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Maximum Fun

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.

Triple Click

Kirk has really been enjoying the medieval role-playing game Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, but Maddy and Jason both weren't playing, so he didn't have anyone to talk to about it. Hoever, some of his non-podcaster friends were playing the game, too. One thing led to another, and they wound up recording this special episode about it.

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

TOM BISSELL is an author and screenwriter. He has published loads of books including Extra Lives, Magic Hours, and Apostle: Travels Among the Tombs of the Twelve. He's also written for video game series like Uncharted and Gears of War and wrote the final three episodes of Star Wars: Andor.

MATTHEW SEIJI BURNS is a writer, musician, and game designer. He worked on AAA series like Halo and Call of Duty before moving to Zachtronics, where he helped make games like Opus Magnum and Eliza, the latter of which he also directed. He is the author of the 2025 novel Process.

Together, Tom and Matthew wrote the 2015 interactive fiction game The Writer Will Do Something, which remains (in this episode notes writer's opinion) one of the definitive encapsulations of working as a writer in video games. Seriously, go play it.

LIAM MCINTYRE is an actor who has appeared in a variety of programs - among other roles, he was the lead in Starz's Sparticus: Vengeance, and played Weather Wizard in the CW's The Flash. As a voice actor, he's played everyone from Captain Boomerang to Marcus Fenix's son JD, and will play Logan himself in Insomniac's upcoming game Marvel's Wolverine.

LINKS ETC.

SkillUp’s KCD2 Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wFHtqKYMaM

“Saint Barbara Theme,” “Welcome to Troskovice,” by Jan Valta & Adam Sporka from the KCD2 Original Soundtrack

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Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Roundtable (with Tom Bissell, Liam McIntyre, & Matthew Seiji Burns)

Jason, Maddy, and Kirk have played through all of Dispatch, the new narrative superhero game from a crew of former Telltale directors, and there's a whole lot to discuss. They share their thoughts on the game, disclose whether they picked Invisigal or Blonde Blazer, and talk about what makes it all work so well. First section is spoiler-free, then they get into spoilers later on!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Oathbringer (Brandon Sanderson)

Maddy: News Tower

Jason: Kingdoms of the Dump

LINKS:

One More Thing Timestamp: 57:55

Dispatch episode one gameplay excerpts featuring Robert Robertson (Aaron Paul) and Blonde Blazer (Erin Yvette)

Jason’s Bloomberg News interview with Dispatch director Nick Herman

Excerpts from the Dispatch score, composed by Andrew Acradi

“Kissing Someone Else” by Caroline Kingsbury

Excerpts from the News Tower score by Bart Van de Sande, Jack Van de Ven feat. New Cool Collective

News Tower: Behind the Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbPllfsoPG8

Play Molleindustria’s New York Times Simulator: https://molleindustria.itch.io/the-new-york-times-simulator

Play Lucas Pope’s The Republia Times: https://www.dukope.com/trt/play.html

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Dispatch Sticks The Landing

Kirk, Maddy, and Jason bring on special guest Cameron Kunzelman to talk about this year's suite of roleplaying games, from Avowed to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to The Outer Worlds 2. They also talk about Assassin's Creed's pivot to RPGs, what an RPG even is, and much more. Plus: Steam Machines!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Do The Right Thing (1989)

Maddy: Anniversaries

Jason: King Sorrow (Joe Hill)

LINKS:

Cameron’s new Assassin’s Creed book: https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517914943/everything-is-permitted/

The Ranged Touch network, with a bunch of his podcasts: https://rangedtouch.com

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The RPGs of 2025 (with Cameron Kunzelman)

Jason, Maddy, and Kirk are all playing The Séance of Blake Manor, a new detective game about a spooky manor full of — OOOOOOOOHHHHH — Kirk, stop it. They talk about the game's unique time mechanic, how it plays with deduction, and of course, lots of spooky ghosts.

One More Thing:

Kirk: “ChatGPT Made Me Delusional” by Eddy Burback (YouTube)

Maddy: The Master (2012)

Jason: Strange Jigsaws

LINKS:

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The Séance of Blake Manor Is A Delightful Detective Game

Kirk, Maddy, and Jason put on their capitalism hats and go to space for a trip to The Outer Worlds 2, the latest roleplaying game from Obsidian. They talk about how it improves upon the first game, all the fun dialogue options, and the hilarious Dumb trait.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery (Hulu)

Maddy: Peacemaker S2

Jason: The Seance of Blake Manor

LINKS:

Jason interviews The Outer Worlds 2 director Brandon Adler: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-10-24/obsidian-s-the-outer-worlds-2-took-twice-as-long-to-make-as-the-first-hit-game?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc2MTc0NDUyOSwiZXhwIjoxNzYyMzQ5MzI5LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUNE4yWERHUFdDTEwwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMUVBQkI5NjQ2QUM0REZFQTJBRkI4MjI1MzgyQTJFQSJ9.OCD764bJIZFKkkNCudKE7HVo_s32880R1rFNAy_ctak

The Outer Worlds 2 PC performance mod Kirk mentioned: https://www.nexusmods.com/theouterworlds2/mods/17

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Triple Play: The Outer Worlds 2

It's time for a video-game grab bag as the Triple Click gang talks about some of the games they've been playing recently. They dive into Double Fine's Keeper, the new indie sensation Ball X Pit, Supergiant's Hades 2, and Absolum. Also they get derailed by the term "friendslop."

One More Thing:

Kirk: The Diplomat (Netflix)

Maddy: The Venture Bros. (2004-2018)

Jason: Workhorse (Caroline Palmer)

LINKS:

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Hades 2, Keeper, Ball x Pit, and More Fall Games

That's right: it's another mailbag! Kirk, Jason, and Maddy talk about the criteria of a dad game, print vs web journalism, and when you know that a video game has outstayed its welcome. Plus: Kingdom Come Deliverance 2!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

Maddy: High Potential

Jason: Long Story Short (Netflix)

LINKS:

“May I Stand Unshaken” by D’Angelo from Red Dead Redemption 2, 2018

“The Decline” by NOFX, 1999

“I’m Only Happy When It Rains” by Garbage, 1995

Lee Roy Chapman’s “The Nightmare of Dreamland: Tate Brady and the Tulsa Outrage” - https://www.centerforpublicsecrets.org/post/the-nightmare-of-dreamland-tate-brady-and-the-tulsa-outrage

Stephen Totilo’s 2015 interview with Kingdom Come director Daniel Vávra: https://kotaku.com/my-e3-meeting-with-a-pro-gamergate-developer-1715511964

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What Makes a Game Wear Out Its Welcome? (Mailbag)

Did the $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard ruin Xbox? How do you build a new studio while simultaneously making a video game? And what's up with the lack of gender representation in esports? Jason, Maddy, and Kirk open up the mailbag and take some of YOUR questions on all sorts of things.

One More Thing:

Kirk: The Lowdown (Hulu)

Maddy: Beauty and the Bester (Netflix)

Jason: The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox (Hulu)

LINKS:

“No Girls Allowed” by Tracey Lien for Polygon: https://www.polygon.com/features/2013/12/2/5143856/no-girls-allowed/

Katy Perrry sings “Last Friday Night” in Simlish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxyW6AJ-yIk

Twenty Thousand Hertz on Simlish: https://www.20k.org/episodes/sulsul

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Did The Activision Purchase Ruin Xbox? (Mailbag)

Kirk, Jason, and Maddy convene to talk about the big news of the week — Electronic Arts going private as part of a $55 billion leveraged buyout — and what it could mean for the people involved. Then they talk about Ghost of Yotei, the latest PlayStation 5 exclusive and an open-world samurai game about exploring feudal Japan and killing ronin with a sword. It's fun! 

One More Thing:

Kirk: Baby Steps

Maddy: Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)

Jason: One Battle After Another (2025)

LINKS:

“How Private Equity Destroys the Companies You Depend On” - The Culture Study Podcast w/ Megan Greenwell: https://culturestudypod.substack.com/p/how-private-equity-destroys-the-companies

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EA Goes Private And We Play Ghost of Yōtei

Kirk, Maddy, and Jason are all playing the new remaster of Final Fantasy Tactics, which is widely considered to be one of the greatest games ever made. The gang talks about how the 1998 classic holds up today, the complexity of its systems, and all of the new features that Square Enix added for this version, like voice acting. Plus: Hades 2!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Hades 2

Maddy: Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong (Christopher Ferguson and Patrick M. Markey)

Jason: Rise of the Golden Idol

LINKS:

Jason and Kirk published their entire text conversation about Final Fantasy Tactics’ Dorter Slums: https://kotaku.com/man-final-fantasy-tactics-sure-had-a-steep-learning-cu-5974665

Kirk talks to game developers about why they love Final Fantasy Tactics: https://kotaku.com/why-everybody-loves-final-fantasy-tactics-5973196

2013 Jason on Video Game Violence: https://kotaku.com/from-halo-to-hot-sauce-what-25-years-of-violent-video-5976733

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Final Fantasy Tactics: It's Still Good

Kirk, Maddy, and Jason have an obsession: handheld gaming. This week, the gang talks about the Steam Deck, the Nintendo Switch, and how portable machines change the way games are played. From "together alone" gaming with significant others to late-night Switch sessions while feeding a baby, handheld game systems are just the best.

One More Thing: 

Kirk: Trombone Champ (Holy Wow Studios)

Maddy: Rap Sh!t (HBO Max TV show)

Jason: The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero

Links:

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Steam Deck, Switch, and the Rise of Handheld Gaming

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