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.
31episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure (GBA) and the Death of the On-Ramp
Jun 900:18:45Tap 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?
Jun 200:17:22Tap 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?
May 2600:17:47Tap 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 →098: Pokemon: Pokopia
Mar 1700:25:59Tap to summarizeAdam discusses what is probably the 30th anniversary Pokemon title - Pokemon: Pokopia!
Transcribe →097: Hands-On With The FireRed and LeafGreen Switch/Switch 2 Ports!
Mar 1000:33:15Tap to summarizeWell, they're definitely ports of FireRed and LeafGreen.
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