TALK THIS: It's Dangerous to Podcast Alone
393 episodes - English - Latest episode: 13 days ago - ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsTALK THIS! is a biweekly podcast about video games hosted by Emma and Madelyn Paquette. Every show, they talk about two games- one old (pre-2007) and one new (within the last year or two). At the end of each show, Madelyn and Emma take the best elements from each game and mash them together into a brand new game idea.
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Episodes
Side-Quest 91. Time Sure Keeps on Going
August 30, 2020 16:00 - 59 minutes - 54.3 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about what they've been playing for the last six weeks and what do you know? It's more than just Animal Crossing. Also featuring powerful plants, the Wipeout-style appeal of Fall Guys, and the endless march of the clock.
Ep 94. Abe's Disco World
August 23, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 62.1 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and Disco Elysium and there's just generally a lot of unintentional, somewhat comical death. Also featuring how taking off your pants increases your stats, refreshingly intentional politics, and what works as a TV show.
Side-Quest 90. Let's Get Escapist
August 16, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 62.3 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about games as escapism and reveal themselves as to-do list fanatics. Also featuring throwing molotovs, Fire Emblem University, and power fantasy 101.
Ep 93. Don't Cross Mama!
August 09, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 59 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk Cooking Mama and Animal Crossing: New Horizons and also that Tamogotchi game for the DS, man that was a good game. Also featuring the whole Cookstar situation, Emma forgetting Puddles, and tool breaking points.
Side-Quest 89. Take It Slow, Or Fast
August 02, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 61.3 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about pacing in games, especially the dreaded question...are games too long? Play horror movie sting. Also featuring a throwback, the benefit of game-like elements, and distractions before the main mission.
Ep 92. Zero Escape From the Maneating Shark!
July 26, 2020 16:00 - 50 minutes - 46.7 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (999) and Maneater and go deep into shark psychology. Also featuring pseudoscience vs wrong science, the localization of puns, and Stinky Pete.
Side-Quest 88. Ex-Gatcha SOLDIER
July 19, 2020 16:00 - 56 minutes - 51.3 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about what they've been playing for the last six weeks and make plans to destroy their sisterly relationship with Overcooked 2. Also featuring the lure of the gatcha, the dreaded Joycon drift, and how much Rean kinda sucks.
Ep 91. What the Borderlands?
July 12, 2020 16:00 - 59 minutes - 54.4 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk Borderlands and What the Golf and wonder how many people are wearing full Borderlands masks to encourage social distancing. Also featuring a dude in a strange land with strange forces, subway philosophers, and how somebody would golf Naruto.
Side-Quest 87. The Mad Funny Genre
July 05, 2020 16:00 - 53 minutes - 49 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about how we talk about video game genre and how everything is an action-adventure if you think about it. Also featuring missed connections, the draw of short episode lengths, and why Soulslike is a solid descriptor.
Ep 90. Dreams or A Premonition
June 28, 2020 16:00 - 59 minutes - 54.3 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk Deadly Premonition and Dreams, both games that reveal the darkness within the human psyche. Also featuring York on a skateboard, ownership issues, and putting a game engine in your brain.
Side-Quest 86. Get Reviewed
June 21, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 59.5 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about what makes a good game review and rage against the Metacritic machine. Also featuring Adam Sandler, the end of Die Hard, and spoiler culture.
Ep 89. Duke of Katanas
June 14, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 55.7 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk Duke Nukem and Katana Zero and make exponentially more butt jokes than usual. Also featuring lying to therapists, one man's love for Oprah, and working mirrors.
Side-Quest 85. Everybody Do the Mario
June 07, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 62.3 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about what they've been playing for the last six weeks and fall into the world of the Mario live action TV show. Also featuring exploding particle effects, time travel theories, and how to add to your backlog while supporting BLM.
Ep 88. Big Brain Daemon
May 31, 2020 16:00 - 46 minutes - 42.8 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk Big Brain Academy and Daemon X Machina and bemoan the light weights of their brain. Also featuring the immense power of Dr. Lobe, the appeal of giant robots, and whether your brain is hot.
Side-Quest 84. All Your Ear are Belong to Us
May 24, 2020 16:00 - 57 minutes - 52.3 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about the translation and localization process for video games and are generally baffled by how any translation ever gets finished ever. Also featuring the ten words of Japanese we know, angry Twitter mobs, and making things sound more metal.
Ep 87. Ori & the Blue Robot
May 17, 2020 16:00 - 57 minutes - 52.7 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about Mega Man and Ori & the Will of the Wisps and dismiss the question of whether robots have souls. Also featuring Xbox Game Pass, terrible western box art, and Guns & Roses references.
Side-Quest 83. Emotional Orchestras & Other Bops
May 10, 2020 16:00 - 55 minutes - 50.5 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about video game soundtracks and find that their taste is utterly predictable for their brands. Also featuring all the versions of Dearly Beloved, intense Latin choirs, and lively karaoke interjections.
Episode 86. Hike of the Saints
May 03, 2020 16:00 - 49 minutes - 45.2 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about Saints Row and A Short Hike and wonder where exactly the aliens came from. Also featuring the hunt for 400 coins, surprisingly progressive design, and the joy being virtually outside.
Side-Quest 82. Infinite Screen Time
April 26, 2020 16:00 - 58 minutes - 53.1 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about their last six weeks in gaming, how much they've done, and yet how small a dent they've put into their backlog. Also featuring broken watering cans, how much we <3 Nishiki, and TURBO and TACTICAL mode.
Episode 85. Dead Space Jedi
April 19, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about Dead Space and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and question EA's development strategies over the years. Also featuring avoiding copyright disputes, making punctuation complaints, and learning what RAM even stands for.
Side-Quest 81. Easy to be Hard, Hard to be Easy
April 12, 2020 16:00 - 57 minutes - 52.9 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about the utility behind difficulty levels and expose themselves as lazy gamers. Also featuring Madelyn being harsh, bad headlines, and, somehow, Animal Crossing.
Episode 84. Mine Vein
April 05, 2020 16:00 - 52 minutes - 47.8 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about Minecraft and Code Vein and can find a way to compare every game to Animal Crossing, just watch. Also featuring re-branding Souls-likes to Soulsies, how games appeal to kids, and Domino's Pizza.
Side-Quest 80. Love in the Time of Quarantine
March 29, 2020 16:00 - 49 minutes - 45 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about the ways gaming can promote social connection, as well as the ways it can't. Also featuring video game rent freezes, lots of studies upon studies, and Animal Crossing weddings.
Episode 83. Stranding the Vagrant
March 22, 2020 16:00 - 59 minutes - 54.1 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk Vagrant Story and Death Stranding, both games that "defy genre," whatever that means. Also featuring interesting costuming choices, how art mirrors life, and how all games are basically Animal Crossing
Side-Quest 79. Pandemic Bucket List
March 15, 2020 16:00 - 47 minutes - 43.1 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about their last seven weeks of gaming and also what they want to finish while nobody can go outside. Also featuring Hideo Kojima (not the actual man, just his name), plague-themed games, and carrying Animal Crossing across the land.
Episode 82. Street Fighting Knights with Bikes
March 08, 2020 16:00 - 54 minutes - 49.7 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk Street Fighter and Knights and Bikes and marvel about arcade games in grocery stores. Also featuring licensing costs, little expired milk packs, and how many quarters went into a machine.
Special Episode. Talk This! Takes On PAX East 2020
March 01, 2020 17:00 - 1 hour - 55.5 MBIn this special episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about what they saw, did, and played at PAX East 2020. Also featuring a ton of hand-sanitizer, stalker photos of KK Slider, and the worst line in the world, probably
Side-Quest 78. Delaying for Final Polish
February 23, 2020 17:00 - 54 minutes - 50 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss video game delays and slander the good name of Shigeru Miyamoto. Also featuring running metaphors, what it means to be a business, and Gamers getting Angry.
Episode 81. The Indivisible Valkyrie
February 16, 2020 17:00 - 59 minutes - 54.4 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about Valkyrie Profile and Indivisible and oh man they should have separated these games, Emma did a dumb. Also featuring aspersions cast on 90s English dubs, nearly impossible boss fights, and perfect blocking.
Side-Quest 77. We, Too, Are DLC
February 09, 2020 17:00 - 1 hour - 61.8 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about DLC, its history, its different forms, and what makes it good or bad. Also featuring the $60 threshold, gamers being upset, and what "unfinished" even means.
Episode 80. Star Fox Legends
February 02, 2020 17:00 - 52 minutes - 48.4 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about Star Fox and Apex Legends and the famous Rumble Pak. Also featuring getting game ideas from shrines, the trials of being a human-dog, and a true Legend from Madelyn's time playing Apex Legends.
Side-Quest 76. That Reminds Me
January 26, 2020 17:00 - 1 hour - 66.6 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about their last seven weeks of gaming and only a third of it is dedicated to ReMind, we promise. Also featuring the wonders of Photo Mode, the cost of Joycons, and getting swole.
Episode 79. Destroy All Judgments
January 19, 2020 17:00 - 59 minutes - 54.1 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about Destroy All Humans! and Judgment and write a bit of Yakuza fanfiction. Also featuring Emma actually giving Madelyn a compliment, what makes games mad funny, and Kiefer Sutherland
Side-Quest 75. This Episode is Redacted
January 12, 2020 17:00 - 1 hour - 59.1 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about "censorship" in gaming and why that's a misnomer in the first place. Also featuring the removal of some bones, the unsexiness of pants, and why Steam kind of sucks.
Episode 78. Baba is Quaking
January 05, 2020 17:00 - 55 minutes - 50.9 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about Quake and Baba is You and, yes, Madelyn did forget her usual microphone and, no, she cannot make one by pushing words around. Also featuring existential dread, trash-talking online robots, and feeling stupid.
A Decade of Talk This!
December 29, 2019 17:00 - 1 hour - 69.5 MBIn this special episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss the past year in gaming AND the past ten years in gaming. Also featuring the math of Pokeball mechanics, desperate SEO chasing, and Robert de Niro
Side-Quest 74. And Another One
December 22, 2019 17:00 - 55 minutes - 76.2 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss what makes a good video game sequel and the best/worst naming conventions. Also featuring songs from Veggie Tales, Star Wars exhaustion, and timeline confusion.
Episode 77. Just Cause of Goose
December 15, 2019 17:00 - 58 minutes - 80.7 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Just Cause and Untitled Goose Game and revel in being the bringers of chaos. Also featuring promising movie plans, wifi troubles, and Madelyn's traumatic duck stories.
Side-Quest 73. Gotta Deliver 'Em All
December 08, 2019 17:00 - 1 hour - 85.7 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma go back through their last six weeks in video gaming and how much their game characters fell off high surfaces. Also featuring pink pants, accidentally marrying goddesses, and that leaked Re:Mind trailer.
Episode 76. Control over Steins Gate
December 01, 2019 17:00 - 58 minutes - 80.6 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Steins;Gate and Control and try to avoid getting into the whole silly "what is a video game" discussion. Also featuring what's annoying about time travel, Odd Squad, and Gooigi.
Side-Quest 72. Yelling at Each Other on the Internet
November 24, 2019 17:00 - 59 minutes - 81.1 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about outrage culture and why it seems like everybody gets upset over everything on the internet. Also featuring being an informed consumer, ill-advised musicals, and, yeah, impeachment hearings.
Episode 75. Astral Halo
November 17, 2019 17:00 - 57 minutes - 78.8 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Halo and Astral Chain and the benefits and drawbacks of console exclusives. Also featuring barking like a seal, the bane of silent protagonists, and Alexa laughing somewhere, somehow.
Side-Quest 71. Funnin' Around
November 10, 2019 17:00 - 58 minutes - 79.9 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about what makes a game fun and whether that even matters. Also featuring the importance of defining your terms, Inside Llewyn Davis, and this hip and happening thing called boredom.
Episode 74. An Hour of Darkness in the Outer Wilds
November 03, 2019 17:00 - 1 hour - 84.4 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Disgaea and Outer Wilds which are surprising opposites in just about every way. Also featuring feeling stupid, jumping into a geyser, and where replay value comes from
Side-Quest 70. Finnacles of Romance
October 27, 2019 16:00 - 57 minutes - 79.4 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma go back through their last six weeks in video gaming and swap their situations from the last time we did this. Also featuring life adjustments, too much team bonding, and excessive button pressing.
Ep 73. Sea of Solitary Blades
October 20, 2019 16:00 - 1 hour - 84.6 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Blade Runner and Sea of Solitude and make up the concept for the next Persona game. Also featuring courting a copyright strike, good life advice, and how cool controller vibration is.
Side-Quest 69. Video Games History 101
October 13, 2019 16:00 - 1 hour - 84.3 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about current issues in video game preservation and archival. It's very exciting, we promise. Also featuring the usual lack of technical knowledge, a no snitches sign, and the ideal way to preserve theater.
Ep 72. Panzer Anthem
October 06, 2019 16:00 - 55 minutes - 75.8 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Panzer Dragoon and Anthem and make childish jokes about planets. Also featuring terrible development processes, expensive rare games, and people in dragon mechs.
Side-Quest 68. GOAT Simulator
September 29, 2019 16:00 - 1 hour - 72.5 MBIn this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about GOATs. What is a goat? When will Untitled Goat Game come out? Also featuring losing the thread, The Last of Us online multiplayer, and too much Pokemon Go.
Ep 71. The Donut Castle
September 22, 2019 16:00 - 56 minutes - 77.7 MBIn this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Castlevania and Donut County and discuss the deep lore of the raccoon. Also featuring the different meanings of whip, names that kill vampires, and erotic pachinko machines.