Kotaku Splitscreen

Maddy and Kirk talk about what they're playing; in Maddy's case, that involves a brand new gaming monitor that makes Outer Wilds look so, so good. She's also playing Madden NFL 20. Meanwhile, Kirk beat Death of the Outsider, started up Wolfenstein: Youngblood and Fire Emblem, and tried Burgle Bros with his tabletop group. We then bring in Kotaku senior reporter Cecilia D'Anastasio (35:06) for discussion about her article, "For Men Who Hate Talking On The Phone, Games Keep Friendships Alive," and also, the importance of gaming etiquette, especially for competitive games. We close out with off-topic discussion (1:11:32) about Veronica Mars... again.

Music pick of the week: “What A Wonderful World” by Sam Cooke

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Kirk and Maddy talk about the games they're playing (still without Jason): Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 in Maddy's case, and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider on Kirk's end, as well as Tetris Effect. Then, Kotaku's newest staff writer Joshua Rivera comes on for a segment (22:27) about the concept of being "tilted," (or frustrated by a game), and also, the perfect squad size. We close with off-topic discussion (58:57) of Billions, Good Omens, and Veronica Mars (again).

Music pick of the week: “Remind Me” by Emily King

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Maddy and Kirk, left to their own devices, talk shop about the best gaming monitors and Kirk's continued Google-free lifestyle. Then they get into games they're playing, with Maddy on Outer Wilds, House Flipper, and a few board games including a bluffing game called Skull. Kirk's still playing Betrayal Legacy and has gotten back to playing Dishonored: Death of the Outsider. After that, they invite in Kotaku's Gita Jackson (34:28) for a segment about Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which sounds delightful, and some discussion of Gita's article, "The Video Games That Made People Question Their Beliefs." Lastly, we get into off-topic talk (1:10:37) about the podcast Criminal, Veronica Mars, and more.

Music pick of the week: “Bicyclops” by Bela Fleck and Chick Corea

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Episode 187: Jason, Kirk, and Maddy talk about the games they've been playing, including Metro Exodus, West of Loathing, Mario Maker 2, and Dragon Quest Builders 2. Then it's time to talk about news (33:25) on Nintendo's new Switch Lite... Lite Switch?... as well as G2A shadiness (would YOU give up your integrity for $50 million?) and a Wind Waker discovery in Breath of the Wild. Then the gang talks Stranger Things, Veronica Mars, and Spider-Man: Far From Home (54:23).

Music pick of the week: “Crazy on You” by Heart

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Episode 186: Happy fourth of July! Kirk, Jason, and Maddy talk about some video games (Mario Maker 2, Metro Exodus, Cadence of Hyrule) before cracking open the mailbag (22:32) for some listener questions about video game streaming in schools, how to review video games, whether Final Fantasy VII Remake will still be going until the 2030s, and much more. Then, off-topic chat (1:20:18) on Fullmetal Alchemist, Veep, and a very important question about Toy Story's Woody.

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Episode 185: Jason, Kirk, and Maddy speedrun their way through a new episode of Kotaku Splitscreen, starting with some ranting and raving about Outer Wilds before talking Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, the Xbox Elite controller, and Bloodstained. Then they get into news (29:01) on Tifa's boobs, Auto Chess, and Jason's recent article about Treyarch's treatment of contract staff and the development of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. They close things out with off-topic chat (52:16) on Evangelion, Veep, and The Journalist and the Murderer.

Music pick of the week: James Brown, “Mother Popcorn,” released as a single in 1969

Show notes:

How video game breasts are made (Patricia Hernandez): https://kotaku.com/how-video-game-breasts-are-made-and-why-they-can-go-so-1687753475

Veep Is Over. Is America Next? (Jen Chaney): https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/veep-series-finale.html

DOOM: The Fake Outrage (Shaun_Jen) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l63nY0AYebI

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Episode 184: Jason and Maddy are back from E3, regaling Kirk with tales of sweaty convention controllers and all the video games they played in Los Angeles. First, everyone talks about the games they're currently playing, like Outer Wilds, Cadence of Hyrule, and Collection of Mana. Then it's time for E3 chat (34:29) about The Avengers, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Cyberpunk 2077, Link's Awakening, Astral Chain, and many, many more games, followed by off-topic talk (1:17:18) on Dark Phoenix, Billions, and Chernobyl.

Music pick of the week: “Lunchtime” off of Cory Wong’s new album Live in the U.K.

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At the Devolver lot across the street from E3, Maddy sat down with Cullen Dwyer and Joseph Bourgeois, two of the developers of Gato Roboto and also the Devolver Bootleg, which features eight faux-bootleg versions of Devolver games like Hotline Miami and Ape Out. This is Cullen and Joseph's first E3, which they celebrated by buying themselves cool robes to wear. We spend a not insignificant portion of this interview talking about the robes.

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E3 2019: Jason Schreier chats with Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz, quest director at CD Projekt Red on the much-anticipated RPG Cyberpunk 2077, about the scope of this massive game, how their approach to quest design has changed from The Witcher 3, and the importance of communication in game development.

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E3 2019: Jason Schreier talks to Dave Lang, founder and C3PO of Iron Galaxy, about what it's like to run a large game studio that avoids excessive overtime, how to create a culture of healthy work-life balance, and why his title is C3PO.

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