Tales from the Backlog

227: Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (with Gen Moonen - "Fun" and Games) Aug 19, 2026 2:23:09 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, 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

226: Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (with Andre - Fine Time) Aug 12, 2026 2:32:40 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, 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 pio

225: Arco (with Luis Aguasvivas) Aug 5, 2026 2:14:34 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

224: Titanium Court (with Emily Merritt - No Small Games) Jul 29, 2026 2:31:15 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, 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

223: Pokémon Conquest (with Jared Moss - Play Along Podcast) Jul 22, 2026 2:05:17 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, 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. I

Video Game Music Appreciation 101 (with Rick Firestone & Charlie Young) Jul 15, 2026 2:16:52 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 "cl

222: Mina the Hollower (with Matt aka Stormageddon - "Fun" and Games) Jul 8, 2026 2:36:26 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 cat

221: Minishoot' Adventures (with Roger Reichardt - Gamerheads Podcast) Jul 1, 2026 1:40:34 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 ga

220: Pyre (with AJ Fillari) Jun 24, 2026 2:33:00 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 sp

219: Drakengard (with IdolismJ) Jun 17, 2026 2:36:43 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, 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. Dra

218: Fire Emblem: Three Houses (with Claire - Date With Us) Jun 10, 2026 2:54:15 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, 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 playthrough

217: Many Nights a Whisper (with Flora Merigold) Jun 3, 2026 2:36:09 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, 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

216: Isles of Sea and Sky (with Jesse Guarascia) May 27, 2026 1:44:13 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 li

215: Kingdom Hearts (with Leah Haydu) May 20, 2026 2:31:43 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Leah Haydu (Cane and Rinse, Character Issues) as they discuss Kingdom Hearts (Square Enix, 2001). Leah is a longtime fan and Dave just played for the first time, and that led to a great conversation about the infamous story, the Disn

214: Cairn (with Rachel Watts) May 13, 2026 2:41:45 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Rachel Watts (Thinky Games, Indieventure podcast) as they discuss Cairn (The Game Bakers, 2026). Cairn is a meticulous, thoughtful climbing game that takes you into the mind of an elite athlete as she attempts a climb that has never

213: Hitman 3 & Freelancer Mode (with Scott Danielson) May 6, 2026 3:10:06 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and returning guest Scott Danielson as they dive into the third and final entry in the Hitman: World of Assassination Trilogy (IO Interactive), as well as its roguelike mode, Freelancer. This whole package is an absolute treat, and this also brings th

212: The Séance of Blake Manor (with Brian Edwards - Cane and Rinse, Character Issues) Apr 29, 2026 2:13:43 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Brian Edwards as they dive into one of 2025's most acclaimed games, The Séance of Blake Manor (Spooky Doorway, Raw Fury, 2025). It's a captivating mystery set in an Irish countryside manor-turned-hotel, full of both literal and figur

211: Baby Steps (with Josh Galecki - Pixelated Playgrounds) Apr 22, 2026 2:20:21 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Josh Galecki (Pixelated Playgrounds, Moonroof Studios) to take a long walk into the woods of Baby Steps. Developed by Bennett Foddy, Gabe Cuzillo and Maxi Boch and published by Devolver Digital, Baby Steps is an extremely unique game

Is It Harder for Video Games to Be Funny? (with Doug Lief & Gen Moonen) Apr 15, 2026 1:57:29 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Guest info: Doug Lief (he/him) and Gen Moonen (they/them) Listen to Nostalgium Arcanum https://nostalgiumarcanum.fireside.fm/ Listen to Playing By Ear https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/playing-by-ear/id1815995146 Listen to Still Muppeting https://www.pat

210: Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines (with TroytlePower) Apr 8, 2026 3:07:11 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest TroytlePower as they discuss Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines, developed by Troika Games and published by Activision in 2004. Any recommendation to play Bloodlines comes with all sorts of disclaimers attached, which makes it nearl

PAX East 2026 Wrap-Up Apr 5, 2026 19:05 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Dave recaps 13 indie games that he played on the PAX East 2026 show floor. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:25 The Secret of Weepstone 2:05 Throwback! Jai-Alai Heroes 2:59 Canvas City 3:51 DREADMOOR 5:03 Fractured Blooms 6:20 GNAW 7:31 Valor Mortis 8:32 Well Dweller

209: Chants of Sennaar (with Travis Colenutt - Left Behind Game Club) Apr 1, 2026 2:24:18 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and guest Travis Colenutt on their language-learning journey up the tower in Chants of Sennaar (Rundisc, Focus Entertainment, 2023). What do our languages say about our culture, and how can learning another language change the way we see the world? Al

208: Death Howl (with Bryan Skursha - Pixelated Playgrounds) Mar 25, 2026 2:24:39 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and guest Bryan Skursha as they deep dive Death Howl (The Outer Zone, 11 Bit Studios, 2025) on their journey through the underworld to find out what the hell a soulslike deckbuilder even is. Brutal turn-based combat, a story about grieving and a mothe

207: Skate Story (with Josh Leslie - IndieQuest) Mar 18, 2026 2:07:15 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Josh Leslie as they discuss Skate Story, developed by Sam Eng and published by Devolver Digital in 2025. How does the skating compare to touchstone games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater or skate.? How does its poetic storytelling land? H

206: Bioshock (with Joseph Hooper - Crossplay Conversations) Mar 11, 2026 2:31:05 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Bioshock is a title that carries weight, nearly 20 years after its 2007 release by 2K Boston and 2K Australia, and it feels like one that every gaming podcast eventually talks about. And hey, it's our turn this time- Bioshock has long been a favorite of mine th

205: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (with Steve aka Blinkoom) Mar 4, 2026 2:02:27 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog I always tend to take note when a game from previous generations gets a remaster and the general consensus is "hell yeah, finally!", which just so happened to be the case when Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (Capcom, 2010) got the HD treatment in 2023. The DS is

204: Ghost of Yōtei (with Jacob Price - The Pre-Order Bonus) Feb 25, 2026 2:52:36 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Ghost of Tsushima (2020) was one of my favorite games of that year, and happens to be episode 2(!!) of this podcast, an early game that screamed to me "you should talk about this into a microphone for 2+ hours). That being the case, Sucker Punch's follow-up, Gh

203: Pokémon Legends: Z-A (with Kenneth Shepard) Feb 18, 2026 1:51:57 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog The Pokémon franchise got a long-awaited shakeup with 2022's Legends: Arceus, changing the game structure, catching and battling mechanics and setting. But now that Legends has become its own subseries with 2025's Legends: Z-A, all eyes were on its own innovati

202: Goodnight Universe (with Jill Grodt - The Indie Informer) Feb 11, 2026 1:51:46 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Goodnight Universe had a lot to live up to as the spiritual successor to Before Your Eyes, utilizing the same innovative webcam-based gameplay mechanics to tell a story...about a psychic baby? Well, the premise sounded weird but these creators had earned my tru

201: Madden 2005 vs ESPN NFL 2K5 (with Chris Coplien & Adam Gumbert) Feb 4, 2026 1:41:44 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog In the eyes of many football fans, 2004 was the greatest year for football games. It also happened to be the last year before EA secured the exclusive rights to the NFL license, leaving many fans wishing we could go back to the way things were back then, and we

200: Dark Souls II (with Ryan Batie - Lightning Strikes Thrice) Jan 28, 2026 2:36:02 Want more Dark Souls 2 podcasts? Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Every beloved series has its black sheep- Mario has Sunshine, Zelda has the DS games, and Dark Souls has Dark Souls 2. But to me, the things that make Dark Souls 2 divisive are the things that make it interesting. Not every new

199: Hollow Knight: Silksong (with Jenny Windom - Geeks & Grounds) Jan 21, 2026 3:23:28 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Very few games have ever had the hype cycle that Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry, 2025) had, so the question remained once the game was finally released- did it live up to the hype? Clown masks and Nintendo Direct comment section explosions quickly gave wa

198: Crazy Taxi (with Darren Hupke - Pixels & Polygons) Jan 14, 2026 1:03:53 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog In the midst of so many games and podcasts with heavy story themes, sometimes it's nice to just play a video game-ass video game. And so here we have Crazy Taxi (Sega, 2000), plowing through a bunch of mailboxes on its way to the podcast schedule. This is a sem

Backlog Resolutions 2026 Jan 7, 2026 2:19:51 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server and make your own resolutions!- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog For the past few years, we've been making "backlog resolutions" each year- choosing a list of games from our libraries that we keep telling ourselves "I'm gonna

2025 In Review/Games of the Year Dec 31, 2025 1:23:33 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog All paid patrons can listen to a bonus episode about our favorite non-2025 games that we played this year! https://www.patreon.com/posts/our-favorite-non-146887020 It's that time! End of the year time! Games of the year time! This year I polled Discord and Pat

197: Astro Bot (with Josh Covel - Still Loading Podcast) Dec 24, 2025 2:21:28 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson With the world being the way it is, it's a rare treat to play a game that's just pure joy from start to finish, and that is exactly what Astro Bot (Team Asobi, Sony, 2024) brings. From the

196: Sword of the Sea (with AndresPlays) Dec 17, 2025 1:52:08 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson There is a certain type of atmospheric (usually) indie game that gets praised for its tone, vibes and emotional impact, but sometimes criticized for underbaked or limited gameplay mechanic

195: Legend of Grimrock 2 (with Shane Selterre - Retro Hangover) Dec 10, 2025 2:19:13 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson One of the best things about the thriving indie game scene is that dead genres come back to life, and nothing exemplifies that more than the return of the blobber/first-person dungeon craw

194: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (with Michael Berger - Bits of Time) Dec 3, 2025 2:28:13 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog What could Nintendo possibly do to follow up the game that "saved gaming" for me? Well, they simply iterated on and evolved everything about Breath of the Wild to make one of the most creativity and freedom-focused games ever. It's simple, really- why don't mor

193: Asura's Wrath (with Nick & Will - Friday Night Gamecast) Nov 26, 2025 2:13:19 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Some games just stand out from the pack, and with its episodic anime structure, QTE-heavy cutscenes and South Asian religious inspirations, there is nothing quite like Asura's Wrath (Cyber

192: Heaven's Vault (with Rebekah Valentine) Nov 19, 2025 2:35:21 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Ever have one of those games that sits in your library, untouched for years, until something finally gives you the push to play it...and you end up kicking yourself for waiting so long? Th

191: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (with Kate & Emily - No Small Games) Nov 12, 2025 2:44:15 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Modern Pokémon games are divisive, but rarely due to technical performance. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (Game Freak, 2022) released in an embarrassing state, and are hoping for a comeback w

190: Pseudoregalia (with Bo__Po - Underplayed) Nov 5, 2025 1:52:42 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Pseudoregalia (Rittzler, 2023) represents a few things that are either making a resurgence or breaking out within indie games lately- retro PS1/N64 style graphics, megastructures, and 3D p

189: Lies of P (with Rob & Kelvin - The Gaming Duo) Oct 29, 2025 2:47:01 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Nobody is more skeptical of a new Soulslike on the block than me. Too often, Soulslikes build around the superficial qualities of FromSoftware's hits and neglect the secret sauce (or miss

188: Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye (with Rick Firestone) Oct 22, 2025 2:10:09 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson As I said way back in The Outer Wilds episode, I respect the hell out of that game and think it's a miracle, but I didn't love it as much as others, and I kind of wish I could Eternal Suns

187: Fear & Hunger (with Adam Bucceri) Oct 15, 2025 2:53:57 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Sometimes a game's reputation precedes it in a way that makes you question whether you want to play it at all, and Fear & Hunger (Miro Haverinen, 2018) certainly fits that bill. Punish

186: Silent Hill 3 (with Kaye Ross) Oct 8, 2025 2:06:05 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson It's been a real joy working my way through the Silent Hill series alongside doing this show, starting all the way back in episode 10(!) with Silent Hill 2. Today, I'm playing the sequel t

185: Slay the Princess (with Matt aka Stormageddon) Oct 1, 2025 2:02:32 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson This year, we're kicking off horror month with a first- a visual novel! It's the first one I've covered on the show, though I enjoy them from time to time, and Slay the Princess (Black Tab

184: Ultros (with John Rogers - Gaming in the Wild) Sep 24, 2025 2:15:06 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Sometimes, all it takes to grab your attention is a single screenshot, and Ultros (Hadoque, Kepler Interactive, 2024) is definitely one of those games. Every screenshot drips with color an

183: Despelote (with Moises Taveras) Sep 17, 2025 1:59:11 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson There are more than enough sports games to go around out there, but the culture of sports does not begin and end on the field of play. There is an entire culture surrounding sports, and I'

182: Bionic Bay (with Harry Loizides - Six One Indie) Sep 10, 2025 1:28:59 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Sometimes a game you'd never heard of will break out with a 90+ on the review aggregator websites and immediately turn heads, and that's exactly what happened to me with Bionic Bay (Mureen

181: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (with Ty Schalter) Sep 3, 2025 2:38:16 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Everybody has that game they played a hundred times as a kid and therefore can't be objective about anymore, and for us, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is NOT one of those! Both m

180: Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (with Erik - Pages of Play) Aug 27, 2025 2:50:05 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/V3ZHz3vYQR Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (Don't Nod, 2023) represents a different type of game that Don't Nod has been making alongside their popular choice-based narrative games like Life is Strange

179: Blue Prince (with Jenny Windom) Aug 20, 2025 2:41:49 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog You know a game is good when it kicks off a new round of discourse about genre names, right? Regardless, Blue Prince (Dogubomb, 2025) is the latest hit in a type of knowledge-is-power game that is really appealing to certain types of gamers. The only difference

178: Psychonauts (with Try - My Life in Gaming) Aug 13, 2025 2:40:30 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson A good friend of mine likes to say "every game is somebody's favorite game", but I'm always intrigued when some oddball picks enter those conversations, and DoubleFine's Psychonauts is men

177: Split Fiction (with Aaron Angle) Aug 6, 2025 1:56:12 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Hazelight Studios were already on the map before their Game of the Year winner It Takes Two, but that game was so much fun that everyone, including me, was waiting to see what their next o

176: Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (with Chris Coplien - Retro Hangover) Jul 30, 2025 2:41:17 Support my work on Patreon Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi I didn't hear about Dragon Quest for a very long time, probably an embarrassingly long time, and once I played one, I didn't....get it. It all seemed too plain, too simple, too lacking in complexity, and while a part of me was relieved to suddenly have less "homework" to do as I'm forever c

175: Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (with Brian Edwards) Jul 23, 2025 2:37:43 Support my work on Patreon Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has risen to the gaming mainstream with its beloved Like a Dragon series, and when a hot streak occurs, a heat check often follows, and there is no bigger heat check than a game where you play through a Hawaiian pirate adventure starring the series' lovable maniac, Gor

174: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (with Michael Higham) Jul 16, 2025 3:07:28 *Spoiler section includes some spoilers for key moments and/or themes in Nier Automata, Persona 5 Royal and Metaphor ReFantazio. Support my work on Patreon Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Once or twice a year, a game will hook me so strongly that not only can I not stop playing it, I can't stop thinking about it. If it's not the constant pull t

173: Max Payne (with Nomad - The Retro Wildlands) Jul 9, 2025 1:44:31 Support my work on Patreon Two podcasters entered the room on a collision course, one with a backlog the size of a mobster's rap sheet, the other with one foot in the past. There was only one way out of this mess- one podcast to end them all. The subject was an old friend, if you consider a man out of options a friend. A man with a thirst for revenge that nothing could quench- Max Payne.

172: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (with Dan - The Greatest Story Ever Played) Jul 2, 2025 1:56:37 Support my work on Patreon As a lifelong Indiana Jones agnostic, there was no way that MachineGames would make an Indiana Jones game I would care about, right? Right? Well, it certainly looked that way when the first gameplay trailer for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle dropped. But then I started hearing my activation phrases start to bounce around- "this is like Hitman", "this is lik

171: El Paso, Elsewhere (with Jacob McCourt & Luke Lewis) Jun 25, 2025 1:55:56 Support my work on Patreon Strange Scaffold is a rare game studio that gets as much, or maybe even more, positive attention for their workplace ethos and number of releases per year as they do for their games themselves. I found myself in that same position, with great respect for their process, but no experience with the games themselves....until now! El Paso, Elsewhere is an emotional

170: Lunacid (with Dave Cox) Jun 18, 2025 2:36:04 Support my work on Patreon I was admittedly very late to the King's Field and Shadow Tower bandwagons, energized by my love for FromSoftware's modern titles and a desire to dig into their history some more. However, I didn't anticipate loving those games so much that I wanted more like them, and that's where Kira LLC's Lunacid (2023) entered the fray. Lunacid is a fantastic game, leaning

169: South of Midnight (with Kate Sánchez) Jun 11, 2025 2:26:28 Support my work on Patreon Some games just grab your attention from the first trailer, and South of Midnight is one of those games. A breathtaking art style and a gothic Southern fantasy setting? South of Midnight jumped straight to the top of my to-play list, and it did not disappoint. Guest info: Kate Sánchez of But Why Tho? Check out all of the writing and reporting on But Why Tho

168: Persona 4 Golden (with Flora Merigold) Jun 4, 2025 3:17:57 Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Persona games are a tough sell for a guy who does a weekly podcast like this, so thank you to my wonderful patrons for voting Persona 4 Golden onto the show. While it has all of the pacing issues that you would expect an 80 hour game to have, I thought this is, in some ways, the best of the Persona 4/5/Metaphor trio that I'v

167: Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (with Jesse Guarascia) May 28, 2025 2:19:17 What if Resident Evil 1 was just puzzles? What if it was also about eccentric artists and how they view their art and the creative process vs how their work is perceived? Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Simogo, 2024) is that game! Tune in to find out how we felt about it! Guest Info: Jesse Guarascia Find Jesse's work on Noclip's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@NoclipDocs Support N

166: Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (with Derek Van Dyke) May 21, 2025 1:50:52 Support my work on Patreon I can hear it now- "Another Ace Combat game? Didn't Dave just do one?" and the answer to those questions is "You bet your ass I'm doing another one, I'm IN IT NOW"....ahem, Ace Combat rules, and Ace Combat 7 (Bandai Namco, 2019) is the most Ace Combat that Ace Combat has ever been. Join us as we give it the deep dive! Guest info: Derek Van Dyke Follow on Blu

PAX East 2025 Wrap-Up May 19, 2025 33:44 Support my work on Patreon- https://www.patreon.com/realdavejackson PAX East 2025 show floor was dominated by indie games, and here are all 17 of the indie games that I had a chance to play! Thank you to the folks at PAX for allowing me to cover the convention! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:47 Tanuki: Pon's Summer https://store.steampowered.com/app/3218570/TANUKI_Pons_Summer/ 2:39 Airframe

165: SUPERHOT (with Emily Merritt - No Small Games) May 14, 2025 1:35:06 Support my work on Patreon https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Is it really the most innovative shooter I've played in years? SUPERHOT Team struck gold with this idea, did just enough with it, and got out before things got stale. Now that's what I call SUPER. HOT. Guest info: Emily Merritt aka aspecificegg Check out No Small Games https://nosmallgames.com/ Follow No Small Games on Bl

164: Monster Hunter Wilds (with Brad Gallaway) May 7, 2025 2:17:34 Support my work on Patreon Review code provided by Capcom. Thank you! Monster Hunter has been around for a long time, but has only recently fully broken into the mainstream. And with mainstream success comes grumbling from longtime fans. Is the game actually too streamlined? Does quality of life take away from quality of game? And what about the new focus on the story? All that and more

163: Vagrant Story (with Aidan Moher) Apr 30, 2025 2:34:58 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 brill

162: Prey (2006) (with Asa GreenRiver) Apr 23, 2025 2:01:39 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 r

161: Wanderstop (with Matt aka Stormageddon & CGDannyB) Apr 16, 2025 2:45:34 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

160: Sifu (with Ryan Juengling - List Off) Apr 9, 2025 1:44:19 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) fi

159: Metaphor: ReFantazio (with Scott White) Apr 2, 2025 2:13:51 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 wanti

158: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (with Geoff Moonen - "Fun" and Games) Mar 26, 2025 2:49:47 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

157: Unpacking (with Kate Hunter - No Small Games) Mar 19, 2025 1:59:57 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

156: Mouthwashing (with Ash Parrish) Mar 12, 2025 1:51:06 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 dis

155: Shenmue (with Luis Aguasvivas) Mar 5, 2025 1:52:58 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

154: Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector (with John Rogers - Gaming in the Wild) Feb 26, 2025 2:23:27 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 di

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