1UP.com - Active Time Babble

Kat, Bob, Jeremy, and Christian Nutt embark on Active Time Babble's final quest. Join them as they talk about Etrian Odyssey IV, the unexpected 3DS RPG renaissance, and the future of the genre.

Kat, Marty, and Bob sit down to talk about Mass Effect 3, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Xenoblade Chronicles, Diablo III, and many of the other notable RPGs of 2012. Which ones were the best, and which ones fell short? Find out!

Was the Wii secretly a great console for RPGs? Kat, Bob, and Marty look back on the Wii's RPG library and look ahead to the future of the Wii U.

Gamasutra's Christian Nutt joins Kat to talk Pokemon, and Kotaku's Richard Eisenbeis checks in with the latest Japanese releases.

Kat is joined by GameSpy's Mike Nelson and Dan Stapleton, as well as Polygon's Phil Kollar, to talk Torchlight II, Diablo III, Guild Wars 2, and Mists of Pandaria in this all-PC RPG episode of Active Time Babble.

Kotaku correspondent Richard Eisenbeis joins Kat to discuss Dragon Quest X and Last Story, and Bob and Marty talk Darksiders II and the classic Super Mario RPG.

Kat, Bob, and Jose are joined by IGN's Eric Sapp to have an honest debate about the most prickly of topics--Kingdom Hearts. The crew also revisits The Wold Ends With You and Phantasy Star Online!

Kat, Jeremy, and Bob get together to discuss Persona 4's Kanji Tatsumi, and the portrayal of LGBT issues in RPGs in general. Indie RPG dev Robert Boyd also drops by to chat about his newest project--Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3!

Contributor Kat Bailey reunites with 1UP's Jeremy Parish and Bob Mackey to discuss Dragon's Dogma, which may be one of the most satisfying RPGs of the year. And, of course, Eric Sapp, Mike Nelson, and Dan Stapleton drop by to discuss all things Diablo. ATB is back!

GamePro's Jason Wilson joins Kat and Scooter to wrap-up GDC with a look at upcoming MMORPGs for 2011 before offering a final verdict on Dragon Age II. Afterward, stick around for an interview with Deus Ex: Human Revolution's Jean-Francois Dugas & David Anfossi, and a fond farewell from Kat as she bids goodbye to 1UP.

With her comrades busy getting ready for GDC, Kat bravely strikes out on her own once again to finally decide whether or not she hates Dragon Quest VI (Spoiler: She doesn't). Also on tap for this week is Valkyria Chronicles 3 discussion, and a chat with BioWare's Mike Laidlaw!

What's the proper way to say "Dragon Age?" Both Jeremy and Scooter show how it's done as they join Kat to chat about both BioWare's upcoming sequel and the Tactics Ogre PSP port. Whichever game you prefer, you will most assuredly leave this episode with a better appreciation for epic enunciation.

In the most "xtreme" episode of Active Time Babble to date, Kat, Travis and Mike Nelson offer the final verdict on DC Universe Online, and it isn't pretty. Before that though, Atlus' Aram Jabbari joins Kat and Jeremy in the studio to discuss the upcoming Radiant Historia while taking questions from listeners. Yes, we do take the time to ask about the whereabouts of 7th Dragon and its ilk. We ask because we care.

Scooter and Justin join Kat for a 2011 RPG Preview in the first Active Time Babble of the New Year, where they discuss Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, The Old Republic the general lack of Square Enix RPGs and Pokemon musks. Also, Kat bravely goes solo and takes questions while discussing Kingdom Hearts Recoded and the newly-announced Super Robot Taisen Z2. Will she be successful, or did she disastrously split the party? You be the judge!

It's the final show of the year, and sugar-addled adventurers Kat, Scooter, Travis and Jeremy sit down to talk about the best RPGs of the year. Nier, Infinite Space, Resonance of Fate, Costume Quest and more all get their due as ATB closes the book on a blockbuster-filled (but perhaps flawed) 2010.

The latest World of WarCraft expansion has arrived; and Kat, Mike, Travis and Justin form a raiding party to plumb its depths. Scooter also drops by to chat about the newly-announced Elders Scroll V and Mass Effect 3, as well as his expectations for the upcoming PS3 port of Mass Effect 2. Listening to this episode is worth at least 50 DKP.

We're a good two weeks past halloween, but Kat, Alice and Justin are indulging the spirit of the trick-or-treat anyway with a discussion of Double Fine's excellent download RPG Costume Quest. Jeremy Parish also stops by to chat about Radiant Historia and Tactics Ogre, and Mike Cruz and Scooter geek out over comics while chatting about DC Universe Online. Whether medieval, superhero or halloween, there's a lot of costumes in this episode.

Kat, Mike and Travis dive headfirst into Fallout New Vegas spoilers this week, picking up where they left off last week. How does this spinoff ultimately stack up to the original, and do the bugs really detract from the experience? Kat's also joined by Scooter and Justin to talk about Fable III, where it becomes apparent that Scooter enjoys turning orphanages into brothels. It's not easy being king.

A while ago, we talked about the state of Japanese RPGs following the release of Final Fantasy XIII. Now, with heavy hitters like Fallout New Vegas hitting the market, Bitmob's Jason Wilson join Kat and Travis to gives Western RPGs the same treatment. What's the definitive PC RPG? And can we expect more of what we saw in Mass Effect 2? Mike Nelson also stops by to share his early impressions of New Vegas. We're going nuclear!

Kat, Jeremy and Justin get together to do a quick wrap-up of Tokyo Game Show, then settle down to chat about the newly-released Pokemon Black. Is the latest excuse to market 'em looking like a major improvement over the last generation? Our heroes login to their spreadsheets to find out.

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.

After a rocky start due to a last-minute guest cancellation, our heroes pluck victory from the jaws of awkwardness. Parish, Bailey, Nguyen, and Haywald discuss Trek Online, Dragon Age, Half-Minute Hero, 4 Warriors of Light, Torchlight, and more.

Active-Time Babble II: Nostalgia and Demon's Souls In this sequel to the critically-acclaimed first episode of 1UP's RPG podcast, our party (Parish/Barnholt/Bailey) takes on Ignition Entertainment mid-boss Shane Bettenhausen over Nostalgia, only to be wiped out by the indestructible Demon's Souls.

Jeremy Parish, Kat Bailey, Jade Kraus, and Andrew Fitch kick off the first real episode of 1UP's as-yet-unnamed RPG podcast with a talk about Tokyo Game Show. Ghost Trick! Crystal Bearers! Dragon Quest IX! Resonance of Fate! And some other stuff.