On this episode of Random Encounter, it’s a double dose of sci-fi and fantasy!

First, Aleks joins us to talk about Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, a sci-fi RPG with a strong tabletop influence. As a sequel to 2022’s Citizen Sleeper, Starward Vector expands its universe with multiple settings and companions. If you love tabletop RPGs, then this could be the sleeper hit of 2025!

Next, Paul dives into Tales of Graces f Remastered, experiencing a classic Tales game for the first time. Bandai Namco has been on a roll with Tales re-releases, and this remaster brings Tales of Graces, originally a 2009 Japan-only Wii game (and later a 2012 English PS3 release), back with updated visuals and quality-of-life improvements. With one of the best combat systems in the series, is it worth revisiting?

And finally, the panel discusses Sony’s failed foray into live-service gaming. With major cancellations making headlines, what went wrong (I'll give you a hint: The answer rhymes with Portnite)?

Featuring: Jono Logan, Aleks Franiczek, and Paul Skevington; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector Review
Citizen Sleeper Review
Tales of Graces f Remastered Review

On this episode of Random Encounter, Jono is back to chat with the panel about two recent big January releases!

First up, Wes has managed to fight through hundreds upon hundreds of foes to deliver their verdict on Dynasty Warriors: Origins! This latest entry in the long-running series dramatically cuts back on playable characters and weapons to provide a much more streamlined action-RPG experience. But did Origins manage to land a successful combo on Wes?

Next, Abe shares his thoughts on Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana. This remaster of 2005’s PSP title Ys: The Oath in Felghana, itself a remake of 1989’s Famicom classic Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, brings the series back into the spotlight. Does it feel like a relic of the past, or does it shine as brightly as it did in the PSP’s glory days?

Finally, the entire panel weighs in on the Switch 2 announcement trailer and shares their hopes for Nintendo’s new console in 2025!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Abraham Kobylanski, and Wes Iliff; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
Dynasty Warriors: Origins Review
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition Review
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Review
Fire Emblem Warriors Review
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Review
Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana Review

On this first episode of Random Encounter for 2025, Jono is missing, and it's up to the panel to find him!

Just kidding; we aren't a semi-educational game from the 1990s. Jono has bronchitis this week, so it's up to the brand-new full-time host of Retro Encounter, Zach Wilkerson, to fill in for him!

Joining Zach is Neal, who is chatting about the recent remake of one of the first RPG indie hits ever: Breath of Death VII: The Beginning: Reanimated. Released on Xbox Live Arcade back in 2011, Zeboyd Games' original Breath of Death VII delivered a fun, retro-style JRPG with nostalgic 8-bit graphics. This remake updates the visuals to stunning 16-bit while also delivering a brand-new soundtrack from HyperDuck SoundWorks! Does this remake live up to the original?

Audra is also joining the panel to chat about the Ace Attorney-inspired adventure Paper Perjury. With delightfully pixelated graphics and compelling mysteries galore, did Paper Perjury have Audra standing up, pointing her finger, and screaming "Objection?"

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Audra Bowling, and Neal Chandran; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
Breath of Death VII: The Beginning: Reanimated Review
Breath of Death VII: The Beginning Review
Paper Perjury Review

In our final Random Encounter of 2024, we’re diving into the games we’re most excited to play in 2025!

Every December, RPGFan unveils one of our biggest features: a list of the most anticipated games for the year ahead. What better way to close out 2024 than by joining our panel on Random Encounter to celebrate the titles we’re excited for as we count down to the new year?

From Avowed to the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, it's time to spread the spirit of the season by sharing our excitement for what 2025 has in store!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Aleks Franiczek, Kyle Cantelon, Wes Iliff, and Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
RPGFan’s 30 Most Anticipated Games of 2025

On this episode of Random Encounter, we're chatting about gaming's biggest night: The Game Awards 2024!

After a few rocky years, The Game Awards have finally hit their stride for their 10th anniversary. There were some astonishing reveals, wonderful tributes, and a surprising amount of empathy for those struggling in today's gaming industry. With announcements ranging from the epic (The Witcher IV) to the epically unexpected (Elden Ring Nightreign) this show had it all. All in all, it was a pretty fun three-plus hours!

With so much to talk about, we've assembled a panel ready to dive into the details of the show and chat about all the games that have us excited for 2025 and beyond!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Claton Stevenson, Gio Castillo, and Tin Manuel; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
Ōkami Sequel Revealed; Hideki Kamiya to Reprise Director Role
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Coming to PC on January 23rd, 2025
Final Fantasy XVI’s Clive Rosfield Joins Tekken 8
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Locks in February 4th Release Date
Elden Ring Nightreign is FromSoftware’s New Co-op Roguelike Action RPG
Dave the Diver’s Adventures Continue With In the Jungle DLC, Debuts Late 2025
The Witcher IV Wows During Game Awards Reveal
The Outer Worlds 2 First Gameplay Trailer Showcases Action, Weapons, and Wit

On this episode of Random Encounter, we're chatting about previews of two games we're excited for in 2025!

First up is a hands-on preview of Obsidian's newest first-person RPG, Avowed. A spin-off from the beloved Pillars of Eternity series, Avowed is being presented as Obsidian's answer to Skyrim. That said, it has an identity all its own, avoiding the full-on open world for a series of expansive zones, similar to their previous RPG, The Outer Worlds. Mark got a chance to play through some of the early game, and he is excited to share his impressions!

Next, we sent Zek all the way down to LA for a hands-on preview of Path of Exile 2, the sequel to the long-running, free-to-play action RPG, Path of Exile. What started as a Diablo-clone has evolved into a game with a massive community of fans who support the game through cosmetics and other ethical in-app purchases. Does this sequel live up to the standard set by the original, or did they literally sell out? Zek thinks it's the latter, and we hope so too!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Mark Roddison, and Zek Lu; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
Avowed is a Comfortable Return to Eora Preview
Pillars of Eternity Review
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Review
The Outer Worlds Review
Path of Exile 2 Hands-On Preview: Off to a Thrilling & Promising Start
Path of Exile Review

On this episode of Random Encounter, we are chatting about a long-awaited remake and an unexpected spin-off!

First, Zach is here to share his experience with the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. This ground-up remake of the beloved Famicom/NES JRPG has been a long time coming, first announced in 2021. With updated graphics, mechanics, storyline, and scope, this second coming of DQIII (or given prior remakes, third coming? Maybe fourth? No, fifth!) might be the perfect jumping-on point for folks interested in the iconic, long-running series!

Then, Caitlin joins us to discuss one of the most unexpected spin-offs in years: LEGO Horizon Adventures. Essentially a lighthearted remake of the first game in the Horizon series, Horizon Zero Dawn, LEGO Horizon takes everything we love about this beautiful post-apocalyptic world and translates it into LEGO. That means stunning Lego recreations of many machine beasts, including Watchers, Thunderjaws, and Tallnecks! Does this LEGO spin-off capture what makes the Horizon series so special?

And finally, hey, we chat about politics for a while because this is the world we live in.

Featuring: Jono Logan, Caitlin Argyros, and Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Review
Lego Horizon Adventures Review

On this episode of Random Encounter, we have another two GOTY contenders for you!

First up is Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the first new Dragon Age in a decade ! After BioWare's last two flops, they desperately needed a win, and it certainly sounds like they got one with this new installment of the long-running and beloved series! Audra is here to share all of her thoughts on how Dragon Age has evolved since Dragon Age: Inquisition back in 2014!

And then Ben is here to torture Jono by chatting about Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven! A remake of Super Famicom's Romancing Saga 2 from back in 1993, Revenge of the Seven lovingly reimagines the epic storyline set over hundreds of years and dozens of generations of heroes. Don't let Jono's grumbling about the series put you off because this might be a dark horse favorite for GOTY!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Audra Bowling, and Ben Love; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
Dragon Age: Origins Review
Dragon Age II Review
Dragon Age: Inquisition Review
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Review
Romancing SaGa 2 (2016) Review
Romancing SaGa 3 (2019) Review

On this episode of Random Encounter, two first-timers are joining us to chat about two of the year's biggest games!

First up, Zek is joined by Zach to rave about Atlus' latest RPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio. Known for the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series, Metaphor offers a brand-new world full of all the things you love about previous Atlus games: close character relationships, incredible world-building, and jaw-dropping UI. It's absolutely in the running for GOTY 2024!

But another contender for GOTY is the brand-new entry in the Zelda series, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and Paul and Mike are here to talk about it! While it may look like a retro-inspired 2D Zelda game on the surface, this title brings a shockingly novel innovation to the series: Zelda as a playable character. Imagine!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Mike Salbato, Paul Skevington, Zach Wilkerson, and Zek Lu; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
Metaphor: ReFantazio Review
Persona 5 Royal Review
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Review
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019) Review

On this episode of Random Encounter, it's time to chat about some recent game compilations!

Game compilations are not only a fantastic way to re-experience older games, but they also offer excellent value for your money! Even if the games are a little old, you're still getting multiple games for the price of one. And if you're lucky, the developer will have gone the extra mile to add quality-of-life features, remastered graphics and sound, and lots of additional bells and whistles!

So, Zach is here to discuss the Castlevania Dominus Collection, a compilation of all three DS-era Castlevania games (Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia). These, along with the titles in the Castlevania Advance Collection, were the games that cemented the portmanteau "Metroidvania," so they are well worth a second (or maybe even first) look.

Then, Jono gets to chat about one of his favorite series with the release of the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection. Combining Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and the previously-unreleased-in-the-West Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit, this compilation will give you the same wacky suspects, logical deductions, and heartfelt characters that the series is known for!

Plus, thanks to some incredible timing, Jono and Zach get to freak out about the upcoming Lunar Remastered Collection! This is going to be a good one!  

Featuring: Jono Logan and Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
A Closer Look at Lunar Remastered Collection in Screens
Castlevania Dominus Collection Review
Castlevania Advance Collection Review
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Review
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy Review
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles Review

On this episode of Random Encounter, Jono and Hilary geek out over a fantastic book focusing on the localization of beloved indie RPG, Undertale.

Video game localizations have come a long way since the days of spoony bards. When we usually think about game localization, we think Japanese to English. But what about the other way around?

Legends of Localization is a book series written by professional video game and anime translator Clyde Mandelin. In his latest volume, Legends of Localization Book 3: Undertale, Mandelin walks us through the incredible process of taking Undertale, a Western love letter to JRPGs, and localizing it for Japanese audiences. The book is absolutely loaded with amazing insights, entertaining anecdotes, and fascinating tidbits about the monumental effort it takes to translate and localize this uniquely quirky game. Join Jono and Hilary as they take a deep dive into this fascinating tome! 

Featuring: Jono Logan and Hilary Andreff; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
Undertale Review
Link to Purchase Legends of Localization Book 3: Undertale