Episode 223: Kirk, Jason, and Maddy talk about Persona 5 and Animal Crossing, the cures for everyone's woes, then share some stories from listeners (43:19) about how they're coping with corona. Then they talk about a certain show that Jason's finally watching... (1:09:17)Music pick: “Tropicalia” by Beck from Mutations, 1998Maddy's stream this weekend: https://www.twitch.tv/gamers4bernie

Episode 222: As the coronavirus pandemic upends all of our lives, let Kotaku Splitscreen distract you for a little while with talk of delightful video games. First up, Jason, Kirk, and Maddy talk about Kentucky Route Zero, Persona 5 Royal, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, then dive into the recent PS5 spec reveal (32:44) and talk about how they're coping with self-isolation. Then it's time for off-topic chat (1:07:25) on The Wire, McMillions, and The Wrecking Crew.Music pick of the week: “Cabin Essence” by Brian Wilson from Smile, 2004

Episode 221: Jason, Maddy, and Kirk talk about their adventures in Nioh 2, Black Mesa, and Persona 5 before taking a deep dive into the cancellation of E3 2020 (43:44), an unprecedented move that comes in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic. What will this mean for the video game industry? Then they get into off-topic (1:05:15) on I Think You Should Leave, Castlevania, and one fantastic episode of Reply All.Music pick of the week: “Blues Stride” by McCoy Tyner from Infinity, 1995

Episode 220: Kirk, Jason, and Maddy talk about Kentucky Route Zero, Baldur's Gate 3, and a bit more Kirby before jumping into a few different topics (24:24) including their gamer personalities, a frustrating VentureBeat article about Quantic Dream, and the much-hyped Final Fantasy VII remake demo, which they have LOTS of thoughts about. Finally, off-topic discussion (1:28:38) on Curb Your Enthusiasm and Bojack Horseman.Music pick of the week: “Get By’ By Talib Kweli from Quality, 2002Links: Quantic Foundry surveys, Jason's thoughts on Final Fantasy VII Remake, CanardPC on QuanticDream, Kirk and Leigh Alexander on Final Fantasy VII

Episode 219: Jason, Kirk, and Maddy talk about Dragon's Dogma, Death Stranding, and Divinity: Original Sin 2 for a while before diving into the game that everyone's playing -- Kirby: Planet Robobot (33:27). Then they talk about how the coronavirus pandemic may impact the video game industry this year in some big ways and discuss whether Trials of Osiris will bring Kirk and Jason back to Destiny 2. Finally, some off-topic chat on Uncut Gems, RoboCop, and Better Call Saul.Music pick of the week: “By Fire” by Hiatus Kaiyote from Choose Your Weapon, 2015Links: "The Universe Has Been Outsourced" - Michael ThomsenApple Music playlist: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/kirks-strong-songs/pl.u-V9D7mXEHJ7o0aSpotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1zRtCq81Z6kXKmGCK0Xm7u?si=2qwuFExCTfCkRFY9d3hUhA