Axe of the Blood God: An RPG Podcast

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

Kat and Nadia talk about the Final Fantasy VII Remake (4:20), Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen (8:55), and Divinity Original Sin 2 (17:20) before diving into a brand new Chrono Trigger Report (22:20). Plus: Even more reader responses! 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 importance of NPCs in the context of Destiny 2 (1:00), review Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (7:30), and offer their impressions after a couple weeks with Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (26:10). Plus we read your responses to last week's Skyrim discussion! 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 share Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia impressions (5:00) and rant about Skyrim topping Game Informer's Top 100 RPGs of All Time list (22:00), then welcome news editor Matt Kim and his pitch for Nier: Automata being the Game of the Year in a year that has thus far included... a lot of good games (37:08). Listen and let the power of the Blood God flow through you! 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 use the latest episode of the RPG podcast to cover a wide range of topics, including Morrowind's 15th anniversary (01:00), Nadia's initial thoughts on Persona 5 (5:20), Deep Learning AI in RPGs (18:15), Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadow of Valentia's expensive DLC (33:15) and, of course, our review of Trails in the Sky the 3rd. Plus, we read your responses to our deep dive into RPG dungeons! 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 delve deep into RPG dungeons this week (30:44), where they talk about their origins, their purposes, and what makes them enjoyable. They also share some of their favorites! Also in this episode, Kat and Nadia discuss Ian Bogost's recent argument that games shouldn't have stories. Naturally, as RPG fans, Kat and Nadia have Thoughts. 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 Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia (2:00) before being joined by Cosmic Star Heroine creator Robert Boyd for a discussion of the trials and travails of developing an indie RPG (28:00). Bonus: The penultimate Persona 4 Golden Report! (14:00). 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

It's Axe of the Blood God's 100th episode, and after a quick discussion about Dragon Quest XI, Kat and Nadia use the occasion to talk about their history with the genre and why it means so much to them (14:10). Afterward, Caty drops in to share some thoughts of her (55:14), and we hear from you the listener on why RPGs are just the best. 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! Read more at http://bloodgodpod.libsyn.com/#KqJoKWyobFJtjhLp.99 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia get together to talk about the possibility of Seiken Densetsu 3 getting an official English release on Switch (1:04), then talk about their progress through Breath of the Wild (12:40), Persona 5's harsh streaming guidelines (31:52), and, of course, another Persona 4 Golden Report (47:42). 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 is joined by Nadia and Caty for another Persona 4 Golden Report (20:34), Persona 5 chatter (42:34, no spoilers), and a look at the Final Fantasy XV DLC (03:00). Then Destiny superfan Doc Burford drops by to sell us all of on his favorite shooter and talk about the recent Destiny 2 trailer (01:14:44). 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 is joined by special guest Rowan Kaiser this week for a spoiler-free discussion on what's gone wrong with Mass Effect Andromeda (24:05), as well as to look back on the original trilogy. Plus, Kat and Rowan finally get a chance to talk about the RPG that fell between the cracks of this crazy release season -- Torment: Tides of Numenera! (00:30) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode of Nadia and Kat goofing on Mass Effect Andromeda's odd animation problems (1:00) before returning to Persona 4 (10:45) and Chrono Trigger (26:27). Then Caty returns to talk Nier Automata (41:00) and which Shin Megami Tensei games to play after Persona 5 (1:04:30). It's a double helping of RPG goodness! 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! Read more at http://bloodgodpod.libsyn.com/#jCljPgi1Kg43opvc.99 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia talk about their experiences with the Nintendo Switch (1:00), then dive deep into a discussion of Breath of the Wild covering its differences from previous games, its difficulty, its RPG elements, and much more (21:40). Suffice it to say we really like it! Minor spoilers up to the point where you might head to your first dungeon. 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 invites friend of the pod Steve Tramer aboard to talk about Horizon Zero Dawn's quest design (04:20) before taking a deep dive back into Final Fantasy XV (10:30). Then Kat shares another Chrono Trigger Report (44:50), after which the two ping through Nier (01:08:35), the Switch (01:12:20), and Night in the Woods (01:19:30). 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

USgamer's new reviews editor Caty McCarthy joins Kat and Nadia to talk Persona 3 (04:40) and Horizon Zero Dawn (22:20). Then Kat and Nadia have a frank conversation about review scores (40:15) before ending with a warm and fuzzy conversation about Chrono Trigger (47:00). 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 discuss Teddy's big reveal in their latest Persona 4 Golden Report, then talk about the ways in which microtransactions corrupt RPGs in Fire Emblem Heroes. 00:00 Intro 05:12 Personal 4 Golden Report: Teddy's Big Reveal 14:42: Fire Emblem Heroes 44:38: Nioh 01:17:00 Outro 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 shares her experiences with the Switch and Horizon Zero Dawn, Nadia rants about the absence of Final Fantasy VII Remake, and the pair deliver their verdict on whether Kat should play Persona 3 Portable or Chrono Trigger while on the road. 0:00 Intro 02:00 Nintendo Switch Impressions and Zelda Escape Room 15:18: Persona 4 Golden Report 31:40 Where is Final Fantasy VII Remake? 38:45 BioWare's New IP 45:00 Horizon Zero Dawn 55:58: Chrono Trigger or Persona 3 Portable? The Vedict! 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 discuss the recently announced Pillars of Eternity sequel, life after Pokemon Bank, and Dragon Quest VIII before hopping into an interview with Brian Fargo about Torment: Tides of Numenera! 02:39 Persona 4 Golden Report 18:06 Pillars of Eternity Sequel 22:40 Pokemon Bank! 31:26 Dragon Quest VIII and Kat's Next RPG 38:47: Torment: Tides of Numera Interview 59:54: Wrap-up and contact info 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. Read more at http://bloodgodpod.libsyn.com/#JY7carkKlAHRJMA1.99 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia goof on one another for their travails in Final Fantasy IV and Persona 4 Golden (and talk about curry) before settling down to look at the Switch's announced RPG lineup and its long-term prospects. After that, it's on to Fire Emblem as Kat lays out the franchise's decline and subsequent revival and talks about the newly-announced games. 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 Polygon's Matt Leone discuss everything we learned from his mammoth oral history of Final Fantasy VII. Uematsu was jealous of Suikoden? Square almost killed off the entire cast? There are a lot of great revelations, and a ton of ground to cover in his outstanding piece of history, and we discuss it all here. Plus! Another Persona 4 Golden Report and the untimely death of Scalebound. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia conduct another Persona 4 Golden Report, talk some Final Fantasy IV, then settle into a discussion of the most interesting RPGs of 2017. Persona 5! Mass Effect Andromeda! Horizon Zero Dawn! South Park! Torment: Tides of Numenera! It's going to be another great year for RPGs, so join us as we talk about the ones we're looking forward to the most! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia get together to recap all of the most interesting RPGs before picking the Blood God's Chosen RPG of 2016. Pokemon! Final Fantasy XV! Fire Emblem Fates! Dragon Quest VII! Deus Ex! Witcher 3! We hit them all and more as we relive the past year in RPGs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Williams joins Kat and Nadia to explain why he thinks Knights of the Old Republic is the best Star Wars game ever made. Then, Nadia shares a Persona 4 update before the pair talk Valkyria Revolution, SD Gundam, and the Switch's specs. All of the teraflops? All of the teraflops. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nadia returns to the show to share some opening thoughts on Persona 4 Golden, speculate on Ni No Kuni 2, and take a dice into SD Gundam Generation Genesis. Then it's back to Final Fantasy XV as the pair read your thoughts and discuss the Square Enix's decision to patch certain elements of the story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Polygon's Phil Kollar and long-time JRPG enthusiastic Miguel Concepcion join Kat to go in-depth on Final Fantasy XV. Does the open-world world? Is that combat actually better than it seems? And what music did they listen to while cruising around in the Regalia? (Spoiler: Kat liked Final Fantasy IX). It's been a long-time coming, but it's time to finally dig in to the game we never thought would come out. End times, my friends. End times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia recall their misspent youths playing RPGs over Thanksgiving, then delve into the Vita's secret strengths and rumors of Pokemon Stars for the Nintendo Switch, before finishing off with a discussion of which Pokemon is the best to start with. Grab a leftover turkey sandwich and settle in for another hour of RPG discussion over the holiday weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia recount Conan O'Brien's Clueless Gamer segment on Final Fantasy XV and discuss the latest Persona 5 delay, then dive deep into Pokemon Sun and Moon. Is the story successful? How are the totem battles? Do we like the new monsters? And just how glad are we that HMs are finally dead? (Spoiler: We're really glad). Note: Spoilers begin at the 44:15 mark and end at the 1:04:10 mark of the episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia put aside their post-election gallows humor to discuss the recent Mass Effect Andromeda info dump, the first hours of Tyranny, and what RPGs they would like to see from the villain's point of view. Plus, our Underrated RPG Pitches segment return with a pitch for Grandia 2! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nadia and Kat have a lot to rant about as they take on Skyrim Special Edition, Exist Archive, and what accessibility means for the RPG genre. Does Skyrim hold up? Does Exist Archive deserve to called a spiritual successor to Valkyrie Profile? All of this and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Legendary RPG designer Brian Fargo joins the pod to discuss Wasteland 3, his history with the series, the evolution of RPGs, and what it was like to make games back in the '80s. But first, Jeremy and Nadia go in-depth on Final Fantasy XV. Do the characters work? Is the battle system better than advertised? All of our impressions and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia go in-depth on Nintendo's newest console. Is it the heir to the Japanese market? Can it go toe-to-toe with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4? And just how excited are we to play Skyrim on the road? All this and more as take a deep dive into the Nintendo Switch. Plus: We discuss the demos for World of Final Fantasy and Pokemon Sun and Moon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nadia and Kat share some additional thoughts on Dragon Quest Builders, then Kat talks about her hands-on experience Pokemon Sun & Moon and how it's coming along. In the second segment, they puzzle over a potential teaser for Bravely Third before taking yet another underrated RPG pitch. Exciting! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia make their first foray into Dragon Quest Builders, examine Darkest Dungeon's foray onto console, and heap (deserved) praise on Steamworld Heist. Then Bob drops by to share his thoughts on Yo-Kai Watch and the possibility of VR RPGs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia share some more thoughts on Persona 5's import version, discuss the Wasteland 3 announcement, and revisit the merits of Dragon Quest on mobile. Then, at 31:15, Bryan Wiedey of pastapadre.com joins the pod to talk about the advent of story modes in sports sims and why they are putting a greater emphasis on roleplaying than ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elliot Gay returns to share his thoughts on the first 40 (!) hours of Persona 5, then sticks around to offer his opinion on Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse and Super Robot Wars OG: The Moon Dwellers. It's a Japanese import extravaganza! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia get together to discuss a remake that's been a long time coming in North America: Dragon Quest VII. What's the story like? Does it improve on the flawed PSX version? And how long does it take to get to an actual battle? All that and more! Plus: Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander and Trails of Cold Steel 2 feedback! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat and Nadia take a look at Trails of Cold Steel 2, then Kat takes an Underrated RPG pitch for her favorite RPG of all time: Valkyrie Profile. Afterward (38:38), Jaz and Mike drop by to discuss the pros and cons of the newly-released World of WarCraft: Legion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices