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The post John Messes with the Spyro the Dragon RetroAchievements Revision, Part 2 appeared first on Gamesline.

Rose hosts Maverick and John through yet another anime preview session. It’s one of the most harrowing ones yet. Elvie should count herself lucky she wasn’t here for such evil. We also are going to watch one of three shows for the full season. Which one? Tune in next time to find out…

Our theme song is by Kirsten Carey, who can be found at @kircarey.bsky.social!

Send questions to podcast@gamesline.net, with a subject denoting it’s for URW!

The post Unlimited Rail Works Episode 143: Banished From Fall 2026’s Anime Season Preview appeared first on Gamesline.

When I messed with Granblue Fantasy Original Flavor in college, I enjoyed the characters, art, music, and pretty much everything besides actually playing it. The battles themselves weren’t the issue; it was the grinding, the item drops, and the pouring over Google docs to craft parties that could clear more and more difficult boss fights and raids, which I did not personally find any satisfaction in clearing. As much as I liked the story, I still didn’t feel like I was getting enough out of what I was putting in. I put the game down and said to myself “I hope that Granblue Relink game is good, I’d like to experience that world as a normal game instead of one based on gacha and grinding.” Relink doesn’t have the gacha, at least!!

Initially I thought this was neat. You’re going into short quests to get upgrade materials, you’re leveling up a variety of equipment to get stronger; it’s a standard loop that a lot of folks should be familiar with, especially in the RPG sector. Once I got close to the end of the story mode, I started to look into the post-game and what was added in the expansion. What I saw was mostly more grinding to eventually reach the ability to fight super bosses, which is, again, exactly what Granblue Fantasy on mobile is about. 

I’m not calling Relink a failure of a game. It didn’t hit me the way I particularly wanted it to, and that’s because it’s an action RPG that’s still structured like Granblue. Applying this template one-to-one makes things far less interesting to me. I suppose my true desire is “a version of this game that has a definite ending”? Hell, I don’t even hate grinding for things, as my box of shiny Pokémon can tell you, but that’s more appealing because there’s a limit to the grind. I get the sparkly creature and I’m done, instead of grinding for the sword, the sword’s stats, the sigils on the sword, the character’s sigils, and on and on, which are then just used to do more battles for better swords/sigils/stats/etc. 

The demo for Final Fantasy Resonance made it apparent that the structure of that game is a bit different compared to its mobile origins in Brave Exvius. It’s a standard JRPG with classic Final Fantasy characters as extra ability slots; they trimmed the fat, so there’s far less of the mobile game hooks that make a person return every day for years. Maybe I’d have enjoyed Relink more if Platinum had finished it, and it was a smaller, more focused character action game that told its story and was done.

I still dig quite a bit here, but I feel like I’ll finish the main story and move on. If Cygames wants me specifically on the Granblue train, they gotta make a game that feels like it’s going to end. I know it will, but it feels like the continuous treadmill climb that mobile games have, just in action RPG form.  My friends can’t get me into Final Fantasy XIV because of this, and Granblue doesn’t have the combined effort of around ten people pinging me about the new Beastmaster class behind it.

I love Granblue VS, the ArcSys developed fighting game with Granblue characters! It’s got the characters and world I like, without the grind-focused gameplay structure I don’t care for. I suppose this entire article is me going “eh not for me”, but it was a personal bummer due to its initial concept. If you do love to do raiding in MMOs but want more active combat, you absolutely should play this game. Cygames has a good chance to mess with the formula though, so my tastes may still be met. Give me a Granblue game with a structure that doesn’t call to mind endless grinds, and I’ll be there!

The post I Couldn’t Gel with Granblue Fantasy: Relink, but It’s Fine! appeared first on Gamesline.

John and Crystal ease in with news about the bewildering VR remake of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies. Then, we fill out on-mic The 9 Games That Shaped Who I Am, a recent games-listing trend that asks us not merely to consider what games are good, but to look deep into ourselves and connect who we are to the games we have played.

The 9 games that shaped John are:

The 9 games that shaped Crystal are:

You can support us on our Patreon, and follow us on social media @gamesline.net, John, and Crystal

Also, don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and tell a friend about the show!

If you want to send in questions, send them to our email podcast@gamesline.net!

You can also join our Discord channel at gamesline.chat!

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Edited by Crystal

The post The Gamesline Podcast Episode 108: The 9 Games That Shaped Who I Am appeared first on Gamesline.

This was streamed live on our Twitch at http://twitch.tv/gameslinetv! Go follow and subscribe to it so you get notified of future streams!

The post John Messes with the Spyro the Dragon RetroAchievements Revision w/ Rose & Lily appeared first on Gamesline.

It’s time for another episode of the Gamesline Podcast. This week John and Lorelai sit down to talk about the Nintendo Direct before discussing the return of so many classic games they grew up with coming back in both new and old packages. They also spend some time talking about the games based on games that are sometimes also in games. John also wanted to talk about Granblue Fantasy Relink and Mario+Rabbids while Lorelai played Fire Emblem and the Wo Long 2 demo and they have thoughts to share.

You can support us on our Patreon, and follow us on social media @gamesline.net, John, and Lorelai

Also, don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and tell a friend about the show!

If you want to send in questions, send them to our email podcast@gamesline.net!

You can also join our Discord channel at http://gamesline.chat!

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Edited by Lorelai

The post The Gamesline Podcast Episode 107: Old School Gaming appeared first on Gamesline.

A new week and another episode of the Gamesline Podcast. This week John, Lily, and Lorelai sit down to talk about single player offline remakes of pay to win gatchaslop, gaming myths and rumors you believed, and what really makes a meaningful choice in games. In the news we talk about the Sony State of Play as Lorelai keeps getting it confused with Gamescom.

You can support us on our Patreon, and follow us on social media @gamesline.net, John, Lorelai, and Lilith.

Also, don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and tell a friend about the show!

If you want to send in questions, send them to our email podcast@gamesline.net!

You can also join our Discord channel at http://gamesline.chat!

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Edited by Lorelai

The post The Gamesline Podcast Episode 105: Choosing Offline Rumors appeared first on Gamesline.

Maverick went to Anime NYC, and he had a nice time all-around! However, he did have some thoughts about the overall evolution of conventions in a more corporate age. Is it possible to still find real connections while being so heavily advertised to? Plus, we all love the Major and Ghost in the Shell, Rose needs an intervention on isekai, and John’s sinking deeper into Digimon.

Our theme song is by Kirsten Carey, who can be found at @kircarey.bsky.social!

Send questions to podcast@gamesline.net, with a subject denoting it’s for URW!

The post Unlimited Rail Works Episode 141: Da Anime of New Yawk Baybee!! appeared first on Gamesline.

Another week another Gamesline Podcast. This week, John and Lorelai are joined by streamer, game designer, and comic book artist Roxy Polk to talk about the stagnation in the farming sim genre, the glory of quality remasters and the lost art of making an incredible demo. We also get into your questions about game systems and what can really make them stand out.

You can support us on our Patreon, and follow us on social media @gamesline.net, John, Lorelai, and Red Mage Roxy. You can also find Roxy on her Website, Etsy, and Twitch.

Also, don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and tell a friend about the show!

If you want to send in questions, send them to our email podcast@gamesline.net!

You can also join our Discord channel at http://gamesline.chat!

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Editing and Video Production by Lorelai

The post The Gamesline Podcast Episode 104: Farming Demo Remasters with Roxy Polk appeared first on Gamesline.

Welcome to a special Game Club episode of The Gamesline Podcast! Crystal, Lily, and John discuss ACE Team’s debut game Zeno Clash, a 2009 PC first-person brawler with brisk pacing, frenetic combat, and a uniquely grotesque art style.

Please note that this is a full-spoilers episode. If you’d like to play Zeno Clash before listening, it’s inexpensive and only 5 hours long!

Click here to read the Zeno Clash postmortem that Lily references!

If you like this Game Club format, let us know! You can voice your feedback and suggestions at our our Discord channel thegamezone.zone or our email podcast@gamesline.net!

Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/gamesline

Follow us on Bluesky: @gamesline.net
Crystal: @crystal.undertow.cards
Lily: @gallowlessdatura.bsky.social
John: @john.gamesline.net

Review us on Apple Podcasts, and tell a friend about the show!

Send questions to our email podcast@gamesline.net!

Join our Discord channel at thegamezone.zone!

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Edited by Crystal

The post The Gamesline Podcast Episode 101: Zeno Clash appeared first on Gamesline.