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

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!

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

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!

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!