There's a part at the beginning of Final Fantasy IX—a game that was once underrated, then overrated, and now feels…
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During the two-and-a-half decades I've been playing JRPGs, I've learned three important lessons: 1) If an NPC tells…
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Here at Random Encounters, we spend a lot of time talking about big JRPGs—the Final Fantasys, the Dragon Quests, the …
I like to compare the longrunning Tales action-RPG series to fast food: they're not particularly nutritious and you…
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This week's Random Encounters is a special bonus video edition! Here's footage of my JRPG panel at PAX East last…
Jason is out in Boston for PAX East, so no Random Encounters this week. Sorry!
Editor's Note: I'm on vacation today, but since I know you're all craving your regular dose of JRPG goodness, I've…
Does the world still care about Japanese role-playing games? Do people still want to buy them? Do they still deserve…
When I was a young whelp, back when my writing career involved pictures of dragons and a black-and-white spiral…
I spent my Wednesday night sitting in Kotaku's office, gulping down coffee and furiously typing as I watched Sony…
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Let's make something clear. Japanese RPGs are not dead. They have never been dead. They will not be dead any time…
Last week, as you might recall, I promised to play Fire Emblem: Awakening with permadeath on. I also promised to…
"Here in video games," game designer Matt Burns tweeted last week, "we invented a new word, 'permadeath,' to…
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Earlier this week, Nintendo dropped one of the most interesting bombshells they've dropped in a very long time: the…
Civilization creator Sid Meier once famously said that a game is "a series of interesting decisions."
"Oh, I don't really like battles. I just play JRPGs for the story."
This is the last new Random Encounters you will ever read in 2012. Shed a tear.
No Random Encounters this week — sorry folks! Jason's out in LA and had no time to put together a column this week.