Episode 64 - The 3 Pillars of the Modern JRPG

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The JRPG, while still popular, is a niche genre these days. Many of the best pieces of the format have been adopted in mainstream gaming as everything seems to have “RPG Elements” nowadays. The genre is being kept alive by 3 defining franchises that represent most of the sales and become the blueprint that other JRPGs follow: Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Persona. In this episode, we discuss the pillars of the JRPG and what these franchises tell us about the direction of the genre going forward.

Intro music provided by sawsquarenoise. Used with permission.

Episode 34 - Chrono Trigger vs. I Am Setsuna: Setsuna’s in a Pickle

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If you’ve been following us on Twitter (@biscasualgamers), you’ll know that Aaron and Chris have been going back and forth on the value of I Am Setsuna over a game from which it was clearly inspired, Chrono Trigger. This gave us an idea for a different type of BCG episode where the gamers compare and contrast two similar games, drawing out the best and the worst each has to offer. This time, Aaron and Chris take that Twitter war to the podcast, comparing the two RPGs across the board. Can the protege overtake the master, or does the 16-bit legend take the more modern iteration to task? The gamers break each game down into a number of components, each generating a different perspective on the overall discussion. In the game assignments segment, Chris attempts to get to know Stardew Valley, and Aaron shares a confession.

Episode 5 - The Gamer You Didn't Expect

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In this episode, Chris and Aaron talk about the gamers you didn't expect and the overall rise of gaming popularity across the board. They discuss some perhaps surprising--and uplifting--statistics relating to the world of gaming. The gamers pull out two more great SNES JRPGs in the retro rerun. Finally, they dig into Aaron's opinion on Fire Emblem Fates: what works and what doesn't.