The Besties

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 Gran. 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!

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. 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!

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 memories of movie-to-game adaptations, and more! 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!

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! Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

A 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. Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The continued discussion, the grand finale. The Besties crown the GOTY of 2025! 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!

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? 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!

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. 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!

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. 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!

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. Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The 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. 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!

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 the uncomfortable question floating around the rise of similar Forever Games: are most people motivated to play anything else? 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!

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. 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!

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. Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The studio that created Fallout: New Vegas has had a busy year, delivering Avowed, the early access of Grounded 2, and now Outer Worlds 2. This latest release comes the closest to the team’s legacy in the Fallout universe. But can it achieve those high highs without the beloved trappings of post-apocalyptic America? And would you believe it has strong feelings about capitalism? 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!

Ball x Pit makes an incredible first impression. But whether it’s a great break from the frustrations of life or an overly powerful time suck will depend on your taste in games. The Besties explain why. 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!

What if you combined the structure of Hades with the minute-to-minute gameplay of Castle Crashers? Absolum! The new game from the creators of Streets of Rage 4 is one of the best surprises in a year full of them. Plus, The Besties take a trip to 1960s Japan with Silent Hill f. It might not look like other entries in the series, but we explain why this is definitely a Silent Hill game. Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

The Besties were mixed on 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima, but have found a lot to love in its new sequel, Ghost of Yotei. What makes this open-world Sony-exclusive stand out? Plus, Griffin updates the group on the brilliant remake of Final Fantasy Tactics. And we make some time to pick through the mailbag! 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!

Baby Steps is the latest game from the creators of QWOP, Getting Over It, and Ape Out. This time, these connoisseurs of challenge have created a game about an awkward man who is transported from his parents’ basement to a fantastical mountain. His goal: reach the top. The challenge: learning to walk. Plus, Justin catches us up on the state of emulator handhelds. Like the show? Leave a review! 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!

Borderlands 4 reimagines the series with more weapons and less snark. Will that be enough to appease longtime fans and attract skeptical newcomers? The Besties chat about the many positive tweaks and the one structural decision that impacts the entire experience. Plus, Justin talks about mobile Destiny, and Plante shares his opinions on a new co-op indie game. Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!