Axe of the Blood God: Witcher 3, Secret of Evermore, and the Final Fantasy IX Report Wrap-up

PODCAST | Kat and Nadia were busy over the holidays.

Article by Kat Bailey, 01/05/2018.

Axe of the Blood God is our weekly RPG podcast hosted by Kat Bailey and Nadia Oxford. You can find the previous episodes here.

In this week's episode of Axe of the Blood God (download link here), Nadia and I share the RPGs that we played over the holidays. And they aren't the ones you might expect!

Rather than diving into Xenoblade Chronicles 2, I found myself engrossed in Witcher 3 and Darkest Dungeon. Nadia, meanwhile, got a random copy of Secret of Evermore. We both talk about our experiences revisiting these games, and how our perspectives have changed over the years (especially when it comes to Witcher 3). Also in this episode: We wrap up the Final Fantasy IX Report!

Want to share your thoughts on RPGs? Email us at usgamer@usgamer.net. We may read your letter on the show! Keep those Perfect RPG Teams coming, folks!

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Show Description

What RPGs did Kat and Nadia play over the holidays? Not the ones you might have expected! The pair talk about revisiting Secret of Evermore, Witcher 3, and Darkest Dungeon before officially wrapping up the Final Fantasy IX Report.

Music from Axe of the Blood God is courtesy of Lena Chappelle, who has also contributed the themes to Active Time Babble and Roleplayers' Realm. I also use music from the RPG Music Pack over at rpgmaker.net. Check it out!

This article may contain links to online retail stores. If you click on one and buy the product we may receive a small commission. For more information, go here.

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#1 Talraen 7 months ago

Herb with a pronounced H? Bog standard? Kat, how long were you in England?? lol

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#2 riderkicker 7 months ago

I guess I should also play Witcher 3, considering how much it sounds like Yakuza. A dude wanders a world filled with many things to do. Beat up enemies for cash and stuff. Level up abilities for combat. Sexy action. Compelling side quests. If I didn't have such an aversion to 200 hour RPGs, I would've bought it at launch. I just hope it's less daunting than what I hear of Dragon Age. I learned that complicated systems do not gel well with me.

Super Robot Wars V mini journal. Unlocked the "secret" Black Mightgaine mission.

#3 Kat.Bailey 7 months ago

@Talraen Did I say herb with an 'h?' Oh dear god I watch too much soccer.

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#4 riderkicker 7 months ago

Kat, were you talking about a Sony PVM Broadcast monitor like Jeremy has? The optimal medium for retro games is scart but that is mostly a European format.

I too have a "flat screen" crt tv, but only because I don't want to get rid of it. I play my SNES on it and composite looks good, but S-video looks GREAT. However both look like drek on an flat screen. I wish a company still made 480max only LCD monitors, but we all have to rely on upscalers.

#5 riahk 7 months ago

I strongly second a persona 3 report! I played p3p several years ago as my intro to the series, and absolutely loved the themes and characters. More so than 4, though to be fair I've only watched a let's play of p4. Might have been because I could actually play as a girl in 3, a feature that I'm hoping atlus brings back in a future persona. But most importantly, as Kat pointed out, Koromaru is an awesome dog :) nothing is more satisfying than fighting shadows with your trusty knife-equipped pooch.

#6 Talraen 7 months ago

@Kat.Bailey Gotta watch out, those Men in Blazers will infect you.

Also I am super happy that my favorite gaming story of all time got read on the podcast by some of my favorite podcasters of all time!

#7 riderkicker 7 months ago

Something something Sephiroth died but got Transcended into the lifestream.

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#8 sketchlayerjosh 7 months ago

If you want something different from the JRPG’s for the Report segments, and something that could make for a quicker, yet more conversation-starting sort of game, maybe a Fallout: New Vegas Report? Which factions are chosen, the companions, etc could make for some fun podcastery. It’s not Nadia’s usual sort of game, but maybe that could make it more fun.

Also, I'm currently playing through Final Fantasy VIII for the first time, and hoo-boy does the "Disc 3 craziness" rule apply to that one. In-between discs, Squall and Rinoa have gone from a slow but realistically-building relationship to him basically shaking her comatose body going "Please wake up! I just want to hear your voice, please! OH GAWD I LOVE YOU SO MUCH." And the Sorceress, who's had, like, two scenes of her going "Bwah ha ha, bow before me, peasants!" has been replaced by a new, apparently different Sorceress? They might as well have gone "You thought the villain was Chris Pine, but it was actually Chris Pratt!" I'm sure there's an appreciable difference to *somebody,* but, come on, game, just let me play Triple Triad in peace.Edited January 2018 by sketchlayerjosh

#9 Mola_Ram 7 months ago

The great thing (well, things) about the side-quests in Witcher 3 is that, aside from them all having their own interesting stories, they all fit so well into the world that Geralt lives in. It's the only game where I don't feel bad asking for money for doing a job, because this is Geralt's *job*.

It's so good that it's kind of ruined other RPGs for me.

#10 Mola_Ram 7 months ago

As for a game you can report on... I would like to officially request a TERRANIGMA REPORT.

Seriously, it's an absolutely amazing game, a SNES classic that far too few people got to play. It needs more love.

#11 kidgorilla 7 months ago

I picked up a PS4 Pro after Christmas and immediately re downloaded Witcher 3 to see how things look in 4k.

Man. Holy. Shit.

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#12 SatelliteOfLove 7 months ago

FF9 was one of those games like Xenogears where the cast has a ton of characters that only really are "active" for "their" segments. I notice this in games since then where there's characters simply "there" instead of a fully functional party of people.

#13 riderkicker 7 months ago

@SatelliteOfLove It does fit into the ensemble play theme.

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#14 Nuclear-Vomit 7 months ago

My vote goes to FF7 for the next RPG. If chosen, you must rename Barret to "Mega Man," and Cait Sith to "Cat Sh*t."

An alternative choice for next RPG would Shining Force 2. It's a great game a great with an awesome soundtrack and cool battle animations. One of the characters (Slade the rat thief) is just so badass, that when he attacks he starts off with his dagger it is in his right hand, he then moves the dagger to his left hand, proceeds to poke at the enemy and finally, returns the dagger to his right hand. What sane person would do this? Later, when he gets promoted to a Ninja, he jumps in the air, lands in the enemy's face, then turns around and slashes without looking at the opponent! What a smug bastard!

And... best part of Shining Force 2 is that with a secret code (remember those?) you can rename all the characters to fun names based on how they look in the portraits. Have fun!

#15 mattcom26 7 months ago

Cosmic Star Heroine report: This game simply has insanely inventive mechanics that I think listeners should hear more about, and would be fodder for great conversations and entertaining battles. The story and soundtrack are top notch as well, and it’s only 30 hours or so, so not biting off too much!

#16 SatelliteOfLove 7 months ago

@mattcom26

Cosmic Star Heroine: PSYBEAST REPORT

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#17 Macuelos 7 months ago

It's not out just yet on the 3DS, but I'd really love to see a Radiant Historia Report. It's got something for Nadia and Kat both, with a pretty cool story and great characters, while also sporting some interesting battle mechanics with the 3x3 grid and a few out-of-combat mechanics, too.

Unrelated: I'm finally caught up! Great to hear some retro titles in recent episodes like Secret of Mana (great), Secret of Evermore (eh... it's cool, but you need to know what you're doing), Terranigma (I love Quintet). Keep on the great work with RPGs of all shapes, sizes, and origins.

#18 R.A.D. 7 months ago

"Final Fantasy 5's story is boring".

Fuck this show.

Also,

If you're going to do another RPG it should be either Grandia 1 or Suikoden 2, but Kat hates console games, so it won't happen.Edited January 2018 by R.A.D.

#19 mattcom26 7 months ago

@R.A.D. Congratulations on what must be one of the dumbest and least-informed comments in the site's history.

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#20 ucbrowsersupport 7 months ago

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