We've read your comments. You miss the original concept of four best friends battling to the death to decide the best game of the week. Or maybe you want less nitty-gritty mechanic talk. Or you're the one soul on Planet Earth that yearns to hear the squeaky pitches of a certain European independent game design counterfeiter. We understand. After 50 episodes, we've decided to fiddle with the rules one (possibly) last time. As of today, four best friends will battle to the death to decide the best...
Apr 05, 2013•53 min•Ep. 50
Let's hear it for the supporting character! This week, we discuss two games based off the less popular sidekicks of major franchises. First, we have the Ballad of Baird, also known as Gears of War: Judgment. The fourth game in the Gears of War franchise has more of what you've come to expect from the franchise, which means hours of carefree body mutilation. Speaking of dead stuff, Justin leans over the campfire to tell us a scary story about the time he reviewed The Walking Dead: Survival Instin...
Mar 22, 2013•47 min•Ep. 49
All mobile all the time. In the history of The Besties, when the gents end up bringing mobile games to the table, it doesn't bode well for the quality of said games. This week is the exception to the rule, as they're talking about two of the best games of 2013 (mobile or beyond!). In other news, Chris Plante literally got off a flight from Japan and recorded the podcast, so if he sounds drowsy, it's probably the sleeping meds coursing through his veins. 04:00 - Ridiculous Fishing 20:00 - Half Ti...
Mar 15, 2013•50 min•Ep. 48
Two big games, including one that works! This week on The Besties, Chris Plante is galavanting out in Japan for work (probably), so we've gone and found his temporary replacement: the incomparable Phil Kollar. Phil authored the Polygon review of Tomb Raider, so who better to detail the highs and lows of Lara's latest adventure. Speaking of Lara, one of her relatives calls in to discuss some qualms he has with her renewed success. And lastly, there's SimCity. Not a whole lot to say on that one. P...
Mar 08, 2013•50 min•Ep. 47
Call it a sick day. Griffin succumbed to the Andromeda Strain this week, leaving Frushtick, Hoops and myself to brave The Besties without him. I confess, it was tough. Fortunately, we had two very different, very unusual games to discuss in the forms of Proteus and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Proteus is what you might call an art game. Drawn in colorful and simple polygons, the game lacks traditional goals and rules. When Proteus was released a few weeks ago, a band of perturbed critics clai...
Mar 01, 2013•43 min•Ep. 46
The Besties enter the next generation! This week on The Besties, we talk about the mysterious ghost man living above Griffin's garage. If you think that's grim, just wait till you hear our recap of the PlayStation 4 launch event. Justin does his best to turn our frowns upside down, but is that enough? One of this week's games already looks like it belongs on a next-generation console — and basically demands a next-generation PC. The other game has a long title and a beat we can dance to. Let us ...
Feb 22, 2013•51 min•Ep. 45
The Besties are back! This week on The Besties, we discuss babies having babies and then having those babies fight for their baby parents. There's also talk of the thrills and chills of space combat, with an emphasis on the thrills. Hey, look at this, two solid games this week! We're on a roll! Warning: This episode contains spoilers for the movie, Safe Haven. If learning that makes you not want to listen, this probably isn't the podcast for you. 03:00 - Fire Emblem: Awakening 15:00 - Half Time ...
Feb 15, 2013•53 min•Ep. 44
Long live The Besties! This week's episode revolves around the mysteries of Doritos, Taco Bell and much, much more. Also Plante takes the opportunity to not say anything for the longest time in Besties history. Where was he? What was he thinking? We may never know. 03:00 - Antichamber 15:00 - Half Time 26:00 - Ni No Kuni 42:20 - What's next? Theme song by Ian Dorsch Get the show: Download MP3" Subscribe to the podcast (RSS) Subscribe on iTunes Get the full list of games (and other stuff) di...
Feb 01, 2013•50 min•Ep. 43
The march of The Besties continues! This week on The Besties, an old friend stops by for a visit and there's some examination of the latest free-to-play game burning up the charts. Oh yes, and Dante's resurrection is making some people grumpy. 03:00 - Temple Run 2 21:50 - Half Time: THQ 32:35 - DMC: Devil May Cry 48:20 - What's next? Theme song by Ian Dorsch Get the show: Download MP3" Subscribe to the podcast (RSS) Subscribe on iTunes Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed ...
Jan 25, 2013•51 min•Ep. 42
Oh ye of little faith! The Besties are back for 2013 to warm your hearths and hearts. As per usual, the rules have been changed, but don't worry, it's only to protect the innocent. We've got some new games, we've got some old games and we've got a time machine. Let's get crackin'. 03:00 - Kentucky Route Zero 18:00 - Half Time Battle Royale 23:40- Dark Souls 40:00 - What's next? Theme song by Ian Dorsch Get the show: Download MP3" Subscribe to the podcast (RSS) Subscribe on iTunes Get the fu...
Jan 18, 2013•43 min•Ep. 41
This is the audio-only version of Part 2 of our end of year video special. Enjoy! Theme song by Ian Dorsch Get the show: Download MP3" Subscribe to the podcast (RSS) Subscribe on iTunes Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan . Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!...
Jan 18, 2013•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 40
This is the audio-only version of Part 1 of our end of year video special. Enjoy! Theme song by Ian Dorsch Get the show: Download MP3" Subscribe to the podcast (RSS) Subscribe on iTunes Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan . Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!...
Jan 18, 2013•50 min•Ep. 39
This week on The Besties, we take a look back at all the games that have made it into our Hall of Fame of 2012. We also decide which three games from the fan vote are getting resurrected for next week's finals. And, what's this, one of our very first HOF selections gets the boot at the 11th hour? Incredible! 03:00 - Playing catch-up! 20:30 - The user picks! 30:00- Halftime: VGA thoughts! 40:15 - The full HOF list! 51:15 - THE NEXT STEP! Help The Besties build their Sweet 16 bracket! Theme song b...
Dec 15, 2012•55 min•Ep. 36
In what is basically the last week of the year in terms of big video game releases, The Besties are concerned with one thing and one thing only: holiday cookies. Oh, what the heck, we'll talk about some games as well! Far Cry 3 is the heavy hitter of the week, but there seem to be some surprising contenders going up against it. 07:00 - Far Cry 3 21:00 - Skyrim: Dragonborn 34:30 - Halftime: The dark corners of Xbox Live 43:00 - Dikembe Mutombo's 4 1/2 Weeks to Save the World 48:45 - THE DECISION ...
Dec 07, 2012•52 min•Ep. 35
This week, The Besties examine just how humble you need to be for the Humble Bundle. Also, Griffin tries to explain Persona, much to the chagrin of all involved. There's also a question of how Agent 47 manages to hide in the middle of Chinatown, even as a very tall, very pale white guy. 08:30 - Hitman: Absolution 21:00 - Planetside 2 30:30 - Halftime: Thanksgiving and gambling 34:35 - Persona 4 Golden 45:45 - THE DECISION Theme song by Ian Dorsch Get the show: Download MP3" Subscribe to the...
Nov 30, 2012•49 min•Ep. 34
The Besties all trekked off for Thanksgiving last week, but before did, they wanted to share their thoughts on the Wii U! Yes, it's an entire episode dedicated to Nintendo's latest gaming console. Oh, and there's also a special guest who hasn't shown his neck in a while. 01:20 - The Console 11:20 - Nintendo Land 33:50 - Halftime: NYG is going home for the holidays 40:35 - ZombiU 51:00 - THE DECISION Theme song by Ian Dorsch Get the show: Download MP3" Subscribe to the podcast (RSS) Subscrib...
Nov 26, 2012•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 33
The Besties are back in fine form, discussing the merits of Michael Crichton and examining the mysteries of frogs and fractions. There's also some talk about a little-known game called Black Ops 2 and some Halo 4 fatigue begins to set in. 03:00 - Halo 4 and Black Ops 2 29:20 - Chip Chain 35:27- Halftime: Griffin hates his cat 40:15 - Frog Fractions 44:45 - THE DECISION Theme song by Ian Dorsch Get the show: Download MP3" Subscribe to the podcast (RSS) Subscribe on iTunes Get the full list o...
Nov 16, 2012•51 min•Ep. 32
After a night of heavy drinking, some of The Besties aren't quite up to fighting form. And yet, they press on! In this episode, Assassin's Creed 3 makes its second appearance, and we give some props to some unhappy birds. There's also some mention of a horrifying juice cleanse. Oh yeah, and Halo 4. 05:20 - Assassin's Creed 3 21:00 - Knights of Pen & Paper 29:35 - Halftime: Polygon launch party 33:30 - Angry Birds Star Wars 39:30 - Halo 4 49:00 - THE DECISION Theme song by Ian Dorsch Get the ...
Nov 09, 2012•55 min•Ep. 31
So it turns out that we don't actually know how to count to 33 in roman numerals, so we're going with tried-and-true 'Merican numbers from now on. Other changes include a new theme song by the talented Ian Dorsch and we're no longer bleeping out cuss words, so tread carefully! With that out of the way, after an unfortunate delay, The Besties are back. Half of them were slammed by Hurricane Sandy while the other half basked with mai tais and sangria. Weather or no, many games were played this wee...
Nov 02, 2012•55 min•Ep. 30
Besties! Those stunning changes you were expecting? Yeah...sorry...you'll have to wait on those. The Besties are back, in pretty much the form you remember them in. But the changes! They're coming! We swear! And no, the changes don't involve us stopping the podcast. Sorry to disappoint! Ran into a few audio issues this week, so if you hear us talking over each other more than normal, blame evil, evil technology. 04:00 - Retro City Rampage 12:15 - XCOM: Enemy Unknown 18:30 - Halftime: Denpa Men &...
Oct 19, 2012•49 min•Ep. 29
Special thanks to Salivation Army for recovering this episode from the archives! Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan . Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!
Oct 07, 2012•47 min•Ep. 31
Besties! Here's our State of the Union: We love video games. Much like Vin Diesel or (to a lesser extent) Ice Cube before us. Won't your join us for our 30th show-ebration? We certainly hope you will. 04:30 - Griffin McElroy - Little Big Planet Vita (PS Vita) 13:00 - Chris Plante - Torchlight 2 (PC) 26:00 - Halftime: Mr. Frushtick Goes to Japan 31:45 - Justin McElroy - The Testament of Sherlock Holmes (PC, 360, PS3) 39:30 - THE DECISION by Russ Frushtick Music: "Little Marcus" by Georg...
Sep 28, 2012•44 min•Ep. 28
Special thanks to Salivation Army for recovering this episode from the archive! Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan . Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!
Sep 20, 2012•57 min•Ep. 29
Besties! Straight up: We didn't play anything this week. There. We said it. Also, Russ Frushtick is in Japan, so we thought that we'd talk about yesterday's big Wii U event where pricing, dates and much more was revealed. So, what'd we think? Well, you'll have to listen, it took us like a half hour to make. Straight up: We didn't play anything this week. There. We said it. Also, Russ Frushtick is in Japan, so we thought that we'd talk about yesterday's big Wii U event where pricing, dates and mu...
Sep 14, 2012•42 min•Ep. 27
Besties! Besties! An old friend visits the show, proclaiming a love for the mightiest shape of them all. There's also some talk about overly complicated board games and the importance of maintaining one's composure when being a ninja. Also, Plante worries about pumpkin-spiced lattes. Welcome, once again, to The Besties. 05:00 - Griffin McElroy - Borderlands 2 (360, PC, PS3) 16:30 - Chris Plante - Rayman Jungle Run (iOS) 26:15 - Halftime: iOS 6 is a snore 31:15 - Justin McElroy - FTL (PC/Mac) 50:...
Sep 07, 2012•46 min•Ep. 26
Besties! This week on The Besties, Griffiin returns from his escapades. What do the Mannequin movies and Pokemon have in common? So, so much. This week on The Besties, Griffin returns from travelling around the world and Justin attempts to take control of the insanity. We also learn all about the magic of Mexican poop worms. 5:30 - Chris Plante - McPixel (iOS/Android/PC/Mac/Linnux) 11:30 - Griffin McElroy - New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS) 21:40 - Halftime: Mexico! 26:00 - Russ Frushtick - Transfor...
Aug 31, 2012•48 min•Ep. 25
Special thanks to Salivation Army for recovering this episode from the archive! Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan . Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!
Aug 25, 2012•41 min•Ep. 25
Besties! You know you want to spend the weekend with The Besties. How could you not? Another week has come and gone, and The Besties are here to let you know what games you should be playing. This week, Griffin is in Germany, so the honey-voiced Dave Tach fills in with a seriously depressing game. We also have our very first non-human guest. And Justin eats a pear. Breaking boundaries, wherever we go. 3:10 Dave Tach - Papo and Yo (PSN) 11:30 Justin McElroy - Sleeping Dogs (360/PS3) 24:00 Halftim...
Aug 17, 2012•39 min•Ep. 24
Besties! Your friends The Besties are back with the audio security blanket you need to help snuggle you into the weekend. This week on The Besties, we continue to deal with the staggering lack of releases during the summer months. We get a blast from the past with an unfortunate guest and examine the importance of breakfast in Germany. Also, in a shocking turn, Justin likes FMV games. Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan . Want more episodes? Join us at patre...
Aug 10, 2012•43 min•Ep. 23
Special thanks to Salivation Army for recovering this episode from the archives! Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan . Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!
Jul 28, 2012•36 min•Ep. 22
