Tales from the Backlog

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When we talk about older games, we often use phrases like "this holds up!" or "this hasn't aged well!", but what do we mean when we say stuff like that? What do they hold up against? What aspects age well or poorly? Are there better ways to convey our thoughts? To help me dig into this, I've brought Patrick and James from the Retro Spectives Podcast back to the show. Hope you enjoy the discussion!

Guest info: Patrick Arthur (he/him) and James Tuerlings (he/him)

Check out Retro Spectives podcast https://rspodcast.net

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Episode Start

0:22 Introductions

2:50 Topic Introduction

10:00 Why Do We Say Things Have Aged Poorly?

54:36 Patron Thank-Yous

56:29 Does This Hold Up?

1:39:07 Conclusions and Wrap-Up

1:57:59 Retro Spectives Podcast

Music used in the episode:

Bloody Tears (Castlevania II: Simon's Quest)- Kenichi Matsubara, Satoe Terashima

Save Theme (Resident Evil (2002))- Shisaku Uchiyama, Makoto Tomozawa, Misao Senbogi

Ending Theme (Dragon Warrior)- Koichi Sugiyama

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

What's the worst game you've ever played? That's the question of the day, and a fairly common answer to that question for a long time has been Quest 64 (Imagineer, 1998). But does Quest deserve to be in that conversation? What is it actually like as a game, outside of the memes and reputation? That's what we're exploring in this episode, and to do so, I brought on the man doing his part to heal the conversation around Quest, "bad" games, and the Nintendo 64 in general, Mike aka Quest64Official. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Mike aka Quest64Official

Follow Mike on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/quest64official.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Beginning

0:16 Introductions

4:50 Our Histories with Quest 64

14:44 Top-Level Thoughts

22:35 Story Setup and the Adventure as Story

28:32 The Solo RPG Experience

40:24 Big Dungeons

44:39 Character Building

49:19 Combat

1:06:25 Visuals and Music

1:15:59 Who Should Play Quest 64?

1:24:34 Quest64Official and the Power of Memes

1:32:50 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous

1:34:34 Spoilers- Favorite Sections and Story

1:50:20 Spoilers- Challenge Runs and Different Play Styles

Music used in the episode is credited to Masamichi Amano. Tracks used: Holy Magic Century, Holy Plains, Highlands, Battle, Dondoran, Final Battle, Staff Roll

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

After the breakout success of The Stanley Parable, Davey Wreden's next game is a bit darker and a lot more personal. The Beginner's Guide (Everything Unlimited Ltd, 2015) examines a lot of things, but at the forefront is the relationships we have with others and some complex and slippery situations that can arise. To say more would be to start spoiling things, but luckily we have a discussion longer than the game itself. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Matt aka Stormageddon (they/them)

Listen to "Fun" and Games https://funandgamespod.com/

Listen to Reignite https://reignitepod.libsyn.com/

Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/djstormageddon.com

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card

0:16 Introductions

4:38 Our Histories with Davey Wreden's Games

9:49 Top-Level Thoughts

13:38 Story and Game Setup

19:53 Narration and Thematic Overview

24:42 Who Should Play?

31:53 "Fun" and Games and Reignite

37:36 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous

39:51 Spoilers- Davey & Coda

58:53 Spoilers- Thematic Exploration

1:31:24 Spoilers- More Thematic Exploration

1:52:51 Spoilers- Ending

Music used in the episode is credited to Ryan Roth. Tracks used: Vertibrae, The Whisper Machine, Stars, D.S. Al Coda, Escape from This Place

Check out Dave on Super Pod Saga talking about some great games you can get for under $5 full price- https://superpodsaga.com/episodes/5-buck-bangers-downwell

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

It's not every day you revisit a favorite game from your teenage years, but today is that day as special guest Rebekah Valentine (Kotaku) joins me to discuss Golden Sun, one of the most beloved Game Boy Advance games. Camelot and Nintendo ended up splitting the game into two, and in this episode we focus on the first game, though we do discuss The Lost Age quite a bit as well. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Rebekah Valentine (she/her)

Check out her work at Kotaku https://kotaku.com/author/rvalentine

Check out Reb's look back at Golden Sun https://kotaku.com/25-years-ago-golden-sun-video-game-adventure-2000721340

Check out Reb writing as if it were 2002 again https://kotaku.com/golden-sun-the-lost-age-sequel-warp-week-2000723015

Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/duckvalentine.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card

0:18 Introductions

5:30 Our Histories with Golden Sun

12:47 Top Level Thoughts

17:42 Acknowledging The Lost Age

25:31 Story Setup

33:50 Golden Sins and Silent Protagonists

44:29 Story Thoughts

52:25 Combat and Djinn System

1:09:18 Equipment, Resource Conservation, Puzzles

1:28:25 Soundtrack

1:38:22 Wrap-Up Thoughts and Who Should Play?

1:45:15 Reb's Work at Kotaku

1:50:06 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous

1:52:27 Spoilers- Golden Sun's Story and The Lost Age Setup

2:12:42 Spoilers- Dave Might Play The Lost Age?

Music used in the episode is credited to Motoi Sakuraba. Tracks used: Main Theme, World Map, Enemy Battle, Lighthouse Theme, Sol Sanctum, Main Menu, Battle With Saturos, Vale and Vault

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

Join Dave and special guest Gen Moonen ("Fun" and Games) as they discuss Konami's 2006 entry in the Castlevania franchise, Portrait of Ruin. By this point, the series had largely moved past dual-screen and touchscreen gimmicks, settling on putting the menus and map on the bottom screen with the action on top. Add in a dual-protagonist setup and you've got a recipe for a good metroidvania experience. It's not reinventing the wheel, but it's likely got what you're looking for, and there's value in that. Check out the discussion for more, and as always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Gen Moonen (they/she)

Check out "Fun" and Games https://funandgamespod.com/

Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/gnoisegenerator.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card

0:22 Introductions

6:56 Our Histories with Castlevania

12:40 Top-Level Thoughts

19:51 Story Setup and Dual Protagonists

24:52 Castlevania Stories and Humor

31:19 Character Swapping Gameplay

44:52 Metroid vs Vania

50:13 Boss Fights, Painted Worlds and The Castle

1:03:52 Metroidvania Upgrades

1:08:41 Visual Design

1:16:40 Who Should Play?

1:25:50 "Fun" and Games Podcast

1:30:31 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous

1:32:44 Spoilers- Painted Worlds and The Vampire Killer

1:53:38 Spoilers- More Story & Boss Fights

Music used in the episode is credited to Michiru Yamane unless otherwise noted. Tracks used: Gallery of Labyrinth, Invitation of a Crazed Moon (Yuzo Koshiro), Chaotic Playground, Victorian Fear, Name Entry, Crucifix Held Close, The Night Flows

Check out Dave on Nostalgium Arcanum talking about Final Fantasy X: https://nostalgiumarcanum.fireside.fm/

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