The Besties

Russ Frushtick, Chris Plante, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy

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

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512 episodes
Updated Friday
Explicit

Episodes512

Newest first

March 13 · 50 min
Pokopia Will Teach You to Love Pokémon Again
Plenty of companies have torched their fortunes trying to smelt together a collection of hit games and genres, hoping to recreate others’ success. Understandably, many folks (ourselves included) approached Pokopia with a cold skepticism. A Pokémon, Animal Crossing, Minecraft, and Viva Piñata combination? It sounded too good to be true. Friends… they did it. Pokopia isn’t just a collection of great ideas; it’s also a wholly interesting and original thing. We can’t wait to tell you about this wo
March 6 · 53 min
Scott Pilgrim vs. Millennial Nostalgia
Scott Pilgrim EX is a spiritual sequel to a Netflix animated series from 2024, a Scott Pilgrim movie tie-in game from 15 years ago, and an underrated beat ‘em up series that debuted on the NES. Or to put it another way: Scott Pilgrim EX is deeply nostalgic, not for one moment, but for the breadth of the millennial gamer experience. Is that… fun? It will depend on your love of Scott Pilgrim, Rivert City Ransom, and the ongoing renaissance of a long-dormant genre.
February 27 · 55 min
Resident Evil: Requiem is Two Games in One!
Resident Evil Requiem has the misfortune of following Resident Evil: Village, one of our favorite games of all time. How does a game live up to that high bar? It becomes more than just one game. This week, to avoid major spoilers, we talk about the first act of Requiem, roughly the first 5-7 hours set in a classic Resident Evil-style location. We also chat about the top-level shifts in tone and pacing. In the coming weeks, we’ll do a “full spoilers” segment digging into the unusual, lore-soake
February 20 · 1 hr
Reanimal Is Like Limbo with Friends
16 years ago, Limbo launched on Xbox Live. It wasn’t the first puzzle-platformer, but its molasses-thick layer of fairy tale horror inspired a generation of grim, mostly wordless contemporaries. Arguably, the most successful of the bunch has been the Little Nightmare series, created by Tarsier Studios. Today’s game is the latest evolution of this sub-genre. With Reanimal, the Tarsier team adds co-op to the mix. Is playing with friends (or a computer companion) a clever addition or does it under
February 13 · 1 hr
Mewgenics is a Meow-sterpiece
How do we celebrate a new release from one of the most acclaimed indie game designers of all time? With Ron Funches, of course! The fifth Besty joins us to chat about Mewgenics, a tactics-RPG about cats, breeding, hoarding, and well… eugenics. Plus, Ron shares what it was like to approach his time on Traitors as a gamer.
February 6 · 56 min
Is Dragon Quest VII Too Easy? Is Nioh 3 Too Hard?
Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined makes one of the longest, most ambitious RPGs into something more manageable: a swashbuckling sprint through a book of fractured fairy tales. Whether or not you like that change of temp likely depends on your history with the series. Meanwhile, Nioh 3’s first boss is the skill check from hell. Why would game designers build a wall between the player and the fun?
January 29 · 50 min
Cairn Is a Climbing Game for the Real Ones
Climbing games have become a trend over the past few years, ranging from the AAA mountains of Death Stranding to the indie polygonal crags of Peak. But no climbing game has been as loyal to the actual physical experience of ascending cold, hard rock as Cairn. The guys report on their time on the cliffs. Plus, Plante shares his feelings about the brilliant adventure game, Perfect Tides: Station to Station. You can hear more about that game in Plante’s recent interview with its creator, Meredith G
January 23 · 49 min
The First Great Game of 2026
MIO: Memories in Orbit is competing in one of the most crowded genres in video games: the Metroidvania. Sorry, "Search Action Game." But trust us, this one's worth pulling from the pack. It blends the aesthetics of Nier, Citizen Sleeper, and oil paintings into something surprising and beautiful. Plus, the boys return to their Animal Crossing islands for the big Switch 2 update.
January 16 · 47 min
Terminator Time Travels to Save '90s Garbage Games
At first, we thought Terminator 2D: No Fate looked and felt like a flawless recreation of the movie tie-ins for the SNES. Then we watched gameplay of the actual Terminator 2 SNES game. Time does not favor the cash grabs. In hindsight, developers Bitmap Bureau performed a modest miracle, perfectly recreating how we remember trashy retro games — without actually becoming one of them. This is the game that Terminator fans should remember We talk about this side-scrolling confection, our fading m
January 9 · 1 hr 1 min
The Most Anticipated Games of 2026
2026 may be the year of Grand Theft Auto 6, but we’re partial to the nearly 20 other games on our most anticipated list. You like RPGs? Prefer point-and-click adventures? Crave some tactics, life simulators, or deckbuilders? Whatever your interests, we have you covered!
January 2 · 1 hr 29 min
Besties Battle Bracket: Best Bathroom Game (Patreon Bonus)
A holiday bonus, it's our most voted-on episode from the Patreon feed. Everybody needs a little video game break now and then. Amidst the chaos of modern life, the most reliable, universal sanctuary is the humble bathroom. So, with today's bracket, we want to help you make the most of your precious toilet time. Because when it comes to #2, you deserve #1.
Dec 26, 2025 · 1 hr 24 min
The Besties Best Game Bracket: 2025 Edition, Part 2
The continued discussion, the grand finale. The Besties crown the GOTY of 2025!
Dec 19, 2025 · 1 hr 48 min
The Besties Best Game Bracket: 2025 Edition, Part 1
How do you pick the best video game of the year when over ten thousand games have been released since January? You bring together the world’s best friends, hand them a bracket, and hope for the best. Yes, friends, it’s time for the Besties to pick the Game of the Year, or as we prefer to call it, The Besties Besty. Will The Game Awards champion Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 claim the most coveted prize in all of gaming? Or does another game have what it takes to battle for the crown?
Dec 12, 2025 · 54 min
Metroid Prime 4 vs. Ooo: Showdown of the Search Action Games
Metroid Prime 4 is actually here! After a long development, including years of silence, the first-person Metroid series returns in the form of the Nintendo Switch 2’s big holiday release. But does it feel like a game from 2025 or 2015? Plus, Plante finally played the pseudo-metroidvania Ooo and can’t wait to tell you about this short, but sweet treat.
Dec 5, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
Dispatch's Second Chance (and The Game Awards Predictions)
Some of The Besties were skeptical of Dispatch, the spiritual follow-up to Telltale titles like The Walking Dead. But this new, TV-like superhero series won us over with each new episode. Plus, we share our predictions for winners and announcements at The Game Awards.
Nov 28, 2025 · 57 min
What Genre Is Kirby Air Riders?!
Most people will tell you Kirby Air Riders is a racing game. But on today’s Besties, one brave soul dares to speak the truth. Plus, Sektori is the best Geometry Wars game since the original. We explain why you should make time for this modern-retro masterpiece in the busiest season of the year.
Nov 21, 2025 · 1 hr 4 min
Reflecting on 2025’s Best Games Ahead of GOTY
The Besties chat about the games of 2025, advocating for their GOTY darkhorses that they fear will go overlooked. There’s no clear favorite to take home the Besties top spot. Hell, we’re not even sure what will make the bracket. And more great games are still being released every week.
Nov 14, 2025 · 1 hr
Fortnite's Humongous Simpsons Update Raises an Awkward Question
Fortnite’s new Simpsons update reimagines the entire experience through the decades-old cartoon. You can select from Homer, Lisa, Flanders, Moe, and other playable characters, then skydive into a faithful recreation of Springfield. The detail is absurd, down to the operable trap door button in Mr. Burns’ office. It feels like the culmination of Epic Games’ efforts to be the black hole that pulls in every corner of mainstream pop culture. Fortnite has become so big and so appealing that it raises
Nov 7, 2025 · 1 hr 11 min
What Even Is a Video Game?! (Grab Bag!)
This week, we talk about a mystery game that feels like a book, a historic epic that plays like a movie, and a simulator that takes the place of our favorite chores. No surprise, The Besties find themselves wondering what a video game even is.
Oct 31, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
There’s Always a Lighthouse, a Pokémon, a City
Pokémon Legends Z-A is the latest entry in the pocket monster franchise, and the first in years to run quite well on Nintendo’s hardware. But what does the game offer beyond technical improvements? Plus, Keeper plops us in the … shoes? … of an ambulatory lighthouse.

The Besties

Pokopia Will Teach You to Love Pokémon Again

Scott Pilgrim vs. Millennial Nostalgia

Resident Evil: Requiem is Two Games in One!

Reanimal Is Like Limbo with Friends

Mewgenics is a Meow-sterpiece

Is Dragon Quest VII Too Easy? Is Nioh 3 Too Hard?

Cairn Is a Climbing Game for the Real Ones

The First Great Game of 2026

Terminator Time Travels to Save '90s Garbage Games

The Most Anticipated Games of 2026

Besties Battle Bracket: Best Bathroom Game (Patreon Bonus)

The Besties Best Game Bracket: 2025 Edition, Part 2

The Besties Best Game Bracket: 2025 Edition, Part 1

Metroid Prime 4 vs. Ooo: Showdown of the Search Action Games

Dispatch's Second Chance (and The Game Awards Predictions)

What Genre Is Kirby Air Riders?!

Reflecting on 2025’s Best Games Ahead of GOTY

Fortnite's Humongous Simpsons Update Raises an Awkward Question

What Even Is a Video Game?! (Grab Bag!)

There’s Always a Lighthouse, a Pokémon, a City