Maddy and Jason are home from Summer Game Fest, where they played a bunch of upcoming games. Kirk watched some cool announcements. And everyone's got Switch 2s, so there's much to discuss.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Switch 2

Maddy: Switch 2

Jason: Switch 2

LINKS:

Dan Olson on “Silkposting” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSkbylysplI

Ifixit gives Switch 2 a repairability score of 3/10: https://www.ifixit.com/News/110926/switch-2-teardown

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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

Today, Nintendo released its first new console in eight years... and the Triple Click gang doesn't have it yet. But that won't stop Jason, Maddy, and Kirk from talking about the Switch 2, its launch lineup, and the imaginary promises that consoles bring. Plus: some Summer Games Fest hopes and predictions!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Hacks Season 4

Maddy: Queens & Cowboys: A Straight Year on the Gay Rodeo (2014)

Jason: The Doorman (Chris Pavone)

LINKS:

Kirk’s 2017 review of the Original Switch: https://kotaku.com/nintendo-switch-the-kotaku-review-1792776350

“Young Deb When She Was Happy” by Carlos Rafael Rivera from Hacks, Season 1

https://www.polygon.com/nintendo/602181/all-nintendo-console-launches-ranked

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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Arise, tarnished, and watch out for server errors. Jason, Kirk, and Maddy team up for some co-op in Elden Ring: Nightreign, the new multiplayer spinoff by From Software. It's a fun game to talk about! They talk about the high highs, low lows, and the opacity of it all.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Your Friends and Neighbors (Apple TV+)

Maddy: Kitchen Nightmares

Jason: The Rehearsal (HBO)

LINKS:

Tyler Colp’s PC Gamer Nightreign Review: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/elden-ring-nightreign-review/

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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

Kirk, Maddy, and Jason grab their chainsaws and get ready to slay some aliens (demons?) in DOOM: The Dark Ages, the latest game from id Software. They talk about the new DOOM's pros and cons, the lasting appeal of the franchise, and how fun it feels to hack apart aliens (demons?) at 400 miles per hour.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Cabaret (1972)

Maddy: Survival of the Thickest (Netflix)

Jason: Golden Idol Investigations: The Lemurian Phoenix

LINKS:

“Atlan Battleground” from the Doom: The Dark Ages soundtrack by Finishing Move

Mick Gordon plays Doom music at the 2016 Game Awards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a9E3n_VZRQ

Jason’s report on Doom 2016’s troubled development: https://kotaku.com/five-years-and-nothing-to-show-how-doom-4-got-off-trac-468097062

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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

Can the magic of old-school Blizzard ever be recreated? Dreamhaven, a company started by Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime and a whole bunch of other Blizzard veterans, seems to be trying to make it happen. Jason, Maddy, and Kirk talk about Dreamhaven's first two games, Sunderfolk and Wildgate, and whether it's possible to recreate those old Blizzard feelings in 2025.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Sinners

Maddy: Doom: The Dark Ages

Jason: Thunderbolts* (2025)

LINKS:

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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

Grand Theft Auto VI is delayed to 2026... but Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is not! This week, the gang talks about both games, starting with some thoughts on the new GTA trailer before moving into some takes on Act 1 of Clair Obscur. 

One More Thing:

Kirk: Blue Prince

Maddy: Consume Me

Jason: Yellowface (RF Kuang)

LINKS:

Excerpts from the Clair Obscur soundtrack composed by Lorien Testard

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion got a surprise remaster, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 received rave reviews, and The Hundred Line: Defense Academy is way deeper — and way better — than we expected. This week, the gang dives into all three games. Plus: some cool TV shows!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Adolescence (Netflix)

Maddy: E.R. (Max)

Jason: The Studio (Apple TV Plus)

LINKS:

Featuring tracks from Clair Obscur composed by Lorien Testard, feat. Alice Duport-Percier, vocals

Mini-Doc on the music of Clair Obscur: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urizETxs3_8

Adolescence Post-Viewing: Stephen Graham on Fresh Air, The Panic World podcast’s recent discussion is also good, Kathryn Jezer-Morton in The Cut, “The Dangerous Son Problem”

ER Theme by James Newton Howard

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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How should video game consoles differentiate themselves without exclusives? Do games make us more or less lonely? And are RPGs popular because they feel like jobs? This week, Maddy, Jason, and Kirk open up the listener mailbag and take some of your (excellent) questions. Plus: three killer new games that are out this week!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Sunderfolk (PC, Consoles, Switch)

Maddy: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Jason: The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy

LINKS:

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

“All Work and No Play” by Sam Adler-Bell for Dissent, 2021: https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/all-work-and-no-play/

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Blue Prince is out, and people are definitely having a normal one. Maddy, Jason, and Kirk talk about some of the initial player reactions to the highest-reviewed game of 2025, and how sentiment has changed since the first day or two. They talk about the pros and cons of RNG, when the game clicked for each of them, and what they've been seeing over the last week.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Oscars Watch Game Reimagined/The Godfather

Maddy: Hail Satan? (2019)

Jason: Lunar: Remastered Collection

LINKS:

Kirk on Blue Prince: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/p/theme-and-theme-and-variations

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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

Blue Prince is the best-reviewed game of 2025 so far... but does it live up to the hype? Yes, yes it does. Jason, Maddy, and Kirk talk about the game's unique genre-blending design, the appeal of the puzzles, the story hidden underneath it all, and much, much more. Plus: a very special announcement!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Slough House Books 5-8 (Mick Harron)

Maddy: Inside Out 1 + 2

Jason: Switch 2 + tariffs

LINKS:

Kirk’s essay about about Blue Prince and repetition: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/p/theme-and-theme-and-variations

Blue Prince music excerpts by Trigg & Gusset

Triple Click LIVE in Portland, July 11: https://albertarosetheatre.com/event/triple-click-live/alberta-rose-theatre/portland-oregon/

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