Tales from the Backlog

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...

The gaming landscape is so full of games aping what makes other games successful that we end up with a lot of games that are of good quality but otherwise unremarkable. And then on the other side of the room is Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin . Stranger of Paradise uses the setting of the first Final Fantasy game to give Jack space to cook, and cook he does. The result is a game that do...

We haaaave a plan! Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar's 2018 western open world mega hit tells the story of Arthur Morgan and the decline of the outlaw era of American history...when you can pull yourself away from the hunting and fishing. Alex and Luke join to discuss this masterpiece in storytelling. You can check out Low Five Gaming on every podcast app or by visiting their website . TIMESTAMPS In...

Catherine: Full Body , the 2019 re-release of the original Catherine from 2011, is one of the more unique games I've ever played. A mashup of life sim and watching an anime, all built around an interesting puzzle game. Themes of adultery, responsibility, relationships, indecision and social commentary on modern-day Japan are all parts of a story that really surprised me. I didn't know what to expe...

Silicon Dreams , the product of two-person studio Clockwork Bird , has one hell of an elevator pitch- "Blade Runner meets Papers, Please". For the right type of person, that pitch should rocket this game straight up to the top of the to-play list. It is a text-based interrogation game, where you are tasked with getting to the root of problem behaviors in androids through a series of dialogue puzzl...

Chained Echoes , a solo project by developer Matthias Linda , might grab your attention with its elevator pitch- "The JRPG classics like Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Suikoden, Secret of Mana and more get a modern makeover/love letter", but to say that all Chained Echoes does is modernize those games would only be telling half of the story. Chained Echoes not only writes an effective love lett...

Dave is joined by Brian Edwards of Character Issues and Cane and Rinse podcasts to discuss Nier: Replicant. Yoko Taro's 2010 cult classic got a makeover in 2021, so let's find out how it is! Nier will do anything to save his sick sister Yonah, and along the way he meets a stellar supporting cast of characters, including the stuck-up talking book Grimoire Weiss, the scantily clad badass Kaine, and...

Emergent gameplay- when simple gameplay mechanics interact to create unique and complex situations and solutions to problems, and it might be the secret sauce that takes your favorite games from good to great! I'm joined by Moonborne, Alex (Please Don't Listen) and Nave (Gaming Together) to talk about emergent gameplay and our favorite examples from games like Breath of the Wild, Hitman, Deus Ex,...

Eastward ( Pixpil ) is a game that has a great elevator pitch- absolutely gorgeous pixel art, bopping music and gameplay/story that evoke The Legend of Zelda, Earthbound and Dragon Quest, but failed to live up to the heights of any of those games for me. Poor pacing and a baffling decision to have a silent protagonist dragged this game way down into the "this feels like homework" zone. And that's...

Sequels are tricky! There are a few schools of thought, and God of War: Ragnarök is about as direct a sequel as you could imagine, especially for a video game. It takes the God of War reboot from 2018 and adds to it in every aspect...but were those additions productive? Or does this sequel sag under its own weight? Listen in to find out. Joining me to discuss God of War: Ragnarök is Ryan Juengling...

Tunic is a game I respect more than I actually enjoyed playing, when it was all said and done. I respect the vision to rely almost completely on the player to do the extra work that other games do for them, and I had some struggles with this due to my goldfish brain. I respect the attempt to make a challenging game that is unlocked by piecing together opaque mechanics, but I found it to be too dif...