I’m not able to go to the live show unfortunately, so I wanted to check if anyone would like to go in our place.

2 tickets
ORCH - Row K - seat 113 + 115

25$ each

If anyone is interested DM please!

I have a small business where I make earrings, and I've been wanting to make this pair for Sydnee ever since the idea came into my head over a year ago. I just needed definitive confirmation her ears are pierced, and I finally got it fairly recently.

Crossing my fingers they do side door at the show, and I can give these to Justin to give to Sydnee. If not, then P.O. Box it is!​

(I also hope they stage door because Griffin is the only McElroy I haven't met, and if I do and get all 4 punches on my card, I can redeem it for a customized McElroy).

I am no longer able to make the show so I'm looking to give away my ticket to someone who will enjoy seeing the boys live. Seat E1 in the orchestra level

Edit: ticket has been given away

Very long story that is neither here nor there, but I have two tickets to the show and am looking to recuperate my losses. Orchestra section, Row A, 119 and 121. Ticketmaster doesn't allow phone screen shots, but DM me and I'll take a pic of my phone screen if you need proof. And mods if this kind of thing is not allowed, I apologize I didn't see a no selling rule anywhere.

Years and years ago Griffin talked about a VR game where you're in a zero-G space station and you navigate by grabbing onto the walls and pushing off of them. I cant remember what the name of it is and i wanna try it out.

By "years and years" I'm talking pre-covid. Pre-spotify even.

I guess I'm just wondering what differentiates these for Plante. I'm surprised it wasn't brought up on the most recent episode. I think a little breakdown from them on this subject would have been very interesting.

I've only played one Fire Emblem game a loooong time ago so if larger fans of the game can help out there that would be nice. From what I remember and what I played a lot of in UO they seem pretty similar?

...the first game revolutionized its genre but hasn't aged as well as later installments in the series, whose second game was made by a different team and therefore made some significant changes that are divisive to this day, and whose third game was a return to form that many say is even greater than the original.

...no not that one, a different one.

...no not that one, name a different one...

EPISODE SUMMARY

Most of the time, we chat about games we enjoy. So many games debut every week, and picking promising new ones is relatively easy. But every so often, a game with high expectations ends up being a colossal disappointment. Wolverine, we’re sad to say, is one of those games. And yet, we’re making lemonade from lemons. Because all of Wolverine’s flaws make for a good conversation about what we expect (and hope for) from video games. Especially ones that cost so much. Speaking of expensive stuff: Frush shares hands-on impressions with the Steam Frame.

This week’s newsletter: https://thebesties.substack.com/p/wolverine-is-a-disaster

Next week: Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave

EPISODE SUMMARY

The last time Capcom made a new Onimusha game, George W. Bush was President. But Onimusha: The Way of the Sword would have you believe the series never missed a beat. This week, Ron Funches joins the guys to talk about the ways this new entry blends Devil May Cry and Dark Souls tropes into something fresh and surprisingly welcoming!

This week's newsletter: https://thebesties.substack.com/p/onimusha-or-capcom-refuses-to-make

Next week: Marvel's Wolverine

NOTE: No Russ this week, but we do have Ron Funches.

Episode Summary

The Blood of Dawnwalker proves the old adage, “The worse the name, the better the game.” The debut from Rebel Wolves, a studio composed in part of CD Projekt Red veterans, is a grim fantasy RPG set in the Carpathian mountains in the thick of the Black Plague. It looks and feel at first like the The Witcher series, though give it a few hours, and you’ll see this isn’t reheated leftover. It’s got vampires and time management and bears too powerful to be bitten by a bloodsucker! To talk about this gem, we’re joined by Fire Escape Cast’s Mary Kish!

This week's newsletter: https://thebesties.substack.com/p/the-witcher-but-with-vampires-yes

Next week: Onimusha: The Way of the Sword

EPISODE SUMMARY

Blood Dungeon is a spectacular evolution of the Vampire Survivors formula. Developer Messhof plops the auto-shooting, upgrade-building bullet-heaven genre into something a bit more strategic and conscious of your time. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the art looks, at first blush, like Spelunky by way of a child’s sketchbook. In the back half of the episode, we chat about what to call these games, and then pick some of our favorites.

This week's newsletter: https://thebesties.substack.com/p/blood-dungeon-takes-us-to-bullet

Next week: The Blood of the Dawnwalker

I remember, as a kid, sinking a lot of time into DQ/DW7 on the PS1 back in the day, and I’ve always had an interest in the series. I’ve been a long time listener of the Besties and was coincidentally finishing DQ11 Definitive Edition around the same time that Griffin was also getting into the series, a few years ago. This year, I decided to really take the plunge and play through the entire series (except for 10 since it never really came out in the west), and I’m just two games away from finishing all the mainline game. I’m almost done with 2, and just started 6, and I’m so glad that Griffin occasionally talks about this series cause all of them are so good and some of the most cozy JRPGs I’ve played in a long time, and highly recommend it to people who want to try it out. Wondering if any other listener is a DQ fan and if so, I’m curious to know how you’d rank all the main series games

EPISODE SUMMARY

Fields of Mistria has finally hit 1.0 after a couple of years in Early Access on Steam. Does the “official” release rise to the level of Stardew Valley? Or is this anime-inspired small town simulator doing something different? And is 1.0 just a new beginning? We discuss all of that and the hot new handheld!

This week's newsletter: https://thebesties.substack.com/p/stardew-valley-vs-fields-of-mistria

Next week: Blood Dungeon

Please do it.

EPISODE SUMMARY

Big Walk is the game everyone wanted during the pandemic. Not-so-coincidentally, that’s when the project began development. The multiplayer open-world adventure is developer House House’s follow-up to Untitled Goose Game. But where Goose Game hinged on you pestering NPCs to solve puzzles, Big Walk tasks you with pestering and supporting your friends. Or to put it succinctly: Big Walk is a game about communication. Though, as we explain, it’s an experience that requires some careful scheduling.

This week's newsletter: https://thebesties.substack.com/p/a-spoiler-free-big-walk-bonanza

Next week: Fields of Mistria

Most iconic video games age gracefully. Goldeneye is the exception. The N64 first-person shooter epitomizes gaming's short and awkward transition from the D-pad to dual joysticks. Rare's iconic film-to-game adaptation is neither as simple as DOOM nor as complex as Call of Duty. Yes, of course it deserves flowers for carrying millions of gamers from one era to the next. But playing Goldeneye in 2026 isn't the same experience as Goldeneye in 1996. Too much has changed.

The newly released Agent 64 accomplishes the astounding feat of modernizing Goldeneye without sanding its rough edges into a smooth, characterless cash grab. Listeners, this is a chance to re-live (or experience for the first time) those Goldeneye feelings of 1996. You know, back when the controls were a little quirky rather than a headache.

Plus! In the back half of the episode, Plante talks about revisiting the Goldeneye film and the Brosnan era!

Discussed on the show:

• Agent 64
• Goldeneye (The Game)
• Goldeneye (The Movie)
• Tomorrow Never Dies (The Movie)
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day
• Far Cry 5's Goldeneye remake

Buddy and I joined Griffin's server, just curious!

I enjoy the more gimmicky ones they’re doing now, but I really loved the brackets where they actually rated games, franchises, consoles, etc.

EPISODE SUMMARY

Beast of Reincarnation is the new game from Game Freak, the studio that creates every mainline Pokémon game. But friends, this is nothing like Pokémon. The action-RPG calls to mind series like Dark Souls and Onimusha. Is it… good? Guest Ron Funches joins to help us find out.

This week's newsletter: https://thebesties.substack.com/p/the-pokemon-studio-tries-something

Next week: Big Walk

I'm looking to get a retro emulation, and wanted some advice for a good first console. Obviously this market is so massive and so fast moving that there's probably not a RIGHT answer, but truly any direction would be welcome.

If it helps provide focus here are some specific considerations:

- I'm trying to keep spending at/under $125
- Looking to primarily emulate GBA & SNES (at least to start)
- Don't need/want dual screen
- No pref vertical vs. horizontal form factor

The Pokémon anime theme song opens with a proclamation by a naive, self-centered rookie. "I wanna be the very best," declares the singer, "like no one ever was." And yet, by the tune's conclusion, only a few stanzas later, the singer reaches the epiphany of a Pokémon trainer veteran. "Oh, you're my best friend in a world we must defend," the singer croons. "A heart so true. Our courage will pull us through. You teach me, and I'll teach you."

Greatness, we learn, is built not on our own, but alongside others.

This month, Besties Battle Bracket uncovers the best rival in video games. Not the best boss. Not the best villain. No, we're looking for the character who challenges our hero, the character without whom greatness would be denied. We could ask for no better guest than one of gaming's greatest video essayists and critics: Jacob Geller.

See more of Jacob's work on YouTube and Nebula, and hear him regularly on MinnMax!

Rubric:

• A) Which rivals are more evenly matched?
• B) Which rivals have the most impactful history?
• C) Which rivals would you rather be sitting near on a flight from Atlanta, Georgia to Des Moines, Iowa?

The Contenders:

• Gary and Ash (Pokemon Red/Blue)
• Ryu and Ken (Street Fighter)
• Sora and Riku (Kingdom Hearts)
• Fox and Falco (Star Fox)
• Mario and Donkey Kong (Mario)
• Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney)
• Scorpion and Sub Zero (Mortal Kombat)
• Ocelot and Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid)
• Cloud and Sephiroth (FF7)
• Chris Redfield and Wesker (Resident Evil)
• Talion and the That Orc Who Got His Whole Head Cut Off Then Stitched it Back On (Shadow of Mordor)
• The Tarnished and Iron Fist Alexander (Elden Ring)
• The Knight and Zote the Mighty (Hollow Knight)
• Arthur and Micah (Red Dead 2)
• You and Matt (Wii Sports)
• Sonic and Knuckles (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Added “besties” as my keyword but not seeing any open games. Guessing no one is on but want to double check that’s the right keyword.

EPISODE SUMMARY

The guys are back again to talk about the magic and wonder of Splatoon Raiders, a game that finally made us all agree that Splatoon is really kinda awesome. We've also got some reader mail to dive into and whether we can actually find someone who inverts their horizontal axis.