What's the deal with: Bethesda games? To prepare for Starfield, Jason, Maddy, and Kirk take a trip all the way back to the Elder Scrolls: Arena days and go through the storied company's long history, which of course involves more than forty thousand versions of Skyrim. One More Thing: Kirk: How To with John Wilson (Max) Maddy: Imbeciles by Adam Cohen Jason: Sea of Stars LINKS: Hbomberguy’s videos on: Fallout 3 & Fallout: New Vegas Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join Buy Triple C...
Aug 31, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 169
Jason, Kirk, and Maddy have played through all of StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void, a game that has aged quite well. They talk about multitasking, the impact of MOBAs on RTS games, and a very epic game of tug-of-war. One More Thing: Kirk: The Afterparty S2 Maddy: Asteroid City (2023) Jason: Traffic (by Ben Smith) LINKS: 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 Discord:...
Aug 24, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 168
Jason, Maddy, and Kirk are still obsessing over Baldur's Gate 3, the tremendous new roleplaying game from Larian Studios. This week they dive deeper into the game's multiplayer, the pros and cons of its opacity, and of course, exploding barrels. One More Thing: Kirk: Frosthaven Maddy: Angel Jason: Traffic (by Ben Smith) LINKS: 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 D...
Aug 17, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 167
Maddy, Kirk, and Jason put on their Gauntlets of Ogre Power and jump into Baldur's Gate 3, one of the hottest (and best) games of the year. They talk about this incredible new adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons, look in awe at the game's tremendous scope, and just generally rave about their time with it all. One More Thing: Kirk: “Country Music’s Race Problem” - Into It with Sam Sanders feat. Tressie McMillan Cottom Maddy: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy Jason: Silicon Valley LINKS: S...
Aug 10, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 166
Baldur's Gate 3 is out this week, and it's primed to be one of the year's biggest games. But why? What's the deal with this series that hasn't received a new game in more than 20 years? Why are people so excited for it? And what do we think of the new game so far? One More Thing: Kirk: The Vorkosigan Saga (Lois McMaster Bujold) Maddy: Pokemon Sleep Jason: Billions LINKS: Baldur’s Gate 1&2 story recap by WolfheartFPS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L50P-lBGkM Kirk’s Vorkosigan reading order...
Aug 03, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 165
These days, just about every video game either claims to be an RPG or has "RPG elements." But what does that mean? What is a role-playing game, exactly? And what that signify in this day and age? From Baldur's Gate 3 to Disco Elysium, let's discuss! One More Thing: Kirk: Planet of Lana (Xbox, PC) Maddy: They Cloned Tyrone (Netflix) (2023) Jason: Search Engine (with PJ Vogt) LINKS: Triple Click on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/tripleclickpod (Starcraft 2 Stream July 21 at 8PM Eastern) Support Triple ...
Jul 27, 2023•59 min•Ep. 164
Has StarCraft II aged well? What's with all the proper nouns? And how does it feel to play an old RTS game in 2023? This week, Triple Click revisits Blizzard's classic strategy game, playing through a chunk of Legacy of the Void and some multiplayer... for Aiur! One More Thing: Kirk: Overcooked 2 Maddy: Barbie (2023) Jason: It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO (John Koblin and Felix Gillette) LINKS: Triple Click on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/tripleclickpod (Starcraft 2...
Jul 20, 2023•59 min•Ep. 163
Do indie studios live or die based on day-one game sales? How do you make games for girls? And is it OK to cheat in JRPGs? Maddy, Kirk, and Jason open up the mailbag for some of YOUR questions on all sorts of things. Plus: meet Ghost Maddy! One More Thing: Kirk: Jury Duty Maddy: The Werewolf Experiment (Escape Room In A Box) Jason: New PC build LINKS: Triple Click on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/tripleclickpod (Starcraft 2 Stream July 21 at 8PM Eastern) Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/j...
Jul 13, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 162
Jason, Maddy, and Kirk strap in their Torgals and take a wild ride to Valisthea to talk about Final Fantasy XVI, the latest RPG from Square Enix. How does the new combat hold up? What's the deal with the story? And does it feel like a Final Fantasy game? All those questions answered... and much more. One More Thing: Kirk: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Maddy: Boston Strangler (2023) (Hulu) Jason: Everybody Knows (Jordan Harper) LINKS: Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join Buy Triple C...
Jul 06, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 161
Jason, Maddy, and Kirk talk about the opening hours of Final Fantasy XVI, a game with some very strange pacing, and use that as a springboard to talk about pacing in general. How do you deal with pacing in video games when the player is control? And do big, emotional moments need a cigarette afterwards? One More Thing: Kirk: Beef (Netflix) Maddy: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card Jason: Nintendo Direct LINKS: Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join Buy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfuns...
Jun 29, 2023•59 min•Ep. 160
The triple click trio dimension-hop to the gritty dystopia of Dinohattan, where they fight for freedom against the villainous politician Koopa, an evolved T-rex who wants to reunite the dimensions and… turn humans into monkeys using de-evolution technology… wait, how is this a Mario movie? LINKS Featuring an excerpt from “Walk the Dinosaur” by Was (Not Was), 1987 A chronology of script rewrites for Super Mario Bros. ‘93: http://www.smbmovie.com/SMBArchive/preproduction/script.htm A Collider stor...
Jun 22, 2023•1 hr 1 min
It's June, which means it's time for... *checks notes*... Summer Game Fest? What the heck is that? The gang breaks down all of the big news and commercials, and Jason reports live from Not E3 in Los Angeles, where he's played the new Cyberpunk DLC and one of his best games of the show is... Crash Team Rumble? Note: Triple Click is off next week! One More Thing: Kirk: Diablo IV Maddy: Diablo IV (as a Rogue) Jason: Writers Strike LINKS: Kirk’s Arc Lash Sorcerer Build: https://www.youtube.com/watch...
Jun 15, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 159
Things get bloody as the Triple Click Trio dive into Diablo 4. One More Thing: Kirk: Mrs. Davis (Peacock) Maddy: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Theatrical) Jason: I Think You Should Leave Season 3 (Netflix) LINKS: The LOST chapter from Maureen Ryan’s forthcoming book Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/05/lost-tv-show-culture Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join Buy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfunstor...
Jun 08, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 158
Hope you're not too sick of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom yet, because it's all we can play. Kirk, Jason, and Maddy take another deep dive into Hyrule, talking about physics engines (and what makes them tick), dungeons, and tales from their adventures through one of this year's finest games. One More Thing: Kirk: Silo (Apple TV+) Maddy: Missing (2023) Jason: Final Fantasy XVI LINKS: Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join Buy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfunstore.com/search?q=triple+cli...
Jun 01, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 157
It's the very first TRIPLE CLICK LIVE!!! From the Bell House in Brooklyn, Jason, Kirk, and Maddy talk about... well, what else? The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Plus: live Q&A and live One More Things. One More Thing: Kirk: Somebody, Somewhere S2 Maddy: Monitor arms Jason: Bojack Horseman LINKS: 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 Discord: http://dis...
May 25, 2023•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 156
Kirk, Jason, and Maddy do the only thing that could justify taking a break from playing Zelda: talking about playing Zelda! This week, they give their initial impressions of the impossibly big The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. They talk about how the new abilities work, what it's been like exploring the skies and depths, and how strange it is that Nintendo made a direct sequel in this way. Then they all go back to playing Zelda. One More Thing: Kirk: Ashes of the Unhewn Throne #1: The E...
May 18, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 155
The Triple Click crew opens up the mailbag to answer some listener questions about all sorts of things: why the United Kingdom can block Microsoft-Activision, what jobs we'd turn into sim games, and what Kirk thinks of Zelda's jazzy sax. Plus: One more week until Triple Click Live! One More Thing: Kirk: Party Down Season 3 (Starz) Maddy: Zelda: Breath of the Wild (still) Jason: Magic for Liars (Sarah Gailey) Links: Triple Click LIVE IN BROOKLYN, May 18th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/triple-clic...
May 11, 2023•59 min•Ep. 154
Kirk, Jason, and Maddy strap on their blasters and take a trip to Koboh for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the latest game in a universe far, far away. They talk about PC performance problems, whether Survivor is too much of a direct sequel, the brilliant traversal mechanics, and the cutest droids in the galaxy. One More Thing: Kirk: PsychOdyssey Maddy: Dredge Jason: Case of the Golden Idol DLC Links: Digital Foundry’s analysis of Jedi Survivor’s PC Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI6eAVvvmg...
May 04, 2023•56 min•Ep. 153
The Triple Click gang offers some early impressions on the new game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, then dives into a brief history of Star Wars games. When were they good? When weren't they? And what makes for the best kind of Star Wars game these days? Plus: Jason played Tears of the Kingdom! One More Thing: Kirk: The Last House on Needless Street (Catriona Ward, 2021) Maddy: Blank Check podcast archives Jason: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Links: Jason’s 2015 story on the death of LucasArts: https://...
Apr 27, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 152
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 Links: Triple Click LIVE IN BROOKLYN, May 18th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/triple-click-live-ticke...
Apr 20, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 151
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 Questions, Get Better Answers, and Interview Anyone Like a Pro by Dean Nelson Links: Casey Newton’s news...
Apr 13, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 150
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/23660168/resident-evil-4-remake-the-last-of-us-pc-hbo Kim Stanley Robinson’s extremely great 2020 interv...
Apr 06, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 149
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 Robinson) Maddy: Metroid Fusion Jason: Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone (Benjamin Stevenson) Links...
Mar 30, 2023•59 min•Ep. 148
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 and Rachel Abrams Links: MaxFunDrive Livestream! Wednesday March 29, 8PM Eastern: https://www.twitch....
Mar 23, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 147
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: De-Inverting my Brain Maddy: Clue: Treachery at Tudor Mansion Jason: Paul T. Goldman Links: Featuring...
Mar 16, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 146
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: Total Recall Jason: The Poppy War (R.F. Kuang) Links: Tell us why you like Triple Click! Email membe...
Mar 09, 2023•58 min•Ep. 145
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 Greenberg Links: Tell us why you like Triple Click! Email memberstories@maximumfun.org or leave us a...
Mar 02, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 144
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 can ever really be saved. One More Thing: Kirk: Ultra Widescreen Gaming Maddy: Below Deck Jason: Octop...
Feb 23, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 143
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: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIhLvue17Sd70y34zh2erWWpMyOnh4UN_ Triple Click LIVE IN BROOKLYN, M...
Feb 16, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 142
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-audiobook-graphic-novel-movie-k-a-applegate Triple Click LIVE IN BROOKLYN, May 18th: https://www.event...
Feb 09, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 141
