151 episodes
Tales from the Backlog David Jackson
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- Leisure
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5.0 • 36 Ratings
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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.
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118: God Hand (with Derek Van Dyke - Super Deluxe GamesCast)
Sometimes you hear about a game and you know you're going to love it. God Hand, released by Clover Studio and Capcom in 2006, is one of those games. Despite hearing about its difficulty (which was true, my hands still hurt), I loved playing this game and it deserves its resurging cult status. Now if only someone could convince Capcom that this is worth remastering. We can dream, can't we?
I'm joined in this episode by the wonderful Derek Van Dyke of Super Deluxe Gamescast and Castle Bravo podcasts, which you should check out for your video games and Godzilla media needs, respectively. Follow these links for Super Deluxe Gamescast and Castle Bravo or search on your favorite podcast app!
TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:59
Story Setup/Campy Tone/Humor 16:09
Soundtrack 38:25
Combat 49:34
Final Thoughts/Recommendations/Housekeeping 1:07:41
SPOILER WALL 1:16:21
Music used in the episode is credited to Masafumi Takada and Jun Fukuda: Peek-a-Boo!, Be Ready, Gene's Rock-a-Bye, Smoking Roll, Top of the Humans, Sunset Heroes, It's a Smile World, Broncobuster, God Hand
Mazinger Z Theme by Ichirou Muzuki
Listen to the King of Games 1996 over on Retro Hangover!
Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi!
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server!
Social Media:
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
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)! -
117: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (with Jared - Play Along Podcast)
As the Legend of Zelda series has pivoted to free-flowing and creativity-focused open words, "The Zelda Formula" has fallen by the wayside, left in the memories of those who grew up with it. That's certainly the case for me, as I welcomed the change that Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom brought to the series. However, the old ways still hold a place in my heart, and I was happy to revisit The Minish Cap for this episode. This marks an interesting period in the series, where Capcom worked with Nintendo to develop the handheld Zelda games, and they knocked this one out of the park. Thank you to the patrons for voting this game on to the show!
I'm joined in this episode by Jared Moss from Play Along Podcast to discuss it. Jared is a Zelda head and was the perfect guest for this episode. You can and should check out everything that he is doing over at Play Along Podcast by using this link or on your favorite podcast app!
TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 2:31
Story Setup 15:11
Visuals/Music 23:40
Gameplay 38:41
Final Thoughts/Recommendations/Housekeeping 1:10:25
SPOILER WALL 1:23:29
Music used in the episode is credited to Mitsuhiko Takano: File Select, Title Theme, Hyrule Field, Picori Festival, Hyrule Town, Mt Crenel, Dungeon Boss, Minish Woods, Vaati's Wrath
Dave's guest appearance on "Fun" and Games podcast
Listen to the King of Games 1996 over on Retro Hangover!
Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi!
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server!
Social Media:
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
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)! -
How Gaming Has Influenced Our Taste in Music (with Ryan Juengling - List Off! and Jon Haig)
Video games have the power to connect with players to tell stories, but have you ever considered the role that video games had in shaping your taste in music? From sports games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Madden and FIFA to rhythm games like Guitar Hero, Rock Band and Fuser, and even non-licensed soundtracks like Mega Man, The Last of Us and Final Fantasy...video games have had a big role in shaping the type of music we like. That's what this discussion episode is all about!
My guests for this episode were Ryan Juengling from List Off!, where you can get measured and informed takes on the latest gaming news, and Jon Haig, formerly of Video Game Lounge podcast. You can find List Off! and Video Game Lounge by searching on your favorite podcast apps or by following those links.
TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Guitar Hero/Rock Band 1:26
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater/Sports Games 25:56
Chiptunes/Orchestrated Music/Others 54:23
Music used in this episode:
-Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Main Menu (Brian Bight)
-"Hey You" (The Exies cover - performed by WaveGroup Sound)
-Gamebreaker 1 from NBA Street Vol 2 (Jeff Mair)
-Metal Man from Mega Man 2 (Takashi Tateishi)
-WVBA Champion from Punch-Out!! (Koji Kondo)
Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi!
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server!
Social Media:
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
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)! -
116: Transistor (with Alex - Low Five Gaming)
Transistor, by Supergiant Games, is an interesting game to go back to after playing Hades. You can see a lot of ideas that started here in Transistor and made their way all the way to Hades, with Transistor still being a really engaging and strategic game in its own right. I loved revisiting this game, and am glad it won the poll on Patreon to appear on the show!
Joining me to discuss Transistor is Alex from Low Five Gaming! Low Five Gaming is a monthly backlog book club podcast that Alex runs with his brother Luke. It's a great time, and you should check it out by heading to their website!
TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:40
Story Setup 14:30
Visuals/Music 28:03
Combat 39:00
Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Housekeeping 1:00:26
SPOILER WALL 1:08:15
Music used in the episode is written, recorded and produced by Darren Korb, with vocals by Ashley Barrett. You can support them by purchasing the album on BandCamp. Tracks used: Old Friends, Traces, Water Wall, Heightmap, Coasting, The Spine, Apex Beat, Paper Boats
Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi!
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server!
Social Media:
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
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)! -
115: Xenogears (with Michael Berger - Bits of Time)
Xenogears, by Square, is one of the big RPGs of this era that I wanted to check off. As a fan of the Xenoblade Chronicles games and JRPGs in general, going back to the root of the series felt like an interesting trip back through history. A few things had initially put me off, like all of the talk about an unfinished second disc and heavy use of religious and philosophical material that I would have to research outside of the game. And I'm happy to report that both worries were unfounded- the second disc is great, and I actually did feel compelled to go learn things outside of the game! This is a fantastic, flawed game, and it was a joy to record about it.
Joining me to discuss Xenogears is Michael Berger, co-host of Bits of Time. You can check out Bits of Time on their podcast and their YouTube channel! You can also check out Michael's books, Ayla: A Science Fiction Novella and The Consumed.
TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 2:06
Story Setup 14:29
Story Pacing/Characters/Religious & Philosophical Themes 27:56
Visuals/Music 42:07
Gameplay/Combat 53:32
Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Housekeeping 1:07:04
SPOILER WALL 1:16:53
Music used in the episode was composed by Yasunori Mitsuda. Tracks used: My Village is Number One, Bonds of Sea and Fire, Light from the Netherworld, Emotions, Shevat ~ The Wind is Calling, Steel Giant, Yggdrasil, Flight, Fuse, The Valley Where Wind is Born, The Treasure Which Cannot Be Stolen, The Beginning and the End, Small Two of Pieces (with vocals by Joanne Hogg)
Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi!
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server!
Social Media:
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
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)! -
114: Baldur's Gate 3 NON-SPOILER SECTION (with Jim Rodeman & Chris Rettig)
Sometimes I try to write clever little descriptions about the games on the show, but this week's game doesn't feel like it needs it.** Baldur's Gate 3*, by **Larian Studios, excels in just about everything it sets out to do. It has impressive writing, almost unparalleled choice-based storytelling, memorable characters, a deep and engaging combat system, and tons of immersive sim elements that make each playthrough really feel like your own. It's one of the best games I've ever played, and I was joined by returning guests **Jim Rodeman* and Chris Rettig to discuss it!
TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 2:47
Story Setup/Characters 19:57
Choice-Based Storytelling/Quest Design 44:22
Visuals/Presentation/Music 59:05
Gameplay/Combat 1:12:41
Closing Thoughts/Recommendations 1:57:40
SPOILER SECTION IS IN ITS OWN EPISODE THIS TIME
Charity Streaming Event: We are doing a charity streaming event from April 20th-28th 2024 to benefit Suicide Awareness Voices of Education in honor of a friend we lost. Please check out the stream schedule HERE and consider donating HERE.
Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi!
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server!
Social Media:
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
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)!
Customer Reviews
Tales from a Podcast you need to listen to!
This show is a very entertaining listen. Dave and his guests always come to the table with good discussions on video games that are fun to listen to, informative and sometimes they make me chuckle! Audio quality is excellent, too. Do yourself a favor and check this one out.
Best in-depth discussion about your favorite game
Dave and his guests do an amazing job talking about the games you played or might have played. Def makes me want to revisit some of the games that are discussed!
One of the best
Dave Jackson and his many excellent guests are a joy to listen to. For me, this is the right level of detail to talk about games at. He’s covered tons of games, both big and small, and I’m a big fan of some of the more obscure titles.