The Besties

At least the games have been good in 2017! Though we still don’t have a great explanation as to why, the first ever Polygon podcast has returned on a monthly basis. Join The Besties (Russ Frushtick, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy and Chris Plante) as they nonsensically attempt to pick the “best” game released in January 2017. GAMES DISCUSSED: Dandy Dungeon, Chess (again), Fire Emblem Heroes, For Honor, Nioh, Horizon: Zero Dawn Theme song by Ian Dorsch Download MP3" Subscribe? Sure, you can subscribe. 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!

Yes, they’re back. OK? Though we still don’t have a great explanation as to why, the first ever Polygon podcast has returned on a monthly basis. Join The Besties (Russ Frushtick, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy and Chris Plante) as they nonsensically attempt to pick the “best” game released in January 2017. GAMES DISCUSSED: Dragon Quest Builders, Chess, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone, Final Fantasy XV, Gravity Rush 2, Resident Evil 7, Yakuza 0 and Astroneer. Also, the Nintendo Switch. Theme song by Ian Dorsch Download MP3 Subscribe? Sure, you can subscribe. 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!

Yes, it's true, we've returned for yet another round of nobody's favorite video game podcast, The Besties. Join your hosts Justin McElroy, Chris Plante, Russ Frushtick and Griffin McElroy as they pick the year's best game with a methodology that ranges from "non-sensical" to "utterly, destructively haphazard." Please enjoy this year's edition before The Besties are once again enveloped by fog and trapped in oblivion for 12 calendar months. 0:07 -- Honorable Mentions 0:24 -- Round 1 Hyper Light Drifter Overwatch Superhot Battlefield 1 0:53 -- Round 2 Pokemon Go Dishonored 2 Watchdogs 2 Stardew Valley 1:53 -- Round 3 Forza Horizon 3 DOOM Dark Souls 3 The Witness 2:31 -- Round 4 Fire Emblem Fates Quadrilateral Cowboy Inside Titanfall 2 Theme song by Ian Dorsch Download MP3 Subscribe? Sure, you can subscribe. 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!

Last year, we published a post called "The Final Besties Ever." We're sorry that we lied about that, but we're even sorrier for those of you who made it happen by constantly demanding that we do it. We can't imagine what dark hole is embedded in your heart that you require one of the most universally maligned video game podcasts in history in order for your year to be complete, but that's your cross to bear. True story: If Russ Frushtick's audio sounds odd during this episode, it's because he literally talked into the wrong side of his mic for the whole show, I shit you not. This is the podcast you demanded. This. This is on you. If you'd like to subscribe to The Besties, you still can, believe it or not. 7:00 - Honorable Mentions 31:20 - Round One 1:09:50 - Round Two 1:45:20 - Round Three 2:25:25 - Final Decision Theme song by Ian Dorsch Download MP3 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 is it. The Besties have been on hiatus — which intimates a brief pause in an otherwise regular schedule, so let's call it a "temporary cancellation" — for a few months now, but we've gathered the crew back together for one last hurrah. We're going to talk about video games for a very, very long time, y'all. In this four-hour series finale, we're pitting 2014's best games against one another in unyielding combat to the death. (This isn't Polygon's official Game of the Year lineup, though — those will be announced soon!) For those that have stuck with us from the beginning, through the exploratory episodes, the Chris Grant-a-Tron period, the video specials and countless horrible, imaginary special guests — thank you. Sorry it got so weird there, in the middle. Now: Let's close this out right. The Games Dragon Age: Inquisition Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Mario Kart 8 Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft Transistor P.T. Far Cry 4 Dark Souls 2 Bayonetta 2 Wolfenstein: The New Order Destiny Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Titanfall Sunset Overdrive Shovel Knight Theme song by Ian Dorsch Get the show: Download MP3" 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!

It's fair to say that July 2014 will not go down as the most active month in video game history. There were so few major releases this July that we decided the best way to cope was to go into the deep, dark past. Each Bestie was asked to select one game from their childhood that they love. The rule, though, was that at least two of the remaining three Besties had to have not played that game, so some of us would be playing them with fresh eyes. It was an enlightening experience. Despite coming up with a whole backup plan for the lack of July games, it actually did end up as a pretty solid month, so we spend the top half of the show on some of the new releases, if that's your bag. (Oh, and Justin couldn't make this episode because babies. Don't worry, he'll be back next month!) 5:00 - Some actually good games from July 2014! 31:00 - Actraiser (Frushtick) 43:30 - Quest for Glory (Griffin) 58:00 - Half Time 1:03:00 - News 1:16:00 - River City Ransom (Plante) 1:24:30 - The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery (Justin) 1:43:00 - Resties! 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!

Remember last month when a surprise cloud of quality games rained down upon us, soaking us in the joys of kart racing and nazi shooting? Those warm rains of spring have passed and what remains is the scorched, dry earth of summer. Sure, a couple of nice games appeared, like oases ready to quench our thirst. But after completing Shovel Knight and Valiant Hearts we returned to our slog, counting the days till the fall deluge. How have you been passing the summer drought? 5:00 - 1001 Spikes 22:00 - Shovel Knight 36:00 - News of the month, E3 Edition 56:00 - Valiant Hearts 1:14:00 - Pixel Junk Shooter Ultimate 1:18:00 - The Resties! 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!

What a peculiar May. Typically, I think of spring as a dumping ground, the soft, warm land where publishers unceremoniously bury games that failed to meet internal creative expectations or sales projections. The past few years have changed that, partly because publishers have learned to tie a AAA game's release to the incoming hype of E3, and partly because many games are released each year that every month is all but guaranteed to have one stand out. There were a lot of games this month that deserve to be on a best of list. And we do our darndest to talk about most of them. Let's continue the conversation in the comments, because I'm sure we missed something. 5:00 - Watch Dogs 41:00 - Transistor 56:00 - News of the month 1:18:00 - Wolfenstein 1:32:00 - Mario Kart 8 1:39:00 - The Resties! 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!

The ides of March were nothing compared to this! Yes, April is upon us and it seems many game companies are just holding their collective breath in order to make it all the way to May, which happens to be so packed with video games that we can't even deal. April is another story. Knowing that it was going to be a dry month, we held off on Dark Souls 2 until its far-superior PC version came out. Kinda cheating, but hey, who's counting? And besides, there are still a few legitimately April releases to discuss. Some of which we sorta liked! 4:30 - Dark Souls 2 53:00 - Wayward Souls 1:00:30 - News of the month 1:21:00 - Half-time! 1:25:00 - Elder Scrolls Online 1:40:00 - Broforce 1:51:30 - The Resties! 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!

I hope you enjoyed March. The month full of big game releases may be the last of its kind for the foreseeable future. Looking at the calendar, we won't see four weeks so full of hyped AAA and indie games until fall. That's why we chose to withhold Dark Souls 2 from this month's Besties. We can discuss its release on PC next month. April, after all, looks slim by comparison. Anyway, let's live in the now! This month we have four good games, a bag full of reader favorites and some big news involving a certain Lawnmower Man knockoff. 8:30 - Titanfall 25:00 - Mercenary Kings 37:00 - Halftime! 48:00 - Infamous: Second Son 1:14:00 - News of the month 1:24:00 - Luftrausers 1:34:40 - Reader emails 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!