In the wake of Cyberpunk 2077, a game with a rocky launch that will now try to find redemption, Jason, Maddy, and Kirk take a look at some other video game redemption stories. They talk about No Man's Sky, Destiny, Final Fantasy XIV, and other games that got better over time. What does a successful turnaround look like? And what are the ethical questions involved? All that and lots more.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Lupin

Maddy: Dark Souls

Jason: Fargo

Links:

Kirk reviews No Man's Sky: https://kotaku.com/no-mans-sky-the-kotaku-review-1785383774

...and Destiny: https://kotaku.com/destiny-the-kotaku-review-1637735501

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy:  https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

It's time: Kirk, Jason, and Maddy convene to go over their 2020 predictions and determine who got the most right. Who won, and which game will Triple Click play in 2021? You'll have to listen to find out! Plus: big predictions for video games in 2021!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Wonder Woman 1984

Maddy: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 

Jason: Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz

Links:

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

2020 is over!!! Thank goodness! It's time for Kirk, Jason, and Maddy to go over the best games of 2020. Each host shares their top-ten list, which includes some choices you might guess... and some that might surprise you! Plus: Jason and Kirk have finally finished the game they were obliged to play... Kirby Planet Robobot.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Spelunky 2

Maddy: “The very real, totally bizarre bucatini shortage of 2020” by Rachel Handler (Grub Street)

Jason: Sekiro

Links:

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

GOTY Lists:

Jason

• Hades
• Final Fantasy VII Remake
• Call of the Sea
• Demon’s Souls
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
• Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
• Paper Mario: The Origami King
• Bugsnax
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• Jackbox Party Pack 7

Maddy

• Animal Crossing New Horizons
• Carrion
• Destiny 2: Beyond Light
• Final Fantasy 7 Remake
• Hades
• If Found
• Kentucky Route Zero
• Paradise Killer
• Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Wide Ocean Big Jacket

Kirk

• Hades
• Carrion
• Spiritfarer
• Black Mesa
• Half-Life: Alyx
• Desperados III
• Star Wars: Squadrons
• Final Fantasy VII Remake
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Is Cyberpunk 2077 the biggest game of the year? Or just the most broken? This week, the gang dives into CD Projekt Red's hotly anticipated new RPG: the good, the bad, and the very, very ugly. Jason, Maddy, and Kirk talk about their impressions on the game and their thoughts on all the many, many, many controversies surrounding it.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Ghostrunner

Maddy:  Carrie by Stephen King

Jason: Call of the Sea

Links:

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

Maddy, Kirk, and Jason open up the mailbag to answer some of YOUR questions. Should there be a Game Award for the best studio culture? How do we honestly criticize games while knowing how many blood, sweat, and pixels they take to develop? And just how necessary is Twitter Discourse?

One More Thing:

Kirk: Warner Bros. / HBO Max

Maddy: Hades

Jason: 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

Links:

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

The Hollywood Reporter on Nolan/Warner: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/christopher-nolan-rips-hbo-max-as-worst-streaming-service-denounces-warner-bros-plan

Twitter thread about Souls games: https://twitter.com/silent0siris/status/1334570752021049345?s=21

What are they, rocket ships? In honor of the recent release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, the gang looks back at the history of video game console launches. Which were the best ones? Which were the worst? And what were Kirk, Maddy, and Jason's personal experiences with console launches? Let's discuss!!!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Immortals Fenyx Rising

Maddy: Fuser

Jason: A Futile And Stupid Gesture (2018)

Links:

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

Maddy, Kirk, and Jason celebrate Thanksgiving in the best way possible: Leftovers. This week, the gang talks about all of the fall video games they haven't had a chance to analyze on previous episodes, including Demon's Souls, NBA 2K21, Yakuza Like A Dragon, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and much, much more.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Star Wars Squadrons

Maddy: The Diary of Anne Frank

Jason: The Queen’s Gambit

Links: 

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Skol! Kirk, Maddy, and Jason are all playing Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and they have oh so many thoughts. The gang dive into what they like (the story! the mysteries!) and don't like (the bugs!) about Ubisoft's new Viking game. (Spoilers: It's way too long.)

One More Thing:

Kirk: Just King Things

Maddy: The Queen’s Gambit

Jason: The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

Slate interview with Gary Kasparov about his work on Queen’s Gambit: https://slate.com/culture/2020/11/queens-gambit-garry-kasparov-interview-netflix-chess-adviser.html

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Last week it was all things Xbox, and now it's time for PlayStation 5! Jason has been using the fifth PlayStation for a few weeks now, and he's impressed. The load times are fast and the controller is slick. But is it worth getting or should you just wait??? Plus: Spider-Man Miles Morales and the wonderful Bugsnax (talkin about Bugsnax)!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Watch Dogs Legion 

Maddy: Destiny 2: Some Thoughts (on why i’m not playing it currently)

Jason: Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Show Notes:

Triple Click Discord! https://discord.com/invite/JuSkCPZKKh

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

We've got the new Xboxes! Kirk, Jason, and Maddy dive into the pros and cons of both consoles and discuss the upcoming new generation of video games. Are framerate and resolution enough to make the upgrade? Should you get an adult Xbox, a baby Xbox, or neither? Triple Click answers all your questions!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Watch Dogs Legion

Maddy: Animal Crossing Halloween

Jason: The Americans

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

It's Halloween, so the Triple Click gang brings on old pal Patricia Hernandez to talk about creepypasta and haunted video games, from Lavender Town to Sad Satan. Is it true that every copy of Super Mario 64 is personalized for your horror? Let's find out!

One More Thing

Kirk: The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners

Maddy: RTX 3070 GPU

Jason: Borat 2

Links

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Pre-order Jason's book: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/jason-schreier/press-reset/9781538735480/

Patricia Hernandez on haunted Super Mario 64: https://www.polygon.com/2020/9/15/21437962/super-mario-64-iceberg-creepypasta-machinima-every-copy-is-personalized-nintendo-64

...and Lavender Town: https://kotaku.com/pokemons-creepy-lavender-town-myth-explained-1651851621

...and Sad Satan: https://kotaku.com/a-horror-game-hidden-in-the-darkest-corners-of-the-inte-1714980337

Reply All on QAnon: https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/llhe5nm

Dead Bart: https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/Dead_Bart

Polybius: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polybius_(urban_legend)

Maddy’s RTX 3070 review: https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2020/10/27/21535182/rtx-3070-review-price-nvidia-price-3080

Jason, Kirk, and Maddy dive into Hades, one of the best games of the year so far. They talk about their favorite strategies, honor the Greek gods, and try to pinpoint what makes the latest game from Supergiant Games so special.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Oculus Quest 2

Maddy: Destiny 2 (lmao)

Jason: Jackbox Party Pack 7

Show Notes:

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

A guide for playing PC VR games wirelessly with Oculus Quest: https://uploadvr.com/how-to-play-pc-vr-oculus-quest-2/

Jason, Kirk, and Maddy open up the mailbag and answer some of YOUR great questions. How do we Maximize our Fun when playing video games? Is it possible to be a successful journalist while staying totally anonymous? And does Xbox Game Pass cause more anxiety than it cures? 

One more thing:

Kirk: Facebook

Maddy: Animal Crossing Halloween update

Jason: Dan Brown's Origin

Show Notes:

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Kashmir Hill cutting tech giants from her life: https://gizmodo.com/i-cut-the-big-five-tech-giants-from-my-life-it-was-hel-1831304194

Is building a PC really that difficult? Or is it actually SUPER FUN? Maddy, Jason, and Kirk talk about each of their experiences buying PC parts and putting them together like beautiful, brilliant LEGO sets. Jason talks about why his gaming PC wouldn't turn on, Maddy reminisces on carrying her massive PC case to LAN parties, and Kirk espouses the virtues of thermal paste.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Star Wars Squadrons

Maddy: Horizon Zero Dawn

Jason: Baldur’s Gate 3

Show Notes:

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Jason’s PC Building Adventure: https://kotaku.com/my-pc-building-adventure-part-one-picking-the-compone-1821708276

Jason's PC Building Adventure part two: https://kotaku.com/my-pc-building-adventure-part-two-something-went-horr-1821879762

Kirk’s “The 10 Worst Things About Building a Gaming PC” https://kotaku.com/the-10-worst-things-about-building-a-new-gaming-pc-1606794540

And The 10 Best: https://kotaku.com/the-10-best-things-about-building-a-new-gaming-pc-1605434587

The end of Kirk’s 2018 CPU cooling obsession: https://kotaku.com/i-put-a-big-air-cooler-in-my-pc-and-it-s-working-pretty-1828394334

One PC build for $1,000, from Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/dq06nh/will_1000_get_me_a_next_gen_capable_pc/

Whitson Gordon’s horror story about his liquid cooling apparatus leaking into his PC: https://lifehacker.com/what-to-do-when-your-water-cooling-leaks-inside-your-pc-1475187833

Tom’s Hardware: TomsHardware.com

PC Part Picker: PCPartpicker.com

Dun dun, dun dun dun dun dun... it's time to talk Zelda! This week, on a new segment called Triple Click Classics, Kirk, Jason, and Maddy dive into the Super Nintendo masterpiece The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and talk about what makes it so great, from the design to the polish to the music. But why are you always rescuing the damn princess???

ONE MORE THING

Kirk: Hades

Maddy: Destiny 2 (it’s baaack) (it never left)

Jason: Final Fantasy XIV

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Music Featured: “The Painful Way” by Darren Korb from the Hades OST

“Overture” by Koji Kondo & Mahito Yokota from the Super Mario Galaxy OST

Well hey, if we had known Bethesda was on the market for only $7.5 billion, we would have made a bid! Maddy, Jason, and Kirk talk about Microsoft's major acquisition, plus the big PS5 news last week (Final Fantasy XVI!!!) and the reality that video games are going to cost $70 very soon. Plus, the brilliant, beautiful Hades and other One More Things.

One More Thing

Kirk: Super Mario Galaxy

Maddy: Pen15 season two

Jason: Hades

Links

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Music Featured: “The Painful Way” by Darren Korb from the Hades OST

“Overture” by Koji Kondo & Mahito Yokota from the Super Mario Galaxy OST

Maddy, Jason, and Kirk bring on special guest Ben Hanson (co-founder of MinnMax) to open up the listener mailbag and answer some BURNING QUESTIONS. What games does the crew wish they were better at? What are some timeless mechanics? And what are the most memorable button prompts in gaming?

ONE MORE THING

Kirk: Spiritfarer

Maddy: Horizon Zero Dawn 

Jason: Super Mario 3D All-Stars

LINKS

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

MinnMax: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiUhKqsBH-Is2VeC2sykEfg

Who Is John Frum: https://www.topic.com/who-is-john-frum

It's time for another Triple Play! This week, the gang jumps into Marvel's Avengers, a new video game about superheroes who play Destiny. Is this game any good? Is it going through an identity crisis? And just what is up with Kamala Khan? Plus: Samus's Soapbox!

ONE MORE THING

Kirk: The weirdness of GPUs

Maddy: Destiny 2 (really)

Jason: The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

LINKS

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Triple Click Twitch channel:  https://www.twitch.tv/tripleclickpod

It's time for some news! Maddy, Jason, and Kirk talk about the summer in gaming news, from the next-gen console war (and the glaring lack of prices) to replacement E3 plans from companies like Warner Bros., Nintendo, and Microsoft. Plus: Ubisoft keeps stepping on rakes.

ONE MORE THING

Kirk: Dark 

Jason: Retro games kick

Maddy: Destiny 2 Leviathan raid

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

One More Thing:

Kirk: Luigi’s Mansion 3

Maddy: Destiny 2 (...again)

Jason: Dark

Support Triple Click: https://maximumfun.org/join

One More Thing:

Kirk: Fall Guys (mediatonic, on PC and PS4, free PS+)

Maddy: Zoo 

Jason: The Epic/Apple/Google war

Support Triple Click: https://maximumfun.org/join

Epic's complaint against Apple: https://cdn2.unrealengine.com/apple-complaint-734589783.pdf

TRIPLE CLICK PICKS, VOL 1

1. Disco Elysium
2. Return of the Obra Dinn
3. Hollow Knight 
4. Outer Wilds
5. Destiny 2
6. Bloodborne
7. Breath of the Wild
8. Divinity Original Sin II
9. Hitman 2
10. AC Odyssey

One More Thing:

Jason: Blizzard staff take collective action

Maddy: Destiny 2 

Kirk: Doom Patrol

Support Triple Click: https://maximumfun.org/join

Kirk’s old article ranking video game bows: https://kotaku.com/video-games-have-become-obsessed-with-bows-and-arrows-5991211

Noah Caldwell-Gervais on Horizon Zero Dawn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt7c8yXiuJk

Bloomberg article on Blizzard organization: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-05/blizzard-workers-organize-on-company-slack-seeking-pay-increases

Cool Atlantic article about Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol run: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/04/doom-patrol/360616/

Layoffs at DC: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/dc-comics-dc-universe-hit-by-major-layoffs-1306743

One more thing:

Kirk: Death Stranding

Maddy: Marvel’s Avengers beta

Jason: Billions

Support Triple Click: https://maximumfun.org/join

MaxFun Drive Info: https://maximumfun.org/news/maxfundrive-2020-has-begun-and-its-full-of-great-gifts/

One More Thing:

Jason: Ghost of Tsushima

Kirk: Carrion

Maddy: The Nintendo Gigaleak

Support Triple Click: https://maximumfun.org/join

MaxFun Drive Info: https://maximumfun.org/news/maxfundrive-2020-has-begun-and-its-full-of-great-gifts/

The Console War Is Over [Christopher Dring, GamesIndustry.biz] https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-07-23-the-console-war-is-over-opinion

How Xbox Game Pass works for developers [Matthew Handrahan, GamesIndustry.biz] https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-07-08-xbox-game-pass-is-the-first-time-subscription-is-fair-for-developers

The big Nintendo leak [Patrick Klepek, Vice]: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/7kp7bx/a-massive-leak-of-nintendo-source-code-is-causing-chaos-in-video-games

One More Thing

Kirk - Ubisoft woes [Jason's article on Bloomberg]

Maddy - Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Jason - The Last of Us Part II

Support Triple Click: https://maximumfun.org/join/

MaxFun Drive Info: https://maximumfun.org/news/maxfundrive-2020-has-begun-and-its-full-of-great-gifts/

Triple Click on Twitch this Friday! https://www.twitch.tv/tripleclickpod

Rob Zacny on the problems with The Last of Us Part II's ending: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jgxjxx/problems-with-last-of-us-part-2-ending

Support Triple Click: https://maximumfun.org/Join

Information on Max Fun Drive 2020 tiers, rewards, schedule, and more: https://maximumfun.org/news/maxfundrive-2020-has-begun-and-its-full-of-great-gifts/

Music Featured: Multiple tracks from Final Fantasy VII (1997) composed by Nobuo Uematsu, as well as the following Uematsu compositions re-arranged for Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020): "Prelude" arranged by Yoshitaka Suzuki, "Airbuster" arranged by Tadayoshi Makino, "Main Theme from Final Fantasy VII - Sector 7 Undercity" arranged by Shotaro Shima, and "Aerith's Theme - Home Again" arranged by Shotaro Shima.

Kirk’s music podcast Strong Songs: https://strongsongspodcast.com

Game-deal watchdog Wario64 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wario64 

The official Braid walkthrough: https://web.archive.org/web/20121009073610/http://www.braid-game.com/walkthrough/walkthrough.html

Luke Plunkett’s Desperados III review on Kotaku: https://kotaku.com/desperados-3-is-a-modern-stealth-masterpiece-1844047567

Ryan Gilliam on spoiling TLOU2 for himself: https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/7/21314896/the-last-of-us-part-2-spoilers-story-ruined-enhanced-experience-secrets-are-good

Jamelle Bouie on Hamilton as a historical narrative & ideological project: https://letterboxd.com/jbouie/film/hamilton-2020/

Kirk’s Strong Songs on “Satisfied”: https://strongsongspodcast.com/satisfied-from-hamilton-updated

Black Game Devs: http://www.blackgamedevs.com/

The Last of Us 2 epitomizes one of gaming’s longest debates [Chris Plante, Polygon]

"Former employees accuse Cards Against Humanity of a racist and sexist office culture" [Nicole Carpenter, Polygon] 

"Video Game Industry Rocked by Outpouring of Sexual Misconduct Allegations" [Jason Schreier, Bloomberg]

"Does ABUSE Make you Stronger? - Whiplash Review feat. Kirk Hamilton!" [Carpool Critics]

"Growing calls to “defund the police,” explained" - Matt Yglesias, Vox

Minority Korner: https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/minority-korner/

FANTI: https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/fanti/

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Jim_Crow

The Bail Project: https://bailproject.org/

The George Floyd Memorial Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

A National Directory of Bail Funds: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory

A Directory of Protest-Specific Bail Funds: https://bailfunds.github.io/

The ACLU guide for protestors’ rights: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights/#im-attending-a-protest

Why do people love this whole Final Fantasy thing so much? Welcome to What's The Deal With, in which the Triple Click crew explains why something matters. This week, Jason, Maddy, and Kirk explain the history and appeal of one of the most beloved roleplaying video game series ever, from Sephiroth to Noctis and oh so much more.

The Final Fantasy VII Letters (Kirk Hamilton and Leigh Alexander, Paste Magazine) 

Solitary Spacecraft (Dante Douglas)

Five Ways Video Games Make Failure Matter (Kirk Hamilton, Kotaku) 

Don't miss the (unofficial) Triple Click subreddit

HBomberguy on Fallout

Check out the Maximum Fun reader survey right here!

 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.  Coming soon to Maximum Fun!