The Besties

Deep dive into Saros and how it continues Housemarque's bullet-dodging lineage. Quick breakdown of red and blue projectile mechanics, shields, parries, and progression systems. Debate over onboarding clarity, artifact tradeoffs, and how pacing welcomes Returnal dropouts. Plus picks ranging from Korean reality TV to cozy co-op puzzlers and mobile oddities.

A deep dive into Vampire Crawlers and how it retools Vampire Survivors into a dungeon-crawling deckbuilder. They unpack card sequencing, fast turn flow, combo pacing, and how mechanics map to a roguelite format. Conversation covers controls and mobile play, replayability and upgrade pacing, indie pricing strategy, and a major show update about one host stepping back.

They unpack Nintendo's offbeat life sim full of quirky Mii antics and wild customization. They tour Super Nintendo World, from immersive shops to interactive coin games and ride tech. They debate handheld retro market chaos, pre-order snafus, and weird device failures. Short tangents on reality TV and comedy recommendations pop up too.

Andy Cortez, host and content creator at Kind of Funny and Twitch streamer, joins to unpack Pragmata. They discuss its mix of third-person shooting, mid-combat puzzles, low-gravity platforming, and a charming robo-kid companion. Conversation touches on Dead Space comparisons, Mega Man vibes, level design, quirky writing, and accessibility tweaks.

How do you talk about a film as strange as The Super Mario Galaxy Movie? You call in backup. Get Played’s Matt Apodaca joins us to talk about the blockbuster sequel. Does a film need a story? What’s the worst sin in adapting a video game? And which voice actor stole the show? Plus, Raccoin!  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, the Besties chat about two relatively low-priced games that have won over huge audiences: Creature Kitchen and Scritchy Scratchy. In the back half, we talk through the recent PlayStation price hikes and consider what alternatives gamers have as the hobby gets more and more expensive. 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!

Frushtick and Griffin were Destiny dudes, and yet it's Plante who has fallen in love with Bungie's new extraction shooter. What's so appealing about Marathon? Is the extraction genre's difficulty a dealbreaker? Who is this game even for? 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!

Welcome to The Besties March grab bag. There are simply too many new games, so to cover as much as possible, we split up the workload. Griffin talks about the surprisingly complete Early Access release of Slay the Spire 2. Plante, of all people, explains how to get into Marathon. And Frushtick . . . well, he found a big hole. To avoid Resident Evil 9 spoilers, skip to ~20 minutes after the return from ad break. 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!

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 wonderful game. Plus, we look at Nintendo’s peculiar plan for the rest of 2026. 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!

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. 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!