RPGFan's Retro Encounter

Thou shalleth listenen to thisen episode.Luckily, you won't hear any conversations about broken Early Modern English, because this time we're not talking about the original. Instead, we have a spoiler filled chat about Octopath Traveler II, a sequel that our panel loved even more than the first game.How does the game look? What about that combat? Oh, the music has to be good. What about any funny accents? Listen in to this week's episode to find out!Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Patrick Gann, Alana Hagues; Edited by Zach WilkersonOpening and ending music by Miles MorkriGet in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:Octopath Traveler II on RPGFanOctopath Traveler II Review on RPGFan

It's time to make history!This week, we're revisiting one of our favorites: Persona 4 Golden. After all, with the new release on modern consoles and Wes' glowing review for us at RPGFan, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to revisit some of our old friends.But there's an even better reason we're revisiting this classic! We're also joined by special guest, and friend of the podcast, Alex from Backlog Battle, to talk about everything that makes the game special to them, too.Does the game still hold up? Is Kanji still the best character? Listen in to find out!Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Alex from Backlog Battle; Edited by Michael SollosiOpening and ending music by Miles MorkriGet in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:Persona 4 Golden on RPGFanThe Backlog Battle YouTube channel

More brutal murders than John Wick and more mistaken identities than Twelfth Night. Ryu Ga Gotoku: Ishin! plays fast and loose with the events of Bakumatsu Japan, with multiple historical figures assuming second personas, a legendary alliance forged through a drunken brawl instead of careful diplomacy, and much more than can be contained in a mere podcast description. Today's Retro Encounter is all about the king-making, life-taking, and chicken racing of the latest to come out Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Jono Logan, Nick Mangiaracina; Edited by Jono LoganOpening and ending music by Miles MorkriGet in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:Like A Dragon: Ishin! on RPGFan

Kamurocho has nothing on the mean streets of 1860s Kyo. Ryu Ga Gotoku: Ishin! was probably a lost cause to most fans of the Like A Dragon / Yakuza series, but Sega shocked everyone last year with the announcement of a full remake of the 2014 historical fiction samurai drama to arrive in February of 2023. RPGFan had at least four panelists eager to play it, so they gathered here to form their own Shinsengumi to discuss the swordplay, writing, performances, and historical context of the Ishin! remake. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Jono Logan, Nick Mangiaracina; Edited by Jono LoganOpening and ending music by Miles MorkriGet in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:Like A Dragon: Ishin! on RPGFan

All RPGs and no fighting games makes Jack a dull boy. We don't *solely* play RPGs here at RPGFan, and today is exactly the podcast to express that. Four RPGFan panelists discuss a few of their favorite games that can't be classified as RPGs with even the most liberal interpretation of the term, from crossover fighters to atmospheric horror to block puzzles to epic bug sagas. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Tom Cox, Ben Love, Nick Mangiaracina; Edited by Michael SollosiOpening and ending music by Miles MorkriGet in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancom

Today we enter the realm of video game fantasies, but not Final Fantasies. Remakes are a regular part of the video game release schedule in the 2020s, and here at Retro Encounter we have a few ideas on a few that should come soon. A PS2 rogue-like, a Squaresoft RPG never released in Japan, and some Game Boy Color classics are only a small sample of what's in store in this episode of Retro Encounter! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Joshua Lindquist, Jonathan Logan, Tin Manuel; Edited by Michael SollosiOpening and ending music by Miles MorkriGet in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancom

E-I-E-I-oh boy I almost went to bed without watering the corn. Oh, hello. On today's Retro Encounter, we're breaking out the farm equipment and digging into the ever-growing farm simulation genre. Many of them overlap with RPGs, especially as modern games have expanded their systems beyond crops, animals, and relationships, offering combat systems and more. Of course we talked about Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons and Stardew Valley, but we covered much more ground in discussing how we all got our start, what we are playing now, and some farming games we're looking forward to. Saddle up!Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Greg Delmage, Dom Kim; Edited by Jono LoganOpening and ending music by Miles MorkriGet in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancom

You would expect that first-party game releases for a system would dry up three years after its successor is released. But that certainly wasn’t the case with Zoda’s Revenge: StarTropics II! Released in 1994 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, StarTropics II was a bit of an anomaly. Developed by the legendary Nintendo division R&D3, this time-traveling sequel to StarTropics was, much like its predecessor, only found on the NES in North America. It was also an 8-bit game in a predominantly 16-bit era. So, our question today: Was StarTropics II a lost gem that was ignored because it was on an obsolete system? Or was it rightfully forgotten by gamers at the time? Let’s jump back in time and find out!Featuring: Jono Logan, Nick Mangiaracina, Michael Salbato; Edited by Jono LoganOpening and ending music by Miles MorkriGet in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:Retro Encounter 365 – StarTropicsRhythm Encounter 90 – Tropical Tunes

There are some first-party Nintendo games that became legendary franchises. This… is not one of those games.Released in 1990 for the NES, StarTropics was specifically designed by Nintendo R&D3 with Western audiences in mind. In fact, it was never even released in Japan until 2008 on the Wii Virtual Console! This stylish and innovative game, featuring a genre mash-up with Dragon Quest-style villages and Zelda-like dungeons, gained a cult following of devoted fans, three of whom are on this podcast! Does StarTropics live up to their childhood memories? It’s time to stick some bananas in our ears, hop into our yellow submarine (piloted by R.O.B. the Robot), and find out!Featuring: Jono Logan, Nick Mangiaracina, Mike Salbato; Edited by Jono LoganOpening and ending music by Miles MorkriGet in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:Rhythm Encounter 90 – Tropical Tunes

There are plenty of ways you can hurt a man / And bring him to the ground. Today we correct a podcast injustice, and publish Part 2 of Retro Encounter's Ogre Battle 64 podcast duology. One podcast host with a lot of questions and two OB64 veterans with all the answers discuss the twisting story paths, confounding Chaos Frames, and multiple endings of Ogre Battle 64, along with some light speculation about the future of the Ogre saga.  Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Pete Leavitt, Joshua Lindquist; Edited by Michael SollosiOpening and ending music by Miles MorkriThis episode was recorded in February 2023 and published in November 2023, with the delay for reasons both technical and personal.Get in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:Ogre Battle 64 on RPGFan