Podcast
The Backlog Files
Hosted by Adam Taylor · EN
On The Backlog Files, host Adam Taylor dives into retro classics, cult favorites, and indie standouts—stacking entries franchise by franchise, platform by platform. Every Tuesday at 9 AM EST, we rank, review, and recommit your next must‑play.
From Game Boy gems to Switch surprises, Pokémon deep-dives to horror indies, Adam explores what made each game essential, or stray, and why it still matters today. Expect thoughtful takes, nostalgia, and plenty of “game snack” episodes under 20 minutes.
New weekly. Always insightful. Occasionally unexpected.
23episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Backlog Files at Tribeca: 2026 Games Showcase
1w ago00:04:23Tap to summarizeAdam reports live from Pier 57 at the Tribeca Festival, fresh off hands-on time with seven of this year's indie game selections. A modern 3D Zelda in Demi and the Fractured Dream, a gorgeous paper-airplane journey in DRIFTED, a speedrunner's dream in Rebounder, Devolver's sledgehammer-swinging Virtue and a Sledgehammer, and two out-of-nowhere standouts in Kidbash: Super Legend and the wordless, sound-driven LOFSÖNG. Join in for a quick on-site dispatch before sprinting downtown for X-Men '97.
Transcribe →The Nintendo Direct for People Who Already Bought In
2w ago00:35:48Tap to summarizeA Nintendo Direct finally arrived, so join Adam as he breaks down what it actually means. The Ocarina of Time remake is real but shown without a frame of gameplay, Kingdom Hearts IV lands on Switch 2 at launch, and Square Enix turns up in force. So why does a stacked lineup feel so empty if you don't already own the console? Join in for a conversation about ports versus system-sellers, the conspicuous absence of Mario and the next Zelda, and the GTA VI-shaped hole hanging over the entire holiday season.Succession Planning is now available for pre-order wherever you get your e-books! https://books2read.com/u/bzE9g9
Transcribe →Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure (GBA) and the Death of the On-Ramp
2w ago00:18:45Tap to summarizeWe covered the console version on the channel, so this week on The Backlog Files I'm taking the Game Boy Advance port of Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure out of the backlog. It's Tony Hawk in a Disney coat of paint, squeezed onto handheld hardware that doesn't want to cooperate, and it gets me thinking about something bigger: the slow disappearance of the on-ramp game, the accessible entry point that teaches you a genre. Why has nobody but Nintendo kept making them? Where's the kid-friendly Soulslike? Plus a look back at the strange era of GBA ports that tried to be the console game and ended up something else entirely.Succession Planning is now available for preorder wherever you get your ebooks: https://books2read.com/u/bzE9g9
Transcribe →Pilotwings Resort 15 Years Later: Still Worth the Trip?
3w ago00:17:22Tap to summarizeFifteen years after it launched alongside the Nintendo 3DS, does Pilotwings Resort still hold up? Adam revisits the dormant flight series Nintendo resurrected as a glasses-free-3D showcase, and digs into a launch window built almost entirely on tech demos and ports. The controls are still great, the game around them is still thin, and somehow they made Free Flight grindy. A look at what Pilotwings always was, why it probably should have come bundled in the box, and whether a Switch 2 entry could finally give this series the engine it deserves.
Transcribe →Yoshi and the Mysterious Book Review: Charming But Is That Enough?
4w ago00:17:47Tap to summarizeGood-Feel knows how to make a Yoshi game look and feel inviting, but the question has always been whether there's enough underneath. On today's Backlog Files, Adam reviews Yoshi and the Mysterious Book; the Switch 2 exclusive that has charm to spare and a genuinely clever premise, but leaves you wondering if Yoshi deserves more of a challenge than this. Is delightful enough?
Transcribe →103: Escape From Ever After
Apr 2100:11:29Tap to summarizeAdam discusses the new indie Paper Mario-like: Escape From Ever After.
Transcribe →102: Pokemon Champions Launches
Apr 1400:17:15Tap to summarizePokemon Champions is finally here and Adam discusses the borderline disastrous launch.
Transcribe →101: Neopets: Mega Mini Games Collection
Apr 700:24:52Tap to summarizeAdam discusses probably the worst game that's been discussed on this show, Neopets: Mega Mini Game Collection.
Transcribe →100: Super Mario Galaxy
Mar 3100:18:28Tap to summarizeWith The Super Mario Galaxy Movie releasing this week, Adam looks back at the Wii game Super Mario Galaxy.
Transcribe →099: Super Mario Sunshine
Mar 2400:20:44Tap to summarizeLet's look back at 2002 and Nintendo's kind of risky experimental title Super Mario Sunshine!
Transcribe →