Maddy, Kirk, and Jason take a few minutes to react to last week's megaton announcement that Microsoft is buying Activision Blizzard, then prepare for the new Uncharted collection on PS5 by diving into the iconic adventure series. What's the deal with Nathan Drake falling on every platform he sees? Are the first two games better than the next two? And are Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy worth playing today?

One More Thing: 

Kirk: Dan Olson’s video on NFTs

Maddy: First Reformed

Jason: The craziest football weekend of all time

Links:

“Drake’s Theme” by Greg Edmonson from Uncharted 3 

“Line Goes Up: The Problem with NFTs” by Dan Olson at Folding Ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ_xWvX1n9g&t=2344s

Paris Hilton and Jimmy Fallon talking about NFT apes: https://twitter.com/etienneshrdlu/status/1485956332989693953

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Will the metaverse of Ready Player One ever exist in our world? Has a bad ending ever ruined a video game? And just how does one get into Monster Hunter? This week, Jason, Kirk, and Maddy open up the listener mailbag and answer some of YOUR questions on all sorts of things.

(Note: We recorded this episode BEFORE Tuesday's bombshell news that Microsoft is buying Activision!)

One More Thing: 

Kirk: Free Guy

Maddy: Death Note

Jason: Don’t Look Up

Links:

Tips for Suikoden II: https://kotaku.com/tips-for-playing-suikoden-and-suikoden-ii-1670446047

Polygon’s honestly very good (no bias) tips for Monster Hunter Rise: https://www.polygon.com/monster-hunter-rise-guide/22348967/weapons-armor-wirebug-wyvern-riding-best-controller-beginners-tips-tricks

MH: Rise Longsword tutorial by Arekkz Gaming, whose MH videos are all excellent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jscDTUOHdw&t=2s

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The year's only started but it's already full of GAMING NEWS! Join Jason, Maddy, and Kirk for a breakdown of this year's biggest headlines: Take-Two buying Zynga, E3 essentially dying, and the trials and tribulations of BioShock director Ken Levine. Plus: a cool new mystery show and the return of Jason's NFL stories!

One More Thing: 

Kirk: Only Murders in the Building

Maddy: Homestuck Made This World

Jason: Chargers vs. Raiders

Links:

Jason’s report on Ken Levine’s Ghost Story Games: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-03/bioshock-creator-s-next-game-and-its-narrative-legos-in-turmoil

The two-hour Sarah Z Homestuck video that Kirk watched: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohFyOjfcLWQ&t=1518s

Music from Only Murders in the Building, composed by Siddhartha Khosla

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It's time! Kirk, Jason, and Maddy revisit their predictions for 2021, determine who won the big bet (and what game they'll all play this year), and then lay down some predictions for 2022.

One More Thing: 

Kirk: The Frustration of Wanting to Play Cyberpunk 2077

Maddy: Wordle

Jason: Final Fantasy XIV

Links:

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As we all say farewell (and good riddance) to 2021, it's time to go through the BEST games of the year!!! Kirk, Maddy, and Jason each break down their ten (or more) favorites, from Metroid Dread to The Great Ace Attorney.

KIRK'S LIST:

• Returnal
• Hitman 3
• Deathloop
• Inscryption
• Wildermyth
• Halo Infinite
• Death’s Door
• Metroid Dread
• Psychonauts 2
• Monster Hunter Rise
• Subnautica: Below Zero
• Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye

MADDY'S LIST:

• Metroid Dread
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale
• Psychonauts 2
• Wildermyth
• Halo Infinite
• Unpacking
• Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye
• FF7 Remake Intergrade
• Overboard!
• Inscryption

[Honorable Mention: Deathloop, Get in the car loser]

JASON'S LIST:

• Overboard!
• The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
• Psychonauts 2
• The Forgotten City
• Metroid Dread
• Bravely Default 2
• Tales of Arise
• Deathloop
• The House in Fata Morgana
• Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye

One More Thing: 

Kirk: Yellowjackets

Maddy: Dark Souls

Jason: Hawkeye

Links:

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The Triple Click Trio discuss the entirety of the Half-Life story so far. 

Back in September, Maddy, Jason, and Kirk recorded a spoilercast about the entirety of Half-Life 2. Here in December, they're taking this week off for the holidays, so they decided to drop this bonus episode in the feed. As always, if you'd like to become a Maximum Fun member and get many more bonus episodes like this one, go to maximumfun.org/join.

Original show notes follow. Hope you all are having a happy holiday!

SHOW NOTES

Jason and Maddy have finished both episodes of Half-Life 2, so they sit down with Kirk to talk through the entire City17 saga, from the inbound train, to the outbound train, to the rocket ship. They then talk some about the “Epistle Three” that might have been, and what the ending of 2020’s Half-Life Alyx says about the possible future of the series.

LINKS:

"Epistle Three" by Half-Life 2 writer Marc Laidlaw: https://www.marclaidlaw.com/epistle-3/

The ending of Half-Life Alyx (start at 12 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVzEiVcVq3Y

Hunter Sound Effects via: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDqhw04BjWc

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It's Halo time! Maddy, Kirk, and Jason dive into Halo Infinite, the new game from Microsoft and 343 Industries. They talk about the story (bleh) and the grappling hook (yesssss) then get into the game's rocky development, the very fun open world, and the truth behind Cortana. Plus: Succession season 3 talk!

One More Thing: 

Kirk: The Matrix Awakens

Maddy: Succession

Jason: The Game Awards

Links:

Digital Foundry on what makes The Matrix Awakens technologically remarkable: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2021-inside-the-matrix-awakens-previewing-the-future-of-gaming-graphics

Emily VanDerwerff (Vox) on Succession: https://www.vox.com/culture/22831645/succession-finale-season-3-recap-review-all-the-bells-say-kendall-roman-shiv-tom

...and Tom Ley (Defector): https://defector.com/logan-roy-is-an-american/

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It's the most trailer-filled time of the year, when Santa Keighley slides down our internet-chimneys to hastily deliver some awards in between ads for upcoming games. Jason, Maddy, and Kirk go over the history of The Game Awards, discuss the controversies surrounding this year's event, and of course, gripe about the games they wish had gotten more nominations. 

Or any at all.

Because Wildermyth didn't get a single nomination.

I KNOW RIGHT

One More Thing:

Kirk: Unpacking
Maddy: Halo Infinite
Jason: Three Identical Strangers 

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Come join Maddy, Kirk, and Jason for a battle to the death staged by a foul-mouthed, adorable talking bear. That's right — it's time to talk Danganronpa. What's the deal with this popular series of killing games? Why is it so popular? And what do you have to know ahead of the Switch release this week?

One More Thing: 

Kirk: Arcane

Maddy: Last Podcast on the Left’s six-part JFK assassination series

Jason: Final Fantasy V

Links:

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Happy Thanksgiving! If you're celebrating, grab yourself a turkey drumstick and listen to Kirk, Maddy, and Jason talk gaming news. From the ongoing Activision Blizzard crisis to the inexplicable rise of NFTs, it sure has been a weird fall in the video game world. This week, the gang talks about those and other big headlines, like the new consoles and the supply chain mess.

One More Thing: 

Kirk:  Metal Gear Solid V

Maddy: Chicory

Jason: Baba Is You

Links:

Kirk talking Death Stranding on the podcast How Did This Get Played?: https://www.earwolf.com/episode/death-stranding-directors-cut-with-kirk-hamilton/

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