The Besties

April showers bring good games We’re back with another surprisingly great month of games. This May brings us a few out-of-nowhere surprises and a couple of big releases. A happy May to us all! Games discussed: Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Card Thief, Nier Automata, The Surge, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Injustice 2, Dead Cells, Prey. Theme song by Ian Dorsch Download MP3" Subscribe?...

It’s only APRIL? Remember when good games only came out after Madden? That’s out the window. It’s been a stunner of a year already for game releases, and the streak continues in April with everything from JRPG/dating games to idle games. Join the Besties as they pick the month’s best. Games discussed: Puyo Puyo Tetris, Office Space: Idle Profits, Flinthook, Kubb, Nier: Automata, The Sexy Brutale,...

You probably guessed it already Just because you almost certainly know what game we picked as the best of March 2017, doesn’t mean you can’t listen and enjoy hearing about all the games that aren’t the best game of March 2017. It’s about the journey, folks. Not the destination. GAMES DISCUSSED: Mass Effect Andromeda, 1-2 Switch, Robo Recall, Nier Automata, Typeshift, Everything, Snipperclips, The...

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...

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, Fina...

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...

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 cro...

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 i...

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 s...

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...

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 e...

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. Ki...

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 t...

February came and went. The shortest month of the year was practically a wasteland in terms of major game releases. The standout AAA game, Thief, left many of us feeling robbed. And Fable's anniversary wasn't quite worth celebrating. Then again, maybe we were just looking for fun in all the wrong places. Bravely Default, The Last of Us' DLC and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze all got lavished...

The Besties are back! At the end of 2013, the fate of the show was unclear. We were unsure what the podcast would look like in 2014. But after hearing positive feedback from many of our listeners, we buckled down and came up with a new format. We really like it; we hope you do, too. This year, we will record one extended episode at the end of each month, discussing the best games of the previous 3...

In the words of 2 Unlimited, "Y'all ready for this?" The Besties return to finish the fight. Eight games emerged from last week's battle royal, but only one has the grit to claim the title of Besty. Will it be Gone Home? Or Towerfall? Or maybe Zelda? What about The Last of Us, people seemed to like that game, right? The tension is killing me and I already know who takes the title! Stay tuned. We'l...

The time has come! Just like last year, The Besties have come together to celebrate the holidays and decide, once and for all, which game will be crowned the very best of 2013. We narrowed it down to 16 games (four of which came direct from the audience) and pit them against one another in ultimate combat. Who will win? Who will lose? Only one way to find out! (By the way, Part 2 will go live next...

I can't believe we're about to film another end of the year Besties Besty Special. But I shouldn't let the excitement spoil this week's episode. Live in the present, Plante! Be here now. Okay, so what do we have? Oh, just a number of heartfelt, respectfully designed video games that challenge our conceptions of the medium. You know, that's all. 3:30 - Best Gachapon machine of 2013 (Heroes of Drago...

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...

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 probabl...

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...

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 (T...

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...

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...

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 S...