Frushtick is an uncle! Yes, the man of a thousand roles has a new one: the grown-up responsible for introducing a child to video games. Congratulations to Russ and the Frushtick clan. We return after a holiday hiatus to discuss everything from a life-affirming platformer to a bowel-purging horror simulator. We apologize upfront for any and all bathroom humor. How did you spend your final days of summer? What did you eat? I ate southern fried food for five consecutive days and my internal organs are now at war with one another. Whoever wins, I lose! 3:23 - Best dose of untarnished joy (the music levels in Rayman Legends) 12:40 - Best virtual colonic (Outlast) 21:24 - Halftime! 26:22 - Best Gauntlet reboot (Hammerwatch) 31:12 - Best tie-in surprise (Splinter Cell: Spider-Bot) 38:15 - 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!

You ask for more Grant. You get more Grant. That's how things work here with The Besties. We give the people what they want. But what's this? Zounds! It appears your wish was made on a cursed monkey's paw. You know not what you've done! You see, in exchange for Grant, Griffin McElroy has been expelled to the land of Germany. Though I must say, the curse could not have happened at a more helpful time, what with Gamescom. Any who, somehow Frushtick, Hoops, Grant and myself all happened to be in the New York office this week, so we decided to record the episode the old-fashioned way: sitting uncomfortably in four wheely chairs, waiting for the others to snap under the pressure of extended eye contact. 0:00 - Broadway! 3:10 - The best transition of a video game series from offensive to progressive (Saints Row 4) 16:00 - Best ghost and / or panther simulator (Splinter Cell: Blacklist) 27:30 - Halftime! 34:30 - Best XCOM game of the month (The Bureau: XCOM Declassified) 50:00 - Best free-to-play game ever (Plants vs. Zombies 2) 57:45 - 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 gang gets back together before being dashed apart once more. This week on The Besties, the whole gang is back together, which is exciting because the next few weeks will be rife with missing members. So enjoy it while you can! We also get a glimpse into what it takes to drive Griffin mad. 4:05 - Best MetroidVania Spelunky Minecraft (SteamWorld Dig) 13:45 - Best broken piece of shit that oh my god I love please don't leave me (PayDay 2) 27:50 - Halftime! 33:45 - Best way to feel like a monster (Papers, Please) 41:15 - Best example of a forever runner that doesn't feel cheap (Knightmare Tower) 48:00 - 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 there is no me. Yes, due to a mysterious stomach virus, I, your Besties poster was unable to attend the weekly podcast. But don't worry, because another, balder and smarter Chris filled the vacancy. This week, I hope you enjoy the silky smooth tones of Polygon Editor-in-Chief Chris Grant. 4:05 - The best use of consonants (Rymdkapsel) 15:25 - The best reason to not listen to Russ Frushtick (Earthbound) 24:40 - Halftime! 38:00 - The best career move (John Carmack becomes CTO of Oculus) 48:55 - The best single-player co-op game of the year (Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons) 58:00 - 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!

What's that sound? Well I'll be! It's the dulcet tones of Mr. David Tach. Yes, this week Dave "Sweet Sweet Butter Voice" Tach fills in for Justin "Hoops" McElroy. We discuss the rising of a triad, the setting of a sun, the returning of a shadow and the escaping of a zero. Won't you join us on this audio expedition? 4:05 - The best new old game (Rise of the Triad) 13:20 - The best old new game (Shadowrun Returns) 21:20 - Halftime! 32:10 - The best PC game that could be a mobile game (Race the Sun) 36:50 - The best game that was on PS+ but isn't anymore (Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward) 43:00 - 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 theme of this week's Besties is giant monsters. The gang discusses kaiju, space ants and malevolent monolithic mega corps from the not-so-distant future. Like the summer's big films, a number of recent game releases are sci-fi allegories about the way we live now. Or in the case of Attack of the Friday Monsters, the way we lived way back when. We also talk about the week's big news: Microsoft's indie marketplace strategy. But the monsters are the thrust of the episode. I should probably mention there's another large monster that makes an appearance. It's possible you've met him before. He's from New York and has a long neck. I'll let him introduce himself. 3:30 - Best latest strategy update from Microsoft (Xbox One indie self-publishing) 15:00 - Best game you can't buy in the US (Earth Defense Force 4) 22:15 - Halftime! 28:20 - Best game you can buy in the US, unexpectedly (Attack of the Friday Monsters) 37:05 - Best mechanic with the worst implementation (Remember Me) 45:15 - 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!

It's that time of the year. The Besties gather around the digital fire to share fond memories of their favorite games, some as old as January itself. Yes, it's the middle of July and we're recounting the best games of the year, so far. Some of you might be surprised to know one of the games is Animal Crossing. But what are the others? To know, you'll have to listen. Or I guess you could read the notes below, but why spoil the magic? 3:45 - Griffin (Animal Crossing: New Leaf) 12:20 - Plante (Towerfall) 19:00 - Halftime! 24:00 - Frushtick (The Last of Us) 33:00 - Justin (Gunpoint) 37:00 - 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!

It's possible you've never noticed this odd bit of Besties trivia. Each week, we invite a new clone of the original Russ Frushtick to discuss the week's best things. The new clone is cloned from the previous week's clone, Multiplicity style. Surely, you've assumed as much. The strange characters. The shrill introduction. The clues have been on the proverbial bottom of the mug all along. This week, we invited the 63rd member of the Frushtick bloodline to discuss Rogue Legacy. After the podcast, we repeated the weekly chore, locking the clone in a tank full of water and filing that tank into the back of a theater alongside its 62 brothers. This will be the last of Russ. Join us next week when the original Russ Frushtick returns to the show for the first time since episode one! 2:20 - Best family tree in gaming (Rogue Legacy) 14:40 - Best turning point of the week (The Last of Us) 30:00 - Halftime! 35:20 - Best way to play a stealth game (Dishonored, Deus Ex: Human Revolution) 42:00 - Best anniversary of the week (App Store's 5th anniversary) 49:00 - 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!

Welcome to the end of days. It's rare that all four Besties find themselves smitten by a single game, let alone one for weeks on end. And yet, that's just what has happened with Animal Crossing: New Leaf on 3DS. It has taken the quartet by storm, sucking up every day with talk of turnip prices and furniture sets. And it seems they're not alone. There have been more than a few requests for an all-Animal Crossing episode, and now we're delivering. Brace yourselves. 3:30 - Best example that Justin is a masochist 13:00 - Best heart-pounding moment of E3 19:00 - Halftime! 23:54 - Best boat ride 30:15- Best narrative in a video game ever 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!

Allow me one moment to welcome any new listeners who were introduced to The Besties by our recent E3 video spectacular. The podcast is a little different than what you saw last week. For one, it's not filmed. For two, the rules and structure tend to change — regularly. For three, there are, how do I put this, special guests. Yes, this week, Milton Bradley, the grandfather of board games himself, graced The Besties recording studio to inform us of the games he failed to sneak onto store shelves. These games sure are something, and by something I mean morally repugnant! We also talked about the big news of the week: Griffin bought an Android phone! Oh, and Microsoft changed its controversial policy. And Griffin bought an Android phone. You'll hear all that and more on this week's Besties! 4:35 - Best "switcherooniski" (Xbox One game licensing policy) 21:45 - Best gaming device I've bought this year (HTC One) 29:00 - Halftime! 35:40 - Best screenwriting gig for a popular game designer (Ken Levine is writing the Logan's Run remake (and I predict it will take longer than three months to write, despite what Frushtick says, because Hollywood is Hollyweird)) 40:10- Best flashback to shop class (Bridgy Jones) 49:15- 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!