This week in Q&A Quest, we discuss upcoming releases. We also delve into comments from a new listener.

The post Episode 439: Dawn of Ys – Q&A Quest appeared first on RPGamer.

BioWare was on top of the world in the late 2000s. Then it got the bright idea to make a portable game with a certain blue hedgehog, and the internet rejoiced... or did it? Join us along with guests David McBurney and Mike Moehnke as we take a deep dive into Sonic's first (and last) RPG adventure!  Spoiler alert: Sonic's first RPG didn't go well.

The post RPG Backtrack 228: Hedgehog Age appeared first on RPGamer.

The roundtable returns where they left off, with a recording from last year. The team tackles the question of mature subject matter in RPG, with some skirting around troubling content.

Talking Points:

• Prelude - RIP Mac
• Excrement occurs
• Serious business
• Murder is compulsory
• Mental illness as a crutch/sanity meters
• By what measure is a non-human
• Stakes
• Pacifism is cheap
• Racism
• Sexuality
• Addiction
• Loss

Next time: Friendship.

This show is sponsored by Gamefly

The post The Active Topical Banter Show: Episode 41 – Mature Subject Matter appeared first on RPGamer.

We get back into the action with a slew of listener-submitted questions, learn about our gameplay habits, soundtrack preferences, kickstarter regrets, and some other secrets.

The post Episode 40: Answers and Questions appeared first on RPGamer.

Scott is supremely suspicious of nostalgia, Mac is losing his voice, Sam and Trent had it easy as kids all come up in on retrospective on retrospection. And also clones, pirates and clone pirates in this episode.

The post Episode 39: Nostalgia and Cloning appeared first on RPGamer.

Game difficulty is a lot like whiskey, in that most people are going about them wrong. Our panel examines what and how RPGs are hard where the critical value in difficulty.

The post Episode 38: Hard Mode appeared first on RPGamer.

Dialogue in games is a bit like the Jazz music in a few ways, mostly in that Scott is way more interested in it than the kids these days, but also in that improvisation is key but also doesn't matter.

The post Episode 37: Meaningless Dialogue and Role Play appeared first on RPGamer.

We examine our personal experiences with the Final Fantasy franchise, how a major anniversary is half gone without publisher support and some E3 stuff.

The post Episode 36: Retrospective on Final Fantasy appeared first on RPGamer.

The panel goes behind the curtain to explain the RPGamer review process in detail, from solicitation through to comment section. Inside baseball and anecdotes abound.

The post Episode 35: Transparency in Game Critique appeared first on RPGamer.

Our discussion this month is entirely self directed. Scott tries to throw down a glowing trail for questors to follow but it gets off tangents more than normal.

The post Episode 34: Nonlinearity appeared first on RPGamer.

Nintendo has always done it's own thing, and for that we've always seen that less than successful. Apple Computers analogies, Swiitch predictions, and yelling at Scott ensue.

The post Episode 33: Nintendo Has Always Been Doomed appeared first on RPGamer.

We stand at the cusp of having to buy new consoles (maybe) to get the most of "core gamer lifestyle." But is that worth anything?

The post Episode 32: Upgrade This appeared first on RPGamer.

No year-end navel gazing here. Just coasting the through the season on some user-submitted content.

The post Episode 31: As for the Qs appeared first on RPGamer.

We yell about class systems, job boards and mid-game specializations. Scott sneaks two tabletop rants in.

The post Episode 30: Get a Job appeared first on RPGamer.

The Game of the Book of the Movie is finally out. We examine the peculiarities of confronting tie-in rpgs.

The post Episode 29: Adopting Adaptation appeared first on RPGamer.

Sometimes the only winning move is not play, and then try to eke some trade-in value out it. The panel delves into what makes us walk away from a game.

The post Episode 28: I Quit appeared first on RPGamer.

The word 'grind' gets thrown around too often with a clear meaning. We spend an episode trying to unpack the term for our own benefit, maybe yours too.

The post Episode 27: The Zen and the Art of RPG Grind appeared first on RPGamer.

Does spending money on games before they are out even make sense anymore? We delve into the business and cultural factors of the pre-order problem.

The post Episode 26: Don’t Buy Day One appeared first on RPGamer.

The panel tackles the nature of localization and the methods behind it.

The post Episode 25: Localization Woes appeared first on RPGamer.

When we look at a game, how much of what is not the game proper do we take into account. Or "I came to play, not to read."

The post Episode 24: What is the Corpus of a Game appeared first on RPGamer.

Looking at the 2016 release calendar we find ourselves faced with an unprecedented market saturation. We share our concerns about that fact.

The post Episode 23: JRPG Ouroboros appeared first on RPGamer.

We end the year with user questions. Thanks for asking and thanks for listening.

The post Episode 22: Questions 2: Electric Boogaloo appeared first on RPGamer.

People are the worst, but how can we write reviews around those facts? These and other complaining question answered by our panel.

The post Episode 21: Multi-Player Review Process appeared first on RPGamer.

Hallowe'en is upon us and we take an hour to explain why the hybridization of typical RPG mechanics, detracts from horror games.

The post Episode 20: +2 to Reload is not Frightening appeared first on RPGamer.

The panel breaks down the moral compass of games writers only to discover it only points two directions. We ramble on that and some related topics for a while.

The post Episode 19: Save the Baby – Eat the Baby appeared first on RPGamer.

So, the Final Fantasy VII remake is finally happening. We have thoughts and feelings about this.

The post Episode 18: FFWhy appeared first on RPGamer.

'Power to the people' meets 'Shut up and take my money' as we go through the ins and outs of gamerdom and crowdfunding.

The post Episode 17: Kickstart My Heart appeared first on RPGamer.

We look at Bioware's output since their buyout by EA, and what that has meant for gamers and business types since then.

The post Episode 16: A Tale of Two Corporations appeared first on RPGamer.

A multi-level examination of the ludic, narrative, and artistic elements of the JRPG and how they interact with the Western market vis a vis popularity. Also the debut of the official ATBS drinking game.

The post Episode 15: Mainstreaming the JRPG appeared first on RPGamer.

The Banter panel unpacks special pleading, ignorance and self-centred behaviour in the fandom and hope for a brighter future for comment sections.

The post Episode 14: Fan-Titlement appeared first on RPGamer.

Gaffs, goofs, preshow rituals, gossip and the biological needs of pets round this collection of never-before-heard Banter.

The post AFD Special: Outtakes Reel appeared first on RPGamer.

Sex is not a win-state and other romantic notions are on the slate this installment. We share all of our varied emotions about this splendid sentiment within.

The post Episode 13: Romance in the Air appeared first on RPGamer.

When gunplay and stats interact sparks and ideas fly. We capture a few of both for podcast infotainment value.

The post Episode 12: Shooter-RPG Hybridization appeared first on RPGamer.

We open up the old mailbag for some listener-submitted topics in rapid-fire succession. Then we get judgemental about each other. It's a Festivus miracle!

The post Episode 11: Mailbaggery appeared first on RPGamer.

We tackle this issues faced by this benighted franchise, from both the business and creative standpoint. More importantly we attempt to decide whether we should care in the first place.

The post Episode 10: Fixing Final Fantasy appeared first on RPGamer.

Between various platforms, business models and the ever-present Square-Enix Tax, we navigate the state of game pricing for RPGamers.

The post Episode 9: The Price is Wrong, Mac appeared first on RPGamer.

Sony's latest handheld endeavour has been struggling, or maybe it hasn't. It's a matter of perspective. Listen to our panel vigorously share theirs on the subject.

The post Episode 8: The Vita is Doomed (Maybe) appeared first on RPGamer.

As gamers get older we begin insisting the youth of today play the games that mattered way back when, this doesn't seem to work out all that well for RPGamers. Your hosts investigate the nature of this conundrum.

The post Episode 7: Time and Criticism March On appeared first on RPGamer.

We tackle the notion of evolution within a game genre via an pair of related metaphors about rare animals. Whether or not JRPGs have to change in the face of "extinction" is left up in the air.

The post Episode 6: The Modern JRPG: Shark or Panda? appeared first on RPGamer.

Immersion, engagement and a few other ten dollar words get taken to task by our panel. Both the design and marketing side of the terminology equation are weighed and measured.

The post Episode 5: Immersion and other Buzzwords appeared first on RPGamer.

Scoring is a fickle beast for a reviewer. Our crew attempts to tame and/or slay the monster with our of bits intact.

The post Episode 4: Feelings out of a Number appeared first on RPGamer.

In this episode our intrepid crew tackles the East/West Divide, the phone/dedicated gaming device divide and the environment. Also debuting the feedback segment (with prizes).

The post Episode 3: State of the Pocket appeared first on RPGamer.

Re-releases, ports and up-scales, 'What do we want and what does it mean for the business' get examined in this instalment. Rather apropos for the eve of the FFX HD collection, no?

The post Episode 2: he Shape of Things Past appeared first on RPGamer.

Can objectivity be achieved in game criticism, and is such a state even worth it? Join our new podcast as we discuss the questions and more.

The post Episode 1: Famine, War, Pestilence, Death and Bias appeared first on RPGamer.