Tales from the Backlog

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Games gather reputations for a variety of reasons, but one of the most unique among those are the games that are so hard to purchase that above all, they have a reputation for being expensive. Panzer Dragoon Saga (Team Andromeda, Sega, 1998) is one of the top examples of that phenomenon nowadays, after only tens of thousands of English-language copies were pressed, Team Andromeda was shuttered quickly after the game's release and Sega now claims to have lost the source code. All of this may leave you wondering...what is Panzer Dragoon Saga like as a game? I was certainly left wondering that, and Chris Coplien of Retro Hangover was up for the task of discussing the game behind the massive price tag. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Chris Coplien (he/him)

Check out Retro Hangover https://linktr.ee/retrohangover

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

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Start

0:24 Introductions

5:13 Our Histories with Panzer Dragoon Saga

13:16 Top-Level Thoughts

20:41 Story Setup and Worldbuilding

28:16 Pacing and Storytelling

33:41 Visual Presentation

39:04 Music

43:05 Combat

1:07:41 Exploration and Side Quests

1:16:37 Who Should Play?

1:20:12 Retro Hangover Podcast

1:24:40 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous

1:26:37 Spoilers- Setting the Stage

1:42:26 Spoilers- Some Big Themes

1:51:53 Spoilers- A Philosophical Dilemma

1:59:16 Spoilers- Uncovering a Very Familiar Trope

2:17:28 Spoilers- Revisiting the Dilemma and Ending

Music used in the episode is credited to Saori Kobayashi and Mariko Nanba. Tracks used: Behold the Precious Wings, A Premonition of War, Metamorphosis 1, Atolm Dragon, Rest, Area 3 Background, Wandering, Breath of Life

Panzer Dragoon Story and Lore Walkthrough https://youtu.be/BVc7QxiAO1k

Max Derrat's Development History Video: https://youtu.be/sIqM80qEY8s

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

One of these days it was bound to happen, the remake announcement solidified it- it's time to give The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo, 1998) the Tales from the Backlog treatment. This was Dave's favorite game for decades and is still by far one of the most influential games in his life, but this was the first time in a while that he had played all the way through it. Join Dave and special guests Gooey and McKenna of Flashback 64 for the deep dive. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Gooey (they/he) and McKenna (she/her)

Check out Flashback 64 https://flashback64.com/

Follow on Bluesky http://bsky.app/profile/flashback64.com

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Podcast Start

0:16 Introductions

7:48 Our Histories with Ocarina of Time

12:10 Top-Level Thoughts

18:50 Story Setup, Storytelling and Cinematography

31:57 Navi and Handholding

36:26 Combat

42:16 The N64 Controller

46:41 "The Zelda Formula" and Exploration

57:50 Dungeons and Complexity

1:12:56 Visual Flourishes and Art Design

1:25:41 Our Hopes for the Remake

1:35:33 Soundtrack

1:45:50 Re-Evaluating Childhood Favorites and Who Should Play?

1:57:48 Flashback 64

2:05:29 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous

2:07:06 Spoilers- The Water Temple Is Good

2:30:08 Spoilers- Favorite Temples and Ganon's Castle

2:35:12 Spoilers- Sheik and More Temple Talk

2:47:48 Spoilers- A Theory for the Remake

Music used in the episode is credited to Koji Kondo. Tracks used: Title Theme, Kokiri Forest, Saria's Song, Forest Temple, Kakariko Village, Hyrule Field, Gerudo Valley, Zora's Domain, Zelda's Theme

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

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

Update 10/1/2026 Several references were made in this podcast to YouTuber and critic Jacob Geller and his work. This podcast was released before the sexual assault allegations against him were brought to light. Matt and I condemn these actions, and our hearts go out to the victim and everybody else who had traumatic memories brought up to the surface by the news. -Dave

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