Axe of the Blood God: An RPG Podcast

Wowzers! Kat and Nadia are one episode away from the big 3-0-0! Despite being on the cusp of a momentous occasion, they decide to chill out this week and talk about action RPGs. What makes a good action RPG? How has the genre evolved from its earliest and most popular titles? Why are some RPG fans (Kat) a little salty about action RPGs’ very existence? The answers to these mysteries and more lie within. Also in this episode: There’s a whole lot of news about the state of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Nier: Automata is finally getting fixed on the PC, and the March Madness match-ups are getting real spicy in a real hurry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Remember when corporations really tried to make 3D media a permanent thing? Axe of the Blood God remembers. In fact, this week our RPG Console Quest takes us back to the Nintendo 3DS, a handheld that projected images in 3D without the need for goofy glasses. The glasses-free 3D gimmick wore out its welcome pretty quickly. In fact, the Nintendo 3DS had an infamously rocky start that led to a massive price cut. Things were looking pretty hairy for a little while, but in the end, the Nintendo 3DS was a strong, quiet triumph that gave us a lot of great RPGs. Also in this episode: Bethesda has officially merged with Microsoft (resistance is futile), Fantasian might be composer Nobuo Uematsu’s swan song, and Kat has Final Fantasy 14 mount envy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two highly-anticipated games, Bravely Default 2 and Persona 5 Strikers, had the gall to come out simultaneously. Kat and Nadia are determined to give both titles equal attention, but that’s a lot of work for just two gals, awesome as they might be. That’s why freelance writer and very special guest Samantha Nelson joins us to gab about braving, defaulting, and why Yusuke is still Persona 5’s best boy. Also in this episode: Kat gets caught up on all the major Pokemon news, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is in a lot of bloody trouble, and March Madness: RPG Edition (the only edition worth following) kicks off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Kat out romping with faeries or whatever people do on vacation, Nadia is left to host an entire episode all by her lonesome. Or is she? This week, Nadia calls on a very old friend, Andrew Vestal, the former proprietor of the very first Final Fantasy site she visited when she connected to the internet in 1995. Nadia and Andrew ramble down memory lane and recall how RPG fandom was so very different in the ‘90s, when sites were hosted on bare motherboards cooled by oscillating fans. And yet, so much was familiar: Arguments over game localization, rampant rumor mongering, and blind character worship. There is truly nothing new under the sun. Also in this episode: RIP Anthem, Bravely Default 2 is out and about, and holy moly, there is a lot going on with Pokemon in the near future. We’re very excited. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's once again time for Axe of the Blood God to evaluate a classic RPG for induction into the Pantheon of the Blood God, and this entry is one of the most controversial (and underrated!) games of them all. This month our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about Final Fantasy VIII! In this free preview, Kat, Nadia, and special guest Alex Donaldson talk about the "cloud" hanging over the series in the form of Final Fantasy VII, the subtle storytelling around Laguna, and much more. The full is available now and can be accessed via our Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a tough, tough world out there right now, and we hope you’re keeping well, Blood God listeners. This week, we take things Ys-y (HAH!) as Game Informer’s Kimberly Wallace joins Nadia in a lengthy discussion about Ys 9: Monstrum Nox. Does it live up to the lofty standards set by 2016’s Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana? Sit and listen before you inevitably drift down the road to your next adventure. Also in this episode: Nadia and Kat deconstruct the recent Nintendo Direct and get excited over Project Triangle Strategy, an awesome-looking strategy RPG with a dumb working title. Finally, Kat begins her journey into Final Fantasy XIV as an Elezen and offers her first impressions of Square Enix’s hit MMORPG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Axe of the Blood God’s noble Console RPG Quest continues, and this week we dissect the RPG legacy of a very interesting system: The PlayStation 3. Sony’s first HD console was hobbled right from the start thanks to derisive memes, awkward accessories, programming troubles, and good old fashioned arrogance. To make things worse, the popularity of game consoles was on a major downswing in Japan, and JRPGs were regarded as tragically uncool in the west. How did everything turn out for Sony in the end? We break it all down. Also in this episode: We talk about the trailer for the next Final Fantasy 14 expansion, Endwalker, Persona 5 Strikers is about to take your heart, and CD Projekt Red is dealing with a massive cyberattack at the worst possible time. Well, there’s never a good time to deal with a cyberattack, but in this particular instance... yeah. It’s bad. Enjoy the pod? Check out our Patreon! New episodes are available a week early and ad free to subscribers at the $5 level and up.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nadia and Kat host a live discussion with the Axe of the Blood God community! They share plans for an exciting community event for March, where Television of the Blood God stands following the conclusion of The Witcher, and plans for the next Pantheon pick. Plus, we take questions from the community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What an eventful week. Nadia's wayward Xbox Series X showed up on her doorstep (well, it showed up in the Walmart pick-up area), and we have a very special guest: Austin Walker of Waypoint and Friends at the Table! He talks to us about his one true love, Mass Effect, and gives us his thoughts on the upcoming remaster (23:20). He also talks about the different feelings JRPGs evoke versus Western RPGs (32:40), and goes over the joys and disappointments of Final Fantasy XV (35:00). There is also a Final Fantasy XIV discussion featuring a rant by Nadia (37:10), a debate about RPG systems versus story (42:00), a talk about the importance of good character development (45:30), another debate over whether or not Nioh 2 is an RPG (49:00), a chat about how gaming discourse has changed over the past five years alone (51:40), and an observation about how modern politics can alter game stories (1:00). Finally, our meeting with Austin wraps up with discourse on tabletop RPGs (1:04), and an all-important discussion about robots and Super Robot Wars. (1:10). Whew! It's a meaty episode, all right. Meatier than Castlevania's walls. Enjoy the pod? Check out our Patreon! New episodes are available a week early and ad free to subscribers at the $5 level and up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s time to dish out some hugs and kisses to indie RPGs. This week, Kat and Nadia talk about the independently-developed RPGs they’re most excited for in 2021, including She Dreams Elsewhere, Cris Tales, Darkest Dungeons 2, and—dare we hope—Eastward. Also on the docket: Nadia has Ys IX impressions, Mass Effect’s alien sex is beautiful, and we have no idea what’s going on with the GameStop stock fiasco. That doesn’t stop us from trying to sound smart about it, however. Enjoy the pod? Check out our Patreon! New episodes are available a week early and ad free to subscribers at the $5 level and up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices