Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson

One of these days it was bound to happen, the remake announcement solidified it- it's time to give The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo, 1998) the Tales from the Backlog treatment. This was Dave's favorite game for decades and is still by far one of the most influential games in his life, but this was the first time in a while that he had played all the way through it. Join Dave and special guests Gooey and McKenna of Flashback 64 for the deep dive. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Gooey (they/he) and McKenna (she/her)

TIMESTAMPS

Music used in the episode is credited to Koji Kondo. Tracks used: Title Theme, Kokiri Forest, Saria's Song, Forest Temple, Kakariko Village, Hyrule Field, Gerudo Valley, Zora's Domain, Zelda's Theme

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson

When we talk about older games, we often use phrases like "this holds up!" or "this hasn't aged well!", but what do we mean when we say stuff like that? What do they hold up against? What aspects age well or poorly? Are there better ways to convey our thoughts? To help me dig into this, I've brought Patrick and James from the Retro Spectives Podcast back to the show. Hope you enjoy the discussion!

Guest info: Patrick Arthur (he/him) and James Tuerlings (he/him)

TIMESTAMPS

Music used in the episode:

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson

What's the worst game you've ever played? That's the question of the day, and a fairly common answer to that question for a long time has been Quest 64 (Imagineer, 1998). But does Quest deserve to be in that conversation? What is it actually like as a game, outside of the memes and reputation? That's what we're exploring in this episode, and to do so, I brought on the man doing his part to heal the conversation around Quest, "bad" games, and the Nintendo 64 in general, Mike aka Quest64Official. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Mike aka Quest64Official

TIMESTAMPS

Music used in the episode is credited to Masamichi Amano. Tracks used: Holy Magic Century, Holy Plains, Highlands, Battle, Dondoran, Final Battle, Staff Roll

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson

After the breakout success of The Stanley Parable, Davey Wreden's next game is a bit darker and a lot more personal. The Beginner's Guide (Everything Unlimited Ltd, 2015) examines a lot of things, but at the forefront is the relationships we have with others and some complex and slippery situations that can arise. To say more would be to start spoiling things, but luckily we have a discussion longer than the game itself. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Matt aka Stormageddon (they/them)

TIMESTAMPS

Music used in the episode is credited to Ryan Roth. Tracks used: Vertibrae, The Whisper Machine, Stars, D.S. Al Coda, Escape from This Place

Check out Dave on Super Pod Saga talking about some great games you can get for under $5 full price- https://superpodsaga.com/episodes/5-buck-bangers-downwell

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson

It's not every day you revisit a favorite game from your teenage years, but today is that day as special guest Rebekah Valentine (Kotaku) joins me to discuss Golden Sun, one of the most beloved Game Boy Advance games. Camelot and Nintendo ended up splitting the game into two, and in this episode we focus on the first game, though we do discuss The Lost Age quite a bit as well. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Rebekah Valentine (she/her)

TIMESTAMPS

Music used in the episode is credited to Motoi Sakuraba. Tracks used: Main Theme, World Map, Enemy Battle, Lighthouse Theme, Sol Sanctum, Main Menu, Battle With Saturos, Vale and Vault

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson

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 map on the bottom screen with the action on top. Add in a dual-protagonist setup and you've got a recipe for a good metroidvania experience. It's not reinventing the wheel, but it's likely got what you're looking for, and there's value in that. Check out the discussion for more, and as always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Gen Moonen (they/she)

TIMESTAMPS

Music used in the episode is credited to Michiru Yamane unless otherwise noted. Tracks used: Gallery of Labyrinth, Invitation of a Crazed Moon (Yuzo Koshiro), Chaotic Playground, Victorian Fear, Name Entry, Crucifix Held Close, The Night Flows

Check out Dave on Nostalgium Arcanum talking about Final Fantasy X: https://nostalgiumarcanum.fireside.fm/

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson

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 pioneered), it doesn't get better than this. Dragon Quest XI doesn't reinvent any part of its genre, but executes at top level throughout, though we still have some questions about directions that the story goes. This is a masterpiece, and we hope you enjoy the conversation. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Andre (he/him)

TIMESTAMPS

Music used in the episode is credited to Koichi Sugiyama. Tracks used: Overture, The Hero Goes Forth with Determination, Olé! Sylvando!, Unflinchable Courage, Bustling Town, Rab the Wizard, Light Though the Leaves of Love, Echoes of an Elusive Age

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson

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, but falls short in some others, making it ripe for discussion. As always, no spoilers in the episode for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Luis Aguasvivas (he/they)

TIMESTAMPS

Music used in the episode is credited to Bibiki. Tracks used: Arena y Alquitrán, Forgotten Memories, Blood Spit, Whispers of Magic, Where Iyos Live, Sempiternal

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson

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 this was a fun discussion about those component parts and especially how they tie together into a genuinely interesting narrative and commentary on the way we play games and "consume" media in general. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Emily Merritt (she/her)

TIMESTAMPS

Music used in the episode is credited to AP Thompson. You can purchase the soundtrack on Steam. Tracks used: Chimera Solo, Timeskip Titlecard and the Ten Years Later, The One AP Doesn't Like, Metamind Defense Grid Blues, Biome Select, Fourth Quarter, For a Dollar

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson

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. It's a fun twist on the familiar, even if it makes zero effort to tell an accompanying story with any juice. Please enjoy the discussion, and as always- no spoilers for a while!

Guest info: Jared Moss (he/him)

TIMESTAMPS

Music used in the episode is credited to Shin-ichiro Nakamura, Ayako Toyoda and Takashi Yoshida. Tracks used: Main Theme, Episode Opening, Normal Battle, Dungeon Theme 1, Map Theme 1, Staff Roll

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog