The Backlog Files
by Adam Taylor
Latest episode
Re:Chain of Memories Needs a Remake More Than Kingdom Hearts 1
Re:Chain of Memories Needs a Remake More Than Kingdom Hearts 1
About this podcast
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.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 126 episodes
- Re:Chain of Memories Needs a Remake More Than Kingdom Hearts 1 · 8 minKingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories already is a remake—but replaying it today makes a compelling case that it needs another one. Adam revisits Sora and Riku's journey through…
- Replaying Kingdom Hearts Without the Nostalgia · 7 minWhat happens when you revisit a game that helped shape your childhood and try to judge it like you're playing it for the first time? Adam begins a full Kingdom Hearts…
- Backpack Syndicate Demo: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Meets Inventory Tetris · 3 minSometimes the best sign that a demo works is realizing you've been playing it much longer than intended. Adam checks out Backpack Syndicate, a dungeon crawler with strong Pokémon…
- Bills Must Be Paid Review: Great Loop, Not Enough Depth · 2 minBills Must Be Paid has a very simple proposition: smash piggy banks, make money and try to keep up with your increasingly expensive life. Adam looks at the game's smooth…
- Does Luigi’s Mansion Still Hold Up? · 8 minMore than two decades after helping launch the GameCube, the original Luigi’s Mansion remains one of Nintendo’s most distinctive experiments. Adam revisits one of his earliest…
- Pokémon Pokopia: Bubbly Basin Brings Me Back In · 11 minThe first major Pokémon Pokopia DLC takes players underwater; but Bubbly Basin succeeds because it does more than simply move the existing gameplay loop beneath the surface. Adam…
- PlayStation’s All-Digital Gamble and the Death of Game Ownership · 16 minAs Sony doubles down on an all-digital PlayStation future, Adam considers what the industry is asking players to surrender in exchange for convenience. Without physical games…
- Splatoon Raiders Is the Game That Sells the Switch 2 · 12 minAdam has never played a Splatoon game in his life, and Splatoon Raiders might be his game of the year. A look at why this single-player looter-shooter spin-off is the clearest…
- News Tower and the Tycoon Game That Respects You · 9 minAdam dives into News Tower, an indie tycoon game about running a 1930s New York newspaper that turns out to be far deeper than it looks. Why the simple weekly loop hides three…
- It Is March 2008 In The Games Industry · 24 minMicrosoft just cut thousands from its gaming division and pushed out four studios, and Adam argues it's the first crack warning of a coming collapse, like Bear Stearns to the…
- Rhythm Heaven Groove and the Switch's Last Dance · 8 minAnother week, another new release, and this one's a pleasant surprise. Adam digs into Rhythm Heaven Groove, the first new entry in the series in over a decade, and finds a…
- Sony Ditches Discs, and Why Indie Might Save Us · 26 minSony has announced it will end physical disc production for all new PlayStation games starting January 2028, and Adam has feelings. An extra episode on the slow death of…
- Star Fox and the Lost Art of the Manual · 9 minNintendo has opened a console generation on an Ocarina of Time and a Star Fox 64 remake for the second time, and Adam dug into the new Star Fox on Switch 2 as a series newcomer…
- Too Big to Succeed: GTA 6's Price Problem · 13 minGTA 6 finally has a price: $80 standard, $100 Ultimate, and a "physical" edition that's just a download code in a box. Adam unpacks why the number matters less than what it…
- The Backlog Files at Tribeca: 2026 Games Showcase · 4 minAdam 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…
- The Nintendo Direct for People Who Already Bought In · 36 minA 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…
- Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure (GBA) and the Death of the On-Ramp · 19 minWe 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…
- Pilotwings Resort 15 Years Later: Still Worth the Trip? · 17 minFifteen years after it launched alongside the Nintendo 3DS, does Pilotwings Resort still hold up? Adam revisits the dormant flight series Nintendo resurrected as a…
- Yoshi and the Mysterious Book Review: Charming But Is That Enough? · 18 minGood-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…
- 103: Escape From Ever After · 11 minAdam discusses the new indie Paper Mario-like: Escape From Ever After.
