Triple Click

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is just three weeks away, which means it's a good time to revisit The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild! Kirk, Maddy, and Jason talk about how 2017's Zelda shook up the series, what pros (and cons) it has over other Zelda games, and how it feels to play in 2023. One More Thing:  Kirk: Shadow and Bone Season 2 Maddy: Chess Jason: Unlock! Exotic Adventures...

Maddy, Jason, and Kirk bring on special guest Casey Newton (Platformer, The Verge, Hard Fork) to talk about the generative AI craze that's sweeping the land. Artificial intelligence: what even is it? How did it become such a popular trend? And what does it all mean for video games? One More Thing:  Kirk: Nope (2022) Maddy: The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) Jason: Talk to Me: How to Ask Better Que...

Resident Evil 4: it's remade! Kirk, Maddy, and Jason step into the shoes of himbo Leon Kennedy and take a trip to rural Spain to rescue the president's daughter in this remake of one of the most influential games ever made. One More Thing: Kirk: Tár Maddy: Misericorde: Volume One Jason: The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero Links: Mike Mahardy on RE4’s lasting legacy: https://www.polygon.com/2366...

Kirk, Jason, and Maddy have spent a whole bunch of time with Diablo IV! Well, act one of it. The Triple Click gang talks about their time with the beta, the classes they played, their overall thoughts, and much much more. After all, you can't click click click click click click click click click click click without triple click! One More Thing:  Kirk: The Ministry for the Future (Kim Stanley Robin...

Kirk, Jason, and Maddy open up the mailbag to answer some of YOUR burning questions. Do we ever return to side quests after beating a game? Can a game succeed while making you feel bad for playing it? And what kind of impact did the pandemic have on video game endings? Plus: Video game novels! One More Thing:  Kirk: New Morning Routine Maddy: Triangle of Sadness Jason: Unscripted by James Stewart...

It's time to follow Maddy's wishes and play Perfect Dark, the 2000 Nintendo 64 shooter (remastered for Xbox in 2010) developed by Rare. We put on our Joanna Dark night-vision goggles and shoot our way through office buildings and alien labyrinths. How does it feel to play Perfect Dark today? Is the lack of checkpoints too much of a challenge? And just what is up with Elvis? One More Thing:  Kirk:...

Zelda! Diablo! Baldur's Gate! Final Fantasy! Maddy, Jason, and Kirk pull out the calendar and get overwhelmed by the number of massive games that are coming in the next few months. They talk about what to expect from the rest of 2023, some of the news that has happened so far, and whether or not this new console generation has been a disappointment so far. One More Thing:  Kirk: Slow Horses Maddy:...

Octopath Traveler II has gotten Jason thinking of a brand new taxonomy... the two types of video game. This week, the gang talks about flow vs. thought, JRPG story-telling, the brilliance of Octopath Traveler II (and how it out-classes the first game), and mysteries in Metroid Prime, Elden Ring, and so much more. One More Thing:  Kirk: Cocaine Bear Maddy: Robocop Jason: Tracers in the Dark by Andy...

Hogwarts Legacy is a brand new video game set in the Harry Potter universe, which would have been a lot more exciting five years ago! Today, however, we have to reckon with the fact that Harry Potter's creator is a bigot. So let's reckon with it, shall we? Jason, Maddy, and Kirk talk about their personal relationships with Harry Potter, their thoughts on the new game, and whether this franchise ca...

Nintendo surprised us all last week with a remake of Metroid Prime, so it's time for Triple Click to drop everything and play it. Maddy, Jason, and Kirk talk about Retro's classic first-person shooter: how influential it's been, what it does well, and where it goes wrong. One More Thing:  Kirk: South Side Maddy: Tár (2022) Jason: Psychonauts 2 documentary Links:  The Psychonauts 2 documentary: htt...

Maddy, Kirk, and Jason board the USG Ishimura and figure out that not all is as it seems. And the Dead Space remake is pretty damn good. One More Thing:  Kirk: Hitman Freelancer Maddy: Animorphs #1 - The Invasion Jason: All Good People Here (by Ashley Flowers) Links:  https://www.polygon.com/guides/23585108/is-dead-space-scary-remake-jump-scares https://www.polygon.com/23588490/animorphs-book-pdf-...

Jason, Maddy, and Kirk put on their Emblem rings and take a trip to the land of anime for Fire Emblem Engage, the latest entry in Nintendo's strategy-RPG series. They talk about the game's insipid dialogue, the terrible character art, and the pros and cons of grid-based combat. One More Thing:  Kirk: Hi-Fi Rush Maddy: Women Talking (2022) Jason: Poker Face Links: Triple Click LIVE IN BROOKLYN, May...

And now for a subject near and dear to our hearts: Romance! Maddy, Kirk, and Jason talk about video game love stories and which games do them right (and wrong), from Mass Effect to Uncharted to Hatoful Boyfriend. Can a video game romance ever really work if it's based on dialogue options? Plus: impressions of the new Square Enix game Forspoken! One More Thing:  Kirk: Star Wars Imperial Assault: Le...

How can free-to-play games be fixed? What are the small details in games that annoy you? And is it censorship for a video game to have a gore filter? This week, Jason, Maddy, and Kirk crack open the mailbag and take some of YOUR questions on all sorts of things. Plus: the rise of the CASUAL WIFE. One More Thing:  Kirk: Avatar: The Way of Water Maddy: The Fabelmans Jason: New Simpsons Links: Triple...

There's nothing funnier than dissecting comedy, right? This week, Kirk, Jason, and Maddy talk about humor in video games, from Monkey Island to Dark Souls. They talk about what kind of games are funny, why they're funny, and the role that social media plays in the grand comedy equation. Plus: why "YOU DIED" is such a good punchline. One More Thing:  Kirk: Detectorists Maddy: Hey Arnold! Jason: The...

What will the year bring? Time for some guesses! It's the episode you've all been waiting for... Jason, Kirk, and Maddy go through their predictions from 2022 to see who won the annual bet and whose game we'll all play. Then, the gang whips out some hot new predictions for 2023.  One More Thing:  Kirk: Defunctland’s “Disney Channel’s Theme: A History Mystery” Maddy: Metroid Prime on Steam Deck Jas...

It is time to see off 2022, as the Triple Click gang gathers to discuss the year's best games. Jason, Maddy, and Kirk each discuss their 10 favorite games of the year, plus an 11th bonus game that didn't come out this year. Which games took the top spots? Which made all three of our lists? And what are the biggest snubs? You'll have to listen to find out.  One More Thing: Kirk: White Lotus Maddy:...

Happy holidays! To celebrate, we got you an Elden Ring beanscast.  Three Consorts to the Lunar Princess gather ‘round the table and talk about their adventures in the Lands Between. If you like this bonus episode, become a Maximum Fun member and get access to 30+ more of em! https://maximumfun.org/join LINKS AND REFERENCES VaatiVidya on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/VaatiVidya The Elden R...

Sometimes you've just gotta play video games with Iron Man to unlock new cards that let you destroy Hydra, you know? This week, the TC gang dives into Marvel's Midnight Suns, a new game from XCOM developers Firaxis that could have also been called Marvel's Three Houses. Kirk, Maddy, and Jason talk about the elaborate combat system, the wide-ranging cast of superheroes, and whether or not you can s...

Put on your gAMER hats and get ready for Gaming's Biggest Night, presented by Video Games. This week marks the 2022 Game Awards, which means it's time for a barrage of advertisements and trailers. Kirk, Jason, and Maddy talk about what to expect this week, what they're hoping to see, and the absurdity of some of this year's nominations. One More Thing:  Kirk: The 67th Academy Awards (1995) Maddy:...

MYSTERIES: what are they? Who are they? WHO DID THEM??? This week, the Triple Click gang talks about mysteries in video games, from Return of the Obra Dinn to Elden Ring. What makes a good detective mechanic? What kind of mysteries can only be explored in games? And why is The Case of the Golden Idol so damn good? One More Thing:  Kirk: Signalis Maddy: Interview with the Vampire (2022 AMC+ TV seri...

Happy Thanksgiving, hooray hooray hooray -- aren't you glad you got a new Triple Click on this Thanksgiving day? Jason, Maddy, and Kirk open up the mailbag and take listener questions on all sorts of things. Has the PS5's controller lived up to expectations? Which is the best pantheon of gods? And which games do we regret not finishing? One More Thing:  Kirk: Escape Academy  Maddy: The Case of the...

Forget about that deadly meteor that's coming to kill us all — it's time to raise some farm animals! Inspired by God of War Ragnarok's plethora of optional content, this week the Triple Click gang talks side quests. What makes a good side quest? What are our favorites? And have we really come up with another taxonomy? Yes, yes we have.   One More Thing:  Kirk: Reservation Dogs S2 Maddy: New TV (LG...

It's got gods! It's got war! It's even got an umlaut. But how is God of War Ragnarök , as a game? Jason, Kirk and Maddy discuss. One More Thing:  Maddy:  Marvel Snap Kirk: Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope Jason: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Links: Kirk’s Strong Songs episode on Weird Al’s “The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota”: https://strongsongspodcast.com/episode/the-biggest-ball-of-twine-in-m...

It's time for Triple Click Picks! Kirk, Maddy, and Jason go through the podcast's irregularly updated list of games that they love and think everyone should play. Which games will be removed? What will be added? SUSPENSE!!! You'll have to listen to find out (or just read the full list in the episode notes). One More Thing:  Kirk: Physical Therapy Maddy: The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmit...