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The Besties — Games & Hobbies
The Besties

It’s Game of the Year meets King of the Hill as four of Earth’s best friends – Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Chris Plante, and Russ Frushtick – rank and review their favorite video games. Because shouldn’t the world’s best friends pick the world’s best games?

Copyright: © 2021

Latest Episodes:

Besties 2023 GOTY Spectacular - Part One Dec 15, 2023

Show notes

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!

The Resties Required Reading List is complete! [Resties] Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

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!

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Get the full list of 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 Look Back at 2023 with the TGAs (and the GTAs) Dec 08, 2023

Show notes

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!

2023 Indies You Might Have Missed Dec 01, 2023

Show notes

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!

The lost hour of Half-Life [Resties] Nov 28, 2023

Show notes

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!

Super Mario RPG's Super Faithful Remake (feat. Felicia Day) Nov 24, 2023

Show notes

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

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!

You'll Never See Persona 5 Tactica Comin' Nov 17, 2023

Show notes

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

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!

Two new games to play with friends! [Resties] Nov 14, 2023

Show notes

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!

Eating Snakes and Frogs with Metal Gear Solid 3 Nov 10, 2023

Show notes

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!

Alan Wake 2 is Weirder Than You Could Possibly Imagine Nov 03, 2023

Show notes

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!

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