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USgamer's RPG Podcast Explores How the SNES Changed Some of Our Favorite RPG Franchises

AXE OF THE BLOOD GOD: SNES RPGs, localization hell, and more underrated RPG pitches.

This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team.

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

In this week's episode of Axe of the Blood God (download link here), Bob and I embark on a new quest to see how the Super Nintendo changed some of our favorite RPG franchises.

The first franchise we examine is Dragon Quest, which dropped almost entirely out of sight in the U.S. during its Super Nintendo years. We discuss some of the innovations that appeared in the 16-bit years, how Dragon Quest V and VI compared to its successors and predecessors, and whether the SNES was the peak of the series. In future episodes we'll extend that analysis to other popular long-running RPG franchises like Shin Megami Tensei, Seiken Densetsu (Mana), Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem, and (possibly) Super Robot Wars.

In addition to looking back on the SNES, we also delve a bit into Bob's cover story from last week, revisit Dragon Quest X, and discuss another one of your underrated RPG pitches. If you'd like to contribute to the last feature, please send your emails to kat.bailey@usgamer.net or send a DM over USgamer's messaging service to kat.bailey. I look forward to your emails!

Next week: Another SNES series, more underrated RPGs, and possibly Deus Ex or Super Robot Wars OG. Stay tuned!

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Show Description

Kat and Bob get together to pay their respects to Manabu Daishima, talk about Dragon Quest X on the NX and how it's still alive (02:50), true tales of localization hell (12:15), how the move to the SNES affected Dragon Quest (26:07), and more pitches for underrated RPGs (49:10).

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!

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