Tales from the Backlog

206: Bioshock (with Joseph Hooper - Crossplay Conversations)

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/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog

205: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (with Steve aka Blinkoom)

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/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog

204: Ghost of Yōtei (with Jacob Price - The Pre-Order Bonus)

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/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog

203: Pokémon Legends: Z-A (with Kenneth Shepard)

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/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog

202: Goodnight Universe (with Jill Grodt - The Indie Informer)

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Goodnight Universe had a lot to live up to as the spiritual successor to Before Your Eyes, utilizing the same innovative webcam-based gameplay mechanics to tell a story...about a psychic baby? Well, the premise sounded weird but these creators had earned my trust, and it turns out that this might be the perfect way to play as a baby in a video game. Goodnight Universe turned out to be interesting, if not great, and won me over in a few key ways. Check out the discussion for more! Guest info: Jill Grodt (she/her) Read Jill's work at The Indie Informer https://the-indie-in-former.com/ Find The Indie Council podcast here https://www.youtube.com/@theindieinformer TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:30 Introductions 8:01 Our Histories with Goodnight Universe 11:51 Opening Thoughts About Goodnight Universe 17:49 Story Setup, Characters and "The Cave" 31:28 Camera Tracking Tech & Gameplay 41:06 What Didn't Work? 52:28 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations 55:36 The Indie Informer 59:27 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous 1:01:00 Spoiler Section- Big Reveals 1:27:35 Spoiler Section- The Family Music used in the episode is credited to Oliver Lewin. Tracks used: Homecoming, A New Channel, Normal Boy, Being Orson, Your Room Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog