The Besties

We stand at the midpoint of 2024. Behind us, we see a towering pile of video games. We reach into the stack and pull something loose. It’s Balatro! We grab another game from the rubble! Like a Dragon! Together, the Besties retrieve the best games of the year from this mess and bring only the best!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Nintendo’s final year of Switch has been a bizarre mishmash of remakes and spinoffs. Luigi’s Mansion 2 continues that trend, updating the 2013 3DS jaunt for a 2024 audience. Can a decade-old game meet the expectations of Luigi’s Mansion 3 fans? And what other 3DS games should Nintendo update next?

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Can the game of the year be a DLC expansion? This week, The Besties discuss Elden Ring: The Shadow of the Erdtree, the highly anticipated addition to one of the greatest games of all time. Is it too hard? How is it different from the original game? Can The Besties get gud? 

In the back half, what do we want from FromSoftware moving forward? Listen to find out!

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Nintendo can't be stopped! With the Nintendo Switch 2 coming in 2025, we expected 2024 to be a slow year for the iconic game publisher. We were wrong. We open the show with a long convo about the big announcements, including a Zelda game starring Zelda. In the back half, The Besties hop into Destiny 2 one last time to try the last major update, The Final Shape. The MMO FPS launched in 2017 -- the same year Nintendo announced Metroid Prime 4.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Hundreds of games were shown during the Summer Game Fest. The Besties spotlight some of their favorites, while discussing the strange and messy state of the video game industry in 2024. Is SGF the E3 replacement of our dreams? How should we feel about Xbox’s big moment? Are small games the future? We attempt to provide some answers!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Prince of Persia is back — again! For the second time this year, Ubisoft has released a new Prince of Persia game that shifts the series to a new genre. Rogue Prince of Persia is, as the name suggests, a roguelike. Built by the team that steered Dead Cells through its later updates, Rogue Prince of Persia builds on that game’s formula in clever ways. But! In a market full of killer games in this genre, where does this new one stand?

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This week’s special guest is Mario! Or as some people say, Merry-O. The most popular plumber on our podcast returns with a remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. This might shock you, but Griffin is in love. What about the rest of the crew? In the back half, the Besties share their best guesses for Summer Game Fest.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Here’s a short list of indie games released in May: Crow Country, Animal Well, Arctic Eggs, 1000xResist, Skald, Hades 2, Indika, and the list goes on. We’ve already discussed some of those games. We'll discuss more in the future. Today, the game we’ve fished from the Great Indie Game Flood of 2024 is Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, the latest puzzling adventure from Simogo. Bring your notepad! It’s time to crack the case!

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The Besties went through HELL to record this episode. With Griffin and Justin out, Frushtick and Plante prepared to record with a special guest. But after Plante spilled water all over his recording set up, Frushtick was left to talk about Hades 2 as the sole Besty. Fortunately, he had back up. Into the Aether's Brendon Bigley joined the show for the podcast crossover event of the year!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The gang has a spoiler-free discussion of one of the most intriguing games of the year, Animal Well. Will Griffin's life ever be the same? Probably not! We also dive into some of the horrendous studio closures happening this week.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

What if you combined Dark Souls and Diablo, then added a pinch of city-building mechanics and survivor elements? You’d get No Rest for the Wicked from Moon Studios, the team best known for the Ori games. It’s ambitious and bound to inspire conversations — even in its Early Access stage. In the back half, Plante updates the team on 2024’s best nun simulator: Indika!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Special guest Lucy James (GameSpot, Giant Bomb, Frames Per Second Podcast) joins Frushtick and Plante to discuss Another Crab’s Treasure. Have you ever wondered what it would have looked like had Rare made a Souls-like in the early ‘00s? Now you have an answer! Plus, the crew shares updates on other games they’ve been playing, from Stellar Blade to TopSpin 2K25.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Duck and cover! This week, The Besties discuss the first two episodes of the excellent Fallout TV series. Then, they talk through the ways the Fallout approach could alter the trajectory of video game adaptations. Plus: a bunch of great listener recommendations!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, The Besties share their favorite “rainy day” games! These are the games we dig out when we’re feeling blue and need something that provides a quick dose of comfort. Turns out our list is quite long! In the back half, we do the rare Besties spoilercast with Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth — a.k.a. one of 2024’s best games.

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This week we've got a game inspired by the SNES era and a game that probably shouldn't have come out at all. We'll also find out just what Justin thinks about Dragon's Dogma 2, and what's going on with the Stardew Valley 1.6 update.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is the best game of the year? Or is it the buggiest? It might be the most divisive! This week, The Besties talk about the wildly ambitious (and difficult to run on most hardware) fantasy RPG from Capcom. Plus, we take a deep dive into the reader mail pool. Did we mention we keep all the letters in a pool, Scrooge McDuck-style? Because we do.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Team Ninja has been busy!

In the past five years, the studio released Dead or Alive 6, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, Nioh 2, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Their latest game, Rise of the Ronin, compiles everything they learned into their most ambitious project: a sprawling open-world samurai adventure set in a recreation of mid-19th century Japan.

Rise of the Ronin takes the “something for everyone” approach, blending the exploration and loot systems of recent Assassin’s Creed games with the quick-reflex sword fighting of the studio’s Nioh series. This video game smoothie is quite delicious — if you can stomach the occasional funky chunk of game mechanics.

In the back half, we talk about our favorite under-appreciated open-world games.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, the squad puts on their armor, grabs their swords, and mounts their gallant steads to charge into Unicorn Overlord. The tactics RPG is the latest game from Vanillaware, the developer of niche masterpieces like Odin Sphere and 13 Sentinels. In the back half, Justin introduce the team to Banishers, a game that blends Witcher and God of War. How did we not hear about this one until now? And how often does a game depict a healthy marriage like this one?!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The Besties take a trip into the not-so-distant future of video games, digging into a batch of awesome demos from Steam Next Fest. Whether you want to live the life of anime-style Duke Nukem or an alternate reality 19th century nun, you will be satisfied!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we're evangelizing for two indie games that have completely consumed every moment of our free time: The rock and stone-fueled auto-shooter Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, and the poker deckbuilder Balatro! We're going to go back to playing those, now.

Enjoy the episode. Also discussed: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Helldivers 2, Riders of Justice, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Elden Ring

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The streak of hot new releases for 2024 continues! This week, we're talking about the opening hours of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and the many hours we've spent squishing bugs 'n' bots in Helldivers 2. Good hours, all!

Also discussed: The Devil's Plan, Clubhouse Games, Deep Rock Survivor, The Floor

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week's episode is all about two games: Persona 3 Reload, the from-the-ground remake of Atlus' groundbreaking RPG, and Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior, a clever arena action game with a time-turning twist. Also, some big news about the future of The Besties! (No, we're not ending the show. Again.)

Also discussed: The Connector, Zoey Ashe Trilogy, Helldivers 2, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Maybe this won't come as the biggest shock in the world to you, but Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is not a very good video game. How did we get here? Genuinely: We do not know. But we're not having, like, the best time.

Also discussed: Enshrouded, The Void Rains Upon Her Heart, Casey Neistat's Apple Vision Pro commercial, Lysfanga, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Orion and the Dark

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It's a big episode of the Resties! We're about to make some changes to the show, so we make time to share the results of our listener poll and reveal some behind-the-scenes info. But first, we have a cool video game to discuss! Anomaly Agent's creators have blended pixel art, anime design, 1990s arcade brawlers, and films like Inception and Paprika to create something delightful. And it's only $10 on Steam -- and a little more on Switch and Xbox. We love to hear your feedback, so be sure to subscribe to besties.fan.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We're pivoting a bit this week, discussing a half dozen sweet, lesser-known new releases that we've been enjoying during what's been an otherwise action-packed first month of the year! Join us, why don't you? 

Discussed: Tiny Rogues, Tekken 8, Home Safety Hotline, Enshrouded, Lunistice, Lil Guardsman, Devil's Plan, Fargo, Taskmaster, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Chain Gang All-Stars, Piranesi

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Yakuza's back for like the eighth time, and it's never looked better! Join us as we discuss Ichiban and Kiryu's tropical vacation, and also the finer points of goose breeding.

Also discussed: Tingus Goose: Weird Idle Game, Taskmaster, Cobalt Core, Football, Only Weird Games, Super Mario Odyssey, The Traitors

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

When Rocksteady published its entire Batman trilogy within seven years, it became one of the most promising (and prolific) video game studios in the world. But now, seven years since its last major release, Rocksteady has lost its two founders and, seemingly, its creative identity. With its new game Suicide Squad weeks from release, we explain how this developer went from creating the best superhero games of its generation to producing a living game looter shooter. In the back half, Russ shares his thoughts on Cobalt Core. And we have a special survey for listeners at Besties.fan!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We're only a couple weeks into 2024, and already, we think we've got a bonafide GOTY contender on our hands: Ubisoft's new Metroidvania reimagining of the Prince of Persia franchise! Also, we're not calling them Metroidvanias anymore. 

Also discussed: The Rest of the Prince of Persia series, Fleishman is in Trouble, Traitors, Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, Threads

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we're discussing two EXTREMELY different open-world adventures: Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, which features a lot of tall blue people, and Lil Gator Game, which features a lot of short green people. Which delighted us (and returning guest Jordan Morris) more? Find out inside! 

Also discussed: Taskmaster, Dragon Age Dreadwolf, Haunted Chocolatier, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Rise of the Golden Idol, Sanabi, Baldur's Gate 3, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Little Inferno, Mortal Kombat 1, Street Fighter 6

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

It's that special time of year when the Resties make bold prophecies about the future of video games. Sometimes they come true! Other times... not so much. In this week's episode, Frushtick and Plante revisit their 2023 predictions and declare a winner of their annual bet. And in the back half, they make fresh predictions for 2024 -- with a big twist! See a list of all of the Resties predictions at besties.fan!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We're back after a brief holiday hiatus to discuss the biggest, Bestiest video game releases of the coming year. Spoiler alert: It gets real JRPG-heavy, real quick.

 Games discussed: Dragon's Dogma 2, Unicorn Overlord, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Baby Steps, Animal Well, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Alone in the Dark, Persona 3 Reload, Light No Fire, Hades 2, Prince of Persia, Brothers, Paper Mario: The 1000 Year Door, Skin Deep, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Visions of Mana, Death Must Die, Halls of Torment, Godzilla Minus One, Lair of the White Worm, Undertale, The Gnorp Apologue, Binding of Isaac

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Once more, our watch has ended. We've put 2023 to bed, deciding on the definitive list of the top four games of the year. Catch y'all in 2024! Have good holidays! LYLAS!

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IT BEGINNETH ANEW. Join us for the first half of our annual Game of the Year determination, in which sixteen of the year's top titles (including four listener picks!) square off to see who moves on to the finals! There's at least one decision in here that we're sure to catch flak for, so, hey! Let's get this over with. 

Games discussed: Baldur's Gate 3, Chants of Sennaar, Alan Wake 2, Armored Core 6, Dredge, Dave the Diver, Blasphemous 2, Sea of Stars, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Spider-Man 2, Connections, Cocoon, Lies of P, Super Mario Wonder, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty 

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Find the full Resties Required Reading List at Besties.fan!

We have finalized the Resties Required Reading List and we can’t wait to share the results! Our goal was to collect a list of 25 games — from Pac-Man to modern day, 1980 to 2020 — that will help our listeners better appreciate this wonderful medium. We believe these are the games that everyone who wants to have a fundamental appreciation of video games should play or watch.  They’re the games that will, in ways big and small, give you a richer connection with every other game you play. Think of it like a syllabus for Video Games 101. Or as the 25 games we’d built a museum around.  Or just as a guide on how to spend some of your holiday break!

Go to HelloFresh.com/restiesfree and use code restiesfree for FREE breakfast for life! One breakfast item per box while subscription is active. That’s free breakfast for life at HelloFresh.com/restiesfree with code restiesfree.

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Join us for a look back at this year's biggest games through the lens of the annual The Game Awards show, and as we make some pretty out-there predictions about the announcements we'll see therein. Also, there's a new Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer! That's pretty wild, isn't it?

Also discussed: Lunacid, Teardown, Baldur's Gate 3, The Steam Deck OLED, PlayStation Portal, Bottoms, Lil Gator Game

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

On this extra special episode of The Besties, the gang brings forth some truly excellent games from smaller devs that may have passed you by.

Games discussed: Kingdom Eighties, Jusant, Lunacid, Backpack Hero, among others. We've also got some great suggestions from the readers! For the full list, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter at besties.fan.

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To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Half-Life, Valve updated the original game, released a documentary, and ran a brief PR victory lap. The standout achievement of the anniversary is the excavation of Half-Life Uplink, the original demo that crammed all of the game's big ideas into a 30-60 gauntlet of action. It's the antithesis of Half-Life's artful, but slow start. And it rules. In the back half of the episode, Frushtick and Plante talk about their surprising enjoyment of the Meta Quest 3. But does it have enough games? Get links to everything discussed on this week's episode by subscribing to our newsletter at Besties.fan!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Nearly 30 years ago, Nintendo and Square teamed up for one of the wildest collabs in gaming history: A turn-based RPG adventure featuring everyone's favorite blue collar jumping man. How well does the remake, now on Nintendo Switch, fare? Well, that's what we're talking about today with our pal, Felicia Day. 

Also discussed: Third Eye, Scavengers Reign, Heroes vs. Hordes, Teardown, The National Museum of American History, Vampire Survivors, Naheulbeuk's Dungeon Master, Suika Game 

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Persona 5 has been reborn! For like the millionth time. For this iteration, we've got the XCOM-meets-JRPG fusion of Persona 5 Tactica. Let's find out how great these two great flavors taste together!

Also discussed: Final Fantasy XIV, Pokeclicker, Good Omens Season 2, Halls of Torment, Our Flag Means Death Season 2, GUBBINS, A Haunting in Venice, Napoleon

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It's the special time of year when families gather together to eat turkey, watch football, and play video games. With perfect timing, two new local (and online) multiplayer treats have appeared on digital store shelves. We open the episode with Alien Hominid Invasion, a sequel of sorts to the beloved '00s Flash game Alien Hominid. For the B-segment, we bump and bounce around KarmaZoo, a beginner-friendly co-op game that allows for up to 10 players -- and features a special local multiplayer mode! Plus, we open the reader mail bag, then share a classic Ghibli movie and a bold Ghibli adaptation. Get links to everything we discuss and much more by joining our newsletter at besties.fan or https://thebesties.substack.com/

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Our retrospective series on Hideo Kojima's oftentimes inscrutable spy thriller franchise continues today, as we discuss the highs and lows of jungle espionage in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. How does this pre-sequel hold up almost 20 years after its original release? Let's find out, together!

Also discussed: Alan Wake 2, Super Mario Maker 2, Warcraft Rumble, Chants of Senaar, Rogue: Genesia, Like a Dragon: Gaiden

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Thirteen years ago, a troubled fictional author by the name of Alan Wake stumbled into our hearts, yelling about shadow monsters and nightmares made manifest. Now he's back, and he's got a friend! What's changed in the intervening decade-plus-change? And how much of the original Alan Wake do we remember? (Hint: Literally none of it.) 

Also discussed: Venture Bros.: Radiant is the Blood of the Bamboo Heart, Sea of Stars, The Sisters Brothers, Paranorman, Death Stranding, Shadow of Doubt 

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Happy Halloween! This week, The Resties celebrate the spooky season with World of Horror, the Japanese horror game inspired by retro text adventures and the artist Junji Ito. Plus, we shine the spotlight on Laika: Aged Through Blood, a game that's as gorey as it is cute. Find all the games discussed on the show by subscribing to our newsletter at besties.fan!

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Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a wild ride, y'all. Mario can turn into an elephant, sure, but that's like, the tenth weirdest thing that happens as you progress through the game. What other tricks does everyone's favorite toilet repairman have up his sleeve? Find out inside!

Also discussed: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Insomniac’s Wolverine, Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Tsushima 2, Last of Us Factions multiplayer, Last of Us 2 Remaster, Marathon, the works of Jason Rohrer, the Stanley Parable, Pokemon Unbound, World of Horror, Sea of Stars, Dungeons of Eternity, Wizard with a Gun

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Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is a triumph, boasting double the standard number of Spiders-Men playable in a single installment of this long, storied franchise. But is it better than literally every other Spider-Man game? Let's find out by comparing them one at a time, shall we?

Also discussed: The Way of Kings, Killers of the Flower Moon, Teardown Art Vandals DLC, Super Mario Wonder

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It's that time of the year when the temperature drops, the cider heats up, and the comfy blankets beckon. Yes, it's Cozy Games Season! Frushtick and Plante kickoff the festivities with Japanese Rural Life Adventure and then list some of their favorite cozy delights. In the back half, the Resties discuss Moonring, one of the year's coolest surprises. Did we mention it's free? Subscribe to our newsletter at besties.fan for the titles of everything discussed  on the show along with bonus links!

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See, "nostabgia" is the experience of feeling nostalgia for an old-timey way of stabbing, which Assassin's Creed Mirage revels in. It's a return to sneaky form for the franchise, but how well do the old ways hold up? Let's find out with beloved guestie, Ron Funches!

Also discussed: Chants of Sennaar, Pokemon TCG Live, "Shift," "Audienceology," Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways, Keith Haring Exhibit at the Brode

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Running out of games to play? That's wild, because there's a LOT of good stuff out there, but on the off chance that applies to you, we've got you covered! Join us as we discuss some of our favorite indie jams of the past few months; regardless of what genres you're into, you'll find something you like here, we bet!

Games discussed: Blasphemous 2, El Paso Elsewhere, Chants of Sennaar, Pizza Possum, Japanese Rural Life Adventure, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Satisfye Grips, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, Apple Arcade

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Yes, Portal is technically a puzzle game made by Valve, but it mixes in the FPS genre. Cocoon is a puzzle-ass puzzle game. You play as a bug buddy who must zip in and out of universes contained within beautiful orbs that the critter can carry on its back like an adorable, spherical backpack. Or to put it plainly: You use carriable cosmos to solve puzzles. It's amazing -- and surprisingly easy to follow. In the back half, we discuss No One Will Save You, a new alien invasion movie exclusive to Hulu that reminds us a lot of Limbo and Inside. Find everything else we discuss -- plus links -- at besties.fan or https://thebesties.substack.com/.

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We can't believe it either: Cyberpunk 2077, a game we tore a new one when it first launched in 2020, is GOOD now. Like, really good. Find out what's so great about its new Phantom Liberty expansion, and what players can expect from the new 2.0 update! 

Also discussed: Sea of Stars, Blasphemous 2, No One Will Save You, Cyberpunk Edgerunners, Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead 

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In a year full of surprise sleeper hits, Lies of P might just be the most surprising -- Pinocchio trappings and ridiculous title aside, it's one of the most solid replications of the Souls formula we've ever played. Join us for a discussion of what sets it apart from other entries in the genre. (Hint: It's the P-Organ.)

Also discussed: Remains of the Day, Sea of Stars, Hammerwatch 2, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC, Stray Gods, Inland Empire, Willie Nelson

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The goal of Gunbrella is to find those responsible for your wife's death by wielding the murder weapon: a gun that turns into an umbrella. Of course this isn't any umbrella. It can block bullets, zip you into the sky, and grind rails like a pro skater. We really enjoyed the developer's previous game, Gato Roboto; can Gunbrella take their talents another step forward? In the second half, we make sense of this month's big video game industry controversy: Unity's baffling decision to change its payment structure, infuriating tons of developers and potentially causing a glut of delays as designers move their games to new engines. See a full list of everything discussed on the episode (plus links!) at Besties.fan.

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This week's game, the classic JRPG-inspired Sea of Stars, seems like it'd be up the alley of a couple of this podcast's humble hosts, and definitely not up the alley of some others. Well, guess again, buckaroo! Because it's got crossover appeal that we absolutely did not see coming.

Also discussed: Karateka, Baldur's Gate 3, Fae Farm, Game Changers: The Video Game Revolution, The Beauty of Games, The Faculty, Who Shat On the Floor at My Wedding

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Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon might have one of the video game-iest ass titles in the history of games, but that doesn't stop it from being an absolute barn-burner of a mecha action game. Join us as we dive into our history with the series, and extol the virtues of the demo discs of yore. 

Also discussed: Starfield, No Man's Sky, Baldur's Gate 3, The Righteous Gemstones

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Starfield inspired Frushtick to take a ship deep into the cosmos of No Man's Sky. After seven years and tons of updates, the sci-fi game is a stunning alternative for people who crave the awesomeness of space more than the dramatics of a traditional RPG. We also talk about the fantastic Shadow Gambit, a stealth tactics game for everybody -- not just fans of the genre. Also discussed: Retro Bowl and Only Weird Games. For more info and links to all games, follow our newsletter besties.fan.

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Todd and the gang have cooked up another big ol' game for us: The outer space frontier explorin', space ship buildin', dude blastin' open world RPG known as Starfield. How well does Bethesda's formula apply to the infinite cosmos? We have some thoughts. 

Also discussed: No Man's Sky, New World, Finity

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This episode is just wall-to-wall, chock-a-block full of new and upcoming games! We're talking Armored Core 6! Fae Farm! Blasphemous 2! Stray Gods! Just, like, too many for one episode, but we done did it anyways!

Also discussed: YEAH, YOU WANT THOSE GAMES, RIGHT? SO, HERE YOU GO! NOW LET'S SEE YOU CLEAR THEM!, Doomsday Hunters, En Garde, Baldur's Gate 3, Unlock!, Robodunk, New World

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It's the penultimate episode of The Resties Required Reading List! If this is your first entry, don't worry. It's easy to hop on. Our goal is to curate a "must-play" list of 25 games released between 1980 to 2020. Think of it like Video Games 101. This week, we've selected games from 1990-1994. Time to be little kids again! For the full list of games discussed on the episode, along with our previous picks for the list, visit besties.fan.

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This week, we're pivoting a little bit, which is honestly what us Besties do Best. First off, a little bit about the perplexing choices of Hammerwatch II — but then, who's that coming over the top rope?! It's Justin, who missed our first chat about Baldur's Gate 3, and is ready to dunk down with his own opinions!

Also discussed: The Nonary Games, The Sexy Brutale, The Forgotten City, Outer Wilds, Minit, The Legend of Zelda, Wool

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Baldur's Gate 3 has been a long time coming, and boy howdy, it does not disappoint. How well has Larian Studios adapted the D&D 5E tabletop experience into the digital realm, and how many ways can you mess with your friends in the game's incredibly robust co-op offering? Find out inside!

Also discussed: TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, Oppenheimer, THE FIRST SLAM DUNK

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Double Dragon helped popularize the beat 'em-up genre in 1980s arcades, but over the following decades, the series fell into irrelevance. Recently, the publisher handed the rights to an indie developer with a knack for pixelated combat. The result is Double Dragon Gaiden, a clever twist on the genre with a small army of playable characters. In the second half of the episode, Frushtick and Plante pick their combined six favorite beat 'em-ups! Subscribe to our newsletter at besties.fan for a full list of every game, movie, TV show, and book discussed on the podcast along with links and bonus materials!!

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Disney Illusion Island might not be the most mechanically complex platformer to grace modern consoles, but what it lacks in depth it more than makes up for with systems to ease in younger, less nimble-fingered players. We're talking all about it, and also tierlisting all the Mickeyverse characters for some reason. 

Also discussed: Chrono Cross: Radical Dreamers Edition, Mia and the Dragon Princess, Good Omens Season 2, Chip and Dale Park Life

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There's never been a better time to hop aboard the Pikmin train! What does Pikmin 4 add (and subtract) to make it the series most digestible entry to date? Also, how well does a classic DS Match 3 RPG hold up in 2023?

Also discussed: Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes - Definitive Edition, Gravity Circuit, Luck Be a Landlord iOS, Chrono Cross Remastered, UN Squadron, Ridiculous Fishing EX, Matinee, Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits, Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick

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This week, the Resties dive deep into the waters of Ridiculous Fishing EX, an exceptional update of the brilliant decade-old mobile game. They also take a tour of Remnant 2, the sequel to "Dark Souls with guns." For the full list of games and much more, subscribe to the Besties/Resties newsletter at besties.fan!

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This week, we're diving into the Portal-esque Viewfinder, a game all about taking photos and then using those photos to, well ... it's hard to explain in the description of a podcast. We also talk about some of our favorite photography moments in games. 

For the full list of games we talked about on this episode, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter, which can be found at besties.fan. (We sometimes drop free game codes in there, as well!)

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Consider this your official warning: If you haven't finished Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom yet, you might wanna just give this one a skiperoo until later -- unless you don't care about that kind of stuff, of course. Today's discussion is a no holds barred, spoiler-filled look at the year's best game so far!

Also discussed: Paranormasight, Trust, Marie Antoinette

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BattleBit Remastered plays like Battlefield, looks like Robolox, and is one of the most technically impressive indie games of all time. Frushtick and Plante do their best to survive the virtual war ground while explaining how this little miracle came to be. In the back half, the pair pick six Switch games you should try after Tears of the Kingdom. Games discussed: 13 Sentinels, Shin chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation The Endless Seven-Day Journey, Tinykin, Cadence of Hyrule, Immortals, Fenix Rising, Tunic, Final Fantasy 16, Laya’s Horizon, Mars First Logistics, and BattleBit Remastered. Frushtick also talks about his time with the Razer Moray IEMs.

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We're halfway done with this great experiment we call 2023, and hot dang, there's been some certified club bangers in the mix, huh? We're spending this episode going over the best of the best, the biggest blanks in our backlog, and the most anticipated titles still to come!

Games discussed: Fire Emblem Engage, Dead Space, HiFi Rush, Metroid Prime Remastered, Like a Dragon Isshin, Wo Long, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Have a Nice Death, Dredge, Pizza Tower, Tchia, Paranormasight, Rusted Moss, Mr. Sun's Hatbox, Meet Your Maker, Dead Island 2, Star Wars Jedi Survivor, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Boltgun, Laya's Horizon, Diablo 4, Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy XVI, Super Mega Baseball 4, Mars First Loigistics, Battlebit Remastered, Honkai Star Rail, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, Shoulders of Giants, Sun Haven, The Caped Crusade, Starfield Controller, Past Lives, King Kong, Siren: Survive the Island

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On this episode of The Besties, the gang dive into the massive new RPG, Final Fantasy 16, what with its F-bombs and Mothercrystals. We're also discussing Nintendo's latest Direct presentation, which featured one of the most ridiculous Mario trailers ever. 

Other games discussed: Detective Pikachu Returns, Super Mario RPG, Wario Ware Move It, Super Mario Bros Wonder, Mythforce, Diablo 4, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Asteroid City (the movie)

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The Resties Required Reading List continues with games from 2015-2020. Yes, dear listener, it's time to pick some games that you've probably played -- and that we've definitely discussed! 

Our goal is to curate a "must-play" list of 25 games released between 1980 to 2020. Think of it like Video Games 101.  Where do modern hits fit into a list of all-time classics?  Let's find out!

Previous picks:

85-89 - Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, SimCity

95-99 - Super Mario 64, Pokemon Red and Blue, Final Fantasy 7, Starcraft

00-04: Counter-Strike, GTA3, WoW

05-09 - Resident Evil 4, Wii Sports, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Demon’s Souls

10-14 - Minecraft, Spelunky HD, Hearthstone

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This week, what’s old is new again in System Shock Remake — and what’s new is ALSO new, by which we mean a bunch of stuff got announced during the recent slate of summertime gaming press conferences. Let’s talk about all of it!

Also discussed: My House, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Diablo 4, Jury Duty

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Boltgun is the latest game in the Warhammer 40k universe. But good news: you don't need to know a single thing about Warhammer to enjoy this little surprise. In fact, this new shooter will more likely click with fans of Doom, Quake, and Duke Nukem. We dig into the latest "boomer shooter," and then reminisce about the early days of the FPS. Was Plante accidentally buying pirated games? Can Frush explain shareware? Learn the answers to those questions and more on this week's episode of The Resties.

Discussed on the show: Boltgun, Wolfenstein 3D, Rise of the Triad, Doom, Hexen, Toy Story, Chex Quest, Super Mega Baseball 4, and the NYXI Wizard Wireless Joypad for Switch.  

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We invited frequent Bestie and renowned demonologist Ron Funches to help us break down Diablo 4, a therapeutic loot-grinder for casuals and lonely hearts alike! Also discussed: Across the Spider-Verse, The Holy Mountain, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We weren't really sure if we'd have much to say about Street Fighter 6, given our lack of experience in the fighting game scene. Fortunately for us, it features an open-world single player mode that is the most unapologetically goofy thing ever.

We're chatting all about World Tour mode, as well as: Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Barry, Succession, And a Bunch of Arcade Classics

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

E3 is dead. Now what? Without one video game event to rule them all, video game publishers are trying a variety of approaches. This week, Sony held its big digital event, showing a bundle of games coming to PlayStation hardware, including a lengthy gameplay clip from Spider-Man 2. Ubisoft also released a trailer for its new Assassin's Creed. What should we make of this news? And what we can expect from the upcoming announcements from Xbox and others? The Resties have the answers!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Welcome back! We're diving a little deeper into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom this week, chatting about our first dungeon experience, our spooky time in the depths and our general feelings about the game before we move on to the next big title. 

Also discussed: A Matter of Life and Death, Sisu, Barry

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It's Here! The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been out for a week, and in that time we, like you, have flung approximately three dozen Koroks to their deaths. But how's the rest of the game? Spoiler alert: (Very good.) 

Also discussed: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

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Yes, it's Zelda week, but we still need some time to play Link's new adventure before we share our opinions. In the meantime, we want to spotlight a delightful new game that most folks missed. Rusted Moss gives the Metroidvania genre the one thing it needs: a killer grappling hook. We also talk about the Asus ROG Ally, the first legitimate Steam Deck competitor. Honorable mentions: PHoop Dreams, Blackberry, and Breath of the Wild.

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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is out today, which probably means you're playing it right now and not necessarily in a podcast listening mood. Hey, we get it. We're in the same boat, probably, since we didn't get early access. We chat a bit about Zelda in this one, but mostly, we're focused on the glut of great mobile games that have dropped over the past few months! 

Also discussed: TMNT: Splintered Fate, What the Car, 10 Dates, Zen Pinball: Garfield Table, Honkai Star Rail, Grand Mountain Adventure, Resident Evil 4, Rusted Moss, ROG Ally, Jury Duty, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Bull, 3000 Years of Longing

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor brings back Cal Kestis for another interstellar romp, blending Souls-like combat and Uncharted-like exploration in great measures. How has his Jedi technique evolved in the intervening years since Fallen Order? And what's like, the grossest facial hair you can unlock?

Also discussed: Meet Your Maker, Are You There God It's Me Margaret, Have a Nice Death, Psychonauts 2

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The Resties Required Reading List is back, baby! Our goal is to curate a "must-play" list of 25 games released between 1980 to 2020. Think of it like Video Games 101. This week, we've selected games from 2000-2004. Join us as we revisit our high school and college days of video games! Previous picks -- 1985-89: Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, SimCity. 1995-99: Super Mario 64, Pokemon Red and Blue, Final Fantasy 7, Starcraft. 2005-09: Resident Evil 4, Wii Sports, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare; 2010-14: Minecraft, Spelunky HD, Hearthstone.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We're taking a trip back through time with the remake of Advance Wars 1 and 2: Re-Boot Camp. Also, Griffin took a trip into the world of Tron at Disney and is here to share how he feels about being digitized.

Also discussed: Meet Your Maker, Have a Nice Death, Rusted Moss, Beau is Afraid, Spirited Away: Live on Stage, Resident Evil 4 Remake.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

From outta nowhere comes one of the weirder titles we've played this year: Mr Sun's Hatbox, a "slapstick roguelike." Joining us to discuss is Steven Spohn, the Senior Director of Development at Able Gamers.

Also on the episode: Dead Island 2, Meet Your Maker, The Strange (Ballingrud), Red Rising (Brown), My Neighbor Totoro, and much more!

For more information about the Able Gamers Gala, head over to: https://ablegamers.org/gala/

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Crab Champions is this season's unexpected Steam phenomenon. The $10 shooter-roguelike is based on a music video and delivers bluntly on the promise of its title. You play as a crab that seeks to be the champion by obliterating rival crustaceans and critters with a variety of military weaponry. The more you win, the more powerful you make your crab until you're reigning hellfire on these little unlikely targets. We broke the game on our first try. And that ruled. Plus, we dig deep into the mailbag to answer your questions!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is out, which you already know, because everyone on Earth saw it and it made a bajillion dollars. Do you want to know what we thought about it? We're assuming so, because you're reading this. Great! Let's jam. 

Also discussed: Psychonauts 2, Dark Souls 3, Brotato, Resident Evil 4 Remake

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

With the first three months of the year behind us, we're taking a beat to discuss our favorite games so far, and there've been a lot. Did you know there's a Peaky Blinders VR game?? 

Games discussed: Dredge, Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush, Yakuza: Ishin, RE4 Remake, Forward: Escape the Fold, Paranormasight, Dead Space, Metroid Prime: Remastered, Octopath Traveler 2, Tchia, You Must Build a Boat, Dark Souls 3, Brotato Premium, Minecraft: Caves and Cliffs Soundtrack

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Dredge is one of 2023's best surprises, a fishing adventure mixed with Lovecraftian horror. Don't worry though: it's not too scary. In fact, Dredge's much more interested in the fishing aspect than you might expect from a game marketed around cosmic terror. Plus, Plante has become obsessed with Octopath Traveler 2. How does someone who dislikes turn-based combat fall in love with this sort of game? And is it recommended for everyone or just people who love RPGs? All that and more on this week's Resties!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

After glancing off the subject our last couple of episodes, we're finally ready to dive deep into Capcom's latest rejuvenation of their classic survival horror franchise, Resident Evil 4 Remake. Also, how buckwild does Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom look?!

Also discussed: Octopath Traveler 2, Dredge, Psychodyssey

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we're joined by GameSpot's Tamoor Hussain to discuss the second installment in the Metal Gear Solid series. How well does the game's AI-controlled vision of the future match up with our own reality two decades later? Also, what's Raiden's whole deal? Like, what's he even DOING here? 

Also discussed: Diablo IV beta, You Must Build a Boat, Destiny 2, Octopath Traveler 2, ForeTales, There is No Game: Wrong Dimension, Dark Souls 3, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Dredge

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

A few weeks ago, game developer Double Fine surprise-dropped a 22-hour documentary about the seven-year creation of Psychnoauts 2. At least that's the premise on paper. In reality, the stunning TV-length doc is a fearless look inside the day-to-day life of a video game studio -- warts and all. The documentarians, employed by Double Fine, have unprecedented access to practically every person and room . Frush and Plante talk about the series, called Double Fine PsychOdyssey, along with The Last of Us TV adaptation. Plus, a delightful new retro gaming book is a perfect gift for video game newcomers.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

In lieu of some big blockbuster release to discuss this week, we've decided to once again firmly grip the handles of the grab bag and upend it all over the dang place.

Games n' stuff discussed include: Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania, Destiny 2: Lightfall, Patch Quest, Sea of Thieves, Pizza Tower, Chained Echoes, Octopath Traveler 2

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The boys gather to discuss an interesting Souls-like from the Ninja Gaiden team in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, and Justin attempts to reignite his passions for the world of Destiny with the latest expansion, Lightfall.

Also discussed: Better Call Saul, Johnny Mnemonic, and a smidge of Fortnite for good measure.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The Super Mario Bros. Movie hits theaters next month, but before you see Chris Pratt's rendition of the plumber, why not revisit the original Mario movie? Yes, it's time to watch the all-but-lost 1993 cult classic, starring Bob Hoskins as Mario Mario, John Leguizamo as Luigi Mario, and Dennis Hopper as Bowser. Considering the difficulty of finding a copy of Nintendo's wild first foray into film, our recap and breakdown may be the closest you come to a trip to Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel's Blade Runner-inspired version of the Mushroom Kingdom.

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Sometimes, in our hour of greatest need, a hero comes down like a shining beam of light from the heavens to save us. Sometimes, that hero is pink and round, and eats like a million owls and rabbits and stuff, like Kirby does in Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

Also discussed: Pokemon Sleep, Destiny 2: Lightfall, Bloody Hell, Paranormasight

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We continue our dive into the great and stealthy works of Solid Snake this week, as we've recently played Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel on the Game Boy Color. Does it hold up? We should probably stop asking that question of these things.

Also discussed: Atomic Heart, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Destiny 2, Physical: 100, Analogue Pocket

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The Yakuza series has a new name. "Like a Dragon" is a literal translation of the original Japanese title Ryu Ga Gotoku. Returning to where things started fits the latest release: a remaster of Like a Dragon: Ishin, an action-heavy spin-off set in the Late Edo. The historical setting and standalone story make Ishin a compelling starting point for a series we love. For the back half of the episode, Frush and Plante share their recommendations for listeners preparing to dive into the Game Boy and GBA games now available on Nintendo Switch Online.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Just one week after our episode about surprise game releases, Nintendo went ahead and stealth-dropped a remastered version of the classic GameCube Space Pirate-slaying Simulator, Metroid Prime. But is it still fun after almost 20 years and an intensive graphical spit shine? I mean, yeah, we said as much in the title.

Also discussed: PSVR2, Forward: Escape the Fold, 20 Minutes Until Dawn, Knotwords, Dick Tracy 

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Nothing's better than when you don't know that a game exists, and then POOF! It's just right there on the homepage of whatever digital games distributor you use to get new games. Even better? When it's super fun, like Tango Gameworks' rhythm-based beat-em-up, Hi-Fi Rush!

Also discussed: Forward: Escape the Fold, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Physical: 100, Rock Band, Guitar Hero, DJ Hero, Season, Letterkenny, 20 Minutes Until Dawn

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We expected 2023 to be an incredible year for video games with Zelda and Starfield on the calendar. However, we didn't expect to have so many great games by early February. This week, we talk about Hitman's incredible "Freelancer" DLC and the meditative experience collection game Season. Plus, Nuclear Blaze and our favorite language-learning app: Busuu.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Join us as we revisit the USG Ishimura, the pride of Earth's planet-cracking operations and, also, the extremely monster-infested setting of EA's remake of their classic survival horror title Dead Space. Does it still hold up some 15 years after its initial release? (Spoiler alert: Yes. Yes it does.)

Also discussed: Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mario 64, Half-Life, Fable, Burnout 3: Takedown, Metal Gear Solid, Metroid Prime, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Freelancer, Time's Ours, You Pod to Win the Game, My Perfect Console, Teardown, Vampire Survivors, Paul T. Goldman, The Traitors, Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Intelligent Systems' long-running series of strategy-RPGs gets even longer this week with the release of Fire Emblem Engage! Join us as we discuss the evolved tactics in this new installment, as well as the ethics of trapping ghost soldiers in Cracker Jack prize rings.

Also discussed: IGF Award Nominees, Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On, Futureport 82, &Juliet

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Today we're trying a new format called Better Know a Dungeon (a.k.a. Isn't It Levely). We pick an iconic stage or dungeon and perform an autopsy, revealing what makes it magical. For our experiment, we've selected Elden Ring's Stormveil Castle. For the back half, we help you pick which Persona to play, now that Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5 are widely available. 

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

To kind-of-celebrate the almost-25th anniversary of Metal Gear Solid, we went back and played a couple different versions of the game to see how well Hideo Kojima's super spy thriller holds up. And hey, how's the pilot episode of HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us? 

Also discussed: Sea of Thieves, Traitors, Neon White, Industry, The Shout

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we're joined by GameSpot's Lucy James as we discuss Squanch Games' joke-packed first-person shooter High on Life. How many full-belly chuckles did we experience during our time alien bounty hunting? Also, can J.B. Smoove do voices in every game? 

Also discussed: Disco Elysium, 100 Ft. Robot Golf, Towerfall, Overcooked, Portal 2, The Stanley Parable, Prey, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, The Past Within, Outpath: First Journey, Dragon Quest IX

Note: The day after we recorded this episode and just hours before it went live, NBC News reported that Justin Roiland, the head of High on Life developer Squanch Games, is facing charges of domestic battery and false imprisonment.

After a lot of debate, we decided to still publish the episode as is because we thought it wouldn’t be fair to the other people at Squanch Games, to our guest for this episode Lucy James, and to our listeners, to just not publish the episode.

When our discussion doesn’t mention this alleged, abhorrent behavior, we wanted you to understand why. If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic abuse, help is available through the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233. You can also visit their website at https://www.thehotline.org/

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Welcome to the second-annual Resties Video Game Predictions episode! Each January, Frushtick and Plante make six bold predictions for the upcoming year in video games. We also revisit the previous year's prediction and announce a winner. (The year's champion gets a new, soon to-be-revealed anime statue.) Will Tom Cruise appear in video games? Could cloud gaming go mainstream? Is this the year of AAA mega-hits?

Listen to the episode and find out!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

With last year's best games played and adjudicated, we look forward to some of our most anticipated releases of 2023. Sure, you got your Zeldas and your Starfields, but there's way more coming down the pipeline — some of which are out pretty soon!

Games discussed: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Starfield, Final Fantasy XVI, Diablo 4, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Atomic Heart, Judas, Suicide Squad, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Pragmata, STALKER 2, Fire Emblem Engage, Armored Core 6, Redfall, Alan Wake 2, The Wolf Among Us 2, Playdead's New Game

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We continue the ritual of making the ritual slightly different every year, when we bring the final eight down to the final four, and then introduce another contender before we rank the final five. And at last we’ll have the answer to the burning question: what’s the second-best game of 2022?

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

IT BEGINS. Well, it ends. Okay, actually, both. This week, we're taking our top 16 games of the year and pitting them against one another in arbitrary combat until only eight remain. Next week, we'll get things sorted down to a nice, tidy ranking of the five best games of the year. Join us! But like, get comfortable, because this is going to take a while.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Need for Speed: Unbound deserved a better launch than this. After a decade of middling entries, EA has returned NFS responsibilities to the exceptional racing developer Criterion Games. The team has produced a street racing game that blends Forza Horizon with the thrills of the Midnight Club games. And it just looks cool! Frush also got Prodeus off his backlog. It’s a solid retro FPS, ideal for playing on a portable like the Switch or the Steamdeck. Plus, we talk through the Besties 2022 bracket!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we're joined by beloved Besties guest host Ron Funches as we discuss the gory extravaganza called Warhammer 40K: Darktide. Is Left 4 Dead still fun when it's in space and there's religion and cyberskulls and stuff? Let's find out!

Also discussed: Elden Ring, OlliOlli World, Astronite, Need for Speed Unbound, Marvel Snap, Evil West, WCW Matches from 1991-1992.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Marvel's Midnight Suns is a tactics game from XCOM developer Firaxis, only instead of shooting aliens a hundred times from behind cover, you play cards to beat ass with your best friend, Blade. This is, objectively, a very good idea, but how well does the rest of the game hold up? Also, what's on our backlog as we approach the GOTY proceedings? 

Also discussed: Dave the Diver, Pentiment, What the Bat, Binding of Isaac, Andor, Soccer Story, Peglin, Tiny Rogues

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The Resties Required Reading List strikes again! Our goal is to curate a "must-play" list of 25 games released between 1980 to 2020. Think of it like Video Games 101. This week, we've selected games from 2010-2014. Join us as we revisit the early days of our careers covering video games! Visit @thebestiespod on Twitter to see a full list of games from this week's episode. Previous picks -- 1985-89: Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, SimCity. 1995-99: Super Mario 64, Pokemon Red and Blue, Final Fantasy 7, Starcraft. 2005-09: Resident Evil 4, Wii Sports, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare;

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

It's one of the biggest releases of the year and Justin paid his daughter, Charlie McElroy, to play it for him. Yes, it's Pokémon time once again and we're diving into Scarlet and Violet. We've also got way more to say about Pentiment.

Also discussed: Andor, Fargo Season 4, Spy x Family and Warhammer: Darktide.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Sonic Frontiers, the open-world iteration of Sega's fast rodent simulator, is kind of a mess. But is it the fun kind of mess, like when a can of spray cheese explodes in your car, and it's gross and everywhere, but man it'll be a great story later? Let's talk about it, and also a random assortment of other new releases! 

Also discussed: McPixel 3, Somerville, Pentiment, GOTY Award Nominees, Reservation Dogs, Andor

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We are being bombarded by awesome games. This week, we brought two must-try adventures. The first, Somerville, is the spiritual sequel to indie mega-hits Limbo and Inside. The second is Dave the Diver, a game we hadn't heard about until scuba fishing/sushi serving/business management sim skyrocketed up the Steam Charts. The quirky cocktail is one of the most memorable roleplaying experiences in a long, long time. This episode's lineup may be the closest we've come to "you will find something to love, guaranteed." Hope y'all enjoy!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

How do you follow up a certified club banger like 2018's God of War? Join us as we discuss Sony Santa Monica's daunting sequel and its unsurprising breakout star. (Spoiler: It's Richard Schiff.) 

Also discussed: Signalis, Dave the Diver, Marvel Snap, Binding of Isaac

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Bayonetta is back after a long sabbatical, and now there's like a million of her. Is that too many Bayonettas? Is such a thing possible? Let's find out as we share our thoughts on Bayonetta 3! 

Also discussed: Signalis, Marvel Snap, Idle Acorns, Binding of Isaac, Banshees of Inisherin

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The Resties grab their axes, string their bows, and open their hearts to sad dads in this special, spoiler-free preview of the first 4-6 hours of God of War Ragnarok. Does Kratos' latest adventure recreate the magic of the original or take any big risks? Frush also has an update on Mewgenics, the long-in-development project from the creator of Binding of Isaac. Plus, some post-Halloween horror movie treats to watch while you feast on candy. 

Also discussed: Nightmare Before Christmas, Paranorman, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Children of the Corn, Slumber Party Massacre, Halloween, Blair Witch Project, The Strangers, Psycho, Bride of Frankenstein, Young Frankenstein, House of Wax, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Ginger Snaps, and Ghoulies.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Mario and Rabbids, two distinguished IPs operating on identical levels of critical acclaim, have been squished together once again in the turn-based stratgizer, Sparks of Hope. Join us as we examine their japes, and also get really into a Marvel-based TCG. 2022's just full of surprises. 

Also discussed: God of War: Ragnarok, Resident Evil 8 DLC, Case of the Golden Idol, The Hidden, Willie's Wonderland, Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Look, we were gonna do Arkham Knights this week, but realized nobody wanted to hear an hour long dunkfest - join us as we pivot to talking about a bunch of good games, instead! With just a liiiiittle dunking for good measure.

Games discussed: Case of the Golden Idol, EverCrawl, Binding of Isaac, I Was A Teenage Exocolonist, Deadeye Deepfake Simulacrum, No Man's Sky

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

A Plague Tale: Requiem is an exceptionally beautiful, technologically modern video game built with a blueprint from a different era. The Resties discuss the comfort and frustration of Xbox 360-era video game design, the power of graphics, and what makes a great tutorial. Then they empty out the remainder of the mailbag, talking about the future of games, media, and games media. Discussed on this episode: A Plague Tale: Requiem, No Man's Sky, The Invisible Man, House of the Dragon.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

With the impending multiplatform launch of Persona 5 Royal and its portable predecessors, we decided to sit down and discuss all the highs and lows of Atlus's super-social RPG franchise. Also, what's the best way to quit playing a game? Let's find out!

Also discussed: Binding of Isaac: Repentance, In Memoriam series, At Dead of Night, Neon White, Rogue Legacy 2, Tunic, Sniper Elite 5

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we're playing Obsidian's miniaturized survival sim Grounded, and mostly talking about stripping Rick Moranis of his science license. Also, ROCK AND STONE! By which we mean: We're also talking about Deep Rock Galactic, now that we've all actually played it!

Also discussed: Binding of Isaac, RogueJack, Mars First Logistics, Near Dark, Q: The Winged Serpent

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The Resties Required Reading List returns!  Our goal is to curate a "must play" list of 25 games released between 1980 to 2020. Think of it like Video Games 101. This week, we've selected games from 1995-1999. Join us as we revisit the moment when video games went  mainstream! 

Visit @thebestiespod on Twitter to see a full list of games from this week's episode.

Previous picks:

1985-89 - Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, SimCity

2005-09 - Resident Evil 4, Wii Sports, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

This week's bonus recs: 

Deep Rock Galactic and When Worlds Collide (1951)

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We couldn't pick a game to discuss this week, so instead we present to you an installment of Oops! All Indie Games. We've got a bumper crop of backlog material for you to dive into, from slime-based horticulture to interstellar mining simulators.

Games discussed: Trombone Champ, Slime Rancher 2, Shovel Knight Dig, Deep Rock Galactic, The Diofield Chronicle, Steel Rising, Squad 51 vs. the Flying Saucers

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We're as surprised as anyone that Dreamlight Valley, Gameloft's Disney-flavored life sim, has enraptured our hearts and our minds. Join us as we force feed Goofy raw fish while hunting the unquiet spirit of Minnie Mouse. 

Also discussed: Return to Monkey Island, Final Fantasy X, The Elden Ring Manga, Predator: A Memoir, Arcade Paradise, Slay the Spire

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We forgot to mention the announcement of Pikmin 4 on last week's Besties, maybe because we've been so content with Tinykin, which blends Nintendo's real-time strategy game with chunks of 3D Mario and a heaping cup of Dreamcast magic. After explaining why this colorful indie is worth a download (especially if you have Game Pass) we return to Immortality, this time without fear of spoilers. Plante finally gets to make use of all that time spent on the Criterion Channel. We also chat about Delicatessan and Disney Dreamlight Valley, the latter of which will get the full Besties treatment next week. [Ed. note: A small correction for the episode. True Lies is back on a streaming service! You can currently watch the James Cameron action-comedy on Hulu.]

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The great inkening is upon us once again. Join us for a discussion about Nintendo's third installment in their paint-wasting simulator Splatoon! Also, we break down the big announcement's from this week's Nintendo Direct, which is to say, we talk about like a hundred farming games.

Also discussed: Dark Souls 2, Godard films, Severance, Melvor Idle, Slay the Spire, Le Circ Rouge

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

If you think you just played a version of the original The Last of Us, we're here to tell you that you probably did, but here's a new one with prettier graphics! Well, pretty is maybe not the right word as much as it is far more viscerally depressing now. 

Also discussed: Bounty of One, Zor: Pilgrimage of the Slorfs, Arcade Paradise, Dark Souls 2, and Immortality. 
 

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

To make room for the new games of the fall video game season, The Resties are clearing out their backlogs. Frushtick is finishing Dark Souls 2 on the Steam Deck. Plante sees Cult of the Lamb to its end. Plus, both Resties get nostalgic with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection.  As for the now customary movie recs? Well, it's the beginning of spooky seasons so we're tossing in an Alien AND a Predator.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we're discussing the latest Sam Barlow FMV game, Immortality. It's all about the history of cinema and auteur theory and, tragically, Chris Plante isn't here to explain what all of that means. Also, what other FMV performances have stolen our hearts? 

Also discussed: Dark Souls 2, Dark Cloud 2, Alan Wake, Simulacra, Diveki Games, Jetpack Joyride 2

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Crime. Crime never changes. But the perps do, so let's meet the new squad in the Saints Row reboot! Also, what games do we like that you probably despise? 

Games discussed: Saints Row, Fallout New Vegas, Madden, SimCity, Heavy Rain, Dark Souls 2, Multiversus, Dark Cloud 2, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Ultimate Chicken Horse

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The annual video game deluge has begun. This week, we played not one, not two, but three inventive new games. Arcade Paradise asks players to split their time between running a laundromat and launching a local arcade. Rollerdrome mixes Tony Hawk's Pro Skater with Max Payne. And Drainus is to R-Type what Stardew Valley is to Harvest Moon. What does that mean? Listen to the show and find out!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, at least three of us dirty dogs are fulfilling our every fantasy by putting our way through purgatory in Cursed to Golf! Also, we dump out the mailbag again, and dive into it like so many leaves. 

Also discussed: Minecraft, Journey, Return of the Obra Dinn, Desert Golfing, Her Story, Contradiction, Pokemon Go, Going outside, Poinpy, Gigabash, Rollerdome

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Cult of the Lamb came out of nowhere and has enchanted us like so many woodland acolytes. Join us as we discuss the finer points of managing a demonic community, and share some of our fondest Mortal Kombat memories for good measure. 

Also discussed: Beetlejuice, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Terraria, Pokemon Go, Slay the Spire: Downfall, Poinpy, Universal Paperclips, A Dark Room, The Ensign

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Super Mario Kart sped onto the SNES in August 1992. Thirty years, eight entries, and a mobile game later, Mario Kart is one of the most successful and beloved active franchises. The Resties celebrate the series by unpacking what makes the game so timeless. We share our favorite tracks and racers, then crown our favorite entry.  Discussed in this episode: Mario Kart, Fortnite, Fall Guys, Halo Infinite, Harley Quinn on HBO Max, Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

How do you pack the perfect video game for a long trip? This week, we speak with resident gaming travel expert and Besties co-host Justin McElroy to learn his secrets to success. Will we mention clicker games? Just you wait! Plus, Plante loves Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Twist!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week we're diving into a wide swath of new game releases, at least one of which kinda came out of nowhere and ended up being super good! Heck, they're all good, but just very different.

On the bill: Forza Horizon 5's new Hot Wheels DLC, EX-Zodiac, and Multiversus. We also discuss Drop 7, Dr. Awesome, Sword & Poker and other games that have been removed from App Stores.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

For over a year, Stray has been one of the most anticipated games on Steam. Does it live up to the hype? For the most part, yes! We explain why you should give this virtual cat some cuddles. Then Frushtick and Plante share their three favorite games that let you play as animals.  Prepare for obscure adventures about mosquitos! Discussed on this episode: Stray, Lion King, Lion, Mister Mosquito, Tokyo Jungle, Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers, Ecco the Dolphin, Tunic, Okami, Dead Cells, and The Empty Man on HBO Max.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

With Justin and Griffin on tour, we've brought in Tina Sanchez (@teanah), who has worked on some of the biggest franchises in the games industry (and even hosted a podcast with Chris Plante ages ago!). She's here to teach us the magical world of video game producing and how the sauce all comes together into a bigger, better sauce. We're also diving a bit into our backlog, from Yakuza 0 to Outer Wilds and beyond. 

Other things talked about: Call of Duty, Apex Legends, God of War Ragnarok, Stray, Deep Rock Galactic and The Rehearsal on HBO.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We know that you, a diehard Besties listener, have heard us talk about all the great games that came out so far this year. But if you enjoyed all that jazz, you're gonna LOVE hearing us stack those games up against each other in our mid-year checkpoint special!

Games discussed: Super Auto Pets, Wordle, Vampire Survivors, Nobody Saves the World, Pokemon Legends Arceus, Dying Light 2, Olliolli World, Horizon Forbidden West, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, Elden Ring, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Tunic, Star Wars Skywalker Saga, Teardown, Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe, Rogue Legacy 2, Citizen Sleeper, V Rising, Hardspace: Ship Breaker, TMNT Shredders Revenge, Neon White, AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - nirvanA Initiative

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The Resties Required Reading List returns!  Our goal is to curate and contextualize a "must play" list of 25 games released between 1980 to 2020. This week, we've selected games from 1985-1989. Join us as we time travel to the premieres of mega-franchises like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Tetris. Let us know what you think of the series and your personal reading list at @thebestiespod on Twitter.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We hope you're hungry, because this week brings us Cuphead's shiny new DLC, The Delicious Last Course. Also, we bought egg sandwiches for everyone, and man, we just bought waaaay too many. Take as many as you want. Bring some home to your family.

Other games discussed: Neon White, Hero Emblems 2, Teardown, Clap Hanz Golf, Fall Guys, AI Somnium Files 2

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we're playing Supermassive's latest interactive horror movie-game-thing, which we played in a bunch of different ways, some less recommended than others. Also, we discuss the genre's origins in FMV at length, because ... of course we do. 

Other games discussed: Until Dawn, Heavy Rain, The Looker, Neon White, Card Shark, Stardew Valley Expanded

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Neon White is a speedrunning game for people who've never tried speedrunning, a Dreamcast-like game for folks who never owned a Dreamcast, and a visual novel for gamers who rather play than read. It's a ball of contradictions and easily one of the best games of 2022. Frushtick and Plante also finish the business they started on the most recent episode of The Besties: cleaning out the overstuffed mailbag.

Movies discussed: The Thing, Mad God, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Kuso

TV discussed: Players on Paramount Plus

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We're serving up game criticism on a half shell and trashing like a million Foot Clan conscripts as we discuss TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, Tribute's modern take on Konami's classic beat-em-up series.

Also: Mailbag's full! Let's dump it on out. Also discussed: Fall Guys, Fortnite, Yakuza 0, Rogue Legacy 2, Pokemon Shield, Five Dates

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

You know Mario, from Mario? He's so much more than a jumping plumber, you know. He's doing soccer now, too. I mean, he's been doing soccer, and a lot of other stuff, and we're going to be talking about ALL that while we share some thoughts about Mario Strikers: Battle League. 

Games discussed: No Man's Sky, Rogue Legacy 2, Path of Exile, Fortnite, Vampire Survivor, Yakuza 0

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Frush and Plante discover Sniper Elite 5 is great... if you turn off the grotesque violence. The Sniper Elite series has been active for over a decade, but its mix of gunfights and Hitman stealth never clicked with the crew until now. What changed? Plus, the games that got us through our Covid infections. Discussed this week: Yoshi Crafted World, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Fall Guys, JSA, and Frush's new book, The Book of Fun.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Join us as we bust out our phones and apply for a high interest personal loan with Diablo Immortal! How does Blizzard's hack and slash RPG hold up on phones, and how close has it brought us to abject financial ruin? Find out within. 

Games discussed: Diablo Immortal, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy XVI, Soda Crisis, Sniper Elite 5, Super Auto Pets, V Rising

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Sure, E3 isn't "officially" happening this year, but there's still a lot of hot, hot gaming news dropping over the next couple of weeks! Join us as we discuss the evolution (and de-evolution) of the industry's (former) big summer event, and what we can expect from The Triple in years to come.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we launch a new mini-series: The Resties Required Reading List.  Our goal is to curate and contextualize a "must play" list of 25 games released between 1980 to 2020. These aren’t the best games or even our favorite games. They’re the games that should be experienced by everyone who wants a fundamental appreciation of the medium. They’re the games that will give you a richer connection with every other game you play.  Throughout 2022 and 2023 we'll publish new entries in the series, each episode focusing on a five-year period. Episodes will be sporadic and non-chronological. To kick things off, we've selected 2005-2009. Let us know what you think of the series and your personal reading list at @thebestiespod on Twitter.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we're chatting about an up-and-comer on the Steam charts — the vampire survival sim V Rising. Find out why we're so smitten; with special guest Travis McElroy!

Games discussed: V Rising, Everquest TLP, Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus, Vampire Survivors, Stardew Valley

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we're circling back with some of the lil' guys you might have missed this Spring while you were traipsing in the bluebonnets, or collecting berries or whatever. 

Games discussed: Shotgun King, Vampire Survivors, Haiku the Robot, Mini Motorways on Switch, OlliOlli World, Dungeons of Dreadrock, Rogue Legacy 2, Peglin, Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?, Songpop Party, Forager, Fall Guys, Citizen Sleeper

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga reminds us of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, in that it feels unsustainably grand. Its creators have crammed nine films worth of characters, planets, and stories, plus winks at corners of the expanded universe, into one game. A report on crunch at the studio, however, raises serious questions about its leadership's decisions to make the game bigger and bigger and bigger. What does it mean for good games to be made in bad ways? Individual creators have filled Lego Star Wars with charming references, clever stages, and some genuinely funny writing. People clearly cared about their contributions to this project. So, this week, we try to parse our feelings of this complicated game and its creation.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

In today's episode, we're exploring the absolutely pristine history of Star Wars video games, and assigning each of them a grade in an EXTREMELY scientific and deliberate manner. It's a journey, y'all. 

Also discussed: Nobody Saves the World on Switch, Death's Gambit: Ashes of Vados, Fortnite, Rogue Legacy 2

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we're tapping into the Old Ways of E-Bowling and Cyber-Tennis in Nintendo Switch Sports! It's like falling off a log, only the log is a sword, and we're using it to battle our children. 

Also discussed: Halo Infinite Season 2, Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe, Knotwords

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, The Resties revisit Rogue Legacy 2 after nearly two years in Early Access. The developer made great use of that time, delivering a worthy sequel to the original hit. In the second half, it's time to set goals for our summer gaming backlog. Discussed: Persona 4, Patrick’s Parabox, Perfect Tides, Outer Wilds, Unsighted, Fortnite, Halo Infinite, Dark Souls 2, and Uncharted Lost Legacy. Plus, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War (on Hulu and Crunchyroll) and Atlanta (on Hulu).

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Today on the show we're answering a long-requested question: What sorts of games do you play with kids? The Besties weigh in on some of their chosen diversions. 

Games discussed include: Monster Legends, ABCYa/ABCMouse/PBSkids, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Super Mario Odyssey, Kirby and the Forgotten World, Roblox, The Room, Humongous Games, and Chuchel.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

With the McElboys on tour, Plante and Frushtick bring in a special guest, Kahlief Adams of the Spawn on Me podcast, to talk about just what makes a great video game movie, and whether we could narrow down five that best represent the medium. Also, what's up with those Goombas?

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Do you have to finish a game to fully appreciate it? This week, The Resties discuss the huge time investment of our favorite hobby, and decide how much of a game is enough. In the back half, Plante and Frushtick use a fancy new mod for the original Doom to discuss ray tracing. Learn why the "big thing" in video game graphics still may be years from matter to most players.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Look, we told you we'd be talking about Elden Ring for a very long time, and here we are, doing just that. We're going to be talking about the game's first half, and then, after a brief interlude, the second half! And then we're gonna talk about it less in the future, probably!

Other media discussed: Sonic 2, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Old Enough, Perfect Tides, Minx 

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We're ditching the gruesome violence of the Borderlands franchise in exchange for the whimsical violence of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands; an exchange that then inspires us to reinvent Doom for an all-ages audience. 

Also discussed: The Afterparty, Dragon Quest V, Bloons TD 6+, All in the Timing

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Is the Gamecube controller brilliant or busted? The Resties rank the past 35 years of video game controllers in this fever dream of an episode. Then, the duo talks about NORCO, a new point-and-click adventure game set in a distant future Louisiana. Also, Speed Racer!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week we're diving into the latest installment of the long-running Kirby franchise, Kirby and the Forgotten Land. We'll also discuss Sony's attempt to take on the juggernaut that is Game Pass with its new PlayStation Plus service. 

Other games discussed: 13 Sentinels, Tunic.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins is by no means a Great Game, but we'll be gosh-danged if it hasn't charmed the Lv. 6 Shadow Pants off of us. Also, Justin breaks down the phantasmal weirdness of Ghostwire Tokyo!

Also discussed: Tunic, Elden Ring, Drive My Car, Fortnite

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, The Resties share their growing love of Tunic, an adventure game heavily inspired by the early entries of The Legend of Zelda. Without getting into spoilers, they also explain the game's similarities to indie hit Fez. In the second half, Frushtick and Plante run through Nintendo's mega-busy 2022 release calendar. Will we release get Breath of the Wild 2 this year AND another Pokemon?  Our recommendations of the week: Paprika and The French Dispatch.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Russ is left on his own and so he brought his old pal, Jeff Bakalar of Giant Bomb, to talk about another sort of game: PINBALL. Yes, Jeff knows a lot about pinball and is grilled for all his precious pinball knowledge. Jeff's top 5 tables to look out for at an ardcade: Funhouse, Addam's Family, Jurassic Park, Deadpool, Monster Bash.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

As we approach the end of the first quarter of 2022, we take a look back at some of the classics that the first three months have brought us. Maybe spread the love throughout the year next time?

Games discussed: Nobody Saves the World, Pokemon Legends Arceus, Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection, Olli Olli World, Super Auto Pets, Cyberpunk 2077 revival, Horizon Forbidden West, Dying Light 2, Destiny 2, Elden Ring and Dragon Quest XI. From the Ukraine Games itch.io bundle: TENNNES, A Short Hike, Baba Is You, Celeste, Quadrilateral Cowboy, Golf Peaks, Cloud Gardens, Mortician’s Tale, CrossCode, Kingdom Two Crowns, Wandersong, Super Hot, Ynglet, Towerfall.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Elden Ring is amazing, but it's also intimidating. Since we'll be talking about the game on The Besties throughout 2022, we wanted to help newcomers and lapsed Dark Souls fans take their first steps into this beautiful, but sometimes unforgiving world. Join us as we discuss the best starting class, where to invest upgrades, and the many unspoken rules you should know as you grow from a timid target to the one and only Elden Lord. Plus, more talk on Steam Deck and Valve's surprise, free Portal spin-off.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Consider the title of this episode a warning: Elden Ring is a game that we're gonna be discussing A LOT for the foreseeable future, starting in this very episode. Join us as we discuss what works about From Software's new open-world Souls-like, which is to say, everything. 

Other games discussed: Puzzle Quest 3, Steam Deck, Colin Farrell

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

It's feast or famine out there, games-wise, and this week's a FEAST: We're talking about Sony's newest first-party blockbuster, Horizon: Forbidden West. Also, Destiny 2's new expansion is out! And it's pretty good! 

Other games discussed: Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Magic the Gathering Arena, Hollow Knight, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Celeste, Terraria, The Room

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

A great video game doesn't have to be expensive. Inspired by the $2.99 phenomenon Vampire Survivors, The Resties choose their five favorite "bang for your buck" video games. Then, Frushtick brings a surprise B-topic that has Plante reconsidering his obsessions! Discussed on this week's episode: Vampire Survivors, the Earth Defense Force series, Fire Emblem Heroes, Drop7, Fortnite, Stardew Valley, Red Faction Guerilla: Re-MARS-tered Edition. Plus, The Rescue on Disney+ and Doom Patrol on HBO Max.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

To celebrate our tenth year of intractable debate over which video games are better than the other video games, we're doing EXACTLY THAT. For over an hour. We're pitting the best games of the last decade against one another, and only ONE survives. (One game, we mean. All the hosts are doing just fine.)

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week we're discussing Dying Light 2, a game that poses a novel question: What if dead people turned into monsters and you had to hit them with pipes and stuff? Also, we calculate the precise amount of time games are allowed to not be fun before they get fun. 

Also discussed: OlliOlli World, Finding Drago, Vampire Survivors, Everyday Shooter

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Here's an episode for everyone, whether you fell in love with video games on the Game Boy or the Nintendo Switch. In honor of the Steamdeck launch this month, The Resties construct the *perfect* list of the best portable games of all time. To accomplish this worthy task, they first uncover the key components of any magnificent portable game. Discussed on this episode: Spelunky HD, Hades, Tetris, Mario Golf Advance, Fire Emblem Awakening, Fire Emblem: Blazing Blade, Into the Breach, Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time, Persona 4 Golden, and Gravity Rush.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Wondering what's next for the Pokemon franchise? Just how many games could they put out that are basically the same thing? Well, we finally have something pretty dramatically different! The gang dives into Pokemon Legends: Arceus and whether this is finally the game to recommend to newcomers to the franchise. 

Also discussed: Vampire Survivors, Station Eleven and, yes, Roblox.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

As we build towards our 10 year anniversary in February, we decided to look back at some of the winners of The Besties Game of the Year throughout the decade. Were we right? Were we wrong? Let's find out! Each year we'll take a look at the original winner and decide what we'd put up as an alternate to go against it. You won't believe what we have for 2017! Or maybe you will. Yeah, you probably will.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

To follow up on the best games of our childhood, The Resties discuss the worst ones. The funny thing about "bad" games when your kid is that they're often just as formative and memorable as the beloved ones. Join us as we wax poetic on the Sega Activator, bad licensed games, and the infamous SNES Superscope. In the back half of the show, we discuss the best Gameboy that money can buy: the Analogue Pocket.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Things come full circle as we once again dip into the Drinkbox catalogue with their newest Action RPG title, Nobody Saves the World! Also, we discuss the enormous and dumb implications of Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard. 

Also discussed: A bunch of old Activision titles that will definitely never be revived, Station Eleven, Peacemaker, Hawkeye.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We like to think of ourselves as four cool dads who have their finger on the pulse of what's hip with young gamers. That's why, in the year of our lord 2022, we're spending a whole episode discussing Fortnite, a game that has gone COMPLETELY off the rails in the past few years. 

Other  media discussed include: Mario Paint, Illusion of Gaia, General Chaos, Haunting, Some Baby Mario Game Russ Can't Remember, How To With John Wilson, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, Keys and Kingdoms

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week's episode is inspired by our friends on the Triple Click podcast.  Frushtick and Plante make twelve bold predictions for the world of video games in 2022. Will the Mario movie be a hit? Will Tom Cruise be the next star of Fortnite? Will Metroid Prime 4 keep the Metroid hype alive? Learn the future! Plus, our movie recs of the week: The Apartment and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We're jumping into the next 12 months with gusto. These are the games we'll be watching, including some games that were on our 2021 list but didn't actually come out. 

Games discussed: Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, Rune Factory 5, Triangle Strategy, Elden Ring, Starfield, Skin Deep, Sonic Frontiers, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Stray, STALKER 2, Tunic, Cursed to Golf, Horizon Forbidden West, Wordle, Record of Lodoss War - Deelit in Wonder Labyrinth, Coral Island, After Life, Nine Days, Fortnite, the Analogue Pocket. 
 

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

THE RITUAL IS COMPLETE. Once again, we've weighed the merits of EVERY VIDEO GAME released in 2021, and named one of them the ultimate victor. May the Gaming Gods bless us with an even richer crop in the coming year, and also happy holidays, or whatever.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

It's the day of the show, y'all! We've got a sweet sixteen games from this year up for the GOTY consideration, and by the end of the episode, we'll have whittled them down to an exquisite eight. Join us for a extra-long episode as we begin arbitrarily smashing these pieces of software together until only one survives!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Ahead of The Besties selecting the Best Game of the Year, Frush and Plante predicted the winners of The Game Awards. Who made the best predictions? You'll have to listen to find out. But first, the duo discusses Solar Ash, a delightful open-world game that blends Jet Set Radio and Shadow of the Colossus.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

How much can a single device — one that's been present in video games as long as there's been video games — renovate the Halo formula? As it turns out: A whole bunch. Join us as we discuss Halo Infinite's campaign and multiplayer modes, and talk at length about where Chief's poop goes.

Games discussed: Halo Infinite, Loop Hero on Switch, Binding of Isaac (again), Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker (briefly)

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

As we near the thrilling climax of 2021, we're taking a seasonal approach to see what games stood out over the last three (or so) months. Joining us this week is Kirk Hamilton (of the Triple Click and Strong Songs podcasts) to dive into this giant leaf pile that is the fall release calendar. 

Games discussed: Metroid Dread, Resident Evil 4 VR, Deathloop, Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye, Death's Gambit Afterlife, Forza Horizon 5, Inscryption, Archvale, The Binding of Isaac Repentence, and Wildermyth.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Unsighted appeared on consoles and PC earlier this year, but we missed it. What a mistake! Frushtick and Plante talk about this brilliant indie game that blends Zelda and Metroidvanias into something new and thrilling. In the back half of the episode, the Resties discuss their favorite new additions to Xbox Game Pass, particularly the intergalactic space exploration chill-out game, Exo One.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

In which we discuss, with equal levels of enthusiasm, the latest remake from the world of Pokémon, and also the franchise as a whole. Then we take a deep dive into the mailbag, and share a blue million honorable mentions! 

Other games discussed include: Pokémon Snap, Pokémon Unite, Pokémon Let's Go, Pokémon Sword and Shield, Forza Horizon 5, Unsighted, Pony Island, Halo Infinite Multiplayer, Binding of Isaac: Repentance, Minecraft's Magic Kingdom Pack.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Today, we're cracking into the oftentimes impenetrable Shin Megami Tensei series' fifth major installment, and share some thoughts on the masterful GTA Trilogy remasters, which are terrible. 

Other media discussed: Halo Infinite Multiplayer, Resident Evil 4 VR, Cape Fear 1962 and Moonlighter.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

On this episode of Resties, Plante and Frushtick dance in the pouring rain of Video Game Season 2021. Forza Horizon 5 and Riders Republic are both a delight, so the Resties compare and contrast the two open-world racing adventures to help you find the right fit. In the second half of the episode, the pair discuss the first year of the Xbox Series X and PS5. Is now the right time to buy a new console... if you can even find one? Plus, the Resties share their recommendations of the week and open the AMA mailbag! Other stuff discussed in this episode: Demon's Souls, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Xbox Game Pass, The French Dispatch, Unpacking, Portal, Mario Kart, the films of Michael Haneke, The Last of Us 2, the Discworld series, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Speed Racer (2008), The Night of the Hunter, High & Low (1963).

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we're breaking down two great tastes that taste great together: The many faces of Call of Duty: Vanguard, and the newly expanded Animal Crossing: New Horizons. We also give a metric ton of iOS recommendations, and argue about the Mario Bros' Mushroom Kingdom citizenship. 

Other games discussed: Inscryption, Devil's Gambit, The Binding of Isaac: Repentence, Bloodshore, Nickelodeon All Stars Brawl, Super Stickman Golf 3+, Clap Hanz Golf, Solitarica, SNKRX, Fire Emblem Heroes

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

In our worst-titled episode to date, we're doing double duty! Join us for a discussion of the extra-creepy deckbuilder Inscryption and the surprisingly charming Guardians of the Galaxy. 

Other media discussed: Hearthstone, Telltale's Guardians of the Galaxy, Death's Gambit Afterlife, lots of Godzilla films, Doom Patrol, Nightmare Alley

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

On this episode of Resties, Plante and Frushtick countdown their top 10 games on Nintendo Switch Online. Of course, Chris has chosen a ridiculous #1. In the back half of the episode, they talk about the Outer Wilds DLC, Echoes of the Eye. Spoilers are limited to the first couple hours of the game and kept as vague as possible. Discussed on this episode: a metric ton of retro games, Outer Wilds, Death's Gambit Afterlife, Universal Paperclips, and Dune.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We're without Chris Plante this week, but we're not without a surplus of zombie-based video games to discuss, because, wow, there's a LOT of them coming out right now. 

Games discussed include: Back 4 Blood, Resident Evil 4 VR, ElecHead, Inscryption, Metroid Dread, Dying Light on Switch, Final Fantasy X on Switch

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we're joined by AbleGamers' chief development officer to talk about the complexity and importance of including accessibility features in games, and also, pizza. Really, lots and lots of pizza talk. We also discuss Far Cry 6 for a few minutes!

Other games discussed: Metroid Dread, Final Fantasy 14, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Satisfactory, Inscryption

AbleGamers: https://ablegamers.org/

Steven Spohn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenspohn

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

On this episode of The Resties, Plante and Frushtick hit the road with a trio of skeletons in Spookware. Finally the dream of a horror-themed WarioWare is realized! Other things discussed: Tales of Arise, Tres-Bashers, Dracula on the Criterion Collection, and Cowboy Bebop. If you're looking for our follow-up discussion on accessibility with Steven Spohn of Able Gamers, that episode will drop on October 22, 2021. 

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

It only took 19 years for a true 2D sequel to Metroid Fusion, and now that it's here, we're basking in the glow of what may be the best Metroid game ever made. We know Russ is on board, but how do some of the other Besties handle the greatness that has been placed before them? We also discuss the tricky balance of accessibility and difficulty, and whether there's an obligation on the part of the developer to include certain features. 

Other games discussed: Tetris Effect Connected, The Artful Escape, Farm RPG. Also some fun scary movies: Slaxx, The Boys from County Hell, The Columnist, and 13 Ghosts.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we're sorta discussing Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, but to be honest, it's more of a table setter for Chris' thesis that it's never been a better time to be a Sega fan. Which is, to put it lightly, a divisive position to take. 

Other games discussed include: Sonic Mania and Sonic Colors, Phantasy Star Online, Shenmue, Yakuza, Farm RPG, Box One, Jenny LeClue, Diablo 2 Resurrected, and The Exorcist.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

In this, the first official episode of The Besties Resties: Alan Wake Remastered, Tales of Arise, and The Artful Escape are great games. And yet you may have missed them because there are so many new releases hitting all at once. Don't worry, we'll catch you up on the fall's OTHER great games. New episodes of The Besties Resties will drop on every other Tuesday through the rest of 2021.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We're celebrating our 200th episode, or at least the episode we assume is somewhere around our 200th, by talking about hidden gems of this year and the past decade, which is how long we've been doing this show, which is ... man. We need to go lie down for a while. 

Games discussed include: TOEM, Eastward, Beast Breaker, Crusin Blast, Antichamber, Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, Tiny Wings, Jazzpunk, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, Walkabout Mini Golf and Cookie Clicker!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we're discussing Arkane's time-traveling Groundhog Day-meets-creative murder sandbox Deathloop! And boy howdy, is there a lot to discuss. We also break down the glut of time looping games that have come out this year, which we've definitely done before, but, hey, it feels appropriate, right?

Other games discussed include: Destiny 2, Elsinore, The Forgotten City, Overboard, Zelda: Majora's Mask, Returnal, Outer Wilds, World Flipper, Prey: Mooncrash, and Eastward.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Honorary Besties Ron Funches joins us once again to discuss the latest opus from Mario's pungent counterpart, WarioWare: Get It Together. Other games discussed include: Splitgate, Final Fantasy V, The Forgotten City, Deathloop (briefly!) and a whole mess of other WarioWare games!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week we're giving you all a preview of what to expect this holiday season, from the Halos to the Metroids and everything in between. We also discuss The Forgotten City, a wild time-looping narrative game that's guarenteed to get you a minor in philosophy. 

Other games discussed: Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, Monster Train: The Last Divinity, Spookware, and Dungeon Village 2.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

No More Heroes 3 explores the question of whether toilet jokes can get old. We also dive into the challenging topic of auteur games, and whether a single person's creative vision can make magic or mayhem in the world of video games. 

Also discussed: Out of this World, Cibele, How Do You Do It?, Dys4ia, Might Jill Off, Death Stranding, Spelunky 2, The Forgotten City, Wildermyth, and 100 Foot Wave (which is a show, not a game).

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

This week, we’re breaking down two sequels that couldn’t be more different from each other: The unique metroidvania romp known as Axiom Verge 2, and the throwback action-platformer Psychonauts 2. 

Other games discussed include Spelunky 1 and 2 on Switch, The Vale and Twelve Minutes.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

We’re back, and we’re talking about the multiplayer games that defined our college dorm experience, despite the fact that half of us never lived in a college dorm, and also some of the games we discuss came out like, last year. 

Games discussed include: Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, Secret of Mana, Castle Crashers, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Destiny 2, NBA Jam, NCAA Football, Dropmix, Slime Rancher, Garden Story, Islanders, Spelunky 1&2, Axiom Verge 2, Forgotten City, Wildermyth and, naturally, Final Fantasy XIV.

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Griffin and Justin are off galavanting for a week, leaving the rest of the podcast, Plante and Frushtick, to carry on The Besties name. In honor of that, we're doing a deeper dive into one of the greatest games ever discussed on the podcast: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. What were some of its best ideas and how do we expect things to play out in the still-unnamed sequel? 

Other games discussed: Flight Simulator on Xbox Series X, Curse of the Dead Gods on Game Pass, and Wildermyth.

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This week on The Besties, we're OBJECTION! talking about the latest entry in the Ace Attorney series, and also OBJECTION! deciding if Kirby is a murderer. 

Other games discussed on the show include: Ender Lillies, SNKRX, Final Fantasy XIV, and Out of the Loop.

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This week on The Besties we've got a stellar indie action adventure, Death's Door, from the creators of Titan Souls. We're also diving into the unique handheld with a crank, the Playdate. It's yellow! Other games discussed on the show include: Zelda: Skyward Sword, NEO The World Ends with You, Tangle Tower, and The Ascent.

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This week on The Besties, we're jumping into the HD remake of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Yes, it's a game that didn't make it very far in our Best Zelda bracket, but maybe some upgrades (and no mandatory motion controls) will pull it up by its own boostraps? There's also the Switch Pr- errr Steam Deck to discuss!

Games discussed on this episode: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Clap Hanz Golf, Beat Saber Custom, Township Tale, Progress to 100, and the films of Brian de Palma, specifically Blow Out and Body Double.

Next week: Death's Door

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Looking for something new to play this summer? Might we interest you in some incredible indie games? This week, we spotlight Chicory, Overboard, Phantom Abyss, Demeo, and more! Plus, we have a very special guest in the second half!

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You might not have heard about Scarlet Nexus, the anime-forward action-roleplaying game released this month. Let's change that. The world's best friends discuss one of the best games of the summer. Then they make time to brainstorm an ideal Nintendo Switch 2 and answer your questions, like, "What is the Breath of the Wild of movies?"

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Mario Golf: Super Rush divides the world's best friends. Yes, the game Plante has hyped for weeks isn't a unanimous hit, but the crew still discusses at length what they love about Nintendo's oddball entry into the plumber's sports series. Justin, Griffin, and Plante also speculate on where Mario sports should go from here. Three words: Ultimate Mario Ultimate.

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What are the best games of 2021 at the year's midpoint? With Frushtick away, we agreed to create an unofficial Top 8. We revisited some of our favorite games from previous episodes and also turned to y'all for recommendations. You didn't disappoint, providing tons of cool indie surprises. From Resident Evil 8 to Clap Hanz Golf, these are the top candidates for Bestie 2021.

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In a grand confluence, we've got a major event in the gaming year, E3, matched with a legit game release, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart on PS5 (codes provided by Sony). Somehow we'll talk about the highs and lows of both of these major events in one absolutely stuffed episode. Get in here, people!

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Last week we narrowed down the the best Resident Evil games to the final four, and now we're having them duke it out. We've got some truly classic zombie gems going at it this week, and you won't guess what we decide! (Well, you might guess it. In the grand scheme of things there aren't that many options left. But act surprised.)

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With the fervor over Resident Evil Village, the gang gathers to figure out whether they can narrow down the very best Resident Evil game of all time. Sure, there's a lot of crud to sift through, but there's gold in these hills! And they're gonna buy shotgun upgrades with this gold!

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Now that we've entered the peak video game release season, it's time to dive into ... a Switch re-release of a 3DS exclusive featuring Hank Hill. Griffin, Russ, and Chris take a trip back in time to the early 2010s for some 3DS reminicence while discussing Miitopia on Nintendo Switch.

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With Frushtick on vacation, the gang shares some of their favorite games from the past couple months, including Subnautic: Below Zero, Nier Replicant, the Masst Effect remaster, and Clap Hanz Golf. If you've finished Resident Evil 8: Village and need something to play next, this episode is for you.

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The gang's all together to celebrate yet another actual video game release! Today we're diving into Resident Evil Village, with the first-half dedicated to first impressions and the second half diving into the first half of the game. We know, it's confusing. But at least the property values are low!

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This week we welcome back the long-wandering Griffin McElroy. And what a week it is! On the docket: two actual, major game releases, New Pokémon Snap and Returnal. They may be about as different as you could imagine, but they do both require you to play the same levels over and over again, so maybe not?

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We've narrowed it down to the final four, and now special guest Evan Narcisse (@EvNarc) has joined the club to decide the best GTA game of all time, between Vice City, San Andreas, GTA 4, and GTA 5. Four may enter but only one will leave.

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You find yourself in a city. Your only option? Crime! This week we have special guest Jordan Morris (@Jordan_Morris) filling in for Griffin as we attempt to tackle a tough question: What is the greatest Grand Theft Auto game of all time? And yes, the randomized bracket has returned with a vengeance!

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This week we're diving into Outriders, a game that sounds about as generic as is possible within the confines of the English language. And yet, we all think it's pretty damn fun! We also attempt to one-up its generic efforts with a new title of our own.

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Just when you thought it was safe to buy property in Kamura Village, all these monsters show up and wreck the joint! Justin and Russ team up after a last-minute bug fells Chris Plante (and Griffin deals with a new human child situation). Is this finally the Monster Hunter game to not make you hate Monster Hunter games? Hmm ... hard to say, but worth a shot!

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Who better to tackle a mandatory co-op game about divorce than the duo of Plante and Frushtick? The pair take on It Takes Two, the new release from the creators of A Way Out. And with Griffin out in preparation for a forthcoming child and Justin out because divorce makes him sad, it's a complete takeover!

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Just one more loop? The boys jump into the indie darling that's got the nation abuzz: Loop Hero. They also dive into some more review songs and explore whether Griffin and his computer are best friends.

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It's all down to this! We've narrowed down the greatest Zelda games of all time to a perfect 8, and now we've got to bring it all the way to number one. Sorry Link's Target Practice fans, this one is just for the big 'uns.

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We thought we'd take some time to dive into a very scientific study: What is the best Zelda game of all time? To determine this, we've started with all 16 main games and, well, stuck them in a randomized bracket for true chaos. We've got some spicy match-ups coming your way, so buckle up!

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After a week of total chaos, most of the boys from your favorite video game club are back, joined by special guest Elyse Willems of Rooster Teeth & Fun Haus fame. At issue this week: Super Mario 3D World and prescisely the right way to say the name Mario (which is still up for debate!).

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The gents hop into the scary and tiny world of Little Nightmares 2. They also explore the existential and impossible to answer questions of: Is Luigi's Mansion 3 a horror game, and can kites be scary?

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This week on The Besties, the gang is diving into some incredible Early Access games, including Teardown, Ender Lilies, Subnautica: Below Zero and Everspace 2. They also introduce a brand new listener appreciation segment that truly stretches the definition of music.

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You find yourself in an assassination gone wrong. All you have? A muffin. The boys journey into the World of Assassination with Hitman 3 this week, discovering whether they have what it takes to fill the mighty soles of Agent 47. Join them, won't you?

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January may not be known for a rollicking time for major new releases, but that's cool, we'll find a way to keep you busy! Today we dive into a bunch of games that you may have missed while you were busy trying to get Cyberpunk to not crash. 

A full rundown of all the games listed: Noita, MO:Astray, Death Stranding, Spiritfairer, Jackbox 7, and Call of the Sea. Also Griffin tries to make a prank phone call. 
 

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We're a bit late to the Cyberpunk 2077 party, but better late than never! Chris Plante will be back soon, but the world-renowned @RonFunches has stepped in to fill his shoes this week. Is Cyberpunk truly that heinous, or is it all a ruse? And can we possibly find a way to make hacking minigames fun? All will be revealed.

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The Besties gang are back for a brand new year, thanks for sticking with us! In today's episode, we'll each bring 3 games (ahem, Justin) that we're pumped about in the new year. We're talking Breath of the Wild 2, Resident Evil 8age, God of War Ragnanok, Hollow Knight Silksong, and much, much more.

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We’ve gone from 16 and we’re down to 8 of the best games of 2020. Now we’re going to cull down these sweet, adorable baby calves until there’s just one golden cow remaining for the year. The final eight are: Animal Crossing: NH, Paradise Killer, Among Us, Ori 2, Spelunky 2, Monster Train, Kentucky Route Zero, and Hades.

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It’s all been building to this! The boys come together with 16 games duking it out for the best games of 2020 (including 4 listener selections!). Who will live? Who will die? Who will cry? There’s only one way to find out! For the full bracket, check out TheBestiesPod on Twitter.

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The boys brave the fetid swamps and fiery dragons of the prettiest dang PS5 game around, Demon's Souls. Will they survive the Valley of Defilement? Will they find a lovely two bedroom in the Tower of Latria? Only one way to find out!

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The new console launches continue with the debut of the PlayStation 5! The Besties break down all the upgraded design features including the incredible DualSense controller.

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Just days after the official launch of the Xbox Series X, the gang offers a comprehensive evaluation including how this generational leap compared to the last and upcoming exclusives. Then they enter the Animus and are transported back to the age of Vikings with their review of the new Assassin's Creed Valhalla.

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The Besties rode on a drone and hacked their way into the mainframe for this week’s new game: Watch Dogs: Legion! They discuss the impressive open world design of the futuristic post-Brexit London. Critique the play as any character feature. And question if a game release has ever been less fit for the moment? Plus, their review of The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope.

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Huge news! Russ previews the new sizable PS5 including demonstrating its eject. Then the gang reviews the visual novel real-time strategy game 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.

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It's October so it must be time to give you the straight up willies. The Besties dive into Twitch phenomenon Phasmophobia, and Justin burns matches in Amnesia: Rebirth. We also explore some of our favorite scary games from throughout history. Join us ... unless you're scared? To be honest, we kinda are.

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The Besties have gathered at the digital tabletop to review Larian Studios’ recent launch in early access to Baldur's Gate 3! Plus, Chris gives an in-depth report on the Xbox Series X!

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This week's topic of discussion is the new Star Wars: Squadrons! Together the Besties unpack the lineage of Star Wars flight games. Offer positive reviews for the multiplayer mode. And explore how the game expands into the franchise’s extended universe like never before. Plus, offer up some recent releases they’re playing and answer the fan submitted question of which spacecraft they would eat if forced to?

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Join the Besties in their quest of the underworld with 2020’s Hades. They explore the incredibly designed and nuanced gameplay. Discuss the mythological themes. And cannot ignore the fact that all of the characters are very hot. Plus, special guest New York Giraffe discusses their goal to become the God of West 23rd Street!

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The gang reviews the sequel to the 2008 original, Spelunky 2. Discuss the recent pre-order madness. Explore Microsoft’s acquisition of game publisher Bethesda Softworks for $7.5 billion. And check in on the state of the console wars.

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The iconic skateboarding game is back and newly remastered, my dudes! Animation writer and director, Miles Luna, joins The Besties this week to discuss Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2! They explore the influence of the original 1999 release, play Tony Hawk's Pro Skater trivia, and review the improvements and new features. Plus they discuss the updated soundtrack and come up with their own EPIC original tricks!

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This week the boys offer an in-depth review of the new Marvel's Avengers! They examine the original storyline with Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel at the center of the story. Discuss the similarities of the multiplayer gameplay with the Destiny series. And breakdown the upcoming releases of the Xbox Series X and the recently announced Xbox Series S.

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The Besties let the listeners decide what games to discuss this week. So hope you're all happy! First, Griffin offers a lackluster review of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered. Then the gang tackles Madden NFL 21, the recent release from the long-running franchise. And finally, they examine the twisted post-apocalyptic RPG Wasteland 3.

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Join the gang in the virtual cockpit as they fly through the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020! Together, they examine the pros and cons of the ultra realistic gameplay and discuss exploring the Earth with the live streaming map technology. Plus, Griffin, Justin and Chris show off their newly learned piloting skills while Russ demonstrates his grasp of altitude.

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Join the Besties’ quest through Rogue Legacy 2, which is now available in early access on Steam. Plus, they offer other titles to check out like Heroes of Hammerwatch. And read fan mail which includes an in-depth look into what Russ has done with all his muscle money.

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In this episode of The Besties, the boys review the hit online multiplayer battle royale Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. Plus, pitch their own Fall Guys mini games based on other existing games shows. And answer listener-submitted questions including what other genres, specific games or franchises would they want to have a battle royale mode added to?

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Sometimes the worst games do have some redeeming qualities. This week, the gang looks at the best game mechanics, unique story ideas, console technology integration featured in sub-par releases over the years.

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The Besties recommend some of their favorite games that have come out this summer, including Carrion, The Under Presents, Zach Gage’s Good Sudoku, the updated Noita, and more! Plus, they discuss what upcoming releases they are excited for in the rest of 2020.

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This week The Besties take a critical look at Paper Mario: The Origami King, the sixth installment of the Mario Paper series, and explore which power-up items in the Mario franchise they genuinely would want to eat. Plus, they read fan letters and answer who is the better Doctor: Mario or Waluigi? If you’d like to contact the show please reach out to [email protected].

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The gang reviews Ghost of Tsushima, the recently released open world action-adventure game set in 13th century feudal Japan. Topics include the Samurai code of honor, the sometimes glacial story pacing, the design of the "Kurosawa mode" and the lackluster mini games. Early copies of Ghost of Tsushima were provided by Sony.

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In honor of National Video Game Day, The Besties decide the best new console of 2020: the PlayStation 5 vs. Xbox Series X! Using a highly advanced voting system they weighed the tech specs, upcoming video game releases, pricing, and announce their winner. May the best console win.

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*SPOILER ALERT* This week’s episode goes all-in on The Last of Us Part II and leaves no virtual corpse unturned. Together, The Besties break down the plot, discuss the controversy and explore in-depth the failings of this game’s bleak view on justice.

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The Besties kick off a two-part series on The Last of Us Part II with a no spoilers episode. They explore the punishing gameplay, consider the pleasure of headshotting infected pseudo-zombies, and explain the trouble with scavenging Seattle for dirty bandages. Plus, they compete in a zombie apocalypse RPG that tests the gang’s survival skills. 

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That's right Justin absolutely lives for the compilation Clubhouse Games on Nintendo Switch. He can’t get enough of the 51 classic board games, card games, sports stuff and even a piano keyboard! Somehow they manage to shift gears and also discuss the Playstation 5 box design aesthetics and answer fan mail. But it wasn’t easy to stop Justin from talkin’ club.

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The gang reviews Super Mario Galaxy and picks their best game of the 2007 mini-series. Plus, Uncle Jake Nintendo Plante makes a special appearance to ask for the next great Mario spinoff?

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In their on-going mini-series on the greatest games of 2007, The Besties this week discuss Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and God of War II. Together they comment on the trappings of Nathan Drake’s problem solving, why Kratos has no chill and explore fringe Playstation exclusives including the “When I'm Cleaning Windows” song from window washing mini-game Wishi Washi on the EyeToy: Play collection. Plus, answer fan mail for entry level gamers!

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This week The Besties are discussing Halo 3! Together they look back to its highly anticipated release in 2007. The criticism around the infamous cliffhanger ending. Their favorite vehicles, weapons and campaigns. Plus, get nostalgic for H3’s limited edition gaming soda.

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Would you kindly join The Besties as they revisit the dystopian RPG shooter BioShock? Together they discuss the influence of Objectivism and environmentalism on its storytelling. The design aesthetic that incorporates Art Deco and steampunk. And critique the effectiveness of the plot twist (spoiler alert!)

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