Axe of the Blood God: An RPG Podcast

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

The only thing you should fear more than the Blood God’s axe is the Blood God’s anime obsession. This week, Kat and Nadia talk to Bob Mackey and Henry Gilbert talk about how anime and RPGs uplift one another. They also look back at RPGs based on licensed anime properties, and recall the Mighty Struggle™ that shaped and molded anime fans who traded VHS tapes before digital distribution saved us all. Also in this episode: There’s a new Fallout New Vegas game (well, sort of), Twitter is playing Pokemon, and we’re not allowed to stop talking about Cyberpunk 2077 because at some point we must’ve died and gone to hell for our sins. Enjoy the show? Support us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/bloodgodpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get out of your chair and start waggling because it’s time for the Axe of the Blood God Wii Console Quest! This week, Nadia and Kat discuss the strange, often troubled RPG history of Nintendo’s revolutionary console. Relive Operation Rainfall and recall how the fan-based movement pressured Nintendo into finally giving North America the still-beloved Xenoblade Chronicles. Plus, EA no longer has a Star War (and we still don’t have KOTOR 3), Square Enix might be up to some Final Fantasy 7 Remake extended universe shenanigans, and Cyberpunk discourse is still throwing off heat as we get properly settled into 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our first ever Community Update, Kat and Nadia get together for a live conversation with Axe of the Blood God's community! They talk about which RPGs they've been playing of late, share an update on what's been happening with the show and Discord, and take questions from the audience on the best Chrono Trigger party, Persona 5 Strikers, and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's officially 2021, and the brand-new year already seems poised to keep on dishing out the same trials and tribulations that made 2020 so special. Kat and Nadia take a nice break from the plague and strife to talk about what's in store for RPGs in the new year. Will we get our hands on Elden Ring? Can we really expect Final Fantasy 16 in 2021? And what about the mythological The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2? Also in this episode: Nadia talks about the Ys 9 demo, Persona soundtracks are finally on Spotify, and Elder Scrolls 6 is probably going to Hammerfell instead of Black Marsh like it should. Enjoy the show? Consider subscribing to our Patreon for episodes that are a weekly early and ad free! https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Axe of the Blood's special quest to rank all of the numbered Final Fantasy games (and their direct sequels) continues with the Top 10! With the help of special guest Ash Paulsen of Good Vibes Games, we talk about why Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy IV, and yes, Final Fantasy X-2, deserve to be remembered as the finest games the series has to offer... and as some of the finest video games of all time. Enjoy the show? Subscribe to the Axe of the Blood God Patreon for episodes that are a week early and ad free: https://patreon.com/bloodgodpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices