• 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.

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.

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!

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. 

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!

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

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!