Best Backlog Battle Podcasts (2025)

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Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles Review | Attack the Backlog

7d ago

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Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is one of the few games I've not completed for Attack the Backlog. The reason is twofold. First, it's structured in such a way that you can just play whatever level you want in whatever order you want and actually "beating" the game feels inconsequential. Second, and more importantly, it's just an incredibly …

1
The Last of Us Part II Review | Part 01 | Attack the Backlog

7h ago

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This was a long time coming. I've talked about wanting to play The Last of Us Part II for years now, but the mood was never quite right. After luckily stumbling into a 30th Anniversary PlayStation 5 Pro, I said The Last of Us Part II would be the game to break my new console's cherry. Fast-forward six months later and that time has finally come (in…

1
Debating the Rule of Law in the UK: Hermer versus Wolfson 45:56

18h ago45:56

45:56

The clash between David Wolfson KC’s “thin” interpretation of legal principle and Attorney General Richard Hermer’s “thick” is explained through the experienced legal eyes of Ken Macdonald KC and Tim Owen KC on this episode of Double Jeopardy. They dig into the political implications of these contrasting views, the role of parliamentary sovereignty…

1
Reforming Criminal Appeals and Righting the Wrongs of UK Justice 43:55

8d ago43:55

43:55

Given the gross miscarriages of justice exposed by the Post Office/Horizon scandal, the extraordinary delay in reversing the wrongful conviction of Andrew Malkinson due to repeated failures by the Criminal Cases Review Commission and the continuing calls for the case of Lucy Letby to be referred back to the Court of Appeal, is the criminal appeal s…

1
LEGO Batman Is Kinda Bad, Man | Attack the Backlog

14d ago

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Or it could just be that LEGO games are no longer for me. (It's probably a little bit of both.) What I thought was going to be a nice chill time and a return to a game formula I remembered loving, quickly turned into a sad realization: maybe I've grown out of LEGO games. The constant need to change characters in order to interact with this and that…

1
Authoritarians Against Lawyers: Political Attacks on the Rule of Law 37:18

15d ago37:18

37:18

As support for populist movements grows, judicial independence and the rule of law are increasingly under attack. Lawyers around the world are becoming front-line defenders of democracy - and paying the price. Double Jeopardy hosts Ken Macdonald KC and Tim Owen KC explain the situation with expert legal commentary and legal system insights. Renowne…

1
Road Rage Is a Good Title Since This Game Will Make You Rage | Attack the Backlog

21d ago

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If Road Redemption was a pleasant surprise, Road Rage was a crashing disappointment. It didn't help that I played Road Rage immediately after playing Road Redemption, but where Road Redemption found a few elements to focus on and refine, Road Rage went the other route and tried doing too much. I can see a version of Road Rage that's good, but the R…

1
Womanhood Defined: The UK Supreme Court Puts Biology and Science at the Heart of UK Discrimination and Human Rights Law and Transforms the Approach of UK Politics to Adult Human Females 37:02

22d ago37:02

37:02

What does the law say about who counts as a woman - and who gets to decide? Unpacking the UK Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the definition of “woman” under the Equality Act 2010 and Gender Recognition Act is guest Karon Monaghan KC, one of the UK’s leading employment and discrimination law barristers. See here for a link to the judgment. The disc…

1
KartRider: Drift Was Fine, but Fine Wasn't Enough to Keep It Alive | The Last Call

24d ago

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For a game with drift in the title, the drifting in KartRider: Drift felt terrible. That could be excused if everything else was good to great, but that wasn't the case. Sure, there's a lot of content there, from a large cast of drivers to a decent selection of tracks, but none of that mattered when the game wasn't fun to play, and when you're in a…

1
Fake News on Asylum, The Battle to Define Human Rights Law, and Labour’s New UK Politics 35:04

29d ago35:04

35:04

What happens when political leaders and media outlets misrepresent court decisions, and how does this impact judicial independence and public trust in the UK legal system? A range of high-stakes UK law and UK politics issues that have dominated headlines recently are tackled in this listener-driven postbag edition of Double Jeopardy. Hosts Ken Macd…

1
Road Redemption Is the Closest Thing to Road Rash Since...Road Rash | Attack the Backlog

1M ago

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This was a surprise. Early this year I wasn't sure what to play and wasn't quite ready for anything too big, so I perused my various libraries and picked out a few games that caught my eye. Road Redemption was one of those games. As someone who grew up with Road Rash and loved every iteration of it up to and including Road Rash 3D, any game that lo…

1
Disclosure, Artificial Intelligence, and Modernising UK Criminal Justice: Will the Fisher Report Have Any Real Impact on Collapsed Trials and the Crumbling UK Justice System? 36:39

1M ago36:39

36:39

What happens when the very foundation of criminal justice - the prosecution disclosure process to the defence - fails to meet modern demands? This episode focuses on the Fisher Report, a groundbreaking review that addresses the critical issues surrounding prosecution disclosure in complex criminal trials, a key issue in the ongoing criminal justice…

1
Two Tier Justice, Mass Migration, and a Pound Shop Trump in the UK Parliament 38:43

1M ago38:43

38:43

Is the UK heading toward a constitutional clash over crime and justice? Exploring a wide range of pressing issues, from the government’s proposed emergency legislation to override revised sentencing guidelines, to the implications of an international summit on organised migration crime. Examining the complexities of asylum claims, the growing contr…

1
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League by Making Them Watch Endless Cutscenes | Attack the Backlog

2M ago

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League isn't a bad game, it's just a bad Arkham game. If you asked anyone what they wanted out of a sequel to Batman: Arkham Knight, I doubt a single person would say, "I want a co-op, live service Suicide Squad game," but that's what we got: a perfectly fine cooperative shooter with enough cutscenes to rival the run…

1
Lucy Letby’s Victims Strike Back: Identification Evidence, Miscarriages of Justice and Legal System Insights into How UK Juries Reach their Verdicts 30:59

2M ago30:59

30:59

Exploring the high-profile Lucy Letby case, and the dangers of relying too heavily on identification evidence, this episode of Double Jeopardy raises critical concerns about the ban on jury research and how it hampers efforts to improve the criminal justice system through controlled academic study. As expert legal commentators, Tim Owen KC and Ken …

1
The Batmobile Ruined Batman: Arkham Knight, But Not for the Reasons You Think | Attack the Backlog

2M ago

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It's unoriginal to blame negativity towards Batman: Arkham Knight on the batmobile, but hear me out. While most (all?) complained about the batmobile from a direct gameplay standpoint--how it felt and the repetitive missions--my complaint is an indirect one: I think the batmobile ruined Arkham Knight by forcing Rocksteady to change the way other as…

1
Judicial Independence, Human Rights Law and Political Hypocrisy: Breaking Down the 6 Page Letter from the Sentencing Council Chair 26:11

2M ago26:11

26:11

Is UK criminal justice really heading towards a two-tier sentencing system? A fierce debate has erupted over the Sentencing Council’s new guidance on pre-sentence reports, which highlights the need for greater consideration of certain defendant groups, including ethnic minorities. Critics argue that this risks creating an uneven playing field, whil…

1
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate Is Often Forgotten (And Should Stay That Way) | Attack the Backlog

2M ago

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As my full Arkham playthrough continues, we find ourselves at a new low with the game most people forget even exists: Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, the downloadable side-scrolling Metroidvania that's 90% tedious, 10% interesting. In many ways it feels like a bonus little side story to Arkham Origins and not an essential entry, so it's easy to s…

1
Amending the Assisted Dying Bill and the Sentencing Council Under Attack 48:54

2M ago48:54

48:54

Should terminally ill adults have the right to decide how and when they die? The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is discussed by Jake Richards MP and hosts Ken Macdonald KC and Tim Owen KC. They talk about the legislative process, from the intricacies of the committee stage to the broader implications of the private members' bill system. T…

1
Batman: Arkham Origins Is Secretly the Second Best Arkham Game | Attack the Backlog

2M ago

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I thought I played Batman: Arkham Origins when it originally came out. I was wrong. When I booted up the game on my Xbox 360, all I had was a 5% completed save file from 11 years ago to the day, so what I thought was going to be another Second Run was actually an Attack the Backlog. I don't know if it's because it was all new to me or if it's just …

1
Labour’s Criminal Justice: Performance or Reality? 30:12

2M ago30:12

30:12

Is tougher legislation the answer to crime, or is it just more political posturing? The Government’s monster new Crime and Policing Bill promises to crack down on antisocial behaviour, knife crime, and retail theft. But is any of this really necessary, or is it just another example of performative lawmaking? This episode unpacks the bill’s sweeping…

1
Batman: Arkham City Is More Arkham, Not Better Arkham | Second Runs

2M ago

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I always preferred Batman: Arkham Asylum to Batman: Arkham City, but the gap this time was much larger and I have to assume it's at least partially due to the time gap between playthroughs being so small this time around; I just think playing these games back to back does Arkham City no favors. That said, and regardless of how time affected my feel…

1
Why Sentencing is Out of Control 30:24

3M ago30:24

30:24

Why is UK penal policy failing so badly? This week, Ken Macdonald KC and Tim Owen KC are joined by former Secretary of State for Justice David Gauke, who has just published Part 1 of his Independent Review into Sentencing. In the face of falling crime, why do we have the highest prison population in Western Europe, and why can’t we reduce our expen…

1
Batman: Arkham Asylum Is Still One of the Greatest Games of All Time | Second Runs

3M ago

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It's been a while since I've replayed a game, since I put out an episode of Second Runs, but when I decided it was finally time to play Batman: Arkham Knight, I knew what needed to be done first: replay every Arkham game that came before (and play the ones I never played for the first time). That brings us here, with me revisiting Batman: Arkham As…

1
Immigration, Asylum and Liberal Democracy 25:34

3M ago25:34

25:34

A high-profile immigration case takes centre stage at Prime Minister’s Questions, sparking debate over refugee law and the reality of power politics in an age of populism. In this episode of Double Jeopardy, Ken Macdonald KC and Tim Owen KC dissect Kemi Badenoch’s focus on a controversial ruling involving a Palestinian family. They go on to conside…

1
Hood: Outlaws & Legends Is Like Most Robin Hood Movies: Destined to be Forgotten | The Last Call

3M ago

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Welcome, everyone, to a brand new show: The Last Call. (I technically called it Attack the Backlog because I recorded this episode before coming up with the new name, but every episode forward will be correctly branded). What is The Last Call? It's really quite simple: The Last Call is a show all about games that have received their final papers, t…

1
Lucy Letby: The Experts Break Cover 32:03

3M ago32:03

32:03

Ken Macdonald KC and Tim Owen KC explore the latest developments in the case of Lucy Letby, as her new barrister holds a second press conference revealing the conclusion of 14 experts that every baby died either as a result of natural causes or because of medical neglect. Do these new medical opinions ‘demolish’ the evidence of the prosecution expe…

1
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Just Keeps Going and Going and Going | Part 02 | Attack the Backlog

3M ago

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was good...until it wasn't. That's not entirely true. It never got bad, per se, it just went on and on for way too long, wearing out its welcome multiple times over. The real kicker, though--the thing that made me go from liking Survivor to (kind of) hating it--is the story--one specific aspect in particular. I won't spoil …

1
The Stolen Honour of Andrew Malkinson 36:36

3M ago36:36

36:36

Ken Macdonald KC and Tim Owen KC are joined by guest Chris Henley KC, to explore the terrible miscarriage of justice which led to Andrew Malkinson spending 17 years in prison for a rape he didn’t commit. Looking at Chris’s report into the scandal, they examine the failures of the Criminal Cases Review Commission, and its atrocious mishandling of cr…

1
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Is Mostly the Same and That's Okay | Part 01 | Attack the Backlog

3M ago

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Thanks in large part to my Star Wars rewatch journey of 2025, but also because I overall enjoyed my time with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, I returned to Cal Kestis and his adventures in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. While a lot of things are the same, there are key differences that make Survivor feel like its own game, including much larger and open a…

1
Southport, Terrorism and Whole Life Tariffs 28:18

4M ago28:18

28:18

Ken Macdonald KC and Tim Owen KC review the Southport murder trial, following Axel Rudakubana's sentencing to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 52 years for the murders of three girls in Southport in July 2024. The discussion examines the implications of recent legislative changes surrounding whole life orders for young people, the public's …

1
Listening to Criminals 26:06

4M ago26:06

26:06

In this episode, Ken Macdonald KC and Tim Owen KC examine the powerful arguments for using telephone intercept evidence in UK criminal trials. Why are the security services so opposed to a reform that would obviously give a major boost to convicting terrorists and serious criminals, and why have successive governments failed to overcome this opposi…

1
It Always Felt Wrong and Never Right, So I Just Beat It | Hi-Fi Rush - Part 02

4M ago

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Surprising no one, my opinion of Hi-Fi Rush didn't change since the last episode; if anything, it got worse. I still think it's a very pretty game, but at no point did I enjoy playing it. The worst part, though, is how disappointing the soundtrack is; in a game all about integrating music and gameplay, more is rightfully expected and Tango Gamework…

1
Foreign Interference in the Age of TikTok and Musk 29:23

4M ago29:23

29:23

In this episode of Double Jeopardy, Ken Macdonald KC and Tim Owen KC engage in a thought-provoking discussion with their guest, Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation and state threats. Together, they examine the implications of Elon Musk's influence on UK politics, the challenges posed by foreign interference, and the …

1
Chai Must Have Too Much Junk in His Trunk With How Heavy He Jumps | Hi-Fi Rush - Part 01

4M ago

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Hi-Fi Rush is soooo pretty. Everything about it from an artistic standpoint is some of the best I've seen in a video game in years. That's why it pains me to say the rest of the game disappoints; from the music selection to the gameplay and everything in between, everything else in Hi-Fi Rush fails to reach the same heights as the art and animation…

1
Spies, Royals and Elon Musk 35:52

4M ago35:52

35:52

In the latest episode of Double Jeopardy, hosts Ken Macdonald KC and Tim Owen KC discuss the implications of the recent Chinese spy case involving Yang Tengbo and Prince Andrew. Looking at the role of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, they consider the sensitive role of national security in immigration law, Britain's evolving view of busi…

1
Force Powers Are Cool, but Double Jumps Are Cooler | Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - Part 02

5M ago

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I am happy to report that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order gets better and better as it goes on, from eventually adding a double jump to introducing some of the coolest set pieces I've played in years. While Fallen Order may be rough around the edges--though not as rough as this episode or last--the core is as strong as any Force user and I couldn't be…

1
The Force Is Kinda Strong With This One | Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - Part 01

5M ago

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This episode is a bit rough around the edges as the new format for Attack the Backlog is just around the corner (after all the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Hi-Fi Rush episodes are out), but even so, it's still a solid time. Having played six hours of Fallen Order so far, I find myself enjoying the game, but not without issue. It feels good, loo…

1
Review of the Year with Joshua Rozenberg 38:02

5M ago38:02

38:02

It’s been quite a year for law and politics in the UK. From the unravelling scandal of wrongful convictions in the Post Office Horizon cases, to the chilling aftermath of the Lucy Letby trial, questions about accountability and reform have never been more pressing, as growing scrutiny, and ever more polarised politics, continue to threaten the deli…

1
Getting Away with Murder? 25:40

5M ago25:40

25:40

The announcement that the Ministry of Justice has commissioned the Law Commission to undertake a comprehensive review of homicide law and sentencing in murder cases alongside the Gauke review of sentencing in non-homicide cases means that sentencing policy in England and Wales will be reviewed simultaneously by two separate bodies. Given the role o…

1
EDF With Dinosaurs This Is Not | Attacking the Backlog with Exoprimal

5M ago

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This one is 100% my fault. If I paid any attention, I would have known what kind of game Exoprimal was--a team-based action game about completing the same objectives over and over again until you get so good you can do them in your sleep--but I didn't pay attention; instead, I let myself become disappointed by the game not meeting my uninformed exp…

1
Judges and the Power of Life and Death 31:52

5M ago31:52

31:52

As the House of Commons casts an historic vote on assisted dying, the debate over this deeply contentious issue isn’t going away. If anything, the vote has ignited even stronger passions on both sides, particularly about the judiciary’s role in navigating such morally charged territory, making decisions over life and death. In the latest episode of…

1
Politics, Religion and Assisted Dying 31:26

6M ago31:26

31:26

Why is the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill being introduced as a Private Member’s Bill, and how does this approach compare to historical conscience-driven legislation like the Abortion Act or the abolition of capital punishment? In this episode of Double Jeopardy, hosts Ken Macdonald and Tim Owen delve into the complex issues surrounding a…

1
It's Not You, It's Me | Attacking the Backlog with Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Part 02

6M ago

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It's not entirely me, but my overall meh-ness on Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is partially due to my being burnt out on Spider-Man games. It doesn't help that Miles Morales is just another Spider-Man game, for better and worse, but I can't deny my blame in this outcome. While I was genuinely excited to play Miles Morales, it's clear my heart …

1
The Daily Mail Goes to Strasbourg 31:55

6M ago31:55

31:55

Is the cost of litigating free speech issues in the UK disproportionately high and what reforms might address the problem? In this episode of Double Jeopardy, Ken Macdonald and Tim Owen, together with leading media lawyer Gavin Millar KC, debate the irony of the Daily Mail’s recent victory before the the European Court of Human Rights over the issu…

1
It's Just Another Spider-Man Game... | Attacking the Backlog with Spider-Man: Miles Morales

6M ago

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I was excited to finally play Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales as I was deep into my MCU (and live-action Spider-Man) rewatch, but that excitement quickly disappeared as I remembered exactly why I liked but didn't love Marvel's Spider-Man: it was just another Spider-Man game. This shouldn't come as a surprise, but Miles Morales is yet another Spi…

1
Lucy Letby, Fair Trials, and a Conservative Path to Justice 28:55

6M ago28:55

28:55

Join Ken Macdonald and Tim Owen in this episode of Double Jeopardy as they discuss significant legal developments, including the recent Court of Appeal judgment roundly rejecting Lucy Letby’s argument that pre-trial publicity made her retrial unfair. Are jurors really unaffected by prejudicial media reports? They also look at the fascinating politi…

1
Defending Diversity and Defining a Woman 32:15

6M ago32:15

32:15

Barristers’ Core Duty Eight currently requires members of the Bar not to discriminate unlawfully against any person. However, the Bar Standards Board now wishes to go further and create a new duty requiring barristers positively to advance equality, diversity and inclusion in their professional lives. In this episode of Double Jeopardy, hosts Ken M…

1
It's No Downhill Domination, but It's a Fine Substitute | Attacking the Backlog with Riders Republic

6M ago

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You may be asking yourself, "Why on earth did you decide to play Riders Republic of all the thousands of games you own?" The answer is simple: I love Downhill Domination and I'm always looking for games that scratch that itch; first there was Descenders and now there's Riders Republic. Let's not kid ourselves here, Riders Republic is no Downhill Do…

1
No Money for Justice and Chris Kaba: Part 2 42:08

7M ago42:08

42:08

With every aspect of our criminal justice system – the police, courts, prison system and probation service – in a state of apparently permanent crisis thanks to 15 years of systemic underfunding, there seems little hope of fundamental change any time soon. Amidst the turmoil, Danny Shaw - a prominent voice in reporting and analysing criminal justic…

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