RPGFan's Retro Encounter

Crowdfunding services like Kickstarter, IndieGogo, and Fig have disrupted traditional game production and become an inescapable part of how video game consumers and developers interact, but the crowdfunding revolution within video games is less than ten years old.  Today's Retro Encounter is a discussion of how crowdfunding has affected the modern gaming landscape, as well as a few of our favorite (or most notorious) crowdfunded video game project.  Listen to the newest Retro Encounter after pledging to the $0 tier!  Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Robert Fenner, Tina Olah; Edited by Brian IngemansonGet in Touch: RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancom

The sequel to the 2nd game ever covered by Retro Encounter finally gets its own journal episodes over five years later!  We revisit the world of Spira and its new dueling factions, critique Dressphere fashion choices, and discuss Yuna's career change in our latest episode.  Which Final Fantasy X character evokes a comparison to a classic Saturday Night Live character?  Listen to find out!  Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Eva Padilla, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Micah CoatesGet in Touch: RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links: Final Fantasy X-2 review

Retro Encounter 261 - Finding ParadiseKan Gao and Freebird Games deliver the fourth game in the SIgmund Corp. Saga later this year, so in anticipation of Impostor Factory Retro Encounter is playing Finding Paradise, a game about memories, regrets, and making sure toilet paper rolls are on the hanger and not at the edge of the bathroom sink.  Dive into our minds with the latest Retro Encounter!   Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Zach Wilkerson; edited by Michael SollosiGet in Touch: RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links: Finding Paradise review

Retro 260 - RPG Vampires: Fangs for the MemoriesVampires are a staple of horror, and to celebrate Halloween Retro Encounter is celebrating the vampires of RPGs.  From the psychic vampires of Mass Effect to the protagonist of a game literally called Vampyr, we hold a supernatural discussion to run a small gamut of (actual) bloodsuckers who don't suck (figuratively).  Drape your best cape and listen in!  Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Hilary Andreff, Audra Bowling; edited by Michael SollosiGet in Touch: RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancom 

Phantasy Star IV is the culmination of a four-game saga that puts the 2,000-year struggle of the Algol System into a context, and in today's Retro Encounter episode we dive deep into its final battle.  We spent plenty of time in Phantasy Star IV's battles and dungeons, but we forget to go into the adorable final credits scene.  That's our error.  It's macros, combos, and more in the latest Retro Encounter!  Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Mark Tjan; Edited by Brian IngemansonGet in Touch: RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links: Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium review

Retro Encounter visits a faraway galaxy in a game from a long time ago (don't @ me Disney) in Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium, one of the most acclaimed RPGs for the Sega Genesis, or Mega Drive if you're a peein'.  It took us 5 years and 257 episodes to talk about Sega RPGs a second time, but it was worth it! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Mark Tjan; Edited by Brian IngemansonGet in Touch: RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links: Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium review

Presently (October 2020), RPGFan is publishing a feature on the best RPG of each year, from the dawn of Dragon Quest to the last full calendar year.  As a podcast side dish to the website's main course, Retro Encounter examined the RPG oeuvre of each voting year, settled on the 10 best, and then started counting down.  Join us in talking 1987 through 2019 in 2020! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Jonathan Logan, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Micah CoatesThis Episode's Related Links:Defending Champions: The Best RPGs of Every Year Since Dragon QuestGet in Touch: RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancom

Even in a video game, humans are too trusting.  Many of the most storied plot twists in RPGs have a central character performing an unexpected turn or betraying the player's trust.  In today's episode of Retro Encounter five panelists detail over a dozen great video game traitors, from A (Apollo Justice) to Z (YakuZa Kiwami).  Is one panelist among us... an imposter?   No guarantees. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Niki Fakhoori, Alana Hagues, Nathan Lee, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Micah CoatesGet in Touch: RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancom

In the final episode of Persona Month, we gather again to discuss the end of Persona 2: Innocent Sin. Discussion topics include the continuously terrible dungeons, childhood trauma, Adolf Hitler, and Jesus. Somehow, we try to make sense of all those things on this episode.Yes, this game goes some places. So does our discussion!Featuring Zach Wilkerson, Alana Hagues, Leona McCallum, Jo Padilla; Edited Brian IngemansonGet in Touch: RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links: Persona 2: Innocent Sin review

This week on Retro Encounter, four panelists get together to talk about Persona 2: Innocent Sin, the PS1 RPG that we never saw until its PSP remake over 10 years later. Topics include the engaging characters, the less than engaging combat, and somehow...disaster bisexuals. Don't ask. Just listen.Be sure to check out next week's episode to hear the end of our month of Persona!Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Alana Hagues, Leona McCallum, Jo Padilla; Edited by Brian IngemansonGet in Touch: RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links: Persona 2: Innocent Sin review