RPGFan's Retro Encounter

Jolly Josh and the gang ring in the new calendar with a look back at the year in video games. The four panelists break down their favorite 2016 game releases and much more in the inaugural episode of 2017. Featuring: Josh Curry, Chris Gebauer, Mike Sollosi, Peter Triezenberg Note: We had to re-number our episodes several years after publishing. This was originally an un-numbered special episode, a...

December and January are ideal times to play winter-themed RPGs, and Retro Encounter is here with suggestions. Mike, Robert, and Peter each discuss their favorite snowy RPGs and icy locales in other RPGs in this December episode of Retro Encounter. Featuring: Mike Sollosi, Robert Fenner, Peter Triezenberg Note: We had to re-number our episodes several years after publishing. This was originally an...

Retro Encounter has beaten Diablo III and is ready to discuss the final act of the game and its expansion, Reaper of Souls. We talk about lore, the end-game, seasonal content, and the future of Diablo. Featuring: Josh Curry, Chris Gebauer, Mike Sollosi Note: We had to re-number our episodes several years after publishing. This was originally Episode 21-2. Don't worry, you're not missing anything!...

Retro Encounter discusses what Diablo III launched as and celebrates what it has become. We talk about our history with the series, our original impressions of vanilla Diablo III, and debate our favorite bosses and classes. We cover the first three acts of the game. Featuring: Josh Curry, Chris Gebauer, Mike Sollosi Note: We had to re-number our episodes several years after publishing. This was or...

Retro Encounter sits down to give our impressions of the Game Awards and PlayStation Experience. We talk about all of the major announcements, critique the winners of the awards and examine the relevance of award shows. Featuring: Josh Curry, Michael Sollosi Note: We had to re-number our episodes several years after publishing. This was originally an un-numbered Bonus Round. Don't worry, you're no...

There are too many video games. No games fan has played every popular video game, and naturally no RPG Fan has played every major RPG. On today's Retro Encounter three panelists reveal a few of the games missing from their RPG resumes, then listen to their Retro Encounter cohorts tell them why they should give those RPGs a try. It's just like a real confession, but without the privacy or discretio...

Final Fantasy VI has many dear fans across the globe. It's celebrated as an artistic achievement, and regarded as one of the best video games ever, so when an old perspective joins with new one, what will come about? Two of our Retro Encounter regulars engage in a discussion over anything and everything about Final Fantasy VI, from the characters and story, to the mechanics and the sheer diversity...

Retro Encounter completes Aurora's epic journey by finishing Child of Light. We talk about our thoughts on the ending, storytelling in video games, how Child of Light fits into Joseph Campbell's theory of the hero's journey, and provide our final impressions on the characters and the game. Featuring: Josh Curry, Chris Gebauer, Mike Sollosi Note: We had to re-number our episodes several years after...

Blizzcon 2016 has happened and Retro Encounter is here to cover all the big announcements. Listen as we give our thoughts on the future of World of Warcraft, Starcraft 2, Heroes of the Storm, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and Diablo III. Featuring: Josh Curry, Mike Sollosi Note: We had to re-number our episodes several years after publishing. This was originally an un-numbered Bonus Round. Don't worry,...

Retro Encounter becomes enthralled by the beauty of Child of Light as we discuss its unique and refreshing take on storytelling and classic RPGs. We relay our favorite characters and teams for battle, which fairy tales the game reminds us of and our predictions for how the story will end. We finish the podcast by guessing what the major announcements will be at BlizzCon 2016. Featuring: Josh Curry...

Join the Retro Encounter crew as we take our first steps into the next generation of Final Fantasy with the CGI tie-in film, Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV. The film certainly has some big names behind it, with the likes of Aaron Paul, Lena Heady, and Sean Bean lending their prestigious talents to the voice cast, but does Kingsglaive hold up as both a movie and an introduction to the highly anticip...

Weaving dozens of video game yarns over thirty-plus years, Nihon Falcom is a particular favorite game developer here at RPGFan. Whether you're following one of the adventures of Adol Christin or traveling through Zemuria with a crew of Bracers, Falcom's worlds and characters are a blast to experience. Join Retro Encounter's four enthusiastic panelists as we extol Adol et al! Featuring: Mike Sollos...

Retro Encounter gives their final thoughts on Danganronpa while touching on what makes the characters special, the final mysteries, how we responded to betrayal, whether we want to play Danganronpa 2 and how the anime fits into the greater Danganronpa universe. Featuring: Josh Curry, Mike Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Peter Triezenberg Note: We had to re-number our episodes several years after publishing...

Retro Encounter wakes up in a hellish school where all the students are out to kill us. We delve into the first three chapters of Danganronpa by discussing our experiences solving the murder mysteries and developing relationships with the high school elites of Hope's Peak Academy. Featuring: Josh Curry, Mike Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Peter Triezenberg Note: We had to re-number our episodes several ye...

Retro Encounter celebrates 50 episodes by talking about the future of the podcast. Each of the Retro Crew names a game that we would be interested covering before we turn the power of choice to our listeners. Rock the vote! Featuring: Josh Curry, Mike Sollosi, Peter Triezenberg, Alana Hagues, Robert Fenner Get in Touch: RPGFan.com Email us: retro@rpgfan.com Twitter: @rpgfancom Instagram: @rpgfanco...

Another month has gone, and another game is over. Valkyria Chronicles has left a strong impression on the Retro crew this month, all with varying feelings. The squad look back at the second half of the game by touching on some of the most emotional and poignant moments. We find ourselves getting more and more attached to the characters as we move along, and whether we really trusted that character...

Retro Encounter tanks up and readies to defend the small principality of Gallia in Valkyria Chronicles. Initial impressions are positive, and while discussion inevitably begins with the luscious art style of the game, we debate whether the presentation and battle system do enough to keep us hooked. We touch on our favourite moments in the first 10 chapters, and what we like and dislike about the b...

Retro Encounter looks back fondly on Sega's last games console. The Dreamcast had a limited library of RPGs, but the ones it did have certainly didn't disappoint. It branched out into online gaming at a time where it seemed impossible. The Retro Crew look back at the console's classic RPGs and what makes them so great, as well as unearth some hidden gems. Just how well do these games still hold up...

This is the epic conclusion to Retro Encounter's deliberation on what games deserve to be on the first ever Essential Ten. What games will make the illustrious final list? Featuring: Josh Curry, Mike Sollosi, Peter Triezenberg, Marcos Gaspar Note: We had to re-number our episodes several years after publishing. This was originally an un-numbered Bonus Round. Don't worry, you're not missing anythin...

Retro Encounter talks about our favorite RPGs of all time as we fight over which games belong on the Retro Encounter Essential Ten. Featuring: Josh Curry, Mike Sollosi, Peter Triezenberg, Marcos Gaspar Note: We had to re-number our episodes several years after publishing. This was originally an un-numbered Bonus Round. Don't worry, you're not missing anything! Get in Touch: RPGFan.com Email us: re...

Retro Encounter completes our journey of South Park: The Stick of Truth in a fiery explosion of farts. Come listen as we provide our final thoughts, favorite party member, our excitement for the sequel and our favorite moments of the game. Featuring: Josh Curry, Chris Gebauer, Mike Sollosi Note: We had to re-number our episodes several years after publishing. This was originally Episode 17-2. Don'...

Retro Encounter absolutely loves South Park: The Stick of Truth! We start off with a discussion of our history with the show and how that translates into a game. Then we move onto talking about which classes we played, censorship in games, our surprise that games can be so funny and our overall excitement for how great The Stick of Truth is. Featuring: Josh Curry, Chris Gebauer, Mike Sollosi Note:...

The Retro Encounter crew is back, but with one man down will they be able to make it to the end of Xenogears? With disc 2's sharp shift to a narrative focus, the gang discusses the major reveals of the game, the psychology behind its characters, and what Xenogears might have been like if Square had been given more time on it. Featuring: Caitlin Argyros, Alana Hagues, Robert Fenner Note: We had to...

This week, two of the Retro Crew take a look at Root Double: Before Crime * After Days, a nuclear meltdown visual novel by Takumi Nakzawa (Ever17, I/O) not wholly unlike Zero Escape. It's a mushroom cloud of mystery! Featuring: Davi Tesnovich, Robert Fenner Note: We had to re-number our episodes several years after publishing. This was originally an un-numbered Bonus Round. Don't worry, you're not...

Retro Encounter sits down to talk about the Square classic: Xenogears. We discuss the Xeno-universe, whether Xenogears has aged well, symbolism, the puzzle-esque boss fights, the combat system as a whole and our overall impressions of the early portion of the game. Featuring: Josh Curry, Alana Hagues, Caitlin Argyros, Robert Fenner Note: We had to re-number our episodes several years after publish...