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

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

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

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/

Thanks to yesterday's Nintendo Direct, we now know a lot more about the Nintendo Switch 2, from the price (high!) to the release date (soon!) to the fact that omg they showed Silksong for three seconds and said it's coming in 2025, which means it MUST come out this year since when has a console maker ever been wrong about when Silksong is coming out???

Also they announced a bunch of other Switch 2-related stuff, and Jason actually attended the press event and played the thing, and Maddy spent all day directing coverage of it, so they got on a zoom call with Kirk to talk about all of it. And then they both went to sleep and Kirk stayed up to edit the episode and write this episode description.

One More Thing:

Kirk: The Princess Bride (William Goldman)

Maddy: The Residence (Netflix)

Jason: Saga Frontier 2 

LINKS:

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

There's a new Assassin's Creed out, and there's lots to discuss. Kirk, Maddy, and Jason talk about the structure of Assassin's Creed Shadows, the balance between protagonists Naoe and Yasuke, how the game might impact Ubisoft's future, and much more.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Search Engine with Ira Glass

Maddy: Heretic (2024)

Jason: Vantage Point (Sara Sligar)

LINKS:

Featuring excerpts from the AC Shadows soundtrack composed by The Flight and TEKE::TEKE

Shogun’s subtitles: https://www.polygon.com/24124644/star-wars-shogun-influence-subtitle-font

Polygon’s Heretic interviews: https://www.polygon.com/horror/476433/heretic-ending-explained-by-directorsHeretic’s directors unpack its ambiguous ending

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If the Triple Click gang worked in the video game industry, what would they each do? What's it like to pitch a game? And should Steam bring back its Greenlight process to help slow down the barrage of new games every year? This week, it's time for some burning questions!

One More Thing:

Kirk: Notifications

Maddy: We Are Lady Parts 

Jason: Dead Money (Jakob Kerr)

LINKS:

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

Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread https://faroffgames.com/pages/arydia

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

Video games: they're cool! There are a lot of new games out, so let's talk about them. Games discussed this week: Wanderstop, Expelled, Split Fiction, Rise of the Golden Idol DLC, Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist, Lost Records: Bloom and Rage

One More Thing:

Kirk: Reacher (Prime Video)

Maddy: Paradise (Hulu)

Jason: The Corrections (Jonathan Franzen)

LINKS:

Analysis of duplicated host introductions using spectral analysis: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EQmbU451Ob5rmqKUDAdwAjuSysx7oEvW/view?usp=sharing

“The Guilt of the Video Game Millionares” by Simon Parkin for The New Yorker, 2014 https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-guilt-of-the-video-game-millionaires

Featuring an excerpt from the Wanderstop theme by C418

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Triple Click Ethics Policy: 

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

Kirk, Maddy, and Jason grab their Palicoes and pull out their dual blades for a monster hunt extraordinaire. This week, the gang is talking about Capcom's latest Monster Hunter. They talk about the appeal of the core gameplay loop, the thrill of the combat, and the approachability compared to previous entries.

One More Thing:

Kirk: The Murderbot Diaries (Martha Wells)

Maddy: The Contestant (2023)

Jason: Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars

LINKS:

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

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