When we think of RPGs, we often think about classic mega-hits like Final Fantasy 7 and Chrono Trigger (rightfully so) but over the years, RPGs have taken many memorable forms. In spite of change, they have almost always been defined by the cast of characters that surround and support the player character. In this episode, we look back at our personal favorites to find the RPG parties that stuck with us the most. Our choices span decades of gaming history and explore the differences in approach that are explored in both Eastern and Western RPGs.

4Player Plus - Our Top 3 RPG Parties

Brad dished up a real doozy for our latest Revival Club game. Vagrant Story may be verifiably impenetrable but it remains a fascinating RPG that remains unlike anything else out there. While the game may have proven too much for Nick (and perhaps the community at large) to overcome, Brad does an excellent job of explaining it's systems and what makes it so unique. Perhaps most notably, It shrugged off almost every other common RPG convention and defined itself as an unapologetic Yasumi Matsuno game.

Revival Club - Vagrant Story

Ed returns to the hot seat this week to talk with us about the early hours of 'Xenoblade Chronicles 3' and how it compares to the games that came before it - 'Xenoblade Chronicles X' in particular. Nick discusses his first night shift in 'The Mortuary Assistant' which takes the horror genre to some... inspired places. Brad pinches himself when he finds out that Ed wants to talk more about 'Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga' (what are the odds?). Of course, we also play catch up with Ed and answer some great questions from our listeners!

4Player Podcast #727 - The Semi-Popular Video Game Podcast (Xenoblade Chronicles 3, The Mortuary Assistant, Symphony of War, and More!)

It's been a BUSY week! All 5 of us bring a new game to the table to discuss which doesn't happen often... Nick delivers his early impressions of a new suspense / thriller adventure game called 'As Dusk Falls' and Krispy took a break from Monster Hunter to get swept up in 'V Rising.' Nolan is playing Timberborn, a city-builder... with Beavers so as expected, prepare for some bad puns. Brad's annual "ugly but addicting indie" game finally shows itself in the form of 'Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga' and Chris Davis shares his thoughts on 'Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin.' But on top of all that, it has also been a big week for news with rumors swirling about an open-world Black Panther game in development and the first details about the future of Grand Theft Auto 6.

4Player Podcast #726 - The Busy Beavers Show (As Dusk Falls, V Rising, Timberborn, GTA6 Rumors, and More!)

The games discussed this week range from adorable to unsettling to downright horrifying. Stray is finally out and despite a somewhat shallow outward appearance, this charming, cat-based adventure game still manages to impress. Krispy is smitten over a bizarre, "Lynch" adjacent indie game called "Who's Lila?" but conveying why proves to be a challenge. Nick is enamored with MADiSON, another new horror game that draws inspiration from PT while channeling the obtuse nature of escape rooms. Of course, we give a quick Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak update before delving into the latest Platinum Games development and our first look at Yakuza 8!

4Player Podcast #725 - The Purr-fect Show (Stray, Who's Lila?, MADiSON, and More!)

We can't promise answers to the important questions in life... questions like "Do babies drink water?" BUT we can promise plenty of enthusiastic video game discussions on this week's episode. Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is finally out so Brad and Krispy take a deep dive into this massive expansion. Chris Davis sells us on Sniper Elite 5 thanks to some surprisingly open design elements and a cool invasion mode that sounds like a ton of fun. Plus, Nick brings his latest obsession with modern "Boomer Shooters" to the table with Forgive Me Father - an addictive FPS with Lovecraft undertones and a striking visual style. In the news, we cover new release dates and delays.

4Player Podcast #724 - "Do Babies Drink Water?" (Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, Sniper Elite 5, Forgive Me Father, and More!)

It's time to hash out another Top 3 list and this month we are taking a closer look at a handful of upcoming projects that look promising but remain just outside our hype threshold. While we are eager to get our hands on most of these games, they still have something to prove. We try to get to the bottom of what that is and discuss what moves they would need to make to earn our trust.

4Player Plus - Top 3 Upcoming Games we are NOT QUITE Sold On... Yet

Another year. Another Steam Next Fest FULL to the brim with interesting demos for upcoming indie games! Between the five of us, we deliver quick impressions of 15 upcoming games that we think you should keep an eye out for including Cultic, Signalis, Cult of the Lamb, Metal Hellsinger, and more! It's not all demos though. Brad sells us on his latest addiction in the form of Neon White and in the second segment, we discuss the official announcement of Dragons Dogma 2 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth!

4Player Podcast #723 - The Love Letter Show (Neon White, Steam Next Fest Demos, Dragons Dogma 2, and More!)

The summer announcement season continues. This week, we delve into the litany of reveals from the Summer Game Fest and the Xbox / Bethesda Showcase. Of course, that includes the reveal of the The Last of Us: Part I and the big gameplay reveal of Starfield! In the second segment, Nick discusses Supermassive's latest, The Quarry, and Brad delivers his first impressions of Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak following the demo that dropped earlier this week.

4Player Podcast #722 - The Planet Counter Show (The Quarry, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, Summer Games Fest, Xbox Showcase, and More!)

4Player Podcast #721 - Oops, All Summons (Resident Evil 4 Remake Announcement, Final Fantasy 16 Release Window, Street Fighter 6 Glows Up, and More!)

This week, Brad is sleepy but not even sleep deprivation can contain his enthusiasm for Monster Hunter Rise or keep him from discussing the future of Dragon's Dogma! Nick finished Elden Ring and is now free to diversify his playtime once again so he is starting with a strange anime-inspired action-adventure game called ANNO: Mutationem. In the news, we delve into the huge Silent Hill leaks (courtesy of Dusk Golem) which include a new core entry from Konami, a Silent Hill 2 remake from Bloober, and an episodic adventure game from Annapurna.

4Player Podcast #720 - Brad's Heart Will Go On (ANNO: Mutationem, Silent Hill Leaks, Dragon's Dogma Hopes, and More!)

Carlos takes the Revival Club back to 2007 to revisit 'The Darkness' - a gritty, supernatural action game based on the comic book series of the same name. Starbreeze, best known for their take on "Chronicles of Riddick," developed the first game with their signature style but the game is perhaps most interesting for how it compares to its sequel which was helmed by Digital Extremes. On this episode, we take a closer look at how these two WILDLY different games coalesce to tell a singular and emotionally gripping story.

Revival Club - The Darkness (Double Feature)

This bonus episode marks the long awaited return of the "Top 3" (Formerly Top 5) podcast! For this episode, we discuss our "Dream Projects" - the game ideas, pitches, sequels that we desperately want to see come to fruition. If you are a fan of this content, please be sure to let us know with a comment, a tweet, carrier pidgeon, etc. If you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this episode, expect at least one of these per month with topics submitted by our lovely supporters on Patreon and Twitch.

4Player Plus - Our Top 3 Dream Projects

Announcement season is quickly approaching and the later half of 2022 is starting to come into focus. This week we react to the latest demo of 'Gotham Knights' which, even within our small circle, is shaping up to be a potentially divisive game. In impressions, we praise 'Rogue Legacy 2' for it's improved art style along with the bevy of improvements made to the original. Nick and Krispy come close to sharing a middling consensus on 'Trek to Yomi' and Chris Davis finally brings 'Sifu' to the table. Brad delivers the latest news related to the upcoming release of 'Monter Hunter Rise: Sunbreak.'

4Player Podcast #719 - The Mega Chad Show (Trek to Yomi, Rogue Legacy 2, Sifu, and More!)

This week's episode has real dad vibes thanks to an exceptionally long conversation about lawnmowers that carried over from our intermission. Nolan talks about 'Peglin' which serves as an addicting hybrid of Peggle and RPG combat. Krispy gives us a look at a surprisingly effective new Battle Royale called 'Vampire the Masquerade: Blood Hunt' and Nick introduces a throwback survival-horror game called 'Remorse: The List.' Thanks to his love of Kaiju, Chris Davis is able to talk about 'Kaiju Wars' for ten minutes without taking a breath. In the 2nd segment, we delve into Square-Enix's decision to sell it's western studios/IP to Embracer Group and we touch on the latest shakeup effecting the 'Prince of Persia: Sands of Time' remake at Ubisoft.

4Player Podcast #718 - The Lawnmower Show (Vampire the Masquerade: Blood Hunt, Remorse: The List, Peglin, and More!)

With another Steam Deck added to our roster, we delve a little deeper into the new hardware and talk more about how it handles games like 'Supraland: Six Inches Under,' 'The Darkness 2,' and more. After last week's co-op stream, Nick, Nolan, and Chris talk about their immense enjoyment playing RAFT (Early Access) together; Honing their communication skills while surviving on the open the ocean. Brad brings two indie darlings to the table as well: 'Patrick's Parabox' is a mind-bending puzzler and 'Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness' is a love letter to retro gaming with an awesome soundtrack. In the news, we also discuss Amy Hennig's new gig working on a new Star Wars game.

4Player Podcast #717 - The Smooth Brains Show (Steam Deck, RAFT, Patrick's Parabox, and More!)

On this JAM PACKED edition of 4Player Podcast, Brad delivers his impressions after spending a week with the new 'Steam Deck' from Valve, Nick talks Weird West, and Chris Davis goes to bat for Ghostwire Tokyo. In the news, we play serious catch up thanks to the announcements of a new Tomb Raider game, a remake of Max Payne 1 & 2, Return to Monkey Island, and Kingom Hearts 4! Oh and we try to wrap our heads around Cockney slang thanks to a question from a listener in London.

4Player Podcast #716 - The Bristols and Bottles Show (Weird West, Steam Deck, Kingdom Hearts 4, and More!)

The group covers a ton of ground this week thanks to the release of Ghostwire Tokyo and the official unveiling of the new Playstation Plus service which launches in June! Brad finally talks in depth about his thoughts on Triangle Strategy and talks about Kirby and the Forgotten Land from an... unsusual perspsective. Nolan and Nick dive even deeper into Tunic and Chris Davis talks about Chorvs (yes, it's spelled like that). Of course, everyone tries their best to avoid more Elden Ring talk and they MOSTLY succeed.

4Player Podcast #715 - The Proper Psychosis Show (Ghostwire Tokyo, Triangle Strategy, the New Playstation Plus, and More!)

In this episode focusing on Warhammer 40K: Space Marine, Nick is joined by Chris Davis and community guest, Taq, to talk about the legacy of this game based on the wildy popular tabletop game. Space Marine not only holds up remarkably well but it serves as a nice entry point for newbies and a fun romp for Warhammer veterans alike. Of course, we also delve into our hopes for the freshly announced sequel that is due out sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Revival Club - Warhammer 40K: Space Marine

We are joined by Jeff this week to gush over the unexpected brilliance of Tunic. This indie darling has not only delivered on its promises, it has tapped into an aspect of classic video game nostalgia that elevates the experience well beyond expectations. We also delve deeper into Elden Ring and Chris Davis encourages us to try a short, indie horror game from the creator of Dusk called Iron Lung. In the news we also delve into the announcement of 'The Witcher 4' and discuss what this means for CD Project Red in a post Cyberpunk 2077 world.

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