Triple Click

When is it OK to cheat in a video game? When is it not OK? This week, the Triple Click gang ponders all things cheating, from codes to mods, and talks about the ethical dilemmas (or lack thereof) when it comes to altering the intended experience in a video game.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Twister (1996)

Maddy: Suicide Squad Isekai

Jason: Blink 182 (Live at Citi Field)

LINKS:

You Are Good’s Twister episode: https://www.podpage.com/you-are-good/twister-w-niko-stratis/

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Buy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfunstore.com/search?q=triple+click&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

In this bonus episode, Kirk, Jason and Maddy each picked five games that played a formative role in their development as little lower-case “g" gamers. And then they talked about them!

KIRK:
TMNT: Fall of the Foot Clan (1990)  
Kings Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow (1992)  
Quest For Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness (1993)  
The 7th Guest (1993)  
Magic: The Gathering (1993)

MADDY:
Tetris (1989)
Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins (1992)
The Oregon Trail Deluxe (1992)
Myst (1993)
Doom (1993)

JASON:
Zork Zero (1988)  
Final Fantasy IV (1991)  
Warcraft II:Tides of Darkness (1995)  
Evergrace (2000)  
Aliens vs. Predator MUD (1997)

------------

Featuring musical excerpts from Tetris (Russian trad.) and Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness (Aubrey Hodges)

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

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

Who makes money when a game is sold but its developer has shut down? What otherwise good behaviors might tank creative projects? And what are the best (bad) movie tie-in games? This week, the gang opens up the mailbag to take some of your excellent questions.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Elantris (Brandon Sanderson)

Maddy: Selaco

Jason: Final Fantasy XIV

LINKS:

Jason’s Suicide Squad Story: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-06/-suicide-squad-warner-bros-s-200-million-flop-haunts-the-gaming-industry

Jason's Hironobu Sakaguchi interview: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-07-03/-final-fantasy-creator-hironobu-sakaguchi-reunites-with-square-enix?srnd=technology-vp

Riley MacLeod’s Aftermath article about the Dr. Disrespect story: https://aftermath.site/dr-disrespect-allegations-twitch-journalism

X-Men Arcade Game Source Material, “Pryde of the X-Men”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBI8GIjf5HA

Luke Plunnkett on Chuds and Star Wars: The Acolyte: https://aftermath.site/the-acolyte-star-wars-controversy-ratings-this-is-all-terrible

IGN article by Matt Kim about Asian representation and Assassin’s Creed Shadows: https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-shadows-yasuke-asian-protagonist

Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark

How To Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Buy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfunstore.com/search?q=triple+click&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

It's time to revisit Elden Ring... again. Kirk, Maddy, and Jason are still obsessed with Shadow of the Erdtree (or should we say Scadu of the Erdtree?) and its sprawling new regions and dungeons. They talk about why they're captivated, what makes its level design so great, and those pesky quests that will lock you out if you breathe on them wrong.

One More Thing:

Kirk: 1000xResist (Switch and PC)

Maddy: Master Chef Junior

Jason: Real Americans [Rachel Khong]

LINKS:

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Buy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfunstore.com/search?q=triple+click&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

Kirk, Jason, and Maddy put on their finest Tarnished gear and get ready for a trip to the Shadow Realm. How does Elden Ring's big expansion compare to the base game? What's it like to revisit the game in 2024? And is it really too difficult?

One More Thing:

Kirk: Hit Man (2024, Netflix)

Maddy: Butterfly In The Sky (Reading Rainbow documentary)

Jason: Babel (R.F. Kuang)

LINKS:

Kirk’s Dragon Age Explainer: https://kotaku.com/a-beginners-guide-to-all-things-dragon-age-1658487212

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Buy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfunstore.com/search?q=triple+click&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

Kirk, Jason, and Maddy unwind from this year's not-E3 by getting back into it. They talk about the big Xbox showcase, the big Nintendo showcase, and some of the embargoed games they saw at Summer Games Fest, such as Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Star Wars Outlaws.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Tactical Breach Wizards

Maddy: Valorant (new Xbox port)

Jason: The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel (Jenny Nicholson)

LINKS:

IGN story on development of Perfect Dark: https://www.ign.com/articles/xboxs-perfect-dark-reboot-is-still-years-away

Cory Doctorow’s “enshittification” essay: https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Buy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfunstore.com/search?q=triple+click&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

LIVE FROM LOS ANGELES... it's Maddy, Jason, and Kirk! The gang talks about what we all saw at Summer Game Fest, what they played, and how much they miss E3. Plus: audience Q&A!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Maddy: Dune Part Two

Jason: Holly (Stephen King)

GAMES DISCUSSED

• Civilization VII
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• Heartworm
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard
• WanderStop
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
• UFO 50
• Arranger
• Building Relationships
• Stormgate & Battle Aces
• SpinRhythm XD
• Slitterhead
• Alan Wake II: Night Springs

LINKS:

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Buy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfunstore.com/search?q=triple+click&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

It's time for not-E3 — aka Summer Games Fest — where the video game industry will once again convene on Los Angeles for a week full of game demos, trailers, and exciting reveals. Well... sort of. This week, the Triple Click gang talks about their hopes, expectations, and predictions for the weekend ahead. Plus: don't miss Triple Click live in Los Angeles!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Crow Country

Maddy: My inflatable kayak

Jason: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

LINKS:

Oli Welsh on the death of console exclusives: https://www.polygon.com/24166647/aaa-exclusive-games-are-dead-playstation-xbox-multiplatform

Triple Click LIVE in LA! Saturday, June 8, 6:30PM at the Teragram Ballroom: https://teragramballroom.com/tm-event/triple-click-podcast/

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Buy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfunstore.com/search?q=triple+click&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

Where are all the pregnant video game NPCs? What happens when you grow out of a video game genre? And what's it like to be both friends and professional podcast coworkers? This week, the Triple Click gang opens up the mailbag for some wacky listener questions, and confesses that they're actually all secretly enemies.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Ed Wood (1994)

Maddy: Elden Ring

Jason: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (Remake)

LINKS:

Kirk's 2018 Kotaku piece "Real Guns, Virtual Guns, and Me" 

Jason's interview with Jake Solomon: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-05-14/game-makers-at-midsummer-studios-look-to-take-on-the-sims

Lorelei and the Laser Tampon: https://www.polygon.com/gaming/24162613/lorelei-and-the-laser-eyes-tampon-why-reason-item

Shadow of the Erdtree Miyazaki interview: https://www.famitsu.com/news/202402/22335199.html

Triple Click LIVE in LA! Saturday, June 8, 6:30PM at the Teragram Ballroom: https://teragramballroom.com/tm-event/triple-click-podcast/

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Buy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfunstore.com/search?q=triple+click&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

Kirk is back and there's much to discuss. This week, the gang does a lightning round of topics, from the fallout of the Xbox shutdowns to Assassin's Creed racism and Hades 2 and the plethora of other killer indie games that have come out this year.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Lois McMaster Bujold’s fantasy novels (The Curse of Chalion (2001), Paladin of Souls (2003), The Sharing Knife (2006-9))

Maddy: Hades 1

Jason: The Lost Shtetl (Max Gross)

LINKS:

Featuring an excerpt from “The Crossroads” by Darren Korb from Hades 2

Triple Click LIVE in LA! Saturday, June 8, 6:30PM at the Teragram Ballroom: https://teragramballroom.com/tm-event/triple-click-podcast/

Preorder Jason’s Book! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason-schreier/play-nice/9781538725429/

Support Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/join

Buy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfunstore.com/search?q=triple+click&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

Join the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpod

Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/