Triple Click brings on Tom Bissell, writer of video games, books, TV shows and the final three episodes of Andor season 2. They talk about how he went from reporting in Iraq to writing dialogue for Battlefield, his journey to become a writer on Andor, and what it was like to pen the conclusion to one of the most acclaimed TV shows of all time.

One More Thing:

Kirk: James (Percival Everett)

Maddy: Metroid: Zero Mission

Jason: Never Flinch (Stephen King)

LINKS:

“The Writer Will Do Something” by Matthew Seiji Burns and Tom Bissell: https://matthewseiji.itch.io/twwds

Nicholas Quah on “The Death Star Trilogy”: https://www.vulture.com/article/andor-rogue-one-new-hope-star-wars-trilogy-viewing-order.html

Paste Magazine interview with Tom about writing his Andor episodes: https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/andor/andor-season-2-finale-postmortem-with-writer-tom-bissell

Tom’s Related Reading Recs: The House of Government by Yuri Slezkine, A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel, and anything by John Le Carré

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

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Kirk, Maddy, and Jason take their Kas to the Beach for a trip through Hideo Kojima's latest action game, Death Stranding 2. They talk about the changes from the first game, the quirks of the story, and what it's like to build ladders and roads across Mexico, Australia, and more.

One More Thing:

Kirk: A Complete Unknown (2024)

Maddy: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (I finished it)

Jason: Ninth House (Leigh Bardugo)

LINKS:

Excerpts from “Minus Sixty One” and “Fragile Things” by WOODKID form the Death Stranding 2 OST

Wired on the making of Death Stranding 2: https://www.wired.com/story/how-covid-19-changed-hideo-kojimas-vision-for-death-stranding-2/

Sam Adler-Bell on A Complete Unknown: https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/a-complete-unknown-bob-dylan-film/

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

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Kirk, Jason, and Maddy bring on special guest Ray Chase (Final Fantasy XV, Play Nice) to talk about his experiences as a voice actor and his new game, Date Everything! Ray talks about how he came up with the game, the seven-year saga of building it, and how it's so much more than a romance simulator.

One More Thing:

Kirk: The Eyre Affair (Jasper Fforde)

Maddy: I quit Polygon lol

Jason: Marble Hall Murders (Anthony Horowitz)

LINKS:

Kirk’s new collection “Music For Podcasting”: https://kirkhamilton.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-podcasting

Kindness Coins: https://arden.itch.io/kindness-coins

“Why AI Isn’t Going To Make Art” by Ted Chiang for The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/why-ai-isnt-going-to-make-art

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

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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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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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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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