Tales from the Backlog

Sequels are tricky! There are a few schools of thought, and God of War: Ragnarök is about as direct a sequel as you could imagine, especially for a video game. It takes the God of War reboot from 2018 and adds to it in every aspect...but were those additions productive? Or does this sequel sag under its own weight? Listen in to find out. Joining me to discuss God of War: Ragnarök is Ryan Juengling, host of the now-retired List Off! podcast. Brian and Ryan have tipped their hats and ridden off into the sunset, but they have 2 years of video game lists on their show List Off! that I highly recommend! You can find their show by searching in your favorite podcast app or by following this link! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:12 Story Setup 11:38 Presentation/Voice Acting 32:37 Gameplay 44:32 SPOILER WALL 1:08:35 God of War: Ragnarök OST composed by** Bear McCreary**. 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: 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

Tunic is a game I respect more than I actually enjoyed playing, when it was all said and done. I respect the vision to rely almost completely on the player to do the extra work that other games do for them, and I had some struggles with this due to my goldfish brain. I respect the attempt to make a challenging game that is unlocked by piecing together opaque mechanics, but I found it to be too difficult at a base level. And I respect the hell out of the art design and music, even though....nevermind, the art and music are great throughout. And if you condensed this game's target demographic down to one person, it would be my guest for this episode, Ryan Batie of Lightning Strikes Thrice podcast. Lightning Strikes Thrice! is a book club style podcast for JRPGs- you can and should check it out HERE! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:03 Story Setup/Discovery 17:11 Gameplay 34:27 Visuals/Music 54:45 SPOILER WALL 1:06:51 Tunic's OST is by Lifeformed and Janice Kwan! 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: 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

"A cozy management game about dying"- this elevator pitch tells you all you need to know about Spiritfarer, the 2020 indie darling by Thunder Lotus Games. Spiritfarer mixes addicting management/crafting gameplay with an exploration of death- the impact that people have on others, unfinished business and the idea of closure. I was extremely lucky to be joined by Charlie and Lauren Young for this episode- the spoiler section is one of my favorites in the history of the show thus far. NOTE Please check the content warning at the beginning of the episode, as this game and episode both deal heavily in personal experiences with death. TIMESTAMPS Content Warning 1:05 Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 2:08 Story Setup/Characters/Exploration of Death 12:12 Gameplay 33:38 Music and Visuals 51:45 SPOILER WALL 1:11:36 Spiritfarer OST is by Max LL! Find his music HERE and support him! 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: 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

It may surprise everyone to know that I just played Metal Gear Solid for the first time! And it was....an experience! And adding onto the experience was doing this episode with pro voice actor Mick Arcade! This is one of the most entertaining episodes of the show so far, as we make our way through the hundreds of plot twists, and Mick provides so many great voice impressions. Check out everything that Mick is doing around the internet HERE! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:16 Story Setup/Kojima-isms 19:44 Gameplay 42:13 Presentation/Music 58:33 SPOILER WALL 1:19:55 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: 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

Bayonetta 3 represents a turning point for the series. A new protagonist is introduced, story takes more of a center stage role, and the levels give you lots of optional content to do in between fights. But all of that raises the question...is all of that worth it? And even more crucially, did it enhance the game? Joining me to discuss it all is Matt aka Stormageddon, host of many great shows on the Certain POV Network, such as "Fun" and Games, Reignite, Screen Snark and CPOV: Autographs. You can find all of Matt's shows and more by visiting djstormageddon.com! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:06 Story Setup 20:20 Combat/Gameplay 35:18 Level Exploration/Optional Gameplay/Final Thoughts 58:40 SPOILER WALL 1:27:34 [Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon!](patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: 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

Thank you Jake! In the second installment of the Tube V.I.P. Producer's Choice, longtime friend and patron of the show Jake aka Zulgeek joins me to talk about our top 3 childhood gaming traditions. This is a mini series on Tales from the Backlog where patrons at the Tube Producer level can join me for an episode about whatever they want! If you're interested, you can click the link below to check out the Patreon page! 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: 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

For this Break from the Backlog, we're doing a roundtable discussion on long games and why some keep us engaged into the triple-digit hour counts while some burn us out long before. I was joined by three wonderful guests, Jared Moss (Play Along Podcast), Bill Barber (Gaming and Collecting) and Aaron Klaassen (Super Pod Saga). You can, and should, check out their shows! TIMESTAMPS Long Games We Loved 1:28 Long Games that Burned Us Out 55:12 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: 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

Some other entries in the long running Final Fantasy series have more mainstream attention, but Square's Final Fantasy IX is the one that feels like the underground favorite. Hailed as a love letter to all of the games in the series that came before it, Final Fantasy IX returns the series to high fantasy and puts together a top-notch cast of characters. Joining me to discuss it is Rick Firestone from Pixel Project Radio and Alejandro Ortiz from A Random Gamer's Corner. You can, and should, check out their podcasts by following this link for Pixel Project Radio and this link for A Random Gamer's Corner. TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:10 Story Setup/"Back to Basics" 19:28 Visuals 46:39 Music 54:09 Combat/Gameplay 1:01:29 To Remake? 1:21:53 SPOILER WALL 1:34:52 [Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon!](patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: 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

What happens when a game is created with the idea of re-capturing nostalgia for an age gone by, but you don't share that nostalgia? Turns out, if the game is as good as Shovel Knight (Yacht Club Games), that doesn't matter! Shovel Knight is a masterpiece from front to back- it has tight gameplay, best-in-class tutorialization, fun boss fights, and a god-tier soundtrack. It is an absolute treat from start to finish, and I had the great pleasure of talking with Mikey Tabletop from Big Drink Energy about it in this episode. Find all things Big Drink Energy by following this link! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 0:45 Development History/Story Setup 18:24 Gameplay 26:54 Boss Fights/Visuals/Music 50:39 SPOILER WALL 1:12:45 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: 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

I thought I knew what to expect from Xenoblade Chronicles 3 as a series fan, and in some ways, I was right. The gameplay, soundtrack, world design and combat were what I knew to expect from a Xenoblade game, to varying degrees of enjoyment. But the story and worldbuilding absolutely blew me away, in a series known for story and worldbuilding! And I was lucky enough to be joined by Kolby from Switch it Up podcast to discuss! You can find Switch it Up on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Twitter! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:18 Story Setup/Story Thoughts 15:37 Gameplay/Exploration 39:29 Combat 50:22 Music 1:02:35 SPOILER WALL 1:16:34 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: 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