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Video games: They’re serious business! Except when they’re not serious at all. Each week on Triple Click, video game experts Kirk Hamilton, Maddy Myers, and Jason Schreier journey into the fascinating world of games. They’ll explore hot topics in video game news and culture, answer burning listener questions, debate the pros and cons of the biggest new games, and replay old classics together.
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Kotaku's Lisa Marie Segarra, Ethan Gach, and Michael Fahey dive into gaming one very specific topic at a time.
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The flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ fra ...
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A podcast in which we tell you about a book we just finished, and what we thought of it.
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IGN Unfiltered goes in-depth with creators of your favorite video games, talking not just about the games themselves but about the fascinating lives of the people behind them. New episodes each month!
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On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Gita take stock of Microsoft’s no-good, very-bad week, in which the increasingly embattled giant shut down four studios, two of them – Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks – beloved by fans. More small games or big franchise hits? Microsoft doesn’t seem to know what it wants. Then we check in on Sony, which i…
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Xbox Mess, Helldivers Debacle, And Hades 2
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Kirk is out this week, so Jason and Maddy convene to talk about a grab bag full of topics including the Xbox mess, the Helldivers 2 debacle, and two games they're really enjoying: Hades 2 and Animal Well. One More Thing: Maddy: Master Chef Jason: Demon Copperhead (Barbara Kingsolver) LINKS: Triple Click LIVE in LA! Saturday, June 8, 6:30PM at the T…
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On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Gita ponder orbs. There used to be so many of them in video games. What happened? Where did they all go? And whose idea was it to replace the smooth, satisfying act of vacuuming up orbs with slow, tedious loot grinds? After that, we discuss Another Crab’s Treasure, a Spongebob-inspired Soulslike that’s sur…
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Jason's been playing Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, a game that feels a lot like Suikoden, which made the Triple Click gang wonder: how does nostalgia impact our enjoyment of video games? Can it make games better? Worse? Both at once? Let's discuss! One More Thing: Kirk: Fiasco (Jason Morningstar) Maddy: Hades 2 technical test Jason: Girls5eva …
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Speaking Of Things That Are Banned (With Matt Kim)
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On this week’s episode, Nathan and Chris are joined by IGN’s Matt Kim to talk about Stellar Blade, a culture war battleground that, as it turns out, is a perfectly alright video game and nothing more. Seems to happen a lot! Maybe we could all learn something from this. But we probably won’t. Oh well. Then we discuss the impending TikTok ban, which …
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When is video game lore good? When is it bad? This week, the Triple Click gang talks about Skyrim books, Elden Ring item descriptions, Destiny guns, and all the other delectable morsels of plot that exist underneath the stories of video games. One More Thing: Kirk: Heavenly Creatures (1994) Maddy: Tales of Kenzera: Zau Jason: Eiyuden Chronicles LIN…
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You Don’t Have To Cheer For Big Tech (With Ian Boudreau)
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On this week’s episode, Riley and Chris are joined by games journalist Ian Boudreau. We start by talking about Riley’s stressful quest to get internet in a new apartment, before pivoting to the stressful quests of the Fallout TV show and what it does and doesn’t borrow from the games. Then, we discuss the drama around Marques Brownlee’s review of t…
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What's The Deal With: Stardew Valley
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Eight years after it first came out, Stardew Valley is still getting patches. But what's the deal with this one-man-developed farming simulator? How was it created, and what makes it so appealing? Allow us to explain! One More Thing: Kirk: Children of the Sun (Steam) Maddy: Wingspan (board game version) Jason: Fallout (Amazon Prime) LINKS: Search E…
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Lucy In The Sky With Deathclaws (With Dave Oshry)
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On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Gita are joined by New Blood Interactive founder and Fallout expert Dave Oshry to talk about Amazon’s new Fallout TV series, which just premiered. The general consensus: It’s good! But it’s also very Bethesda-era Fallout, heavily reliant on iconography and references (Stimpacks! Nuka Cola! The Junk Jet fro…
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Are Video Games Really A Waste Of Time?
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It's the 200th episode of Triple Click, and to celebrate, it's time for a mailbag! The gang answers listener questions such as "could we ever see gambling in video games?" and "are games really a waste of time?" One More Thing: Kirk: “Behind F1’s Velvet Curtain” by Kate Wagner Maddy: Sailor Moon Jason: The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by …
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On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Luke find themselves wandering a news desert, so they decide to discuss games they’ve been playing recently, almost entirely for the purpose of getting Luke to pronounce the title “Doronko Wanko.” It’s a great moment, worth the price of admission on its own. Then Nathan and Chris discuss Content Warning, a…
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What is "friction" in video games? We've got a taxonomy, of course! This week, the Triple Click gang talks about how Dragon Dogma 2 tries to push players away, the necessity of video game friction, and what it means when a game is impenetrable. One More Thing: Kirk: Girls5Eva (Netflix) Maddy: The Holdovers (2024) Jason: Secrets of Grindea LINKS: Tr…
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On this week’s episode, Nathan and Chris are joined by writer, podcaster, PR guy, and former games journalist Ed Zitron to talk about, well, a lot of stuff. We begin by talking about “media being destroyed by idiots,” as Ed puts it, before discussing Nvidia’s pivot to AI and how it could crash and burn, taking countless jobs with it. Then we discus…
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We Seriously Can't Stop Playing Balatro
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Balatro is one of the best games of 2024 so far — and certainly the most addictive. This week, the Triple Click gang dives into the new poker roguelike and dissects what makes it so great. They talk about the three phases of Balatro players, the appeal of randomness, and the thrill of this game's parade of interesting decisions. One More Thing: Kir…
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On this week’s episode, Luke, Chris, and Riley talk about Kotaku's editor-in-chief resigning over guides mandates, our favorite indestructible tech and gadgets, why AI writing in games sucks, and how to get the most out of your local bikeshare program." Credits - Hosts: Luke Plunkett, Chris Person, and Riley MacLeod - Podcast Production & Ads: Mult…
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How Do You Know When A Game Should Be Canceled?
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Happy MaxFunDrive! This week, the Triple Click gang opens up the mailbag and takes some listener questions: Are libraries ethical? How bad will ads in video games get? And when does a game developer know if it's time to cancel a project? One More Thing: Kirk: FF7 Rebirth Piano Minigame & Music Notation Maddy: Shogun Jason: Dragon’s Dogma 2 LINKS: H…
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Ruin And Recovery In Games Journalism (With Jason Schreier)
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On this week’s episode, Nathan and Luke are joined by their former Kotaku colleague, author and Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, for a special Inside Baseball Week episode of the show. True to the theme, they spend most of the episode discussing the state of games journalism: Are layoffs and site closures a sign that traditional games journalism …
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Jason, Maddy, and Kirk pull up their strategem monitors and dive into Helldivers 2. They share their favorite memeable moments, talk about the game's unique story, and dive into what does and doesn't work about the hit new game. One More Thing: Kirk: Home Safety Hotline (PC) Maddy: The Insurrectionist Next Door (2023) Jason: Unicorn Overlord (Curre…
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Much Ink Spilled Over Sweet Baby Inc (And Sanrio)
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On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Riley discuss the wild (and wholly inaccurate) conspiracy theory surrounding a small video game narrative studio called Sweet Baby Inc, which has recently taken the internet by storm. It begins with “wokeness” in video games and ends with multi-trillion-dollar investment company Blackrock, so buckle up – a…
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A Deeper Look At Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
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Kirk, Maddy, and Jason travel back in time and make their way up Mt. Nibel for a deeper look at the stellar Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, a game about traveling the world and playing animal soccer. One More Thing: Kirk: Our Last Best Hope (Magpie Games) Maddy: True Detective: Night Country (Max) Jason: The Dynasty (by Jeff Benedict) LINKS: Preorder Ja…
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On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Riley discuss the auspicious occasion of three different game development studios – Gearbox, Saber, and Toys For Bob – all escaping from beneath the thumbs of layoff-prone owners in one day. Then we soberly reflect on mass layoffs at both Sony and EA – the other side of the coin in a week that seemed deter…
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Kirk, Maddy, and Jason return to the world of buster swords and moogles to hunt Sephiroth, trying not to get too distracted by all the minigames along the way. It's time for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the sequel to Final Fantasy VII Remake. How good is it? Let's discuss! One More Thing: Kirk: Oppenheimer in 70mm Maddy: True Detective S3 Jason: Bala…
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Journalism Is Dead, Long Live Journalism (With Lin Codega)
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On this week’s episode, Nathan, Gita, and Luke are joined by Lin Codega of the brand new independent, worker-owned tabletop roleplaying outlet Rascal to discuss the grim state of journalism – Vice announced that it plans to shut down its website and lay off hundreds of people seconds before recording began – and the potential of publications like 4…
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Xbox recently announced plans to bring four games to PlayStation and Switch. But why? What's Microsoft's gaming strategy? And why are they even bothering to keep selling consoles? The Triple Click gang discusses. One More Thing: Kirk: Helldivers 2 (PS5, PC) Maddy: Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World (Naomi Klein) Jason: Everyone On This Trai…
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Xbox’s Excess Of Excuses About Exclusives (With Ash Parrish)
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On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Luke are joined by The Verge’s Ash Parrish to discuss Microsoft’s weird podcast about its plans for a non-exclusive but still mostly exclusive future, which will involve dedicated hardware but will also circumvent the need for it? Look, it’s more weird decision-making from a company that seems to have a bl…
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God of War, Last of Us, And Other Roguelikes
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It's time to analyze roguelikes — the latest trend sweeping games from God of War to The Last of Us — as Kirk, Jason, and Maddy get ready to dive into a dungeon full of random levels, cool weapons, and permadeath. One More Thing: Kirk: Scavenger’s Reign (Max) Maddy: King of the Hill Jason: Super Bowl 58 LINKS: “Grounded II: The Making of The Last o…
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Disney And Fortnite Sitting In A Tree, S-Y-N-E-R-G-I-Z-I-N-G
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On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, Luke, and Riley discuss Disney’s $1.5 billion investment into Epic Games for an even bigger slice of the Fortnite pie, as well as all the ways Disney has stumbled into gaming success (and failure) in the past. This gives way to a conversation about the sanitized Disney of the modern day and where, with corpora…
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Suicide Squad: Kill The Live Service Games
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The Triple Click gang takes a look at Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, the latest game from Rocksteady Studios and a new entry into the oversaturated "live service" market. They talk about why publishers love service games, superhero fatigue, and how this new Suicide Squad game came to be. One More Thing: Kirk: Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2024) (Ama…
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Death Discoursing And Suicide Squawking
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On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Riley share their thoughts on the new and characteristically over the top Death Stranding 2 trailer, which gets everybody talking about the industry’s favorite auteur: Ken Levine. OK, first they discuss Hideo Kojima and his place in video games as one of the only people who gets to do His Whole Thing at su…
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Xbox laid off nearly two thousand people last week. Before that, Riot laid off hundreds more. Why does this keep happening, and how does it affect people's lives? This week, Jason, Kirk, and Maddy talk about the video game layoff epidemic and try to pinpoint the causes and effects. One More Thing: Kirk: One Piece (Netflix) Maddy: True Detective S1-…
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An (Activision) Blizzard Of Bad News
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On this week’s episode, Nathan, Gita, Chris, and Luke were planning to talk mostly about Palworld, the new Pokemon-with-guns sensation that’s sweeping several nations, but then gut-wrenchingly massive layoffs happened across Microsoft and the gaming giant it recently acquired, Activision Blizzard. We discussed which parts of the company are most im…
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We have no objections to Ace Attorney, Capcom's brilliant series about lawyers attacking each other with dangerous weapons. To celebrate this week's release of the Apollo Justice collection (aka: Ace Attorney 4-6), the gang explains why this adventure game series is so appealing, from the zany courtroom antics to the truly absurd animations. One Mo…
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Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doomscrolling
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On the first-ever episode of Aftermath Hours, Aftermath's flagship weekly podcast, Chris, Nathan, Luke, and Riley discuss the recently unveiled Indiana Jones game, Ubisoft's vision of a subscription-based future and whether or not we truly own our video games (hint: we don't), and -- relatedly -- the death of series like Rock Band, which necessitat…
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Prince of Persia Is 2024's First Great Game
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Less than three weeks into 2024, we've already discovered what will likely be one of the year's best games: Ubisoft's Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, which the gang is loving. Maddy, Jason, and Kirk talk about the new game's satisfying platforming, the time-twisting story, and how it feels a whole lot like Hollow Knight. One More Thing: Kirk: Gui…
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Can A Video Game Really Last Ten Years?
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Jason, Maddy, and Kirk open up the mailbag to answer listener questions on all sorts of things. Why do games like Skull & Bones languish in development hell forever? What makes Chants of Sennaar such a bad name? And, uh, what's the best investment advice? One More Thing: Kirk: Fargo Seasons 4 and 5 (FX/Hulu) Maddy: A Little To The Left Jason: I hat…
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What will this next year bring? And what does it mean for gaming? Kirk, Maddy, and Jason go over last year's predictions to see who won the big bet, then throw down some hot new declarations for what's to come in 2024. One More Thing: Kirk: Learning to Play Piano When There Is No Recital, by Kelsey McKinney Maddy: Dark Souls Jason: Ace Attorney 4: …
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It is time once again for that wonderful annual tradition: the best video games of 2023. One More Thing: Kirk: Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation (Kevin Roose, 2021) Maddy: Pit Bulls and Parolees Jason: Dredge LINKS: Jason’s piece on the Insomniac hack: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-12-22/playstation-employee…
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Jason, Maddy and Kirk take on the clickers once more in this spoiler-filled discussion of HBO's hit adaptation of The Last of Us. LINKS Kirk's 2013 article about the game's ending Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join Buy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfunstore.com/search?q=triple+click&options%5Bprefix%5D=last Join the Triple Click Disc…
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GTA VI, The Game Awards, And Some Cool Games We've Been Playing
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Kirk, Jason, and Maddy determine who won last week's award predictions before jumping into a jam-packed episode full of hot news and video games. They talk about The Game Awards, the GTA VI reveal, and the cancellation of E3, then talk about games like Avatar, Fortnite, and God of War Ragnarok's new Valhalla DLC, plus much more. One More Thing: Kir…
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Gaming's Biggest Night (Aside From Maddy's Wedding)
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The Triple Click Trio takes on The Game Awards: Who will win? Who'll get snubbed? What's an Action/Adventure game, again? Also, the hosts make some predictions! One More Thing: Kirk: Jusant Maddy: Chants of Sennar Jason: Going Infinite (Michael Lewis) LINKS: Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join Buy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfunstor…
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Maddy, Kirk, and Jason pull out their red-stringed corkboards for a dive into the world of connected universes. What's the deal with games that seem connected in both subtle and blatant ways? Why does Jason hate multiverses so much? And what's a "brand-iverse"? The Types of Connected Universe: Shared Universe - A collection of stories and character…
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Maddy, Kirk, and Jason take a trip to the Mushroom Kingdom and almost get skewered by a giant sword as they play through Super Mario RPG, the new remake of the iconic Super Nintendo game. The gang talks about how it's aged in 2023, the turn-based combat, and just how damn funny the whole thing is. One More Thing: Kirk: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Maddy…
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Baldur's Gate 3 And Multiple Endings
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What's the deal with multiple endings? Does the gang save-scum and look up which ones they're going to get? Are multiple endings better than singular ones? And is this all just a thinly veiled excuse for Maddy, Kirk, and Jason to keep talking about Baldur's Gate 3? One More Thing: Kirk: The Vorkosigan Saga (Lois McMaster Bujold) Maddy: The Marvels …
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Jason, Maddy, and Kirk pull out their flashlights and go spelunking in the Dark Place for this week's episode, all about the wonderful new game Alan Wake 2. They talk about the increasingly fascinating Remedyverse, the game's Resident Evil inspirations, and try to figure out if Mr. Door was supposed to be played by Lance Reddick. One More Thing: Ki…
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Which Troubled Video Games Still Turned Out OK?
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What video games went through turbulent development cycles and still turned out good? What are some tips for getting into video game journalism? And should we gender-swap... Kratos? This week: your questions, answered! One More Thing: Kirk: El Paso, Elsewhere Maddy: Us (2019) Jason: Killers of the Flower Moon LINKS: Support Triple Click: http://max…
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Super Mario Bros. Wonder Is Sheer Delight
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Super Mario Bros. Wonder is joy bottled up into a video game. Jason, Maddy, and Kirk break down the ubiquitous plumber's latest adventure to save the... err, to stop Bowser from being a castle. They talk about what makes Wonder so special, 2D vs. 3D Mario games, and how this is basically just one big music game. One More Thing: Kirk: Deadloch (Amaz…
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With great power comes... something something. Jason, Maddy, and Kirk put on their spidersuits and get their senses tingling for a dive into the new PS5 exclusive Spider-Man 2. They talk about the game's strengths, its weaknesses, and just how incredible it all looks. One More Thing: Kirk: Zodiac (2007) Maddy: The Golden Bachelor Jason: Final Fanta…
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How To Play Games With Your Significant Other
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What's it like to play games with your partner? Can video games strengthen a relationship... or will they just make it worse? This week, the Triple Click Gang talks about their own experiences playing games with their wives and other significant others over the years. One More Thing: Kirk: Dredge vs. Dave the Diver Maddy: Jaws (1975) Jason: My Perf…
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Three years after it first came out, Cyberpunk 2077 is finally finished. Kirk, Maddy, and Jason revisit CD Projekt Red's much-hyped game, which has changed quite a bit thanks to a brand new patch and the Phantom Liberty expansion. They talk story, gameplay, racism, and much more. One More Thing: Kirk: Lies of P Maddy: Cocoon Jason: Assassin’s Creed…
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Triple Click Picks: The Games You Should Play (Vol. 4)
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Kirk, Jason, and Maddy revisit the Triple Click Picks, a list of ten games that this podcast unreservedly recommends you play... right now! Which new games made the cut? Which didn't? The answers may (or may not) surprise you. One More Thing: Kirk: Who Shat on the Floor at My Wedding? (Podcast) Maddy: Spyder Games (2001) MTV soap opera Jason: Numbe…
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