1UP.com - Active Time Babble

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.)