TALK THIS: It's Dangerous to Podcast Alone

Talk This! is a weekly podcast about video games, old and new. Each main episode, hosts Emma and Madelyn Paquette have a lively debate about two random video games (one old and one new) and then subsequently make up their own by mashing together the best elements of each.

Side-Quest 239. Let's Not Get Physical 07/12/2026

Side-Quest 239. Let's Not Get Physical In this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about physical media in video games and, in particular, its inevitable slow demise. Also featuring the value of a box, good device branding, and who's looking twenty years down the line (no one). /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/42043865

Episode 242. Mina's Elite Beats 07/05/2026

Episode 242. Mina's Elite Beats In this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Elite Beat Agents and Mina the Hollower, and what your government can do for you. Also featuring Zelda comparisons, the rights to cover songs, and fighting with depth perception. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/41964990

Side-Quest 238. Just Teenage Girl Cringe 06/28/2026

Side-Quest 238. Just Teenage Girl Cringe In this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about their last six weeks of gaming and they still aren't making friends. Also featuring keeping it a little stupid, having the juice, and bringing video games into the theater. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/41850290

Episode 241. Unfair Pandora 06/21/2026

Episode 241. Unfair Pandora In this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Pandora's Tower and Unfair Flips, and the troublesome need to spend time with people you care about. Also featuring pure skill, what makes something fun, and the prisoner's dilemma. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/41713945

Side-Quest 237. Let's Keep It Moving 06/14/2026

Side-Quest 237. Let's Keep It Moving In this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about traversal in games and the two (or three) extremes of good traversal systems. Also featuring demands for a "skip" button, why we want to jump off or slide down things, and the theoretical elimination of fast travel. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/41636850

Episode 240. Saros in SteamWorld 06/07/2026

Episode 240. Saros in SteamWorld In this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss the SteamWorld series and Saros and what can be traced back to The King in Yellow. Also featuring leaving things up to interpretation, ice cream flavors, and Christopher Nolan's exclusive movie making techniques. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/41562030

Side-Quest 236. A Hairy Situation 05/31/2026

Side-Quest 236. A Hairy Situation In this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about hair in video games and the types of styles they wish they could pull off in real life. Also featuring the perils of clipping, Sephiroth's hair routine, and where games still need to improve on the subject of hair. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/41480960

Episode 239. Hearth in Orbit 05/24/2026

Episode 239. Hearth in Orbit In this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Hearthstone and MIO: Memories in Orbit and everything you can and can't do with cards. Also featuring body metaphors, keeping things under control, and what makes a Soulslike. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/41406300

Side-Quest 235. We're Total Failures 05/17/2026

Side-Quest 235. We're Total Failures In this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about their last six weeks in gaming and accidentally make all the same wrong choices. Also featuring the allure of dollhouses, seeing things on the back of our eyelids, and 11th grade English class books. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/41321290

Episode 238. Ball x FEAR 05/10/2026

Episode 238. Ball x FEAR In this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss F.E.A.R. and BALL x PIT and the torrid doomed romance within the latter. Also featuring the terror of small girls, the rights to titles, and good old foursquare. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/41238040

Side-Quest 234. Beating the Backlog Battle 05/03/2026

Side-Quest 234. Beating the Backlog Battle In this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about how to approach a video game backlog and why gamers are so obsessed with doing that to begin with. Also featuring lessons from booktok, pro-con lists for making lists, and making better decisions. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/41130490

Episode 237. Syphon Silksong 04/26/2026

Episode 237. Syphon Silksong In this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Syphon Filter and Hollow Knight Silksong and the many different meanings of the word "bug." Also featuring having some nice brunch, the legacy of Bubsy 3D, and cruel gaming tricks. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/41017330

Side-Quest 233. The Fruit Gamers 04/19/2026

Side-Quest 233. The Fruit Gamers In this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about fruit in games and whether not Pac-Man is a vegetarian. Also featuring expensive grapes, Mario banana biology, and what a Wumpa should taste like. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/40924655

Episode 236. Ponies Are Unbeatable 04/12/2026

Episode 236. Ponies Are Unbeatable In this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Pony Island and Unbeatable and the terror of posting on Facebook today. Also featuring individualism, a lack of collected data, and using the microphone for gameplay. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/40814365

Side-Quest 232. The Devil's in the Cannon 04/05/2026

Side-Quest 232. The Devil's in the Cannon In this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about their last six weeks of gaming, including their radical cannon plans. Also featuring how to handle a big twist, tethering the Switch to life support, and the pleasure of a dollhouse. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/40733615

Episode 235. Cairn Taxi 03/29/2026

Episode 235. Cairn Taxi In this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Crazy Taxi and Cairn and the power of learning from a fellow arcade kid. Also featuring taxis into space, climbing how you like, and a good blog series. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/40654035

Side-Quest 231. Twenty-Four Seven Gaming 03/22/2026

Side-Quest 231. Twenty-Four Seven Gaming In this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about time in game, including real-clock and day-night cycles, and the inconvenience of time travelling your game system. Also featuring the overwhelming options of life, save data corruption, and dealing with scary nighttime monsters. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/40568800

Episode 234. FBC Monaco 03/15/2026

Episode 234. FBC Monaco In this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine and FBC: Firebreak and why we should abandon the slop moniker. Also featuring HR name lists, what the guy's name is in Ocean's Eleven, and new board game ideas. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/40486540

Side-Quest 230. The Heart of the (Mini) Cards 03/08/2026

Side-Quest 230. The Heart of the (Mini) Cards In this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about card games in games, and Madelyn resists the urge of Balatro in all ways. Also featuring a brass-based music drop, the card dimension, and the difference between cheating in poker and cheating in Magic the Gathering. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/40355795

Episode 233. Koudelka's Routine 03/01/2026

Episode 233. Koudelka's Routine In this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Koudelka and Routine and the fake version of the Vatican that has secret agents. Also featuring custom controller potential, theme park criticism, and more space religion. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/40269375

Side-Quest 229. You've Just Got to Parry It 02/22/2026

Side-Quest 229. You've Just Got to Parry It In this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about their last eight weeks of gaming. Oh boy, that's a lot of weeks. Also featuring 2-person momentum controls, class choice punishment, and the approaching end (of Madelyn's Switch battery). /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/40189160

Special Episode: Talk Anything But This! 02/15/2026

Special Episode: Talk Anything But This! In this special episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about anything but games - we also read books! Also featuring hype moments and aura (again?), that cover for romance novels, and an inability to find new music. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/39984315

Episode 232. Absolum-ly Digimon 02/08/2026

Episode 232. Absolum-ly Digimon In this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth and Absolum and the ubiquity of roguelike features. Also featuring the power of negative emotions, a lack of lore knowledge, and spamming a light punch. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/39993355

Side-Quest 228. Sorry, Wrong Number 02/01/2026

Side-Quest 228. Sorry, Wrong Number In this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about phones in games and why you can't just scroll fake TikTok. Also featuring what a switchboard is, how many friends you can leave on read, and our times of digital surveillance. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/39950855

Episode 231. Geometry Outside 01/25/2026

Episode 231. Geometry Outside In this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Geometry Wars and Look Outside and the appeal of many particle effects. Also featuring teeth where they shouldn't be, programmer art, and different representations of people made out of fruit. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/39865355

Side-Quest 227. Strumming on the Wheel 01/18/2026

Side-Quest 227. Strumming on the Wheel In this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about musical instruments in games and the inability to remember where buttons are. Also featuring ukelele dubiousness, canonical musical abilities, and the need for more bards. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/39772170

Episode 230. Inazuma Hirogami 01/11/2026

Episode 230. Inazuma Hirogami In this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss Inazuma Eleven and Hirogami and name as many crafts as they possibly can. Also featuring attempted murder, new cool Mario mechanics, and the wrong kind of football. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/39687290

Special Episode: Eff Off, 2025 01/04/2026

Special Episode: Eff Off, 2025 In this special episode, Madelyn and Emma reflect back on the year of 2025 in gaming and how amazing that it's been approximately a century in vibe-time since we did the previous one of these. Also featuring the slop machine, unbridled greed, and inadvisable financial decisions. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/39600560

Side-Quest 226. The 2048 Baby 12/28/2025

Side-Quest 226. The 2048 Baby In this not-episode, Madelyn and Emma talk about their last six weeks in gaming including various airplane seatback games. Also featuring a new hatred of cacti, the influence of Yakuza games, and the vile Kotaro. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/39541560

Episode 229. Road to SOMA 12/21/2025

Episode 229. Road to SOMA In this episode, Madelyn and Emma discuss SOMA and Road to Empress and exactly how those teleporters in Star Trek work. Also featuring perspective choices in horror games, one day blinding stew, and what makes something a biopic vs RPF. /episode/index/show/talkthispodcast/id/39485260

TALK THIS: It's Dangerous to Podcast Alone

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