1up.com - Active Time Babble

Runic's Max Schaefer is the special guest this week as we examine the RPGs of GamesCom and PAX. Travis Williams joins Kat to ask Schaefer all of the burning questions you might have about Torchlight II, such as whether or not it will feature a monkey pet this time around. Scooter also drops by to talk Deus Ex, Guild Wars II and The Witcher II, proving once again that it's always a good time to talk about PC RPGs, even with TGS looming on the horizon.

Tactical RPGs? Strategy RPGs? Whichever is the proper term, Kat, Jeremy, Ray and special guest Christian Nutt sit down to discuss the ups and downs of one of the nerdiest RPG subgenres. The crew also takes a look at the recently-released Ys Seven, but not before Travis Williams and Scott Sharkey stop by to share their thoughts on the recently-announced Neverwinter reboot by Cryptic. It's an episode so huge that we go ten full minutes over our usual runtime.

It's August, which is when the first of the big holiday releases traditionally begin to arrive. Kat, Thierry, Ray and Alice parse the rest of the year's releases so you don't have to, featuring discussion of everything from World of WarCraft: Cataclysm to Final Fantasy: 4 Heroes of Light. Also discussed is Tim Schafer's new RPG, the surprise Torchlight II announcement and whether or not the world is ready for more EverQuest. Super bonus: The bass is back!

Having dissected Dragon Quest IX over the course of multiple episodes, Kat, Jeremy, Justin and Jade offer their final thoughts on the franchise's latest entry. Our heroes also cover the recently announced Tactics Ogre remake, and Scooter drops in to discuss the newly-revealed Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Darkspore. Can Maxis make a Diablo-style RPG? Can a retired baseball player make an RPG? We'll find out!

It's a great month for Japanese releases, beginning with the recently released Persona 3 Portable. Andrew Fitch joins Kat and Ray to discuss the updated port along with the merits of the series as a whole. Also on tap for this week is an interview with Hothead devs Hamish Miller and Darren Evenson, who recently finished work on the adventure game/action RPG mashup DeathSpank. As always, whether it's hack 'n slash adventures or RPGs starring Japanese high school students, we've got you covered.

With E3 now finished, it's time to take a closer look at the RPG genre as a whole. Alice Liang joins Kat, Ray and Jeremy to quickly wrap up E3 with a discussion of the show's most interesting RPGs, then settle in to discuss the current state of Japanese RPGs. It's the first of a series, so keep an eye on future episodes for similar discussions as we move into the second half of the year!

It's E3, and we've got some special guests to help us geek out about RPGs. Kat is joined by Star Wars the Old Republic lead writer Daniel Erickson in the first segment, where they talk about the newly-announced personal starships and the broader challenges of making a BioWare-style MMORPG. And in the second segment, Mark MacDonald and John Ricciardi join Ray and Kat to discuss some of 8 4's latest projects as well as their favorite games from the show floor. Don't miss out!

It's all Obsidian this week as Scott Sharkey joins Scooter and Kat to discuss whether the ambitious espionage RPG Alpha Protocol manages to reach 00 Agent status, or if it goes down in flames like the final season of 24. Also check out the Fallout: New Vegas discussion, and a quick preview of what to expect from ATB as we prepare for E3!

Christian Nutt joins Kat and Jeremy as they delve into the world of action RPGs. A discussion of the history and controversy surrounding one of the most wildly diverse RPG sub-genres, with a little love for Ys and Threads of Fate on the side.

It's the all-Atlus cast as Kat, Jeremy, Ray, and Justin talk about Etrian Odyssey III, Strange Journey, and 3D Dot Game Heroes. (Advisory: This episode not suitable for people who have a serious hate-on for Atlus.)

Kat Bailey, Jade Kraus, Alan Johnson and Ray Barnholt show some love for Final Fantasy IX before settling in to discuss Yakuza 3 and Infinite Space. Guest starring a certain black mage.

1UP contributor Bob Mackey calls in to sputter about the ineffable weirdness of Resonance of Fate (and Final Fantasy XIII), while Kat comes clean to Jeremy and Ray about the years of her life she squandered on competitive Pokemon battling. It's Ratattaistic!

Kat Bailey, Jeremy Parish, Thierry Nguyen, and Justin Haywald take a scattershot approach to the latest RPG news, including Pokemon remakes, an expansion for Dragon Age, Mass Effect 2 DLC, and more. It's chatty.

Jeremy Parish, Kat Bailey, Christian Nutt, and Chris Kohler debate the merits of the next Final Fantasy game in the most spoiler-free way possible -- but not before nearly coming to blows over the merits of Xenoblade.

Kat Bailey and Scott Sharkey talk about their tour of duty aboard the starship U.S.S. Freak Machine in Star Trek Online, and guest Stiv Tramer plays the role of historian in a lengthy exploration/defense of the roguelike genre.

Jeremy, Kat, Thierry, and Mike Nelson touch briefly on the weirdness of Sands of Destruction before embarking on an hour-long examination of Mass Effect 2. (Spoiler material is limited strictly to incidental, non-plot-related matters, because we love you.)

Jeremy Parish, Kat Bailey, Alice Liang, and Gamasutra's Christian Nutt start the year right with a look at our favorite RPGs of 2009 and the games we're anticipating in 2010. Plus, lots of import talk about Final Fantasy XIII.

With everyone else out for the holidays, Jeremy Parish talks to Spiderweb Software's Jeff Vogel about the finale of the long-running Avernum series.

Jeremy Parish, Kat Bailey, Travis Williams, and Christian Nutt ask themselves, "What is an RPG?" It's a soul-searching, history-spanning semantics argument for the ages. Also: Talking about Etrian Odyssey III and the rebirth of Nihon Telenet.

Our long-delayed fourth chapter arrives at last, with a flashback sequence in which we interrogate members of the World of Warcraft dev team before discussing Dragon Age in alarming detail.