The Besties (Chris Plante, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Russ Frushtick)

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!

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!

Special thanks to Salivation Army for recovering this episode from the archive!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

Assassin's Creed Shadows finally takes the series to Feudal Japan. But is Ubisoft too late? Or does their AAAA mega release slice through the competition like a hidden blade to the neck of an unsuspecting foot soldier?

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

Tactical Breach Wizards looks like XCOM, plays like FTL, and has writing as good if not better than most RPGs. Rarely are all four Besties this hyped for the same game, but here we are!

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!

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

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!

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.

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 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!

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!

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!

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?

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!

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!

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. 
 

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 not the holiday yet, but we couldn't help ourselves from digging into a game that embodies a decadent feast. Echo Point Nova is a forgettable name for an excellent game. The open-world indie FPS piles on powers like a doting aunt slopping sides onto your Thanksgiving plate. First, we triple jump, hoverboard, and grappling hook our way through its adventure. Then, we react to the Game Award nominations. Is it time for the awards to add more nominees? Listen to 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 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.

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!

To pick through the 50 indie games stuffed into UFO 50, The Besties called in support: Bloomberg reporter and author Jason Schreier. We discuss our favorites from UFO 50 and the point of a collection this big. In the back half, Schreier shares some juicy tidbits from his new book on the history of Blizzard, Play Nice.

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

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.

Subscribe 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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

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!

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 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 

Subscribe 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!

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

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 are back! This week they're discussing Respawn's Star Wars game, Jedi: Fallen Order, and diving into the weird world of deep cut Star Wars lore, from Yaddle to jizz (literally the official term for the genre of music in the cantina scene) .

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 the world of video games, 2025 will be an incredible year. The Besties collect over 25 games they can't wait to play in the coming months. We promise there's something here for you! And to think: we still don't know what will launch on the Switch. Well, maybe Frushtick knows.

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!

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!

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!

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

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 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.

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 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

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!

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.  

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!

Everybody on the crew agrees that Astrobot is a top contender for Game of the Year. But one member believes that the Sony exclusive is the best platformer of all time. Yes, even better than every Mario game. In this episode, The Besties discuss Sony’s humongous win of the week and its inexplicable own goal — the PS5 Pro.

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!

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!!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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 

Subscribe 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!

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!

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 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!

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!

Crave the era of demo discs? It’s returned thanks to Steam Next Fest. This week, The Besties discuss 10 demos of anticipated games. Plus, we share some of your favorites. And we talk about a very special Justin McElroy video!

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 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

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!

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!

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.

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 thanks to Salivation Army for recovering this episode from the archives!

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!

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!

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!

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/.

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!

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

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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

We’re talking REPO. (Not the genetic opera! Not the Emilio Estevez movie!) The co-op horror game blends laughs with thrills by dropping some deeply strange characters into a terrifying world. Plus, we talk Inzoi. Is it a legitimate threat to The Sims?

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!

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.)

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 will try to convince you to play Blue Prince without spoiling Blue Prince. But first, we need to talk about the Switch 2: the games, the price, the canceled pre-order date, and everything else.

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!

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!

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.

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 loves his adorable little pocket monsters and tries his very best to convince the boys that they are truly creatures of god. This is generally ineffectual. Also: Pokémon that get far, far worse the more they evolve.

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 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

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!

Usually, we talk about the latest and great video games. But this week, what if we try the greatest of the not-so-latest? That’s right, it’s finally time to talk about Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 and many other tasty delights. In the back half, we reflect on Nintendo’s farewell Direct for the original 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'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!

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

Subscribe 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!

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!

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!

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

Subscribe 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!

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!

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!

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!

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/

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!