Clean 161: Who Won The 2018 Predictions Bet? On the very first Kotaku Splitscreen of 2019, Kirk, Jason, and Maddy talk about the games they've been playing to kick off the year, including CrossCode, Life Is Strange Season 2, and Minit. Then Kirk and Jason revisit their 2018 predictions (34:19) to figure out who won their big yearlong bet and gets to force the other to play a game of their choice.
Basilisk can run systems 7.5.5 through 7.6.1 pretty decently. You will need a mac.rom file to legally run it, but we all know you've got that laying around someplace.
Finally, off-topic talk (52:09) on Into The Spider-Verse, Vice, Widows, Happy Endings, and The Fifth Risk.Music pick of the week: Vulfpeck, “Animal Spirits,” from their 2016 album The Beautiful Game 1/3/2019 Free 2. Clean 157: The Game Announcements (And Some Awards) It's nearly time for December E3, aka The Game Awards, and there's lots to discuss! First, Kirk and Jason talk about slaying Sean Bean in Hitman 2, the great new platformer Monster Boy, and the excellent Prey Mooncrash.
Then they get into Game Awards talk (30:10) on what to expect at this year's show, hype versus awards, and whether game reveals actually matter. They close out the show with off-topic talk (59:47) on The Bodyguard, She-Ra, and To Kill A Mockingbird.Music: Hanne Hukkelberg, “Cheater’s Armoury,” from her 2006 album Rykestrasse 68 12/5/2018 Free 6. Clean 156: Catching Up On Fall Games There are oh so many games to play this fall, and you should start with Return of the Obra Dinn, the fantastic puzzler that Kirk and Jason both adore. This week they talk all about that, along with Hitman 2, the Sega Genesis Classics collection, and other games they're playing.
Then it's time for the news of the week (37:50) on Red Dead Online, Diablo 4, and The Game Awards rumors, along with some off-topic talk on Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born.Music pick: Paul Simon, “You Can Call Me Al,” from his 1986 masterpiece Graceland Video: to Kirk’s new music podcast STRONG SONGS on Apple Podcasts or Google Play. Clean 155: Fallout 76, Red Dead 2 Spoilercast It's an extra-special-early Thanksgiving episode! This one's a two-parter. First, Kirk and Jason bring on Kotaku's Ethan Gach to talk about Fallout 76 (06:51), the buggy new multiplayer game from Bethesda Game Studios. Then, it's the long-awaited Red Dead Redemption 2 spoilercast (35:32) as Kirk and Jason dive into the game's lengthy story and talk about everything they liked and disliked.
(Warning: SPOILERS!!!!)Music pick: Mika, “Grace Kelly,” from his 2007 album Life in Cartoon Motion Free 8. Clean 154: Stan Lee's Legacy Kirk and Jason talk about the games they're playing, like Tetris Effect and Hitman 2, then jump into the news of the week (21:36) on Detective Pikachu, Final Fantasy XV's canceled DLC, and Destiny 2's 'disappointing' sales. Then old friend Evan Narcisse joins the show (40:56) to talk about Stan Lee's legacy and what he meant to nerds all across the world. Finally, some off-topic talk (59:53) on House of Cards season 6 and Bohemian Rhapsody.Music pick: Roy Hargrove & The RH Factor, “Common Free Style,” from their 2003 album Hard Groove Free 9. Clean 153: The Diablo Disaster Kotaku's Maddy Myers returns to the show this week, joining Kirk and Jason to chat about the big Diablo disaster. First they talk about some of the games they've been playing, including Assassin's Creed Origins, Return of the Obra Dinn, and Red Dead 2. Then the three get into the news of the week on Nintendo removing a racist animation from the new Smash, BlizzCon announcements, and the big Diablo controversy.
They talk about why Diablo Immortal frustrated fans and offer some theories as to why marketing is such a large part of video game culture. The three of them close things out with off-topic talk and Kirk's Music Pick Of The Week.MUSIC PICK: Lake Street Dive, “You Go Down Smooth,” from their 2014 album Bad Self Portraits 11/8/2018 Free 10.
Clean 152: Red Dead 2 Is Big And Weird Who would've thought that the biggest game of 2018 would also be one of the strangest? First up on this week's episode, Jason and Kirk talk about the news of the week including the PlayStation Classic's sad lineup, the buggy Fallout 76 beta, and a surprise new game from the creator of Undertale.
Then Kirk and Jason take another deep dive into Red Dead Redemption 2 (21:14), now that Jason's actually had a chance to play it. They talk about how Rockstar's new game subverts AAA open-world tropes, the intense level of detail, and why RDR2 has grown on them both so much before moving into off-topic stuff and Kirk's Music Pick Of The Week (KMPOTW). 11/1/2018 Free 11.
Clean 151: Red Dead Redemption 2 Over the past week, Kirk has spent all of his time playing through Red Dead Redemption 2, while Jason has spent all of his time talking to the people who made it. Today's show is a lengthy dissection of the newest epic from Rockstar, the conditions under which it was made, and how the game's story parallels its creators in so many ways. Kirk and Jason talk about how RDR2 works and what makes it so special, dig into the nuances of working overtime, and discuss their own relationships with crunch and how it's affected them. Clean 150: 'Working 100-Hour Weeks' Kirk and Jason chat about rock climbing tents, meta-baiting, and Assassin's Creed Odyssey before getting into this week's big news story (26:51) on Rockstar's work conditions. What did Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser mean when he said they put in 100-hour work weeks? Why do people equate working hard with working long hours? And how should we balance our desire to play the hell out of Red Dead Redemption 2 with our concerns about how it was made?
This is just the first part of this conversation - much more to come next week, too! Clean 149: The Big Microtransaction Question Kirk and Jason briefly gush about the new Wonder Woman emulator Assassin's Creed Odyssey before bringing on Stephen Totilo for a lengthy chat about microtransactions (21:43). The three talk about how Assassin's Creed Odyssey's microtransactions work, whether they affect the game, whether their sheer existence plants a seed of skepticism inside the player's head, the 'poisoning the well' argument, how video games have always been after your money, whether games should still cost $60, and much, much more. Finally, Kirk and Jason briefly chat about some off-topic stuff (1:19:55) like Better Call Saul and the new season of American Vandal.
Clean 148: AC Odyssey And Spider-Man Spoilercast Jason's back from his honeymoon and there's lots to discuss, starting with the Splitscreen boys' first impressions of the new open-world game Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Then, Kirk and Jason dive into this week's news (34:36) on a leaked Harry Potter game, Google's Project Stream, and much more. Finally, it's time for a Spider-Man spoilercast (56:27), getting into the strengths and weaknesses of the story, MJ and Peter's relationship, and what Kirk and Jason want to see from Spider-Man 2.LINKS:'We've Got A Wild Theory About The New Harry Potter Movie'Assassin’s Creed Odyssey: The Kotaku Review 10/4/2018 Free 16. Clean 147: The Death Of Telltale Games Kirk and Maddy start off by talking about the biggest news of the last week: the sudden closure of Telltale Games, a move that left more than 200 game developers out of work with no severance. (Well REALLY, they start out by talking about comically huge mouse pads, if we're being totally accurate.) After talking about the Telltale debacle, they discuss Sony finally opening up the PS4 to cross-play with other consoles, how a Shadow of the Tomb Raider fan found an unintended post-credits cutscene by playing the game without the day-one patch, and how Nintendo's tight-lipped approach to explaining their games lets fans create things as wonderful as Bowsette, a.k.a. Clean 146: In The Shadow Of The Tomb Raider Jason's out of town, so Kotaku editor Maddy Myers joins Kirk to fill in as co-host. First up they talk about Nintendo's new Switch online service, the just-announced PlayStation Classic, how the maniacs who beat Destiny 2's new raid unlocked new stuff for everyone, and how streamers are reacting after someone shot a BB gun through the window of a popular PUBG personality.
Then Kotaku EIC Stephen Totilo joins (33:33) to talk about Shadow of the Tomb Raider, a good game that's been unfortunately overSHADOWED (cough) by certain other September mega-games. Clean 145: The Amazing, Amazing Spider-Man First, Kirk and Jason talk some more about Destiny 2's Forsaken expansion, addressing the question 'how much should creators listen to fan feedback?' And talking about the brilliant new Dreaming City location. Then Kirk sits down with video producer Lindsay Ellis to talk about Disney, Star Wars, fascism, and YouTube.
Jason rejoins the show to cap things off with more Spider-Man love, which Kirk finally acknowledges is as good as Jason said it was.Lindsay Ellis's YouTube: Puppy - Lingus (live recording): 9/13/2018 Free 20. Clean 143: Cyberpunk 2077's Big Debut Kirk's back from vacation and raring to talk about games. What kinds of games?
VIDEO games, baby! He and Jason start off discussing what they've been playing, covering God of War's New Game+, Prey: Mooncrash, Destiny 2, The Messenger, and Dragon Quest XI. Clean 130: Detroit: Become Bad Is Detroit: Become Human any good? No it is not.
Kirk and Jason talk about that before getting into the news of the week (24:46) on Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Xbox One accessibility, and HBO's Watchmen. Then Compete staff writer Maddy Myers joins the show (43:20) to talk about her journalism career at the Boston Phoenix, her love for Metroid, and why Samus Aran is just so much better when she's by herself.Check out Maddy's album here: 5/24/2018 Free 46. Clean 129: Dungeons, Dragons, Diners, And Dives Kirk and Jason talk about cults and audio tricks (clearly it's Laurel), then get into the news of the week on Boss Key shutting down, a Destiny 2 secret entering real life, and legalized gambling. Then Kotaku's Cecilia D'Anastasio joins the show (37:13) to talk about the Dungeons & Dragons one-shot she ran for Kirk and Jason, her experiences DMing, and why she's writing a campaign about Guy Fieri. Finally, Kirk and Jason talk Destiny 2 and Pillars of Eternity 2. 5/17/2018 Free 47. Clean 128: Why Is The Games Industry So Secretive?
Why is the video game industry so obsessed with secrets? Kirk and Jason are joined by Polygon's Chris Plante to discuss that topic and way more. FIRST, the Splitscreen Gang talks about Westworld, escape rooms, and news on Nintendo, Rage 2, and Trump's connections to Everquest (14:16). Then Plante comes on to talk about video game leaks, how Polygon has evolved over the years, and whether it makes sense for game companies to be so secretive (32:03).
Finally, Kirk and Jason talk Destiny 2 and the delightful Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (1:11:58).Notes:Audio from the Google AI talk via Evan Kirstel (Tropical Freeze Alp's Fall Theme music via 5/10/2018 Free 48. Clean 125: Music: The Final Frontier Jason's eating pain au chocolat on the Seine this week, so Kirk is joined instead by Kotaku's Heather Alexandra and Stephen Totilo to talk over some recent news, as well as the games they've recently been playing. (Stephen: Assassin's Creed Origins. Clean GDC 2018: A Delicious Edible Game, with Jenn Sandercock At GDC 2018, Kirk and Jason tried something new: an edible game. Specifically 'The Patisserie Code,' designed by Thimbleweed Park programmer/designer Jenn Sandercock as part of her upcoming cookbook of edible games. Everyone had a delicious time eating cream puffs, thwarting Nazis, and learning to read old-fashioned cursive.You can find photos of the game on Kotaku: 3/26/2018 Free 57. Clean The Secret Hunters of Destiny On this special episode of Kotaku Splitscreen, Kirk and Jason travel back to Destiny 1 and the era of Sleeper Simulant, Outbreak Prime, and the Vault of Glass.
![Emulator Emulator](/uploads/1/2/5/3/125390228/593734570.jpg)
Clean 117: The Director Of Divinity: Original Sin 2 Kirk and Jason talk about The Leftovers and Nintendo Labo before moving into the controversial news of the week (18:37), including the shocking bombshell that that's actually Toad's head. Then, Larian CEO Swen Vincke joins the show (36:53) to talk about his incredible new role-playing game, Divinity: Original Sin 2.
He talks about what it was like to develop the game, how they find bugs, and what his favorite quests are. Then, Kirk and Jason talk Rise of the Tomb Raider and Monster Hunter: World (1:07:17). 2/8/2018 Free 75. Clean 116: Hunting Monsters And Writing Games Kirk and Jason talk about weather, Roombas, and football, just like you wanted! Then they get to news (16:44) on the Nolan Bushnell controversy, a revoked world record, and Paragon shutting down because Fortnite was just too popular. After that, writer Leigh Alexander joins the show (32:57) to talk about her work on the clever narrative game Reigns: Her Majesty, and then Kirk and Jason talk through some new games (1:02:41) including Monster Hunter: World and Celeste. 2/1/2018 Free 76.
Clean 113: Let's Break RPGs Prolific RPG speedrunner puwexil joins the show from Awesome Games Done Quick 2018 to tell us what it's like to break the hell out of games like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI. First, Kirk and Jason talk about news of the week (14:35) on Cyberpunk 2077, Overwatch League, and the Nintendo Direct that may or may not exist. Then Jason talks to puwexil (31:00) about what it's like to speedrun massive RPGs, how he discovers glitches, and why he started speedrunning. Finally, Kirk rejoins the show (1:00:43) to talk about Warframe, The Division, and what Jason should play on his brand new PC. 1/11/2018 Free 80.
Clean 112: Our Video Game Predictions For 2018 Assuming we don't die in a nuclear holocaust, what will 2018 bring for gaming? Kirk and Jason talk about the news of the week (13:46) including Gravity Rush 2 fans, an innocent man dying to a police swatting call, and Logan Paul's bleak controversy before making their big predictions for the year to come (34:16). Then they talk about their Games of the Year 2017 (57:20), share some behind-the-scenes details on how Kotaku picked its GOTYs, and discuss a few games they've been playing. 1/4/2018 Free 81.
Clean 111: What We Got Right (And Mostly Wrong) About 2017 For the last Splitscreen of 2017, Kirk and Jason revisit the predictions they made way back in January. First they talk about the news (5:42), including Final Fantasy's 30th anniversary, Leeroy Jenkins tomfoolery, and Destiny's Music of the Spheres leaking. Then it's time to see who won that big steak dinner bet: Kirk or Jason? (20:36) They close things off by talking Assassin's Creed Origins, Danganronpa, and other games they're playing (34:15).
Clean 101: Come On Down To South Park What's good about South Park: The Fractured But Whole? What's bad about it? And how does South Park fit into our lives in 2017? Kirk and Jason take a deep dive into the longrunning comedy show, then jump into the news of the week (40:19) including Visceral's demise, sexual harrassment allegations from an ex-Naughty Dog artist, and the state of Destiny 2.
Then they talk about a few games they've been playing (1:08:33), like Stardew Valley and Shadow of War. Clean 98: Video Game Writing With Tom Bissell Kirk and Jason start things off by talking about the SNES Classic, Danganronpa V3, and Divinity: Original Sin 2. Then it's time for news (31:36) about the voice actors strike ending, toxicity in gaming, and Assassin's Creed: Origins getting a tourist mode. Then, prolific writer Tom Bissell joins the show (47:26) to talk about how his opinions have evolved as he moved from game criticism to writing video games, why it's so hard to write games, and how even the best plans can go horribly wrong. 9/28/2017 Free 96.
Clean 97: Metroid Returns, Destiny 2 Spoilercast Jason and Kirk jump right into the news of the week (2:39) which includes Steam review bombing, Fortnite accidentally getting cross-play, and the Nintendo Direct. Then they bring on Kotaku boss Stephen Totilo (26:59) to talk about his love for Metroid, the new game Metroid: Samus Returns, and the remake of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. Finally, Jason and Kirk reconvene for a big ol' Destiny 2 spoilercast (58:02) to dig into the campaign, the raid, and the crazy rollercoaster ride that is the Destiny community. 9/21/2017 Free 97.
Clean 96: Why Some Fonts Are Better Than Others What makes a font good or bad? Bethany Heck, a design director at Vox Media and typographer, joins today's show to talk about the nuances of font design. First, Kirk and Jason talk Mario + Rabbids before jumping into news like L.A. Noire Switch (19:54), Apple announcements (25:38), and Pewdiepie's racial slurs (36:33).
Then Bethany hops on the show (48:16) to talk about the best and worst video game fonts, serifs vs. Sans serifs, and what exactly 'kerning' means. Kirk and Jason close things out with a brief chat about getting ready to run the Destiny 2 raid blindly (1:08:15).
9/14/2017 Free 98. Clean 94: Twelve Straight Hours Of Video Games Fresh off a 12-hour video game marathon, Kirk and Jason talk about what it was like to play Dark Souls, Suikoden II, Splatoon 2, Super Mario RPG, Resident Evil 7, and Super Mario World for the first time ever. Then they get into the news of the week (26:18) including Half-Life 3 fanfiction, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds exploding, and our report on Destiny 2's first DLC. Next, Kirk interviews Jason (39:08) about his upcoming book, BLOOD, SWEAT, AND PIXELS (which is out Sept 5!), and they close things off with some discussion of Mario + Rabbids and Mafia 3 (58:29). 8/31/2017 Free 101.
Clean 92: Meatsports vs. Esports Welcome to another extra-long episode of Kotaku Splitscreen, which is apparently what happens when Jason's on vacation.
Clean 90: Adam Ruins Video Games Kirk and Jason talk about Pyre, Battlegrounds, and Dream Daddy before jumping into this week's news (29:07) on GameStop's Thanksgiving hours, Unsung Story's Kickstarter disaster, and a gamer cruise that lost its boat. Then they bring on Adam Conover, host of the excellent Adam Ruins Everything (41:06), to talk about how his show works, how he launched a TV career, and of course, ruining video games. Finally, Jason and Kirk reconvene to answer a listener question on service games and net neutrality (1:23:38). 8/3/2017 Free 109. Clean 89: Oxenfree's Director, Persona 5 Spoilercast We're talking two very different games about high school students on this week's Kotaku Splitscreen.
First, Kirk talks all about his newfound love for all the squid kids in Splatoon 2. Then it's time for the news (19:15) including the disaster at Pokemon Go Fest, speedrunner monitors, and Roomba spies. Kirk and Jason are then joined by Sean Krankel, director of Oxenfree (31:33), to talk about storytelling in games and dialogue as a core action. Then it's time for the long-awaited Persona 5 spoilercast (103:00). 7/27/2017 Free 111. Clean 85: The SNES Classic Is Real, And It's Spectacular Hope you're ready for a mega-Splitscreen! Kotaku features editor Chris Kohler joins the show to talk about Nintendo's bombshell Super NES Classic announcement, but first, Kirk and Jason talk about FFXV: Episode Prompto and Cave Story + on Switch.
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/2/5/3/125390228/274769375.jpg)
Then we get into Vidcon drama (19:27), Diablo III getting a Necromancer class (29:14), and Destiny 2 giving hardcore Destiny players some emblems (35:35). We bring on Kohler (38:08) to talk SNES Classic, retro games, and the Switch before closing things off with a Nier: Automata SPOILERCAST (1:16:52). 6/29/2017 Free 117. Clean 84: We Survived E3 2017 E3 is over, which means Splitscreen is back to its weekly schedule. (We know-we're sad too.) This week, Kirk and Jason talk about some of the games they've been playing, like Nier: Automata (3:53), StarCraft II (8:15), and Wolfenstein.
Then it's time for the news of the week including Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood's troubled launch (21:43), IO Interactive going independent (25:43), and Pokemon Go getting an update (32:31). Insomniac CEO Ted Price joins Jason for an interview from E3 (34:13) to talk Spider-Man and VR, and then Kirk rejoins the show to talk about all the books he's been reading (1:03:12). 6/22/2017 Free 118. Clean E3 2017 Episode 5: South Park, Pillars Of Eternity 2 We're almost there. We've almost survived E3 2017.
We can do this. Kirk and Jason catch up on how E3 is going today before Jason sits down with Jason Schroeder, game director on South Park: The Fractured But Whole. Then Jason catches up with Adam Brennecke (35:26), executive producer and lead programmer on Pillars of Eternity 2, to get in-depth about how they're designing that game and how much work it takes to make a good RPG quest. 6/15/2017 Free 120. Clean E3 Episode 4 (UPDATED): Luke Smith On Destiny 2, John Garvin On Days Gone Kirk and Jason start off by talking about what Jason saw at E3 yesterday, then pivot (15:38) to Sony's weak explanation for why they don't support cross-platform play in Rocket League and Minecraft. After that Jason’s joined by Destiny 2 game director Luke Smith (23:35) for a predictably lively chat about the game.
He’s then joined by Days Gone director John Garvin (45:30) to talk about how that game is coming along, how much work it takes to make a big E3 demo like the one they just showed, and why it’s worth doing.UPDATE: For some reason, the first version of this episode cut off at 5 minutes. You may have to redownload it to get the full 58 minute version. Sorry about that! 6/14/2017 Free 121.
Clean 83: Hopes And Predictions For E3 2017 We're just days away from the best time of the year: E3. Kirk and Jason open with some discussion of Mass Effect: Andromeda's turbulent development (4:03) before jumping into E3 talk, going through each press conference to talk about hopes and predictions. First up is Electronic Arts (17:17), then Microsoft (25:15), Bethesda (35:52), Ubisoft (43:44), Sony (49:44), and Nintendo (1:00:27). Last, a quick discussion about our podcast plans for the coming week (1:15:25). 6/8/2017 Free 125. Clean 82: The Plural Of Anime Jason explains to Kirk why gambling is the best thing ever and talks wedding catering before we jump into ARMS (11:54) and Star Trek Bridge Crew (19:21).
Then, Kirk and Jason talk about 'service games' (22:53), how the Final Fantasy VII remake will never come out (29:34), and Far Cry 5 hot takes (35:45). Kotaku staff writer Cecilia D'Anastasio joins the show (43:08) to talk about Overwatch, reporting, and her favorite animes. Then we cap things off with listener questions (1:11:05) on E3 Judge's week and free video game updates. 6/1/2017 Free 126. Clean 80: Eat, Prey, Chris Avellone Industry luminary Chris Avellone joins the show once again to talk about his recent work on Prey.
First, Kirk and Jason talk a bit about Nier: Automata (6:55) and the Nintendo Switch (11:15) before jumping into this week's news: Zelda reportedly coming to smartphones (16:24); Tom Brady appearing on the cover of Madden 18 (21:19); and Alan Wake disappearing from Xbox Live and Steam (28:55). Then we speak to Avellone (34:30) about his writing work on Prey and how he constructed all of those great characters. We even BLOW HIS MIND with the revelation of a fantastic easter egg. Finally, we've got a couple of listener questions (1:04:17) including one that really Takes a Chance.
5/18/2017 Free 129. Clean 79: The Zelda: Breath of the Wild Spoilercast The new Zelda has been out for two months now, so let's spoil it! First, Kirk and Jason talk this week's news including the rocky future of Mass Effect (5:20), an eleven-year-old getting GTA V and finding a bag of meth instead (11:41) and Assassin's Creed/Far Cry leaks (15:38). Then Stephen Totilo joins the podcast for a nice chunk of Breath of the Wild spoiler talk (22:56). And Kirk and Jason finish things off with some Prey (1:06:55). 5/11/2017 Free 130. Clean 78: Zelda DLC, Destiny Dreams, And Reader Q&A Jason just started Nier: Automata, so he and Kirk talk about that for a bit (7:17) before jumping into the news, starting with Zelda's first DLC (18:33).
Then, they chat New 2DS XL (24:42) and Darksiders 3 (31:59) before pulling open the listener mailbag to take YOUR questions on all sorts of things, from Switch's VR potential (38:16) to Mass Effect: Andromeda (53:51) to what Kirk and Jason would do if they were put in charge of Bungie and asked to make up some new Destiny games (1:18:02). Assuming Bungie didn't oust them in a grand coup, that is. 5/4/2017 Free 131. Clean 77: Stories From LucasArts And Bethesda Kirk and Jason start off the show by talking about the new indie games What Remains Of Edith Finch and The Sexy Brutale before jumping into this week's news: the announcement of Call of Duty: WWII (13:01), an Overwatch player's racist tirade (21:48), and Persona 5 localization complaints (28:02). Then they bring on veteran programmer Brett Douville (38:12) to talk about the stresses of LucasArts, his work at Bethesda on Fallout 3 and Skyrim, and his lovely podcast, Dev Game Club. 4/27/2017 Free 132. Clean 76: Switch, Nier: Automata, and The West Wing There's lots to discuss on today's Splitscreen, starting with some brief chat about Kirk's cool Undertale cover (3:37) and some of the games we've been playing including Mario Kart 8 and Dungeon Keeper (10:23).
Then, we dig into the week's news, starting with Nintendo discontinuing the NES Classic (23:44) and selling nearly a million Switches in the United States last month (29:21). We talk about why we're optimistic for Star Wars Battlefront II's campaign (34:10) and then Jason disappears so Kirk can talk to Kotaku staffers Mike Fahey and Heather Alexandra about what makes Nier: Automata so rad (42:59). Finally, Kirk and Jason reconvene to talk about The West Wing and answer a listener question (1:00:47). 4/20/2017 Free 133. Clean 75: Horizon Zero Dawn With Ashly Burch Actress and writer Ashly Burch joins the show to talk about what it was like to play Aloy, the protagonist of Horizon Zero Dawn. But first, News Hour, with stories on PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds selling a million copies (14:59), Star Wars: Battlefront II's first trailer (17:34), and Scorpio specs (19:27). Then Ashly comes on to talk about voice acting for Horizon, perfecting the voice of Aloy, and how her character has the most badass video game hair of all time (29:34).
We close things off with some listener mail about video games changing after they launch (1:04:38). 4/13/2017 Free 134. Clean 74: Doing Destiny With Datto Destiny streaming superstar Datto joins the show today. First we're talking the week's news, from Palmer Luckey leaving Oculus (9:39) to Atlus blocking Persona 5 streaming (13:11) and Mass Effect: Andromeda's big patch plans (17:20), followed by our first Amazing Game Story (29:05). Then, Datto comes on (30:43) to talk Destiny, the mystery of Outbreak Prime, and what it's like to race to be the first in the world to beat a raid. Finally, Kirk and Jason talk Persona 5, the most stylish game in years (1:04:53). 4/6/2017 Free 135.