Tales from the Backlog
180 episodes - English - Latest episode: 15 days ago - ★★★★★ - 33 ratingsA video games podcast where Dave Jackson and guests break down and discuss the games they play. Each episode looks at one game in depth, focusing on mechanics, story, music and other aspects, with no spoilers until a clearly marked spoiler wall in the middle.
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Episodes
113: The Case of the Golden Idol (with NinaStruggles)
April 10, 2024 04:00 - 1 hour - 93.7 MBFrom the first time I saw a screenshot of The Case of the Golden Idol, by Color Gray Games, I was struck by these caricaturish portraits and knew I'd have to follow up on it someday. Then the comparisons to a favorite of mine, Return of the Obra Dinn, started rolling in and I knew I would have to play it sooner rather than later. And a big shoutout to community member Soccr for buying this for me in our Discord server Secret Santa! Yay! Joining me to discuss The Case of the Golden Idol is Nin...
112: Sunset Overdrive (with Goohi)
April 03, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 94.1 MBSunset Overdrive feels like a game that's been lost to time, doomed to a life of only being mentioned when a new game comes out that reminds people of it, despite being made by one of the industry's heavyweights (Insomniac Games) in the not so distant past. It's got a goofy tone, a bangin punk rock soundtrack, and an exquisite movement system that never gets old, but its mission design starts to wear thin long before the credits roll. Joining me to discuss Sunset Overdrive is streamer and You...
111: Balatro (with Matt aka Stormageddon & Aaron Klaassen)
March 29, 2024 04:00 - 1 hour - 92.2 MBSURPRISE! Balatro comes for us all. Developed by solo developer LocalThunk and published by Playstack, the poker-themed roguelike deckbuilder has singlehandedly caused productivity to drop by 7% worldwide since its 2024 release. Thank you to Playstack and LocalThunk for providing me with a review code so that I could become a statistic! Joining me to talk about the game, its strengths and weaknesses, our favorite strategies and beginner tips are Matt aka Stormageddon ("Fun" and Games, Reignit...
PAX East 2024: Reflections & Games Played
March 27, 2024 04:00 - 43 minutes - 79.3 MBThis is the PAX East 2024 retrospective and run-through of all of the games I played! Woooo! Games featured: Animal Well (https://store.steampowered.com/app/813230/ANIMAL_WELL/): The Art of Flight (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1706800/The_Art_Of_Flight/) Duck Paradox (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2058150/Duck_Paradox/) Enter the Chronosphere (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1969810/Enter_the_Chronosphere/) Fallen Aces (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1411910/Fallen_Aces/) Fr...
110: Titanfall 2 (with Adam & Cory - Half Tone Takes)
March 20, 2024 04:00 - 2 hours - 88 MBTitanfall 2, developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by EA, is one of those unfortunate games that seems to be universally beloved, but apparently didn't sell well enough for them to continue the series. Instead, Respawn is stuck in the Apex Legends and Star Wars mines for the foreseeable future, and we're left to replay this wonderful campaign (and multiplayer for some) and wonder what might have been. Titanfall 2 lives up to the hype, folks! My guests for this episode are Adam Bucc...
109: Resident Evil 2 Remake (with Gerry - Super Ghost Radio & Nick - Friday Night Gamecast)
March 13, 2024 04:00 - 2 hours - 80.2 MB- Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! (https://patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson)! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! (https://discord.gg/V3ZHz3vYQR) Social Media: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/tftblpod) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TalesfromtheBacklog/) Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other p...
108: Final Fantasy X-2 (with Adam - The Good, The Bad & The Backlog)
March 06, 2024 05:00 - 2 hours - 92.8 MBHow do you follow up a story that ends the way that Final Fantasy X did? Well, Square decided that Final Fantasy X-2 needed to shake things up. Most sequels escalate, but that wasn't really an option here, and so the girlpower J-Pop Final Fantasy game was born. This game gets a lot of hate out there, but not for the reasons that I think deserve it. Joining me to discuss Final Fantasy X-2 is Adam from The Good, The Bad & The Backlog. You can and should check out his show by following this link...
Evaluating Retro Games Roundtable
February 28, 2024 05:00 - 2 hours - 90.4 MBIn this discussion, Dave is joined by Chris Coplien (Retro Hangover podcast (https://linktr.ee/retrohangover)), Rick Firestone (Pixel Project Radio podcast (https://linktr.ee/pixelprojectradio)) and Andre (Fine Time podcast (https://linktr.ee/FineTimePodcast)) to discuss the challenges and our personal approaches to evaluating retro games. In this episode, we discuss our perspectives and some specific games like Rocket Knight Adventures, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Monkey Ball, Kingdom Hearts,...
107: Final Fantasy VII Remake (with Aaron Angle & Ryan Arrington)
February 21, 2024 05:00 - 2 hours - 80.6 MBHow do you remake one of the most beloved games of all time? How do you fend off the masses who want to hold you to every decision made over 20 years ago? Well, in our opinion, Square Enix figured out the way with Final Fantasy VII Remake. This is a shining example of how a remake can update the graphics, completely revamp the gameplay, add voice acting, re-orchestrate the music....and still keep the heart and soul of the original game intact. It's a masterful game, and I was joined by return...
106: This War of Mine (with Alex - First Five)
February 14, 2024 05:00 - 2 hours - 89.7 MBThis War of Mine, by 11 Bit Studios is often labeled not only as a good game, but also as an important game, especially as countries are invaded and lives are turned upside down in the same ways, over and over again. Because of how forever relevant this game is, and with a little pushing from friend of the show Randall on our "Games in Real-World Settings" episode a few months back, I was eager to give this a try- and it ended up winning a poll on Patreon! I was also lucky enough to be joined...
105: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (with Gaming Memories)
February 07, 2024 05:00 - 2 hours - 93.8 MBBoy am I glad that I disregarded all of the "Metal Gear Solid 2 is the worst one, just skip it" chatter out there. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, by Hideo Kojima and Konami, is a step up in almost every way from the first Metal Gear Solid game, and does a ton of interesting things in the process. Its biggest issue is that it takes a long time setting up, and then the payoff hits you with too much all at once. But once I've had time to sit and process everything it's doing, I gain more a...
104: South Park: The Stick of Truth (with Adam Rivera)
January 31, 2024 05:00 - 1 hour - 90.6 MBIf you grew up alongside South Park like I did, and you loved video games, then you were probably let down by the licensed South Park games in the early years. All of that changed with 2013's South Park: The Stick of Truth by Obsidian Entertainment and South Park Studios. It looked like an episode of the show, it sounded like an episode of the show, the story was fun, and it introduced turn-based combat into the mix. It was a slam dunk back then, and I'm joined once again by Adam Rivera to di...
103: The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (PS2) (with Chris Dominguez- A Novel Console)
January 24, 2024 05:00 - 1 hour - 92.5 MBFrom a better era of licensed games comes The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (PS2, GameCube, Xbox version). No live service nonsense, no microtransactions, just good arcadey fun reliving the best action scenes from the movie, along with tons of little goodies for fans of the movies. This was a blast, and I hope you enjoy reliving this game with us. Joining me for this episode is Chris Dominguez, one of the hosts of A Novel Console, a weekly podcast about gaming, books and food that he ...
102: Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (with Matt aka Stormageddon & Flora Merigold)
January 17, 2024 05:00 - 3 hours - 84.5 MBThe day a new Yakuza / Like a Dragon game drops is like a holiday for me. Imagine my surprise and delight when I realized that we don't have to wait years for new games in the series anymore, as we got the Like a Dragon Ishin! remaster earlier in 2023, and then the connecting game, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name to set up the upcoming Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name didn't need to exist, but I think it does a lot of interest...
101: Rain World (with soccr)
January 10, 2024 05:00 - 2 hours - 83.6 MBRain World, developed by Videocult, is the true definition of a cult hit. If you look on review aggregator websites, you'll see extremely mixed reviews. However, if you ask in Discord servers, subreddits, etc you'll find so many people with feverish praise. It was only a matter of time before I had to try it out for myself, and this was the winner of a Patreon poll! Shoutout to everyone who voted for it, and shoutout to my wonderful guest soccr for joining me to discuss! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Per...
100: Killer7 (with Andre - Fine Time)
January 03, 2024 05:00 - 2 hours - 80.4 MBGAME NUMBER 100 ON THE PODCAST! And what a unique game to talk about for #100! Killer7, by Suda51's Grasshopper Manufacture and Capcom, is a game unlike any other. An unholy mashup of rail shooter, adventure game, crime fantasy and political drama, you'll never play another game quite like this. Joining me for this episode is Andre from Fine Time podcast, which you can check out HERE (https://finetimepodcast.libsyn.com/) or on your favorite podcast app. I highly recommend starting with their ...
2023 In Review
December 27, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 89.1 MB2023 has been absolutely packed with great games, and now is the time to reflect on the new games I played over the past year. Despite missing a lot of popular releases like Alan Wake 2, Super Mario Wonder, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, Armored Core VI, Lies of P and many more, I still played so many good games that it was tough to make a top 10! But alas, this is the podcaster's curse, so I present to you- 2023 in Review. From anticipated megahits like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, ...
99: Final Fantasy X (with Ryan Batie & Chris Taylor - Lightning Strikes Thrice)
December 20, 2023 05:00 - 2 hours - 92.1 MBThis is an important one for me. Final Fantasy X has been one of my favorite games ever since I played it for the first time almost 20 years ago. Square really made a complete game here- story setup, characters, combat, music...total package. Joining me to discuss it are Ryan Batie and Chris Taylor from JRPG games club podcast Lightning Strikes Thrice. You can find them and all of the other things on the Pitch Drop network by following this link (https://www.lightningstrikesthrice.com/)! TIME...
98: Blasphemous 2 (with Chris Nelson)
December 13, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 86.3 MBBlasphemous 2, by The Game Kitchen, is a straight putt as far as sequels go, but that turned out to be a great thing. The Game Kitchen seemingly took lots of feedback into account, smoothed out some rough edges and greatly improved the metroidvania design of Blasphemous 2. The result is one of my favorite games of the year, and one that I was happy to invite longtime friend and frequent podcast guest Chris Nelson back for! Chris was a guest on episode 20 about the original Blasphemous, so go ...
97: Sea of Stars (with Aaron Angle & Ryan Arrington)
December 06, 2023 05:00 - 2 hours - 95.2 MBAfter playing The Messenger, I could not wait for what Sabotage Studio would make next, so I looked them up, found the Sea of Stars kickstarter page and backed it while the credits for The Messenger were still rolling. To say I was excited would be an understatement. In reality....Sea of Stars is a disappointment. Not a bad game, but not a great game either. I'm joined in this episode by two many time guests on the show, Aaron Angle and Ryan Arrington, to break it all down. TIMESTAMPS Intros...
"Uncommon" Real-World Settings in Video Games (with Ozzy Garcia & Randall Quiggle)
November 29, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 82.5 MBFrom Assassin's Creed to Spider-Man, Yakuza, Persona and Grand Theft Auto, video games can take us on a sort of virtual tourism journey. But hiding in the background, there are tons of other** games set in real-world locations outside of The United States, Western Europe and Japan. **Randall Quiggle and Ozzy Garcia join me to shine a light on some games that might teach you a little bit about culture while you take in the sights. TIMESTAMPS Intros/Our Examples 1:13 Community Examples 1:13:32...
96: Final Fantasy XVI (with Rick Firestone & Eric Gess)
November 22, 2023 05:00 - 2 hours - 93.4 MBThis one is a spicy meatball. Few game series inspire the amount of praise, vitriol and everything in between as Final Fantasy does, and the latest entry, Final Fantasy XVI is no different. A series famous for continuous reinvention reinvents itself once again as a dark fantasy action game, and I knew I had to get a couple of great guests on the show to talk about it. This week I'm joined by Eric Gess (The Unlockables (https://linktr.ee/unlockablespodcast)) and Rick Firestone (Pixel Project R...
95: F-Zero X (with Dave Pietrangelo - Remember 64)
November 15, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 90.2 MBTo my knowledge, this is the only podcast ever recorded at over 1000 km/h. F-Zero X, by Nintendo EAD for the Nintendo 64 features hyperspeed racing, buttery smooth gameplay and an absolutely incredible shredding speed metal soundtrack. Joining me on this high-speed podcast is Dave Pietrangelo of Remember 64, Back in My Day, Creature Cast and Console Creatures. You can find everything Dave is doing by following this link (https://linktr.ee/davidpietrangelo)! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Historie...
94: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (with Mick Arcade)
November 08, 2023 05:00 - 2 hours - 88.9 MBStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR for those in the know) was, for many of us longtime fans, the Star Wars game that we had always dreamed of- a game that let you explore famous planets from the movies, become a jedi, befriend wookiees and play through an acclaimed story. But that was 20 years ago, and Star Wars games have come a long way. How well did KOTOR hold up along the years? Its story is still famous, but is it a one-trick pony if you've played before? Joining me for this s...
2nd Birthday Mailbag!
November 01, 2023 04:00 - 49 minutes - 93.3 MBTales from the Backlog is 2 years old! To celebrate, I am doing the yearly mailbag episode! I answer your questions about my favorite episodes of the show, how I choose the games for the show, podcasting and much more! Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! (https://patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson)! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! (https://discord.gg/V3ZHz3vYQR) Social Media: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/t...
93: Signalis (with Chris Coplien & Shane Koski)
October 25, 2023 04:00 - 2 hours - 91.7 MBSignalis, by rose-engine is a game that seems to inspire everybody who plays it to jump at every chance to talk about it (or record nearly 3 hour podcasts about it, in our case). From its undeniable aesthetics calling back to the 32-bit era of Resident Evil and Silent Hill to its dreamlike story about android replikas in a cosmic horror/space sci-fi setting, Signalis leaves an impact. Luckily for me, Chris Coplien and Shane Koski of Retro Hangover were kind enough to join me for a theorycraf...
92: Dead Space (2023) (with Chris aka Vertigo2Hell)
October 18, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 92.5 MBPut another tally in the "Dave is covering a game on the podcast that he swore he'd never play" list- life came at me fast, I suppose. Dead Space (2023), Motive Studio and EA's remake of the original Dead Space from 2008 is an incredible visual upgrade on already great gameplay, though it does wear out its welcome as it seems to run out of novel gameplay ideas well before the story has wrapped up. Joining me to discuss Dead Space is Chris aka Vertigo2Hell, a Twitch streamer who specializes in...
91: Iron Lung (with Gary Butterfield & Kole Ross)
October 11, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 89.2 MBIron Lung, developed and published by David Szymanski in 2022, was a game I was sure I would never play. Frequently topping "Scariest Games Ever" lists around the internet, mixing thalassophobia, claustrophobia, rustophobia and more, I always figured I would just hear about it from afar. But as a convert to horror games, I liked the idea of giving this one a go. After all, a $6, 1 hour game is a good pitch if you're looking for that final push. It turns out that Iron Lung is really great! And...
90: Resident Evil (2002) (with Adelaide Lohkamp)
October 04, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 90.2 MBAhhh....another October brings another spooky month of games, and another guest appearance by all-star Adelaide Lohkamp. This time, she's joining me to talk about the game that popularized an entire genre. Well, the remake. That's right, we're talking about Capcom's 2002 remake of Resident Evil, originally released for the GameCube in 2002. You can check out Adelaide's YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/@backonmybs6136) and Twitch page (https://www.twitch.tv/sisteradelaide) for more gre...
Getting Into Horror Games (with Adam Bucceri - Half Tone Takes, Gerry - Super Ghost Radio, & Dog Faced Gamer)
September 27, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 88.5 MBLongtime listeners of Tales from the Backlog will have heard me say something to the effect of "I don't like horror games and I will never play one", but as they say- life comes at you fast. I've become a big fan of horror games, and so I wanted to make a discussion episode asking "how did we get here?". To help me discuss the notion of "geting into horror games", I've assembled a 4-piece band of true horror sickos- Adam Bucceri (Enter the Survival Horror (https://boocherry.itch.io/enterthesu...
89: Kid Icarus: Uprising (with TripleSMoon)
September 20, 2023 04:00 - 2 hours - 83.2 MBAh yes, another series and character that I had never heard of before they appeared in Super Smash Bros. Kid Icarus: Uprising and its main character, Pit, made an impression on me through the Smash Bros. series, but I had never played a game in the series....until now! Project Sora and Nintendo put out a respectable, but flawed rail shooter/3rd person action hybrid, and I'm joined by action game master TripleSMoon to discuss it! You can find Moon at his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.co...
88: Wario World (with Thrak - The 3DO Experience)
September 13, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 80.2 MBWario World, developed by Treasure and published by** Nintendo, feels like a forgotten game. People still talk about the **Wario Land series from the Game Boy era, and everyone loves WarioWare, but did you know that Wario had a 3D platformer/beat 'em up on the GameCube? Thrak (The 3DO Experience (https://linktr.ee/Thebarberwhogames?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=1e5b72be-7342-4db0-b727-f346762d14b5)) joins me on this patron-voted episode to discuss it! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Hist...
87: The Secret of Monkey Island (with Doug Lief - Nostalgium Arcanum)
September 06, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 90.1 MBI got into gaming in the 1990s, but my introduction to gaming was handheld consoles like the Game Gear and Game Boy, not PC games (aside from whatever my schools had in the computer labs), so the golden era of PC point-and-click adventure games completely missed me. Luckily, through the power of technology, I'm able to go back and revisit some of the formative classics that shaped many childhoods. The Secret of Monkey Island, by Lucasfilm Games is one of those classics, and I was happy to tak...
86: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (with Andrew & Dylan - Your Friendly Neighborhood Gamers)
August 30, 2023 04:00 - 2 hours - 88.5 MBAfter the success of The Witcher 3, the second game in the Witcher franchise seems to have been instantly forgotten, despite garnering lots of acclaim back when it released in 2011. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is an incredibly ambitious game by CD Projekt Red, with a branching narrative that still puts modern AAA games to shame, but is severely hampered by outdated and inscrutable gameplay design. Joining me to discuss The Witcher 2 are Andrew Kimball & Dylan Wren, hosts of Your Friendl...
85: The Three Versions of Metroid 2 (with Case Aiken, Matt Storm & Geoff Moonen)
August 23, 2023 04:00 - 3 hours - 84.7 MBThe black sheep in the Metroid series, Metroid 2: Return of Samus, was originally developed and published by Nintendo for Game Boy in 1991, and has since seen two well-known remakes- the fan remake AM2R, developed by Milton Guasti and released for PC in 2016, as well as MercurySteam and Nintendo's official remake, Metroid: Samus Returns, released in 2017 for the 3DS. This episode is a compare and contrast episode, featuring all three games. Joining me for this episode are three Metroid aficio...
Discovering Games Via Super Smash Bros. (with Kolby, Mikey Tabletop & Jim Rodeman)
August 16, 2023 04:45 - 1 hour - 84.7 MBIn this Break from the Backlog, I'm joined by Jim Rodeman, Mikey Tabletop (Big Drink Energy) and Kolby (Switch It Up) to discuss one of my favorite underrated things about the Super Smash Bros. series- how it has introduced me to so many of my favorite characters, games and game series throughout the years. We talk about how without Super Smash Bros, we may not have played series like Fire Emblem, Metroid, Kid Icarus, Ice Climbers, Bayonetta, Xenoblade Chronicles and so many more. You should ...
84: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (with Jacob McCourt)
August 09, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 84.5 MBMetal Gear Rising: Revengeance, a teamup between PlatinumGames and Konami brings incredible action gameplay into the world of Metal Gear. This game is fantastic, memorable, memeable and so much more. I was lucky enough to be joined by Jacob McCourt for this episode, as we walk through its wild story and dismemberment-focused gameplay. You should check out Jacob's podcasts, Left Behind Game Club (https://plnk.to/leftbehind?to=page), Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie & TV Podcast (https://plnk.to/c...
83: Redfall (with Nick & Will - Friday Night Gamecast)
August 02, 2023 04:00 - 2 hours - 83.5 MBRedfall, by Arkane Studios Austin released earlier this year to a slew of terrible reviews, clips showcasing its unfinished state, and general dunking as the internet does. But what was it that actually made it so bad? Is it actually as bad as people say? Can the Power of Friendship save Redfall? I'm joined by Nick and Will from Friday Night Gamecast to discuss. You can find all of FNGC's quality podcasts here (https://linktr.ee/FridayNightGamecast)! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Openi...
82: Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn & Throne of Bhaal (with Bryan Skursha - Pixelated Playgrounds)
July 26, 2023 04:00 - 2 hours - 93 MBBaldur's Gate 2, the second in BioWare's landmark RPG series, was always kind of "the goal", as it's usually said to be one of the best RPGs ever made, even more so than the first. And I do believe that it holds up in that way- the adventuring is unmatched, the characters are vivid and memorable, and you're able to see your character's arc come to a close, all the way from the beginning of Baldur's Gate 1. Joining me today is Bryan Skursha of Pixelated Playgrounds, a gaming book club podcast...
What Makes a Good Remake? (with Dylan & Dave - Offshore Gamecast)
July 19, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 87.2 MBRemakes are so hot these days. From 20+ year old influental titles like Metroid to games that were still available on modern platforms like The Last of Us, love em or hate em, remakes here to stay. So in this episode, Dave & Dylan from Offshore Gamescast join me to discuss when remakes are wanted, why some succeed and what we'd like to see in the future. You can find all things Offshore Gamescast at their website (https://offshoregamescast.com/)! Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! (ht...
81: Final Fantasy VI (with Aaron Angle - A Top 3 Podcast)
July 12, 2023 05:30 - 2 hours - 81.5 MBThis episode has been a long time coming. One of my favorite games of all time, a game that I've played most of the way through several times, but never finished until now! Final Fantasy VI, Square's landmark Super Nintendo RPG brought us a wonderful cast of characters, an iconic villain, a bangin soundtrack, and an unforgettable story. How does it hold up today? Joining me to discuss is my longtime friend and my co-host on A Top 3 Podcast, Aaron Angle! TIMESTAMPS Intro/Personal Histories/Ope...
80: Ico (with Josh Covel - Still Loading)
July 05, 2023 04:00 - 2 hours - 86.8 MBHope you're ready to hold hands as we discuss Ico, a supremely influential game from Japan Studio and Team Ico. Its influences spread wide throughout the industry, as its minimalist storytelling, cinematic approach, animation and sound design can still be felt throughout your favorite modern games. But how does it hold up today? Joining me to discuss is Josh Covel from the wonderful Still Loading podcast. You can find everything Still Loading by following this link (https://www.stillloadingpo...
79: Baldur's Gate (with Phil Morgan - Deleted Saves)
June 28, 2023 04:00 - 2 hours - 88.7 MBFor as much as I love role playing games, and some later entries into the CRPG genre, I had never played the original Baldur's Gate, by BioWare....until now. This game largely holds up, despite being made with an antiquated Dungeons and Dragons ruleset, but my issues with the game were a bit more basic than deciphering THAC0 like I expected. I was joined for this episode by Phil Morgan from Deleted Saves, which is a highly recommended podcast. You can find Deleted Saves on Apple Podcasts (htt...
78: The Last of Us Part II (with Flora Merigold - Epilogue Gaming, Left Behind Game Club)
June 21, 2023 04:00 - 2 hours - 77.9 MBThe Last of Us Part II, by Naughty Dog is one of the most polarizing video games ever made. The sequel to a wildly successful, and some would say "complete", video game was bound to leave some feeling left behind, but this game quickly joined The Discourse....and I didn't hear any of it. So I came to this relatively fresh, and invited on Flora Merigold from Epilogue Gaming (https://epiloguegaming.com/) and Left Behind Game Club (https://leftbehindgame.club) to discuss! Find out how we felt ab...
77: Hi-Fi RUSH (with Kevin Ainsworth - Save the Game Media)
June 14, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 83.9 MBNobody saw this one coming. Hi-Fi RUSH, by Tango Gameworks shadow dropped during an Xbox showcase and took the gaming world by storm. A colorful and cartoonish art style, a rockin soundtrack and the friendliest rhythm action gameplay around all make this game an absolute joy to play. Joining me to discuss is Kevin Ainsworth from Save the Game Media! Check out all of the shows that Save the Game does by following this link (https://linktr.ee/SaveTheGameMedia)! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histo...
76: Resident Evil 4 Remake (with Jala Prendes - Jala-chan's Place, The Level and Adam Bucceri - Enter the Survival Horror, Half Tone Takes)
June 07, 2023 04:00 - 3 hours - 91.9 MBHow do you remake a game that is: beloved by fans, acclaimed by critics, widely available on modern systems, AND still a blast to play? I don't have the answer, but Capcom sure as hell does. Resident Evil 4 (Remake) walks the line expertly: it modernizes mechanics while keeping the spirit of the original and it updates the story to make it a bit more modern. Joining me to discuss it are Jala Prendes (Jala-chan's Place (https://www.jalachan.com/), The Level (https://www.thelevelpodcast.com/)) ...
Introducing...Tales from the WAY Backlog! + Super Mario World
June 03, 2023 16:00 - 28 minutes - 65.4 MBThis just in- patrons at the Tube Backer ($5 tier) will get a new monthly series called Tales from the WAY Backlog, which will be shorter (20-30 minutes) reviews of retro games at least 30 years old. Retro is a huge hole in my gaming history and a source of frustration for me, so this is both a history tour and a challenge for me to experience these older games. This episode is available to all as a taste of what's to come. If you enjoyed this and want more, future episodes will be available ...
75: Dredge (with Jill Grodt - The Indie Informer)
May 31, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 90.8 MBDredge, the 2023 cosmic horror fishing game by Black Salt Games, marries the explore-gather-craft-explore gameplay loop with cosmic horror. You want to stay out late to gather as many materials as you can...but the night is dark and full of terrors. I'm joined by Jill Grodt, who helms The Indie Informer (https://the-indie-in-former.com/), a fantastic website for all things indie gaming. Check it out! Thank you to Black Salt Games and Team17 for providing a review code! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Pers...
74: Like a Dragon: Ishin! (with Nave - Gaming Together)
May 24, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 92.7 MBFor longtime fans of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a fun "familiar faces in new places" ride, almost like seeing your favorite characters putting on a play. Your favorite faces and voices take on the roles of historical figures in 1860s Japan, as rival forces compete for the rule of Japan and reshape society as we know it. Joining me in this episode is Nave from Gaming Together: A Cooperative Podcast, and you should check out the show (https://linktr.ee/gamingtoget...
Why We Love the Yakuza/Like a Dragon Series (with Matt aka Stormageddon)- Producer's Choice
May 21, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 85.4 MBDave is joined by Matt aka Stormageddon for another Producer's Choice episode, focusing on why we love the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series. Ryu Ga Gotoku's long-running crime melodrama series has introduced us to some of our favorite protagonists, side characters and level 100 weirdos through the years, so we wanted to take some time and talk about it. You can find all of Matt's wonderful podcasts ("Fun" and Games, Reignite, Screen Snark) on your favorite podcast app or at their website (https://...