Tales from the Backlog - Episodes Tagged with “Sony”

204: Ghost of Yōtei (with Jacob Price - The Pre-Order Bonus)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

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Ghost of Tsushima (2020) was one of my favorite games of that year, and happens to be episode 2(!!) of this podcast, an early game that screamed to me "you should talk about this into a microphone for 2+ hours). That being the case, Sucker Punch's follow-up, Ghost of Yotei, was an instant day-one buy. And while the things I expected to impress were great, there were certain aspects of the game that felt worse to me than Tsushima's version. Did I change over the past five years? Did the game adjust to industry trends? A secret third answer? All of this is part of the discussion, so I hope you enjoy it!

Guest info: Jacob Price (he/him)

Check out The Pre-Order Bonus podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/747596
Check out Jake's reviews at So Many Games https://somanygames.co.uk/
Follow on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/chipdip18
Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/chipdip.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card
0:23 Introductions
5:18 Our Histories With This Series/Game
9:24 Opening Thoughts About Ghost of Yotei
18:50 Story Setup, Atsu and Revenge Stories
26:59 Presentation and Comparisons to Westerns
35:24 A Well-Made Known Commodity and Further Worldbuilding
49:51 Open World Design and Reward Structure
1:10:23 Stealth and Clearing Camps
1:16:33 Duels and Boss Fights
1:31:45 Closing Thoughts
1:37:34 The Pre-Order Bonus and So Many Games
1:42:12 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
1:44:02 Spoiler Section- The Onryo and Ghost Connections
1:57:56 The Snake, The Oni and The Kitsune
2:14:46 The Spider, The Dragon and Saito

Music used in the episode is credited to Toma Otowa: Ghost of Yotei, The Yotei Six, The Wrath of the Ghost, The Wilds of Ezo, Battle No.3, Battle No.1, Atsu's Theme

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

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197: Astro Bot (with Josh Covel - Still Loading Podcast)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

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With the world being the way it is, it's a rare treat to play a game that's just pure joy from start to finish, and that is exactly what Astro Bot (Team Asobi, Sony, 2024) brings. From the opening cutscene to the final boss, Astro Bot is both one of the greatest platformers ever made and a joyous celebration of 30 years of Playstation history. I treasure a game like this as a player, and almost even moreso as a critic. I hope you enjoy the discussion!

Guest info: Josh Covel (he/him)

Check out Still Loading Podcast https://www.stillloadingpodcast.com/

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card
0:33 Introductions
6:11 Our Histories with Astro Bot
9:42 Opening Thoughts
13:06 Game Setup and Playstation History
23:08 Criticisms of The Playstation Tie-Ins
39:34 Gameplay & Powerups
49:20 Complexity and Difficulty
1:00:19 Collectibles and Secrets
1:08:15 Music and Sound Design
1:23:55 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
1:29:13 Still Loading Podcast
1:34:58 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
1:37:34 Spoiler Section- Playstation Themed Levels
2:01:43 Final Level and Miscellaneous Favorite Things

Music used in the episode is credited to Kenneth C M Young. Tracks used: I Am Astro Bot (ASTRO BOT Remix), Disco Tree, Big Wave, You Know What You've Got To Do, Drake's BOTtune, Bot of War

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

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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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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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64: God of War: Ragnarök (with Ryan Juengling- List Off!)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Sequels are tricky! There are a few schools of thought, and God of War: Ragnarök is about as direct a sequel as you could imagine, especially for a video game. It takes the God of War reboot from 2018 and adds to it in every aspect...but were those additions productive? Or does this sequel sag under its own weight? Listen in to find out.

Joining me to discuss God of War: Ragnarök is Ryan Juengling, host of the now-retired List Off! podcast. Brian and Ryan have tipped their hats and ridden off into the sunset, but they have 2 years of video game lists on their show List Off! that I highly recommend! You can find their show by searching in your favorite podcast app or by following this link!

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:12
Story Setup 11:38
Presentation/Voice Acting 32:37
Gameplay 44:32
SPOILER WALL 1:08:35

God of War: Ragnarök OST composed by** Bear McCreary**.

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

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