Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

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

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

I always tend to take note when a game from previous generations gets a remaster and the general consensus is "hell yeah, finally!", which just so happened to be the case when Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (Capcom, 2010) got the HD treatment in 2023. The DS is a real blind spot for me, as are the works of ShuTakumi, so this has been on my backlog list for a while now. Listen in to find out how my guest and I felt about it!

Guest info: Steve aka Blinkoom (he/him)

• Check out IndieQuest podcast https://polymedianetwork.com/indiequest
• Check out Polykill podcast https://polymedianetwork.com/podcast
• Check out Steve's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@Blinkoom
• Follow Steve on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/blinkoom

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Title Card
• 0:21 Introductions
• 5:37 Our Histories with Ghost Trick
• 9:20 Top-Level Thoughts About Ghost Trick
• 13:26 Story Setup
• 19:11 Ghost Tricks and Puzzles
• 37:16 Where Does the Charm Come From?
• 49:35 Handheld Console Pacing
• 55:09 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
• 1:01:10 Steve's Work
• 1:04:54 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
• 1:06:38 Spoilers- Favorite Levels/Puzzles
• 1:22:50 Spoilers- More Story Thoughts
• 1:34:15 Spoilers- Big Mysteries and Reveals
• 1:43:21 Spoilers- Ending

Music used in the episode is credited to Masakazu Sugimori. Tracks used: Ghost Trick, Prologue, Cabanela, Lynn ~ A Targeted Redhead, 4 Minutes Before Death, The Last Desperate Struggle, Epilogue ~ The End of the "Night"

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

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