194: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (with Michael Berger - Bits of Time)
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What could Nintendo possibly do to follow up the game that "saved gaming" for me? Well, they simply iterated on and evolved everything about Breath of the Wild to make one of the most creativity and freedom-focused games ever. It's simple, really- why don't more people think of this? Sarcasm aside, Tears of the Kingdom is an absolute wonder, and we're lucky to have it. Hope you enjoy the discussion!
Guest info: Michael Berger (he/him)
* Check out Bits of Time on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@bitsoftimemedia
* Check out the Bits of Time podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bits-of-time/id1616941089
* Check out everything else Michael is doing https://campsite.bio/matterofmichael
TIMESTAMPS
* 0:00 Title Card
* 0:21 Introductions
* 5:35 Our Histories with Zelda and Tears of the Kingdom
* 8:49 Opening Thoughts About Tears of the Kingdom
* 16:39 Story Setup
* 20:26 Storytelling and Nonlinear Design
* 25:34 Emergent Story and the Adventure
* 29:52 Link's New Toys
* 48:58 Emergent Gameplay and the Magic of Scrounging
* 57:18 Dungeons and Boss Fights
* 1:03:15 Enemy and Boss Variety
* 1:08:07 The Depths and Exploration
* 1:16:33 Art Design and Music
* 1:23:20 Final Thoughts and Recommendations
* 1:31:31 Bits of Time
* 1:36:11 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
* 1:38:25 Spoiler Section- Favorite Temples and Backstory
* 2:03:11 Final Boss and Ending
Music used in the episode is credited to Hajime Wakai, Manaka Kataoka, Maasa Miyoshi, Masato Ohashi and Tsukasa Usui. Tracks used: Title, Hyrule Castle - Upheaval, Shrine Battle, Seized Construct Battle, Skydive, Lookout Landing, Ganondorf's Theme, Final Dive
Check out Dave on Geeks & Grounds https://www.geeksandgrounds.com/
Check out Dave on Pixels & Polygons https://rss.com/podcasts/pixelspolygons/
Social Media:
BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures
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193: Asura's Wrath (with Nick & Will - Friday Night Gamecast)
Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2
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Some games just stand out from the pack, and with its episodic anime structure, QTE-heavy cutscenes and South Asian religious inspirations, there is nothing quite like Asura's Wrath (CyberConnect2, Capcom, 2012). A quintessential flawed game that everyone should try, Asura's Wrath overcomes its bad combat and dated approach to player engagement by just simply being cooler and more hype than basically every other game. Listen in to find out more!
Guest info: Nick (he/him) and Will (he/him) of Friday Night Gamecast
* Check out Friday Night Gamecast https://fridaynightgamecast.buzzsprout.com/
* Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/fngcpod.bsky.social
* Follow on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fridaynightgamecast/
TIMESTAMPS
* 0:00 Title Card
* 0:27 Introductions
* 5:17 Our Histories with Asura's Wrath
* 11:16 Top-Level Thoughts
* 19:44 Story Setup and Worldbuilding
* 28:47 Episodic Anime Structure
* 37:03 Presentation and Spectacle
* 43:48 More QTEs Than You Can Shake a Stick At
* 51:33 Action Gameplay
* 1:14:00 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
* 1:17:26 Friday Night Gamecast
* 1:20:28 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous
* 1:22:32 Spoiler Section- Hype Moments, The Gohma and the Demigods
* 1:46:55 Spoiler Section- Asura's Revenge & Epilogue
Music used in the episode is credited to Chikayo Fukuda. Tracks used: Main Theme, Furious, Orphan Wolf Legend - Fang, One Who Spins Ideas, Option, Asura's Wrath, In Your Belief, Trembling Belief
Catch Dave on Geeks & Grounds all of November and December for a deep dive into Final Fantasy X: https://www.geeksandgrounds.com/
Social Media:
BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures
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2:13:19
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2:13:19
192: Heaven's Vault (with Rebekah Valentine)
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Ever have one of those games that sits in your library, untouched for years, until something finally gives you the push to play it...and you end up kicking yourself for waiting so long? That's Heaven's Vault, and without our community Backlog Resolutions challenge, I would have missed out on one of the coolest games I think I've ever played. Listen in to find out why!
Guest info: Rebekah Valentine (she/her)
* Read Reb's work on IGN https://www.ign.com/person/duckvalentine
* Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/duckvalentine.bsky.social
* Check out Nintendo Voice Chat https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nintendo-voice-chat/id276268457
TIMESTAMPS
* 0:00 Title Card
* 0:22 Intros
* 5:05 Our Histories with Heaven's Vault and Language Learning
* 9:43 Opening Thoughts
* 14:30 Story Setup and Reactive Storytelling
* 29:37 Aliyah and Six
* 35:52 Language Learning
* 50:22 Visuals and Music
* 55:40 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
* 58:13 Reb's Work at IGN
* 1:01:34 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
* 1:03:35 Spoiler Section- What Happened in Our Playthroughs?
* 1:35:53 Spoiler Section- Language Discoveries
* 1:44:40 Spoiler Section- The Wildest Turn of Events
* 2:03:54 Spoiler Section- Ending Discussion
Music used in the episode is credited to Laurence Chapman. Tracks used: An Ancient Language, The Desperate Ways, Before the Fall, The Nebula, Fantasia on One Good Moon, Heaven's Vault, An Ancient Language (Cello & Piano)
Social Media:
BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures
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2:35:21
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2:35:21
191: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (with Kate & Emily - No Small Games)
Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2
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Modern Pokémon games are divisive, but rarely due to technical performance. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (Game Freak, 2022) released in an embarrassing state, and are hoping for a comeback with their recent Switch 2 editions. So now that the bugs are squashed and the framerate is stable, what kind of game was lurking under all of those issues? Listen in to find out.
Guest info: Kate Hunter (she/any) and Emily Merritt (she/her)
* Check out the No Small Games podcast and website https://nosmallgames.com/
* Follow Kate on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/katerblossom.bsky.social
* Follow Emily on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/aspecificegg.bsky.social
TIMESTAMPS
* 0:00 Title Card
* 0:16 Intros
* 5:53 Our Personal Histories with Pokémon
* 12:52 Opening Thoughts About Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
* 21:44 World and Story Setup
* 36:07 Nonlinear Design
* 42:50 Is the Story Actually Good, or Are We Grading On a Curve?
* 54:25 Visuals/Presentation
* 1:01:37 Open World Design
* 1:17:28 New Quick Battle System
* 1:22:28 Combat, Team Building and Challenge?
* 1:41:08 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
* 1:47:16 No Small Games
* 1:54:07 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
* 1:56:55 Spoiler Section- Our Teams, Area Zero, Ending
* 2:28:06 Spoiler Section- DLCs
Music used in the episode:
* Title Screen (Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose)
* Home (Junichi Masuda)
* Poco Path (Junichi Masuda)
* Battle! (Trainer Battle) (Junichi Masuda)
* Area Zero (GAME FREAK)
* Pokémon Center (Junichi Masuda)
* Welcome to the Paldea Region! (Minako Adachi, Toby Fox)
Check out Dave on Geeks & Grounds in November and December- https://www.geeksandgrounds.com/
Check out Dave on the Character Issues podcast- https://www.buzzsprout.com/1306474
Check out Dave on Nostalgium Arcanum- https://nostalgiumarcanum.fireside.fm/
Social Media:
BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures
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2:44:15
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2:44:15
190: Pseudoregalia (with Bo__Po - Underplayed)
Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2
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Pseudoregalia (Rittzler, 2023) represents a few things that are either making a resurgence or breaking out within indie games lately- retro PS1/N64 style graphics, megastructures, and 3D platformers. Combining incredibly tight and expressive platforming with nonlinear Metroidvania design and a vibey soundtrack, Pseudoregalia is a very good snack of a game, though not without some critical discussion points.
Guest info: Beau aka Bo__Po (he/him)
* Check out Underplayed podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/3qRQdjTtDRE1GZbFHhSYgu
* Follow Beau on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/bo__po
* Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/bo-po.bsky.social
TIMESTAMPS
* 0:00 Title Card
* 0:14 Introductions
* 5:02 Personal Histories with Pseudoregalia
* 11:21 Opening Thoughts
* 18:52 Story Setup
* 24:42 Movement and Creativity
* 38:10 Open-Ended Design
* 47:50 The Map and Getting Lost
* 58:01 Combat
* 1:04:41 Visual Aesthetic and Music
* 1:12:57 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
* 1:20:00 UnderPlayed podcast and Beau on Twitch
* 1:26:11 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous
* 1:27:51 Spoiler Section
Music used in the episode:
* Remnants of the Dream (potatoTeto)
* Revival (potatoTeto)
* Their Subdued History (potatoTeto)
* Outside the Castle Walls (potatoTeto)
* Delirious Acting (potatoTeto)
* Paramnesiac (still crisp)
Social Media:
BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures
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 spoilers until a clearly marked spoiler wall in the middle.