Tales from the Backlog

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? How do the aesthetics enhance other aspects of the game? All this and more- enjoy!

Guest info: Josh Leslie (he/him)

Check out IndieQuest podcast https://indiequest.buzzsprout.com/

Check out The Monthly Mishap podcast https://monthlymishap.buzzsprout.com/

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card

0:21 Introductions

5:00 Our Histories with Skate Story

9:05 Top-Level Thoughts

16:00 Story Setup and Poetic Storytelling

23:42 Open Zones and City Life

27:58 Visuals and Music

41:00 Skating and Downhill Sections

50:48 Boss Encounters and Challenges

59:43 Plan and Perform

1:03:30 Recommendations

1:07:13 Josh's Work- IndieQuest and The Monthly Mishap

1:11:34 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous

1:13:21 Spoilers- Eating the Moons

1:31:08 Spoilers- Emotional Arc & Interpretations

1:50:20 Spoilers- Final Boss and Ending

1:56:32 Spoilers- We Still Exist

Music used in the episode: Collapsing, Like Clouds Into Smoke (Blood Cultures), Where the City Can't See (Blood Cultures), Redvoid (John Fio), Lyceum (John Fio), Alcian Blue (Blood Cultures), Hole in the Sun (Blood Cultures), Godhook (John Fio)

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

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 that I've revisited through the years. But when put under the Tales from the Backlog microscope, does it hold up under pressure or does it spring a leak? Listen in to find out.

Guest info: Joseph Hooper (he/him)

Check out Crossplay Conversations https://www.youtube.com/@crossplayconvos

Check out Can't Pause on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@cantpause

Check out Player Player https://playerplayerpod.com/

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card

0:26 Introductions

5:25 Our Histories with Bioshock

9:20 Top-Level Thoughts

14:25 Story Setup

21:30 Learning Backstory Via Audio Logs

26:40 Rapture and Ideology

35:18 Big Daddies, Little Sisters and Moral Choices

44:24 Combat Mechanics

54:00 Some Immersive Sim DNA

1:03:29 Combat Balance & Difficulty

1:13:26 Visual Design and Music/Sound

1:22:27 Who Do We Recommend Bioshock To?

1:24:38 Joseph's Podcasts and YouTube Channel

1:28:26 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous

1:30:13 Spoilers- Would You Kindly? and Fontaine

1:44:48 Spoilers- Rapture's Downfall

2:01:37 Spoilers- Other Major Players

2:14:00 Spoilers- Big Daddy and Endings

Music used in the episode is credited to Garry Schyman unless otherwise noted. Tracks used: Under the Sea (Bobby Darin), Welcome to Rapture, Mr. Bubbles - Little Sister, Dancers on a String (Reprise), Through the Docks, Cohen's Masterpiece, Leaving Rapture

Gameplay footage used with permission from World of Longplays on YouTube, gameplay by Spazbo4. www.longplays.org

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

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 a real blind spot for me, as are the works of ShuTakumi, so this has been on my backlog list for a while now. Listen in to find out how my guest and I felt about it!

Guest info: Steve aka Blinkoom (he/him)

Check out IndieQuest podcast https://polymedianetwork.com/indiequest

Check out Polykill podcast https://polymedianetwork.com/podcast

Check out Steve's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@Blinkoom

Follow Steve on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/blinkoom

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card

0:21 Introductions

5:37 Our Histories with Ghost Trick

9:20 Top-Level Thoughts About Ghost Trick

13:26 Story Setup

19:11 Ghost Tricks and Puzzles

37:16 Where Does the Charm Come From?

49:35 Handheld Console Pacing

55:09 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations

1:01:10 Steve's Work

1:04:54 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous

1:06:38 Spoilers- Favorite Levels/Puzzles

1:22:50 Spoilers- More Story Thoughts

1:34:15 Spoilers- Big Mysteries and Reveals

1:43:21 Spoilers- Ending

Music used in the episode is credited to Masakazu Sugimori. Tracks used: Ghost Trick, Prologue, Cabanela, Lynn ~ A Targeted Redhead, 4 Minutes Before Death, The Last Desperate Struggle, Epilogue ~ The End of the "Night"

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

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, Ghost of Yotei, was an instant day-one buy. And while the things I expected to impress were great, there were certain aspects of the game that felt worse to me than Tsushima's version. Did I change over the past five years? Did the game adjust to industry trends? A secret third answer? All of this is part of the discussion, so I hope you enjoy it!

Guest info: Jacob Price (he/him)

Check out The Pre-Order Bonus podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/747596

Check out Jake's reviews at So Many Games https://somanygames.co.uk/

Follow on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/chipdip18

Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/chipdip.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card

0:23 Introductions

5:18 Our Histories With This Series/Game

9:24 Opening Thoughts About Ghost of Yotei

18:50 Story Setup, Atsu and Revenge Stories

26:59 Presentation and Comparisons to Westerns

35:24 A Well-Made Known Commodity and Further Worldbuilding

49:51 Open World Design and Reward Structure

1:10:23 Stealth and Clearing Camps

1:16:33 Duels and Boss Fights

1:31:45 Closing Thoughts

1:37:34 The Pre-Order Bonus and So Many Games

1:42:12 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous

1:44:02 Spoiler Section- The Onryo and Ghost Connections

1:57:56 The Snake, The Oni and The Kitsune

2:14:46 The Spider, The Dragon and Saito

Music used in the episode is credited to Toma Otowa: Ghost of Yotei, The Yotei Six, The Wrath of the Ghost, The Wilds of Ezo, Battle No.3, Battle No.1, Atsu's Theme

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

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 innovations and changes, such as the new real-time battle system and one-city setting. Check out the discussion for our thoughts on all of it!

Guest info: Kenneth Shepard (he/him)

Check out Ken's work at Kotaku https://kotaku.com/author/kennethshepard

Check out Normandy FM podcast https://soundcloud.com/normandyfm

Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/shepardcdr.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card

0:22 Introductions

4:15 Our Histories with Pokémon

7:10 Opening Thoughts about Pokémon Legends Z-A

16:56 Story Setup & Connections to X&Y

21:29 Our Starter Pokémon, Wild Zones & Lumiose City

43:04 New Battle System, Mega Battles and Battle Zones

1:02:47 Ken's Work at Kotaku and Normandy FM

1:05:52 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous

1:08:26 Spoiler Section- Our Final Teams & Connections to Certain Pokémon

1:13:52 Dungeons and Story Chat

1:29:57 Endgame and Ending

Music used in the episode has a large ensemble of composers and no individualized credits at this time. All credits to Game Freak and The Pokémon Company. Tracks used: Lumiose City (Day), Battle Zone, Trainer Battle, Lumiose City (Night), Hotel Z, Battle! Vs Trainer (Z-A Royale)

Check out Dave on Pages of Play for "The Meeting of the Makers"- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mom-the-meeting-of-makers/id1755937349?i=1000749250884

Chekc out Dave on Underplayed for Hollow Knight: Silksong- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/underplayed/id1606954029

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