52 Comments

let * justin * have * a * recipe * section

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All the recipe talk made me want to think of some recipes that would be really difficult to screw up and ideally we get to hear about how, somehow Russ screwed it up. Here is the first one I came up with:

https://www.thekitchn.com/banana-bread-mug-cake-23027939#post-recipe-247100001

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I think y'all, especially Griffin and Russ, might be interested in Pseudoregalia. It's a solo developer, originally made for a Game Jam, and then fleshed out later. PS2-era graphics (Justin), and a real focus on schmovement and tight control. Metroidvania-style platformer. And it's only $6. Definitely worth a look.

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Did I miss the Sea of Stars episode? Sure Starfields cool but it's not on every platform like Sea of Stars.

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Also curious to hear y'all's take on Sea of Stars! Hoping to have time to check it out on Game Pass this week. I'm also curious if any of the Besties have had a chance to play The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood? It's a cool narrative game that revolves around tarot reading and creating your own cards, the music is real good.

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I am traveling internationally in two weeks and I need a switch game that’s going to keep me engaged for the flight. Tears of the Kingdom is the obvious answer, but is there another lesser known game to try?

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For a flight, try vampire survivors if you haven't; inexpensive and very arcade-y. Hades also makes flights go by fairly quick. Both of these are "just one more round" games for me.

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Thirding Vampire Survivor. Perfect airplane game.

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I would second Hades, but for me VS is more of a game I love in shorter doses. One or two rounds and I'm done for the day.

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Second this. Perfect way to become *no thoughts, only game* for a few hours.

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Hey besties! I’ve been into video games literally since I was born in the 90s, but I grew up with Sonic and Zelda. I’ve never really played a “Metroidvania” type game, and they’re often mentioned. What “Metroidvania” would you all recommend for a newcomer? A classic Castlevania, or something new?

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Ori and the Blind Forest (the sequel is even better), Hollow Knight, and Super Metroid are all absolutely fantastic.

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These, plus Castlevania symphony of the night

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Gato Roboto is a great way to dip your toe in to this genre.

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I'm not sure if it's been mentioned before, but I wanted to make sure Slice & Dice was on your radar, as I feel it's definitely up y'all's alley. It's a dice-rolling, turn-based fantasy roguelike. The description may sound similar to Dicey Dungeons, but it's a far leap from that, and I found this to be much more enjoyable.

A few episodes back, you had a question about discussing more games available on Android devices, and this just so happens to be on Windows and Mac (via itch.io), and Android (via the Google Play Store) only.

https://tann.itch.io/slice-dice

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.com.tann.dice&pli=1

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Help, I saw this comment this morning and now I'm addicted to Slice & Dice

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Hey Bestiez!

I'm struggling to get "hyped" for Starfield. Do you find yourselves getting tired of waiting for these forever in development games? How do you deal with that development fatigue?

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I just haven't really gotten a sense for the soul of Starfield. So far, it looks like a cool sci-fi space exploration game, but I'm not sure what's at the heart of it, narratively and thematically. It seems kind of hollow to me as of now, but I'm hoping to be surprised by it.

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I agree. It just looks like a more traditional sci-fi version of fallout 3/4. I was hoping for something a little more exciting.

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Hi besties. I just discovered and resurrected my old Nintendo DSi. I don’t have any of my old games for it, but that’s fine because I only played really cheap third party games as a kid. What games should I buy now as an adult to get in on all the fun I missed? (Any budget friendly options? All the Pokémon titles I’ve seen are $100+!)

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Can y'all keep posting the games/media discussed in the podcast notes? It sucks that if I weren't subscribed on a certain week then i would just be out of luck for looking back at what was discussed. I feel like the newsletter shouldn't be a substitute to show notes but an elaboration

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Like some of you (I’m assuming), I’m still playing through BG3. Besides it’s obvious scope, it still IS a CRPG, one that I’m ironically playing exclusively through a controller. Do you think there‘s other genres or sub genres of games out there right now that could do for a revolutionary game or two?

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Ok Justin this one is for you. Are you like us and have so many tomatos from your home garden but don’t want to make sauce or salsa? Well we made this delightful little dish earlier this week. Works well as a side on its own, with some crusty bread or carb of choice, or heck I even ate it cold for breakfast. If you go heavy on the oil it’s almost a bit of a confit. Very fun and it would work with any kind of tomato, switch up the seasonings and herbs, get wild.

https://smittenkitchen.com/2022/07/roasted-tomatoes-with-white-beans/

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Justin’s mention of retro PS1 aesthetic games reminded me of Psuedoregalia. It’s a 3D platformer Metroidvania with an emphasis on movement. The game looks great and is very satisfying to play once you get a handle on the mechanics.

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I've been going through and listening to the entire podcast at random, no order whatsoever. Whatever I'm interested in, I listen to it. I'm at the point where I only have 30 ish episodes left. So I started listening to the April 2018 episode, and you had said it was going to be an annual show now. Guys, I freaked out for a few minutes not remembering this wasn't a recent episode. Now it's like waking up from a bad dream.

Ps. Are you guys going to talk about Payday 3 or Streets of Rogue 2 at all? I know that Payday probably isn't your jam, but Streets of Rogue 2 I'm surprised I haven't heard you talk about yet! It seems right up your collective alleys!

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Karl Urban is in Armored Core 6. You guys buried the lede!

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Hiya, Besties! You all play a ton of games, and I know you probably get a stupid amount of stuff you "need" to play in order to review. But I am wondering, what, if any, are your go-to games? I mean those games that you play when you really want to play something but are too overwhelmed with choices. Does it depend on your mood?

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Was thinking on Starfield: what do you think is left for Bethesda? Todd Howard will probably still be around another decade or so, but with development times taking so long for them, after Elder Scrolls 6, will he do another? Can the company produce the same "product" after? The company is diversified enough (Doom, etc., all great games) it'll be around, but that core RPG we've known them for since Morrowind/Oblivion, is this one of the last?

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