to talk about the wild world of culinary contests. Is Battle Chef Brigade one of the best games of all-time?

Outro music: Fantasy Zone 'Opa and Over' by Rexy (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03954)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

Follow Caitlin Galiz-Rowe on Twitter: @CGRRRRRRRR

Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend!

Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Fire Emblem Awakening released in North America back in 2013. Intended to be the final swansong of the franchise, it instead found success on a magnitude it the series had never seen before. Critics and players alike praised its new focus on accessibility and the centrality of the support conversations between characters. These changes allowed everyone to experience a much wider swath of Fire Emblem Awakening's content and word of mouth managed to make the turn-based strategy title one of the most popular games for Nintendo's 3DS. 

This week we are joined by Julian Rizzo-Smith to talk all things Fire Emblem and figure out if Fire Emblem Awakening is one of the best games of all-time!

Outro music: Super Smash Bros. Melee 'Together, We Fly' by PRYZM (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03202)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

Follow Julian Rizzo-Smith on Twitter: @GayWeebDisaster 

Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend!

Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

There's a lot of bad stuff going on in the world. A lot of things we all have to struggle with on a daily basis. Cadence of Hyrule is really great and puts some measure of joy into the world that nothing can take away. It's unabashedly itself. It's good. Anyway, here are some thoughts about the game and the things it makes me think about. 

Outro music: Mega Man X 'Red Shifting Drift' by Gario (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03790)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend!

Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Dungeons & Dragons. D&D. The game of adventurers and storytellers alike. This week, we dive into a cursory overview of the game and talk about what makes it so special. This is the first tabletop game we've featured on the show, one that paved the way for other tabletop gaming experiences as well as some of the most beloved video games ever created. We are very excited to finally talk about a game that has meant so much to us.

Is Dungeons & Dragons one of the best games of all-time?  

Outro music: Bomberman Hero 'Post Hyper Room' by Chris Belair (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03943)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

Follow Marcus Stewart on Twitter: @MarcusStewart7

Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend!

Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Cuphead might just be one of the most memorable games to come out in the last few years. Hitting Xbox One and PC in 2017 four years after being announced and undergoing a difficult development process, the Contra-like side-scrolling shooter captivated audiences with its charming and controversial art style, tight gameplay, and engaging soundtrack. With very few games existing with a comparable aesthetic, Cuphead stuck in the brains of everyone who even briefly experienced it. The game stands with a perfect score on Steam and almost universal acclaim.

A couple years after release, is Cuphead one of the best games of all-time?   

Joining us to help answer that question this week is none other than friend of the show, voice actor, podcaster, and game critic extraordinaire Marcus Stewart. 

Outro music: Kirby's Return to Dream Land 'Cocoa 'n' Cookies' by jdaster64 (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03922)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

Follow Marcus Stewart on Twitter: @MarcusStewart7

Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend!

Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Bandai released Tamagotchi to the world in 1997 where it became one of the biggest crazes of the 90s. The small digital pet raising game was unlike anything anyone had experienced before in the time before mobile gaming had really taken off on anything aside from Nintendo's Game Boy. Since its initial release, Bandai has reworked and improved upon the concept of Tamagotchi for numerous different handheld iterations as well as full video game and feature film adaptations. While many fondly remember the tiny aliens as a 90s nostalgia fever dream, new versions are coming out all the time - in just a few weeks, a color version of tamagotchi will release in an attempt to bring a new generation into the weird world of digital pet-rearing. 

Outro music: Puyo Puyo 'I Just Skipped Time Yesterday' by Rexy (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03941)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend!

Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod