Kotaku Splitscreen

Episode 168: BioWare's Anthem is out! But is it any good? First up, the Splitscreen crew talks about the games they've been playing, like Bloodborne, Tetris 99, and Far Cry New Dawn. Then it's time for a breakdown of BioWare's new loot shooter (31:16), which Kirk and Jason have both been playing. They discuss Anthem's many bugs, the problems with EA's early access program, and how the game generally looks and feels. Finally, off-topic chat on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Russian Doll, and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Show notes

Music pick of the week: “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen from their 1975 album A Night At The OperaLindsay Ellis - 'Independence Day vs. War of the Worlds': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KioF1sTQFtEJake Kaufman & Tommy Pedrini - Final Fantasy VI 'The Impresario': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xFhULStbkQ

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It's Nintendo Direct week, and you know what that means: Everything old is new again. First, Jason, Maddy, and Kirk talk about the games they've been playing, from Danganronpa to Bloodborne. Then they talk about Nintendo's big announcements including Super Mario Maker 2, Box Boy+Box Girl, and a remake of Link's Awakening (22:31), and close off the show by talking Sex Education, Big Mouth, and other shows they've been enjoying (49:43).

Kirk's music pick of the week: “Dancing Queen” by ABBA from their 1976 album Arrival

Kotaku's music pick of the week Spotify playlist 

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Maddy, Kirk, and Jason unite to talk about the many games they've been playing, including Resident Evil 2, Wargroove, Bloodborne, and Destiny 2. Then they take a deep dive into Kingdom Hearts (34:01), debating over whether the story is convoluted, analyzing why people love it so much, and dissecting the pros and cons of the brand new Kingdom Hearts III. Finally, off topic talk (1:06:45) on the Fyre Festival documentaries and Happy Endings.

Music pick of the week: “Use It” by The New Pornographers from their 2005 album “Twin Cinema”

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Jason, Kirk, and Maddy open up the mailbag to answer some of your great questions on Bloodborne, video game music, the cults of personality that surround the video game industry, our dream Assassin's Creed settings, and much, much more. Plus: NFL playoff stories!

Music pick of the week: “Green Lights” by Sarah Jarosz from her 2016 album “Undercurrent” (video here)

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Kirk, Maddy, and Jason unite to talk about one of the wildest video game news weeks in recent memory! First they talk about the games they're playing, including Resident Evil 2, Danganronpa, and Destiny 2. Then they dissect this week's news (32:41) on Bungie ditching Activision, the messy Gearbox lawsuit, and EA canceling its open-world Star Wars game. They close things off with off-topic talk (1:18:58) and the NFL playoff story of the week.

Music pick: “Overtime” by Knower, from their YouTube channel (seriously, watch it!) 

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Maddy, Jason, and Kirk talk about Pokemon Let's Go Eevee, Destiny 2, Crosscode, and Bloodborne before listing their video game predictions for 2019 (38:22). Each one makes 10 predictions, and whoever gets the most right throughout the year will get to force the other two to play a game of his or her choice. Then on off topic talk (1:03:13), Orphan Black, trackpads, and one wild football story.

Music pick of the week: “Thriller” by Michael Jackson from his 1982 album of the same name 

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On the very first Kotaku Splitscreen of 2019, Kirk, Jason, and Maddy talk about the games they've been playing to kick off the year, including CrossCode, Life Is Strange Season 2, and Minit. Then Kirk and Jason revisit their 2018 predictions (34:19) to figure out who won their big yearlong bet and gets to force the other to play a game of their choice. Finally, off-topic talk (52:09) on Into The Spider-Verse, Vice, Widows, Happy Endings, and The Fifth Risk.

Music pick of the week: Vulfpeck, “Animal Spirits,” from their 2016 album The Beautiful Game   

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