Tales from the Backlog

2:44:11

233: The Walking Dead, Season One (with Aaron Angle -...

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/10/07

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejacksonDiscord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Everyone's got that game, book, movie, etc that a longtime friend has been recommending for years, decades or more and you just haven't quite gotten around to it. One of those for me and one of my oldest friends was Telltale's series of games based on The Walking Dead. For many reasons, despite believing that the games would be good, I just waited a wild amount

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2:32:31

232: Panzer Dragoon Saga (with Chris Coplien - Retro...

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/09/30

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejacksonDiscord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Games gather reputations for a variety of reasons, but one of the most unique among those are the games that are so hard to purchase that above all, they have a reputation for being expensive. Panzer Dragoon Saga (Team Andromeda, Sega, 1998) is one of the top examples of that phenomenon nowadays, after only tens of thousands of English-language copies were

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2:59:10

231: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (with Gooey...

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/09/23

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejacksonDiscord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog One of these days it was bound to happen, the remake announcement solidified it- it's time to give The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo, 1998) the Tales from the Backlog treatment. This was Dave's favorite game for decades and is still by far one of the most influential games in his life, but this was the first time in a while that he had played all the

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2:03:01

Do Video Games "Hold Up"? (with Retro Spectives)

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/09/16

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejacksonDiscord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog When we talk about older games, we often use phrases like "this holds up!" or "this hasn't aged well!", but what do we mean when we say stuff like that? What do they hold up against? What aspects age well or poorly? Are there better ways to convey our thoughts? To help me dig into this, I've brought Patrick and James from the Retro Spectives Podcast back to the

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2:01:41

230: Quest 64 (with Mike aka Quest64Official)

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/09/09

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejacksonDiscord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog What's the worst game you've ever played? That's the question of the day, and a fairly common answer to that question for a long time has been Quest 64 (Imagineer, 1998). But does Quest deserve to be in that conversation? What is it actually like as a game, outside of the memes and reputation? That's what we're exploring in this episode, and to do so, I brought

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2:31:36

229: The Beginner's Guide (with Matt aka Stormageddon...

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/09/02

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejacksonDiscord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog After the breakout success of The Stanley Parable, Davey Wreden's next game is a bit darker and a lot more personal. The Beginner's Guide (Everything Unlimited Ltd, 2015) examines a lot of things, but at the forefront is the relationships we have with others and some complex and slippery situations that can arise. To say more would be to start spoiling things,

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2:32:39

228: Golden Sun (with Rebekah Valentine)

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/08/26

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejacksonDiscord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog It's not every day you revisit a favorite game from your teenage years, but today is that day as special guest Rebekah Valentine (Kotaku) joins me to discuss Golden Sun, one of the most beloved Game Boy Advance games. Camelot and Nintendo ended up splitting the game into two, and in this episode we focus on the first game, though we do discuss The Lost Age quite

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2:23:09

227: Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (with Gen Moonen -...

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/08/19

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejacksonDiscord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Gen Moonen ("Fun" and Games) as they discuss Konami's 2006 entry in the Castlevania franchise, Portrait of Ruin. By this point, the series had largely moved past dual-screen and touchscreen gimmicks, settling on putting the menus and map on the bottom screen with the action on top. Add in a dual-protagonist setup and you've got a

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2:32:40

226: Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (with...

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/08/12

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejacksonDiscord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Andre (Fine Time, Neo Geo Go!, The Silent Discographer) as they discuss Square Enix's latest entry in the main Dragon Quest series, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age. For a certain style of RPG (that Dragon Quest arguably pioneered), it doesn't get better than this. Dragon Quest XI doesn't reinvent any part of its genre, but

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2:14:34

225: Arco (with Luis Aguasvivas)

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/08/05

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Luis Aguasvivas as they discuss Arco (Franek, Max Cahill, Bibiki and Fayer, 2024). Arco blends tactical turn-based combat with a revenge story spanning multiple protagonists. It's an ambitious game that coalesces in some magical ways, but falls short in some others, making it ripe for discussion. As always, no spoilers in the episode

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2:31:15

224: Titanium Court (with Emily Merritt - No Small...

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/07/29

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejacksonDiscord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Emily Merritt (No Small Games) as they do their best to unpack AP Thompson's Titanium Court. Even AP Thompson's simplified description of "a match-3 tower defense game for people who like to read" still hides a mountain of detail, so this was a fun discussion about those component parts and especially how they tie together into a

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2:05:17

223: Pokémon Conquest (with Jared Moss - Play Along...

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/07/22

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejacksonDiscord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Jared Moss (Play Along Podcast) as they take over the land in Pokémon Conquest. This crossover between Pokémon and Nobunaga's Ambition puts the familiar monsters in tactical grid-based combat, with satisfying (if slow) progression. It's a fun twist on the familiar, even if it makes zero effort to tell an accompanying story with any

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2:16:52

Video Game Music Appreciation 101 (with Rick...

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/07/15

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guests Rick Firestone (Pixel Project Radio) and Charlie Young for an introductory lesson about how to listen to and discuss video game music in more effective ways. The episode starts with some terminology and examples, then moves to a "close listening" exercise where you can apply what was taught earlier. Hope you enjoy! Guest info:

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2:36:26

222: Mina the Hollower (with Matt aka Stormageddon -...

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/07/08

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Matt aka Stormageddon ("Fun" and Games, Reignite podcasts) as they discuss Yacht Club Games' long-awaited action adventure game, Mina the Hollower. Blending several influences from The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, FromSoftware's catalogue and more, Mina the Hollower still managed to carve out a strong identity of its own while leaving

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1:40:34

221: Minishoot' Adventures (with Roger Reichardt -...

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/07/01

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Roger Reichardt of Gamerheads Podcast as they discuss Soulgame Stuidio's 2024 top-down twin-stick shooting adventure, Minishoot' Adventures. The weird apostrophe will catch your attention, but the fantastic controls and satisfying gameplay will keep you grinning from ear to ear from start to finish. Or at least, that's how it went for

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2:33:00

220: Pyre (with AJ Fillari)

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/06/24

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest AJ Fillari as they discuss Pyre (Supergiant Games, 2017). As your crew makes their way through their underworld hellprison, you take part in competitive rites with the goal of earning your freedom. The game explores the rhythms of sport and competition, win or lose, as well as political allusions, what it means to return home, and much

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2:36:43

219: Drakengard (with IdolismJ)

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/06/17

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejacksonDiscord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest IdolismJ as they tackle Drakengard (Cavia, Square Enix, 2003). Drakengard has a reputation for being bad, unplayable, interesting and edgelordy to a certain extent, and we can confirm that some, but not all of those, are correct. Drakengard challenges the player in ways that most games don't, driving you crazy alongside the

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2:54:15

218: Fire Emblem: Three Houses (with Claire - Date...

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/06/10

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejacksonDiscord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Claire as they deep dive Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Intelligent Systems, Kou Shibusawa, Nintendo, 2019). They discuss the life sim and battle elements, how they tie together to make you fear permadeath even more, the four playthroughs, and much more. As always, no spoilers for a while! Guest info: Claire (she/her/any) Check out

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2:36:09

217: Many Nights a Whisper (with Flora Merigold)

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/06/03

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejacksonDiscord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Flora Merigold (Epilogue Gaming, Left Behind Game Club) as they discuss Many Nights a Whisper (Deconstructeam, Selkie Harbour, 2025). Many Nights a Whisper puts you in a high-pressure situation and asks you to make tough choices that will have an impact on whether you make the climactic shot or not. We discuss the marriage of narrative

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1:44:13

216: Isles of Sea and Sky (with Jesse Guarascia)

Tales from the Backlog ·

2026/05/27

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Jesse Guarascia (noclip, noclip_2 and more) as they strengthen their block-pushing muscles for a deep dive into Isles of Sea and Sky (Cicada Games, 2024). They discuss its rich world full of secrets, why Sokoban-style puzzles feel like a great foundation for weird narratives or layers of secrets, whether the open-ended design works

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