Axe of the Blood God: An RPG Podcast

Kat's on vacation for a few seconds more, so it's Anthony and Nadia again, along with special guest John Learned! This week, the trio talks about the excellent features John wrote for USgamer about Final Fantasy XII and Vagrant Story's localizations [4:00], the big news about Nintendo Switch Online and how it might pertain to RPGs [8:45], and what we hope to see at Square-Enix's E3 2018 press conference [22:10] before launching into our main topic: The gem that is Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow [43:46]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat had the nerve to take a vacation, so Nadia drags out a ghost-editor from her history as a freelancer, Anthony John Agnello, and orders him to co-host this week. They talk about old times before diving into the sad state of game preservation and how the Wii U's diminishing presence is adding to the problem [5:20]. Then Anthony wonders if Montreal Eidos working on the Shadow of the Tomb Raider means we'll never see a Deus Ex game again (and Nadia proves how alert she is by mixing up Eidos and Ubisoft) [15:20]. The duo celebrate the beautiful RPG / beat-em-up hybrid, Dragon's Crown Pro, featuring the peerless art of the mad god George Kamitami [36:20] before launching into their wish list of untouchable RPGs that are lost to the future [43:20]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia talk about their favorite RPG stories, the impact that art style can have, and many other topics including Persona 5, Radiant Historia, and Bojack Horseman. Then Kat jumps into her guide to Super Robot Wars [27:18]. What is it? How did it start? And more important, which one should you play first? Finally, Kat and Nadia wrap up the Cosmic Star Heroine Report as it launches on PlayStation Vita [51:56]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia have discuss Ni No Kuni 2's story and where it went wrong as they wrap up their conversation about Level-5's sequel [22:52]. Plus: The pair talk about Monster Hunter World's new event, Persona 5's gay panic, and even more legendary weapons. Note: Spoilers for NNK2 begin at 22:52 and end at 01:07:16! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia delve into Final Fantasy, World of WarCraft, and more to find the best legendary weapons in RPG history. From weapons that helped define their series, to weapons that were impossible to get, to weapons that were simply cool, we survey the RPG landscape for our favorites. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do Dragon Quest XI and World of WarCraft have in common? They're two RPGs asking themselves, "What's next?" Kat and Nadia discuss that, Kat's other experiences at PAX East, and her hands-on with Underworld: Ascendant. Plus, we discuss your comments on the 3DS and The Alliance Alive! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Alliance Alive is out on 3DS, but it won't be joined by Dragon Quest XI. Kat and Nadia talk about the spiritual successor to Legend of Legacy [5:00] before moving on to the news that Dragon Quest XI will be coming to Steam and PS4, but not the 3DS [25:15]. Is Square Enix making a mistake? And amid the continued stream of "nostalgic JRPGs," what form of JRPG is being underserved? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat returns from a busy week at GDC to talk Bard's Tale and Zanki Zero, as well as to share some of Ultima Online's craziest war stories. Then Nadia and Kat talk about Ni No Kuni 2's insane opening and the tonal whiplash that follows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia settle down to review Ni No Kuni 2! [22:00] How does the combat hold up? Why does the overworld look like it was imported from the PS2? And will Evan Pettiwhisker be the first against the wall when the revolution comes? We have answers to all these questions and more! Plus: The move by triple-A action games to co-op skill trees. Does it work? We discuss! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia are joined by RPG enthusiast Anthony Agnello to recap Thursday's Nintendo Direct, including the news that South Park is coming to the Switch, and Dark Souls is getting an Amiibo (at last!). Then the trio talk about what makes Xenoblade Chronicles 2's great (with some spoilers), and why Radiant Historia is an RPG you should play on the 3DS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat is joined by Demon's Souls experts David Craddock to pay tribute to Demon's Souls as its servers shutdown. Plus, Kat and Nadia rail against the sloppy PC port of Chrono Trigger, and wonder what's in store for Valkyrie Profile. And we finally get to talk about the Final Fantasy XV mobile game, too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia dive into the best RPG endings and why they work [20:00], with the discussion touching on Final Fantasy X, Fallout, Planescape Torment, the Mass Effect games, Breath of Fire, Chrono Trigger, and Valkyrie Profile. Plus, Kat and Nadia debate what Kingdom Come's success means for medieval RPGs, and the pair add a termite to their party in the Cosmic Star Heroine Report. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nadia returns from her adventures in Japan to discuss why the Secret of Mana remake doesn't hold up to the original [15:00]. Meanwhile, Kat is playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance [27:00], and she has thoughts on both its attempts to be ultra-realistic and its approach to medieval history: Plus: The Cosmic Star Heroine Report returns! [44:34] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat is joined by guest hosts Caty and Mike to discuss the difficult dance of making meaningful decisions in RPGs, breaking down the endings of Witcher 3, Mass Effect 3, Chrono Trigger, and more in the process. Plus: Kat shares her impressions of Ni No Kuni 2, and Caty and Mike talk about the localization of Yakuza 6! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We celebrate Panzer Dragoon Saga's 20th Anniversary with Ben Lindbergh, author of The Ringer's massive retrospective on Sega's lost classic [26:10]. We talk about the ways it broke new ground, its complex story, and the miracle of it making it to America at all. Then Kat and Nadia dive back into Cosmic Star Heroine [54:06] and talk more Monster Hunter: World! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The wandering adventurer Bob Mackey returns to the Blood God to discuss what may already be one of the biggest games of 2018: Monster Hunter World! [27:30] Plus, Kat and Nadia talk about the recent BioWare news, and Kat shares her thoughts after playing the Secret of Mana Remake [16:00]. It all concludes with another installment of the Cosmic Star Heroine Report as Kat and Nadia talk about the big brawl in a night club, a mecha duel, and more [01:02:30]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia get together to discuss rumors of a Fable revival from Playground Games [8:16], Fable's legacy of ambition and disappointment, and why you should buy Darkest Dungeon the Switch. Then it's on to the first Cosmic Star Heroine Report [32:04] as our intrepid adventurers discuss the opening hours, the flow of the boss battles, and the big early twist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia dive into the upcoming RPGs of 2018 with previews of Valkyria Chronicles 4, Dragon Quest XI, Pillars of Eternity Deadfire, the World of WarCraft expansion, Monster Hunter World, and much more! Plus: Discussion of Dark Souls on the Switch, The Worlds With You: Final Remix, and Ys VIII. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What RPGs did Kat and Nadia play over the holidays? Not the ones you might have expected! The pair talk about revisiting Secret of Evermore, Witcher 3, and Darkest Dungeon before officially wrapping up the Final Fantasy IX Report. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Nadia out sick, Kat is instead joined by Mike to talk about the year in RPGs, argue about Horizon Zero Dawn, and pick the five essential RPGs of 2017. We've got a lot to cover, from Final Fantasy XIV's expansion to Persona 5 to Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia, so buckle up! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia talk about the peculiarities of Xenoblade Chronicles 2's battle system, what do with common Blade cores, and more as Kat continues through Chapter 3 of the Switch's new RPG. Then Kat and Nadia discuss Final Fantasy IX's big final battle and conclusion in Final Fantasy IX Report #10! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia discuss Breath of the Wild's award-winning night at The Game Awards, the sudden arrival of Champions' Ballad DLC [15:50], and the Romancing Saga 2 announcement [09:05]. Then the pair of them delve into their backlogs as Kat tackles Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for the first time [23:15], and they discuss their initial experiences with NieR Automata [42:34]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia team up to talk about the week's biggest RPG news as the bid farewell to Demon's Souls, discuss Bungie's decision to throttle XP gain in Destiny 2, and Final Fantasy XV's ongoing run of DLC. Then they turn to the main topic: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 [22:52] Is the gameplay really too complicated? Are Blades slaves or friends? And what is going on with Pyra? Nadia and Kat cover all that and more in their review. Finally, Kat checks in with an update with Secret of Mana Report #3! [58:56] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia celebrate Thanksgiving by talking about what they're grateful for in the RPG space this year (50:50), but not before discussing Sega's surprise Valkyria Chronicles 4 announcement (10:50), Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition, Square Enix's Switch commitment, and more Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. It's a holiday RPG-stravaganza! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia talk about a big week for RPG releases as Nadia shares her initial thoughts on the review version of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Kat explains why Pokemon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon should be the last of the updated third versions [29:30]. Then the pair delve into the battle with the Four Fiends and Zidane's big existential crisis with Final Fantasy IX Report #9 [50:28]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia talk about Horizon Zero Dawn's new DLC and the advantages of disadvantages of dropping a new adventure into the middle of a story (19:30); Nadia's adventures in Etrian Odyssey V (5:00), and Kat's horrifying revenge in Middle-earth: Shadow of War. Then the pair continue into the Final Fantasy IX Report #8 (35:44) to Dagger's big moment, the horror of Zorn and Thorn, and why the Desert Palace is awful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia get together to discuss the possibility to Yoko Taro directing a Final Fantasy game, recount the checkered history of RPGs on the Xbox (20:00), and dive into the big battle at Alexandria in the latest Final Fantasy IX Report (1:01:20). Bonus: Kat and Nadia share their favorite Halloween candy, because why not? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia get together to discuss Kat's recent addition to Destiny 2; the Witcher 3's influence on 2017's biggest games, and the announcement of Shin Megami Tensei 5 before delving into Vivi's search for meaning, the introduction of Eiko, and dwaves in the latest Final Fantasy IX Report. Plus: Kat refuses gender Sprite and complains about Spikey in Secret of Mana Report #2. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a packed episode as Kat and Nadia dive into Etrian Odyssey 5, preview the Secret of Mana Remake, and review South Park. Then Kat and Nadia pick up the Final Fantasy IX Report as they discuss all the references to Final Fantasy IV, another encounter with General Beatrix, the horror of Atomos, and Chocobo Hot & Cold! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia talk about loot boxes and their relationship to RPGs and debate the need to redo Ys VIII's localization before moving into a brand new report: The Secret of Mana Report! Join Kat as she talks about her first experience with the combat, earsplitting dwarf music, sneaky sprites, and RPG co-op gameplay (30:06). Then Nadia updates us on Final Fantasy IX as she officially reaches the end of Disc 1! (47:24). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia discuss a couple of this week's biggest RPG releases—Dragon's Dogma and Mario & Luigi—as well as Golf Story, then jump into the third Final Fantasy IX Report [16:00]. How cool is that airship chase? What's up with Regent Cid? All that and more. Plus: Kotaku editor and Retronauts contributor Chris Kohler joins us to discuss his adventures in importing Final Fantasy V for his newest book! [38:05] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia continue their quest through Final Fantasy IX with the second Final Fantasy IX Report (38:45), share their adventures in acquiring an SNES Classic, and pick the five worst SNES RPGs! Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia talk about Final Fantasy XV on the Switch, Monster Hunter World, and Nier: Automata's sales success, then jump into the main topic: Our first Final Fantasy IX report! (13:23). Then Mike joins us to talk about why you should be playing Divinity: Original Sin 2! (35:56) And of course we read your letters! Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia go LIVE with their thoughts on all the info from this week's Nintendo Direct, include Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and The Alliance Alive. They also share their impressions on Project Octopath Traveler! Spoiler: They like it! In the second segment, David Craddock returns to share tales from the dawn of the RPG age from his new book about the Apple II (37:36), and Kat and Nadia pick more Perfect RPG Teams! Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia welcome back Josh Sawyer and Feargus Urquhart for a Fallout New Vegas retrospective that delves into why it's such a beloved cult classic (35:42), while also talking about South Park's amusing difficulty sliders, Tyranny's underwhelming expansion, and what Final Fantasy VII means in 2017. Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Legendary RPG designer Josh Sawyer returns to dive deep into Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire's story, premise and multi-classing (18:30), but not before Kat has a healthy rant about NBA 2K18's stats progression and Nadia talks about the RPGs revealed at the Nindies event. Plus: Another Perfect RPG Party! Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia talk about the weirdness of Assassins' Creed x Final Fantasy (which is indeed a real thing), then count down the biggest RPGs of Fall 2017! (22:00) Pokemon! Xenoblade Chronicles 2! South Park! We discuss them all and pick the ones we're most excited to play. Plus: We read your perfect RPG parties! (01:06:10) Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What party would Kat and Nadia build if they could take any character from any RPG ever? That's what they explore in this week's episode of Axe of the Blood God! (18:00). Also, Nadia recounts her trip to Otakon, the pair praise Undertale (6:45), and they read comments from last week's deep dive into RPG battle systems! (48:16) Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friend of the podcast Steve Tramer returns to have an honest discussion about Persona 5's flaws and extol the virtues of NieR Automata (12:26). Then the pair dive into this episode's main topic: battle systems! (27:00) Kat and Steve discuss the evolution of RPG battle systems; what defines them; notable systems throughout history, and of course, their favorites. Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia get together to discuss Dragon Quest XI's confirmation for North America, the push toward even more Persona spinoffs (13:00), and thoughts after playing the Final Fantasy XV Multiplayer Beta (24:00). And as always, we read your comments for the show! Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The USgamer Podcast is back and we're sharing the first episode with our Axe of the Blood God listeners! Kat, Nadia, Caty, and Mike get together to talk Splatoon 2 (4:00), the NHL 18 Beta (11:00), Fortnite (17:00), and the ongoing SNES Classic Game by Game (26:00) in the return of the USgamer podcast. There's also quick hit headlines (34:18) and this week's topic: What we want in sequels. Make sure to tune in and subscribe as we update every week! Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat, Nadia, and guest Caty McCarthy get together to discuss Final Fantasy XV's weird new multiplayer (2:00), rag on Miitopia (12:45), and review Pyre (26:14). That's all leading up to the main topic: The 10th anniversary of The World Ends With You! (36:30). Why is Square Enix's cult RPG such a beloved favorite after all these years? We discuss! Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia finally wrap up their Chrono Trigger (22:00) and Persona 4 Golden (47:36) reports, but not before diving into Final Fantasy XII and (gasp) Kingdom Hearts 3. It's a historic first for the Blood God as we go LIVE! Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia dive into "The Pokemon Mystery Files," Ni No Kuni 2's delay, and an old man yellling at Fallout 4 before reviewing Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (28:54). In the process, they investigate a huge "what-if" for Final Fantasy XII that might have affected Square Enix's past decade. Afterward, they answer the most pertinent question: what's the best JRPG battle system? Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia band together once more to talk about the Breath of the Wild DLC and a recent interview with Nihon Falcom president Toshiro Kondo. Then Mike Williams comes aboard to review Stormblood, and to talk about the state of MMORPGs in general (30:42). And, of course, we've got more listener mail! (1:06:00). Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia break down the RPGs of the SNES Classic, talk about the latest batch of Final Fantasy XV's DLC (24:30), and lament the utter failure of Valkyria Revolution (37:40). Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With E3 2017 done and dusted, Kat and Nadia settle in to talk about the Terra Battle sequels (03:00), Pillars of Eternity moving to console (14:10), Final Fantasy XIV's Stormblood expansion (19:30), and .hack's HD remaster (23:00). Then they break down Ever Oasis, the new RPG by the director of Secret Mana (33:50) and dive into listener comments! (49:00). Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia recap all of the big announcements from the past week at E3 including Anthem (3:00), the announcement that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will be out this year (9:35), a new Pokemon generation for the Switch (50:00), and more. Plus: Lots of talk about Yakuza and Etrian Odyssey 5! Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia talks about Game Freak's decision to favor the 3DS over the Switch with Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (05:50), Kotaku's report on the woes of Mass Effect Andromeda (25:45) and the leak of Etrian Odyssey 5's localization (34:00). Then Kat and Nadia preview E3 2017 (45:06) and Kat goes on an epic rant about why she misses the days when there were only 493 Pokemon (1:04:00). Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia get together to discuss Indivisible's move to the Switch (5:00), the Monster Hunter XX announcement (11:40), and where I Am Setsuna went wrong (23:22). Then Mike Williams returns to discuss Elder Scrolls Online's new Morrowind expansion and MMORPGs in general (37:30). And of course: more reader comments! Read more at http://usgamer.net! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @usgamernet! Have comments or questions about the show? Email us at [email protected]. We may read your letter on the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices