Kirk and Jason talk about The Leftovers and Nintendo Labo before moving into the controversial news of the week (18:37), including the shocking bombshell that that's actually Toad's head. Then, Larian CEO Swen Vincke joins the show (36:53) to talk about his incredible new role-playing game, Divinity: Original Sin 2. He talks about what it was like to develop the game, how they find bugs, and what his favorite quests are. Then, Kirk and Jason talk Rise of the Tomb Raider and Monster Hunter: World...
Feb 08, 2018•1 hr 29 min
Kirk and Jason talk about weather, Roombas, and football, just like you wanted! Then they get to news (16:44) on the Nolan Bushnell controversy, a revoked world record, and Paragon shutting down because Fortnite was just too popular. After that, writer Leigh Alexander joins the show (32:57) to talk about her work on the clever narrative game Reigns: Her Majesty, and then Kirk and Jason talk through some new games (1:02:41) including Monster Hunter: World and Celeste. See Privacy Policy at https:...
Feb 01, 2018•1 hr 25 min
Kirk and Jason talk about Nintendo Labo, Xbox Game Pass, and BioWare (11:03) before answering a whole bunch of YOUR questions (28:21) on YouTubers and kids, video game character creation, Destiny 2 weapons, backlogs, and much much more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jan 25, 2018•1 hr 27 min
Kirk is joined by Kotaku's Stephen Totilo and Luke Plunkett to talk about Assassin's Creed Origins, which all three of them recently finished. Spoilers abound! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jan 24, 2018•52 min
Kirk and Jason talk about the news of the week including Destiny 2's debacle (5:46) before bringing on former Naughty Dog director Bruce Straley (28:17) to talk about his time directing Uncharted and The Last of Us, his reasons for leaving Naughty Dog, and his plans for the future. Then they rave about Divinity: Original Sin 2 (1:07:11), one of the best RPGs in recent memory. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my...
Jan 18, 2018•1 hr 24 min
Prolific RPG speedrunner puwexil joins the show from Awesome Games Done Quick 2018 to tell us what it's like to break the hell out of games like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI. First, Kirk and Jason talk about news of the week (14:35) on Cyberpunk 2077, Overwatch League, and the Nintendo Direct that may or may not exist. Then Jason talks to puwexil (31:00) about what it's like to speedrun massive RPGs, how he discovers glitches, and why he started speedrunning. Finally, Kirk rejoins the sho...
Jan 11, 2018•1 hr 21 min
Assuming we don't die in a nuclear holocaust, what will 2018 bring for gaming? Kirk and Jason talk about the news of the week (13:46) including Gravity Rush 2 fans, an innocent man dying to a police swatting call, and Logan Paul's bleak controversy before making their big predictions for the year to come (34:16). Then they talk about their Games of the Year 2017 (57:20), share some behind-the-scenes details on how Kotaku picked its GOTYs, and discuss a few games they've been playing. See Privacy...
Jan 04, 2018•1 hr 19 min
For the last Splitscreen of 2017, Kirk and Jason revisit the predictions they made way back in January. First they talk about the news (5:42), including Final Fantasy's 30th anniversary, Leeroy Jenkins tomfoolery, and Destiny's Music of the Spheres leaking. Then it's time to see who won that big steak dinner bet: Kirk or Jason? (20:36) They close things off by talking Assassin's Creed Origins, Danganronpa, and other games they're playing (34:15). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy a...
Dec 28, 2017•53 min
Jason and Kirk return for part two of their look at EVERY VIDEO GAME OF 2017, this time hitting July through December to break down games like Super Mario Odyssey, Assassin's Creed Origins, and Destiny 2. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dec 21, 2017•1 hr 31 min
Kirk and Jason are joined by Kotaku staff writer Heather Alexandra to talk about Star Wars: The Last Jedi. May the spoilers be with you! Because there are lots of spoilers in this episode. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dec 15, 2017•57 min
It's time for a Kotaku Splitscreen annual tradition as Kirk and Jason go through every major game of 2017, one at a time, to talk about the good, the bad, and the Early Access. This week: January through June. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dec 14, 2017•1 hr 34 min
Jason and Kirk talk about Mega Man 11 (15:09), Curse of Osiris breaking things, and Xenoblade 2 before playing Guess The Game Award Nominations (35:38) in preparation for the upcoming show. Then they get into Skyrim Switch (1:09:09) and the state of Destiny 2, which is... not good. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dec 07, 2017•1 hr 28 min
Kirk and Jason talk about the Marvel Cinematic Universe (12:52), Skyrim's composer's disappearing Kickstarter, and the Destiny 2 debacle. Then veteran game journalist Geoff Keighley joins the show (41:47) to talk about producing The Game Awards, deciding which games to reveal, and a very special proposal from the people who make Doritos. Finally, Jason shares some gripes about the upcoming RPG Xenoblade 2 (1:18:14). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at...
Nov 30, 2017•1 hr 30 min
It's a very special Splitscreen Thanksgiving as Kirk and Jason celebrate turkey day by answering some of YOUR questions on loot boxes, the stagnant cost of video games, what to play if you haven't gamed in 4 years, and much much more. Happy Thanksgiving! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Nov 23, 2017•1 hr 7 min
Kirk and Jason jump into the news of the week (6:00) on loot boxes, a rumored Mario movie, and harassment at IGN. Then they bring on Wirecutter editor and fitness expert Casey Johnston to talk about how to get SWOLE (26:06), by lifting heavy things and putting them down. Finally, the Splitscreen duo gets into some more game impressions (1:00:36): Mario Odyssey, Wolfenstein, Xenoblade 2, and Horizon Zero Dawn's DLC. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at ...
Nov 16, 2017•1 hr 20 min
Jason and Kirk talk about World of Warcraft Classic, the end of Miiverse, and whether the video game industry is really unsustainable. Then they're joined by indie designer Zach Barth (33:13) to talk about his excellent new game, Opus Magnum. Finally, Kotaku's Mike Fahey comes on the show to talk about the Xbox One X (58:36), a console that does exactly what it promises to do... which probably isn't enough for most people. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy No...
Nov 09, 2017•1 hr 25 min
Super Mario Odyssey -- great game or greatest game? Let's discuss the delights of Nintendo's latest, and why Jason and Kirk are considering collecting over 900 moons. Also on today's show: news (39:37) on Sony's week full of PS4 announcements, the full story behind Visceral Games shutting down, and a slick new GameStop program that might piss off some publishers. Finally, Kirk and Jason talk Destiny 2 PC (1:00:05) and Wolfenstein 2. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California ...
Nov 02, 2017•1 hr 19 min
This week the Splitscreen Boyz are talking about Kirk's five-day marathon of Assassin's Creed Origins, a new game about climbing pyramids. Then (31:15) they dig into Animal Crossing mobile, Kinect dying for good, and the implosion of everybody's favorite gaming forum, NeoGAF. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Oct 26, 2017•1 hr 3 min
What's good about South Park: The Fractured But Whole? What's bad about it? And how does South Park fit into our lives in 2017? Kirk and Jason take a deep dive into the longrunning comedy show, then jump into the news of the week (40:19) including Visceral's demise, sexual harrassment allegations from an ex-Naughty Dog artist, and the state of Destiny 2. Then they talk about a few games they've been playing (1:08:33), like Stardew Valley and Shadow of War. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com...
Oct 19, 2017•1 hr 16 min
It's Kotaku Splitscreen's 100th episode! Join Kirk and Jason for a look back at 2+ years of Splitscreen, followed by news talk (19:09) about loot boxes, Oculus Go, and Valve's Orange Box turning 10. Then (48:27) they talk South Park, Steamworld Dig 2, and the new sexy Shelob game, Shadow of War. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Oct 12, 2017•1 hr 11 min
Kirk and Jason talk about Cuphead, Danganronpa V3, Hob, and Golf Story before jumping into the news of the week (29:30): SNES Classic, Zelda design secrets, and Sega certification tricks. Then it's time to open the MAILBAG (48:00) for some listener questions on Nintendo's future, solo Destiny 2, the best-realized cities in video games, and much more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Oct 05, 2017•1 hr 19 min
Kirk and Jason start things off by talking about the SNES Classic, Danganronpa V3, and Divinity: Original Sin 2. Then it's time for news (31:36) about the voice actors strike ending, toxicity in gaming, and Assassin's Creed: Origins getting a tourist mode. Then, prolific writer Tom Bissell joins the show (47:26) to talk about how his opinions have evolved as he moved from game criticism to writing video games, why it's so hard to write games, and how even the best plans can go horribly wrong. Se...
Sep 28, 2017•1 hr 20 min
Jason and Kirk jump right into the news of the week (2:39) which includes Steam review bombing, Fortnite accidentally getting cross-play, and the Nintendo Direct. Then they bring on Kotaku boss Stephen Totilo (26:59) to talk about his love for Metroid, the new game Metroid: Samus Returns, and the remake of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. Finally, Jason and Kirk reconvene for a big ol' Destiny 2 spoilercast (58:02) to dig into the campaign, the raid, and the crazy rollercoaster ride that is th...
Sep 21, 2017•1 hr 38 min
What makes a font good or bad? Bethany Heck, a design director at Vox Media and typographer, joins today's show to talk about the nuances of font design. First, Kirk and Jason talk Mario + Rabbids before jumping into news like L.A. Noire Switch (19:54), Apple announcements (25:38), and Pewdiepie's racial slurs (36:33). Then Bethany hops on the show (48:16) to talk about the best and worst video game fonts, serifs vs. sans serifs, and what exactly "kerning" means. Kirk and Jason close things out ...
Sep 14, 2017•1 hr 12 min
Kirk and Jason have been playing Destiny 2 all week and have lots of THOUGHTS. No story spoilers, though, so feel free to listen even if you haven't finished the main campaign (which you should definitely go do). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Sep 08, 2017•53 min
Recorded last Friday at PAX in Seattle, here's the very first KOTAKU SPLITSCREEN LIVE, complete with live music, games, and intense Q&A. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Sep 06, 2017•1 hr 3 min
Fresh off a 12-hour video game marathon, Kirk and Jason talk about what it was like to play Dark Souls, Suikoden II, Splatoon 2, Super Mario RPG, Resident Evil 7, and Super Mario World for the first time ever. Then they get into the news of the week (26:18) including Half-Life 3 fanfiction, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds exploding, and our report on Destiny 2's first DLC. Next, Kirk interviews Jason (39:08) about his upcoming book, BLOOD, SWEAT, AND PIXELS (which is out Sept 5!), and they close t...
Aug 31, 2017•1 hr 14 min
Jason and Kirk discuss the season 7 finale of Game of Thrones. This will be the last bonus episode, at least until the next season of Thrones rolls around. Thanks for listening! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Aug 28, 2017•1 hr 6 min
Jason and Kirk talk about their adventures vacationing and eclipse-hunting before jumping into the news of the week (17:04) including Super Nintendo Classic pre-order disasters, Kyrie Irving screwing up NBA 2K18, and Brink going free-to-play. Then they talk about a bunch of games (33:07) including No Man's Sky, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Madden's surprisingly excellent 'Longshot' story mode. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privac...
Aug 24, 2017•58 min
Jason and Kirk talk about the sixth episode of Game of Thrones season 7, which they both found pretty disappointing. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Aug 22, 2017•54 min
