I can't believe we're about to film another end of the year Besties Besty Special. But I shouldn't let the excitement spoil this week's episode. Live in the present, Plante! Be here now. Okay, so what do we have? Oh, just a number of heartfelt, respectfully designed video games that challenge our conceptions of the medium. You know, that's all. 3:30 - Best Gachapon machine of 2013 (Heroes of Dragon Age) 19:10 - Best interlude (The Entertainment, Kentucky Route Zero) 30:30 - Halftime! 35:00 - Bes...
Dec 14, 2013•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 80
We couldn't let you brave the long trip home all alone. Earlier this week, The Besties recorded a special, pre-holiday episode. Thank goodness, because we'd missed a number of great games during launch month madness. There's so much left to hit before the end of the year! How have you kept up with the holiday releases? Or are you just hoarding a backlog for the long winter ahead? Give us some tips! 3:30 - Best sequel (The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds) 19:10 - Best/worst camera (Tearawa...
Nov 28, 2013•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 79
We know, it's PS4 launch week, but aren't you burnt out on our coverage already? Seriously, between the packed-to-brim StoryStream and 12-hour live video stream, we wager you've had your fill. That's why, this week, we're talking about decidedly not-next-gen stuff. Okay, some talk of PS4 and Wii U slips in there, but we think you'll find it appropriately non-informative. This is, as you've probably discovered, how we do. 4:28 - Best brief tour of Rapture (BioShock Infinite: Burial At Sea: Part O...
Nov 16, 2013•50 min•Ep. 78
To send off the current generation of consoles, we decided to do something a little special. There are no winners or losers this week, just our fondest memories from one of gaming's longest console cycles. I had a nice time recording this episode. Like Justin and Griffin, I started covering games professionally during this generation. I can plot my entire career alongside its big releases, studio openings, studio closures, small conferences, big conferences and comic conferences. When the Xbox 3...
Nov 09, 2013•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 77
It's almost here. The calamity of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launch month can be heard in the distance; the vibrations can be felt if you stand still enough. Are you ready? Enjoy these final couple Besties of the current generation. We'll see you on the other side. 2:40 - Best controller upgrade (The PS4 controller) 9:30 - Best book of the week (Device 6) 16:00 - Halftime! 20:00 - Best sail (The Wind Waker HD) 25:30 - Best improvement upon Battlefield 3's miserable single-player campaign (Ba...
Nov 01, 2013•35 min•Ep. 76
I come here to praise Sonic, not to bury him. Wait, that's wrong. I come here to bury him — or at least the happy memories I once had of him. Fortunately, my besties Justin and Griffin have positive things to talk about, like the surprises of The Stanley Parable and oh my gosh Candy Box 2 is out! So yes, while I'm sad to see the mascot of my childhood continue to struggle through my adult years, I can take solace in the cornucopia of other good games being released on a weekly basis. 3:20 - Best...
Oct 26, 2013•38 min•Ep. 75
Last week we promised an all Pokémon episode. This week we deliver. The Besties discuss pocket monsters on a level of granularity that ultimately drives Justin to the brink of insanity. Can you handle that? Maybe you're not the sort of person who wants to know about min-maxing Ghastly mating. And maybe weighing the benefits of Grass and Dragon types isn't your cup of tea. Well, to you I say, good riddance and good day! Now that it's just us super fans, let's gather close and tell stories of Squi...
Oct 18, 2013•38 min•Ep. 74
Russ is gone. We know, we'd thought we'd be thrilled about it too, but damned if we don't miss the little guy. But hey, he'll be back next week, right? Until we're doing our best to cheer ourselves up with video games. Play the pain away. 4:13 - Best Board Game iPad Adaptation (Pandemic) 14:05 - Best Performance by a Supporting Willem Dafoe (Beyond: Two Souls) 24:08 - Halftime! 30:43 - Best Load Screen (GTA Online) 45:58 - The Winner Is! Theme song by Ian Dorsch Get the show: Download MP3" ...
Oct 12, 2013•48 min•Ep. 73
The whole gang is back together! Griffin returns from Japan to regale us with amazing stories of vegetables and video games and video games starring vegetables. By the end of the episode, we get to the big topic of the week: SteamOS. Valve has decided to take down video game consoles! Or are they targeting Windows? Or is their plan something else entirely? With the power of our four noggins, we're bound to uncover the truth in this week's episode of The Besties! 3:00 - Best example of Buyer's Re...
Sep 27, 2013•57 min•Ep. 72
This week, Rockstar released Grand Theft Auto 5 and the rest of the games industry politely gave it and its hype plenty of space to do their thing. Justin, Frushtick and I (sadly Griffin is busy covering Tokyo Game Show in Japan) talk about the things we love, like, don't understand and find painfully dull in Grand Theft Auto 5. It's a long conversation, and while we tried to talk about specifics, the conversation moves quickly from one topic to the next. That explains why there's no beat sheet ...
Sep 20, 2013•49 min•Ep. 71
Due to technical difficulties only three Besties were able to record this week. Frushtick, Griffin and I try to make magic without the magician, Justin McElroy. Do we succeed? You of course will be the judge. It's been a slow news week, what with the entire games industry trying to distance itself from the media magnet that is Grand Theft Auto 5's upcoming release. So, we stir together a few oddities from the gameosphere into a stew of conversation. Will people remember this episode ever happene...
Sep 13, 2013•41 min•Ep. 70
Frushtick is an uncle! Yes, the man of a thousand roles has a new one: the grown-up responsible for introducing a child to video games. Congratulations to Russ and the Frushtick clan. We return after a holiday hiatus to discuss everything from a life-affirming platformer to a bowel-purging horror simulator. We apologize upfront for any and all bathroom humor. How did you spend your final days of summer? What did you eat? I ate southern fried food for five consecutive days and my internal organs ...
Sep 06, 2013•39 min•Ep. 69
You ask for more Grant. You get more Grant. That's how things work here with The Besties. We give the people what they want. But what's this? Zounds! It appears your wish was made on a cursed monkey's paw. You know not what you've done! You see, in exchange for Grant, Griffin McElroy has been expelled to the land of Germany. Though I must say, the curse could not have happened at a more helpful time, what with Gamescom. Any who, somehow Frushtick, Hoops, Grant and myself all happened to be in th...
Aug 23, 2013•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 68
The gang gets back together before being dashed apart once more. This week on The Besties, the whole gang is back together, which is exciting because the next few weeks will be rife with missing members. So enjoy it while you can! We also get a glimpse into what it takes to drive Griffin mad. 4:05 - Best MetroidVania Spelunky Minecraft (SteamWorld Dig) 13:45 - Best broken piece of shit that oh my god I love please don't leave me (PayDay 2) 27:50 - Halftime! 33:45 - Best way to feel like a monste...
Aug 16, 2013•50 min•Ep. 67
This week there is no me. Yes, due to a mysterious stomach virus, I, your Besties poster was unable to attend the weekly podcast. But don't worry, because another, balder and smarter Chris filled the vacancy. This week, I hope you enjoy the silky smooth tones of Polygon Editor-in-Chief Chris Grant. 4:05 - The best use of consonants (Rymdkapsel) 15:25 - The best reason to not listen to Russ Frushtick (Earthbound) 24:40 - Halftime! 38:00 - The best career move (John Carmack becomes CTO of Oculus) ...
Aug 09, 2013•59 min•Ep. 66
What's that sound? Well I'll be! It's the dulcet tones of Mr. David Tach. Yes, this week Dave "Sweet Sweet Butter Voice" Tach fills in for Justin "Hoops" McElroy. We discuss the rising of a triad, the setting of a sun, the returning of a shadow and the escaping of a zero. Won't you join us on this audio expedition? 4:05 - The best new old game (Rise of the Triad) 13:20 - The best old new game (Shadowrun Returns) 21:20 - Halftime! 32:10 - The best PC game that could be a mobile game (Race the Sun...
Aug 05, 2013•45 min•Ep. 65
The theme of this week's Besties is giant monsters. The gang discusses kaiju, space ants and malevolent monolithic mega corps from the not-so-distant future. Like the summer's big films, a number of recent game releases are sci-fi allegories about the way we live now. Or in the case of Attack of the Friday Monsters, the way we lived way back when. We also talk about the week's big news: Microsoft's indie marketplace strategy. But the monsters are the thrust of the episode. I should probably ment...
Jul 26, 2013•47 min•Ep. 64
It's that time of the year. The Besties gather around the digital fire to share fond memories of their favorite games, some as old as January itself. Yes, it's the middle of July and we're recounting the best games of the year, so far. Some of you might be surprised to know one of the games is Animal Crossing. But what are the others? To know, you'll have to listen. Or I guess you could read the notes below, but why spoil the magic? 3:45 - Griffin (Animal Crossing: New Leaf) 12:20 - Plante (Towe...
Jul 19, 2013•41 min•Ep. 63
It's possible you've never noticed this odd bit of Besties trivia. Each week, we invite a new clone of the original Russ Frushtick to discuss the week's best things. The new clone is cloned from the previous week's clone, Multiplicity style. Surely, you've assumed as much. The strange characters. The shrill introduction. The clues have been on the proverbial bottom of the mug all along. This week, we invited the 63rd member of the Frushtick bloodline to discuss Rogue Legacy. After the podcast, w...
Jul 12, 2013•52 min•Ep. 62
Welcome to the end of days. It's rare that all four Besties find themselves smitten by a single game, let alone one for weeks on end. And yet, that's just what has happened with Animal Crossing: New Leaf on 3DS. It has taken the quartet by storm, sucking up every day with talk of turnip prices and furniture sets. And it seems they're not alone. There have been more than a few requests for an all-Animal Crossing episode, and now we're delivering. Brace yourselves. 3:30 - Best example that Justin ...
Jun 28, 2013•40 min•Ep. 61
Allow me one moment to welcome any new listeners who were introduced to The Besties by our recent E3 video spectacular. The podcast is a little different than what you saw last week. For one, it's not filmed. For two, the rules and structure tend to change — regularly. For three, there are, how do I put this, special guests. Yes, this week, Milton Bradley, the grandfather of board games himself, graced The Besties recording studio to inform us of the games he failed to sneak onto store shelves. ...
Jun 21, 2013•46 min•Ep. 60
Is it Christmas in June? Usually the period around E3 is like a desert in which the year's worst games are left to rot under the sweltering summer sun. But as you may have gleamed from the carousel of review scores on the Polygon homepage, we have been submerged by a flood of excellence: Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, The Swapper, Gunpoint, The Last of Us, Don't Starve, Remember Me, State of Decay and the list goes on and on. We discuss a few of those games this week, sav...
Jun 07, 2013•49 min•Ep. 59
I take a break from the podcast to fulfill my civic duty and Griffin McElroy buys a Wii U. I'm genuinely curious what our listeners think about this decision. At first, I was befuddled. It's like when a man buys an expensive umbrella in the middle of a drought. But I've come to see his point. The logic's charming in a really expensive sort of way. What do you think? Would you buy a console to better enjoy a hype train that may or may not arrive at the station? 03:30 - Best unreliable narration i...
May 31, 2013•46 min•Ep. 58
Throw us an Xbone, why don't you? We're not sure if you heard, maybe you didn't, but there's a new Xbox coming soon. Well, not soon, but this year, for sure. On The Besties this week, we dive deep and come back with the pearls. 07:30 - Best cell phone feature we're excited to use 17:25 - Best use of FMV that may not be 19:00 - Half time: Ghost dog 29:30 - Best news for publishers in the next generation 38:50 - Best feature that only Russ Frushtick cares about 47:30 - The winner is... Theme song ...
May 24, 2013•49 min•Ep. 57
The gang is back in action. On this week's episode of The Besties, there's some derisive Snoopy talk, as well as an anthropomorphic helicopter. Griffin has his doubts and Justin changes his pick at the last minute, much to the chagrin of the other Besties. 03:50 - Best reason to hate Snoopy (Sid Meier's Ace Patrol) 10:25 - Best way to waste $20 (Injustice on iOS) 19:00 - Half time: Daft Punk and a new car 24:00 - Best gaming news story of the decade that is getting worse and worse with every pas...
May 17, 2013•45 min•Ep. 56
Mr. Dave Tach fills in for the absent Griffin McElroy this week. His dulcet tones could melt an ice cap, but are they enough to warm our hearts in Brother M's absence? This episode's a hodgepodge, in which the good is bad, the bad is good and Kickstarter is mediocre. We discuss a handful of video gaming anomalies, like "good bad" games and good games with bad titles. We debate whether rough edges are beauty marks or flaws waiting to be smoothed. We also rap on the reality of Kickstarter projects...
May 10, 2013•53 min•Ep. 55
I love Candy Box. I'd hate to spoil what Candy Box is. So trust me. Before you press that play button, click this link. Play Candy Box for a few minutes, then leave it open on a browser tab and return for the podcast. Follow these instructions precisely. Fun, right? Confusing, right? Great, let's get to the show. This week, we offend chiropractors, slay mystical beasts, fix the industry's piracy problem and Candy Box, Candy Box, Candy Box, Candy Box, Candy Box, Candy Box, Candy Box, Candy Box, C...
May 03, 2013•44 min•Ep. 54
Griffin couldn't help himself. Drunk off back to back wins, the Brother McElroy brought one of the most awkward topics to date. This business. I believe we discussed the topic with the greatest amount of grace and respect afforded a podcast that occassionally stars a talking giraffe. Speaking of, a certain Long Island zoo animal made an unexpected experience, uncovering Microsoft's elaborate plan to run his uncle out of business. I talk Monaco. Justin talks Star Trek. And Frushtick talks talking...
Apr 27, 2013•48 min•Ep. 53
Boy, am I happy to end this week. Over the past few days, I've struggled to write, think or care about video games. I've struggled to really do anything. Surely I'm not alone. What an awful week. What an absolutely awful week. And yet, some really amazing things have happened this week. Like this and this and this. Many people are really stepping up. So this weekend I hope you will join me in doing what we love: playing games. And I also hope you'll lend a hand. You could donate blood or money o...
Apr 19, 2013•40 min•Ep. 52
Why hello there. This week on The Besties, we've decided to stick with the rules set forth in last week's episode because, hey, consistency has to rear its ugly head once in a while. And if Justin sounds quiet this week, it's because his internet is crap and he only heard about half of every conversation. Either that or he walked away from the mic for a really, really long time without telling anyone. 2:50 - Best reason that Russ Frushtick is an obsessive maniac (BioShock Infinite) 23:30 - Best ...
Apr 12, 2013•55 min•Ep. 51
