Tales from the Backlog

Ahhh....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 and Twitch...

Longtime 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...

Ah 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 m...

Wario 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 ) joins me on this patron-voted episode to discuss it! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Open...

I 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....

After 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by CD Projekt Red , with a branching narrative that still puts modern AAA games to shame, but is severely hampered by outdated and inscrutable gameplay...

The 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...

In 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...

Metal 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 ,...

Redfall , 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...

Baldur'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 Baldu...

Remakes 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 Gamesc...

This 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 long...

Hope 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 Loadin...

For 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 Dele...

The 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 and Left Behind Game Cl...

Nobody 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...

How 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 Prend...

This 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...

Dredge , 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 , a fantastic website for all things indie gaming. Check it out! Thank you to Black Salt Gam...

For 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...

Dave 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 ("F...

There's an extremely common refrain out there in Gaming Discourse Land that goes a little something like this- "if you're not having fun with a game, why are you playing it?" and it got me thinking....is that all games should offer? Do things like frustration, getting lost, tedium or even boredom have a place in video games? So I enlisted some all-star guests to discuss it- Brad Gallaway ( gamecri...

Pentiment , by Obsidian Entertainment , made an immediate impression on everybody who saw the art style, and then saw that this game wasn't made by an indie team with a dream, it was made by one of the most established and respected game studios out there. The incredible art is only the tip of the iceberg in this journey to the past. The music, writing, characters and plot all take you into 16 cen...

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is many things. It was a giant risk. It is a joyous experience as an open world sandbox, but it alienated some longtime fans of the Zelda series. It is a callback to the original Legend of Zelda game. It's also the one single game that I can say brought me back into gaming in 2017. Jake and Cameron from the Pre-Order Bonus podcast ( Website , Twitter ) join...