Tales from the Backlog

By Dave JacksonLeisure Video Games Games

Tales from the Backlog episodes

July 16, 2025174: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (with Michael Higham)
*Spoiler section includes some spoilers for key moments and/or themes in Nier Automata, Persona 5 Royal and Metaphor ReFantazio.
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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 to get back on the sticks and play, it was the constant pull to think about the story. Sandfall Interactive caught lightning in a bottle with their debut game, and I couldn't wait to have this conversation and share it all with you.
Guest info: Michael Higham
Read Michael's review of Expedition 33 https://www.ign.com/articles/clair-obscur-expedition-33-review
Follow Michael on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/brazyazn.bsky.social
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Title Card
0:42 Intros
6:25 Personal Histories with Expedition 33
9:31 Opening Thoughts about Expedition 33
13:12 Story Setup/Worldbuilding/A Strong Story Hook
24:15 Cast of Characters
31:29 Overview of Themes
39:55 Comic Relief in a Bleak Story
45:15 Music/Presentation
1:03:02 Combat- Dodging and Parrying, Difficulty
1:14:57 Combat- Offense and Character Building
1:28:28 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations
1:36:28 Michael's Work at IGN
1:39:37 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-You's
1:41:20 Spoiler Section- What's Happening?
2:07:28 Spoiler Section- Endings and Interpretations
2:39:13 Spoiler Section- Optional Bosses, More Thoughts, "For Those Who Come After"
Music used in the episode:
Alicia (Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier)
Lumière (Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier)
Gustave (Lorien Testard)
World Map- In Lumière's Name (Lorien Testard)
Une vie à t'aimer (Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier, Victor Borba)
Our Painted Family (Lorien Testard)
We Lost (Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier, Victor Borba)
Verso (Music Box) (Lorien Testard)
Is It a Gestral or a Volleyball? (Lorien Testard)
You can purchase the soundtrack here: https://lacedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/clair-obscur-expedition-33-original-soundtrack
Social Media:
BlueSky
Instagram
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures
Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!
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3 hr 8 min
July 09, 2025173: Max Payne (with Nomad - The Retro Wildlands)
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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.
Guest info: Nomad (The Retro Wildlands)
Listen to The Retro Wildlands https://linktr.ee/retrowildlands
Check out the Superpod Network https://superpodnetwork.com/
Follow Nomad on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/retrowildlands.bsky.social
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Title Card
0:32 Intros
5:24 Our Histories with Remedy and Max Payne
10:36 Opening Thoughts About Max Payne
16:00 Story Setup/Revenge Themes
23:00 Neo-Noir Storytelling and Presentation
32:25 Remake Talk
34:25 Music
38:22 Combat
52:02 Other Gameplay
1:00:23 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations
1:08:13 The Retro Wildlands Plugs
1:15:11 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous
1:16:35 Spoiler Section- Plot Twists and Mysteries
1:25:18 Spoiler Section- Revenge and Vigilantism
Music used in the episode is credited to Kärtsy Hatakka and Kimmo Kajasto. Tracks used: Max Payne Theme, Graphic Novel, Whack Him, Mr. Big, Max Payne Theme (Short Version)
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Social Media:
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Instagram
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures
Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!
Support Tales from the Backlog
1 hr 45 min
July 02, 2025172: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (with Dan - The Greatest Story Ever Played)
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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 like Dishonored", so I knew I had to give it a try. And boy am I glad that I did!
Guest info: Dan of The Greatest Story Ever Played
Check out the podcast https://linktr.ee/thegreateststoryeverplayed
Follow Dan on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/storyeverpod.bsky.social
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Title Card
0:36 Intros
3:33 Personal Histories with Indiana Jones and The Great Circle
7:55 Opening Thoughts
11:33 Story Setup and Troy Baker as Indiana Jones
16:35 A Great Villain and Supporting Cast
24:54 Music and Visual Presentation
34:36 Combat and Stealth
48:28 Side Quests, Exploration and Level Design
1:04:19 Final Thoughts/Recommendations
1:08:24 The Greatest Story Ever Played Plugs
1:13:07 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous
1:14:46 Spoiler Section
Music used in the episode is credited to Gordy Haab. Tracks used: The Great Circle, A New Adventure Awaits, Where Are We, Gina's Theme, Signs of the Stones, Until the Next Adventure
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server!
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Social Media:
BlueSky
Instagram
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures
Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!
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1 hr 57 min
June 25, 2025171: El Paso, Elsewhere (with Jacob McCourt & Luke Lewis)
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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 take on neo-noir, vampire stories, Max Payne and boomer shooters, and it works really well!
Guest info: Jacob McCourt and Luke Lewis
Check out their shared podcast Crossplay Conversations https://www.youtube.com/@crossplayconvos
Check out Lukewarm Games https://www.lukewarmgames.com/
Follow Luke on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/lukewarmlewis.bsky.social
Check out Left Behind Game Club https://leftbehindgame.club/
Check out Jacob's written reviews on The Gaming Brief https://thegamingbrief.ca/
Follow Jacob on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/jacob.bsky.social
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Title Card
0:22 Intros
4:20 Personal Histories with Strange Scaffold/El Paso, Elsewhere
10:43 Top-Level Thoughts on El Paso, Elsewhere
15:10 Story Setup
20:49 Presentation and Storytelling
27:02 Music
34:39 Shooting and Bullet Time
48:57 Gameplay Pacing
55:03 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations
1:01:27 Jacob and Luke Plug Their Stuff!
1:11:31 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous
1:13:45 Spoilers- Janet, Draculae and James
1:33:06 Spoilers- Addiction, Being a Good Person, Endings
Music used in the episode is credited to R.J. Lake and LAKE SAVAGE. Tracks used: a forty-six story motel, GONNA CUT, GHOSTIN' THE MAINFRAME, audio demon, almost exactly the same, next time on elpasoball z.
Buy the score- https://spellmynamewithabang.bandcamp.com/album/el-paso-elsewhere-part-one-the-score
Buy the rap album- https://spellmynamewithabang.bandcamp.com/album/el-paso-elsewhere-part-two-the-album
Check out an interview with Xalavier Nelson Jr on the Gamerheads Podcast.
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server!
Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi!
Social Media:
BlueSky
Instagram
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures
Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!
Support Tales from the Backlog
1 hr 56 min
June 18, 2025170: Lunacid (with Dave Cox)
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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 more on the exploration and vibes of those FromSoftware dungeon crawlers than the opaque RPG mechanics, capturing the spirit in a modern way. A true indie success- listen in to find out why.
Guest info: Dave Cox of Monster Dear Monster
Check out Monster Dear Monster podcast https://www.monsterdear.monster/
Follow Dave on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/senplus.bsky.social
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Title Card
0:27 Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts
11:53 Story/World Setup
28:51 PS2-era Presentation/Controls
40:53 Soundtrack
47:52 Gameplay/RPG Mechanics
1:09:07 World Design/Exploration
1:13:53 "Breaking the Level Design"
1:29:49 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Guest Plugs
1:38:57 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous
1:41:13 Spoiler Section- Discoveries and Easter Eggs
2:04:22 Spoiler Section- Story and Ending
Music used in the episode is credited to Kira LLC. Tracks used:
River of Death (Akuma Kira)
The Great Well (Jarren Crist)
Washed Away (Akuma Kira)
Falling To My Death (Jarren Crist)
Serence (Jarren Crist)
The World and You (Akuma Kira)
Serence (Reprise) (Jarren Crist)
Purchase the soundtrack- https://store.steampowered.com/app/2692630/Lunacid_Original_Soundtrack/
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server!
Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi!
Social Media:
BlueSky
Instagram
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures
Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!
Support Tales from the Backlog
2 hr 37 min
June 11, 2025169: South of Midnight (with Kate Sánchez)
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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? https://butwhytho.net/
Check out Kate's article on the folklore inspirations in South of Midnight https://butwhytho.net/2025/04/south-of-midnight-real-southern-folklore/
Follow Kate on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/ohmymithrandir.bsky.social
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Title Card
0:30 Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts
13:54 Story Setup/Folklore/Southern Gothic Storytelling
46:37 Presentation- Visuals/Music
1:01:46 Gameplay/Combat
1:21:49 Recommendations/Guest Plugs
1:30:37 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous
1:32:26 Spoiler Section
Music used in the episode is credited to Olivier Deriviere. You can purchase the soundtrack here. Tracks Used: Hazel's Story, The Storm, The Floods, Two-Toed Tom (Boss Fight), The Full Story, The Story Ends
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server!
Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi!
Social Media:
BlueSky
Instagram
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures
Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!
Support Tales from the Backlog
2 hr 27 min
June 04, 2025168: Persona 4 Golden (with Flora Merigold)
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've played in the last five years. Tune in to the episode to find out why.
Guest Info: Flora Merigold
Find her writing at Epilogue Gaming https://epiloguegaming.com/flora-merigold/
Hear her on Left Behind Game Club https://leftbehindgame.club/
Follow her on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/floramerigold.bsky.social
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Title Card
0:22 Intros
4:40 Personal Histories with Persona and Persona 4
8:07 Opening Thoughts about Persona 4 Golden
16:05 Murder Mystery Story Setup
21:55 Characters and Problematic Representation(?)
37:13 Story Themes and PSA for New Players
49:03 Visuals
57:12 Music
1:05:42 Dungeon Crawling and Combat
1:28:03 Life-Sim Gameplay
1:44:52 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Plugs
1:55:14 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous
1:56:49 Spoilers- Kanji, Naoto and Representation
2:37:34 Spoilers- Teddie and Rise and More
Music used in the episode is credited to Shoji Meguro. Tracks used: Glimpse of a Memory, Signs of Love, Like a Dream Come True, Heartbreak, Heartbeat, Reach Out to the Truth (First Battle), Sauna, Studio Backlot, Junes Theme, Your Affection, Results
Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi!
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Social Media:
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Instagram
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages
Support Tales from the Backlog
3 hr 18 min
May 28, 2025167: Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (with Jesse Guarascia)
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 Noclip on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cw/noclip
Check out Blowback https://blowback.show/
Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/jesseguarascia.com
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Title Card
0:35 Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts
15:10 Story Setup/Story Themes
34:40 Puzzles
51:23 Presentation
1:09:11 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Guest Plugs
1:18:49 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous
1:21:12 Spoiler Section
Music used in the episode is credited to Linea Olsson, Daniel Olsén and Jonathan Eng. You can purchase the soundtrack here. Tracks used:
Titles (Linea Olsson, Daniel Olsén)
Art (Linea Olsson, Daniel Olsén)
Mind Game (Linea Olsson, Daniel Olsén)
Quiz Club (Daniel Olsén)
The Black Arts Coffee Club (Linea Olsson, Daniel Olsén, Jonathan Eng)
Interrogation (Daniel Olsén, Jonathan Eng)
The Last Dream (Linea Olsson, Daniel Olsén)
How It Ends (Linea Olsson, Daniel Olsén)
Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi!
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server!
Social Media:
BlueSky
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages
Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!
Support Tales from the Backlog
2 hr 20 min
May 21, 2025166: Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (with Derek Van Dyke)
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 BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/derekvandyke.bsky.social
Check out Derek's past work on SDGC https://officialsdgc.com/
Check out Castle Bravo for all of your Godzilla needs https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/castle-bravo-a-godzillaverse-retrospective/id1591745386
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Title Card
0:31 Introductions/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts
14:37 Story Setup
34:04 Music/Visual Presentation
45:25 Gameplay
1:01:04 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Guest Plugs
1:11:23 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-You's
1:13:53 Spoiler Section
Music used in the episode is primarily credited to Keiki Kobayashi. Tracks used: Daredevil, Sol Squadron, Yinshi Valley, Archange, Skies Unknown, Hush
Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi!
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server!
Social Media:
BlueSky
Instagram
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages
Support Tales from the Backlog
1 hr 51 min
May 19, 2025PAX East 2025 Wrap-Up
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 Ultra https://store.steampowered.com/app/2522120/Airframe_Ultra/
4:18 Ultimate Sheep Raccoon https://store.steampowered.com/app/2923350/Ultimate_Sheep_Raccoon/
6:04 Mycopunk https://store.steampowered.com/app/3247750/Mycopunk/
7:39 BOTSU https://store.steampowered.com/app/885160/BOTSU/
9:20 GIGASWORD https://store.steampowered.com/app/1885930/GIGASWORD/
11:07 Altered Alma https://store.steampowered.com/app/2190700/Altered_Alma/
12:41 Constance https://store.steampowered.com/app/2313700/Constance/
13:54 The Berlin Apartment https://store.steampowered.com/app/2280430/The_Berlin_Apartment/
15:47 Compensation Not Guaranteed https://store.steampowered.com/app/2795590/Compensation_Not_Guaranteed/
18:10 Undusted: Letters from the Past https://store.steampowered.com/app/2891020/Undusted_Letters_from_the_Past/
19:49 Fresh Tracks https://store.steampowered.com/app/3202950/Fresh_Tracks/
22:17 Nocturne https://store.steampowered.com/app/1374860/Nocturne/
24:13 Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson https://store.steampowered.com/app/2429050/FretlessThe_Wrath_of_Riffson/
25:45 The Lacerator https://store.steampowered.com/app/2339330/The_Lacerator/
27:30 Demonschool https://store.steampowered.com/app/1900250/Demonschool/
29:39 Love Eternal https://store.steampowered.com/app/3010610/LOVE_ETERNAL/
31:13 Video Game Trivia, Six One Indie Showcase and Thank You**
Check out Jacob Mccourt https://www.youtube.com/@JacobMcCourt for the Video Game Trivia show I was in, and follow Six One Indie https://www.youtube.com/@SixOneIndie for more indie game announcements on May 22nd!
Intro/outro music composed by Bert Cole- https://www.bitbybitsound.com
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server!
Social Media:
BlueSky
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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages
Support Tales from the Backlog
34 min

About Tales from the Backlog

From the publisher's feed

A video games podcast where Dave Jackson and guests break down and discuss the games they play. Each episode looks at one game in depth, focusing on mechanics, story, music and other aspects, with no…