Tales from the Backlog - Episodes Tagged with “Retro Games”

186: Silent Hill 3 (with Kaye Ross)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

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It's been a real joy working my way through the Silent Hill series alongside doing this show, starting all the way back in episode 10(!) with Silent Hill 2. Today, I'm playing the sequel to Silent Hill 1, which is NOT Silent Hill 2...it's Silent Hill 3, and I've brought on the perfect guest to discuss what many fans to agree to be the last truly good Silent Hill game for many years.

Guest info: Kaye Ross (she/her)

Check out all of the wonderful Duckfeed podcasts https://duckfeed.tv/
Check out Kaye's horror game streams https://www.twitch.tv/duckfeedtv

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card
0:28 Intros
4:56 Our Histories with Silent Hill 3
10:35 Opening Thoughts About Silent Hill 3
14:51 Story Setup
21:53 Aesthetics and Horror
30:25 Sound Design and Music
37:14 Heather As a Protagonist
43:37 Puzzles and Riddles
50:32 Tank Controls and Combat
1:03:49 Final Thoughts and Recommendations
1:06:36 The Many Podcasts at Duckfeed.tv
1:11:09 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-You's
1:13:11 Spoiler Section- Heather & The Cult
1:36:39 Spoiler Section- Heather & Harry

Music used in the episode is credited to Akira Yamaoka. Tracks used: You're Not Here, End of Small Sanctuary, Breeze- In Monochrome Night, Something Long Forgotten, Sickness Unto Foolish Death, Hometown

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

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173: Max Payne (with Nomad - The Retro Wildlands)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

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Two podcasters entered the room on a collision course, one with a backlog the size of a mobster's rap sheet, the other with one foot in the past. There was only one way out of this mess- one podcast to end them all. The subject was an old friend, if you consider a man out of options a friend. A man with a thirst for revenge that nothing could quench- Max Payne.

Guest info: Nomad (The Retro Wildlands)

Listen to The Retro Wildlands https://linktr.ee/retrowildlands
Check out the Superpod Network https://superpodnetwork.com/
Follow Nomad on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/retrowildlands.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card
0:32 Intros
5:24 Our Histories with Remedy and Max Payne
10:36 Opening Thoughts About Max Payne
16:00 Story Setup/Revenge Themes
23:00 Neo-Noir Storytelling and Presentation
32:25 Remake Talk
34:25 Music
38:22 Combat
52:02 Other Gameplay
1:00:23 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations
1:08:13 The Retro Wildlands Plugs
1:15:11 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous
1:16:35 Spoiler Section- Plot Twists and Mysteries
1:25:18 Spoiler Section- Revenge and Vigilantism

Music used in the episode is credited to Kärtsy Hatakka and Kimmo Kajasto. Tracks used: Max Payne Theme, Graphic Novel, Whack Him, Mr. Big, Max Payne Theme (Short Version)

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

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81: Final Fantasy VI (with Aaron Angle - A Top 3 Podcast)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 01:30:00 -0400

This episode has been a long time coming. One of my favorite games of all time, a game that I've played most of the way through several times, but never finished until now! Final Fantasy VI, Square's landmark Super Nintendo RPG brought us a wonderful cast of characters, an iconic villain, a bangin soundtrack, and an unforgettable story. How does it hold up today? Joining me to discuss is my longtime friend and my co-host on A Top 3 Podcast, Aaron Angle!

TIMESTAMPS
Intro/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:49
Story Setup/Characters/Tone 14:10
Music 37:24
Visuals 46:57
Combat/Gameplay 52:01
SPOILER WALL 1:14:25

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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages

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80: Ico (with Josh Covel - Still Loading)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Hope you're ready to hold hands as we discuss Ico, a supremely influential game from Japan Studio and Team Ico. Its influences spread wide throughout the industry, as its minimalist storytelling, cinematic approach, animation and sound design can still be felt throughout your favorite modern games. But how does it hold up today? Joining me to discuss is Josh Covel from the wonderful Still Loading podcast. You can find everything Still Loading by following this link!

TIMESTAMPS
Intro/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:40
Story Setup/Storytelling/Presentation/Gameplay Intro 21:44
Puzzles/Combat 53:11
SPOILER WALL 1:25:25

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54: Pokemon Trading Card Game (GBC) (with Bill Barber - Gaming & Collecting Podcast)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0500

In this episode, I go back to the nostalgia well for one of my favorite games from childhood- the Pokemon Trading Card Game, for Gameboy Color. I grew up collecting the cards but not really playing the actual card game, except with this handy game. And this game was still pretty fun to revisit, but got very frustrating to see all of my strategies reduced to "Do you win the coin flips? If so, you win. If not, sucks to suck!". Joining me for this episode is Bill Barber from the Gaming and Collecting podcast, as well as The 3DO Experience podcast. Check out everything that Bill is doing by following THIS LINK

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:08
Story (lol)/Card Game 14:26
Visuals/Music/Closing Thoughts 34:53
SPOILER WALL 52:57

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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

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43: Chrono Trigger (with Josh Covel - Still Loading)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 00:00:00 -0400

What happens when you miss out on childhood nostalgia for a game that seemingly everybody seems to love? Should you try to approach that game with the mindset of a mid-90s gamer? Or should you take all of the advancements (and dis..advancements? I'll find a word) of its genre in the past 30 years? Chrono Trigger was that game for me, and I'm happy to have gotten Josh Covel from Still Loading on the show to talk about it.

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening thoughts 1:15
A Focused JRPG 23:50
Story Setup 52:11
Soundtrack 1:18:52
Final Thoughts/Housekeeping 1:36:12
SPOILER WALL 1:47:17

You can find Still Loading on Twitter, Instagram, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Twitch.

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2022 Summer Retrolympics! (Hosted by Secret Levels podcast)

Dave Jackson — Sat, 27 Aug 2022 15:00:00 -0400

The 2022 Summer Retrolympics are here, hosted by the Secret Levels podcast! It was originally posted on their feed, but I'm posting here for my listeners- this is a podcast collaboration like no other. The Retrolympics is a retro gaming trivia show featuring great podcasts from around the indie gaming podcast scene.

Check out all of the participants, they all have my highest recommendation!
The hosts, Secret Levels: Apple / Spotify
Pixel Project Radio: Apple / Spotify
Main Quest Podcast: Apple / Spotify
Deleted Saves: Apple / Spotify
Low Five Gaming: Apple / Spotify
List Off!: Apple / Spotify

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37: Mega Man X (with Chris Nelson)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0400

Mega Man games have always been a bit of a struggle for me, since I didn't grow up playing the series (or the NES/SNES in general), but Mega Man X is often cited as one of the system's best, and a game that means a lot to a lot of people. So I had to get one of those people to compare our very different histories and experiences. Chris Nelson obliged, and we had a great chat about my experience, which was pretty rocky at times.

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32: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (with Alan Nichols - A Top 3 Podcast)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0400

Dave is joined by Alan Nichols to discuss The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. What was once little brother to the much more popular Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask has begun to resonate with many of us who grew up with the N64 during our childhoods. Add in some things that hit a bit closer to home since the pandemic started, and we have a game worth revisiting. But did the gameplay hold up? Listen to find out what we think.

*I experienced some technical issues wirh my track recording that affected sound quality. Hope it doesn't hinder your enjoyment of the episode! -Dave

TIMESTAMPS:
Intro and Opening Thoughts 0:43
Personal Histories, Masks and Time Loop 9:30
Story and Setting, Music and "Zelda Stuff" 55:35
Spoiler Wall 1:56:41

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31: Shadow of the Colossus (with Adam Bucceri)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0400

Dave is joined by tabletop RPG developer Adam Bucceri to discuss Shadow of the Colossus. Originally released on the PS2 back in 2005, Shadow of the Colossus stands today as a truly unique experience in gaming, one that has yet to be replicated. Find out what we thought, plus a discussion on the merits of game remakes!

TIMESTAMPS:
Intro/Personal Histories 0:42
Story and Presentation 18:12
Gameplay 40:20
Soundtrack, Remakes, and Final Thoughts 1:09:43
Spoiler Wall 1:41:30

Follow Adam on Twitter and check out ENTER THE SURVIVAL HORROR on his itch.io page, and

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

Dave Jackson — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0400

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

Find everything Main Quest HERE!

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

Dave Jackson — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Dave is joined by mysticreferee to discuss part of FromSoftware's past, King's Field IV aka King's Field: The Ancient City. For everybody who has jumped on the FromSoftware train in recent years, whether it was back on the PS3 with Demon's Souls or even Elden Ring, here is a game from an older version of FromSoftware, but it still shows a lot of the world building, atmosphere and even early versions of some of the mechanics that we now strongly associate with From.

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