About the show

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.

Tales from the Backlog on social media

Episodes and Blog Entries

  • 30: Dark Souls 3 (with Adam Rivera)

    Episode  |  May 18th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 39 mins
    dark souls, dark souls 3, fromsoftware, game review

    Dave is joined once again by Adam Rivera to discuss the finale (for now) in the Dark Souls series.

  • Pokémon Legends: Arceus

    Article  |  May 11th, 2022
    By Dave Jackson
    nintendo, podcast episode, pokemon

    In episode 29 of Tales from the Backlog, Dave is joined by Jared Moss from Play Along Podcast to discuss a new direction in the world of Pokémon.

  • 29: Pokemon Legends: Arceus (with Jared Moss - Play Along Podcast)

    Episode  |  May 11th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 27 mins
    game freak, game review, nintendo switch, pokemon

    Dave is joined by Jared Moss from Play Along Podcast to discuss Game Freak's 2022 hit, Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

  • It Takes Two

    Article  |  May 5th, 2022
    By Dave Jackson
    hazelight studios, indie games, it takes two, podcast episode

    Dave is joined by Aaron Angle to talk about It Takes Two, the 2021 Game of the Year award winning co-op platformer from Hazelight Studios.

  • 28: It Takes Two (with Aaron Angle - A Top 3 Podcast)

    Episode  |  May 4th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 3 mins
    game review, indie games, multiplayer

    Dave is joined by the author of the Book of Love, Aaron Angle, to discuss Hazelight Studio's 2021 Game of the Year winner, It Takes Two.

  • 27: Returnal (with Ryan Delaney)

    Episode  |  April 27th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 19 mins
    game review, ps5, roguelike

    Dave is joined by Ryan Delaney to talk about Housemarque's 2021 action roguelike hit, Returnal.

  • 26: Earthbound (with Keith Gasper - The Main Quest)

    Episode  |  April 20th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  3 hrs 17 mins
    earthbound, game review, jrpg, nintendo, retro games, snes

    Dave is joined by Keith Gasper from the wonderful The Main Quest podcast to talk about 1994's cult classic JRPG, Earthbound.

  • Bloodborne Bosses Tier List (FULL SPOILERS) (with Andrew & Dylan - Your Friendly Neighborhood Gamers)

    Episode  |  April 13th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 51 mins
    bloodborne, break from the backlog, fromsoftware, tier list

    Dave is joined by Andrew Kimball and Dylan Wren from Your Friendly Neighborhood Gamers to tier rank the Bloodborne bosses.

  • 25: Bloodborne (with Moonborne & Jake Anderson)

    Episode  |  April 6th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  3 hrs 26 mins
    bloodborne, fromsoftware, game review, ps4, soulslike

    Dave is joined by Moonborne and Jake Anderson to take on FromSoftware's incredible gothic/Lovecraftian horror classic, Bloodborne.

  • 24: Metroid Dread (with Eric Gess - The Unlockables & Sidequesting Podcast)

    Episode  |  March 30th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 13 mins
    game review, mercurysteam, metroid, metroidvania, nintendo, nintendo switch

    Dave is joined by the wonderful Eric Gess to discuss Nintendo & MercurySteam's long-awaited entry in the beloved Metroid franchise, Metroid Dread.

  • 23: Persona 5 (with Aaron Angle and Ryan Arrington)

    Episode  |  March 23rd, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 39 mins
    atlus, game review, jrpg, persona, ps4

    Dave is joined by Aaron Angle and Ryan Arrington to discuss both Persona 5 and its expansion, Persona 5 Royal, the latest in the long-running series by Atlus.

  • 22: Before Your Eyes (with Brian Edwards - Cane & Rinse)

    Episode  |  March 16th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 8 mins
    game review, goodbyeworld games, indie games

    Dave is joined by Brian Edwards from Cane & Rinse to discuss GoodbyeWorld Games' wonderful experiment with interactivity, Before Your Eyes.

  • 21: King's Field: The Ancient City (with mysticreferee)

    Episode  |  March 9th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 59 mins
    fromsoftware, game review, king's field, ps2, retro games

    Dave is joined by mysticreferee to discuss part of FromSoftware's past, King's Field IV aka King's Field: The Ancient City.

  • We're on Discord! Come join us!

    Episode  |  March 7th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  1 min 24 secs
    games, video games

    Announcing the Tales from the Backlog and A Top 3 Podcast Discord server!

  • 20: Blasphemous (with Chris Nelson)

    Episode  |  March 2nd, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 7 mins
    blasphemous, game review, indie games, metroidvania, the game kitchen

    Dave is joined by the ultimate penitent one, Chris Nelson, to discuss The Game Kitchen's 2019 metroidvania, Blasphemous

  • 19: Darkest Dungeon (with Andrew Tavin - TV Nopes and House of House)

    Episode  |  February 23rd, 2022  |  Season 1  |  3 hrs 36 secs
    darkest dungeon, indie games, roguelike, rpg

    Dave is joined by Andrew Tavin, host of the TV Nopes and House of House podcasts to discuss Red Hook Studio's 2016 dungeon crawler, Darkest Dungeon.