Pixelated Sausage - Attack the Backlog

Hello everyone. This is Second Runs, the series where I, Marc Kusnierz, revisits games I played and loved in the past to see if I still love them today. Will I learn something new, confirm something old, or quickly realize this was all a mistake as I slowly destroy what little bit of nostalgia I have left in this world. No matter the outcome, I’ve accepted the risks and will continue my journey through the opposite of a backlog until I’ve destroyed my soul all in the pursuit of content creation. And on that note, the content created right here and right now is for none other than Max Payne, the game Marky Mark probably never played before taking on the role of the titular character in what is still one of the worst video game adaptations to date. Now, some 21 years later, I’ve finally revisited the game for the first time, playing through the whole thing in one sitting (with a break for food, mind you, since I’m an adult and won’t let a game be the boss of me) and I’m happy to report, despite some remembered (and not-so-remembered) knocks, Max Payne is still as great today as I remember it being the first time I played it.

Hey there everyone! This episode of Attack the Backlog is all about Rage, a first-person shooter where you wake up after spending over a century sleeping in a freezer just so you can do everyone’s dirty work for them, Norm MacDonald not included. P.S. Props to anyone who gets the entirety of this episode's title.

Hey there everyone! This episode of Attack the Backlog is all about Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, an open-world action-adventure game set in the world of Dragon Ball that retells the story of Dragon Ball Z in its entirety. If you want to experience Dragon Ball Z a second (or third/etc) time and don’t want to slog through the original series (or even the truncated Kai version), Kakarot is perfect for that. That said, if you did what I did in preparation, you may find yourself disappointed and wishing you had your own set of dragon balls to wish your stupidity away.

Hey there everyone! This episode of Attack the Backlog is all about Resident Evil 0, the prequel to Resident Evil starring Rebecca Chambers--aka, not Claire Redfield or Jill Valentine--and cool dude Billy Coen, with his super sweet tribal tattoo that apparently spells out “Motherlove” making me hate it (and him) even more than I already do. Billy hatred aside, 0 is a disappointing experiment that adds nothing of value to the series and, in some ways, takes a little away. At least it still looks great, eh...

Hey there everyone! This episode of Attack the Backlog is all about The Mean Greens - Plastic Warfare--random, I know--a third-person competitive shooter where you play as toy army men and battle across familiar environments like backyards, kitchen tables, and fish tanks. If that sounds interesting to you, check out the episode to find out just how mean these greens be.

This episode of Attack the Backlog is all about Mafia, specifically the Definitive Edition, which is a remake of the original game from 2002. Technically, this is a bit of a cheat episode since I did play the original when it came out, but since this is a full-blown remake, I said, "Fuck it, this is my show, and I can do whatever the heck I want," and whatever the heck I did. Regardless of hecks given or taken, the real question is, is Mafia as good today as it was back in the day and, to answer that...

"What the hell? This isn't Attack the Backlog! I demand a refund!" I'm sure at least none of you are saying that, but maybe one of you is thinking that and, well, this is a long time coming. Second Runs is a series I've been wanting to start for years--as made apparent in this episode--and I figured Father's Day was the perfect day to make it happen, especially since the first episode is all about The Last of Us. To keep things short, Second Runs is a series all about replaying games I loved back in the day to see if I still love them today. The plan, moving forward, is to alternate episodes of Attack the Backlog and Seconds Runs; however, I can't guarantee that'll happen right away, so no promises just yet. But that's enough about that, so here's to starting new things, here's to hoping you enjoy this inaugural episode, and here's to each and every father out there--you are so much more important than you'll ever know and I hope your Father's Day is just as wonderful as you are.

On this episode of Attack the Backlog, I crash all the bands in the remake of Crash Bandicoot, a game that's anything but a hoot and more resembling of poo. As bright and colorful as the game may be, it sure made me miserable as you will see. As someone new to the series, it's rather disappointing, 'cause now when it comes to checking out the sequels, I'm more than a little weary. But like with Going Commando, I'm not giving up for good; however, I can't say I'm a fan, yo, with no chubby for Crash, or what some refer to as wood.

On this episode of Attack the Backlog, I slide my way through an average game before discovering the game I played is completely different from the game others have played, except the only way to know it's different is by being told it's different. Why? Because the game itself tells you nothing. Confused? Welcome to the club--the, "I played Vanquish, but I didn't really play Vanquish" club--it's quite crowded in here and y'all know how I feel about crowds, so hopefully this episode helps you realize what Vanquish really is before you start playing it yourself, lest you end up like me and annoyed that what you played in a far cry from what others have played.

On this episode of Attack the Backlog, I blow up everything but dolls in Just Cause 3, a game where you cause mayhem and destruction...just 'cause. This marks a first for Attack the Backlog. This is the first time I've ever gone back into my backlog to finish an old save, instead of restarting a game from the beginning (if it's something I've played before, but never finished). I won't go into further detail here--I have to leave some reason for you to check out the episode (in case my sultry voice isn't enough on its own)--but I will say I 100% made the right decision in choosing to continue my old save instead of starting a new one (and no, not just 'cause).