Brr. Can you feel the chill in the air? Maybe you can, maybe you can't. The weather's been really screwy this summer. This week, the Blood God crew wades hip-deep into 2024's fall RPG season to evaluate what's coming, and to take a guess at which games look likeliest to bogart all their attention through September and October. Will it be the mystical Metaphor ReFantazio? The utterly charming Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom? Or perhaps the beleaguered Dragon Age Veilguard will dominate the autumn season. Listen in and shout your own choices at your audio output device. Or tune into the show live next time at twitch.tv/bloodgodpod. We show up every Saturday at 9:30 PT /12:30 ET. Also in this episode: Nadia is back, but RIP to her luggage Visions of Mana early impressions Our "canon event" games This is Tenchiverse and that "cabbit" did indeed turn into a spaceship Timestamps 00:00 - Main topic: Fall RPG Preview 55:28 - Random Encounters 1:12:13 - The Tavern 1:30:27 - Nostalgia Nook Music used in this episode Do Your Best! [Breath of Fire 3] Patty's Pub [Dragon Quest IX] A Curious Tale [Secret of Mana] Scream [Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode Kat, Eric, and special guest Brian Shea discuss all the news out of Gamescom! Does Xbox still need a Mario? What is happening with Blizzard? All these questions and more will be answered in this week's episode of Axe of the Blood God! Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod Also in this episode: Kat is invaded by turkeys Role-playing with sports games More Game Informer memories! Timestamps: 05:52 - Gamescom Announcements 52:48 - Random Encounters + Wukong 1:10:48 - The Tavern Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Mog Resort - [Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I hope you like your rings elden and your trees erd because this week Kat, Nadia, Eric, and special guest Mitchell Saltzman discuss the much-anticipated Elden Ring DLC. Plus, the latest Nintendo Direct, and Eric's experience with Final Fantasy VI so far. It's a jam-packed episode this week on Axe of the Blood God! Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod Also in this episode: Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom MAAAHVEL BAYBEE Fantasian Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Do we need leakers? Final Fantasy VI is really good Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 4:16 - Main Topic - Shadow of the Erdtree 38:04 - Random Encounters 41:28 - Nintendo Direct 1:00:40 - The Tavern 1:32:48 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Airship Stage - [Marvel Vs Capcom 2] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Axe of the Blood God, Digital Foundry's John Linneman joins Kat, Nadia, and Eric for a detailed discussion about Star Ocean: The Divine Force. It's been a Canis Major's age since Square Enix did anything with Star Ocean, and the Blood God crew is ashamedly not up-to-date on the series. That's why John is here. (Also, it's because he's cool). Is the new game everything Star Ocean fans have been waiting for? Find out. Also in this episode: Don't sleep on Harvestella, it's pretty dang good Mass Effect 5 exists Mazeltov to Ash Ketchum for becoming the Galar Region champion with the aid of a Pokemon that's too horrifying to exist Nadia made friends with some crows, then accidentally pissed them off with pistachios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Axe of the Blood God, Kat, Nadia, and Eric lose themselves to chaos. The smash launch of Marvel Snap dang near caused something to snap in their brains, it seems. Or maybe they're just jumpy because Twitter—a major source of networking and promotion for countless writers and pocasters (ahem)—is now Satan's own toilet. It's a great show, regardless. Sometimes it's healthy to just sit back and see where the toboggan ride takes you. Also in this episode: Final Fantasy XVI has some…issues regarding racial diversity Harvestella is out, and by gosh, it's chill as heck Whispers on the wind speak of a new Deus Ex game in development Autumn of Avatar: No character voiced by Mark Hamill can possibly be evil Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the Axe of the Blood God RPG podcast, Kat and Nadia have both gone out for cigarettes, which means that Eric is in charge. Our boy keeps his head on his shoulders and invites Mike Williams of Sharlayan Dropouts to talk about our next Class Conscious entry: Monks! You know, those fellows what pummel things with their fists and suplex trains. They're joined by martial artist Danielle Riendeau, who has good advice for all you baby monks who're just starting your training: The pavement always wins. Also in this episode: We say goodbye to esteemed RPG architect Rieko Kodama, who sadly passed away earlier this year Marvel Snap is currently the most popular thing in the universe Mike loves him some Mario Rabbids. (Or is that "rabid Mario?") The gang dives head-first into the Fire Nation on this week's Autumn of Avatar POST SHOW Eric, Mike, and the Stars of Destiny throw down in the chat over a brand-new tier list: The Top Halloween Candies of All Time. It gets hot, folks. Hotter than a tamale. But only Canadian kids know the pain of getting Molasses Kisses by the handful. Who even likes those? They keep coming back. Smells like witchcraft. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To honor the legacy of Rieko Kodama, who passed earlier this year, we are releasing this episode for free to all listeners.  For the August 2021 edition of Pantheon of the Blood God, Kat and Nadia are joined by Shane Bettenhausen for an exploration of one of Sega's seminal RPGs -- Phantasy Star! The trio discuss the rough early days of the Sega Master System, how the team with Sega greats Rieko Kodama and Yuji Naka came together, and how it differed from other RPGs in the 1980s. They also delve into its five best moments, from the lavish opening to the battle with Dark Falz. Then the verdict: Is Phantasy Star worthy of inclusion in the Pantheon of the Blood God? Listen and find out! As always, a sincere thanks to our $10 and above Patrons for your support! Every month we pick a new RPG for the Pantheon, which is voted on by the community. Join the Discord and jump into our Monthly Game Club conversation! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The weather is truly colorful and crisp — provided you live in the northern hemisphere and aren't currently in the grip of a climate change-fueled heatwave. Either way, it's a good time to stay indoors and play the piles of RPGs that are currently available, including DioField Chronicles, Mario + Rabbids, Valkyrie Elysium, Persona 5 Royal, Nier Automata, and Trails from Zero. You could also go outside, but you might, like, see a bug or something. Ew. This week, Kat, Nadia, and Eric are joined by a very special writer friend, Scott White. Scott helps fill in the gang on some of the more important RPGs that have recently landed, including the excellent Trails from Zero, and the reasons why it's a great entry point for the Trails series. Also in this episode: Kat loves the Steam Deck now, we all saw her in the closet, kissing the Steam Deck Final Fantasy XVI is looking pretty dope—and pretty inspired by Final Fantasy VI. How's the new Mario and Rabbids game? "It's-a great! Woo hoo!" This week on Autumn of Avatar: Book 2 comes to a close, and the kids are not all right. In the Post Show Blood God pal Scott White sticks around for this week's Axe of the Blood God post-show, which is piled with morsels of great RPG talk. For starters, can anyone out there think of a Christmas-themed RPG? Anyone? Bueller? Also, Eric talks Texas. Yee haw, and etcetera! Available exclusively to members on the Stars of Destiny tier! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following the release of Action Button's new review of Boku no Natsuyasumi, we welcome Tim Rogers to talk about this PS1 classic, which has plenty of connections to modern RPGs like Persona 5. Naturally, the conversation spreads out to hit many different topics within the realm of RPGs, including: Tim's rising appreciation for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Taco Tico, rats, and impromptu Nostalgia Pit Pondering Yuji Horii's successor  This episode is currently available exclusively to our Patrons! You can find conversation timestamps below.  Timestamps 0:00: Intro 11:00: Boku no Natsuyasumi and Taco Tico 23:55: The connections between Boku no Natsuyasumi and Earthbound 28:30: Rats, racoons and possums 38:50: Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Kingdom Hearts, and old developers 1:00:00: The PS1 is the best console ever 1:10:00: Sony's quest to make its own Dragon Quest 1:17:00: Reminiscing about Japan and Saizeriya 1:25:25: Dragon Quest and Mad Catz   1:34:50: Cyberpunk and Mighty Ducks 1:39:10: Who is the successor to Yuji Horii? 148:55: LA Noire and why games should be structured like a TV show 1:59:00: Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

War is hell. Unless you're talking about Valkyria Chronicles, the much-celebrated tactics RPG by Sega. See, war is still hell in Valkyria Chronicles, but it's also very pretty and fun to play. This week, very special guest and valued Blood God Patreon contributor Vivicomplex joins Kat, Nadia, and Eric to talk about World War Anime. Protip: Just send your scouts to the front line. Ain't nbodoy getting through those rifle-toting maniacs. Also in this episode: Eric can't talk about what he's been playing because of embargos, but that's alright because hahaha Chainsaw Man goes brrrrrr. Nadia maxed out her island paradise hideaway in FFXIV. Nobody is invited to visit. Suckers. This week on Autumn of Avatar: There ain't no war in Ba Sing Se, and there never was. In the Post Show Vivi sticks around after a spirited episode of Axe of the Blood God (aren't they all) to talk a bit more about what made her fall in love with Valkyria Chronicles in the first place. The gang also talks about how their Pokemon Black and White Pantheon playthroughs are going, and there's even a bit of talk about the band PUP. Wooo oooo ooooo, ooo oooo! Available exclusively to subscribers in our Stars of Destiny tier! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Axe of the Blood God, Kat, Nadia, and Eric talk about CD Projekt Red's (overly?) optimistic road map for the future of Cyberpunk 2077 and the Witcher series. Looks like CD Projekt is working hard to repair Cyberpunk's tarnished reputation in addition to making new games set in worlds that lack indoor plumbing. It's a long and winding road that's sure to be full of challenges, and we salute CD Projekt for assuming we're still going to be here in a decade. Always look on the bright side of life! Also in this episode: We're really behind on the new batch of RPGs. Sorry, we're trying to fix it :( Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM is going through difficult times Autumn of Avatar continues as we delve deep into Book Two Nadia electrocuted a lemon to go see the 1993 Super Mario movie in theatres POST SHOW Hey, Paisanos! Nadia and Eric talk about the new Super Mario Bros. movie trailer. Seems this movie might be fun and charming after all, even if Chris Pratt's flat-tire voice still isn't a great choice for everyone's favorite feisty plumber. Eh, I think we're all in agreement that Jack Black's Bowser is going to carry the movie, anyway. Available exclusively to subscribers in our Stars of Destiny tier! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 is currently experiencing something of a redemption arc. Does the (hugely) troubled RPG necessarily deserve said arc, though? Well…yes, but also no. This week on Axe of the Blood God, Kat, Nadia, and Eric invite Normandy FM's Kenneth Shepard for a chat about the state of Cyberpunk 2077, as well as what the future holds for the game—and for CD Projekt Red. Also in this episode: RIP Google Stadia, we hardly knew ye. Downwell fans will "dig" Shovel Knight Dig. Heh, that's a good one. "Dig." Autumn of Avatar continues. Toph has joined the party! Forget Cyberpunk. It is all about Cybertwunk now. POST SHOW Cyberpunk 2077's recent renaissance is owed to Cyberpunk Edgerunners, a Netflix series based on CD Projekt's RPG. Eric and special guest Kenneth Shepard talk about what makes the series good enough to bolster its troubled source material. Predictably, all semblance of civilized discussion unravels about midway through the discussion and everyone just yells at each other about Star Wars for the rest of the post show's run time. Available to listeners in the Stars of Destiny tier! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week's episode we're joined by the very talented folks behind 99 Potions, Fantbyte's dedicated RPG podcast that was unfairly cut short by the site's recent layoffs. In solidarity with our fellow creators, we invited Nere, Michael Higham, Andrea Shearon, John Warren, and Natalie Flores on the show to pour one out for a great website, talk about what they've been playing, and delve into some of their problematic favorite characters. Also in this episode: One more Xenoblade Minute with Michael Eric has thoughts on DioField Chronicle And Autumn of Avatar wraps up Book 1! Time Stamps 0:00 - 07:00: Intros and housekeeping 7:00 - 1:00:00: What we've been playing 1:00:00: Random Encounters 1:03:00: Problematic Faves 1:35:00: Autumn of Avatar, Book 1 Finale 1:50:00 - Pouring one for Fanbyte + Outro In the Post Show Nere, Michael, and Andrea stick around with Eric to talk about their favorite alcohol, discuss the reaction to unfinished assets from the GTA Mega Leak, and much more. This segment is available exclusively to our Stars of Destiny Patrons! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More like Summer Games FEAST. The deluge of news simply doesn't stop. This time Kat, Nadia, Eric, and special guest Brenden Groom focus on Dragon Age: The Veilguard plus a bazillion other games that were announced over the past week. Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod Also in this episode: Train Station Fist Fights! Is Super Monkey Ball and RPG? Hyper Light Breaker Monster Hunter Wilds More Metaphor Blumhouse and Sam Barlow Demonschool Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 15:36 - Kat and Eric's Dragon Age Impressions 1:00:00 - More SGF 1:48:08 - Random Encounters 1:51:20 - The Tavern 2:02:02 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Jouin High School - [Shin Megami Tensei V] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the Axe of the Blood God RPG podcast, Kat is out and Nadia learns one more time that it's really just that easy to take an inherently chaotic podcast and make it twice as dizzying. Friend of the show (and Nadia's former employer in the long ago and far away) Anthony John Agnello stops by for a visit and talks all about the huge RPG news deluge that occurred with last week's Nintendo Direct. A new Final Fantasy Theatrhythm game! A new Fire Emblem game! A name for the Breath of the Wild sequel! Farming! Farming! Farming! Also in this episode: How nice is Zack Fair's hair? (So nice.) Harvestella is weird but good! Holy crap! Suikoden remasters! Things are heating up in Autumn of Avatar.  RIP Fanbyte. :( Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Axe of the Blood God tackles the 2022 fall RPG preview—which feels like a nutty thing to say, since summer only started yesterday. Right? Right…? Oh. Thankfully, RPGs help take away the sting of passing time for a little while. And it so happens the last quarter of 2022 is loaded with some bangers. Persona 5 for Nintendo Switch! Tactics Ogre Reborn! Valkyrie Elysium! Not to mention a couple of small indie games called Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. What a way to end the year that gave us Elden Ring and Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Also in this episode: Mickey is a sad divorced dad in his new Animal Crossing-style game ("ah-ha!") Xenoblade Chronicles 3 chapter 5 ruined Nadia's life Kat's going to Japan and Nadia and Eric are not :( Nadia ruined the Autumn of Avatar forever Handy-dandy timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 5:08 - What we're playing 40:04 - Random encounters 44:56 -  Main topic: The fall RPG preview 1:12:17 - Autumn of Avatar 1:35:15 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The fall season is upon us, and more fantasy shows than you can shake a wizard's staff at are popping up! Since RPGs and fantasy have a fair bit to do with one another, we brought on IGN's Alex Stedman to chat about House of the Dragon, The Rings of Power, how RPGs and fantasy tales intersect, and kick off our Autumn of the Avatar! All that, plus: Eric dives into the film history of Immortality The crew debates space vs. dragons We're oo-surping things now Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a slim week at the Blood God, so we dipped into our rainy day bucket of topics to discuss Sony's first-party games. Does it need more first-party offerings, or should it stick to its third-party deals? We discuss all that and more, including: Final Fantasy XIV goes Stardew Valley Kat is getting back to Sunbreak Nadia demonstrates why we don't have shop class anymore Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Axe of the Blood God, Kat, Nadia, and Eric have a (digital) devil of a time talking about Soul Hackers 2. They're joined by Fanbyte.com superstars Michael Higham and Diego Argüello, who both have plenty to say about this strange game. It appears Soul Hackers 2 strives to land somewhere between the dark, complex Shin Megami Tensei games, and the character-driven Persona titles. Does Soul Hackers 2 hit the mark? Or does it just hee-ho off into the sunset, destined to be forgotten? Also in this episode: The preliminary sales numbers for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 are looking pretty fine The Embracer Group acquires everything on planet earth, including Lord of the Rings Riku the Nopon refuses to die for your sins; you don't deserve redemption The gang talks about "'The Garden of Eden', by I. Ron Butterfly" In the Post Show Michael Higham and Diego Argüello sit in on this week's post show, and the whole thing derails in about six seconds. The conversation bounces from religion to literature to something about furries and the Metaverse. Do not look in the dead, cold eyes of the Zuckerberg Metaverse dollar store Mii; it will swallow your soul. Available to subscribers in the Stars of Destiny tier and above on our Patreon! Axe of the Blood God is sponsored by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/bloodgod to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + Free Threat Protection + 1 additional month for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Axe of the Blood God: It's letter tiiime, it's letter tiiime! Kat, Nadia, and Eric answer questions asked by YOU, our grand Blood God listeners! What is the gang's favorite class in Xenoblade Chronicles 3? What new regional forms should appear in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet? Is it really that bad for an RPG to clock in at 100+ hours? All these burning questions and tons more get answers this week. Also in this episode: Is it finally okay to love Xenoblade's Nopons, or is said love still forbidden and unholy? Nadia chilled at the Final Fantasy: A New World concert. Delays, delays, delays. Lots of games are being delayed. But that's not so bad, really. In the Post Show This week on Axe of the Blood God's always-tasteful post show, Kat reveals she's going to Japan next month, and solicits cool things to do while she's in Tokyo. Nadia recalls her time in Shinjuku, and encourages everyone to visit the Dragon Quest cafe and eat a meat dumpling shaped like a Slime. It's the only true path to world peace. The post show is available to our Stars of Destiny Patrons here: https://patreon.com/bloodgodpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's another busy week on Axe of the Blood God. Two hefty topics are packed into one convenient episode: New Pokemon Scarlet and Violet information, on top of the beginning of the Nihon Falcom Developer Quest. Listen in as Kat, Nadia, and Eric talk up the Pokemon of the Paldea region, and try to figure out the whole deal with Terastallized (i.e. rock candy) Pokemon. After that, the gang chats about the beginnings of Nihon Falcom, the studio responsible for a lot of excellent RPGs going way, way back, including the Ys series, the Trails games, and much more. Also in this episode: The entirety of planet earth is playing Xenoblade Chronicles 3 We have a new selection for the Pantheon Game Club! Hint: It's Falcom related Nadia was Scary Spice for a little while. Just long enough to flummox Toronto's bus system In the Post Show Kat is forced to bail(ey) early on this week's post-show, so Nadia and Eric have free run of da joint. This week's topic is food, food, food. Barbeque. Brisket. Hungarian goulash. Beets and horseradish. Would you eat gefilte fish? You should try it sometime. Gosh, even writing this stirs up the appetite. Available via Patron: https://patreon.com/bloodgodpod Axe of the Blood God is sponsored by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/bloodgod to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + Free Threat Protection + 1 additional month for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Axe of the Blood God, it's time to bask in the Monado's power! Special guest Autumn Wright talks to Kat, Nadia, and Eric about Xenoblade Chronicles 3. How does the third game in this sometimes-bumpy series hold up? How does it compare to the first two Xenoblade Chronicles games, and how do the three of them link up? Does it matter? Should it matter? There's gorgeous scenery, a banging soundtrack, and an intriguing battle system—that much is certain. What more can you ask for when living the Xeno lifestyle? Also in this episode: The Knights of the Old Republic remake is delayed—and then some Eric has officially Walked to the End Kat gets $100 million for her perfect Gundam RPG and spends about $10 of it. Is it illegal to sneak into someone's house to play their video game console? Asking for a friend. In the Post Show Autumn joins Kat, Nadia, and Eric for a sophisticated discussion about how fighting game mechanics spill over into other genres, namely RPGs. Also, Nadia's into Street Fighter lore because she has a broken mind. And why didn't Guile Sonic Boom his dog? It would've been pretty funny. Available exclusive to our Stars of Destiny via the Patreon! Axe of the Blood God is sponsored by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/bloodgod to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + Free Threat Protection + 1 additional month for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Axe of the Blood God, Nadia and Eric are joined by their special friend, Reb Valentine of IGN. Together, they Live A Live, Laugh A Laugh, and Love A Love. That's right: Reb reviewed the long-awaited 2DHD remake of the highly unusual Super Famicom RPG Live, and she's in love to say the least. In fact, Live A Live has seemingly charmed western RPG fans in a way that would have been deemed impossible back in 1995. Who says there's no longer hope for humankind? Make sure to check out Reb's full review! Also in this episode: Oh no Eric is playing Endwalker Nadia replays Xenoblade Chronicles to see if she still loves it. (Yes.) Yakuza 8 is real, it's coming, and Ichiban is everyone's friend. Axe of the Blood God is sponsored by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/bloodgod to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + Free Threat Protection + 1 additional month for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  Today on a very special episode of Axe of the Blood God, Kat, Nadia, and Eric party down with friends of the show Ben Hanson  and John Carson. Nota bene: "Party down" in this instance means getting down to brass tacks and debating the best parties RPGs have to offer.  What's the secret glue that holds the cast of Chrono Trigger? Why does Final Fantasy 7 feel like it lacks that glue? Will a 13 Sentinels reference pop up? (Heck yes.) All these questions and more are on the table. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're at the SGF. We're at the Day of the Devs. We're at the Xbox Showcase. We're at the combination SGF, Day of the Devs, Xbox Showcase. Kat and Eric are joined by Michael Higham and Moises Tavares to discuss an absolute deluge of game reveals, announcements, trailers, and news. Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod Also in this episode: Can Metaphor: ReFantazio bring back fantasy? Dragon Age: The Veilguard is here to fill your quip quota Starfield: Shattered Space Expedition 33 Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:00 - Main Topic - It's ALL Main Topic, Baby! Good luck! Music Used in this Episode: Tuliyollal Theme - Day - [Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Axe of the Blood God charity stream is over, and somehow Kat, Nadia, and Eric came out the other side with their limbs and sanity intact. They also came out with $10,000+ raised for Trans Lifeline! That's worth a limb or three. This week's show has a brief post-mortem of the charity stream before the gang gets down to business: An informed conversation about the Gundam series' endless supply of inspiration for RPGs. What do RPGs, particularly Japanese RPGs owe to the classic anime? In short, just about everything—and not simply cool mech suits. Also in this episode: Nadia finished Omori and is left with feelings of warmth and cheeriness The new Genesis Mini is gonna rule!...if you live in Japan No, Nadia didn't drown a kid. He just got a little wet In the Post Show Summer of Gundam proceeds apace in this week's post show. The crew talks about the coolest Gundam models across the years, from the most battle-effective to the most edgelord-adjacent. (Hint: This is where Gundam Wing comes in.) Nadia's opinion is basically "robot smash other robot good, he he he." This is recorded live and available to our Stars of Destiny Patrons! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the (ahem) fallout of our #1 pick for the Top 25 RPGs of All Time, we got together with Khee Hoon Chan and Jay Castello to talk about whether it deserves to be the top-rated RPG of all time. How much does the setting, politics, and sidequests elevate it? And how much do the VATS System and bugs weigh it down? We discuss as part of part of our big 24 hour charity stream in which we were able to raise more than $10,000 for Trans Lifeline! Also in this episode: Valkyrie Elysium trail is here and it looks... good? It looks good! Kat has some thoughts on the Live a Live demo and Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak Eric extols the virtues of 08th MS Team in Summer of Gundam Nadia's Nostalgia Nook takes us back to Our Lady Peace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Summer is a time for schmoozing with friends, which is why Axe of the Blood God invited veteran guest Len Hafer to talk about the best video game genre in the whole wide world. (Psst—that means RPGS.) Leana helps the Blood God wrap up the PC RPG Quest with a deep dive into the computer RPGs that shaped the '10s. And oh, what a decade it was. Kickstarter dreams and nightmares! Bioware's troubles! World of Warcraft! The rise of CD Projekt Red! Final Fantasy XIV's fall and resurrection! They don't make drama like this anymore. Also in this episode: The Live A Live demo is…live. And it's already something special. Mega Man Battle Network is getting a collection. Hey, it's RPG-adjacent. And the second game has a lot of swear words in it for some reason. Is it "Nicky-Nicky-Nine-Door" or "Ding-Dong-Ditch?" Come to our upcoming charity stream for Trans Lifeline, or else. In the Post Show Leana joins the gang for the usual hodge-podge of good stuff that the Blood God Crew wrings out of itself at the end of every show. This week, the discussion turns to live-action and/or animated adaptations of video games that we'd like to see. Plus, lots of Summer Games Done Quick discussion… and hey! Nadia got a gaming computer that's worth half a damn! This episode is available exclusively to our Patrons in the Stars of Destiny tier and above! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Axe of the Blood God, recent political going-ons have the gang physically, mentally, and spiritually taxed. Kat, Nadia, and Eric elect to take it easy and do a mid-year check-in of the RPGs. What are some of our favorite games this year? (Elden Ring might get a mention.) Which RPGs were surprise hits? Which seemed to slip under the radar? Opinions are shared. Also in this episode: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is looking quite fine. Eric is trying to build a Gundam model, RIP All glory to the Disneyworld Dead Lizard Patrol In the Post Show On this week's post show, Kat and Eric descend down an End of Evangelion hole, and Nadia just kind of sits with her gob as wide as a boot because she has no idea what they're talking about. But then the gang answers an important listener question about how they'd build their ideal RPGs. Eric and Nadia have answers that are almost normal, but Kat unleashes a nightmare idea on the masses. For the love of God, don't let her anywhere near RPG Maker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Axe of the Blood God, Kat has an intense war flashback to spring 2020. If you don't recall, Final Fantasy 7 Remake absconded with a little bit of her soul, and she's never been quite the same since. Hence why she absolutely goes off on Final Fantasy 7 Remake all over again in this episode. But who can blame her? The ongoing summer of not-E3 continues to drop a whole lot of Final Fantasy 7 news, including an announcement for "Rebirth." It's enough to shatter anyone's mind—arguably the best kind of news worth digging through. This episode even contains a very special witness to Kat's breakdown: $100 Patron Vivicomplex! Vivi leads the discussion on RPG Maker, the long-lived game construction series that amateur programmers use to make adventures with minimal coding. RPG Maker's legacy and purpose is carried on today through programs like Game Maker Studio, which gave rise to Undertale and countless other RPGs. Also in this episode: The Summer of Gundam continues! What's the series' ideal viewing order? Kat educates us. So, so much Final Fantasy 7 news. Crisis Core remake! Crisis Core remake!! Janus brought down the gmod apocalypse, praise be. In the Post Show Weekly Post Show One show is not enough to contain all the Final Fantasy news — nor is it enough to contain Kat's continued FF7 Remake rant-a-rooney. Vivicomplex joins the gang again as they talk more about what's going on with this brand-new take on the controversial "Compilation of Final Fantasy 7." Also, Nadia's still making her way through FFX, so expect some complaining about Seymour. The Weekly Post Show is available exclusively to our supporters in the Stars of Destiny tier! Thanks so much for your support! And as always, you can catch us when we record live on Friday at 5pm PT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Axe of the Blood God, Kat and Eric are joined by not one, but two Alexes to break down the summer showcases! RPG Site's Alex Donaldson and freelancer Alex J. Kane are here to discuss the Xbox and Bethesda showcase, as well as the whole of Summer Game Fest. Also in this episode: Eric and Alex D. talk Three Hopes early impressions Alex K. talks KOTOR 2's solid Switch port Kat laments the meta-ness of it all Fortnite? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Axe of the Blood God, Kat rejoins Eric and Nadia after her adventure on the high seas. She's a little unsteady on her legs, not to mention lightly brined by sea salt, but that's not about to stop her from talking about everything that's going on this week in RPGs. And a loaded week it is, mateys. We've got impressions of the Final Fantasy XVI trailer, as well as opinions about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's chonky pigs and small olives. Also in this episode: Eric's finally playing Suikoden 2 The upcoming Dragon Age game has a title. Progress! Nadia layeth the smackdown on Seymor in Final Fantasy X "I am Malenia, blade of–" [Vomits everywhere] On the Post Show On this week's post-show, Kat tells us about the joys of sailing the high seas–e.g. seasickness and other cool things that happen on the water. There's also a deep discussion about sports, Street Fighter 6, and how awesome Cody is. (So awesome.) The Post Show is available to the Stars of Destiny tier and above! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode was not entirely Nadia's idea, we swear. Really, can anyone deny the sheer cool factor of the Final Fantasy series' take on dragon knights? If you're not, maybe this episode will make you a believer. Prima Games' Jesse Vitelli joins Nadia and Eric as they talk about Dragoons past and present, from progenitor Ricard Highwind to the dragon-hating nerd Estinien Wyrmblood. Pull on your overly-elaborate dragoon boots and join the fun. Also in this episode: Miyazaki (not that one) thinks Radahn is the best Elden Ring boss.  Give us more Dragon's Dogma, Capcom. (Please.) The Summer Game Fest creeps ever closer. What will we see? Sony is making bad decisions about its retro games again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Axe of the Blood God, Kat has run off to do sailor junk on the high seas, so Nadia and Eric hold the rig together by themselves. Well, that's not entirely true. Kat joins them from SeaPhone™ to tackle this week's main topic: Why some games were picked for our updated Top 25 RPG list, while others were left to die in shallow puddles of rainwater. This discussion involves a lot of self-flagellation and even more furious denial, so look forward to drama and mayhem. Soap operas wish they had this explosive narrative impact.   Also in this episode:   June is going to be all decked out in Final Fantasy (XVI? VII Remake pt 2?) news. What is even going on with Summer Games Fest? Do we know? Do we care? (Kinda.) One time, Nadia had to ask a bookstore clerk for porn manga. It was for work. The Luca Goers suck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time at last to share our newly-revised list of the 25 best RPGs of all time! For much of 2022 we've been slowly collecting potential nominees for an update to the list that we made several years ago. Now it's time to share that list for all to see!  To make this list we took the list of nominees plus the original list and made our own Top 25s, with the games that were on all three lists going straight into the Top 25. From there we embraced debate with discussions including: Whether or not Mass Effect should be included a trilogy Eric calling Skyrim the "McDonald's hamburger of RPGs." Multiple RPGs being rescued from the dead  Whether it's time to anoint brand-new #1! For your convenience, we've shared time codes below. Time Codes 4:40: We share our personal Top 25 RPG lists 21:35 - The Initial Cutdown + Wild Card Picks + Listener Poll 36:35: Games That Made At Least Two Lists 140:25: Finalizing the List 2:23:00: Ranking the Games 2:50:20: The Top 25 RPGs Of All Time Thanks again for joining us in this very fun project! We'll probably be circling back and rebuilding given that there always amazing new RPGs being released. But in the meantime, we're excited to hear your thoughts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Axe of the Blood God, the gang takes a step into the fascinating and revolutionary (if jagged and polygonal) world of massive multiplayer online RPGs from the 2000's. Kat, Nadia, and Eric are joined by very special guest Amy Dunham, who worked on some of the most prominent '00s MMORPGs. (And more than a few other games, too!) Tune in as we talk about World of Warcraft, EverQuest, Eve Online, Elder Scrolls Online, and much more. Rest assured, Nadia reps Rangarok Online, too Also in this episode: Starfield is delayed, no Starfield for Kat Final Fantasy XIV players are being sent to video game jail for using mods Pokemon Home adds support for Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, and Legends Arceus Eric lords his Steam Deck over the rest of us plebes On the Post Show:  This week's Axe of the Blood God post show is a godless mess as usual. Master Chief is no longer a virgin, so let's all gather around in a circle, clap, and tell him "Congratulations!"  Also, there is a lot of Final Fantasy X discussion. Why don't people on Besaid island eat chocolate cake? Because it's SINfully delicious. Wakka Wakka Wakka! The Post Show and the live recording can be access through the Stars of Destiny tier and above on the Patreon.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a special thank you to our listeners for helping us reach $6000 two months in a row, we recently hosted a very special D&D 5e session with special guest DM Shivam Bhatt. Now it's available for everyone to listen! Tune in as our heroes embark on a quest for the Axe of the Blood God; bumble into some orcs; have a really hard time climbing a hill, and say hello to a very special badger named Orlando. Here are the characters: Kat plays Kara the Wanderer, a Paladin devoted to Selune the Moonmaiden. Nadia plays Kalfor, a Red Dragonborn Ranger with motivations of their own (and a cool hat, apparently). Eric plays Coronach, a Tiefling Warlock with a real Pixie problem. If you enjoyed the adventure, let us know! It would be fun to do more of these if listeners are interested. Until then, thank you as always for your support and the opportunity to do fun and unique adventures like this one! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tired of the same ol' RPGs? Why not try changing your perspective?  This week by Patron request, Nadia, Kat, and Eric talk about isometric RPGs with some help from Leana Hafer of Three Moves Ahead. Topics of isometric discussion include "How good is Tunic?" (Very good.) "Does Dragon Age: Origins count as an isometric RPG?" (Yes.) "Which isometric RPG should Nadia play?" (Disco Elysium, CUNO.) And "How is 2022 looking for the sub-genre?" (Pretty neat!) Other topics of discussion include: Kat's ensnared by a mobile gatcha RPG. SHAME. SHAME. Nadia hates Crumbling Farum Azula and everyone on it. The how, why, and "huh?" of Square Enix's IP fire sale. We pick our final four nominees for the rebuild of the Top 25 RPGs of all time list! Enjoy the show? Check out our Patreon at https://patreon.com/bloodgodpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Blood God is back in full force after Eric and Nadia's trip out to Boston. We're continuing our unofficial Job Hunt with a discussion about White Mages and healers in RPGs! How has healing evolved over the years? Who's the best healer around? Is Kat going to start playing competitive Pokemon again? Answers to all these and more in this week's episode, plus: Eric gets bitten by the GBA Fire Emblem bug Kat gets an after-school gig, this Week in Gekkoukan Nadia sends a battery boy to Dura-Hell Plus, four more picks for our soon-to-close nominations for the Top 25 RPG rankings! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Axe of the Blood God was at PAX East over the weekend, where Nadia and Eric were joined by special guests Scott White and Ash Paulsen! In a special live panel, they discuss the State of Final Fantasy from the good, to the bad, to the... Chaotic. Thanks so much to everyone for joining us, and you can watch the panel here!   Plus Kat, Nadia, and Eric talk about Xenoblade Chronicles getting pushed up (!?) to July and Elden Ring Patch 1.04! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's Axe of the Blood God is simple and clean. Friend of the show and Good Vibes Gaming host Ash Paulsen joins Kat, Nadia, and Eric to talk about Square Enix's surprise Kingdom Hearts 4 announcement. What, exactly, is going on in the game's mystifying trailer? How did Sora get doxxed? What happened to his Ronald McDonald shoes? Why did Goofy and Donald descend into hell to look for Sora instead of assuming he went to Heaven? The discourse is rich and flavorful.  Also in this episode: Final Fantasy XIV 6.1 is here. Time to dust off your catboys. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes pits Not-Byleth against Byleth. Kat beats up her first shadow in her Persona 3 day-by-day playthrough The "What is an RPG' discourse reaches new, depraved depths. But "If Bloodborne counts as an RPG, so does Actraiser! Tell 'em, Hawk!" Nadia once had a Cabbage Patch doll, and that ended poorly for everyone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Axe of the Blood God, the PC RPG Quest continues! The gang is joined by their friend Jeff Green, who was at the epicentre of the major shift PC gaming underwent in the 2000's. On the surface, it was a grim time for PC RPGs. MMOs were encroaching on single-player adventures, consoles were eating into the PC RPG space...and what the heck was this "Steam" thing Valve refused to shut up about? Pffft. It'll never catch on. Also in this episode:  We introduce our characters for next week's D&D game! Be there or be square. Starscourge Radahn was un-nerfed in Elden Ring, but the important thing is he still rides on a tiny horse. (Or is it a tricycle?) Kat has started her Persona 3 playthrough, and she has some initial thoughts. Actraiser is an RPG. End of discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode of Axe of the Blood God comes at the end of a discourse-heavy week. E3 is pretty much dead, which spurs Kat, Nadia, and Eric into sharing their best E3 memories (Nadia still has her Witcher press Trapper Keeper). Moreover, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 has been bumped to spring 2023. Whatever will Nintendo do this holiday season?...Oh, right. Pokemon's coming. Also in this episode: Nadia's playing Valkyrie Profile and keeps calling it "Valkyria Chronicles." March Madness is done! Who came out on top as the best RPG Hero or Champion? The new PlayStation Plus deal is "uhhhh." But at least we can play Tokyo Jungle again? A book fair ran over Nadia's cat. We also have a post show available to our Stars of Destiny subscribers! This week we share our Stephen King starting recommendations and talk about being really bad at math. Stars of Destiny and above subscribers also get access to our live recording every Friday at 5pm PT, which is always a party. As always we appreciate your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode of Axe of the Blood God is utterly bewitching. True, Kat, Nadia, and Eric are enthralling company in every circumstance—but with the recent announcement of (not) Witcher 4, how could they resist talking about what CD Projekt has up its sleeve? The gang talks about the seemingly new direction for this beloved fantasy property, and what it entails for the still-troubled CD Projekt. Also in this episode: It's letter time! It's letter time! Kat's getting into Triangle Strategy, as the prophecy foretold. Nadia stuck a twinblade up a dragon's grundle. Back in MY day, we had to print hentai and pass it around the school. Enjoy the show? Check us out on Patreon: https://patreon.com/bloodgodpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the Axe of the Blood God RPG podcast, we're joined by USgamer alumni Mike Williams. Mike tells us all about the adventures he's had with a jolly man named Jack Garland. Jack is the very agreeable protagonist of the very normal, very down to earth Final Fantasy Origins: Stranger of Paradise. Listen to Mike talk about the game; we assure you Jack never uses foul language or flies off into disjointed rants. P.S., today is Opposite Day. Also in this episode: Strategy fans are eatin' good with Triangle Strategy You should play Babylon's Fall just to remind yourself of how bad video games can get Warm memories of Toonami on its 20th anniversary Dicktochat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Axe of the Blood God, we're spoiling for a fight. That's why we pushed Kat off her chair this week and offered it to Michael Higham, Fanbyte's fighting game expert extraordinaire. What do fighting games have to do with RPGs? Well heck, a good fighting game character can have a backstory to rival any RPG hero's tale—and anyway, now's a great time to talk about Persona 4 Arena Ultramax. So that's what we do.  Also in this episode: Our hero-themed March Madness continues to be madness. We're here to talk about Stranger of Paradise and Chaos. That's our mission. Nadia's been fully absorbed by Elden Ring, RIP. Nadia also forgot to add music for her segment. It's all Blaidd's fault, somehow. Enjoy the show? Support us on Patreon!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greetings, disciples of the Blood God. Kat is not with us this week; she's going to try her hand at being a pirate on the open seas. There's an excellent chance she'll be back next week, though. Despite what the Peter Pan song tells you, the pirate's life is not for everyone. Nadia and Eric manage to scrounge together a great show anyway, because it's Elden Ring week! No worries—there are no spoilers on the show, but we did get Isla Hinck from Easy Allies and Jesse Vitelli of PrimaGames to talk about their reviews for this highly anticipated (and critically acclaimed) open world game from FromSoftware. Also on this episode: No, seriously, Elden Ring's review scores are truly, truly, truly outrageous Nadia gives her impressions of Final Fantasy VI: Pixel Remaster Valve God Gabe Newell is confirmed Final Fantasy XIV trash The story of Ganon, the golden retriever that humped everything Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's down to a pair this week, as Kat and Eric gather to investigate the state of Cyberpunk 2077 with its brand-new next-gen patch and lament the loss of more eShop content. Make sure you get your Golden Sun downloaded while you still can, as two visions of the cyber-future both seem bleak. They also dive into the overlap of grand strategy and RPGs, thanks to Blood God backer Ruka!   In other happenings:  Eric learns to loathe the grind in Monark  Kat is figuring out her feelings on Horizon  Nadia isn't even here and the Nostalgia Nook still takes a dark turn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are people out there who hang onto news about Nintendo Directs the way a religious person might fervently cling to signs of Jesus' return. Humanity is still waiting on the second coming of the Lord, but Nintendo offered a nice stop-gap last week. The February Nintendo Direct was bursting with incredible RPG news—and some of it was simply bananas. A 2D HD remake of Live A Live? Absolutely nobody had that on their Bingo card. Well, it's doubtful anyone had "Kirby inhales objects bigger than your mom in Kirby and the Forgotten Land" either. To reiterate a point made earlier, it was a strange Direct. In addition to the Nintendo Direct RPG news, we talk about: Nadia is bad at Final Fantasy Tactics Waddle Dee broke the internet news machine wide open Lost Ark is already huge — can it keep up that momentum? More RPG nominations for the 25 Best RPGs of All Time Intergrade If we get to $8000 per month, Nadia and Eric's dads will fight each other $10,000, and we'll make it to the death Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat's gone, so Eric and Nadia assemble an Elite 4 to review Pokemon Legends: Arceus. IGN's Rebekah Valentine and Fanbyte's Kenneth Shepard join the show to chat about how the new direction has panned out, its highs and lows, and how it embraces Poke-mythology. Will this be remembered as a trailblazer or an obscure side game? Either way, we never want to see Cherubi again. Also in this episode: - A Realm Reborn struggle is real - We sing some Phantom of the Opera? - Eric craves curling - Nadia recounts crime - New Top 25 entries and the reveal of a new tactic-ful February special! Enjoy the show? Make sure to subscribe to our Patreon!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices