Fire Escape Cast #122 (Part 1) - GAME OF THE YEAR

Oh, hello, what Mike You made eye contact with me again?

Sorry?

Yeah, that's the role with Mike. You don't make eye contact. Right everyone, I'm Dan. We are fire Escape, and by we I mean me Dan, I mean Mike Maharty, I mean Mary Kish. We will explain this other entity in just a moment here and gives me just walking around. That's razor, folks. We are here for Game of the Year twenty twenty five, one of the best years in gaming, I think since we have started this podcast, it's a big one. Be content number one. This is we were

The things on track here. No, rants, if you talk too long, I'm gonna hit you in the head with my gaffle. Oh we're just gonnaet assault at this point. Now, Okay, great this year fresh wow, fresh out of cryo sleep. Where we keep him all year until we need him for game year.

And then we wake them up to edit the podcast and social clips and stuff like that. One dirty dirty wig that SHU to think where it's been. I think that's I think that's the super Dan sixty four wig that I wore when I was playing Superman sixty four. So it's just my bald head. There's not a lot of you know, hair, there's no hair going on. So you're good, folks. What are we doing? I'm sorry I made our contact with the not that you might you can make eye contact.

It was that when you you did it twice and everyone, folks looking right at me point blank.

Where you want to explain? Like the loose format? Yeah, yeah, So if you have not seen our Game of the Year before, are we on here at table cam now? Okay, hello everyone, high. This is the came we'll be working with most of the time. We have twenty five category you know, some favorites, some new, and then we will end with the top ten games of the year ordered and we will be debating each and every one of these.

We have we have some very serious categories. We take this really seriously around here, so try and keep with us as we go through. Anywhere between four and twelve nominees per category, we will debate them and we're and then we have a top ten as well, so we actually have a lot to get through in this time.

And first category is very serious too. Yeah, a should we start? Like you know, it just kind of a downer. It's kind of a serious one. It's been a serious year. Yeah, it's been a tough one. So we are going to start with Jake Decker, cool judge Jake. What is our first category? There's the list, people can see it now. First up, best balls, First up ball x pit Rematch, Rosary beads, the hollow night silks, you belave that. Have you seen this?

Have you heard about I've heard about these beads Doom the Dark Ages. Just generally you use a couple of balls when you're attacking the.

Questions about that, but we'll get to it. I don't know we'll get to that one. Basically, all the characters and Kirby air Riders are balls, specifically Rick Lololo and La La La waddle d and Kirby.

It's just like so much specificity doesn't make it more valuable, Like there's other ones like Rematch that also does.

It sounds like you're already insulting the judge because, hey, Judge, balls are in Rematch. I don't need to ask where the balls are in a soccer game. I think it's pretty clear.

Our next nominee is those robot arc balls in Arc Raiders, Once Upon a Katamari morph ball, Metroid Prime.

Four bomb, Catterpillar in Okay. Well, uh, you know, Rematch it just it has balls in it. It's a soccer game. I don't think there's anything extraordinary about these balls. I think we can cut Rematch.

Yeah, what balls and do in the Dark Ages? Who has that?

Boss fights are all ball based.

They throw balls at you and you have to make sure that you avoid the red balls and get the green.

The projectile just about projectiles, I mean there's spiracle the projectiles and balls such.

A minor point though, the idea that like in some places it's projectiles and some but they're they're like a projectiles.

The bullet hell aspects they use like round projectiles. Yea, truly balls. Robot arc balls those are ones that they roll around that such on fires.

I don't want them on this list. I hate the it's just best balls, I know. I don't like the walls. Yeah, let's cut the robot arc balls and rematch. Yeah, okay, I actually don't think the robot art balls are particularly interesting to fight even I hate them.

Yeah, they're not. I don't. I don't like them. Who wants to go to town for the bomb caterpillar and ooh?

I mean it's I just started playing this in my first few hours of ooh, this is a really awesome concept of your caterpillar is made of bombs. It's a ball for a head, a ball bomb one and ball bomb two and use it to solve puzzles.

They are absolutely balls.

I don't know if.

Well, hold on, I have a question. I'm gonna cut you off. Are we is it the most spherical balls?

Is it?

Like?

Is it at implement implementation of balls? I think that's something we need to clarify.

These are all balls. We're at the point where you're no longer you know these are all great balls. Well, okay, judge honorably with respect. Uh the Kirby air Riders being balls. I mean every character is a ball. Have you seen there's a lot of spherical Kirby But they're lumpy balls. They've got like feet and little wing hands. Well, I mean they're.

Ball and once once upon a Catamara, that's a lumpy ball too, and it gets lumpier.

That is true. Like we aren't saying the most perfectly geometrically spherical balls here.

Maybe that's what That's what he was asking, is it or is the best implementation of what we can agree? I think it's our favorite balls? Okay, yeah, fos a favorite balls?

Ok Actively, you know, I think But hold on, have you guys seen Rick. He's the hamster. He's a hamster and he's a ball pretty much and he runs. His name is Rick. I do like that? Yeah, I mean you could have just put Rick on there. Yeah, maybe it should have been more sulky. Can we do it?

I mean, we can change your right too, thick, just straight through everything except Rick.

Just just delete it and just put beer writers. Okay, yeah, yeah, I think that'll help once upon. I don't know about this doom stuff. I will buy your thesis that they are balls. Now. I don't think they are best balls.

I don't think they're the best balls. They are against you. You want to get the green balls, but I don't think it's gonna win.

Just competition here, Yeah.

Yeah, I agree.

Give me an argument for ball x pit.

The whole game revolves around utilizing balls to overpower your demons.

Whether or not it's got balls, I'm saying, whether they're not, they're the best.

You interrupted me while I was making my point. The whole game revolves around amplifying the power of your balls to do creative and magical things, to take out demons and skeletons and caterpillars.

The new evolutions of your balls and stuff like there is the most like ball flexibility and come from behind right, and then also there's like the ball your characters kind of become balls when you're doing the town building ball. Yeah, that's what he was talking about. Yeah, that's interesting, it is. Yeah, okay, we'll leave her. I like ball x pit Rosary beats are good. We cut doing the dark ages. Yes, okay with that Katamari. You know the judge is right. It is.

Yeah, but they.

Can't all be ball winners. Some of these have to be ball losers. And Katamari is probably not going to beat Metroid prime ball or Rosary bead ball or rick ball. Like, let's be reasonable.

I noticed you didn't mention ooh are we thinking ooh? Is maybe it's got.

Great balls, But I'm I'm eyeing it for like things that I think it excels at even more than balls. I don't think balls is why this game is so amazing. I think bombs is why this is so amazing.

What shape or bombs? Well, it has like a little nowble on it. It's not best bombs either. This is best ball. I don't think it's the best balls or beads balls. Yes, yeah, but bombs are bomb. The bombs and video the interperfect there's not enough on the rosary beads.

We're going on shape and Kris out I agree, that's just a conglomeration of random ship that you ball.

Yeah, you know what, we can cut Rick? I love Ricky, but very honorable of you, judge.

All right, so we've cut Rick Katamari and oh so are we down to the threes that ball x pit, rosary beads and.

Pick who's the winner. Hold on rosary beads. Really it's the most important currency.

It is, and it's it's terrible, actually, I kind of I think I backed the rosary beads only because when you break something, they fly everywhere and it's really annoying and role But I kind of like that that's the all in there ball.

Sound effects, you know, the noise that it makes when they crash on the ground.

You're like my balls and you have to grab.

Them because of their value. They are like some of the best balls to get in this list.

They are the most coveted balls on this list.

In my opinion, No ball x pit is a game around The balls themselves are are the power of the projectile that takes out enemies. The beads are a currency with which to acquire more power. But the balls and bocks pit are the power, are the chief attraction. That's why you're in that game.

I am not. Is it fair to say bomb caterpillar can go now? Oh yeah, I think we just got a lifetime achievement, you know, for the more fall is still the more fall. It is tremendous. It looks great, it sounds great. You hop around and lay little bombs. It's a ball that makes other balls that explode. Yeah, great, it's fantastic. It's maybe if this are a mount Rushmore of balls, I think the more fall might be George Washington, do you ever think about a mount Rushmore of balls

And then we got to put on our what was the fourth but then we need the fourth one?

I mean I think, yeah, I think, Rick I would like to see Rick on a Mount Rushmore. Sure, can we just do that? And then the George Washington boy Ballpit? You got a good argument for that, Mike. That's a game about balls. It's in the title of all the Balls. The variety balls is insane. It's in the title.

There's there's electric balls, there's fireballs on.

My favorite balls from balls.

The more they bounce, the more, the faster they go, and then you get them into the one of the alcoves between enemies and then they're just fucking I.

Think we I think we have George Washington. But who's the winner. I don't think it matters. All that matters to the George Washington. I think ballpit is George Washington.

Yeah, therefore the winner of Yeah, yeah, I agree, we're in ballpit, all right?

I think yeah, So I forget who officially announces the judge?

All right, judge, still the winner of the Mount Rushmore of balls is ballpit?

Ball x pit? Excellent?

Are you supposed to say ballpit? Have E been saying it wrong? I think it's I think it's like cross pit. Yeah, it looks like rre supposed to cross or no fighting games. You're supposed to say, cross the ex.

Cross pit. Oh, I just came back from France, so I should understand that Follock's Pit Mike did fly here directly from France. What what region of France, the South? What's the best vineyard this time of the year in the South region of France.

This time of year. None, the vineyards are good bozo, but it's bullsh pete.

All right, Yeah, I think we have a winner. Great, all right. Next category is most dewey game of the Year are Megabunk, Donkey Kong, Bonanza, Keeper, Kirby Air Riders, ball Pit, Shinobi Tower Dominion, Mario Kart Worlds, Once Upon a Katamari, a game about digging a hole Sectory. Oh, I knew he was gonna do something weird with that. And Powerwash Simulator too. It's Powerwash Simulator too cozy, too

Like ah, don't you also like put down furniture and stuff that seems yeah, interface scene, I would say we cut powersh Okay, any games here that, like, there's a bunch of games here that you literally don't even get an intro cut scene.

You're just playing immediately. I Sectory is like Sectory Megabari almost like intentionally doesn't give you any kind of tutorial. Megabonk is also right. I think those are two extremely strong condenders.

And believe Ballpit you're also right in it right when it starts. Yeah, my point being, are there any obvious ones we can cut because they literally start with a cut scene?

I mean like Ninja Gutting four. Actually, Ninja Gutting four does drop you right into like a train fight with the billion dudes, But there are a lot of cut scenes and stuff in Ninja Gutting four. Do we ask Ninja game but it's got a lot of cut scenes in it. Where agreed, Yeah, I think we cut Ninja Gutting four. I think Donkey Kong is doing this is a very dowey game, but it does start with some exposition.

Let's think about other things like is there text in.

The game ever? All of these are going to have some texts.

I mean no Keeper Keeper, I don't think had any text that who has no you start off and you gotta squeeze out.

Of the ground, or has no text, say like game about digging a hole.

There's menus you have to read.

You have to buy things.

Yeah, I mean for anybody who's new, because I know this is like fire Escape par Dewey should we yeah, really talking.

About like we like probably Dewey games or just games where you're just doing stuff thinky games, or you're like thinking and doing puzzles, and then there's talking. There's Dowey thinking and talking is the oppossete of talking. There's really there's not a ton of exposition. It's not like stopping for cut scenes every five minutes. You're just playing the game. You're in the ship. I think of like old arcade games like an Asteroids or galag We're just playing. We're going, Yeah,

Uh what I think it's just like very unprecious about.

These Well, okay them cut Donkey Kuong Bananza, which has a story. There are villains, there's a robes gallery of villains to get to know.

But like that, the actual just playing that game, that is just such a fucking dewey game. Well so is Katamar isn't it Once you're actually in it. Katamaria has like a decent amount of like listening to the scale or the extent of the story. Yeah, And it's like you're so rarely getting interrupted in Bonanza and Katamari. It is like these levels are kind of short. In between each one of them, you are going to go back, you're like kind of a hub world. Then you're going

I would say ball x pit. There's some management going on in between runs. That you're reading a decent amount because you're, yeah, you're strategizing your town. There's a lot of downtime where you're not exactly do it Like the town mini game, you don't actually, I mean you line them up, but then they ad auto run.

I guess that's kind of the game though. But yeah, yeah, I think we can cut that. You know, ooh is very dewey from what we just saw it, like Jake has played before, but we just saw it today and that's really cool. But it's I think it's almost more thinking think than dewey. I think I put it in thinky.

I probably shouldn't have put it in both, but yeah, I was gonna argue though this it's really really not a talking you literally, it's not there's no tutorially, you're figuring it out through the mechanics the whole time, like they don't tell you anything like Sectory actually has text telling you how certain things work up front.

Okay, not that that's the only metric.

I just wanted to point that out because they're right next to each other, and I saw the comparison.

But I'm fine with let's cut ooh ooh not being there. Mario Kart World. I mean it's a racing game. It's dewey. Uh, there's downtime, lobbies, open world stuff. I think we got Mario Kart all right out of the Nintendo racing games. I think Kirby Air Riders is like that. It's just so dewey, dowey, dowey in your face, like Dewey to eleven where it's too dewey. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Okay, now we're gonna does someone defend Keeper staying on this list? I mean the reason I put did you put Keeper?

But the reason I think it makes sense for this list is because there is no text. There is a story, but it is mostly just told through the environment. In the second like a limbo type thing kind of the second you pick up the controller, you're like wiggling to break free with the lighthouse. And sure there's lots of different ways you doey things in it without spoiling very much.

There's no here's how you do it.

They just throw you in there and you have to figure it out with environmental you know, trial and error, which I also really like. It reminds me of ooh in that way where which is just like, at no point does the game stop you and say this is a new system for you to learn. It's just it shows you, doesn't tell you.

It seems dewey for sure, But I think in the face of games that are just like almost like Vampire Surviving, like I think Vampire Survivors is like the patron saint of of this you know category, and Keeper seems like more of.

A mellow Donkey Kong Banan's a pause for a while to show me who this teenage girl was, who I was like helping out from now on the journey and telling setting up the stakes of her journey and how it aligns with Donkey Kong's Jesus.

Christ, I love this game so much, tel What are you talking about right there? And I love this game.

I don't know, It's tough to say, because the heart of that game is literally just DK smashing everything possible to get bananas, which is as dewey as you can be. Yeah, I think I think I would cut Kirby aer Writers over Donkey Kong Bananas. Okay, I think just because there is Menuing and Kirby aer Writers and you might be tweaking your machine.

Customer Tatorial stuff. There's these amount of like learning and going through a million different modes, and so let's cut Keeper and Kirby, Oh hold on, oh wait Keeper. There I thought, is so smooth when like politicians sneak something into a bill and then it gets literally it was like, oh yeah, it sounds dewy, but it's like it's not like a Vampire Survivors type thing where things are happening all the time. It's kind of more of a mellow thing.

Just clear it's exactly what I'm doing. Just try being underhanded about it for a second.

I wasn't intending to, but I do think we should cut it.

We're getting down to okay, so the Latin the next the next one we cut, the remaining ones will be the top three.

Yeah, we just have to set a winner. So like we're down to Megabank, Donkey Kong, Bananza Keeper for now, and Sectory. I do think I'm we haven't really talked about its pros for this category, but is there any knocks against Megabank? I don't see any no.

Like, it's probably one of the most I think dewey games of the year ever.

Yeah, I mean you're if you you just start you read menus like for a half second at a time, because it tells you, oh, you can jump sixty percent higher and you have dual sniper rifles now.

Yeah, and and like Donkey Kong, I don't think it's disqualifying to occasionally have text or something, you know, Like, it's.

Not disqualifying, it's just we're we're past disqualifying.

What we're saying is is it's the most dewey.

It's not the best game that's dewey, it's the most dewey.

So at this.

Level, what I'm saying is is that even text will not get you to the next level because it's not.

Doing I feel like Lighthouse is moving pretty slow, right, I think dewey. I think be wh why you're also precious about fucking you cunt. I was looking at you. I was like, I don't think he's played it, but he seems very against it. It seems like, oh, it's a little tale of a little light. I was walking around.

You know, well, that is very naive you to think that it's a lot more of that game than the.

Let's say it's it's a double fine game, so I'm sure it's very charming and not fun to play. Wow, like every fucking game they've ever made not called psychoonots too, soa Cananza has some weak points. What oh Bonanza? You got to get into a menu and pick your skills. There is a skilled tree in that game. Yeah, Young is a skill tree. It's awesome to pause the game.

I mean, yeah, I love that game. It's very high up my personal top ten lists. But I think compared to these other ones. I haven't play Keeper, but from what they're saying, it sounds.

Like in Sictory, when you want to upgrade, you have to do it mentally while you're playing the game.

You can barely move you you don't have time to move your eyes, and sometimes you forget to upgrade.

That comes into play with the way that they've built this game, where you'll be like, ah shit, I forgot to do shield.

Because I'm so in the zone. That's dewey.

When you get to pause a game to think about how you're going to upgrade your character. Now you're into thinky territory. Now you're into strategizing. I mean, it's not just Dowey.

Oh yeah, and also sectory that I unless I'm missing a whole lot of it. They don't bother to set up why you're a triangle shooting at squares and stuff like this, doesn't they say it's about like attaining a higher sense of consciousness.

But then they're done for the next twelve hours about they took you, like the strike mechanic, like these lines. I mean, you can do the charge thing, but they intentionally don't explain a lot of stuff in sectory.

Yeah, just to get you doing Oh, it took me a while to figure out how I was like, I took me. It took me a while to figure out how they're kind of forcing you to either bank points to climb up the ladder in value of the upgrade, the blaster being the most valuable in there in in that progression.

We'll talk about that later in a different category here, but in terms of just like Dewey, I mean, looks sectory, it doesn't really get me.

I haven't played keeper, but like the heart of the categories between sectory or megabonk.

Yeah, I agree, I think, and I think secretory it's great to have Donkey Kong on there is number three. But yeah, so do we all agree on the top two. I think we have the top five we got.

Oh god, oh god, Donkey Kung Bananza gets cut with.

Respect Judge, that's insane. I'm gonna mute you. He has that power to shit.

If only you had played the games that you would have a better argument.

Donkey Kong Keeper, Oh Keeper, I don't okay.

I will say though it's definitely between Mega Bunk and Sectory.

I don't think Keeper would would hang between those. I would say Sectory is the number one, Mega Bunk is two. I haven't played like megabonk is. The thing is, like MEGABONK, you can almost like kind of zone out and just kind of walk around to kind of like auto shoots like Vampire Survivors. Sectory. It is so dewy, and your brain is also like has to be extremely locked in on what's happening at all times you are doing and deciding, And like.

I disagree that you can just zone out during MEGABONK if you truly want to do well. However, I agree with your point that Sectory definitely requires way way less earlier.

It's like that flow state. There's also a lot of.

Menus in Megabunk where you have to be like, oh right, this one is a double upgrade, so it's better to do early on because I want to get more points early on the upgrade faster.

This is all.

Sectory has the upgrade tier list. It's but it's not while it's pause. You're still like in the ship. While it's while you're kind of making the choice.

Yeah, it's got to be Sectory, right, h Sectory?

All right, the most dewy game of twenty twenty five is Sectory. Put us to Dan for telling us all to play it like a week or two ago. I think I think it was I think it was gmart people, so like you kind of know what you're getting into wars and Housemark the end like some Vampire Survivors.

I mean, it's got a lot shooter.

The gathering experience experience like Glints whatever they call the next Glimmer.

Yeah, it is the game that once this is all done, you guys going to Mark like that is the game I can't wait to get back to. Yeah. I love that game. All right, So that is well, I guess all right, I'm sorry. Next category is most thinky game. That he's going to announce the winner. That's what I was. Oh, I already did denounce it. I hit my hammer. Remember you're your honor Yes, I apologize, like you.

Wait, can you honorably? Can you hold the like the what is the thing you hit? You hold that and then hit that in the air as long as it's on the table.

Yeah, like honorably. It's not getting a lot of cow and I'm not getting a lot of ground. You know. That's good. Oh, that was that's why I needed. That's the good stuff. If it peaked that, it's fine. I'll be I'll be light.

Next category is most thinky game of twenty twenty five.

No, these are blueprints Monster Train.

Two, Expedition thirty three, Bionic Bay.

Is this seat taken seance of Blake manor Lego Voyagers the Altars? I would like to offer up. I do like this game a lot.

What thing? What he's going to offer up? One of your picks? Just a little politician, I'm offering one of mine. I like crossing the Aisle.

I like that one of yours.

I put it in here. I think I played it first. One that wasn't his nomination Bigger person, this is my game, Mary put In. I want to offer up someone else's passion. I just want to say someone who loves this game. I think it's almost more dewy than it is. Thinky. I mean there are puzzles, but like it's a lot of platforming. It's it is a platforming heavy game. What the am I blanking on Biome?

It's the one where it's all reminds me of Limbo.

It's like a silhouette based game and you have to like avoid machines and if you make a mistake, you get like killed, you die a log probably learn but it is completely puzzle based. Will be like how do I get past these lasers? I guess I'll die six times.

To your point, I think there's probably more puzzley game. Don't finish that.

I'm here, but I think, like, I don't think it's going to be a top three, but I do think it is a it was worthy of being nominated, So it's gone.

I don't think anyone's gonna fight for it, and I think I know that, and it's one of mine. So I'm fining seeing I can.

I'll I will offer up a game I suggested, say once a blake manor I think there's some cool stuff going on.

I have not finished this. People recommend it.

It's it's sort of in like the return of the Oberdin style vein of puzzle game, like eighteen sixties Ireland Castle Murder Mystery. However, there's large swaths of that from my like five hours I've played where you're not really doing any critical You're you've kind of stopped thinking a lot, and you're just trying to find what the next thing you're supposed to do is, which again, if it's it's a game where you're supposed to be exploring this castle,

I'm gonna toss out, is this ce take in total puzzle game?

I didn't think it was that hard. It's not how hard it is though, I mean to me that is it's a lodge. It's purely a logic game, so like I would not cut that before, like, for instance, something like Expedition thirty three, I think is the Seed Taken is a much thinkier game than Expedition thirty three. I mean, sure you have there the picto system in the loss.

We should cut both of.

Them, yeah, because I don't think they're exemplary of this category.

Clear Obsciar is gonna come up throughout the entire night in many categories. But I also think there's a large stretches of that game where like you can get away with having the same kind of for like, yeah, thirty minutes.

I didn't think about it much at all.

I think they're in the same category of like they're not gonna make it.

So yeah, like before we cut that, I was gonna throw out Lego Voyagers because I think I was the one who added that that is a thinky puzzle game, but I feel like more of it is based around puzzle platforming and working together cooperatively. So I think that one and I'm the only who played it, so I think that's the one pretty safe to cut.

That's very big, your honor.

That's a very big taken kind of like puzzle game meets cozy game in a really nice way. I think it's a fun game, but like I also, yeah, I don't know that that. I would also say we could cut is the seat taken? And I was just gonna cut them.

Because I don't think that they're the most exemplary if we know they're not going to make it, Like we know they're not going to make it, I'd like to hear arguments for the Altars.

Was I the only one who played the Altars? The Altars was too thinky for me. I fell off. It's very thinky. I feel like it's Mike's kind of game, like Laurin lays her Eyes, which I have definitely just sayed kind of thinky because Alters is very resource management heavy and you've got a time crunch and that.

Is too stressful for me. But I had to think a lot too much, not the thinking I like doing. So I stopped a good game. But that's fine.

I think I think we can cut that. We have our top three. We've got our top three. They are blueprints, Monster Train and Eh.

I think these are a strong throw. We haven't really mentioned Monster Train two, but it is a it's a really great just kind of a card battler. It's a it's a rogue light in the ban of a slave the Spire. If you haven't played it, it's just like multi tiered train. I don't need to go into the whole extlanation of the game. But basically it's a lot of thinking.

Theory, crafting some really cool synergies between cards, and like deciding what to throw out, what to keep, where to position them, how you can exploit it. Yeah, it's a fucking incredible game. High up my list, it's Thinky. I will say, there's sometimes you can get to a point where you've just set up your factions so well that you need to stop, but I guess you still had to think pretty critically about the mechanics to get there. So I'd say if it wasn't for Blueprints, that would

Blueprints is like one of the things I.

Think Blueprint is really thinky and I absolutely love that game,

There's layers upon layers upon layers of even like the thinking. There's the initial thing where it's like, oh, just get to this room, and there's enough thinking involved for that. But then it's like, if you want to go beyond that and beyond credits and stuff like that, there's just the amount of you have to be like reading books about the lore of a kingdom and stuff like that.

Yes, and the water and the steam systems and the art on the walls.

Everything is also a puzzle.

And I think that in itself shows the layers of thoughtfulness in every space. There are rooms that have puzzles in it that you don't know about until another twenty hours in, and that is very special.

Yeah. I'm gonna throw something out there though.

Mary, when we were playing Ooh, you had a moment and you had said, I hate it when a puzzle, when you know the answer to a puzzle game or to a puzzle and you can't actually do it.

And that's my.

Core issue with Blueprints is I you know the solution to a puzzle, but you are so reliant. I mean, you can manipulate it at some point, but that RNG is such a progress blocker, and I know you get to a point where, like there are so many puzzles happening at once that you can pursue different ones. But I would say early on, in particular, I found the puzzling very unsatisfying because of that.

I'm not saying it shouldn't be the.

Pick, because I think it is, but but for me that I think the rogue Light stuff kind of not. It feels the it gets in the way of the puzzling, the thinkiness. In my opinion, yeah, because I feel like the most I think I liked Blueprints the most in like the mid game, when the puzzle aspects and the rogue Light aspects were matching up in the most compelling way.

In the way. Well, okay, I think we're onto some interesting stuff here because I think everything you're saying is right about Blueprints. One we haven't really talked about much is ooh, and that was the one Jake has played. And just you know, we had like an hour and a half or so this afternoon we half of it. It's like, oh, we could actually kind of check this out. I watched Mary play for a while. Yeah, and it's like it seems like a very pure think ye game.

I think it's pure think Ye. And I know you have a lot to say about it. But because it's so fresh in my head because I played it to day for about two hours since Bias every sincy.

Bias, I'm ready to go.

This game is so interesting.

Because I would come across spaces that I couldn't get past and I was like, Oh, this must be a Metroidvania.

We're all get a skill later, and you said maybe.

And I kept playing the game and I learned how to do things. My character didn't get any stronger or better, and I realized that I was actually able to solve puzzles from.

The very beginning of the game. I just didn't know how it is the second bomb. But yes, other than that.

You can be in a space maybe like let's say there's like a gap and you're like, you know, there's like spikes, and you're like, oh, I guess I can't get past here.

I'll come back. You could. You can do it. That's how smart this is.

I think that's the thing for me that I love about it is pretty much every new level you get to, there's two paths to take, and one path is seems impossible to solve you like, I don't know, and then you take the other path and it slowly teaches you those mechanics through simpler puzzles, so you can go back. So in theory, except for that second bomb you get, you can like mainline that game just by doing those puzzles.

I think it's gonna be very interesting because, like I probably watched you play about a half hour of it today, and just in that half hour, you know, there were some like aha moments we had about oh, you can do this. I want to play this game now, And now that I know even just a couple of these mechanics. Now, just the knowledge is gonna make my play through a little different thing. Though, the highs of blue Prints I thought were s where do you feel like a genius?

Well, like, well, i'd say always consistently, like for three hours, it is just like bang bang, yep, yep, I'm a genius.

I'm getting through this.

But like, man, when you push through a puzzle in Blueprints and just the whole manner opens up to you and you're like, oh my god, yeah yeah, if I can like get these two rooms next to each other, and if I'm able to get the garden over here and I have this, then I can do this.

And it's like those moments really make me yeah again, most talking most thankye, not best thinkye. So you're right, and I think that's why something like Blueprints will probably go higher on like a top ten of the year. But is it more thinky than you.

I would say, ooh, though I will point out Mary, there's a few times when you're like, I don't feel like this is how I'm supposed to solve this puzzle, Like you were kind of like inching across that poison lava pit like that was the only time other than that, yeah, I just I I work, Yeah, how about this, because ooh, I feel like the type of is like, all right, how am I going to use the abilities at my disposal to get across this thing or past this thing?

Whereas blueprints it's most thinky the different types of the variety of thinking you have.

To there's little residuval puzzles where there's like the black box is a lie, the white is truth, and then the other one.

There's always one lie. Math puzzles. There's the math puzzles that the generators turn on the power, and then there's like but like again, one of my favorite moments in every video any video game I've ever played, as much up its ass as the Witness, is when you realize that there are actually puzzles in the world and you have not been seen. I never realized that game. Did not realize that.

Like, even when you beat the game, it's just these puzzle stack stack, and stacking the blueprints is like, I'm thinking about this individual puzzle, and then you're thinking about how to manage resources, and then you're kind of mapping out the mansion in your head and making sure you can get back to a certain room with the footsteps you have left footsteps, slash energy, whatever you want to call it.

Thank you.

The different layers of on which you have to think about Blueprints. I don't think I've seen that in a game before before.

Aside from the witness lower lying the laser eyes, I haven't played the yet. I need to best game of the last ten years, and Outer wilds Outer Wild is up there with Blueprints in terms of games like you have to think about it on so many different levels that it's the fact that they kind of scale.

The scale of thinky is is on another level with Blueprints. I was really impressed by you. I'm really glad I played it. I hope people listening to us were like, I've never even heard that game. This is a great puzzle game and you should play it.

And it's super short. Blue Prilower is.

The most challenging game of the year, that feels the most rewarding. It challenged me math, It challenged me spatially. It challenged me with linguistic puzzles. There are there are like hundreds of different types of puzzles in Blueprints, and I think it is the most thinky game of the year.

I just don't.

They could have cut the math, but you know, oh man, after like fifty times of doing that, I'm like, come on, another fucking symbol.

Yeah, it does get harder each time. And what's really interesting is you probably got this. But there's one thing that you can unlock that will make the math puzzles really easy if you unlock it.

Yes, I got something that made the logic puzzles easy, Like you choose right, so maybe you oh, because I was pretty good to the math and the logic ones, like we're always just kind of like it would stop my tracks.

You can get two keys so that your box you would get a second attempt wrong, which is really interesting. So they had ways to make it easier, but those math puzzles were crazy to put in there.

I think unless.

Anyone's like, no, I got something to say about it, I think you probably all agreed.

Blue Princes the right one, most thinking and like one of the best thinking games of all time. God, it's crazy crazy.

Good low line laser eyes, but you know, not much his We didn't do the this year.

The oh sorry good and yeah, the most.

Thinky game of twenty twenty five is Sorry, Fire Escapes most thinking game of twenty twenty five is Blueprints.

Yes, all right, very dainty.

I don't want to blow out people's ears drums. I think I'm already gonna do it, though if Dan has no sure?

Am I yelling Dan down a little?

Every time we try and cut Donkey Kong Bonanza.

He almost folks, what don't sound like that? Judge, Judge, you're wrong. I would not tell the judge he's wrong. He's delightful. He said you're wrong.

You said you didn't say he was wrong.

You said, I think that's crazy. It's not wrong crazy. Okay, Look he had like a party for that. I'm mad. Next category is most talking game of the year. Are Dispatch, Hades two, Kingdom Calm, Deliverance to Death, Stranding to Split Fiction, Huma, horse Racing. I'm not saying U Trails in the Sky first Chapter, Meddle of your Solid Delta, Snake Eater.

Yeah, not to not to throw things off a little, but I was thinking. The game I've I've talked the most in is Our Creators. That is a very talky game. If you think.

About I don't want to throw you talking is.

Yeah, you know, he's a letter of the law kind of guy. He's doing his job. He's just keeping everything fair.

Judge.

I think you're doing a great job job. Nominees. We've done just did that.

Let's do him again for me? Okay, I uh, I don't like the idea of like Meddle Year because yes, it's talkies. Is one of the talkies series of all time. But this is just three It is a like word for word.

Remake, you know, because you weren't like, I'm going to offer up one eye at it here.

I mean I think I did add you know, but you didn't like make fanfare about it. I'm going to be a hero. There you go, and I would like to cut Meddle your solid delta same thank you. Yes, yes haities two. You can skip all that ship and just play the game. Yeah that's what I did. That's the way to go with that game. It is a yeah yeah, yeah. It was not a talkie game to me. Not to me, I was pressing a lot about Uma Matsume.

I don't think it's Uh, it was not a game for me. So very clearly not the best talkie game. What I want to express is the amount of communication, because this is a game about understanding the nuances of the horse that you are trying to up level and grow takes an outrageous amount of dialogue. You are listening to these girls yap on and on and on about what they need.

To make the horse race faster and faster faster.

They will not be quiet. It is a very talky talkie game. But I don't I don't love this game so like, I'm not going to fight for it. I just want to let you guys know it is a tok city of these horse horse girls.

They talk a lot. Oh god did they talk?

Ques just just for for people, it is the best talkie game or the it is the most, but it means.

Does it do we want it to be a good like game people like cors. I don't think it's like an honor to win this. I think it's just a statement effect. It can't be an honor, but not necessarily.

But I would say if it's like a talkie game, but that talking is engaging and exciting, it can be.

It can be preys good or bad.

I would I would cut Death Straining two from this, I do. It's like the first game was very very talky. The second game it's not long before you're playing like a triple A open world game.

It's like right away. Yeah.

And I also say there's long stretches that game where it's very solitary and you don't talk, you don't see anybody. There's more time the best moments in that game, or when it's long stretches when Kojima is kind of just like.

Well, I don't know, I don't know.

I mean in the same vein, then I would say Kingdom Come Deliverance too, probably shouldn't be on here. There's like a lot of cut scenes that front loads that story. But I feel like once you get into it, once you're exploring like it is and you are, you're fighting that world like you mentioned to be.

You're fighting that world.

Right when it kind of starts, I'm I know where I should be going because the places I'm not supposed to be I get my ass kicked.

And that's very dewey to me.

And like to Beyonca's point, like you can kind of pick a like a vocation almost in that game, Like she's saying she just spends all her time making potions like it's pretty complex. It is like interactive. I mean, you're still hitting, but it is I think I think it goes. Yeah. Did anyone play Dispatch? Absolutely little bit?

I can.

I played Dispatch played by the first episode. That game should stay because it is it is just talking. It is even more talking, which is Telltale games, like it is. Let me get this out now because I don't want to be talking about this the rest of the night. There's such a cool fucking kernel of a game in this game, and that you are literally just deciding where to dispatch, whether it be superheroes or like speck op squads across a city. Like that's in itself an amazing

But it's Takias. Shit, what about splip Fiction. They talked way too fucking much in that game. But you're doing stuff while there are some like cut scenes of them just like.

Dude, even when your pigs flying around, they're fucking talking to each other the.

Whole time, the bad clips. And you know, I'm from the city and I don't know anything about pigs, and it's just like, shut up, my cigarettes. If I'm saying shut up in a game a lot, it's gotta be t They're not likable characters. It's like, yeah, okay, it's the most unwanted talk Tell me about Trails in the Sky.

Trails in the Sky is a I think it's like a sixty eighty hour JRPG and there is just yeap, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I think it's a good game.

However, you sold me there is you know, it does that sin where like the first five hours are just like cut scene, you walk ten steps, cut scene you walk into there.

Do you like it? Yes? I like it?

Okay, then I'm gonna I'm gonna throw out use because I didn't like it. Like, I know, we're talking about the most talkie, but at this point these are all talkie. Shouldn't we get rid of ones that were like I didn't want to read all of this.

Yeah, and to me, that's what that's what I was trying to say. I guess I worded it poorly.

With split fiction, at least there is some good implementation of action and like there's some like the mechanics change pretty RC yeah, yeah, doing different compared to Dispatch, which you're literally just like it's you're interacting with other characters and it's it's it's almost like being on the bridge of the Normandy and that's the whole game. Oh god, I think there are oh you Dan dispatches like anathematic.

They they told me I should play it for the Giant Bomb game. Of their discussions, it's like I'm going to do everyone a favor and not because I would be insufferable. Yeah yeah, the game made to make me oh yeah no. But like superheroes and talking and tell Tale great, all of my least favorite things in one game, Claire.

I think some of the writings like actually really solid writing. I don't think it's what it's trying to do. I think it's a good game. It's it's never anything I would even try to get past people on this podcast, and that's why I didn't recommend you play it when I played it.

But it's the talk should we just not have?

I mean, I guess you've played Dispatch because I'm the only one the first episode that's it. It should stay then yes, yeah, I'm saying like because I didn't play Uma or Trousing the Sky.

But I think for me, between Dispatch and split fiction.

Describedume, I don't think we cut that either, because that sounds and their.

Horse Girls no less as much as I don't like the talking and split fiction, there is a lot of really good Dewey stuff. It's a Dowey It's like there is stuff that gets my goat. It's like Disney Adults, horse Girls. And I don't sorry you were saying notch or great people. I love both of them. Yes, you describe both of them. I say we cut split fiction split fiction. I think, yeah, yes, that's what I was trying to convey. Were you poorly boy? It sounds like

Played anybody sides played all three of these. I Dispatch and Trailer I haven't played. And you played I've played. We're all pronouncing it differently to the weird horse girl. Oh yeah, I think for me it's got to be dispatcher. What Mary's Do you even like race? Did they actually do?

Yeah? But do you do anything? Or do they just race on? It's an auto? I honestly think might be the just from what I hear about it.

Because at least run Fast.

Dispatch, you're actually sort of playing where you're like sending people out and I love that part, and I'm like, I want the game to be this, but that doesn't matter.

So like the only thing you do is read about the horses and then you level them up on things that they need, like maybe one of them is too shy, and it's like, okay, I'm gonna work on your like, you know, your self esteem.

You need to be outgoing to win races.

Well, you need to have guts.

And then like there's other ones and you get carrots and the you know, the carrots are a currency. The carrots are their money. You get them to be stronger, but they also need endurance. If you make them too strong, then maybe they like run out of the gate really fast, but then they.

Don't win because they run out of stamina.

So's it's all about knowing all of the logistics of the game and picking the right things.

Did I love it?

No? Did it Talk Forever?

Yes, that's fine by me if that's it, because like Dispatch had these, Dispatch has stretches where you're actually sort of doing stuff and strategizing. Also, like I would watch a three hour Netflix show of a single camera on Dan while we explain games like this to him, it's.

Just we're doomed as an industry popular are we are? We agreed?

Then, um Racing Ship is the Why is that? Is that what it's called? No?

One's the weird Horse perfect game? Yeah? Okay? Is it? Well, it's our winner, sure Game twenty twenty five, Mass Horse Racing Ship. All right? Oh a favorite? All right? Next up is Worst Title of the Year. The nominees are Dreamy Syrup, bad Geez Death, Stranding, Two on the.

Beach, Tayotama, Kissed On My Deity, Tainted Grail, The Fall of Avalon.

That's fucking cool, Okay, I'll get to.

It, Fantasy Life, I, The Girl who Steals Time, Puela Maggie Modica, Magica, Maggia Egg.

Start Over, The colon, punctuation.

Important question is this what? What language is this game?

I assumed it was just weird magic bullshit. I assumed this was like not a natural language.

It's the first word looks Spanish like play yeah, does anybody know? I think it's Jepanese, Twela, Maji, motoca, magica, Maggi et cetera.

Uh, Kirby and The Forgotten Land m Dash Nintendo's Switch to edition, plus Star Crossed World.

The Hungry Lamb Colon, Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty.

Dynamic Cord featuring.

Bracket reve Parfe, Bracket and Bracket Remaster Edition.

Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon? Full end of water and Light?

One of my favorite categories we do every year. There's some real trash here. I have to say. While I'm glad that you put them on because I like reading them, I think bad cheese.

Isn't that bad? Actually? Geez? I'm very curious what kind of game it is. I want to know about a break dreamy syrup, like, yeah, what what the fuck is going on? Is that a person? It could be anything? Well.

I put Tainted Grail The Fall of Avalon because I thought that was the most generic fantasy game ever.

It might seem to like it, but I could only hear it in like Conan O'Brien's nerd voice. I can Tainted Grail the Fall of avalon the nerdiest possible game.

Yeah, no, I mean I can keep it on here. But Dreamy Syrup, I'm so curious what it is. Yeah, it makes me want to know, Like, go check the game.

Out, Dreamy Syrup should go. It's a it's a decent name. Is it a good game?

No?

I'll offer up my nomination earlier today, which is death Straining two on the Beach. As a diehard fan of that series, I like the first game a bit more, but I still love to.

It.

I still just think death Stranding is a stupid name, but like it kind of is Meddle your solid when you think about it, I know, mid your Solid's got some like fucking metal gear solid sounds cool. It doesn't mean anything.

I don't think death Stranding actually, like.

You saw a few things in a room, the Naked done.

Miss Cherry Cherry Rosevelt, fat chowing spaghetti.

I would say we could take dest Ranting two on the Beach out at least it's like it evokes some sort of mystery.

Hmm. Well, since we didn't even know, maybe this is just another language. I think puela, magic, modoica, magicamagia, et ceterra. It's kind of fun to say. Actually, yeah, maybe we just take that off that it's a bit of a tongue twister, and I just like, don't.

I don't want to have to announce that as the winner. Yeah, let's kind it. Yeah, uh Mary, what's the old Fantasy Life?

Oh? I put that one? Why is there an eye in there? Case? I don't know what's a d S I wear game? It's I was doing my Roman bunch of them? Is it so Fantasy one and Rock? Yeah? Yeah, I don't know. I put it in there because I was like, I don't know what the eye is all about? Put it in there. I thought you put this on something else, a cozy game or something. I put it on just Jake both times? Okay, Yeah, what's up with that?

I I don't know Fantasy Life if I didn't finish it, So maybe if I finished it, they would have explained the eye. Oh wait, actually, if we're doing that, put Silent Hill f on here.

Nobody knows.

They didn't know if you if you google it or talk to anybody, they cannot figure out what it's for. I would no, I don't think Silent hillf should be on here, but I think this because also the girl who steals time?

What does that mean? That sounds cool? Time? You can't can't fight City Hall, you can't travel in the Late Ning Dynasty anymore. I would hope you can't try to pick up a girl in a dungeon. Okay, we're just talking like weird choices. As far as punctuation and capitalization stuff, I think dynamic chord feature wherever you parpa whatever is there's way more egregious stuff going on there than just a lowercase I I agree. Yeah, get rid of fantasy life. It's not that bad. God.

Yeah, now that you say it, tainted Gral the Fall of Vavalin really is just generic, like you put you put name a fantasy video game into chatchipt.

Like NCIS had an episode about a video game that doesn't exist, and they just thought that sounded like a video game. Yeah.

Yeah, I also think, okay, I'm gonna I'm gonna go after the Hungry Lamb.

That in itself not bad. Yes, they added too much, but the Hungry Lamb is here. Yeah, yeah, I'm kind of curious.

I want to know what the Hungry Lamb is doing while traveling in the late Ming dynasty. Kind of like this pacificity of the late Ming Dynasty right and evokes an image.

I loves cut it. Hum. Yeah, I think we should now keep Kirby because I do think Jake, you were mentioning too like every like Nintendo Switch to itition now has it plastered on the title. This is just an extremely egregious example of Nintendo being very specific with their type of stuff. Well yeah, like, also, I don't if a game title is hard to parse, what the fuck I'm about to buy? I think that makes it terrible.

Like, Okay, if it was just Kirby in the Forgotten Land Nintendo Switch to Edition, I get it. But the fact that Starcross World is listed after the Nintendo Switch two Edition, I'm like, wait a minute, is this not a.

Switch to Edition? Like what is what? And I get that it's a DLC. It's just like, yeah, if you weren't like following the game and it says that.

Tennis Switch to Edition and then be like DLC included or something I don't like. That's that's almost like the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy with the M dash in the title.

That's just a mistake to do that. I don't like it. I don't like this. These are all losers.

But I will say, like, is it wrong to try and pick up girls in a dungeon? You wouldn't know that's a game? In a million years? Who names their game as.

A question And I wrote this down so it's it's colon full Land of water and light now full land. There are three l's in a row there. That is not a typo on my part. I look at that several times. It's fall. The question mark colon also does not right before his question mark colon? And why are we picking up girls in a dungeon? I don't like anything going on in this title. What about uh to my Kiss?

Because that's so fucked up on my Deity?

I mean, yeah, I'm I'm lowing up my VP and and I'm googling that game. I'm going into private mode and I'm checking out kiss on my Deity. Do not google the search kiss on my Deity. We're not five here. Let's just say I'm all out loud again, Let's just got field. Let's do different ones, like who said Tatoyama last time? Okay, then I'll start with Okay, tot tay you Tama, kiss on my deity.

Tainted Grail, the Fall of Avalon gets worse, I'm here God, Kirby and the Forgotten Land and dashing Nintendo switch to a plus Star Cross World.

Exhausting.

That's the worst one in one breath, That's that's the winner in my opinion. Dynamic Card featuring Bracket reve Parfe and Bracket Remaster edition.

Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon? Question Mark Colon, Flan of Water and Light.

I really really hate the construction of Kirby and the Forgotten Land. It's exhausting to even read without saying out loud at least is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon? I like, I get the the person's point of view, like sentence itself is like I don't like what it's even like like.

Kirby's just a bunch of Nintendo bullshit? Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in the dungeons? Like? I super don't want to play that game? Yeah, I think that's the worst type. You know it's a game because you're on like Steam or the shirt.

Well, we got to cut some, We've got ta Yeah, okay, that's a cool table prompt curiosity at least tainted. Grail is really bad. Yeah, Like as soon as you said the Conan thing, I'm like, yeah, it's something he would make fun of Aaron for playing.

What do we cut here? These are all terrible. So again, if you take out all the other crap, dynamic cord not so bad. Right, it's the featuring reve Favor remaster. You know what it says, remastered edition. That's probably just a remake of a shorter title. So maybe we just take that one out because remaster edition. I also know the brasketing. We should add this to best remake remaster exactly. No.

Brackets also are often, like almost always a translation thing. It's not for English speakers always a lot of these are transl thanks down to three now, granted Grail the fall of Apple avalon Kirby in the I'm not saying it again.

Is it wrong? It's exhausting Grail. So I announced this, I don't have to say to it. I think, do.

You know how like sometimes when we do I forgot that came out this year. The one that wins is the one we forgot to put on the nominee.

I think if someone can't get through it, that is the worst type. I do think Kirby wins this. I think, yeah, all right, the.

Worst title of the year is Kirby in the Forgotten Land m Dash Nintendo Switch to Edition plus Star Cross World.

That's a bad title. I ain't saying all that.

All right, Okay, this is a new category that we're going to like this best form of attack. We need to discuss this, Yeah, do we want to tell people like? So, we initially had best mechanic as a big category.

And then we actually broke it up into this and the next category. We were describing different things here.

I think we had to be more specific because we found that a lot of times we were saying something was great mechanically, what we were actually talking about was a very specific type of attack that we enjoyed doing. And so we decided to split them and this is the best form of attack. Specifically, best is like what is the best way.

To It's like a satisfying damage, Yeah, satisfying offense. Nice way to put it all right, let's go. Nominis are Soap in Powerwatch Simulator two, Haiti's two mech.

Suit, the Yo Yo in Pipistrello, The Shield and Doom, The Dark Ages, Ghost of Yote, Chain Assassinations, the Strike, Attack in Sectory, Pizza Doo in Death Straating two.

And balls from the Back in What in ball Pit Ball x Pit. Hmm.

I don't know if soap is truly like the craziest form.

Of attack you were taking offense on dirt.

Yes, I'm not saying it's not attack that would make it not a nominee and stupid.

Yeah it's yeah. I don't know if it's gonna win here, but it is like I was watching the way Bank plays this game, and she like covers the entire object in soap before she even turns on a powerwasher, and it's like, oh man, that's it's like weakening a boss before you attack it. You know. It's it's cool. And it did add that like there was soap in the original, but it was like you had to buy it and it was finite and stuff like this and this, Like I like the soap better in Powerwash Simulator too.

I think an improvement of powerwashm one and that's cool and definitely worthy of a NOOM.

I don't think it's gonna be the best.

I agree we can cut it, so we're cutting. Yeah.

So uh, I was gonna say ghosts of Yotae chain assassinations. I think these are cool, but it's it's pretty much the same one.

Yeah, I would say specifically for me, that's fair.

It doesn't get like way less cool each time, but it is like I wish there was one other animation.

Maybe I'm happy every time I see it when it's like, oh, those guys are close enough and I leveled it up so it's like, yeah, I can do like three of them. Like that's awful to me.

The thing, the ghost of Yota thing that sets apart, I probably should have nominated this.

It's doesn't matter.

I like when the wolf is involved in the ota because then the wolf is actually helping you assassinate. But I else, I agree, there's cooler stuff here.

We can got it, okay.

Haiti's two mech suit specifically, that's that's almost less a form of attack and more suite of attacks.

Well, I mean there's like weapons, so it's actually get this in The last like weapon you unlock is the mechs Suit. Basically, so you're right, though it is a sweet it's a punch, it's you know, the missiles and stuff. But yeah, you're right, there's an assortment of attacks. Let's keep that for now. The yo Yo. I think you might have played the most pipistrello.

Let's discuss the yo Yoah wait, yes, So the reason I like it is because it has like eight different functions. This is a metroidvana where the yoyo improves over time.

It ends up being something that you.

Can dog walk across water, it becomes something that you can spin around. There's like a bunch of different use cases for this yoyo at the end. It makes it an extremely powerful tool, and I just think it's a really neat how they were able to expand on a yo yo in so many ways. You can float, you can fly, you can stab, you can do a surrounding attack.

You can do a lot with this yo Yo. By the end of the game, I would put it with the mech Suit.

As as you scale your.

Character build, this becomes like the ultimate mecha that everyone would talk about, and it's it's just a yo yo I think it's really neat how they imagined all of these things that you could do with a toy that we've all had for our whole lives.

But man, they use it as like such a cool weapon in this game. I think that's worth keeping. I agree that's cool. They get so much versatility out of one item.

It's a very versatile weapon.

I'm going to be a hero again. You know, pizza dough is all right, weizza do. Sorry, it's funny. Now you don't need to say it. We'll cut it. I had very thoughtful things to say. All right, continue tell them what it is for anybody who there's a pizza chef that you fight and as you bring stuff to him, he will get into the pizza chef. Later he teaches you pizza dough, which is like, you know, different time.

I think it was me who put the Shield is Doom. Somebody else can step in if it was them, but I.

Think it was. You were talking about Doom and uh, yeah it was shield.

The shield is sick because obviously people it's defensive, but you can also hurl it at enemies and kill them in the perry fun.

It's fun to perry in Doom. I think that they really can. I is it.

The No, I'm so sorry. I couldn't continue. I have something else that I mean. I was gonna say, like, I am like the fucking skull gun that you're crushing a that's maybe the coolest gun in any shooter ever, when you're putting skulls into a thing and it's grinding them, you.

Shooting out the awesome. I think Shield difficult too.

When I was reading Shield, I was thinking, like, man, that that bone shark is so cool.

I think it's more cool visually than mechanically, and it used to be mechanic.

So I think going.

Back to yeah, your point, the reason I putshield is because originally this was mechanic and mechanically a shield that does a shit ton of damage, it's innovative. It's interesting to me, and we can like discuss this. I think this is going to come up. Best form of attack also means the evolution of attack if it's something I've seen before that's not as interesting.

To me, and it was something that is just like new to like, you know, if you played Doom twenty sixteen or Doom Eternal, it kind of changes up the whole way combat works in a Doom game because like it becomes more of a very focused thing and it's very satisfying. Like it's kind it's got a bit of a generous window. It's not like a Bloodborne type thing

Yeah, you know, you like heat up those metal shields and then you throw it and then everything blows up.

Yah as hell.

Shield's sick, and I think it. I think it has a point to stay here.

I'm gonna say something risky like balls from the back.

It's funny to say I didn't nominate this. I think we did because we thought it was funny to.

Say I didn't say that. Okay, No, I have a point against that. For some characters in that game, balls from the back do not work. There are certain no, I know the character builds in that game. There are a lot of characters. You fuck yourself if you get

Like it doesn't always work all that well.

Yeah, balls from the front is a better tactic most of the time in that game.

M all Rightye yeah, I think I mentioned ball expit.

I was like, there's a few in there, and then I think someone else mentioned I think we can cut the Mex suit. I think I think the fact that it is kind of like I guess you could argue that the Shield and Doom is kind of a suite of abilities and stuff too, But I think that is a better version of this than the Mex The Mex Suit is awesome. Yeah, the shield is more interesting as cool as the Mex Suit is, It's it's still not my go to when I play using the acts of the Daggers. You know, like me too.

Yeah, I did the mech suit once and I'm like this and then I never touched it again.

Oh man, I'm I'm a I'm a torch guy. So we're down to three with out of the Yoyo and Pipistrello, the Shield and Doom, the Dark Ages and the Strike Attack and Sectory, which we have not talked about. So this is like such a critical part of sectory where it's like it is basically any of the Triggers or bumpers will do this, and it's just the way that like whenever there's a power up or something on the field, that is the way you dash into it and it

If you see clumps of it, even if you're not trying to escape something, if you see a huge clump of enemies, I go right to them with that because then it just pops them all.

It's very satisfying and it is just so core to like, if you've played it, it text a little bit to kind of get what's going on in sectory, but once you kind of get it, you realize that, like the strike attack is kind of like that is the core of what you're doing here, is timing that right.

It's not my main You told me it was like the main way that you play, and I think that's really cool that, like you found something that works really well for you.

I'm I'm really into the missiles is the way missiles are mine.

Because it's an auto and I'm not saying it's it's not important. I think the strike attack is important, but to me, it is not core to how I play. And I will also add I don't think it's super innovative that there's a dash attack.

No, I think that's the thing. It's like, it's not just a dash attack. I think it is core too. It's not just this is more satisfying than the blaster of the missiles. It is that the whole system. If you start playing that at a high level where you want to start like getting on the like leader words and stuff, you can't do it without going after the strike so much because that is how you get that

It's my favorite thing to do I can do.

I can play this game and focus on other things to do. But sheild in like Doom, I get so freaking excited to throw that shield around. It's like one of the best parts of that entire game.

It definitely is. I honestly think it is my favorite part of Doom. The arcades. I don't disagree with anything you said about the strike it. I agree. I don't think it's don't.

I think it's a fantastic attack. But when I think about the best form of attack. When we played Doom, which is a reimagining of Doom again, very interesting game. That they've tried new things with, the shield is like the coolest part in my opinion.

Would you say more so than the yo yo only because the way you describe the yoyo I was kind of that was like how it evolves and stuff that sounds pretty yo.

Yo is sick. I mean, I I don't. I didn't think that the yoyu had a chance because.

I didn't see how it ramps up because I think it's towards the end.

Again, like, the yo yo is everything in that game, and I do really encourage people to play it as a metroidvania.

It's super fun to watch how it scales.

It's such a different thing to compare to UH with these other options, But yeah, the yo yo is UH. It is thrilling to be able to have such a variety of tacks with one object but use it in such an incredible amount of ways. And it is also traversal and attack and defense. It's every it's everything that you're talking about. It's all in one. Is this is this yo yo. But it's not an attack. It's the type of attack. Does that make sense?

It's the entity, it's not the type of attack. Yeah. Yeah, I mean it sounds like shield. I mean that's shield is so cool?

That is that is the thing with that when you first get any he like, does the bump and the spikes come out of this chance?

It looks shield?

Yeah.

Shield.

It's fucking hard, right, yeah, yeah, let's put it down. It's like Captain America was actually cool.

Yeah, like that's what he wishes. All right.

Best form of attack in twenty twenty five is the shield from Throom the Dark Ages nice.

All right.

We have another new category here and it is best Feature.

That is right and best feature this year brought to you by Wendy's. Uh new Wendy's Chicken tenders are here, Crispy, juicy, dippable down for new dips.

Sauce is so good, we won't blame you for double dipping. Wendy's signature scorching hot, sweet chili, creamy Ranch, honey barbecue, and don't forget honey Mustard. Play our new game in app daily for a chance to win a trip to twenty twenty six Fox College Football game of your choice, inclusive of a meet and greet with talent and a behind the scenes tour, plus earned rewards points in an app all First, It's sorry, Marry, what time is it?

Thank you? Wendy sponsoring Best Feature. Give me some of those tenders.

What sauces you want? We got to get onto the nomination ye pass.

Them over, please, yeah, thank you. The nominees are Mary passed that to Jake. Please judge Jake. Sorry, I got some sauces. I got Honey mustard, and I got Honey barbecue. Take some of the barbecue. Thank you. Sponsor nominees are the Crest System from Silk Song, Going Up or Going Out in Hades, two destructible environments d K Bonanza, prox Chat from Arc Raiders head Tracking, and good Night Universe.

Mary You're up plays two characters ball x Pitt Stack Upgrades from Sectory.

Picktose an Expedition thirty three.

First Mode luminais Arise, Cannibalism in Peak and Bombs and ooh all right, thank you.

Wendy's Let's go with Okay, Mary, I believe with going up and going out you were not sure why that belonged. I need you come back. I what I like the Hades thing a lot. I think going up and going out is I think it adds a lot of variety.

Not to jump an argument for Hades later in the show, I'm hesitant to bring up a knock against Haites two that many people often bring up, and I feel like going up and going out is kind of the anti argument.

I think going up and going out is.

For me what separates it from the first game the most, almost like structurally in terms of format. I think it's like, oh, you've got a bunch of new weapons, your character plays very differently, You've got new characters, there's new resources, there, news to upgraded weapons. The overall structure of the game, to me, I think is what makes it very special and more than just more Haites one.

I think it's great at mixing things up. I think it is the thing that in one I never did the full ten runs or whatever to beat the game, because it is just kind of the same thing over and over again. As good as that is, at least with this it's like what Mike Okay, Mike, Sorry, Okay, yeah, all right, it's not the Tendi's fault. I think being able to mix it up is critical. The prox chet our Damn, why didn't I get a card?

The prox chat. The prox chat and arc Raiders is truly like defines that game for me. It's what makes that game. I mean, have you watched the upf with Kla.

Yeah.

The fact that you can actually like the sociology of it, that you can actually scare, like convince other players that you yourself, the person behind the avatar in the game is a psycho and ready to fuck people up.

The fact that you can.

Use your own personality to drive them away or bring them in. And then we saw what I did, like we gained that one dude's trust, and then I used a code word that he himself heard. The last thing you heard before he got killed was oh maybe that's why my butt itches, And like that is amazing to me. And also like I think that without that, Arc Raiders would not be this amazing entry point into extraction shooters. I think the prox chat is the key that unlocks the whole the brilliance of that game.

Here's the question I have, as someone who's not played any extraction shooter prior to this, is that, like, are other games in this genre? Have they utilized it? Like you know, a tarkab and stuff like that, Like is that I think? Yeah? Right? So I answered that, so other games definitely have used this.

But I think the threat of the machines kind of forces you to work together in arc Raiders and that's where that prox chat kind of comes in hand you. But there's still that question that always lingers right where it's like is this player friendly?

Do they want to help me hunt robots? Or are they going to shoot on site? Yeah? But okay, so the other ones didn't have the pbpv E. No, they they did. They are like the whole point was to fight other players pretty much like that's not the point here.

Yes, I would say escape from Tarkov you can team up with other players, but I'd say of the times you see other players, it's probably closer to like eighty five percent, you're going to automatically assume they're going to try to kill you, and you kill them. I would say arc Raders is reversed. It's like you kind of assume m Maybe it's fifty to fifty, but the odds that someone's actually going to try to work with you is a bit higher.

I mean, it is the thing I love about Arc Raiders. I think, to me, it is the most interesting thing about that game. But you know, I am just new to the genre. So yeah, I've just been hesitant to be like, wow, revolutionary because I just don't know if it's.

Yeah, can I suggest a cut? Yeah, Pictos and Expedition thirty three. I think I love the variety. I love how many options there are to synergize them. I love the way that you can you're basically as opposed to a system like Skyrim, where you're using a skill in order to learn it. You learn these but then you're basically using them in order to be able to lock them in without having them equipped, which allows you to overput like it can overpower a character while they try

I stopped caring.

About them for a while, which there's nothing I could have cared more about them and been theory crafting more with the characters. But like I don't think they were essential to progressing until a certain point, and then at a certain points like I really need to min max these different characters in their strengths, But like.

I would argue, you don't even really need to because like I think it was a cool system, but I really didn't spend any time, Like I know, if you wanted the min max and really go deep on it and make this like unbelief of the killer building stuff, you could you could do that. But you can absolutely just go through this game and enjoy it and not really have to think about it. You know that, I would say as well, Jacob married you have thoughts on the pictose, I just don't think we've We've covered a

Delicious is destructible environments of feature?

I mean, yeah, I think in Bonanza it is a core like there are certain games that I will think about the destructable environments before I think about anything else Red Faction, Battlefield, Bad Company, and the k Bananza, where it's like that is the core of that game, and it is a feature that has done so well, from just how satisfying it is to break through all that stuff to the way like it's actually kind of readable and even like the camera stuff you're going through these

They're also not afraid to let you we were talking about like solving stuff and ooh in an unintended way. There's so many times in Donkey Kong where I'm just bashing my way through a fucking like cliff face and then all of a sudden, I stumble into this this room where you could tell by the title of the Banana when I collect it. That was not how they quote unquote intended me to get it. And I actually go back out the way that it would have if

If they are just you know, chewing through this rock. It is satisfying to do and it is critical. Unlike you know, we cut the pictose and from Exhibition thirty three because it's like, oh, it's a cool idea that really you don't have to pay that much attention to. You're not playing Donkey Kong Bananza. If you're not constantly destroying the environment in a million different ways to a million different ends. You know, it is it is what that game is, you know.

For a potential cut, what about going up, going out Hades two. I know we kind of talked about this briefly, but it's cool, but like it's just another area, you know, I guess, yeah.

I mean it does a lot to me. Those areas are interesting. It adds a lot of variety, but I mean, I guess I do also like that the ones when you go out are a little more linear, a little more like the first hades, and going up is like, man, they're very different, you know that that first area where you get to like to pick which ones you want to go to from that hub world, and then you're on the ship that's going from station to station like there is. It just does a lot to make Haiti.

I think it makes it dewey.

I don't think it makes it like the best feature. But yeah, clever risk reward, it's a very way to do it. It helps, yeah, but I don't think it hangs here. I'll cut Verse Mode. Luminous Rise. I'm a

I will also say I nominated this. I'd say despite the fact that playing as two characters in ball cross Pit whatever we're calling it, there's a certain point in the game where you basically get a building that you can put in your town that allows you to combine two separate characters. And if you played it, you know there is a character that is already like Allah of the ice climbers, a single character, but it's two entities. You can combine those with a third in that case.

I love that.

You then from then on you're not just thinking how am I going to amplify this one character's abilities? You are thinking, how do I amplify both these characters abilities? How do they work in concert in a way that's going to help me destroy these demons by like, the only reason I wouldugus cuting is because there's like four I like more.

Than that here, speaking of things, I would cut because there's things I like more. Cannibalism and Peak is really funny. The idea that you can kill one of your well, one of your friends dies, you can die of hunger in that game, so eating them to sustain yourself is very funny. It kind of revitalized that game for a second round. Uh, it's really it's a great addition, but I don't think it's the best.

Feature of a game, but it's it's very funny. The bombs and U. I mean, it seems like it is like the core mechanic, but is there anything particularly like.

I mean, I think the way you have to manipulate the bombs and learn how to work with the bombs and what they can do, uh, is very satisfying and like that is the main feature of the game.

But I guess I don't really see it as like a feature feature feature.

You know, like it doesn't it's not like I think of like the Crest system and Silk Song that is sick. Like that changes how you play, it changes everything in the in the bombs and U, like, I think that can go.

I think we've we've pushed OO as far as it can go.

It It is not going to have like the most incredible mechanic. I would also say we compared OU to Animal Well earlier in this way where it's like, oh my god, I didn't know.

I could do all this stuff. That's really cool.

An Animal, well, it's one device I can do lots of different things. It's just bombs, Like, yes, you can use it for different maneuverability, but doesn't make you fly or anything.

It's just bombs that push you a certain direction. That's a we'll cut that.

Good Night Tracking good Night Universe is something we haven't mentioned.

Yeah, I mean, I think it's gonna be a tough one to get through, but I will make an argument that this is the same devs.

That did Your Eyes, which is the eye.

Tracking game, and every time you blinked time past in the game. In good Night Universe, it tracks your entire face. When you smile, the baby laughs, when you frown, the baby cries, And when you turn your head and you have to close your eyes, you become a radio signal. And so you hear this wiry noise as if like you're looking for a radio station and you literally turn your head left and right to find the right station

I've never seen a game that tracks your head Do that continue And I think I think that's about it. I'll argue this, I think that is that sounds really cool, and that is just like like I was talking about Bonanza and how it's a feature that is the core of that game. It sounds like that's the core of good Night Universe. Is that head tracking? So I would I bombs anew or at the core of that game too, though that's true, But I mean this is more novel.

I think the defense I have against that is were there any bosses in particularly that you had trouble on?

Yeah, did you ever experiment with cress to kind of stuff like that. I'm like, Okay, this attack is a little better for this for me.

It is, especially like when I started to play through two is when I really started to mess around with those crests, And I think that's when you realize how much thought has gone into those different mechanics and how you can do an entire run with just one and be totally fine. But there are ones that like kind of I don't want to be too hyperbolic and say fundamentally change how you play, but they can really tweak your build in a way that I think is not

Raker is a game changer.

If you're struggling on an enemy and want to do more damage more quickly, and essentially say I don't care about healing anymore.

I'm going to just be an attack person.

I think, like, I agree, yes, you can get through with one. But what makes Silk Songs so interesting is the amount of ways that they have allowed you to alter your character. Your play style can change so dramatically. My build is probably really different than Jake's build. It's probably really different than your build, and they're each catered to your each unique individual style, and that is such a rad upgrade for a.

Game like this.

And I think like layering on how cool the equipment and items are in that game, and how I do have some problems with that system. I think we'll get into it at some point, but I think like the way you can kind of not even exploit those items, but like the combinations you have between them, and there's like some really cool stuff you can do there.

It's tough. All five of these are kind of like actual game changers and core to the experience. Proxchat, Like, without that, I don't know if by Yeah, I don't know if I play nearly as munch arc Rader as I did without prox Chat.

Yeah, it's I feel like it's coming down to we have to distinguish between is it integral to the game or is it the best feature on the list, Because like I was gonna suggest practice chat, I think that is still like the int the key feature in our Graders.

But destructile environments is the key future for that game, you know. Yeah, But I would say, like.

Destructible environments on that scale and the three D platform are almost unprecedented. I don't know that proximity chat is totally Psimity chat isn't as much as proximity They found like a good rap. They the proximity chat is put to very very good use there. I would I would say, like that's probably I could.

See a think cut.

I would say that and haiti's too much as I like the going up, going out and the variety of it adds to the overall format of the game. I would also say the Crest system at a certain point, like trying to remember which one it was that actually like felt like it spurred me up to my next like a few hours of like really strong momentum. I think the Crest system is a very almost like pic Dose. I think there are long stretches where you don't think about it, or at least where I didn't think about it.

I think they're both good.

I mean, if I would have to cut one of them, I head tracking.

Is really cool.

There's parts where you don't need it. It's one of multiple features in that game. There's also there's different types of innovation in that game.

And which are also really cool.

But the one I'm specifically talking about, yeah, it is like the way that you move, it's not completely isolated to you. So there's an area where you're trying to scare your babysitter's boyfriend because you don't like him, and I I was trying to see if I could do it differently than someone else. But essentially, when you close your eyes, something happens to the environment to scare him. I didn't get to alter what happens or how it happens.

Really glad that they did it.

It helps immerse me, but it is a controlled space.

Does that make sense?

It doesn't allow me to have a unique experience in that game, whereas like the Crest System, Now I get to cater that game to my style. I get to fine tune it to the way I want to play a game, which is why we play games, right.

It's because you get to your way, you get to do what.

You want, and that's why I think that's a way better version of what a feature is.

Meant to be. I mean, am I hearing that? Like, probably the two clearest cuts to me would be proc chat and head tracking. I think that makes sense to me. Yeah, okay, let's do it. That would mean our three finalists are the Crest System and Soak Song going up and going out in haities two in destructual environments, and DKA Bananaza. I'll just say, my mind is the dkay That's that's what that game is to me. Yeah, it's.

I told Dan I got the switch to and I was like, well, we talked about Bananza on a couple episodes ago, and I actually feel like it it should be considered more of a system seller because that I love Mario Odyssey, and I don't know that I would

Put it this way, like when you first saw the reveal of DK Bananza, it is a feature that is so striking and instantly recognizable and fun looking that that was the takeaway in just a trailer. It's like that is the star of like, oh my god, you can break through anything. Like It's not like when people were first seeing, you know, Exhibition thirty three, it's like, oh, well picked out this menus level of system or this

And then there are boss fights later on where they're making use of that. When I was like, oh, these are the boss fights I want to see in this game. And you actually kind of have to use the destructible environments and not just like a platform or you're fighting a boss.

I mean, that's my big for sure. Mary.

How are you feeling about, uh, destructible environments versus Crest system.

I'm in support of destructible environments for this very specific feature.

I will still.

Argue like, I think the Crest system is incredible and so nuanced and so important to the intricacy of what makes games games because it allows you to play things differently at the same time, like games are meant to be fun, they're meant to be like whimsical and wild. And the fact that in DK, it's very important that this is specifically for Donkey Kong. If this was a different game, I'd be like, who cares? Like, why is that so integral? Donkey Kong destroys things, That's what he does.

And they did it well and even to your point of like doing things differently, you know, like as mentioned with Hollow Night, like like Mike said, it allowed him to get too objectives and get bananas and stuff in totally different ways because of that freedom of what it allows you to do.

So yeah, I mean, I think there's a world in which, for this very specific thing you can argue for destructible environments. So I'm not like, I don't think I'm going to like fight this too much. I think destructible environments is a fair like it's an incredible feature I think, like my last argument here is like the Crest system was built on top of an existing system.

Hollow and I had already had badges.

That were meant to allow you to customize your character, and there was an obvious reason that players gravitated towards this, because it's so neat that maybe I have an extended nail, but you have something that allows you to have a couple extra bubbles that give you more health, and so you could play more defensively and I can play more aggressively. And I think that's it's such a unique use of a system that allows you to play in individual ways.

There's no punishment. You can just change your crest.

You have to spend money.

I will say, though, it just sounds like you're also describing how elden Ring works as an entire game, Like.

Yeah, I mean, like, how does that?

How is that different from any from software's games where you can tellor your character, especially system actually changes mechanics in the game. Okay, well like from software.

Like yeah, use, you're stronger in certain ways.

The stronger I guess different weapons can kind of change mechanics.

But it's still like there's a rhythm I would say to Hollow Night that changes depending on the crest that I guess eldin Ring does too.

Let me let me say this, Elderering isn't a platformer. This game is a platformer. And then there's certain platforming spaces that you need different crests in order to execute much easier.

There are certain crests.

That have you dive at an angle, which makes platforming more difficult, and then there's crests that let you essentially pogo vertical down, which makes platforming a lot easier. So when I'm platforming, I would change crests to make those easier, and then I would change So it's like, I don't think from software has platforming in the same capacity that they needed to do.

But it's infuriating.

Yeah, right, it's they It's the thing they need to get rid of in their games. Yeah, yeah, uh okay, I so destructible environments kind of seems like that's where it's swaying.

Yeah, I don't. I don't think I have a problem with that. I think it's a great feature.

I think it's really cool what they did.

Okay, Best feature twenty twenty five is destructible environments.

Thank you to Wendy's thank you all right?

Next up, next category is Coziest Game of the Year.

Your nomine use are Fantasy Life, I The Girl who Steals Time, Powerwash Simulator, Too.

Cast in Chill, a game about digging a hole, Wheel World, Time Flies.

There's no Agent World. Sorry, I brought shoemaker that sorry spilled. Henry Halfhead, who needs a beer? Uh you do? Henry Halfhead?

Isn't that cozy?

I actually thought it was a little annoying. I thought it was annoying because it was a little too cozy kid bullshit be oh, Henry loves season his crip and now he wants to go play with his blocks. I just thought it was a little too baby cozy.

You know, it's too much talkie for me to be cozy.

I actually think my most coziest games don't talk to me at all.

They allow me to just do a task and do it well. So that seems like an easy cut right out of the gate.

Yeah, I mean I put in Fantasy Life. I I don't think anyone else played it. But this is a life sim except uh sim not really a sim.

But you know what I mean.

Uh, Except you can pick a vocation and there's different stories around each vocation. It's it's kind of like an RP if Animal Crossing was an RPG. And I think this is a very cool cozy game. But I think to Mary's point, the game is talking at you a lot.

You know that.

It's like sometimes it can be hard to get into that cozy flow state because you're just like going through dialogue, watching cut scene. There's a story. It kind of guides you. I think a little too much for for cozy game. And I imagine no one's gonna I can cut that.

Manage your call, Bud, it's gone.

Uh Okay. I've only played a couple of these, but.

I've played all of them. But I welcome anyone to chime in and then.

All I have a lot of opinions.

Obviously, it's kind of.

My I can ask you a question, then uh would why would? I mean maybe this was for Dan because I think he added it. But why is Powerwash Simulator to considered a cozy game? Is it because you can get into like flow state and just kind of yeah.

But it's it's like the opposite of a flow state of like a sectory where it's like a sectory is something where it's like, yeah, we talked about like flow staying stuff, but that is like requiring one of your attention. Powerwash is a different type of just like that is the game. Like I would say nine out of ten games, if I'm playing it, I'm focusing entirely on the game. I don't have something on in the background. I'm not listening to something or watching something. Power Wash Simulator two

The question I have is does that, like, is a podcast game a cozy game.

That's a good question, and I guess that is two different things. A podcast game is when you don't really have to pay that much attention to and you can do other things. And a cozy game is I think a lot of like I don't know, like what is what is the like animal crossing a stardoo?

You know, a game that's meant to relax you and camm you you.

It sounds like kind does I mean, that's also a good playing game for me. But that's a whole different It's the next category. Man. It's not cozy in the way that like the aesthetics are not cozy. It's not teddy bears and pastel colors and stuff like that. I mean, it's not like it's harsh. I mean, it's just like, I don't know, I'm just going to clean up a fucking doghouse, you know, like it's it's it's it's relaxed. I don't know if that equals cozy, And Okay, it does.

I think it absolutely belongs and I don't think we have to remove it yet. It's it. It remains a cozy game. Absolutely, I'm going to challenge a game about digging a hole, because while digging the hole is really cozy, the ending is not cozy. And anyone's actually finished this game would tell you it's not a cozy game.

I didn't think the whole had a bottom.

You're going to blow your mind, and I'm going to try. I don't need to spoil it. If we all are in agreement, it's it ain't cozy at the end.

Oh, the end is not you know. No, I never got the bottom or the game. It's a really cool game.

I hope people play it, but the ending is like a surprise and it's not cozy.

So cutting that. So we have a few other games. I think Mary added one that I've seen. I haven't played his Cast and Chill, and that game looks cozy as hell.

This game is like the definition of cozy.

You're a guy on a boat. You choose where your boat is left and right. You choose to cast, and then hopefully fish catches your line. You have a couple buttons to try and pull the fish up, much like fishing.

It's just so zen.

And then you use the money from the fish that you catch to upgrade your fishing line, your boat, your hook, your pole, so you're just being able to catch fish that are deeper, stronger fish. The first time you catch a salmon, it's like nice, try bitch, like it can get away. After you upgrade your line enough, you can

That sounds kind of hard to be say.

I love real World, but there's some like it's it's fairly it's not high stakes, but there's some racing involved.

There's a race. I can never be cozy when I'm racing it. And did you get to the second world. Yeah, it just it becomes like industrial healthcare, corporate, and I like that game.

Game world isn't cozy. I think my biggest issue with this game we talked about this when we covered it, is I find it almost shocking that this second area is so unattracted.

It's bad. Yeah, I just thought it was gonna be that first Yeah, I thought it was gonna be this nice biking island, and then it's like, oh wait, the game is not over. Oh wait, this is where I'm at, And honestly that's where I fell off the game. You're like fighting oil. Yeah, I just if credits rolled when I finished that first island, I would have been like,

Be more of a thinker, which I should have added to the incomes category. Upon reflection, I think it's easy to play and pick up. You are just a little fly and you do these little puzzles. I think it's whimsical in the sense that it's punny. So maybe the puzzle will be become a musician, and so you come across the guitar, and as a fly, you just fly across the strings of the guitar. It plays the guitar, and thus you've checked off learned to become a musician.

Do we have our top three?

Then if I think if we're willing to cut time flies and we've got our time, I think so that.

Yeah.

So we are left with powerwash simulator to cast and chill and spilled.

We haven't heard anything about spilled. Spilled is very cozy, you are.

This is an indie ass indie game. I should I should start with because sorry, uh chairs, these chairs, these these WrestleMania chairs are really squeaky. So Spilled is an indie game made by one person.

You are a boat and you are cleaning up.

The rivers and the lakes that have oil spills in them. Every time you clean up a space, animals come back, so you'll see fish and otters and birds.

And it's so cute.

And and then the money that you get from all the stuff you're cleaning up upgrades your machine. You become faster, you have a wider arc to pick up trash, and you can even like send people onto islands and different things to upgrade in different ways.

Again, it's a very basic game.

So I just want to say, it's like it's limited because this is a one person game.

It's it's not super intricate, but.

It sets off to what it does very well, and it's it's extremely calming and thoughtful with environmentalism and cleaning up the environment in a suite and simple way.

Boy god, I feel like this is a category that Mary vote should count for like three and but I will say for what it's worth. Just hear you describe it, boy, cast and chill sounds like exactly what this category is. You know, this game is a sedative.

I think like if you play this, it's gonna relax you and camm you. So I think that or Powerwash Simulator does the job.

I mean, I've I know power Simulator is my pick. And stuff, and not even my pick. I just it's the one I played. I haven't played the other, but your description of Cast and Chill sounds like I would I would put my vote in for that, you know. Yeah, it's so zen.

So yeah, I think I think they're both good, and I think depending on this is what I would say too, Just for people who are listening, it's not just about who wins. It's like about the game that will appeal to you the most. Power Wah simulator has a lot more to do. There's dirty, dirty invit youse players are dirty, and you have a lot to do. So there's a lot of time that you get to spend cleaning these environments. Cast and Chill is only what I said. You're fishing,

I vote for Cast and Chill, all right, all right, I'm I'm cool with that. Cast and Chill.

Mm hmm. All right. Fire Escape's coziest game of the year is Cast and Chill.

All right, Next up, all right, Next category is best playing Game.

Amines are Haighties, two ball Pit, megabonk Sectory, Luminous Arise.

The Pistrello, and the Yo Yo Thing, Once.

Upon a Katamari, Hollow Night's.

Soak Song, Monster Train two, Hoday one.

Right now, Yeah, I this is I think Hollow Night is an amazing It's great for steam back.

That's not what we're talking about. I was gonna say the thing, you want to.

Play that fucking game on a in a place I already hate being the first twenty hours of that game I played on a plane, And I agree because I even just like not even like a long was the flight Well, I flew there, I flew back, which was ten hours, okay, contu And yeah, I mean I think the thing is is like, first of all, I like it here because it absolutely like that flight flew by.

Oh sure, I wish I had a control of the entire time, Like I wish I was playing on a proper.

Controller with a proper deepet, you know, playing on steam deck and make your thumbs eventually played on switch to Like my wrist still hurts. This is gonna sound very stupid, but like because I was playing it on a plane, and like I don't know, I was like holding in a certain way that hurt my risk because I was so tense up.

Oh okay, that's not what you went on a plane, And like, I love this game.

I adored this game, but I wish I could have played the first twenty hours not on a plane.

It's kind of I think that I know you played a lot on the on a plane.

I've played the Ships game on and in fact I played it on the way here as well, because I was taking down another boss on the way to this conversation.

And it's funny you say this.

I played this game a lot on a plane, so it's on here for a reason.

It does belong on here.

But I was playing it hunched over also because I wasn't using a control and then when the plane landed, I was like, oh I should straighten.

Up, and my back.

Like, oh my god, Like it was too The game is so tense that I was like hunched over, really focused playing, in my opinion, the best plane game is actually something that's not too insane that.

You have to be that locked in. It should make time melt. That is an occasion, I think, yes.

But you also shouldn't be so stressed that you're upset that you like have to shift in your seat, that you're uncomfortable.

There's like a nice middle ground here.

I was doing Biowater on the flight, and I was losing my because I couldn't look anything up too, because I was on a plane.

I don't know if you know Biowater. I don't know because I think it's an optional area.

I know.

I'm sure you've been to Biowater. Oh yeah, but oh my god. I was getting so angry. I would say cut it because of everything. But I also would almost say Sectory. Now. I have not played Sectory on a plane yet. I probably will in about a week. But I find myself just down in my computer, like if I die in a stupid way, like oh I had four shields, but I died because I was on the red triangles were I'm involunteerily. But you know, like I'm like, I don't want that feeling on a plane.

I'm sure again a game, Yeah, I played a lot of it on the plane yesterday. It I thought it was great on a plane, it is, it can be frustrating in a way that I was I would not Yeah, I don't want to subject to other people to that. Ye, I think I still think it was amazing on the plane because like you can sort of tune out for a bit if you want to beat like the first boss in that game, you don't have to think too hard.

Yeah cut that. Yeah.

I also was gonna like I actually played a lot of Hades too on planes as well.

And while I.

Think it does fulfill that like like it would just burn flights, you know, I wouldn't even realize it, Like you know, they'd be like thirty minutes to landing.

I'd be like enough time for a run, and then next thing I knew, I'd be landing.

However, once again playing when I finally like played it docked at home, Oh man, this art really pops like the set like hearing it, and like it is kind of twitchy too, not as twitchy as something like Hollow Night, but I do think like that game is not best experienced handhealth.

I agree it's not the best way to play Hates. It's interesting because like Haiti's one and two, I probably played ninety to ninety five percent of that on a handheld, whether a switch or I guess, I don't think it's a bad way to play it, but I do think like it's better on a screen with a deepad and all the.

Stuff flying at you and all the Visually the game.

Is very busy, it's very saturated.

And so on a small screen. Sometimes I got hit and I didn't know why, And I think if I was on a bigger screen, I would have seen the projectile.

I would have seen the thing that I needed to do a little bit better.

Again, it's incredible. We're going to talk about it more. But for a plane, you want.

Something that where the graphics are functional. For a small screen, MEGABUONK is like I don't know why we're even doing this, Like megabunk is like I'm gonna run around and throw bananas at people.

The most you have to think is like, where's the next jar I can open? Or like Shrine I can charge, or chest I can unlock. While you're just automatically shooting things. I will I will say we should cut Monster Train two. That's one of my favorite games of the year. On a small set, there's a lot of texts, there's some complex mechanics that, like, even the first faction you have you need to get across.

I played a lot of it. I did play. I've played all of Monster Train two un handheld, but I've seen it on a TV and it's like, there is a lot of text that if you're sitting kind of far away from a TV, it's almost kind of hard on my PC, like right there. Oh, that's why. And it doesn't disqualify from being I love it and handheld still, but I just kind of went ahead and cut it. But it sounds like maybe not if you disagree talking well, I didn't know Dan, I knew Mike played a lot

How about a question for you, then, did you enjoy playing Monster Monster Train two more on a plane or hades? I didn't cut Hades. It seemed like some people had a case for it. I'd rather keep adies, Okay, we have to start cutting. Yeah, pi Ostrello, is there anything?

Is that? A time melts away? And you don't even realize that I played it on a plane a lot. Here's my argument to cut it. Oh okay. Sometimes I was like, what am I supposed to do right now? Oh? Okay? If you're picking it up randomly.

To me, a perfect playing game means you didn't have to like remember where you were last. You don't have to remember anything. You can just pick it up and play it again. Ball Pit, Megabunk. You don't have to be like, where was I in this game? There were times in Pipastrello where I was like what was I?

So? Anyway, a great game, but it can get cut. I will cut Katamari. I think I've almost exclusively played it on planes. But there's nothing about Katamari that makes time necessarily melt away or anything. It's just just an easy game to play on a plane. It's yeah, it's but it's there's much better on here. I think Megabank is kind of the one to beat here. But yeah, I guess we simply to cut one more.

And what we're left with that we haven't really talked about is Lumine's arise. So I guess my question Luminous Luminous, Ye, Luminous Arise. So I guess my question is does that seem like more of a playing game than Hades because Hades is kind of on the fringe.

Yeah, you know what, I would say Hades might be better because Hades is one where you more frequently get kind of break points where like you know, whether it's in between areas or even better, between runs, you can end it, whereas like Luminous, I like playing Luminous when like there's this journey mode, like if we played Tetris effect it's similar, where's just kind of flows from one thing to the next, and like I want to be able to like just keep going through that journey as

Megabonk is my ultimate time melting game because I don't get stressed when I play it, but I do have fun when I play it, and I don't need to know shit before I play it.

Perfect again. Yeah, yeah, yeah, brilliant. And also if you want to listen to a podcast, it's great for that too, So yeah, podcast game playing game.

I honestly think second is Ballpit. I think it's it's very very good for that.

Yeah, these are three great playing games. Outrageous, it's just so fun.

All right, So Fire Escapes best playing game of twenty twenty five is Megabonk.

I guess we started saying that the runners up to like and runners up run Haites two and Ballock's Pit excellent two hours. Do you want to do a break or you want to do we could do a break here? Yeah as well? All right, we are back and our next category is games game that is actually funny sorry, I can't read. First nominee is Peak Repo r V. Therea Arc Raiders Deliver at All Costs.

King Oh, Kingdom Come Deliverance.

Two two Claire Obscure Expedition thirty three, Death Stranding two on the Beach Baby Steps. Now this is interesting because I think there's a breakdown like the first view on here or actually vers four are not about comedy writing. They're about kind of emergent gameplay and humor and you know, friend slop type stuff. Well not Arc Raiders, but you know what I mean. It's emergent stuff. And then the other ones are largely writing, although I don't really know

I think Mike and I kind of talked about this when we were setting up, but I just think like the simulation aspects of that game can put you into some very funny situations, like if you don't shower, people will smell you, and that can lead to consequences because you stink. So it's you end up in situations that you didn't necessarily plan for because of the world and how it reacts to the player, I think makes it funny.

Systems driven humor in the way that like Hitman can be, or like a Red Dead two. I feel like I keep hearing about Red Dead two when this game's talked about. Oh yeah, kind of yeah.

Yeah. Similarly, I would say there's for this list. I think there's a clear break between games where the developers give you the tools to make the comedy and ones that are written with the express purpose of being funny. I would say clear obscure Exhibition thirty three. I don't think of that largely as a funny game. I think there are funny moments, So certain characters are funny.

Who's the chubby guy Monaco or the big balloon man.

Yeah he's funny.

Yeah, he's funny, and he sounds like Javier Bardem Spoogie. What was his name? Yep, that's his name. We're going with Spoogie. Okay, yes, Spoojie is pretty funny. I don't know where that is.

He's made of wine.

Oh yeah, that gave some weird stuff. The geest rolls and stuff are very funny. I think the gestrols are hilarious. The the big mechs that they're making to defend the village. I'm pretty sure the translation Soka patat just means sack of potatoes, which is very funny. I could be very wrong. It's probably French speakers or like this. I mean, I thought it was really funny. I say, let's keep that from now. One that I put on there just because I didn't know where else he would even be mentioned.

Mean, looking at this, I think both Peak and Repo are funny games, but I think Peak is funnier and those I don't know not to I'm tired of the friend slob term and everything, and that kind of reduces what some of these games are.

But I feel like they are kind of related in a way. And the comedy I hadn't Peak, I think is so much funnier than they're close. I mean we doing and like it changes your voice and stuff your control. You was so funny, like barfing everywhere, Like it's pretty funny. Yeah, that's funny.

We talked about proximity Chat with our creators, but didn't mention it with Repo. Did they use the prox chat for those.

I don't think we should compare similar genres and be like it's one that's the funniest. Sure, I think I think that it's possible friend slop will be the killer for this genre because it is so funny what happens in Repo, even when you're not trying to be funny.

Everything in there has a price.

And if you even if you dink it on a wall, you lose like twenty bucks. It's funny when like Dan is the only person left, none of us are there playing.

Alone, running around yelling Jake. Hell, you get a vase and you dink it and you're just like ship chitch. Yeah, she's like fun And so if you were not a patron of the video tier, we did play this game and put it up on our Patreon, so check it out. That was a fun Yeah, yeah, I keep it so if we're just talking like there's four proc chat games on here, Peak Repo or be there yet and Arc Raiders,

Have the stupidest like like the I think the I mean, I guess I should rewatch the Repo thing to see how funny it was.

But that thing, that clip we took out of Mike with it, I don't endorse what he did. I think that was bad. Yeah, I was mercy killing him. We already riddled him with bullet holes. Another Patreon video we did funny it's I did see some comments like, you guys are ruining this game. This off they gave it.

That's without any uncivility, there cannot the civility cannot shine through.

I need to be the darkness that the light off and anti morelity.

I teamed up with some random players and we're working on like, hey, have you guys killed a leaper before?

And they're like no, I'm like, let's kill a leaper. I'm like okay.

So we're like on a building and they're thinking they're safe and it jumps up and they scream into Proximity Chat. Yeah, one guy falls off, the thing hits the wall, tumbles down, everyone scatters and we're screaming.

We don't know who's friendly or not, Like there is something special about it.

And I think for me, why I love Proximity Chat in that game is because that's what makes it funny in my opinion, the interactions. I will say, though, there are some really awful people that you might run into that just sure, and that is not funny at all.

I do think some of the funniest moments I've seen get like when I was playing on Giant Bond with my sister Kayla and she scared off the entire team just by like eating them into the mic. It's like, that's one of the funniest things I've seen definitely this year in games, and it's like they give you Like I do think it's that dissonance between like how serious the game is, like you mentioned, and how like just funny these situations is random.

Players too, right, you know with Peek and Repo RV there yet it's friends. So I think that adds an element of predictability into like how they're gonna react.

What do we cut here? I know it's hard.

I mean I think we have to just think about, like how funny these games are. I will I will volunteer one. I think that r V There Yet is so fucking funny. And watching your friends smoke SIGs while they're like trying to figure out how to get an RV through these mud pits is so This game is so funny, you guys, And I put it on this list for a reason.

I adore this game.

I remember one of my friends being like, I'm.

Gonna go Scout Ahead, running back from the woods, going bear bear bear bear bear, Like a bear just rips them apart.

This game is so so good.

These all can't freaking win. And I don't think r V Area Yet is as funny. I will fight to the death. I think Peak is one of the funniest goddamn games I've played all year. I had the best memories of of like my life this year playing Peak with my friends, Like that is so important to me.

That one I will fight for. But I can't fight for all of these.

There's something so funny about Peak, where it's just like you know your friends like maybe a little ahead of you, and then all of a sudden, like they're making a jump and they just miss and you watch them die and you're like, Okay, well sorry, I gotta keep going, and they're like bleeding out down.

There, and we're talking about proximity chat.

It's so funny hearing someone go.

And then and then ahead and they're just like it's like, hey, have you seen so and so, like, oh, they're dead.

Do we cut babies? Yes?

I was gonna say, like, I think that game's frustrations start getting in the way in the comedy real.

No, I do think that, like the actual way they recorded the dialogue and everything, like when Bennet Fatti shows up, and like some of that dialogue is like awkward in a way, and we're kind of realistic in a way the games writing typically isn't. It's just weird and abstract in a way. That made me laugh quite a bit. But I don't know the game itself. I didn't like enough to keep playing.

So like, it's very funny the idea of like this person being like you sure you don't want this map? The game would be a lot easier, and the guys like I don't want it, and he's like you sure, and I'm.

The player, I'm like, please give me the please give it to me.

I think that's funny having the camera be like kind of ass focused and it's just this sweaty ass, sweaty fat ass.

Trying to get through these things.

It's a very funny game.

But I think collectively we probably all agree we didn't love playing this game. And for me, there are games that I would fight for more, so it was I think it's it was meant to be extremely funny and it works for so many people.

I don't like playing it, but I like watching other people play it. Okay. I also like, I think Kingdom Come Delivers can probably go. Can I just say that?

So, Like, I mean, I know you're gonna cut it, but like I would just say, like the idea that we have we're cutting Baby Steps, and like, are we sure we're gonna cut it? Before Death Stranding him, I was just gonna like, yeah, Baby Steps is funnier than those games.

I don't know, Like Death Stranding two is really filled with that kind of very weird kaJama humor that I always have been a sucker for, Like doll Man's fucking funny. Uh Like, I think I've told the story before about how like the little things they program in where it's like he was mid sentenced and I started getting waist high in water and he's hanging off my belt and all of a sudden, his voice like, hey, Sam, you

Yeah, I think laughing out loud is something we should talk about. Like I thought there were funny jokes in Clare Obscure. It's not very often that I laughed out loud and was like that.

Hurts my sides.

There are games on this list where I was crying because I was laughing so hard, And I think, if it didn't do that, then we have to start.

We have to start taking an ax to it.

I think Kingdom Come Deliverance two falls in the same category. It's like, you're in a lot of funny situations, but I'm not like Belly laughing.

But I didn't play a whole lot.

Of it either, So maybe that's like an we cut it. I would cut both of those. They have funny moments, for sure, but so we're down.

I think I think we should cut tet stranding too. I don't think it's that like splitting sides funny.

I don't how much did you play of it? Not a lot? Sixty hours and I didn't laugh. I agree with Dan.

There's many moments where I was like, this, that's really fucking funny, and also like the pizza dough stuff is. Initially I'm like that's funny, but then the more I saw it, the more I'm like, this is actually stupid, and like this is just cutting room floor the game, like you know, in a.

Something.

I'm not blaming the people who like I just don't think it's as I think the real humor in games for this year for me was game the games where we had the tools to be funny as people, and then they were just kind of amplifying that.

I'm fine cutting us training too, Like, yeah, this this was a hell of a year for prox chat and Mary. Your judgment on this, I very much you, because I know you've played the most of these.

The idea of like your side splitting, you're losing your mind because you're laughing so much. That happened to me in Arc Repo and Peak. These are the funniest goddamn games of the year. Like bar nun I will die on this hill. I think that these are all winners, and they're winners in different ways.

Repo is designed to make you laugh. It is designed to have a funny.

There's a duck that looks yeah and then grows giant teeth and eats you. These things are meant to elicit funny responses from your friends.

Yeah, I think I think Repo. Okay, I think Peak might be a better game. Yeah, I think Repo might be funnier.

Yeah, it's when everybody else is dead and we're all watching, like hiding under a table as the ducks or circling.

The tables play Somebody Is Anybody?

N and Philip heads and say that's supposed to be funny in a way Arc Raiders is.

I don't think it's intentionally funny, tending to be funny, funny because.

We're funny people, like I'm I'm the funniest person I know. That's why our Raiders is funny to me. But like Peak and Repo, I think I think Repo is definitely just not yeah, all right, well, Fire escapes game that is actually funny is Repo, and the runner ups were Peak.

And Arc Raiders excellent.

And the next category is a new game that most seems like an old game.

It's an important distinction there. It's not best game that seems like an old game. This is new game that most seems like an old game.

Yeah, if you watched last year, or if you watched all of our game of the years, we changed the wording there because it was getting it.

Why that like we picked one and it's like, well, we're saying that that's better like that kind of yeah. Anyway, and all of these are good.

This is about embracing an old.

Game, bringing the feeling back of an older game, and reviving nostalgia. The good good Go ahead nominees. Then your guide in Rage Bound and you go in four Tainted Grail, The Fall of Avalon Shanobi, Art of Vengeance, Luminous Arise, Once Upon a Katamari Metroid Prime four Beyond Lego Party.

Luminous Rise. Didn't we have that on there?

Kirby air Riders, Oh boy, does Kirby air Riders look like an old game? No, this most seems like an old game. Yea, So it's one of that feels most like you remember an old game feeling.

I think the weird thing about Kirby A Riders is like it is very similar to that original, but I just every once in a while I kind of really see him again, like oh yeah, yeah, he's talking.

Uh.

But but I think no other game has really done with Kirby Air Ride. There's has done since then, so it's like, I don't know, it just feels like Kirby Air Riders, I guess, or Kirby Air Ride, but it's more polished. I mean, does it feel like how you remember playing the old GameCube game, Yes, but I mean it feels better, like it is a more complete, better like it is. It has that Sacharai polish that I guess was in the original, but like it feels like

I think an easy cut. And I also think it might be the best game on this list is Shanoby because it's using the IP but it's like it is just too polished and modern feeling, and it's like it is kind of Shanoby in name only and the fact that you're a ninja. You know.

It's it's also like just gorgeous in a way that like I don't think reminds me of anything old.

It actually looks like a new Yeah, it doesn't feel like a Justice game by any means, so I think we can cut that. But yeah, I also it's one of the better games this list. Same with Radbound, I would say, same with Ragebound.

I don't know.

Rage Bound feels classic.

That sprite art is very modern sprite art. I mean maybe like Saturn had some detailed stuff like that, but like the old Ninja Guiden games certainly didn't look or feel like in the same way as I was saying Shinobe. It just kind of feels modern like some of those mechanics, and definitely the spright art it feels more modern to me. What about Ninja Gaiden for that, I think feels a lot like I remember those old the Xbox Ninja Gaiden is feeling because everyone just has that weird like action

Uh taintan grail can probably that's when I put in But it is like a Skyrim. They basically did what Bethesda did but made it. I'd hesitate to say better, but it's probably a more interesting game because we've seen Skyrim so many times. But I think I'm the only one who played it, and I didn't play a whole lot of it. But it scratches that Skyrim mitch in a way that I'm like, yeah, I've I recognized this.

I think an interesting thing. The way to think about this is like if one of these games had been released era era appropriate and you're playing back on a CRT or like Luminous, if you're playing on a PSP, would you even bat an eye you know? Or does it just feel like it is from that era that it's kind of going back to you know what I mean, It's like Lego Party. I think I would cut because

Like no, it would it would be like, oh, wow, they made a sequel to Kirby Yeah, it feels ra appropriate.

Yeah, Yeah, that's why I would say cut raid found I think I mean if You're back to the days of two D and Ninja Guid and that would feel weird.

What about so this is one that I think only you have really played, Dan, I've played a couple hours.

But Metroid Prime flour Beyond. I see that here it it feels a lot like it could have been a sequel to Metroid Prime one.

I do think is this the right category for it.

I don't think it is. It's there's a it's such a weird one because graphically it kind of looks the way I remember Metroid Prime one looking back then, even though I know it's a lot higher fidelity, But nothing about the design of it is anything that couldn't have been done on the game cube. You know, Uh, I would cut Katamari or over Metroid. I think so Katamari has gotten these online features and co op and stuff

We've got Ninja Gidding four, Luminous Arise, Metroid Prime four Beyond, Kirby aer Riders, I did say I think kirbyer Writers is probably like on the on the chopping block, it's really if it comes down to it.

I think I would fight for a Ninja Guide in for I think it's a good fit for this category.

It belongs here. I think it's up Okay, I think Loom this is very much like again that could have come out on the PSP. And do we think it's two thousand and six prime in where it could be in this category? Two? Do you think it's between prime in air Writers for That's.

What I'm trying to say. Yeah, it's like we know they're ones able to cut. Well, I'm saying these are two that are locks, so they're not up for discussion, but we have to cut one.

I think Kirby air Riders have a lot of stuff, like you know the online city Trials mode.

Yeah, the online I think is a good example of like they didn't do that, you know, like yeah it was Yeah, I think that's yeah.

I think Kirby aer Writers. I kind of think the one I would pick to win this would be Luminous Arise because it's like, obviously the resolution is much better, but like if you put those down on PSP in two thousand and six, two thousand and seven and told me it was just the sequel to Luminous and took it back to me in college. I'd be like, sweet, I wouldn't Batny, you know. I mean, I think you're the only one who's played all three of these, so I would say Luminous, Okay, Luminous all right.

The runner ups are Ninja Gaiden four and Metroid Prime four. Beyond new game that most seems like an old game winner is Luminous Arise.

Right, Wait the runner up? Would you say? The runner up? I did figuring out the format here how I want? Yeah?

Runners up first, like three.

Hours into the show is it's a living document. We have next category who I'm looking forward to? This most up its own ass. Your nominees are Blueprints, Baby Steps, Split Fiction, Wander Stop, Dispatch, Mike Maharty. You just want to give it to Mike and move on.

Yeah, I mean, he's a shoe in, But I think we can talk about why we think some of these are up their own ass.

We put me on here specifically because there's a game called Hegante and Jake said, like Giant, We're like, I think it's age. I'm just speaking for forty three million Americans. Sorry, but uh. And then I also said FATA level thinking at some point to describe a post that's not it today like this, Actually, Dan was the winner last year. I remember when last year it's like, oh, it was me somehow, Dan one.

I think there's a lot that we can say for so many of these, and we should get into it a little bit. I think they all have reasons to be on here. Blueprints has an arrogance to it.

It just really.

I feel like charming, and like, yeah, I felt it was charming in Earnest, Like yeah, at the beginning, it's like, thank you so much for coming home.

You inherited the mansion. There's a lot you learn about it.

And then past that, I was like, it always felt very cozy to me almost in the storytelling, and I think it's.

Totally fitting for just kind of this mystery and the backstory of this, like you know, kingdom and things like that in the house itself, and like, I don't know, to me, it all just kind of fit. It felt right.

Yeah, I think there's more aggressors on here, but I think there there were times when I felt like that game smelled its own farts.

Yeah, I don't know. I like this and I'm kind of with Mary here.

Yeah, I think it gets a bit up its own ass, but I don't know if it's further up its own ass.

Than some of these.

There's worse contenders, and I would actually even say it can be deleted. I'm just saying I think it deserved to be on here, but I think there are ones.

That are silk Song on here, like the more right here. Everybody talks some song should be on this list. It wasn't on here. You had a chance out there.

Just putting it out there. Uh yeah, Blueprints sometimes was full of itself, but I think it earned it. I would agree. I think we could strike that. Okay, let's get that.

I want I want to hear the argument from Baby Steps to stay on or take for why it's up atone ass because it's not my favorite game. But like I was more just kind of like laughing at it than like when I think of like uptone ass, I think of like pretentious. I'm kind of rolling my eyes.

I think it was when Chris Plant described Baby Steps that I started thinking it was pretentious. It might not be the game no No. Chris Plant always has a way of like, describe me a game away. I haven't thought of it before, so I think that was just maybe why.

You're like new ideas pretentious. Yay, exactly, I don't. I haven't played enough of Babies. I feel like I've heard some people talk about like there's that final like man breaker thing where it's like, here's this crazy mountain that you have to climb and it's just the stupid thing. You got to beat your head against time and time again and you fall down everything. But then the game gives you like an easy staircase you can use to

The stairs, up his butt this which is why, Yeah, it balances out. I think in a way that at least for the two hours I tried the game, it worked. I just didn't is the game of.

Its own ass or is it just people playing it and needing stuff to sayd Blue sp That's connected.

Because if you're interpreting art as this like unbelievable existential experience but ultimately or just this like dude who keeps falling downstairs.

Into wet wet mud, I question.

Genuinely how much you extrapolated from that experience and how much you put your own thoughts into it and said, this is a really deep experience.

And that's what I think is. I think it is a lot of people that just wanted stuff to say I'm Blue Sky or which is.

Cool that I can like speak to people in that way. So I don't know that it makes the game up its own ass though.

That's the thing. I'm arguing that, like, I don't know, it's not my favorite game this year, but like I didn't think of it as pretentious. You know, Yeah, I think maybe some people in Blue Sky are pretentious. But yeah, so we cutting it or should we talk about the other ones first? I think we could cut that. What the fuck is Wonder Wonder Stop. Wander Stop is the game where you make tea. Okay, no, actually I know what you're talking about now. Actually did seem to have

I really like the concept of meeting people and they're like, I need to be I'm stressed, so I need to be relaxed. But I also need to be able to process serious thoughts, and so I'm like, okay, I need to tee. That relaxes you, but it also allows you to process difficult thinking.

What does that? Is?

You to find herbs. There's a book where you like find what herbs.

Would suit them.

Mike, you and I played this game ages ago where we like had to concoct specific herbs into.

Oh strange horticulture, yeah or no the same year.

There's two of them that were really so similar.

Alchemists or potions.

Some potions, potion, alchemists whatever, So you had to brew these potions to solve issues.

And I love games like that. So I was like, I can't wait to play this.

But this game is very talky, and you would go through ten pages of dialogue about how this person was like going through all this drama in their life and they've really lost touch with their sister, but they like do love their mom, and they they also would like a sweet tea that has jasmine. And it's just like, all right, Like what am I doing here? And I found that I was spending so much more time listening to people and determining their trauma and trying.

To solve very serious issues.

And this game makes an effort to say, hey, we're solving serious issues, but ultimately I'm I'm I'm just a tea brewer here, Like I can't solve all this stuff. I didn't feel sold that I had agency to fix these things. I felt like I was just giving them a cup of tea. And then they were like, I am back, baby, and then ran out the door. And I was like, I don't know if it earned that. I don't know if it earned it. I don't know

To now make tea.

So anyway, I feel like it belongs here because it didn't allow me to grow, it didn't allow me to express myself, and it didn't allow me to solve any of these problems. I felt like I was on a I felt like I was on a train. I did not want to be on you guys, and I could not get off, so I quit.

Like ky, you said it's about tea, and immediate we're like, okay, I should be on the.

Here.

That's good a context because now I'm like okay, yeah, but I feel there is a certain like you could have described a game where you make tea and it's like the most merry shit ever and you love it, so I think the fact that it rubbed you the wrong way is kind of damning of maybe the tone.

Top one thing that I think we can cut is Dispatch. I know, Dan, you suggested it going here because it's three things you don't like.

But I don't know if I even suggested this. I just think this, that's the game I would most hate. For sure, this I think, yeah, I think you most hate it, but yeah it is. I mean there's like dick jokes almost immediately, like it is a very like come like there's a lot of uh like humor that y that's Marvel type humor no no, no, no okay type first episode at least, and it's not even snarky. It's I think the writing is really good in this game,

But even like I'd say, compared to like some of the tell Tale games that I have played, it felt like those games are trying to answer much bigger questions than this, And you know, with the Telltale games, I think it's pretty hit or miss. Like sometimes I was like, Okay, you came to you know, this is interesting, But I think Dispatch kind of knows what it is and it tells that story and you know, you may look at it and think it sucks, but I don't think it.

It doesn't. It doesn't stream up its own ass to me, and I think we cut it. I did add one here, Okay, argument we're adding that.

Can we add Hollow Night Silk Song if we're already adding one, I think there needs to be the one that's like.

The most up its own on Mike mahrty I and silk Song or you want to talk about Tester. I think we're going to add silk Song, but I want to hear Jake's argument for dester Hnning. First, did you play the same game? I did? Oh my, here's the thing. I think it is significantly less up its own ass than the first game. The first game took itself way more seriously. This is the one where it's like, like we're gonna talk a little bit of spoilers and stuff.

I don't know if I have a good risk because I played sixty hours of that game, and I don't remember much of it, so like, I just I don't know, Jim, I'm tired of Kajima's writing.

I think it's kind of where I'm at. But you know, yeah, I just think I just remember thinking it was silly more than it was pretentious, you know, And it definitely can get pretentious, but the first one was a much bigger offender.

I think you could be silly and still up your own ass though, Like, yeah, I think that game is up its own ass because like agreed, try being the person that tells Kadima not to put something in a game.

I don't.

I I think it's less deathstreating too is and it's more the people who made it sure are up their own ass, like oh so like yeah, there are editors for a reason, and like that game is the cutting room floor of video games to me, And I love this.

I love this game.

This is in my top it almost is in my top ten, Like I like it quite a bit, but like I don't. I just don't think silly and pretentious are mutually.

Yeah, it doesn't prevent you from being up your own it doesn't, I think ultimately, though, you speaking of pretentious, I think it's it's the American dream, right, Lar. I think it's the white pick and fins. It's Yeah. For those who don't know, read Mike Maharty's Polygon review of Death Stranding, which maybe this is the point from Mike Maharty on this list.

You want to make that big a little bigger, Timmy says something pretentious.

Split three, Yeah, Mary, I think you are the one who the pretentious are lame. I think it's pretty lame that.

Comes up to and we have to separate those two. But like most of its own ass is something that is kind of insisting that.

It's really good and obvious that we're supposed to really like it.

I sometimes I'm always shocked by how much when I play these games, these co op games, I feel like it's telling me, Wow, this is so inventive, it's so incredible, and I'm like, but a lot of these are really basic principles that you're applying. It is awesome to play a game with another person, and I've enjoyed playing split fiction with a co op person and going through it, but so often I'm like, this is really basic mechanic.

I'm trying not to be like too down on it. I just didn't. I didn't buy what it was selling. A lot. I think those games, I think those studios is that studio is incredible at making mechanically impressive, very imaginative co op games. But the way I don't want to paint the whole studio with a pressure. It's Joseph Ferris. The way he talks about this stuff is like he's acting like he's creating the greatest video games of all time.

Sometimes the dialogue as well, like the two girls will be like, you know what's really the problem.

It's this corporation and they're taking ideas. Man, wow, what a crazy idea.

Yeah, yeah, it's not that innovative, but they really it's such a simplified concept that they focus on is like very important.

So yeah, the story is just so just like black and white, like up nearest corporation. They're stealing ideas and we're the authors. Now we're going to play through her creations. It's like, all right, I understand where this is like a children's book level of like totally, and that's fine for me.

It is for children in that regard, and in that case, I would I would respect it as like, I see what you know what your audience is. But I'm actually not confident that I know who split fictions audiences. It's usually like person and others the audience. They're trying to make it as broad as possible, I think.

I think I think all four of us here don't necessarily get into like the family game genre. I know a lot anecdotally, I know a lot of people who find those games this and it takes too. It takes to being like very valuable for playing with partners who don't play video games, or playing with children or I'm not saying that makes it. What's that? Who cares about like kids? We don't. That's not our I know.

I'm just putting it out there. I'm just saying, that's what you said. You don't know who it's for, is like, it's not for this podcast. But I do think there is an audience, right.

Yeah, I mean I get it. I get why there's an audience. I get why they're successful and stuff like that. I don't really get what we got. We got a cat for the audio listeners. We we have a major cat situation happening for the audio listener. Yeah, I don't know. I like slip picture. I might like slip fiction more than anyone at this table, but I also kind of am annoyed by the whole deal. Oh Jesus, this is more important sorry, audio listener, cat's entire head and the US.

I will say, did you guys see that story where uh dest straining was getting too good of metacritics.

Or people to know the preview, the early preview things where like people like this too much. It needs to be more polarizing, Like, yes, I don't know. That is absolutely pretentious, but it's also that ship that I love about Kagima. It's oh, bless you for this, like yeah, but like knows on about it, but I'm a mark

Maybe we should change death Stranding too to Kojima, and maybe we should change Split Fiction to Joseph Faris just people.

We're just change at least two people. I like this. Yes, let's do it. Just take out what fiction put Joseph Ferris and.

Then wander stop because it has moments. But it wasn't that annoying all right, So.

It has turned into who is most up their own ass Joseph Ferris, Mike Mahardy or Headeo Kajima Mike Mahrty, Mike Mahrty, can I make a case for striking? I don't know. I feel we have a vote going on here.

Fortunately the crowd has spoken.

Yeah, yeah, it's gotten pretty big. I don't know how that happened, but I think I just can't really Wow. Yeah, got too big. I think we got a lot of that.

Yeah, most of its own ass is Mike Mahrty and runner up Sir Kajim and Josephairs team chair Michael.

All right, next up? Oh yeah, Team Cherry. Yeah we should have been on there.

We've moved on.

Next category is Lamous Tone. Your nominees are Quarterlands four, Dying Light, The Beast, Megabank, Split Fiction, Call of Duty, Black Ops seven. I'm gonna start.

I think we all know why we put Megabank on here, which is that it says stuff like when you lose, It says stuff.

Like maybe skilly she Yeah, it has.

Internet humor that doesn't land and I actually really don't like when memes are in games like that. But the game is so damn good I am willing to let it go.

I would go a step further. I also think it should be cut. I'm not saying I like the humor. I think there's a reason it's in this game, which this game was designed it. Like I there's a very real sense that they are making a like very bad looking, like almost memeable game in a way that like I again, I don't laugh at that game.

I love that game.

But the game is so good and it's easy to overlook. I do think there's a purpose for putting it in there. I would rather not be there, but I think it's a game where, like again, you're flying through the air with like dual revolvers and sniper rifles and your jump is like six hundred percent and it's just a bear.

Like skateboarding skeleton es skateboarding skeleton.

It's like it's already like the wrapping is so meaningless, and I think they acknowledge that.

I don't. I don't know why, Like I'm not saying that's the reason they did it for me, like kind of fits. They're kind of clever with it, Like it's like the Chad character. Chad, he's just like a beeping guy. His his skill is aura And it's like I don't like that humor at all. I hate it, but I think there's like it. There's a it's intentional here. Yeah, it's not just there for force spoken to connect with the kids. It's not Steve Buscemi with the skateboard.

It is like, we know what kind of game we're making, and we know it's actually really intelligent under this the hood, but on the surface, it's a really fucking dumb game. And I think they lean into that in a way that it's like the humor almost just it's it's part and parcel with Chad and the skateboarding skeleton and a bush with a sniper rifle sticking out of it with googly eyes.

I honestly, I do kind of like it. Like I I like it so much more of the way it is than I would if it was just like generic fantasy trope like here's the Night, here's the Wizard, here's the you know, like that's a pass. Yeah, I say, we take it off. Yeah.

I thought I would hate it way more than I did, and all I like, forget it's there until I die. It's like him dead. Maybe skill isssue like yeah, yeah, tapping through it.

I don't know. Man, Black Ops seven is fucking lame, but it's lame and kind of that ex just a little worse version of the Stave Frosty who like that type of it's not fun to talk about how lame it is, you know. It's just like, yeah, it's just like it's a bad call of duty. It's it's not anything we haven't seen before, you know, whereas like I think if we're talking that type of lame tone dying like the Beast, I don't know how much you've seen of that. But even like the name of the main

Like it's a bummer because lights a sick game.

The first the first game, the first game was the first game is good and second game started dipping its toes into this kind of storytelling, and I've tried so hard to like too many many times.

The Beast I did not play, but I sat through SGF like one hour demo of this and it was like, oh boy, this is a this is just a real lame tone. I haven't played it.

Just keep in mind that whatever we cut like then it's just not the Yeah, it's it's our runner up.

I would cut out of these because I think Dying Light and Call of Duty Black Ops seven we are talking about two different games with the same type of just like the military you who were tone or whatever. I think Black Ops seven is. We've seen this before before you do that.

We have not discussed Borderlands for.

I think that is lamer and like it is toned down. It is certainly toned down from the like Borderlands three, uh you know, humor or whatever. But it still feels like a relic. Uh you know. It definitely feels more modern than three did in a lot of ways, from gameplay to open world and all that stuff. And the villains are not uh streamammers. Yeah, that's the thing. It is less lame. It's maybe fifty percent as lame as

I would say Borderlines four also is very very contingent upon which character you're playing, as there are certain characters that use more of that that kind of humor, but.

But it still doesn't like even at the beginning when it's doing the very border Lands like freeze frame, here's this person, here's she's a freaking witch, and it's just like cut up. It's so fucking it still has enough of that. Or I'm like, h like I think I'm like audibly like like sighing as you know, yeah, it was like call of duty. He's like, man, whatever is stupid? You know. Okay, so it's call of duty, we think. I then we could call of duty, yeah, which would

As long as Split Fiction stays.

All right? Mary, should Split Fiction be the lamest tone game.

Of the year.

I based on what Dan is saying, it's really hard because sounds like Dying Light was really obnoxious. I think, uh, my problem with the tone and Split Fiction is that both of the women are really irritating to be around, and it's hard to have two people that are both the protagonists and not like either of them, and have them both have such I can't do anything about it.

They're just.

Uh, staunchly opposed to each other until they decide the corporation is truly the real evil, and I don't think that that is earned.

So capitalism is the real enemy.

Yeah, that's right. I don't think that, uh, that game earns what they're trying to do.

So I just have to suffer through them constantly saying negative things about each other.

It does remind me of It takes two. I don't like hearing.

Couples basically talk about their divorce through a you know, six hour video game and a.

Lot longer than that was. That was one of my main complaints was way too long. Yeah, I wish it was six hours. Actually two hours of it, and I had to stop because of this, the chatter I just didn't. Yeah, it was very core. I guess it's to the point where it's kind of like my favorite as far as game is still Brothers. It's oh yeah, so understraded and yeah, so good. No dialogue and in fact no co op.

Is just one person playing two characters, and then when you can't play both of them, it's fuck, oh shit.

I will concede that there are times in split fiction when I thought, oh, mechanically, I understand what you're trying to do here. You're making us talk to each other and work together, and they're they're are elements, not as many as I would have liked. But there are times in split fiction where I will respect the game mechanics that they put in for getting us to work together cooperatively and communicate effectively. And I think that is actually

At the same time, I think I really like that argument. I do think slip fiction is maybe a front runner here, Like I guess Dying Light's tone was so bad and that like our demo I saw, It's like, oh, I'm never playing that slip fiction. I did play the entirety of and everything Mary just said, she just said it beautifully. It is a It takes what should just be a fun co op experience and it's just non stop just annoying you.

And uh yeah, the tone is fucking terrible. No, I don't disagree. I would say the I think the thing that's hardest with split fiction and with it takes two is like I love the fact that there is a studio that's like single handedly just trying to make compelling couch co op game is still in twenty twenty five way, So I think it's like a byproduct of us wanting.

It's just like Sonra is untapped, make more of these games and make them better.

This is must talking. Yeah, it's just this studio kept making those games without dialogue. It's like, Split Fiction is a good fucking game. And there's stuff, especially at the end of that, like the last hour, so it's doing remarkable stuff. And I'm a big couch co op guy. I love their games. I hate their tone.

Yeah, so I think we're kind of all in agreement then that. Uh yeah, that's why I think was I think that was it? Okay, lamest tone. Honorable mentions are Borderlands for and Dying Like the Beast. But the winner is Split Fiction. All right, next category moving along here. Uh, this is a fun one and the winner will be one that we forgot. But this is things we The things we most forgot came out this year.

The nominees are Monster Hunter, Wilde's Assassin's Creed, Shadows, Order Lands for Mafia, The Old Country, Elden Ring, Night Rain Sieve, Battlefield six, FBC Firebreak, Eternal Strands, the.

Nintendo developed and published wheelchair basketball game for Switch to Still.

Weird, frag Punk, South of Midnight.

And The Outer World's Two. Can I make a suggestion for this category? How about we picked two from this list? Those are the runners up because again, the winner is always going to be one. We didn't even think to fucking put Okay, so.

We're just gonna whittle it down to two and it'll be a miss every single year. The common answer like, you guys forgot this, and I'm like, fuck, we did, all right, so well we'll look down two. Okay, that sounds good. Whoever put elden Ring Night Rain on here, I got a fucking problem, And I'll just be honest. It's because I never played it. Well, sounds like Ring is one of the best games of all time.

There's memory, but I want to play a multiplayer one Night Rain as memorable, like you need people to play with Because I played, I don't want to was my most played game.

I don't want to put it on going on.

That was just me Like all right, I mean nelden Ring multiplayer thing, I would say Battlefield six I did not forget that came out this year. I had some very fun multiplayer sessions of that game. I mean, I don't think it's my favorite battlefield, but I think it is getting back to what made like three one of my favorites in the series. And I think like the emergent gameplay of the different class and your friends. I

But I did play a lot of Battlefield six. Oh interesting is it that there was a time, like maybe twenty eleven, twenty twelve where it's like that November time frame where it's like, man, it's gonna between Battlefield and Call of Duty for that November weekend. These are the two big heavy hitters, And now Battlefield and Call of Duty this year are just like we're not no one's

Not that that's the criteria for this category. A fuck ton of people played that game. But if it's the ones we forgot, it seems like you like it. I was paying attention to it a lot for various reasons, but I definitely after it was released, I played it a good deal. I had some memorable I'd say that's like covering around my number ten game of the year personally, like I had some fun, very very fun nights.

Coo cool.

Oh sorry, Assassin's Creen Shadows. I did not forget either, because you know what, I actually liked it.

Do not like that series, And this is when I was like, I'm kind of I kind of see what they're doing here.

I liked it.

I liked the lady.

I think it was a fun game. Is it like the thing I'm gonna really fight hard for at the end? Probably not, but I remember it. I remember that game.

There's some I also like the fact that, oh my god, it's it's so funny when you play Yota, how similar the set up in the story for so much better. You're getting You're yeah, you're getting revenge against like kill bill style against these this cast that killed is it

Yeah, it's been a lot of time. I played a lot of that game. I did a'tyone play FBC Firebrick. I played a little. I did not like it. Not after it No, not really did you forget it?

I forgot about it until I think you added it because I mentioned, oh, we got to add FBC fire Breaking, like I already put it there, and I was like, I do think Remedy itself did not super I don't know how to phrase this. I don't think Remedy Itself is putting that game on their resume. So I think once it came out and kind of fizzled, I think like even like the people behind it were like they've done some updates to like try to fix it. But yeah, I think you're right for the most part.

I think we can cut Monster Hunter. I mean that's I remember, just because it's like it was built up to be. I member Monster Hunter World was such a success and it was the one that kind of got me to understand Monster Hunter for the first time. And then it was like it was like the big one more thing and like the TGA's or something a year or two ago, and so it's like there was a lot of hype to it, and I played it and I was excited about it, and I was kind of like,

The thing with Wilds is that like it's not that people forgot about it, it's the people are still frustrated about it. Yeah, because like I played a lot of it and haven't thought about it since, but then I see a bunch of people online complaining about it still something Okay, people are still talking about it. Yeah, I didn't forget it came out. I just didn't love it.

That's different and Borderlands, for I don't think people forgot either.

Yeah, I have.

There are a lot of people I know that play this game religiously. Yes, I think it's still popular.

And there's people that don't care about the writing in that game, like they just get on discord their friends and like they figure out we used to system link with that, or we used to play online with like two often, and then same thing with three. We played like that, this isn't worst game. This is genuinely were like what. I totally forgot that there was an outer world too.

Did any of us play it? Yeah? I played a little bit. But still sometimes I'm like.

Oh my god, there's an outer why elds too?

Oh oh, I wish there was an outer wild scene. I forget that. The thing is I I liked the first one. I thought it was a good one of those, and then I remember being excited for this one because I love about about early this year, I thought it was fantastic and I was like, oh man, can't wait to see it, you know, and like on the Space Vibe, you know, if city is kind of leveling up in this way. And then it came out and I feel like no one was really like this game is fanta you gotta play this one.

Uh.

And it was at a time when there were like a million other games and I was playing, so it's like, all right, this is gonna be like a fairly lengthy game that people don't seem super hot on. If there's one game I need to just like, it doesn't seem like I need to prioritize this. It's that one. But like I remember, came out but no one seemed to care, but he talked about it. I think that stays. Do you guys know what the Nintendo game? I added that I literally couldn't remember the name.

This drag is a trag X drive. It might be that sounds right. I was about to look it up, and I was like, this is kind of proves my point a little.

Where like that's thing name.

I forgot the point.

It's such a baffling fucking game. It's like if if it was fun, it's like okay, it's like this is like a whack in motion thing like it's I still remember being at that Nintendo Switch to reveal event in New York City and that all these kiosk set up. It was the first time that the Switch Too was playable, and I mean everyone was lined up to play everything. Obviously, there's a million Bonanza kios a bunch of Mario Kart World kios and we're super sided lining up for all

It's just that it's so forgotten. I think that stays.

I think we can get rid of South of Midnight. I do remember that game. It is a nice game.

Yeah, wow, it okay. I would say we should get rid of SIEV seven. I think I remember it came out.

But also, like the conversation around that game is not within the strategy game for x community. It's not I forgot that game came out. It's like, oh my god, I want that game to be better in so many ways, and they're working toward it. And for acxis is famous for expansions, kind of pushing a game to its full potential. Although for Axis had quite a few layoffs this year, so I don't know that they have the same bandwidth as they did with six. But like SI seven, I

You don't forget it. Let me describe my thoughts on Eternal Strands, and you guys tell me if it's more of an argument for its staying or going. So Eternal Strands came out early this year January February. I want to say, at a time when there was a lot of stuff going on and I heard I think, you know, say, a couple of people that told me about it. I was like, oh, that sounds kind of interesting, and I hop in and I Homember having a really good time

What's frag punk?

I think that's oh yeah, yeah, frag punk is what the like, uh, Hero Arena shooter with very colorful casts.

Yeah, I remember getting like pressy meals about it, but I don't think I Actually, I'm guessing if any one of us played it, it would have been on the lamest tone. It's called frag punk. There's no way it's not lame.

I want to say, Like, to me, it struck me as the fine the Finals meets Overwatch meats.

What was the what was the the game that Cliff Platinsky's law Breakers Radical Heights? Yeah, my god, yeah, yeah, man.

What about Mafia the Old Country did? Because I I guess I did play this, but like it definitely was like a game that I finished. I'm like, okay, I enjoyed, and then I just like I.

Didn't play it.

That one's tough because, like, yeah, I find that that game came and went, and I think there's different competition here than Mafia the Old Country.

Okay, I think we should start I do think we should start cutting. We don't need all of these, Like if you didn't truly.

Forget it, Drag X Drive is so weird. I don't think I'm going to forget that. Nintendo made a weird wheelchair basketball game for the launch of the Switch too. That's weird enough to be memorable. What about it is weird that Nintendo made a wheelchair basketball game for the launch of Nintendo Switch too, Like that's a fucking word.

It is a similar situation that you had with Eternal Strands right where it's like you remember playing this game. I remember seeing this game. Couldn't remember the name for the life of me, you know, but I guess, but.

You couldn't remember the name. You had to put weird Nintendo wheelchair game, yeah, which I think is like it's like memorable that like people will remember that, I think five or ten years from now. The way people remember like Arms like Arms is this weird fucking springy arm game at the onto the Switch, you know they Arms was kind of good. But I mean this is bad though,

You guys are talking about it more like with more memories than a lot of these other games.

That's what I think we could I'm not saying, oh yeah, it sounds like I will remember Drag and Drive more than I remember anything else on this The Old Country, like I haven't played.

I was at least looking forward to it to the point where I was like where it was coming out this year. I don't love that series, but I still play them.

There's there's a lot of wine in it. I didn't know that it's Addam rules too. Just a thing. Is it just a victim of like poor timing and the fact that we didn't really play it? Probably poor timing. I mean, I'm sure it's a pretty good game. I'm sure. I'm sure it's a seven point five, you know, late enough of it. You can't just give a game a se can't. No, No, I'm sure it's pretty good. Uh. I think that was just a victim of we just had a lot of games were playing at the time.

Yeah, I still need to cut one more because mystery game right, oh right, right, the winner, M God.

I think within three months I will forget Eternal Strands ever existed, even though I played a lot of.

It for me, I know, if I remember FBC fire Break because it's so funny. Remedy can make some of my Allen Wake two might be in my top five games of all time. They're capable of making such singular, unique, groundbreaking games.

They also get at to so like this.

The way their studio operates, they get attached to so many different partnerships that they end up making these things that become fascinating to me. I didn't forget that game came out this year because I was so fascinated that they were making a live service, co op session based shooter in the Control World.

Yeah, which when.

They said that to me, I was like, I'll probably play the shit out of that. That I didn't, but I still like, didn't forget it came out.

I think there's a high enough profile to the fact that it's Remedy and it's in the Control Universe that people will remember that it exists. I think Eternal Strands and Fragpunk you bring up now, even much less a year or two now, we were like, what the fuck was that?

There's like a there's a sense of people have written stories about FBC and its failure as well.

I don't.

I haven't seen nearly as much about Eternal Strands or frag Punk. Like I could see FBC being the subject of one of those like what went wrong kind of features down the road. I can't for the other other ones. So then we've got our list then yeah, yeah, if you were happy with what I just cut based on those conversations Eternal Strands, frag Punk. But the thing we most forgot came out this year is something we.

Forgot you fucking tell us, I don't know. Excellent. Next category is best play with Buds Play with Buds. Nominees are Peak Rebo, Arc Raiders, Battlefield six, ol Didn't Ring Night Rain, Lego Party, Absolute, Are we there yet? Mario Kart World and Fortnite. I think a lot of us, you know, we've talked a lot about like a peak Repo, Arc Craadors. Are we there yet? A boy? This is this was there's a lot of friends slap on here, which again I don't say that derisively at all. I

I don't think you need to play Mario Kart World with buds. I don't think that is the peak of this category.

Also, it's a fun one to like, it's got that stuff that Mario Curte Delex had where you can just make a room with the code and like you know, for totally ice stream, and it's a really nice one to like, oh, at the end of the night, like let's all do a knockout tour or something like that, Like that's that's a lot of fun. And it's got like the camera mode stuff if you're playing, like you know, locally with friends and stuff like it's it's Mario Kart.

It's I don't think it's going to hold a candle to these other friends slop games.

I don't think night Rain is either. You can make an argument it was.

Forgettable night Rain, and I played quite a bit of co op that was I I.

I there's a reason why I love Night Rain as much as I do. I don't think the main reason I like that is like that game so much is because of the co op. The co op is definitely like the main draw of it. But I think it's how they design those runs in a way that kind of plays on expectations of from software games that makes it super interesting and co op is a part of it. But yeah, to like other people's point, I look at some of these other games, and it's like, what makes these games so much.

Fun are the buds that you're playing with, you know.

But I do think there's something to be said about like struggling with friends in order to overcome a competition.

But I guess you could say that about a lot of the other games. Yeah, Like I think Peak does an incredible job of that. On top of being hilarious, like we talked about.

It's also like a core mechanic, like lifting someone up who couldn't climb unless you took their hands.

Yeah, and the idea of like if you got your friend group that you play these games with regularly, the fact that they kind of change the mountain out what every week or so, that's just such a cool thing. If you had a friend groups like let's play, Oh it's every day, they every twenty four hours. Oh wow, I think that's so smart. And it's again it's funny, and it's just a really well designed multiplayer experience. Yeah, I think it's I think it's a better multiplayer game

Repo is funnier.

I think Peak is designed to have a good experience with your friends, and its entire mechanics are about helping each other, hurting each other. There's a banana in that game that makes other people slip. Throwing it at somebody is a really brutal thing to do. Everything is designed to play with other people in a sandbox.

That's its entire purpose.

It's it's ultimate at playing with buds. I think you probably also make an argument.

For our graders, because, yeah, Our Creators is so.

Much more fun in my opinion, when you're playing with other people and they're yelling at you, or they're guiding you, or you're trying to do something together, I think it's it's just incredible.

I know an online multiplayer game is good if like I am getting people together off work hours and putting on a fucking This is a game that like I dug out my PlayStation headset stuff for that I like, never ever use, and these aren't even sainct we don't like. It's like we gotta do Me and Bianca Kyle, we're gonna get together. We're gonna do our cradors and stuff like, not for not for content, not for Giant.

I want to play together.

Seems like a really fun experience, like Arc Creators is one to be very very few games that does that. I agree, I will say with our Creators, though the experience is very different solo, and it's almost like it's enjoy now. I will don't know if I'd seem more enjoyable, but there is there is value in playing it solo, like I don't think. I don't know if that's more tense. I like it, so I don't know that I prefer it solo, but but it's more tense.

More cooperation too, I feel like because people are more willing to work together ECU wait other people to help it interesting. That's not to take away the fact of what you said, and how much fun it is to play with buds. But I do think like there is something to be said about like our creators. It's it's it's a game I play by myself, you know, peak, Yeah, I have to play with people. Like I think I did a run once by myself and I'm like this is fine, but like I want you know, co op.

Yeah, And I think the winner of this category is one that like really shines when it's multiplayer, and like, for instance, I'll maybe cut one of mine here is Solemn. It's a game grub and I are playing on a giant bomb is a rogue light beat him up with this beautiful art style. It's a very fun two player rogue light beat him up. But I've also heard you can play the whole thing snoring. Okay, oh sorry boring

I think we should cut arc I think we should. I think that even like you were telling me, like Bonk likes to play it solo. I think this is like a great game. I don't think it's perfect for this category.

Yeah, if it's like the best game to play with buds, and we're saying, well, Arc Raiders is good to play solo, that's not an argument for keeping it. Yeah, you're you know, like, can we cut Fortnite first? Though, Yeah, yeah, let's cut it. I think the only reason the sake of cutting it, let's cut it first. I guess the only reason I want to play it is, like I wanted to mention it was that this Simpson's thing came out this year.

Yeah, that's a really great ip for it to get.

Oh they killed it. Yeah, so we're cutting arc we should Okay, So we got friend slops doing pretty strong here.

Battlefield six I had some really fun sessions with friends. I also played a decent amount of its solo and just played on a team because I was going for challenges that I did not need people to be there for.

Well, I heard the campaigns where it shines.

I to say what you will about the campaign, I'm just talking about the co op and the multiplayer. Yeah, I enjoyed playing Battlefield six by myself as well multiplayer because I wanted to pursue challenges or unluck new weapons or you know, upgrade classes, et cetera. So I don't know that that's necessarily those were my that was my most memorable multiplayer game.

So we cut that, and I think we're down to peak Repo, Lego Party and arby there yet. Now you

Yeah, Like to me, Mario Party, you just imagine playing Lego Party by yourself.

Absolutely, not or Mario, but that's an insane thing to do. Yeah, but like I think it's so perfect for like, you know, my memories of Mario Party and now Lego Party. It's kind of turned to is like, you got two in my family, me and Kayla that play games all the fucking time and we love it. But then Katie, my sister, Kayla's twin, who doesn't really play many games, but she

She means, you mean, the games are just bad, and she recognized it as someone with good taste.

She does have tastes. I will say it was.

Real fun today the one mass we played to funk over Dan and we all he came in fourth, I think out of all of us, it was there's no total bullshit banana boys and their monkeys about yeah, but.

Yes, yes, I I felt looking at the map planning.

My that is the most I've ever thought of a multiplayer party board game genre entry.

Instead of just like a battle of attrition, like just need to get through it, it's not actually I was. I was strategizing.

It was nice to strategize and be like, well, fuck if Jake, if Jake the points across though, if Jake reverses this quadrant, then I'm fucked. But oh, if I'm win this minigame, I'll go before him and then I'll get out of it, and then we get fucked Dan, and then I'll get to the Banana.

Burglars.

And then if I get to the banana the first first, they'll then rotate around and then I'll put them even more out of Dan's reach. There was more intentionality, or they allowed for more agency on my part in a way that much as I love Nintendo and I'm just I'm really just you know, dogging on you, because I actually have had a lot of fun with Mario Party before. I do often like there it always sets in halfway through a Mario Party match where I'm like, it kind of doesn't matter.

There's some blue shell esque thing that's gonna happen. Exactually, like in Mario Party, you get annoyed if you're playing with someone that's taking time to like go to the map and plan it out, because in your head you're like, not, nothing matters this one.

We all sat back and like let people strategize because we're like, there, you can actually do that in this game.

But would I rather for this can turn in a turn? Yeah?

Yeah.

And the and the act of just doing it, like just going to the map looking at thing like there's just so many like oh, it tells me exactly how many I need to get to this And like the map is very readable and easy. There's not a lot of just slowing down and talking to fourteen different shop vendors on every fucking roll. It's just a snappier, better Mario Party in every single way. Yeah.

I one thing from the one mass we played today. I do think the mini games kind of lean very heavily on like QT E stuff.

You know, we did twelve, So we did a twelve round game and like, I remember, you were giving it a little bit of shit because there were there were like fifty many games in it, and not a lot of them are the like we get a y B X A y B and say we got three the lock one lock, the one where it's all like in a line, and there some really creative ones, the ones where you're trying to balance the unicycle very tall race. Yeah, that was fun.

There's the like, there's the I literally stood up off the couch because I was Me and Mary were neck and neck and then Mary fell across with her head at the end.

Yeah, I had to tell Jake to stop locking in because he kept leaning into my view of the because he was trying to win. I think there's good mini games with it, and I have some reservations about just the the caliber of games in it, but it is it is fun to play.

I want to say, I feel like I'm the person who played RV there Yet.

This game is so built to play with people and maybe someone who's not a gamer.

We talked about that a lot with Split Fiction.

But what's amazing with RV There Yet is like, let's say three of you guys are solid gamers and one of you is like, I don't know, guys like I'm not that good good news. And RV has three seats in one driver. You get to sit and enjoy the game.

You can play. You can be the cook that makes the burgers smoke. You can smoke and judge people.

You do need cooperation because somebody has to take the winch the winch and connect it to a tree, and then there's a separate remote device to use the winch.

So you need cooperation this game. You can't.

You should not play this game alone. You should play it with others. But I love the fact that it is inclusive of someone who's like I just want to be here.

You have ritten for that person on that point though, Like let's say you have someone who's like not a big game or whatever, they're casual or whatever. This is just a game that's on PC, right, Yes, so think about this too. The thing about Lego Party as well is it is cross platform. So it's like I've got everything I'm gonna play on PC. Kayla never touches a PC game ever, She's gonna play on PlayStation or Switch. And then Katie my casual gamer sister. She's just got

If I had three people say do you want to play a game tonight, I would choose RV there Yet more than Lego Party.

I would prefer to play RV there Yet. I think I agree with you, but I can't tell who you're looking at in our general direction. I'm like, that's the point.

Okay, So Mary's made a pretty good case for r V there Yet, Dan, you've made a good case for Lego Party in peak seems like immovable.

I'd say I.

Think the winner for me, I wouldn't.

I don't.

It's really hard for me to say any other game is better to play this year with buds than Peak.

If there's one argument I will say against the Friends Slap Stuff, which I love all these games, is that there is kind of a one note thing to this. Like Peak, you are kind of just you're trying to climb that mountain. Repo, you're trying to put stuff in a cart? Are we there? No, you're trying to get bricks? Well, right, But there is there's a lot more variety within that. You know, there is strategy there. There's numerous different board games,

You're hurting yourself. Lego Party, you're just trying to get bricks and you're just trying to get money, and you're doing anything you can to do the very simplest things. I cannot tell you how many times we were playing today we were like, how many steps am I away from buying this thing with fifty dollars?

Like that's not that innovative or interesting.

But in Peak, the items you get are randomized, I cannot get up the mountain the same way. Ever, even if we try again and again and again, and this mountain the algorithm changes of every design and every level every twenty four hours. This game is one hundred percent different. But even when I play the same mountains.

Well, yeah, I mean we're making a good argument, but they're.

Changing even like the level variety and the size, because they have different biomes, so you might as you could pick right at the beginning, right, yes, And they're also randomized, so you don't know if you're going to get a lot more lollipops, or if you're going to get the cannon, or if you're going to get a bunch of ropes that completely changes how you're going to climb.

Let me offer something here. I want to get Lego Party on the top three, because right now it's Lego Party and three friends slop games, three very good friends slop games. Yeah, I will argue that of the three friend slop Repo is maybe the weakest game. So I would offer take Repo off, put Lego Party on, and Lego Party doesn't have to win. Peak can win, don't.

I've played doing my job before me, I've played Lego Party today.

I've played Repo and I played Peak.

I've not played every there yet, and everything I hear about it, I want to play Repo. I had a very fun night with you guys, and then I played with a couple of friends. I'm like, all right, I had more longevity with Lethal Company and way more with Fasmophobia, and I feel like it's in that same camp. It's like, enter this area and it's hilarious and extract some stuff for the various values. But I also I really feel like that ran out of juice quickly.

And when there is the surprise of like, you know, as much as we laughed at like oh my god, I'm vomiting or owe, this thing is like can reverse my controls? That's fucking hilarious the first time it happens. If you don't know what's going on, if you're really playing that game more than a couple of times, it's how quickly is it going to turn into like, Oh I got this thing, I gotta here's how I get

You know, I think, oh oh, we're gonna cut Repo and Peak is going to be the best game play with buds.

Okay, I'll take it. I'll take it. That's a fair judgment. That's a fair judgment. Thank you, your honor, and thank you, yourn say it again. Thank thank you, your honor. Mary. It's ten dy time.

Thank you your honor.

Thank you. That's fair. That's fair. That feels fair. That feels good.

The best game to play with buds. The runner ups are are We There Yet? And Lego Party, but the winner is Peak.

Yeah that feels that feels right.

I feel I prefer Repo, but I think Lego Party is tired, tired, tired.

I said what I said. There was a look of glee on your face. Lost. Those monkeys did their fucking throw. We'll get to the monkeys. Yeah, yeah, okay, h

H what