Tales from the Backlog
Tales from the Backlog
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133: Final Fantasy IV (with Chris Coplien - Retro Hangover & Jenny E.)
Final Fantasy is one of the most well-represented series on this podcast, and its anthology structure means you can pick and choose which games you want to play without fear of playing out of order. So this year, I wanted to make sure I played a foundational one- Final Fantasy IV. I expected this to be the turning point where Square and the Final Fantasy team started to prioritize story and characters, and you can really see their attempts here, including some cool marriages of gameplay and narrative that later games no longer do. I really enjoyed my time with this one and was happy to bring together an all-star group of guests to chat about it!
Joining me for the discussion are Chris Coplien of Retro Hangover podcast, which you should [check out](linktr.ee/retrohangover) for retro gaming podcasts as well as the yearly King of Games tournament, and Jenny E., who is a writer and podcaster. You can find her Final Fantasy IV fan fiction and other writing HERE (archiveofourown.org/users/jenneh) , and check out her Wordlessly podcast (open.spotify.com/show/35W8IFtUkmtxZvPgiDitZV?si=70daddfe31c7491d) as well!
TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 2:05
Story Setup/Themes/Characters 17:09
Visuals/Music 40:11
Combat 52:18
Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Guest Plugs 1:07:57
SPOILER WALL 1:18:00
Music used in the episode is credited to Nobuo Uematsu and Square. Tracks used: The Prelude, Main Theme of Final Fantasy IV, Red Wings, Theme of Love, Mystic Mysidia, Fight 1, Chocobo-Chocobo, Prologue, Mt. Ordeals, The Final Battle, Fanfare
Check out Dave's guest appearance on Pixel Project Radio (linktr.ee/pixelprojectradio) 's series about 1000xRESIST!
Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! (patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi (ko-fi.com/realdavejackson) !
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! (discord.gg/V3ZHz3vYQR)
Social Media:
Instagram ( talesfromthebacklog)
Twitter ( tftblpod)
Facebook ( TalesfromtheBacklog/)
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at jackallencaricatures and his other pages (linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures)
Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple (podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-top-3-podcast/id1555269504) , Spotify (open.spotify.com/show/2euGp3pWi7Hy1c6fmY526O?si=0ebcb770618c460c) and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!
Переглядів: 27

Відео

132: Pony Island (with Chris - 1H1D)
Переглядів 19День тому
Do you ever feel like you missed the boat on a game? Maybe it was really influential and subsequent games used its "trick"? Maybe you wonder if that OG still has the juice even though you couldn't possibly go into the game completely blind? These were the thoughts running through my mind as I booted up Pony Island by Daniel Mullins Games for the first time in 2024. I'm happy to say that despite...
131: Animal Well (with Jenny Windom - Geeks & Grounds)
Переглядів 1614 днів тому
Animal Well, by Billy Basso/Shared Memory came out of nowhere. For me, and I think a lot of others, the initial announcement was more of a shock that videogamedunkey had started the BigMode publishing company than excitement about the game being published. Once people got their hands on Animal Well, however, all skepticism or publicity about dunkey publishing games went out the window- Animal W...
130: Dave the Diver (with Dave Cox - Monster Dear Monster)
Переглядів 5721 день тому
Dave the Diver, despite clearly having a great character name, is not my kind of game. Mintrocket's dive-collect-sell-upgrade-dive loop is one that I'm not very motivated by, but Dave the Diver got such unanimous acclaim that I had to take note. And apparently the patrons of the show wanted me to play it as well, because it won one of the montly polls. And this was an interesting episode to mak...
129: Pizza Tower (with Aaron Klaassen - Super Pod Saga)
Переглядів 4028 днів тому
Since Nintendo has apparently decided that Wario Land is a series not worth pursuing, we find ourselves telling that familiar story where an indie developer says "ok, they're not making the game I want to play any more....guess it's up to me!". Enter developer Tour De Pizza and their love letter to Wario Land, Sonic the Hedgehog and all manner of 1990s cartoons, Pizza Tower. That set of inspira...
128: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (with Deadbeatpunk - WTFDYW!?)
Переглядів 128Місяць тому
I am FINALLY caught up with Ryu Ga Gotoku and Sega's Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise, and let me tell you, it feels great to play the games as they release now. This time, in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Ichiban, Kiryu and friends take on the streets of Honolulu. This episode talks about the new story, the unique logistical challenge that the non-Japanese setting presented, giant sharks, baby...
127: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (with Katie Lesperance - Left Behind Game Club)
Переглядів 78Місяць тому
Continuing along my journey of playing Konami and Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid series, next up is Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. This is the one that is most often held up as the greatest in the series, and I can absolutely see why. It's not without flaws- it's still clunky to play and continues the trend of no Metal Gear Solid game having normal pacing, but I greatly enjoyed my experience...
126: Cocoon (with Brenden Groom - Pass the Controller)
Переглядів 22Місяць тому
Every now and then, I want to take a break from story-focused games and just play a puzzle-ass puzzle game. Geometric Interactive's Cocoon was just what the doctor ordered, from that perspective. But Cocoon's world hinted at a deeper story, one that seems inaccessible yet present, and that left me with a feeling of want, despite how great the puzzle experience was. Listen to the episode for mor...
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (Preview) (with Charlie Young)
Переглядів 48Місяць тому
In this bonus episode, I'm joined by returning guest Charlie Young to discuss FromSoftware's Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. The public feed includes roughly the first half of the episode, and all paid members at [patreon.com/realdavejackson](patreon.com/realdavejackson) will get the entire discussion. This is a full spoiler discussion, though the spoilers really start flying at ab...
125: Gris (with Eric Gess - The Unlockables)
Переглядів 25Місяць тому
I was convinced to try out Gris after seeing a single screenshot, but in true gamer fashion, I bought it a few years before finally playing it. It took the backlog resolutions challenge in our Discord server to finally get me to play it, and unsurprisingly, I was hooked by what Nomada Studio had created immediately. The marriage of art, music, gameplay and color take you on a journey through th...
124: Lisa: The Painful (with Rick Firestone - Pixel Project Radio)
Переглядів 502 місяці тому
For any lover of RPGs, and especially "weird RPGs", as former guest on the show Rebekah Valentine termed them, Lisa: The Painful, by Dingaling Productions, will probably jump out at you. From its art style, non-pretty boy protagonist to its serious themes and punishing gameplay, this is not a game for the faint of heart. However, if you are willing to engage with the game and its premise on its...
123: 1000xRESIST (with Michael Higham)
Переглядів 612 місяці тому
Sunset Visitor's 1000xRESIST came out of nowhere for me. Releasing on May 9th, 2024 meant it faced stiff indie competition on its day of release, and it wasn't until others were shouting from the rooftops that I found myself drawn to try it out (and a big thank you to Sunset Visitor and Fellow Traveler for the review code!). What I found was a story that had all the hallmarks of the best sci-fi...
122: Mother 3 (with Rebekah Valentine)
Переглядів 532 місяці тому
Famously never localized for an English-speaking audience, HAL Laboratory and Brownie Brown's Mother 3 has almost become a meme at this point. So much so that I wondered if it could live up the inflated expectations that I unwittingly put on games that are unavailable or difficult to find, a kind of forbidden fruit syndrome. So I made sure to put Mother 3 on my Backlog Resolutions list for 2024...
121: The Last Guardian (with Chris - Franchise Festival)
Переглядів 412 місяці тому
Fumito Ueda's trilogy of Playstation games- Ico, Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian- are idiosyncratic, minimalist art pieces. The final game in the trilogy, before the unfortunate dissolution of Japan Studio, was The Last Guardian, showcasing the uneasy partnership between an unnamed boy and a large, fearsome beast named Trico. The Last Guardian pushes back on the idea that games nee...
120: Roadwarden (with Bryan Skursha - Pixelated Playgrounds)
Переглядів 473 місяці тому
From the first screenshot I saw of Roadwarden (Moral Anxiety Studio), I knew that I needed to check the game out. The art is simple, yet striking, and any screenshot will convey the quality of writing. Once I booted up the game, I found that the choose-your-adventure writing, the confident RPG mechanics and the music wrapped this into a rich total package. Joining me in this episode is returnin...
119: Cyberpunk 2077 + Phantom Liberty (with Adam Gumbert - Respawn Aim Fire)
Переглядів 843 місяці тому
119: Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty (with Adam Gumbert - Respawn Aim Fire)
118: God Hand (with Derek Van Dyke - Super Deluxe GamesCast)
Переглядів 233 місяці тому
118: God Hand (with Derek Van Dyke - Super Deluxe GamesCast)
117: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (with Jared - Play Along Podcast)
Переглядів 273 місяці тому
117: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (with Jared - Play Along Podcast)
How Gaming Has Influenced Our Taste in Music (with Ryan Juengling - List Off! and Jon Haig)
Переглядів 123 місяці тому
How Gaming Has Influenced Our Taste in Music (with Ryan Juengling - List Off! and Jon Haig)
116: Transistor (with Alex - Low Five Gaming)
Переглядів 244 місяці тому
116: Transistor (with Alex - Low Five Gaming)
115: Xenogears (with Michael Berger - Bits of Time)
Переглядів 234 місяці тому
115: Xenogears (with Michael Berger - Bits of Time)
114: Baldur's Gate 3 NON-SPOILER SECTION (with Jim Rodeman & Chris Rettig)
Переглядів 194 місяці тому
114: Baldur's Gate 3 NON-SPOILER SECTION (with Jim Rodeman & Chris Rettig)
Baldur's Gate 3 SPOILER SECTION (with Jim Rodeman & Chris Rettig)
Переглядів 194 місяці тому
Baldur's Gate 3 SPOILER SECTION (with Jim Rodeman & Chris Rettig)
CRPG History & The Breakout Success of Baldur's Gate 3 (with Felipe Pepe - The CPRG Book)
Переглядів 454 місяці тому
CRPG History & The Breakout Success of Baldur's Gate 3 (with Felipe Pepe - The CPRG Book)
113: The Case of the Golden Idol (with NinaStruggles)
Переглядів 335 місяців тому
113: The Case of the Golden Idol (with NinaStruggles)
112: Sunset Overdrive (with Goohi)
Переглядів 315 місяців тому
112: Sunset Overdrive (with Goohi)
111: Balatro (with Matt aka Stormageddon & Aaron Klaassen)
Переглядів 335 місяців тому
111: Balatro (with Matt aka Stormageddon & Aaron Klaassen)
PAX East 2024: Reflections & Games Played
Переглядів 625 місяців тому
PAX East 2024: Reflections & Games Played
110: Titanfall 2 (with Adam & Cory - Half Tone Takes)
Переглядів 265 місяців тому
110: Titanfall 2 (with Adam & Cory - Half Tone Takes)
109: Resident Evil 2 Remake (with Gerry - Super Ghost Radio & Nick - Friday Night Gamecast)
Переглядів 266 місяців тому
109: Resident Evil 2 Remake (with Gerry - Super Ghost Radio & Nick - Friday Night Gamecast)