RPG Backtrack

The PlayStation 3 hosted a short-lived series that does not feature Level 5 firing on all cylinders. Talking about this interesting experiment nevertheless makes for an entertaining episode. The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 146: “The White Knight on His Chronicles” appeared first on RPGamer .

It's time to talk about a Final Fantasy. Which one? Well, it's got improbable returns from death, monsters on the moon, a spoony bard, a jumping Dragoon, and too many versions to count using the fingers of just one hand. Those things should narrow it down. The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 145: “A Whale in Space” appeared first on RPGamer .

In the future envisioned by Deus Ex, law enforcement is encroaching on the freedom of citizens around the world and corporations are pursuing a complementary agenda in the name of making sure the right people stay on top. Any similarity to modern day headlines is coincidental - probably. The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 144: “God in the Machine” appeared first on RPGamer .

It took the Persona series nearly as long as Street Fighter to count to three, but the reception once it did was enthusiastic. Here we have quite a bit more adulation to throw its way, along with a little talk about how it managed to get better in a Portable form. The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 143: “The Homecoming Queen’s Got a Gun” appeared first on RPGamer .

If Sega's Yakuza series is accurate, urban Japan is filled with hotheads on every street corner just waiting to have whatever handy devices are lying on the street used for facial rearrangement. The first two installments of this series have other concepts too, but bicycle bashing gets plenty of praise. The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 142: “You Now Have 12 Hours” appeared first...

Studio Ghibli's entrance into the gaming world ought to have been a time of rejoicing, but the reception Ni no Kuni received was not quite that enthusiastic. Here we examine why, and also hear about the DS Ni no Kuni that will probably never officially cross the Pacific. The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 141: “World in My Eyes” appeared first on RPGamer .

Usually we talk about games that have some kind of following behind them, but the topic is a little different this time. This is a show dedicated to RPGs that reviewed badly at the time, and haven't received any kind of consensus reappraisal over the years. Still, reliving the misery produced a lot of strong feelings. (Secret of the Stars, Beyond the Beyond, Quest 64, Ephemeral Fantasia) The post...

In 2009 Atlus took a risk by ordering the largest print run for a game in its history, but that gamble paid off handsomely. Corpses litter the world of Demon's Souls, and talking about that grim but unforgettable place is today's topic. The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 139: “Soultaker” appeared first on RPGamer .

When it comes to the first Borderlands, lots of talk about gathering guns shares space with love for the simple pleasure of administering a shotgun blast to the face. It's all about bringing the fruits of civilization to another world. The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 138: “Over the Borderline” appeared first on RPGamer .

Project Rainfall helped bring several titles to the Wii in North America, and one of them features a title reminiscent of another series Hironobu Sakaguchi worked on. Now that the Wii has been relegated to the list of dead consoles, the time to tell this story has come. (The Last Story) The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 137: “Just One More Story?” appeared first on RPGamer .

The Mass Effect trilogy comes to a conclusion in grandiose fashion, but many people were not happy at the time. How it looks after a few years for pondering is a question that needs answering. The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 136: “Shepard in The Right Stuff” appeared first on RPGamer .

The second Persona is a duo of titles with an unusual release history, and detailing it is an arduous undertaking. The Backtrack crew proved willing to take on this task, and the result is a fascinating listen. The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 135: “Dramatis Persona” appeared first on RPGamer .

Mistwalker supplied the Xbox 360 with some unique content, and a title involving immortals seeking the return of their memories got considerable praise. Discussion of Lost Odyssey is the centerpiece of this episode, but plenty of other subjects make it into the mix too. The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 134: “Lost in the Mist” appeared first on RPGamer .

While Final Fantasy spawns a lot of heated talk, relatively little of it is devoted to the earliest entries. The NES era spawned the series, but going back to that trio with a more modern mindset isn't the smoothest of rides. (Final Fantasy I, II, III) The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 133: “It Wasn’t Always an Oxymoron” appeared first on RPGamer .

The bar for bringing Legend of Heroes titles across the Pacific had been set rather low, making it easy for XSEED to impress gamers when it took over the localization for another installment. Of course, having a quality game at the core also helped. (Trails in the Sky) The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 132: “Then Some Heroes Come Along” appeared first on RPGamer .

Dealing with games made by tri-Ace usually requires a bit of effort, and in recent years it hasn't gotten any easier. Maybe this attempt to make sense of Infinite Undiscovery and Resonance of Fate is successful, and maybe it isn't, but at least the result should be informative. The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 131: “Infinite Inapplicability” appeared first on RPGamer .

Yasumi Matsuno's work includes a title from the late PS1 era that defies easy explanation. Attempting to describe it anyway may require a flow chart to keep track of all the concepts, but no one will confuse Vagrant Story with any other game. The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 130: “Night of the Living Vagrants” appeared first on RPGamer .

There's something addictive about walking forward while beating everyone encountered along the way into a bloody pulp. This procedure has occasionally been used in titles with some RPG tenets, and talking about them proved a bloody good time. (River City Ransom, Guardian Heroes, Chronicles of Mystara, Code of Princess) The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 129: “My Fist Your Face” app...

It's time once again to venture into the vast Megami Tensei universe. This particular grouping involves tactical maneuvers of people and their demons summoned through portable electronics, with time ticking down on the life of everyone encountered. (Devil Survivor) The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 128: “House of the Devil” appeared first on RPGamer .

Get set for some more explosive outer space adventures courtesy of BioWare, as the second installment of its massive trilogy comes under scrutiny. Does it cheapen the value of returning from the dead? (Mass Effect 2) The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 127: “Sheparding the Flock” appeared first on RPGamer .

Of course there are people and things to shoot around New Vegas, but this most recent incarnation of the Fallout universe doesn't stop there. Enjoy going down the Vegas Strip and taking in all its scenic delights between the killing sprees in the desert. The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 126: “What Happens in New Vegas, Stays in New Vegas” appeared first on RPGamer .

The start of BioWare's ongoing series brought a lot of thoughts to the surface. Some are profound and challenging, others lewd and depraved, with plenty occupying some kind of middle ground in this episode. (Dragon Age: Origins) The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 125: “How Many Dragons in an Age?” appeared first on RPGamer .

In the world of gaming, anything that can be described as educational is a definite turn-off. First-person dungeon crawlers count as learning experiences in a number of ways, but one series transformed cartography into something addictive. Its other parts do a pretty good job too. (Etrian Odyssey) The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 124: “Mapping the World Tree” appeared first on RP...

One final hurrah for the Stars of Destiny came out of Konami, though it wasn't officially intended as such. Then the DS got a game which didn't deserve all the negativity it received, but as a spinoff couldn't do everything fans wanted. There isn't much left to talk about after that one, unfortunately. (Suikoden, Part 3) The post RPG Backtrack – Episode 123: “Konami’s Trail of Te...

BioWare wanted to convey the ineffectual nature of the human race when compared to other species populating the galaxy. This naturally took the form of having a human lead others into combat, while undertaking decisions that might one day have galactic consequences. Perhaps the human race doesn't deserve all the scorn it receives if that's the case. (Mass Effect 1) The post RPG Backtrack – E...