Tales from the Backlog - Episodes Tagged with “Fps”

206: Bioshock (with Joseph Hooper - Crossplay Conversations)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

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Bioshock is a title that carries weight, nearly 20 years after its 2007 release by 2K Boston and 2K Australia, and it feels like one that every gaming podcast eventually talks about. And hey, it's our turn this time- Bioshock has long been a favorite of mine that I've revisited through the years. But when put under the Tales from the Backlog microscope, does it hold up under pressure or does it spring a leak? Listen in to find out.

Guest info: Joseph Hooper (he/him)

Check out Crossplay Conversations https://www.youtube.com/@crossplayconvos
Check out Can't Pause on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@cantpause
Check out Player Player https://playerplayerpod.com/

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card
0:26 Introductions
5:25 Our Histories with Bioshock
9:20 Top-Level Thoughts
14:25 Story Setup
21:30 Learning Backstory Via Audio Logs
26:40 Rapture and Ideology
35:18 Big Daddies, Little Sisters and Moral Choices
44:24 Combat Mechanics
54:00 Some Immersive Sim DNA
1:03:29 Combat Balance & Difficulty
1:13:26 Visual Design and Music/Sound
1:22:27 Who Do We Recommend Bioshock To?
1:24:38 Joseph's Podcasts and YouTube Channel
1:28:26 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
1:30:13 Spoilers- Would You Kindly? and Fontaine
1:44:48 Spoilers- Rapture's Downfall
2:01:37 Spoilers- Other Major Players
2:14:00 Spoilers- Big Daddy and Endings

Music used in the episode is credited to Garry Schyman unless otherwise noted. Tracks used: Under the Sea (Bobby Darin), Welcome to Rapture, Mr. Bubbles - Little Sister, Dancers on a String (Reprise), Through the Docks, Cohen's Masterpiece, Leaving Rapture

Gameplay footage used with permission from World of Longplays on YouTube, gameplay by Spazbo4. www.longplays.org

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

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172: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (with Dan - The Greatest Story Ever Played)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

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As a lifelong Indiana Jones agnostic, there was no way that MachineGames would make an Indiana Jones game I would care about, right? Right? Well, it certainly looked that way when the first gameplay trailer for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle dropped. But then I started hearing my activation phrases start to bounce around- "this is like Hitman", "this is like Dishonored", so I knew I had to give it a try. And boy am I glad that I did!

Guest info: Dan of The Greatest Story Ever Played

Check out the podcast https://linktr.ee/thegreateststoryeverplayed
Follow Dan on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/storyeverpod.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card
0:36 Intros
3:33 Personal Histories with Indiana Jones and The Great Circle
7:55 Opening Thoughts
11:33 Story Setup and Troy Baker as Indiana Jones
16:35 A Great Villain and Supporting Cast
24:54 Music and Visual Presentation
34:36 Combat and Stealth
48:28 Side Quests, Exploration and Level Design
1:04:19 Final Thoughts/Recommendations
1:08:24 The Greatest Story Ever Played Plugs
1:13:07 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous
1:14:46 Spoiler Section

Music used in the episode is credited to Gordy Haab. Tracks used: The Great Circle, A New Adventure Awaits, Where Are We, Gina's Theme, Signs of the Stones, Until the Next Adventure

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

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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165: SUPERHOT (with Emily Merritt - No Small Games)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 14 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Support my work on Patreon https://patreon.com/realdavejackson

Is it really the most innovative shooter I've played in years? SUPERHOT Team struck gold with this idea, did just enough with it, and got out before things got stale. Now that's what I call SUPER. HOT.

Guest info: Emily Merritt aka aspecificegg

Check out No Small Games https://nosmallgames.com/
Follow No Small Games on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/nosmallgames.bsky.social
Catch Emily on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/aspecificegg
Follow Emily on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/aspecificegg.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card
0:14 Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts
11:07 Story Setup/Presentation
26:35 Gameplay
52:58 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Guest Plugs
1:01:30 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous
1:02:55 Spoiler Section

Music used in the episode: SUPER. HOT. by SUPERHOT Team

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Social Media:
BlueSky
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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162: Prey (2006) (with Asa GreenRiver)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

No, this isn't the Arkane Studios Prey, this is the one that Arkane was forced to name their game after for no good reason. In fact, that's what got me interested in Human Head Studios' Prey (2006) in the first place, even before I learned what the game is about. So what did we think of this shooter caught between two eras, with seemingly 10 different puzzle mechanics? How did we find a rare AAA attempt at indigenous representation? Listen in and find out!

Guest info: Asa GreenRiver

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/agreenriver.bsky.social
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@agreenriver07
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@borderlineentertainment
Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/BorderlineEntertainment

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card
0:25 Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts
12:07 Story Setup/Indigenous Representation/Presentation
37:43 FPS Gameplay/Puzzles
1:04:10 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Housekeeping
1:15:58 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous
1:17:58 Spoiler Section

Music used in the episode is credit to Jeremy and Julian Soule. Tracks used: Prey Overture, Aniwyah Calling, Desperate Measures, Upside Down, The Land of the Ancients

Check out Dave on Retro Hangover discussing Psychonauts! https://retrohangover.captivate.fm/episode/psychonauts-milk-mans-delicious-milk-ft-dave-jackson

Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi!
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Social Media:
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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

Support Tales from the Backlog

146: System Shock 2 (with Doug Lief - Nostalgium Arcanum)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

System Shock 2 **(Looking Glass Studios/Irrational Games**, 1999) contains one of the most iconic images in gaming (the scifi horror Medusa-esque SHODAN) and one of the most iconic spiritual sequels in gaming (the Bioshock series), but I still feel like experience with System Shock 2 itself is relegated to those who were there playing on PC in 1999. What was it about this game that made it so foundational for the Bioshock series and so many other modern games? Well, it's a good thing I have this podcast to dig into it!

Guest Info: Doug Lief, host of Nostalgium Arcanum podcast

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 0:19
Story Setup/Story Thoughts 13:43
Presentation 30:10
Gameplay 41:00
SPOILER WALL 1:11:09

Music used in the episode is credited to Eric Brosius. Tracks used: Medical, Engineering, Hydroponics #1, Science, Hydroponics #2, Operations #2, End Cutscene, Credits

Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi!
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Social Media:
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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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110: Titanfall 2 (with Adam & Cory - Half Tone Takes)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Titanfall 2, developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by EA, is one of those unfortunate games that seems to be universally beloved, but apparently didn't sell well enough for them to continue the series. Instead, Respawn is stuck in the Apex Legends and Star Wars mines for the foreseeable future, and we're left to replay this wonderful campaign (and multiplayer for some) and wonder what might have been. Titanfall 2 lives up to the hype, folks!

My guests for this episode are Adam Bucceri and Cory Revis, hosts of the Half Tone Takes podcast, which is a deep dive into one of the hosts' interests each episode. The conversations are fun and enriching, and the show is worth your time. Adam also designs video and tabletop games on his Itch.io page, and Cory makes a webcomic called Dawn of Time. Check out their work!

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 2:13
Story Setup 19:40
Gameplay/On-Foot Combat 28:41
Gameplay/Titan Combat 54:00
Visual/Audio Design 1:13:02
SPOILER WALL 1:32:04

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Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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