I love the variety of games they talk about and how different their opinions are. Plante easily has the best taste but I like the other guys too. :)

This has been an awful year for you guys, and it culminated in an awful GOTY discussion. It’s sad, but I think it’s time for you guys to call it quits P.S. I listened to part 2 as a practice in self-flagellation and i’m dead. Congrats, you guys are so bad P.P.S. They support Microsoft and are zionist genocide deniers

Chris Plante tries too hard. Mmm

When I started listening I hadn’t played a video game in years, but the Besties have a great range of taste and opened my eyes to the huge range of games now. Their coverage of indie games especially has been super helpful and insightful.

They’re good. Good show. Good best of the year episode.

A genuinely insightful look at a lot of video games! Rather than a total review of all games ever, it’s more just a good way to hear some insightful commentary on whatever games they’ve played. It’s a book club; not the library of Congress. A wonderfully entertaining and chill listen!

Used to listen to these guys quite a lot a year or two ago, but stopped when they “it’s complicated :(“ the genocide in Gaza. Forgot about that till this popped up on my feed again. BDS, free Palestine, don’t support Zionists.

I don’t even play (hardly any) video games. I just use this podcast to impress my friends with my video game knowledge and provide good game recommendations. And this is a perfectly entertaining way to meet those aims!

Great show to keep up with the VG industry and all the good new stuff coming out

Great stuff.

For as long as I’ve been a fan of the McElroy’s podcasts, I’m furious at myself for not discovering this one for as long as I did. Definitely some of the funniest, liveliest, and most insightful video game podcasts out there!

They don’t like animals

Still the best. Period.

Love this podcast, I mainly listen to find new games/see whether big games are worth the hype and am always entertained

Love this show so much, but I wish they would equalize their audio more. Sometimes it is incredibly hard to make out what people are saying without cranking the volume up unreasonably high.

It would get a complete 5 out of 5 if New York giraffe made more appearances. It’s a video game book club and I’m a member.

come for the mcelroys, stay for russ’ baffling life choices and chris’ gloriously questionable taste! been tuning in weekly since 2020!

The Besties are a very informative podcast for gaming. The guys have a lot of fun and tell it how it is good or bad. Good always comes with some bad because nothing is perfect usually but they will always tell you why in a very deep way for every aspect of the game they are talking about. Highly recommend as a gaming podcast myself. Take notes guys because these guys will show you how to do it properly.

Bunch of hot dudes doing their thing. It’s great.

If you kept your TDS in check you’d have a larger audience.

Episode 125 and I have never skipped the into or extro music of this podcast. The middle is good too.

Honestly have you guys heard the things Russ says? Too easy to make fun of.

Griffons my spirit animal but Justin’s my twin. Hi Russ!

Hoops stays correct about video games

Wow Avowed plot spoilers 5mins in. Please don’t do this or give a warning, especially for a newly released game. Unfollowed for now.

This podcast has the best format in the business and I appreciate the love for a variety of games and other entertainment. This is where I go for unique recommendations that aren’t just the same AAA titles that other video game pods discuss.

I have to update my review. The hosts each have their own individual opinions and favorites that I get excited each week to hear their perspective. It feels like four friends trying to find the best game of the week. (P.S. I like it better when someone doesn’t like one of the games it always creates an interesting dialogue.)

Fun podcast with a bunch of nerds

he’s a bully to his fellow hosts and an uninteresting contrarian. hopefully he sees this (and other reviews saying the same thing) and makes a change

I love all things McElroy and I love this podcast even when the McElroys (who I love) aren’t on it. With that said.. I swear to god Justin kinda bully’s Russ, and maybe I’m projecting, but it genuinely kinda bums me out sometimes. So thats why I left this review, A) because I love em and love this podcast and B) because I just wanted to air my very mild but honest concern. Justin maybe be a little nicer to Russ I DONT KNOW ITS JUST HOW I FEEL

Actually my #1 favorite podcast to listen to. Every time an episode drops, it shoots straight to the top of my queue.

A great and fun podcast👍🏻… if only I could find the remove Justin button

Literally less than 10 seconds into a podcast and there are major spoilers for a major 70+ hour game that was just released. Absolutely unforgivable. I hope the games they look forward to are now forever spoiled for them before they get to play the game, like they've done to so many others

I originally found The Besties through the McElroy Brothers and I was not disappointed. All week I look forward to a new besties episode. They are always hilarious and maintain a positive but honest opinion on the weekly topics. Update: I wish they didn’t let Jason Schrieir on.

Yes, they should, and yes, they do. This podcast is the best(ies).

I’m two years behind and I’m listening to like 5 episodes a day and I’m not sure how many podcasts I could listen for a 5 hour block but I can do it with The Besties. Just listening and downloading iOS games they recommend. I highly recommend for fans of games, movies, media, books, fiction, non-fiction, ARGs, sportswear, sportsmanship, professionalism, and more.

I’m nearing 40 and don’t have much time for video games anymore, but played a ton when I was younger. The last 5-6 games I’ve purchased were all based off of reviews I heard on the show, and they have all been a great fit. I very much respect the journalistic(ish) descriptions of gameplay, style, logic/mechanics, and storytelling - all without spoiling the fun. The show has helped me understand my own likes/dislikes in gaming and I never feel like I’m guessing as to whether the game is right for me. For anyone keeping score, Justin is my favorite.

Y’all should listen to it

I don’t play games that much. I don’t look up what these games look like. I binge this show every six months. All of their predictions are always wrong. 5/5 stars.

I’ve been listening to video game podcasts for 19 years ever since Gamespot’s The Hotspot in 2005. The Besties is the endgame of video game podcasts. They’ve found the perfect format and host configuration. By only focusing on one game a week, they don’t waste time talking about games that no one has played. They also tend to only focus on games that end up being important and considered for year end awards. 4 hosts is objectively the best number of people to have on a podcast. The hosts are also best friends, hence why the podcast is called “The Besties”. This also makes for great chemistry. The length of the podcast may seem short by 2024 standards but it’s actually the perfect length. By keeping the podcast under 1.5 hours, they ensure that discussion is meaningful and not overbearing. The McElroy brothers are experts at podcasting and utilize this technique on their own shows as well. The Besties may not be your average 3 hour long rambling show covering every new game, news and more, it’s the perfect video game podcast. If I could only have 1 video game podcast, it would be The Besties and it’s not even close. You could nothing but listen to The Besties for ~1 hour a week and you would have just the right amount exposure to modern video games.

I started listening to this show when I did not play any video games at all, and it got me so excited about video games that I got back into my DS and then quickly bought a switch (when I realized how little there is for DS lol). Even when I don’t know about the video game it’s fun to hear the discussions and make my wish list on steam ever bigger even when I don’t own a computer that can run any of this stuff lol

…the paygating of Resties was a bummer. I totally get it and harbor no ill will to the gang for this move, but I am subsription-ed to death and can’t justify $5 for 3 podcasts a month. I know they have to direct to Patreon every show, but every time that quick blurb comes up I’m reminded this is a product whereas it used to just be listening to friends talking about games. Maybe it’s time to retire the “just by listening you are a member”? That just doesn’t come across the same way it did a couple months ago.

Opening my eyes to a lot of games I never would have found and lighting the fire under me that makes me want to prioritize gaming as a hobby. Great show!

This podcast got me back into video games after a 10yr break.

If people enjoy the combat system in FFVII:Remake, the job system in other FF's, and complained about the linearity of FFX, then Final Fantasy X-2 is the game for you. However, due to a lot of sexism at the time of release, it got dunked on for being too girly and written off, though it's been a hit among queer and female gamers throughout the year. It deals with a lot of nuanced exploration of reconstruction after turmoil and rejection of obligatory labor places upon female sacrificial archetypes. One of the hosts flippantly said Final Fantasy X-2 was a bad game, and I couldn't find a way to email them, so I'm leaving this review. I am a toxic gamer.

The Besties is my #1 video game podcast— and still would be even if it wasn’t the only one I listened to! Due to a combination of life circumstances, monetary restrictions, and incredibly particular taste, my Steam library contains only about 20 games, and over half of them were games I learned about from this show. These guys are THE place to go not only to be introduced to something you love, but to learn through their discussions WHY you love it and gain an incredible amount of insight into how to discuss video games as the unique art form they are!

Please get rid of Russ

This podcast is my happy place. Good friends, good jokes, and good game reviews

You might too, who knows?

Much fun.