Tales from the Backlog

David Jackson

1 Creator

A 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.

#8 in the Top 100 Indie games All time chart

...more

44 Listeners

5 Comments

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Top 10 Tales from the Backlog Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Tales from the Backlog episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Tales from the Backlog for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Tales from the Backlog episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

44: Undertale (with Eric Gess - The Unlockables)

Tales from the Backlog

09/21/22 • 138 min

Another week, another game that I came to late, and did my best to understand why millions of screaming internet denizens love it. Undertale is the game this week, and I'm joined by Eric Gess, host of The Unlockables!

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 0:29
Story Setup/To Kill or Not to Kill? 19:51
Gameplay 31:13
Combat 38:29
Soundtrack/Recommend? 51:38
SPOILER WALL 1:08:00

You can find The Unlockables by following this link! The Unlockables is Backlog Approved!

[Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon!](patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi!
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server!
Social Media:
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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

10 Listeners

1 Comment

32: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (with Alan Nichols - A Top 3 Podcast)

Tales from the Backlog

06/08/22 • 154 min

Dave is joined by Alan Nichols to discuss The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. What was once little brother to the much more popular Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask has begun to resonate with many of us who grew up with the N64 during our childhoods. Add in some things that hit a bit closer to home since the pandemic started, and we have a game worth revisiting. But did the gameplay hold up? Listen to find out what we think.

*I experienced some technical issues wirh my track recording that affected sound quality. Hope it doesn't hinder your enjoyment of the episode! -Dave

TIMESTAMPS:
Intro and Opening Thoughts 0:43
Personal Histories, Masks and Time Loop 9:30
Story and Setting, Music and "Zelda Stuff" 55:35
Spoiler Wall 1:56:41

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

9 Listeners

10: Silent Hill 2 (with Adelaide Lohkamp)

Tales from the Backlog

12/27/21 • 133 min

Dave is joined by Adelaide Lohkamp (she/her), who emerged from the endless fog to discuss Konami's pillar of the survival horror genre, Silent Hill 2.
Dave is NOT a horror game fan, and also has trouble playing older games with very outdated gameplay and/or mechanics....so what is it that automatically vaulted Silent Hill 2 onto his "must-play" list? Listen in to find out, and keep that radio handy.

*Note I refer to Adelaide by another name in the episode, but as preferences have changed since the recording date, please use the name Adelaide when referring to them. Thanks!

TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Silent Hill 2 11:51, Spoiler Section 1:01:10

Great story analysis on YouTube by TheGamingBritShow

Check out Jamie's YouTube channel!

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

7 Listeners

17: Dark Souls (with Jack Allen)

Tales from the Backlog

02/09/22 • 191 min

Dave is joined by Jack Allen to talk about the perfect Valentine's Day game- Dark Souls. Don't give up, skeleton! Dark Souls is a game that changed the way many people, your host included, look at video games, and specifically the way people look at difficulty in video games. Find out why we think this is truly worthy of that Game of the Decade title.

TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Dark Souls 10:50, Spoiler Section 2:21:47

Find Jack and his artwork at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

7 Listeners

1 Comment

34: Yakuza: Like a Dragon (with Rick Firestone - Pixel Project Radio)

Tales from the Backlog

06/22/22 • 163 min

Dave is joined by Rick Firestone from Pixel Project Radio to discuss Ryu Ga Gotoku's refresh of the Yakuza franchise. Yakuza: Like a Dragon brings a new protagonist and turn-based combat into the franchise, so tune in to find out how Rick and Dave feel about it.

TIMESTAMPS:
Intro, Personal Histories and Opening Thoughts 0:26
Story Setup 13:34
Combat 47:37
Side Content and Final Thoughts 1:19:28
Spoiler Wall 1:41:15

Find Pixel Project Radio on Twitter, Instagram, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

7 Listeners

1 Comment

6: SOMA (with Ryan Delaney)

Tales from the Backlog

11/29/21 • 122 min

Dave is joined by Ryan Delaney to discuss Frictional Games' existential horror classic, SOMA. This is a game with an absolutely top-level story that simply has to be experienced, but does the simplistic gameplay drag down the overall experience? Listen to find out what we think.

TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, SOMA 9:40, Spoiler Section 41:50

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

7 Listeners

1 Comment

39: Deathloop (with Morgan Remington - Intergalactic Pinecone)

Tales from the Backlog

08/17/22 • 114 min

After years of making critically acclaimed games in a genre that doesn't historically sell, Arkane Studios jumped on the roguelike time loop trend with their flashy, stylish Deathloop. It should have been a home run, right? The marriage of Arkane Studios' best-in-class level design and aesthetics with a game concept that would require players to use their tools creatively, lest they need to start over from square one. But was it the harmonious marriage we were waiting for? In this episode, Dave was joined by Morgan Remington, captain of the Intergalactic Pinecone, to discuss.

TIMESTAMPS:
Intros and Personal Histories
Visuals and Sound Design 11:16
Roguelite Design and Gameplay 35:10
Spoiler Wall 1:14:00

Check out Morgan and all things Intergalactic Pinecone on Twitch, on YouTube, on Twitter, and on Instagram.

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

7 Listeners

33: Unsighted (with Nave - Gaming Together Podcast)

Tales from the Backlog

06/15/22 • 128 min

Dave is joined by Nave from the Gaming Together Podcast to discuss Studio Pixel Punk's inventive action game, Unsighted. Unsighted merges a little bit of Zelda, a little bit of metroidvania, a little bit of Souls and a unique time mechanic- listen in to find out what we thought!

*I experienced some recording issues that caused a sound quality drop in this episode- technology is a real pain sometimes! Thanks for understanding!

TIMESTAMPS:
Intro, Personal Histories and Opening Thoughts 0:52
Story Setup, Time Mechanic and Map/Metroidvania 11:45
Combat, Bosses, Crafting and Side Quests 49:12
Aesthetics and Final Thoughts 1:21:29
Spoiler Wall 1:33:03

Find Gaming Together Podcast on Twitter, Apple and Spotify!

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

7 Listeners

1 Comment

7: Dragon's Dogma (with Adam Rivera)

Tales from the Backlog

12/06/21 • 126 min

Dave is joined by professional griffin rider Adam Rivera to discuss Capcom's uncanny western RPG, Dragon's Dogma. This is a game where the combat shines, and the story goes in some really weird places with some of gaming's strangest pacing. And did you know that wolves hunt in packs?

TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Dragon's Dogma 8:15, 1:29:15

Follow Adam on Twitter! And Twitch!

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

6 Listeners

12: Florence (with Heather Siddiqui and Nick Greenberg)

Tales from the Backlog

01/10/22 • 130 min

In the 3rd edition of the Lazy Sunday series focusing on short indie games, Dave is joined by Heather Siddiqui and Nick Greenberg to discuss the 2018 interactive visual novel by Mountains, Florence. Florence is a very short game that packs a huge emotional punch, brilliantly conveying emotions via color, music and simple gameplay mechanics.

TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Florence 10:50, Spoiler Section 41:50