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 (Tearaway) 33:30 - Halftime! 38:00 - Best Mario game (Super Mario 3D World) 49:00 - Best collectibles (Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag) 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!

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 One) 21:05 - Best PS4 distraction (Rayman Fiesta Run) 26:48 - Halftime - WobbleGate, The Walking Dead Continuity 33:24 - Best Game of This Year, Next Year (Towerfall on PS4) 41:00 - Best Reason Not to Sleep on Nintendo (New Zelda, New Mario) 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!

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 360 came out, I was still in college. That's strange to think about. Share a few of your best memories from this generation in the comments. Let's have an old-fashioned reminiscence. 4:00 - Watching Nintendo reveal the Wii 13:15 - Being an early adopter of Rock Band 25:00 - Halftime - Call of Duty: Ghosts 37:00 - Finishing Portal 2 42:00 - Playing through Oblivion with the McElroy clan 1:01:00 - The winner is everyone! 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!

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 (Battlefield 4) 34:00 - The winner is everyone! 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 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 first level of a not-so-good game (Sonic: Lost World) 15:15 - Best tutorial (How to Survive) 22:20 - Halftime! 26:00 - Best endings (The Stanley Parable) 37:00 - The winner is everyone! 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!

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 Squirtle battles long past. 3:31 - Best way to force breed Pokémon (day care) 8:14 - Best item (Exp. Share) 17:15 - Halftime! 20:33 - Best way to make a Pokémon feel real (feed it cupcakes) 24:59 - Best mobile multiplayer of the year so far (Player Search System) 37:43 - The Winner Is! 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!

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" 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 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 Remorse (Grand Theft Auto 5's Social Club) 10:10 - Best talking mask (Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death) 19:30 - Halftime! 32:30 - Healthiest game (Food Practice Shooter) 40:00 - Best alternative to the absurdly long HDMI cable connecting my PC to my TV (SteamOS) X:XX - The winner is ... 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!

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 below the audio file today. How are you enjoying GTA 5? Or, did you pass? And if so, why? Let's talk in the comments! 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!

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 happened a week from now, when citizens have abandoned their earthly duties to roam the virtual world of San Andreas? I sure hope so. 5:50 - Best 2D Minecraft (Junk Jack X) 13:00 - Best byproduct of Microsoft's reverse nefariousness (Steam family sharing program) 21:00 - Halftime! 30:30 - Best effort to make people sort of care about Vita (Vita TV) 40:20 - The winner is... 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!