Tales from the Backlog
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.
Episodes
April 30, 2025 • 154 mins
Like many of Square's RPGs of the late 90's and early 2000's, Vagrant Story is an ambitious, flawed, divisive and fantastic RPG, full of big ideas that didn't get a chance to full develop into what was planned. What we got was only one part of a larger saga (see also: Xenogears from just a few years prior), a game that stands on its own, proudly displaying all of the rough edges and brilliant ideas for all to see. It made for a gre...
Mark as Played
April 23, 2025 • 121 mins
No, this isn't the Arkane Studios Prey, this is the one that Arkane was forced to name their game after for no good reason. In fact, that's what got me interested in Human Head Studios' Prey (2006) in the first place, even before I learned what the game is about. So what did we think of this shooter caught between two eras, with seemingly 10 different puzzle mechanics? How did we find a rare AAA attempt at indigenous representation...
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April 16, 2025 • 165 mins
Review code provided by Ivy Road- thank you!
I think we all viewed Davey Wreden's new project announcement, a "cozy game about making tea", with a bit of side-eye. Is it really just going to be about making tea? You sure there isn't going to be a subversion in there? Are you still reading this? Well, Wanderstop is here, and it may not have the type of subversion that we expected, but it is most definitely not just a cozy game about...
Mark as Played
April 9, 2025 • 104 mins
From the first trailer, I knew that Sifu (Sloclap, 2022) looked like a game I wanted to play. There was just one small thing- it released two weeks before Elden Ring, and I was clearing the decks in a big way. No mental bandwidth to get stuck in a demanding action game. And so I waited. And waited. And forgot about it. And waited some more. And now, in 2025, after Elden Ring is (maybe) finished, it was time to revisit Sifu. And boy...
Mark as Played
April 2, 2025 • 133 mins
Only one studio out there can inspire the following sentence- the first time I saw the menu UI in Metaphor: ReFantazio, I knew that Atlus and Studio Zero were cooking. They've mastered the art of making menu-based RPGs flashy and stylish, as well as mastering the "Persona" calendar-based structure in general. On several fronts, this is the best game this studio has made, but left us wanting in a few areas as well. Listen in to this...
Mark as Played
March 26, 2025 • 169 mins
In my ongoing first-time playthrough of the Metal Gear Solid series, we've arrived at the canonical end of Solid Snake's story, while seeing series creator Hideo Kojima at his most self-indulgent (yet) and most creative. Metal Gear Solid is a series of multitudes, and 2008's Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is no different. Listen in to find out what we thought!
Guest info: Geoff Moonen
* Check out "Fun" and Games podcast h...
Mark as Played
March 19, 2025 • 119 mins
Ever since the podcast started in 2021, I always knew I'd do an episode about Unpacking (Witch Beam, 2021) someday. John Fogerty sang that someday never comes, but here we are, and Unpacking is on the show! Unpacking is a great example of using the interactivity of video games to tell a story in a unique, gameplay-forward way. Through the ONE SIMPLE TRICK of unpacking boxes and organizing your stuff when you move, a life story is t...
Mark as Played
March 12, 2025 • 111 mins
Mouthwashing (Wrong Organ, 2024) is a rare horror game that gets scarier after you finish the game. Its nonlinear structure, reality-blurring presentation and subtle (at times) storytelling leave you to put the pieces together yourself. Once you do that, you'll find a strikingly real story where the most unbelievable thing is the fact that it takes place in outer space. We had a great discussion on the show about what this game say...
Mark as Played
March 5, 2025 • 112 mins
I remember reading about Shenmue (AM2 of CRI, Sega, 2000) in the magazines back in the day and really marveling at how cool it all sounded- a revenge/investigation story, a town with characters that live their own lives outside of interacting with you, life in small-town Japan...but I didn't have a Dreamcast, so I never got to play it and eventually forgot about it as everyone else seemed to move on too. But over the past 5 years, ...
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February 26, 2025 • 143 mins
When Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector (Jump over the Age / Gareth Damian Martin, 2025) was announced, it was a surprise, but it also jumped straight to the top of my most anticipated games list. And while it fulfills the promise of a sequel by doubling down on the strengths of the first game, it also introduces some harsh mechanics that took a lot of people by surprise. Join us as we dig into all aspects in this discussion.
Gues...
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February 19, 2025 • 116 mins
Sometimes I think I know about video games, and then a series that I'd been ignoring for years absolutely blows me away. Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War (Namco, 2004) is one of those games. Exhilerating air combat, the best spectacle that the PS2 could offer, and a grand and amazing soundtrack all set the hooks, then a surprisingly good story pulls you along for the ride. I'm truly flourishing in my new Ace Combat arc, and this is the...
Mark as Played
February 12, 2025 • 80 mins
Entering 2024, there were very few indie games as hotly anticipated as The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures, Devolver Digital)...but then release date came, it got good-not-great reviews, and seemed to inspire more disappointment than anything else. So what happened? And how is the game, actually? Buckle up, because we've got you covered.
Guest info: Roger Reichardt of The Gamerheads Podcast- https://www.gamerheadspodcast.com/
T...
Mark as Played
February 5, 2025 • 118 mins
Fullbright made a name for themselves with 2013's Gone Home, leading many to anticipate their next project. 2017's Tacoma, however, seems to have come and gone without much fanfare. It is a fairly simple game that may not reach the emotional peaks of Gone Home, but Tacoma is a very good game in its own right. And then, due to director Steve Gaynor's workplace behavior during the development of Open Roads, Fullbright was all but gon...
Mark as Played
January 29, 2025 • 134 mins
Learn about and support the SAG-AFTRA union and video game actors on strike (https://www.sagaftra.org/contracts-industry-resources/contracts/interactive-media-video-game-strike).
Whenever the topic of "7/10 games" or "underrated games" or "bargain bin gems" comes up, Mad Max (Avalanche Studios) is almost guaranteed to be mentioned in the conversation. This game isn't tied into the movie storylines, but it does a great job of gettin...
Mark as Played
January 22, 2025 • 161 mins
As a fan of Red Candle Games' previous projects, Devotion (episode 139) and Detention (bonus episode on Patreon), Nine Sols instantly leapt onto my watchlist as soon as it was announced. However, as it released, I was a bit nervous to dive into it due to its Sekiro-inspired combat. I like Sekiro a lot, but did I want another one right then? Luckily, a few friends (including Josh, today's guest) convinced me to give it a whirl...and...
Mark as Played
January 15, 2025 • 181 mins
I once heard the original Pathologic (Ice-Pick Lodge) described as "the best game you shouldn't play", which is an oddly appealing pitch to me. I need to see what it is that puts it in that category, ya know? Luckily for me, Pathologic 2 exists and seems to be the preferred way for many to get the Pathologic experience, and I was not disappointed with what I got. Dense worldbuilding, intriguing and mysterious characters, harsh but ...
Mark as Played
January 8, 2025 • 111 mins
In 2024, we began a new community event in the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- the Backlog Resolutions Challenge. A big group of us picked a list of games that had been collecting dust in our libraries and resolved to play them! This episode is all about how that challenge went- what worked, what didn't work, why most of us didn't complete our lists, and any adjustments we are making going into the 2025 challenge. If you'd l...
Mark as Played
January 1, 2025 • 72 mins
Dave recaps his favorite games that released in 2024 and discusses the year in podcasting, gaming and more. Catch Dave's favorite games from other years that he played for the first time in 2024 on Patreon, available to all paid patrons!
TIMESTAMPS:
* Intros/Reminiscing 0:18
* Honorable Mentions 5:40
* #10 13:44
* #9 18:01
* #8 21:15
* #7 26:38
* #6 32:01
* #5 36:34
* #4 41:17
* #3 46:40
* #2 52:26
* #1 and thank yous 59:23
Music u...
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December 23, 2024 • 92 mins
Check out more information (https://www.sagaftra.org/contracts-industry-resources/contracts/video-game-strike/take-action) on the ongoing SAG-AFTRA video game actor strike and support the actors in any way that you can.
Batman video games got a resurgence with 2009's Arkham Asylum, continued to be critically acclaimed with 2011's Arkham City, and then started to become divisive with 2013's Arkham Origins and especially 2015's Arkha...
Mark as Played
December 18, 2024 • 117 mins
System Shock 2 **(Looking Glass Studios/Irrational Games**, 1999) contains one of the most iconic images in gaming (the scifi horror Medusa-esque SHODAN) and one of the most iconic spiritual sequels in gaming (the Bioshock series), but I still feel like experience with System Shock 2 itself is relegated to those who were there playing on PC in 1999. What was it about this game that made it so foundational for the Bioshock series an...
Mark as Played
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