It's time for an AI check-in! Maddy, Kirk, and Jason catch up on how they're feeling about generative AI in 2026, what it's doing to creativity, how it's impacting the job market, and of course, how it's affecting video games. 

One More Thing:

Kirk: Dungeon Crawler Carl (Matt Dinniman)

Maddy: Slay the Princess

Jason: American Pastoral (Philip Roth)

LINKS:

Adam Neely?s video ?Suno, AI Music, and the bad future?

?AI As Normal Technology? by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor  

Astrophysicist Minas Karamanis? blog post ?The machines are fine. I?m worried about us?

?Sam Altman May Control Our Future?Can He Be Trusted?? by Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz for The New Yorker

?Fabienk? and ?Sarniezz? by Angine de Poitrine from Vol. II, 2026

Watch Angine de Poitrine live on KEXP

The NYT reviews Dungeon Crawler Carl

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Jason, Maddy, and Kirk open up the mailbag to take some of your questions on all sorts of things. How do you deal with a creatively unfulfilling job? Why don't more game studios allow employees to work remotely? And is it worth buying a Switch 2 now before it inevitably gets more expensive, even if you're on the fence?

One More Thing:

Kirk: Weapons (2025)

Maddy: ?Iran,? Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2014)

Jason: People of Note

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What's the deal with Early Access? What are the pros and cons? Kirk, Jason, and Maddy sit down for a wide-ranging conversation about all the ins and outs of what it means to sell an early, unfinished game, from Baldur's Gate 3 to Star Citizen and so much more.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Contrapoints on Saw (YouTube)

Maddy: Beyond Good & Evil (2003)

Jason: Wonder Man (Disney+)

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Esoteric Ebb: bad name, great game. Jason, Kirk, and Maddy dive into this new Disco-like where you play as a cleric tasked with investigating the explosion of a tea shop in a fantasy world where the voices in your head are D&D attributes. It's a lot of fun.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir) (Ray Porter Audiobook)

Maddy: 30 Rock

Jason: Void Stranger

LINKS:

?Norvik? from Esoteric Ebb composed by Anders Bach, Brian Batz, and Kristian Paulsen

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Is it just us, or has this console generation been... weird? Kirk, Jason, and Maddy assess the current state of console gaming on the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X/S, and the Nintendo Switch 2. They talk about diminishing returns on graphics, the huge leaps in pricing, and why it'd be bonkers if the PS6 came out next year.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Resident Evil 4 Remake

Maddy: Pokopia

Jason: Ratcheteer DX

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Kirk, Jason, and Maddy open up the listener mailbag to answer some of your questions! When should you let kids start playing video games? What gaming terms should be more mainstream? And what do you do when you're just too old for this shit?

One More Thing:

Kirk: Hunchback (Saou Ichikawa)

Maddy: How To Get To Heaven From Belfast

Jason: Pokopia

LINKS:

"Cereal In My Mouth," archived from dog.gawker.com

NYT coverage of the couple who got married at Bad Bunny?s halftime show

Kirk?s theme song for ?The Distraction? - Bandcamp/YouTube

?It?s Too Late? by Bob Mould from Black Sheets of Rain, 1990

?Go? (Last Week Tonight Theme) by Valley Lodge from Use Your Weapons, 2013

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The Triple Click gang pull out their blood harvesters for a trip into Resident Evil Requiem, the latest entry in the longrunning horror-action-goofball series. They talk about playing as Grace and Leon, exploring the care center and all the shades of Resident Evil 2.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Your Name (2016)

Maddy: ?The Pill? by Meg Elison

Jason: Esoteric Ebb

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Kirk, Maddy, and Jason dive into the year's biggest gaming news so far: Xbox boss Phil Spencer retiring. They talk about what led to this big shakeup, discuss whether new boss Asha Sharma really needs to be a gamer, and try to figure out if there's any way to salvage the Xbox brand.

One More Thing:

Kirk: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO)

Maddy: Icebreakers (New Yorker documentary)

Jason: Under the Island 

LINKS:

"Inside Microsoft?s big Xbox leadership shake-up" (Tom Warren / The Verge) https://www.theverge.com/tech/883015/microsoft-xbox-new-ceo-shakeup-notepad

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Fresh off their interview with Mewgenics co-creator Edmund McMillen, the Triple Click gang dives into the game itself. They talk about the gross-out humor, the brilliant combat, and that truly spectacular soundtrack. (All of my nights, I'm chasin' rats!)

One More Thing:

Kirk: Suno, AI Music, and the Bad Future - Adam Neely, YouTube/Nebula

Maddy: Overwatch update

Jason: Lost Lambs (Madeline Cash)

LINKS:

?Eatin? Rats? by Ridiculon from the Mewgenics OST, 2026

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Jason, Kirk, and Maddy bring on veteran game designer Edmund McMillen (Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy) to talk about his latest game, Mewgenics, which was first announced in 2012 (!) and is out this week. They talk about the long development cycle, why McMillen parted ways with his Team Meat partner Tommy Refenes, breeding cats, and much much more.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Cairn

Maddy: Code 3 (2025)

Jason: The Chair Company (HBO)

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Jason, Maddy, and Kirk dive into Dragon Quest, one of the biggest video game franchises in Japan. What's special about it? What makes it so popular? And what's the deal with this week's release, Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined?

One More Thing:

Kirk: Where?d You Go, Bernadette (Maria Semple)

Maddy: Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator

Jason: How I Met Your Mother

LINKS:

?I Am Jack Bauer? - Japanese 24 Advertisement

?Dragon Quest Theme? by Koichi Sugiyama, from DQ7 Reimagined (2026) and recorded by the Tokyo Strings Orchestra, 1986

?Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is the best way into Dragon Quest? by Michael McWhertor, Polygon

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Kirk, Maddy, and Jason talk about mods in video games: the history of the form, their favorite mods, and how cool it is that video games can be altered, expanded, and changed by players in all sorts of ways, from DOOM to Skyrim to explicit sex scenes in The Sims.

One More Thing:

Kirk: The Fireman (Joe Hill)

Maddy: Platonic

Jason: TR-49

LINKS:

Maddy?s Mothership article about people who mod games

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Kirk, Jason, and Maddy talk about what's been going on in the film and television business over the last few years: why Hollywood is in a scary spot, how covid affected it all, the parallels with the video-game industry, and of course, the big old AI question mark.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Rhythm Doctor

Maddy: 2001: A Space Odyssey

Jason: Circe (Madeline Miller)

LINKS:

STRONG SONGS LIVE!! Saturday, July 11, at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland, OR. Buy tickets here

Gunpoint & Tactical Breach Wizards dev Tom Francis?s advice for running a sustainable indie studio

Maya Hawke talking about Netflix?s lack of transparency on Search Engine

Chris Hayes?s book The Siren?s Call: How Attention Became The World?s Most Endangered Resource

Excerpts from the Rhythm Doctor OST - ?All The Times? by fizzd with lyrics by Winston Lee

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Jason, Maddy, and Kirk open up the mailbag to answer your burning questions about all sorts of things, from the gambling epidemic to our favorite funny bugs. And the burningest question of all: What do you do when your dog hates your Switch 2?

One More Thing:

Kirk: Skate Story

Maddy: Mothership

Jason: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)

LINKS:

Subscribe to Maddy?s new website Mothership!! 

Drew Gooden?s video about online gambling

Jason?s Bloomberg column on the misreported GTA VI rumors

Kirk?s newsletter about podcasting?s pivot to video

?Coastal? by Blood Cultures from the Skate Story OST

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Kirk, Maddy, and Jason go back through 2025's predictions to see who won the annual bet, then make some new predictions for the year to come!

One More Thing:

Kirk: The Rose Field (Phillip Pullman)

Maddy: The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy

Jason: That?s Not How It Happened (Craig Thomas)

PREDICTIONS: 

JASON:

Game: Chrono Trigger

Grand Theft Auto VI will have an in-game interactive version of TiktokPersona 6 will be announcedXbox will announce that first-party games will no longer be day 1 on Game PassSteam Machine will slip to June or laterAnother Elden Ring DLC or sequel will be announcedDanganronpa 2X2 will secretly be Danganronpa 4Another Zelda remake will be announcedOne of this year's GOTY candidates at The Game Awards will be 2D (or HD-2D)Final Fantasy XIV will be overhauled againMarathon will peak at less than 10,000 concurrents on Steam

BONUS: EA will sell or shut down BioWare / EA will announce BioWare 2

KIRK

Game: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Square will announce? Final Fantasy VII ReturnGTA VI will feature a character based on Charlie KirkAll three consoles - Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch - will get a price increaseA Roblox game will be nominated for a Game AwardValve will announce a new non-VR Half-Life GameSony will announce a new PlayStation PortableIn Fable, you will be able to plant an acorn and have it grow into a treeTeam Cherry will make The Knight playable in SilksongXbox game pass will come to PlayStation or SwitchNintendo will announce a Star Fox movie

BONUS: Epic will add Joe Biden to Fortnite

MADDY
GAME: Bioshock

In Grand Theft Auto 6, Lucia will be revealed to be queer / not only attracted to menLeon Kennedy is going to turn out to be Grace?s dad in Resident Evil RequiemA triple-A game advertisement will brag that the game doesn?t use generative AILaura Kinney, aka X-23, will have a cameo in the Wolverine gameThe Switch 2 will get a $50 price increasePhil Spencer will step down as CEOHalo will come to SwitchFF7 Remake part 3 will get a release dateWaluigi will be in the Mario movie sequelLuigi?s Mansion 4 will be announced

BONUS: Nintendo will announce a Metroid film

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Jason, Maddy, and Kirk have left the temple of time, set out across Hyrule, and defeated the evil Ganondorf.  They can finally go back to being kids again? but will they ever truly be the same?

LINKS, ETC:

?Ocarina of Time End Credits? by Koji Kondo, 1998

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Kirk, Maddy, and Jason cap off 2025 with a hearty discussion of the year's best games.

One More Thing:

Kirk: The Onion (Print Edition)

Maddy: Hedda (2025)

Jason: Chronoquartz

LINKS:

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GAMES OF THE YEAR

Kirk:

Dispatch

Sunderfolk

Blue Prince

Split Fiction

News Tower

Donkey Kong Bananza

Hollow Knight: Silksong

The Roottrees Are Dead

Kingdom Come Deliverance II

The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy

Jason:

Dispatch

Blue Prince

Hollow Knight: Silksong

The Roottrees are Dead

The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy

Avowed

Nurikabe World

The Séance of Blake Manor

Strange Jigsaws

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time

Maddy:

Blue Prince
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Consume Me
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Elden Ring: Nightreign (w/ Yeui?s Multiplayer Mod)
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
Keeper

Hollow Knight: Silksong

The Séance of Blake Manor

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Maddy, Jason, and Kirk talk through this year's Game Awards show, from the big reveals (Star Wars! Divinity!) to the Clair Obscur sweep. They talk about what the show did well, what sucked, and why they chose to end on a hero shooter. Plus: some quick thoughts on Netflix buying Warner Bros.!

One More Thing:

Kirk: School Announcements

Maddy: Masters of Doom by David Kushner (2003)

Jason: Pluribus 

LINKS:

Jason talks to Swen Vincke: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-12-16/-baldur-s-gate-3-maker-promises-divinity-will-be-next-level?srnd=undefined

?Hundred Days,? ?Invasion,? ?Midnight? by Masafumi Takada and Jun Fukuda from The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy

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Maddy, Jason, and Kirk put on their Varia Suits for a dive into Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, the latest adventure of bounty hunter Samus Aran. They talk about how this fourth entry has evolved the series, what they like (and don't like) about the game, and that dreadful desert.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Death By Lightning (Netflix)

Maddy: Metropolis (1927), as re-edited in 1984 by Giorgio Moroder

Jason: Wellness (Nathan Hill)

LINKS:

Metroid Prime 4:Beyond original score excerpts composed by Kenji Yamamoto and Minako Hamano

?Death By Lightning? by Ramin Djawadi from Death By Lightning, 2025

?Call Me? by Debbie Harry & Giorgio Moroder; performed by ?Blondie? aka Debbie Harry & a studio band feat. Harold Faltermeyer on keys

?Death of the Author: An Alan Wake Series Retrospective? by Noah Caldwell-Gervais: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRh3r_AhUw0

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Will Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sweep The Game Awards? Why was Blue Prince snubbed? And does The Burnt Peanut have a chance against Sakura Miko? This week, the Triple Click gang makes their predictions for Gaming's Biggest Night, from Game of the Year to... "Best Ongoing."

One More Thing:

Kirk: The Night Watchman (Louise Erdrich)

Maddy: System Shock (2023 remake)

Jason: Megabonk

LINKS:

?Flying Waters - Rain from the Ground? by Lorien Testard from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Kirk?s 2015 story about Nightdive?s failed attempts to remake No One Lives Forever: https://kotaku.com/the-sad-story-behind-a-dead-pc-game-that-cant-come-back-1688358811

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What would Triple Click do if they had the chance to buy pieces of EA? Why do so many people talk about games before finishing them? How do patches impact the way we experience games? All those and lots more questions on this week's Thanksgiving special Burning Questions.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Fela Kuti: Fear No Man

Maddy: Secure Boot settings

Jason: 1929 (Andrew Ross Sorkin)

LINKS:

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Kirk has really been enjoying the medieval role-playing game Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, but Maddy and Jason both weren't playing, so he didn't have anyone to talk to about it. Hoever, some of his non-podcaster friends were playing the game, too. One thing led to another, and they wound up recording this special episode about it.

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

TOM BISSELL is an author and screenwriter. He has published loads of books including Extra Lives, Magic Hours, and Apostle: Travels Among the Tombs of the Twelve. He's also written for video game series like Uncharted and Gears of War and wrote the final three episodes of Star Wars: Andor.

MATTHEW SEIJI BURNS  is a writer, musician, and game designer. He worked on AAA series like Halo and Call of Duty before moving to Zachtronics, where he helped make games like Opus Magnum and Eliza, the latter of which he also directed. He is the author of the 2025 novel Process.

Together, Tom and Matthew wrote the 2015 interactive fiction game The Writer Will Do Something, which remains (in this episode notes writer's opinion) one of the definitive encapsulations of working as a writer in video games. Seriously, go play it.

LIAM MCINTYRE is an actor who has appeared in a variety of programs - among other roles, he was the lead in Starz's Sparticus: Vengeance, and played Weather Wizard in the CW's The Flash. As a voice actor, he's played everyone from Captain Boomerang to Marcus Fenix's son JD, and will play Logan himself in Insomniac's upcoming game Marvel's Wolverine.

LINKS ETC.

SkillUp?s KCD2 Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wFHtqKYMaM

?Saint Barbara Theme,? ?Welcome to Troskovice,? by Jan Valta & Adam Sporka from the KCD2 Original Soundtrack

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Jason, Maddy, and Kirk have played through all of Dispatch, the new narrative superhero game from a crew of former Telltale directors, and there's a whole lot to discuss. They share their thoughts on the game, disclose whether they picked Invisigal or Blonde Blazer, and talk about what makes it all work so well. First section is spoiler-free, then they get into spoilers later on!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Oathbringer (Brandon Sanderson)

Maddy: News Tower

Jason: Kingdoms of the Dump

LINKS:

One More Thing Timestamp: 57:55

Dispatch episode one gameplay excerpts featuring Robert Robertson (Aaron Paul) and Blonde Blazer (Erin Yvette)

Jason?s Bloomberg News interview with Dispatch director Nick Herman

Excerpts from the Dispatch score, composed by Andrew Acradi

?Kissing Someone Else? by Caroline Kingsbury

Excerpts from the News Tower score by Bart Van de Sande, Jack Van de Ven feat. New Cool Collective

News Tower: Behind the Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbPllfsoPG8

Play Molleindustria?s New York Times Simulator: https://molleindustria.itch.io/the-new-york-times-simulator

Play Lucas Pope?s The Republia Times: https://www.dukope.com/trt/play.html

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Kirk, Maddy, and Jason bring on special guest Cameron Kunzelman to talk about this year's suite of roleplaying games, from Avowed to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to The Outer Worlds 2. They also talk about Assassin's Creed's pivot to RPGs, what an RPG even is, and much more. Plus: Steam Machines!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Do The Right Thing (1989)

Maddy: Anniversaries

Jason: King Sorrow (Joe Hill)

LINKS:

Cameron?s new Assassin?s Creed book: https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517914943/everything-is-permitted/

The Ranged Touch network, with a bunch of his podcasts: https://rangedtouch.com

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Jason, Maddy, and Kirk are all playing The Séance of Blake Manor, a new detective game about a spooky manor full of ? OOOOOOOOHHHHH ? Kirk, stop it. They talk about the game's unique time mechanic, how it plays with deduction, and of course, lots of spooky ghosts.

One More Thing:

Kirk: ?ChatGPT Made Me Delusional? by Eddy Burback (YouTube)

Maddy: The Master (2012)

Jason: Strange Jigsaws

LINKS:

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Kirk, Maddy, and Jason put on their capitalism hats and go to space for a trip to The Outer Worlds 2, the latest roleplaying game from Obsidian. They talk about how it improves upon the first game, all the fun dialogue options, and the hilarious Dumb trait.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery (Hulu)

Maddy: Peacemaker S2

Jason: The Seance of Blake Manor

LINKS:

Jason interviews The Outer Worlds 2 director Brandon Adler: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-10-24/obsidian-s-the-outer-worlds-2-took-twice-as-long-to-make-as-the-first-hit-game?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc2MTc0NDUyOSwiZXhwIjoxNzYyMzQ5MzI5LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUNE4yWERHUFdDTEwwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMUVBQkI5NjQ2QUM0REZFQTJBRkI4MjI1MzgyQTJFQSJ9.OCD764bJIZFKkkNCudKE7HVo_s32880R1rFNAy_ctak

The Outer Worlds 2 PC performance mod Kirk mentioned: https://www.nexusmods.com/theouterworlds2/mods/17

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It's time for a video-game grab bag as the Triple Click gang talks about some of the games they've been playing recently. They dive into Double Fine's Keeper, the new indie sensation Ball X Pit, Supergiant's Hades 2, and Absolum. Also they get derailed by the term "friendslop."

One More Thing:

Kirk: The Diplomat (Netflix)

Maddy: The Venture Bros. (2004-2018)

Jason: Workhorse (Caroline Palmer)

LINKS:

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That's right: it's another mailbag! Kirk, Jason, and Maddy talk about the criteria of a dad game, print vs web journalism, and when you know that a video game has outstayed its welcome. Plus: Kingdom Come Deliverance 2!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

Maddy: High Potential

Jason: Long Story Short (Netflix)

LINKS:

?May I Stand Unshaken? by D?Angelo from Red Dead Redemption 2, 2018

?The Decline? by NOFX, 1999

?I?m Only Happy When It Rains? by Garbage, 1995

Lee Roy Chapman?s ?The Nightmare of Dreamland: Tate Brady and the Tulsa Outrage? - https://www.centerforpublicsecrets.org/post/the-nightmare-of-dreamland-tate-brady-and-the-tulsa-outrage

Stephen Totilo?s 2015 interview with Kingdom Come director Daniel Vávra: https://kotaku.com/my-e3-meeting-with-a-pro-gamergate-developer-1715511964

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Did the $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard ruin Xbox? How do you build a new studio while simultaneously making a video game? And what's up with the lack of gender representation in esports? Jason, Maddy, and Kirk open up the mailbag and take some of YOUR questions on all sorts of things.

One More Thing:

Kirk: The Lowdown (Hulu)

Maddy: Beauty and the Bester (Netflix)

Jason: The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox (Hulu)

LINKS:

?No Girls Allowed? by Tracey Lien for Polygon: https://www.polygon.com/features/2013/12/2/5143856/no-girls-allowed/

Katy Perrry sings ?Last Friday Night? in Simlish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxyW6AJ-yIk

Twenty Thousand Hertz on Simlish: https://www.20k.org/episodes/sulsul

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Kirk, Jason, and Maddy convene to talk about the big news of the week ? Electronic Arts going private as part of a $55 billion leveraged buyout ? and what it could mean for the people involved. Then they talk about Ghost of Yotei, the latest PlayStation 5 exclusive and an open-world samurai game about exploring feudal Japan and killing ronin with a sword. It's fun! 

One More Thing:

Kirk: Baby Steps

Maddy: Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)

Jason: One Battle After Another (2025)

LINKS:

?How Private Equity Destroys the Companies You Depend On? - The Culture Study Podcast w/ Megan Greenwell: https://culturestudypod.substack.com/p/how-private-equity-destroys-the-companies

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Kirk, Maddy, and Jason are all playing the new remaster of Final Fantasy Tactics, which is widely considered to be one of the greatest games ever made. The gang talks about how the 1998 classic holds up today, the complexity of its systems, and all of the new features that Square Enix added for this version, like voice acting. Plus: Hades 2!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Hades 2

Maddy: Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong (Christopher Ferguson and Patrick M. Markey)

Jason: Rise of the Golden Idol

LINKS:

Jason and Kirk published their entire text conversation about Final Fantasy Tactics? Dorter Slums: https://kotaku.com/man-final-fantasy-tactics-sure-had-a-steep-learning-cu-5974665

Kirk talks to game developers about why they love Final Fantasy Tactics: https://kotaku.com/why-everybody-loves-final-fantasy-tactics-5973196

2013 Jason on Video Game Violence: https://kotaku.com/from-halo-to-hot-sauce-what-25-years-of-violent-video-5976733

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Jason, Kirk, and Maddy convene to discuss all the news in the latest Nintendo Direct, from the Super Mario Galaxy movie to a new Fire Emblem and the mysterious Danganronpa 2x2. Then: more Silksong! They talk about difficulty, opacity, and how cool Hornet is... I mean seriously. She's just so cool.

One More Thing (Timestamp 46:34):

Kirk: Fourth Wing & Romantasy

Maddy: When the Clock Broke (John Ganz)

Jason: Nathan For You

LINKS:

Christian Donlan?s Eurogamer Silksong review: https://www.eurogamer.net/hollow-knight-silksong-review

Jason?s spoiler-free tips for getting to Silksong Act 3: https://discord.com/channels/735597186657812641/1408099310213529701/1416775529041760397

?Choral Chambers? by Christopher Larkin from Hollow Knight: Silksong

Kirk?s remix of Shakra?s song: https://bsky.app/profile/kirkhamilton.com/post/3lysrc5ee422a

"Why Magic, Dragons and Explicit Sex Are in Bookstores Everywhere? - Alexandra Alter for the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/style/harry-potter-fan-fiction-romantasy-manacled.html

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Maddy, Jason, and Kirk finally crack into the long-awaited Silksong, the sequel to Hollow Knight that was seven years in the making. They talk about how Silksong compares to its predecessor, the classic origin of its musical motif, and of course, why Hornet is such a badass.

One More Thing:

Kirk: The Cloud Roads (Martha Wells)

Maddy: Elden Ring Nightreign?s four-player mod by Yui

Jason: The NFL

LINKS:

?Enter Pharloom,? ?Moss Grotto,? ?Title Theme? by Christopher Larkin from Hollow Knight: Silksong

Twenty Thousand Hertz on Dies Irae: https://www.20k.org/episodes/diesirae

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On this, the day of Silksong's release, it's time to go back to where it all began: Hollow Knight! The Triple Click gang talks about Team Cherry's 2017 action-adventure game, what makes it so special, and how it became a cultural phenomenon. Plus: they revisit Kotaku Splitscreen's 2018 interview with the developers of Hollow Knight.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Split Fiction

Maddy: Deep Cover (2025)

Jason: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

LINKS:

?Hornet? and ?City of Tears? by Chris Larkin from the Hollow Knight OST

Kirk?s review of Hollow Knight: https://kotaku.com/hollow-knight-the-kotaku-review-1827367425

A video of someone beating the Absolute Radiance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rg8UBKtt1o

Excerpts from Kirk?s August 2018 Splitscreen interview with Team Cherry

Jason?s 2025 interview with Team Cherry

Folding Ideas on Silkposting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSkbylysplI

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Jason, Kirk, and Maddy react to the news that Silksong will be out very soon, then talk about some of the games they've been playing, including Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Mafia: The Old Country, and more.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Alien: Earth

Maddy: King of the Hill (2025)

Jason: Crosscode

LINKS:

Brett Douville?s podcast, Dev Game Club: https://www.devgameclub.com/

Jason?s interview with Team Cherry

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LINKS:

Plante's video game podcasts The Besties and Post Games

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Kirk, Jason, and Maddy open up the mailbag to answer some of your questions! What's the ideal skill level for a video game reviewer? What's the funniest made-up video game word? And where's the line when it comes to the use of generative AI in game development? 

One More Thing:

Kirk: The Words of Radiance (Brandon Sanderson)

Maddy: Enemy Feminisms: TERFs, Policewomen, and Girlbosses Against Liberation (Sophie Lewis)

Jason: Six of Crows (Leigh Bardugo)

LINKS:

Kirk?s new Strong Songs episode about his dad: https://strongsongspodcast.com/blogs/episodes/s07-bonus-a-song-for-my-father

Brian Merchant?s Blood In The Machine blog post: https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/how-ai-is-killing-jobs-in-the-tech-f39

Kirk?s guest spot on A Grain of Sanderson talking about The Emperor?s Soul: https://agrainofsanderson.buzzsprout.com/2312274/episodes/17601676-the-emperor-s-soul-legion-episode-17-w-kirk-hamilton

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Maddy, Jason, and Kirk whip out their ocarinas for a trip to the past in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the 1998 masterpiece that set a new bar for 3D video games. They talk about how it holds up in 2025, how it set a blueprint for Breath of the Wild, and how Link got adult clothes after seven years in cryostasis.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Process: A Novel (Matthew Seiji Burns)

Maddy: KPop Demon Hunters (2025)

Jason: Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

LINKS:

Featuring soundtrack excerpts from Ocarina of Time composed by Koji Kondo

Triple Click?s Link to the Past Episode: https://maximumfun.org/episodes/triple-click/triple-click-classics-zelda-a-link-to-the-past/

Kirk?s Strong Songs episodes about The Legend of Zelda: https://strongsongspodcast.com/blogs/episodes/the-music-of-the-legend-of-zelda

And a Zelda bonus: https://strongsongspodcast.com/blogs/episodes/s05-bonus-a-little-extra-zelda
And Tears of the Kingdom: https://strongsongspodcast.com/blogs/episodes/s05e08-the-music-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom

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Before we play video games, it's important to get consent from relevant parties, such as Visa and Mastercard. This week, the Triple Click gang talks about payment processor censorship, Xbox layoffs, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's wild emails, and much more. Plus: the newfound relevance of South Park.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Star Trek: Lower Decks

Maddy: Peak

Jason: South Park

LINKS:

Tyler Foggott in the New Yorker on South Park?s premiere: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-lede/south-park-skewers-a-satire-proof-president

Bloomberg on Satya Nadella: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-05-15/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-on-his-ai-efforts-and-openai-partnership?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc0NzQ0MDExNywiZXhwIjoxNzQ4MDQ0OTE3LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJTV0JNQ1FUMEFGQjQwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCNjVFOTM5Mjc2NzA0M0QzODY0NDRDMDdBRDc0OTE2NiJ9.y7u-8QK7MCMqjKVlR5fO6u5JG1Iel4Hrm7YF3XE4u64

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OH, BANANA! Kirk, Jason, and Maddy punch through some rocks for Donkey Kong Bananza, the first big single-player Switch 2 exclusive and the latest game from the team behind Super Mario Odyssey. They talk about its delightful design tricks, how much fun it is to smash up the world, and whether it's a worthy successor to Odyssey.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Children of Time (Adrien Tchaikovsky)

Maddy: The Drifter

Jason: Nurikabe World

LINKS:

Maddy?s review of The Drifter: https://www.endlessmode.com/video-games/the-drifter/the-drifter-is-a-gripping-mystery-with-grating-characters

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LIVE from Portland, it's Triple Click! Kirk, Maddy, and Jason reach into the Gamer hat and answer some audience questions. It gets a little off the rails.

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Jason, Kirk, and Maddy open up the mailbag for some of your burning questions. Should a family that's never gotten a Switch before get a Switch 1 or Switch 2? Is it ethical to play online games on private servers? And can Outer Worlds 2 really critique capitalism while being made by one of the world's biggest corporations?

One More Thing:

Kirk: Birnam Wood (Eleanor Catton)

Maddy: Gaming pillow from Mechanism

Jason: Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time

LINKS:

Kirk?s latest Strong Songs mailbag about the music of Blue Prince: https://strongsongspodcast.com/blogs/episodes/s07e09-bluegrass-blue-prince-and-the-blues

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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Triple Click brings on Tom Bissell, writer of video games, books, TV shows and the final three episodes of Andor season 2. They talk about how he went from reporting in Iraq to writing dialogue for Battlefield, his journey to become a writer on Andor, and what it was like to pen the conclusion to one of the most acclaimed TV shows of all time.

One More Thing:

Kirk: James (Percival Everett)

Maddy: Metroid: Zero Mission

Jason: Never Flinch (Stephen King)

LINKS:

?The Writer Will Do Something? by Matthew Seiji Burns and Tom Bissell: https://matthewseiji.itch.io/twwds

Nicholas Quah on ?The Death Star Trilogy?: https://www.vulture.com/article/andor-rogue-one-new-hope-star-wars-trilogy-viewing-order.html

Paste Magazine interview with Tom about writing his Andor episodes: https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/andor/andor-season-2-finale-postmortem-with-writer-tom-bissell

Tom?s Related Reading Recs: The House of Government by Yuri Slezkine, A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel, and anything by John Le Carré

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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Kirk, Maddy, and Jason take their Kas to the Beach for a trip through Hideo Kojima's latest action game, Death Stranding 2. They talk about the changes from the first game, the quirks of the story, and what it's like to build ladders and roads across Mexico, Australia, and more.

One More Thing:

Kirk: A Complete Unknown (2024)

Maddy: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (I finished it)

Jason: Ninth House (Leigh Bardugo)

LINKS:

Excerpts from ?Minus Sixty One? and ?Fragile Things? by WOODKID form the Death Stranding 2 OST

Wired on the making of Death Stranding 2: https://www.wired.com/story/how-covid-19-changed-hideo-kojimas-vision-for-death-stranding-2/

Sam Adler-Bell on A Complete Unknown: https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/a-complete-unknown-bob-dylan-film/

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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Kirk, Jason, and Maddy bring on special guest Ray Chase (Final Fantasy XV, Play Nice) to talk about his experiences as a voice actor and his new game, Date Everything! Ray talks about how he came up with the game, the seven-year saga of building it, and how it's so much more than a romance simulator.

One More Thing:

Kirk: The Eyre Affair (Jasper Fforde)

Maddy: I quit Polygon lol

Jason: Marble Hall Murders (Anthony Horowitz)

LINKS:

Kirk?s new collection ?Music For Podcasting?: https://kirkhamilton.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-podcasting

Kindness Coins: https://arden.itch.io/kindness-coins

?Why AI Isn?t Going To Make Art? by Ted Chiang for The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/why-ai-isnt-going-to-make-art

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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Maddy and Jason are home from Summer Game Fest, where they played a bunch of upcoming games. Kirk watched some cool announcements. And everyone's got Switch 2s, so there's much to discuss.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Switch 2

Maddy: Switch 2

Jason: Switch 2

LINKS:

Dan Olson on ?Silkposting? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSkbylysplI

Ifixit gives Switch 2 a repairability score of 3/10: https://www.ifixit.com/News/110926/switch-2-teardown

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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Today, Nintendo released its first new console in eight years... and the Triple Click gang doesn't have it yet. But that won't stop Jason, Maddy, and Kirk from talking about the Switch 2, its launch lineup, and the imaginary promises that consoles bring. Plus: some Summer Games Fest hopes and predictions!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Hacks Season 4

Maddy: Queens & Cowboys: A Straight Year on the Gay Rodeo (2014)

Jason: The Doorman (Chris Pavone)

LINKS:

Kirk?s 2017 review of the Original Switch: https://kotaku.com/nintendo-switch-the-kotaku-review-1792776350

?Young Deb When She Was Happy? by Carlos Rafael Rivera from Hacks, Season 1

https://www.polygon.com/nintendo/602181/all-nintendo-console-launches-ranked

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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Arise, tarnished, and watch out for server errors. Jason, Kirk, and Maddy team up for some co-op in Elden Ring: Nightreign, the new multiplayer spinoff by From Software. It's a fun game to talk about! They talk about the high highs, low lows, and the opacity of it all.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Your Friends and Neighbors (Apple TV+)

Maddy: Kitchen Nightmares

Jason: The Rehearsal (HBO)

LINKS:

Tyler Colp?s PC Gamer Nightreign Review: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/elden-ring-nightreign-review/

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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Kirk, Maddy, and Jason grab their chainsaws and get ready to slay some aliens (demons?) in DOOM: The Dark Ages, the latest game from id Software. They talk about the new DOOM's pros and cons, the lasting appeal of the franchise, and how fun it feels to hack apart aliens (demons?) at 400 miles per hour.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Cabaret (1972)

Maddy: Survival of the Thickest (Netflix)

Jason: Golden Idol Investigations: The Lemurian Phoenix

LINKS:

?Atlan Battleground? from the Doom: The Dark Ages soundtrack by Finishing Move

Mick Gordon plays Doom music at the 2016 Game Awards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a9E3n_VZRQ

Jason?s report on Doom 2016?s troubled development: https://kotaku.com/five-years-and-nothing-to-show-how-doom-4-got-off-trac-468097062

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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Can the magic of old-school Blizzard ever be recreated? Dreamhaven, a company started by Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime and a whole bunch of other Blizzard veterans, seems to be trying to make it happen. Jason, Maddy, and Kirk talk about Dreamhaven's first two games, Sunderfolk and Wildgate, and whether it's possible to recreate those old Blizzard feelings in 2025.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Sinners

Maddy: Doom: The Dark Ages

Jason: Thunderbolts* (2025)

LINKS:

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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