Rpg Fan's Random Encounter

The podcast crew continues to fight back the record setting drought with a focus on great gaming experience. Rob and John spent some time in The Secret World, and John also pulled double duty by partaking in some Rainbow Moon with resident gaming lover Stephen. Meanwhile, some relatively minor news accompanies a major rumor on a supposedly troubled project. Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll and Stephen Meyerink Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

The summer heat has kicked in, but that just means more time to stay in the air conditioning and play some great RPGs. Stephen comes armed after a harrowing experience with the Japanese beta of Phantasy Star Online 2 (keep in mind we didn't know about the US release when we recorded), while John brings the critters of Pokemon Conquest to destroy the armies of feudal Japan. Meanwhile, Rob's been playing some Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (way to stay current), and, of course, Zack brings the news, including the release announcement of Guild Wars 2. Featuring: Robert Steinman, Stephen Meyerink, John McCarroll, and Zachary Pintchik Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

Another year, another E3 come and gone in the gaming world. While it may not have seemed like there were a lot of RPGs on display, our intrepid reporters scoured the show floor to bring you all of the latest info. From the first Skyrim expansion to a game in which a young child tries to kill people (seriously!), this year's expo had a wide range of titles to choose from. Join the regular crew and various special guests as we do our best to talk about all of the E3 insanity! Featuring: Robert Steinman, Stephen Meyerink, Neal Chandran, Kyle E. Miller, John McCarroll and Dave Yeager Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

Join RPGFan Editor-in-Chief John McCarroll as he talks Gungnir with Richard Rodrigues and Aram Jabbari of Atlus. Note: This is the same interview available at the end of Random Encounter Episode 45. We've added a separate download option for your listening convenience. Featuring: John McCarroll, Richard Rodrigues (QA Lead, Atlus), Aram Jabbari (PR Manager, Atlus) Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

Looks like Hell has finally frozen over. Blizzard unleashed Diablo 3 a little over two weeks ago, and the podcast crew has been tearing through the armies of the Burning Hells with reckless abandon. What do they think about all of the connection issues? What about the auction house? Is the game even good? After that, the crew wades into a title that Rob can't pronounce or spell with Gungnir, and there's certainly some sad news to talk about following the closing of 38 Studios and Big Huge Games. Stay tuned after the regular show for an interview with Atlus' QA Lead Richard Rodrigues and PR Manager Aram Jabbari as they talk more about Gungnir with Editor-in-Chief John McCarroll. Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink and Zachary Pintchik Special Guests: Richard Rodrigues and Aram Jabbari Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

As part of the ArenaNet studio visit that took place one month ago, Rob was able to participate in two roundtable interviews on the upcoming Guild Wars 2. Unfortunately, we were unable to get you the interviews due to technical difficulties... until now! The first interview is with Lead Content Designer Colin Johanson and Lead Game Designer Eric Flannum, and is followed by an interview with ArenaNet President Mike O'Brien and Producer Chris Whiteside. There's a lot of interesting discussion in here, so grab a seat and listen up! Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

Ya know what's a good idea? Let's send the biggest MMO-hater on the site out to Seattle to check out Guild Wars 2. It may sound like a recipe for disaster, but Rob came back with a huge smile on his face and a desire to play more of the innovative title due out later this year. In addition, John found a surprising amount of quality listener mail, giving us the oppourtunity to hold our very first Q and A session! How freakin' sweet is that?! Zack brings it all home with his usual news roundup, including a special piece that's sure to make both Rob and Stephen very happy... Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink, Derek Heemsbergen and Ashton Liu Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

It's spring time and allergy season has hit the podcast crew like a ton of bricks, but that won't stop us from talking about some great JRPG releases! We finally have Xenoblade in America as well as Tales of Graces f to satiate us during these sneeze filled months. There's also a lot of Kickstarter stuff to talk about in news, leading to the revival of some well loved franchises (yay for Shadowrun!). Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink, Derek Heemsbergen and Ashton Liu Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

The release of Mass Effect 3 sure has sent some shockwaves through the industry, and the podcast gang is no exception. Join the crew of Random Encounter as they talk about the crew of the Normandy and the finale to BioWare's epic. We delve into spoilers from about the 37 minute mark until 1 hour 20 minutes in, so avoid that if you're worried about spoilers. But do come back! After John's journey through news, Atlus representatives Aram Jabbari and Scott Williams join us to talk about the soon to be released Game of Thrones RPG based on the works of George RR Martin. Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink, Liz Maas and Ashton Liu Special Guests: Aram Jabbari and Scott Williams of Atlus Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

You can't say we don't listen to the fans. Wait, that double negative has me all confused now. Anywho, the podcast crew wades into the JRPG space this week with a look at Hyperdimension Neptunia MK2 and (one of Stephen's favorite games) Tales of the Abyss. The conversation ends up completely off track when Rob and John focus on what draws them into a video game. Zack returns from his college adventures to talk news, and the whole crew agrees that we should have probably trademarked the name Random Encounter. Oh well! Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink and Zachary Pintchik Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

Remember when the first quarter was a slow time of the year? Yeah, fat chance of us getting a break around here with these major releases! Final Fantasy 13-2 is here and ready to usher in the New Year with moogles, time travel, and the cast of Kingdom Hearts. Wait, what? We brought Derek back on the show because, well, he found every freakin' doodad in the game! That's dedication, folks! After that, we head straight into the fantasy realm of Amalur, as Stephen spent the better part of the week splitting the heads of various fae folk and raining death on the countryside. John brings it all together with news while Rob cries in the corner over the latest information on the release of Diablo 3. Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink and Derek Heemsbergen Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

Square-Enix graced the US with the demo for Final Fantasy XIII-2, and it's up to the podcast crew to tear into this mammoth JRPG. Did the developers listen to the complaints from the original game? Will this sequel bring new and old fans to the fold? We may not have concrete answers, but we certainly have some initial thoughts. You also get to hear the beginnings of a retrospective look at the franchise that will (hopefully) take on a larger form down the line. John battles with the recent news as we also get a demo for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, The Old Republic receives a content update, and the death (rebirth?) of the infamous Fallout MMO sends ripples through the industry. Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink and Kimberley Wallace Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

We certainly promised you guys a big end of the year episode, and by God did we ever deliver. The crew starts by sitting down for an in-depth discussion of 2011. From Dragon Age 2 to Skyrim, the podcast gang analyzes the major releases and trends in the genre (and industry) we all love. In the second segment, Rob, John, Kyle and Dave talk about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, one of the first big RPGs of 2012. Finally, the podcasters take a look into the RPGFan Crystal Ball (TM) and come up with some predictions for the new year. Will we finally get Persona 5? What about Mass Effect 3? Is Diablo 3 destined to be the best game of 2014?! Only time will tell.... Note: Due to the length of our End of the Year Spectacular, we've decided to offer it in two versions. This is Part 1 of 2, covering the games of 2011 and a preview of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. For our look ahead at 2012 make sure to download Part 2 of the show, or if you'd prefer to listen to all three segments in one episode, download the full vers

We certainly promised you guys a big end of the year episode, and by God did we ever deliver. The crew starts by sitting down for an in-depth discussion of 2011. From Dragon Age 2 to Skyrim, the podcast gang analyzes the major releases and trends in the genre (and industry) we all love. In the second segment, Rob, John, Kyle and Dave talk about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, one of the first big RPGs of 2012. Finally, the podcasters take a look into the RPGFan Crystal Ball (TM) and come up with some predictions for the new year. Will we finally get Persona 5? What about Mass Effect 3? Is Diablo 3 destined to be the best game of 2014?! Only time will tell.... Note: Due to the length of our End of the Year Spectacular, we've decided to offer it in two versions. This is Part 1 of 2, covering the games of 2011 and a preview of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. For our look ahead at 2012 make sure to download Part 2 of the show, or if you'd prefer to listen to all three segments in one episode, download the full vers

We certainly promised you guys a big end of the year episode, and by God did we ever deliver. The crew starts by sitting down for an in-depth discussion of 2011. From Dragon Age 2 to Skyrim, the podcast gang analyzes the major releases and trends in the genre (and industry) we all love. In the second segment, Rob, John, Kyle and Dave talk about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, one of the first big RPGs of 2012. Finally, the podcasters take a look into the RPGFan Crystal Ball (TM) and come up with some predictions for the new year. Will we finally get Persona 5? What about Mass Effect 3? Is Diablo 3 destined to be the best game of 2014?! Only time will tell.... Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink, Zachary Pintchik, Dave Yeager and Kyle Miller Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

Our trip through the frozen lands of Skyrim comes to a close with a few final thoughts on Bethesda's epic. But the latest Elder Scrolls title wasn't the only big game to come out in November. Nintendo decided to throw the Wii a going away party in the best possible way with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. However, that's not all, weary traveler. Rob and Stephen were recently blessed with the Diablo 3 beta, and they certainly have lots to say about the Lord of Terror's return to the land of Sanctuary. Zack brings the podcast home with a great deal of news, including something that should make Operation: Rainfall members very happy. Finally, in another developer interview, Chris Wilson of Grinding Gear Games joins Rob and podcast newbie Bob Richardson to talk about Path of Exile. Featuring: Robert Steinman, Stephen Meyerink, Zachary Pintchik and Derek Heemsbergen Special Guests: Bob Richardson (Reviews Editor, RPGFan) and Chris Wilson (Producer and Lead Designer, Grinding Gear Games) Questions? Comments? Sp

Guys! Guys! Skyrim is here! The Bethesda epic we've all been waiting for has finally arrived and the editors of RPGFan are here to share their opinions on the game. Tales of werewolves, assassinations and lots of dragons abound in this weeks episode of Random Encounter! Stay tuned after the show for an interview with Cesar Bittar and Katie Hallahan of Phoenix Online Studios on their upcoming game Cognition. Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink and Kyle Miller Special Guests: Cesar Bittar and Katie Hallahan, Phoenix Online Studios Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

With the horror that is Dark Souls behind them, the editors of RPGFan enjoy a return to some sort of normalcy as John talks The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Kim and Derek riff on Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny, as Rob sinks his teeth into... more Dark Souls, and Stephen wraps us up with this week's RPG news. Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink, Kimberley Wallace and Derek Heemsbergen Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

Asking how many deaths it takes to beat Dark Souls is like asking how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. But with the last bonfires well behind them, the editors of RPGFan regain their humanity (and their sanity) and discuss this behemoth of an action/horror RPG. Join us in jolly co-operation as we go over the ins and outs of what makes FROM Software's latest foray into pain simulators oh-so-satisfying. Is the masochism of Dark Souls too much for you? MMOs more your speed? Then stay tuned after the news as John, Rob and podcast newbie Dave Yeager get their force with impressions of The Old Republic Press Beta. Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink, Zachary Pintchik and Dave Yeager Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

Need a break from the constant terror that is Dark Souls? Then have a seat at our bonfire as John recounts his time with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, Kim discusses the recently released Persona 2: Innocent Sin, and the rest of the crew whets their appetites for more Dark Souls. Stay tuned after the show for an interview on Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny with Adam Fitch, Localization Editor at Natsume! Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink, Kimberley Wallace and Zachary Pintchik Special Guest: Adam Fitch, Natsume Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com