Oh, man, I agree, but I will say it feels like he's watching a completely different show to me. I know he's exaggerating, but I started watching it after he first mentioned it and the show has a pretty normal pace imo. I've watched a season and a half and the only really crazy thing that's happened is that guy in the dungeon.
To fact check a couple things, season 1 is not included with Prime; season 1 and 2 were on Prime for a couple weeks to promote the launch of season 3. Also, it's pretty hilarious that he used Tulsa King as an example of either how bad or how small the stuff on MGM+ is; that's the number 1 show on Paramount+ right now and is way bigger than anything on MGM+. I don't know how MGM+ survives, but I have enjoyed From and liked War of the Worlds previously on that service; don't think I've watched anything else from there.
Justin is normally one of my favorite contributors of the Besties but something has seemed off these past couple of months. He’s making a habit of stopping conversations dead in their tracks to proclaim his outright disgust for video games. I don’t understand it. I want to listen to discussions about video games, rhetoric about “doing something better with your time” reaches the conversational depths of your MAGA uncle on Facebook.
Maybe it’s just me that’s noticed this. But it just seems off recently.
Yeah, I’m a long time listener and day one patreon patron or whatever, but sometimes it’s a bummer. I don’t mind when people aren’t into the same games as me, whatever- I get that not everyone shares my taste, but I was having a similar conversation with my wife this week. Sometimes Justin is overly dismissive and it frequently halts and invalidates a conversation I’m invested in.
I appreciate Justin’s approach with the game not being his cup of tea. Some classic Justin humor to make some fun of game structure, length, and such, but liked that he let the boys cook on why it’s enjoyable, while I think asking some fair questions to get more perspective on why it works for them.
Gotta disagree on this one. I'm usually fine with him having his fun, but he kinda was just a dick at times this episode. The whole "It just looks bad. There's too much of it" in response to I think Chris saying they really enjoyed the aesthetic was dismissive and out-of-hand. And then going on at length about the whole opportunity cost aspect of things before once again finishing the episode talking about how he's spending a bunch of time watching a show he doesn't seem to think is particularly good.
It would be one thing if he wanted to talk about what doesn't work for him outside of the time commitment aspect, but he actively refused to do so even when prompted by others in what seemed like a pretty petulant manner. I dunno, seemed like he went out of his way to shit on something other people were enjoying more than usual.
Fwiw just because he doesn’t think the show is art doesn’t mean he doesn’t enjoy it. They often talk about shows and movies that aren’t “great” (like the Netflix reality shows, eg too hot to handle) that are just fun to talk about.
I like lobster and I also like potato chips. One is less refined than the other but I can still enjoy both.
Same here! I think of it like Elden Ring. Sometimes a fresh perspective is what a developer needs to hone what works and what doesn’t work in a series. I never clicked with souls games and actually didn’t click with Elden Ring at first, but it hooked me in a way that the other fromsoft games never have (AND in ways that most open world RPGs don’t click for me anymore).
I thought of this question specifically for Chris, but happy to hear from anyone (including commenters). I decided to give Criterion Channel (CC) a try to expand my horizons a bit more. My film watching habits are definitely more frequent and eclectic than the average movie-watcher, but I'm also no cinephile; I've heard of maybe like 10% of the movies on CC and of the ones I've heard of I've seen maybe half or less. Question is, if you could recommend a small number (5 to 10?) of diverse films on CC for someone new or mildly familiar with classic, international, and indie cinema, what would they be?
I’ve got a question! So, I recently sold my desktop PC since I do all my work on a Mac and game mostly on my Steam Deck. But now I’m thinking about picking up a console again for those bigger games that the Steam Deck can’t quite handle on the TV. Here’s the dilemma: Sony and Microsoft both kinda suck. With all the recent studio closures, layoffs, and other messy stuff, I feel pretty conflicted about giving either of them my money.
How do you personally reconcile supporting these companies while still wanting to enjoy the games and back the talented developers behind them? And if you had to pick one right now, which would you go with? Love the show and appreciate any insight!
I hope they reply to this, but I really wanted to give my two cents.
I extend this to movies as well, but every time a large team gets behind a creative vision I weigh the love each person put into the project against whatever happened behind the scenes. Nine times out of ten I can’t justify ignoring the work of tens or hundreds of people for the bad actions of one.
At the end of the day you are still voting with your dollar, so I’d say let the houses that have been under these companies for years give you an example instead of groups that haven’t been acquired long enough to actually show how their process has been changed.
I agree with Justin on metaphor’s UI. Usually Altus is on point with presentation but the menus here are needlessly busy. Something about it does hurt my eyes.
The big thing I wanna know about Metaphor is: does it get as cringey as the Personas? (Maybe this is addressed in the episode! Sorry, I’m at work today and haven’t listened yet)
There’s so much about the Persona games that seems really neat! But every time I think about trying one, I get reminded of gross fanservice or ‘funny’ harassment of characters, and I end up deciding “nah, not feeling this today”.
Which is not to criticize anyone for liking them! I also have plenty of ‘problematic faves’, just not in the mood to push past that stuff right now.
I’m with you on Persona. I have sunk 40+ hours into Persona 4 and 5, and get turned off after a while due to the tone and humor. It’s obvious in this games from the start and wears on you as time goes on.
I’m only a couple hours into Metaphor, and will say it feels a lot different so far. It seems a lot more grounded and “mature”. Which maybe makes sense with the setting and not being a high school drama to a degree.
I’m still very early on, and I guess it could change, but it feels a lot different. I would compare it more to the tone of Fire Emblem Three Houses than I would Persona. It’s just very much a persona game with the systems and loop.
It was supposed to say, it’s obvious from the start in those games (Persona) and wears on you as time goes on. Not obvious or apparent in Metaphor. Can’t edit apparently
Besties! I wanna bring your attention to an early access farming sim called Overthrone. It's got a demo out this week for Nextfest and while it has a long way to go I'm really taken with the approach the devs are taking. It's like a farming sim but filled with great movement tech and an emphasis on speed and over the top fun.
I am once again asking you guys to talk about GIVE UP THE GHOST, it’s a really cool narrative RPG that’s raising money on kickstarter right now and has 4 days to go, they could really use the Besties boost!
Griffin has mentioned gaming while on a bike - I am wondering what his exact set-up is. Does anyone else do this, what sort of bike and gaming set-up are you using? I have chronic pain which means a lot of traditional exercise doesn't work for me. This sounds like it could be a good option to get regular cardio.
I hope Justin never stops talking about From. Lowkey highlight of my week
it’s getting so enjoyable i may have to ask my wife if she wants to watch From
Oh, man, I agree, but I will say it feels like he's watching a completely different show to me. I know he's exaggerating, but I started watching it after he first mentioned it and the show has a pretty normal pace imo. I've watched a season and a half and the only really crazy thing that's happened is that guy in the dungeon.
To fact check a couple things, season 1 is not included with Prime; season 1 and 2 were on Prime for a couple weeks to promote the launch of season 3. Also, it's pretty hilarious that he used Tulsa King as an example of either how bad or how small the stuff on MGM+ is; that's the number 1 show on Paramount+ right now and is way bigger than anything on MGM+. I don't know how MGM+ survives, but I have enjoyed From and liked War of the Worlds previously on that service; don't think I've watched anything else from there.
Justin is normally one of my favorite contributors of the Besties but something has seemed off these past couple of months. He’s making a habit of stopping conversations dead in their tracks to proclaim his outright disgust for video games. I don’t understand it. I want to listen to discussions about video games, rhetoric about “doing something better with your time” reaches the conversational depths of your MAGA uncle on Facebook.
Maybe it’s just me that’s noticed this. But it just seems off recently.
This seems a bit much.
Yeah, I’m a long time listener and day one patreon patron or whatever, but sometimes it’s a bummer. I don’t mind when people aren’t into the same games as me, whatever- I get that not everyone shares my taste, but I was having a similar conversation with my wife this week. Sometimes Justin is overly dismissive and it frequently halts and invalidates a conversation I’m invested in.
I appreciate Justin’s approach with the game not being his cup of tea. Some classic Justin humor to make some fun of game structure, length, and such, but liked that he let the boys cook on why it’s enjoyable, while I think asking some fair questions to get more perspective on why it works for them.
Gotta disagree on this one. I'm usually fine with him having his fun, but he kinda was just a dick at times this episode. The whole "It just looks bad. There's too much of it" in response to I think Chris saying they really enjoyed the aesthetic was dismissive and out-of-hand. And then going on at length about the whole opportunity cost aspect of things before once again finishing the episode talking about how he's spending a bunch of time watching a show he doesn't seem to think is particularly good.
It would be one thing if he wanted to talk about what doesn't work for him outside of the time commitment aspect, but he actively refused to do so even when prompted by others in what seemed like a pretty petulant manner. I dunno, seemed like he went out of his way to shit on something other people were enjoying more than usual.
Fwiw just because he doesn’t think the show is art doesn’t mean he doesn’t enjoy it. They often talk about shows and movies that aren’t “great” (like the Netflix reality shows, eg too hot to handle) that are just fun to talk about.
I like lobster and I also like potato chips. One is less refined than the other but I can still enjoy both.
I wonder if Griffin has only watched the first Uzumaki episode because hoo boy does that production level drop dramatically in the second episode.
I've bounced off of Personas 3, 4, and 5.
But am I still going to try Metaphor: ReFantazio? Absolutely. I don't know why I'm built this way 😅
Same here! I think of it like Elden Ring. Sometimes a fresh perspective is what a developer needs to hone what works and what doesn’t work in a series. I never clicked with souls games and actually didn’t click with Elden Ring at first, but it hooked me in a way that the other fromsoft games never have (AND in ways that most open world RPGs don’t click for me anymore).
i still can’t get over Jar Jar R. Martin
I thought of this question specifically for Chris, but happy to hear from anyone (including commenters). I decided to give Criterion Channel (CC) a try to expand my horizons a bit more. My film watching habits are definitely more frequent and eclectic than the average movie-watcher, but I'm also no cinephile; I've heard of maybe like 10% of the movies on CC and of the ones I've heard of I've seen maybe half or less. Question is, if you could recommend a small number (5 to 10?) of diverse films on CC for someone new or mildly familiar with classic, international, and indie cinema, what would they be?
I was looking for the game that Justin was talking about but it's not listed in the games discussed section. Fun ep otherwise :)
Pretty sure it was Yars Rising
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2534370/Yars_Rising/
And Russ’ was Kill Knight
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2694420/KILL_KNIGHT/
I’ve got a question! So, I recently sold my desktop PC since I do all my work on a Mac and game mostly on my Steam Deck. But now I’m thinking about picking up a console again for those bigger games that the Steam Deck can’t quite handle on the TV. Here’s the dilemma: Sony and Microsoft both kinda suck. With all the recent studio closures, layoffs, and other messy stuff, I feel pretty conflicted about giving either of them my money.
How do you personally reconcile supporting these companies while still wanting to enjoy the games and back the talented developers behind them? And if you had to pick one right now, which would you go with? Love the show and appreciate any insight!
I hope they reply to this, but I really wanted to give my two cents.
I extend this to movies as well, but every time a large team gets behind a creative vision I weigh the love each person put into the project against whatever happened behind the scenes. Nine times out of ten I can’t justify ignoring the work of tens or hundreds of people for the bad actions of one.
At the end of the day you are still voting with your dollar, so I’d say let the houses that have been under these companies for years give you an example instead of groups that haven’t been acquired long enough to actually show how their process has been changed.
I agree with Justin on metaphor’s UI. Usually Altus is on point with presentation but the menus here are needlessly busy. Something about it does hurt my eyes.
The big thing I wanna know about Metaphor is: does it get as cringey as the Personas? (Maybe this is addressed in the episode! Sorry, I’m at work today and haven’t listened yet)
There’s so much about the Persona games that seems really neat! But every time I think about trying one, I get reminded of gross fanservice or ‘funny’ harassment of characters, and I end up deciding “nah, not feeling this today”.
Which is not to criticize anyone for liking them! I also have plenty of ‘problematic faves’, just not in the mood to push past that stuff right now.
I’m with you on Persona. I have sunk 40+ hours into Persona 4 and 5, and get turned off after a while due to the tone and humor. It’s obvious in this games from the start and wears on you as time goes on.
I’m only a couple hours into Metaphor, and will say it feels a lot different so far. It seems a lot more grounded and “mature”. Which maybe makes sense with the setting and not being a high school drama to a degree.
I’m still very early on, and I guess it could change, but it feels a lot different. I would compare it more to the tone of Fire Emblem Three Houses than I would Persona. It’s just very much a persona game with the systems and loop.
It was supposed to say, it’s obvious from the start in those games (Persona) and wears on you as time goes on. Not obvious or apparent in Metaphor. Can’t edit apparently
That’s good to hear, thank you!
I’m honestly shocked Justin hasn’t mentioned the Legacy of Kain Remastered yet. And no Alarmo talk?! I’m here for the hard hitting journalism!
Besties! I wanna bring your attention to an early access farming sim called Overthrone. It's got a demo out this week for Nextfest and while it has a long way to go I'm really taken with the approach the devs are taking. It's like a farming sim but filled with great movement tech and an emphasis on speed and over the top fun.
Sorry, Overthrown.
I am once again asking you guys to talk about GIVE UP THE GHOST, it’s a really cool narrative RPG that’s raising money on kickstarter right now and has 4 days to go, they could really use the Besties boost!
I read Enigma Fault as a kid and i was traumatized for 8 months so i think I'll skip Uzumaki
Griffin has mentioned gaming while on a bike - I am wondering what his exact set-up is. Does anyone else do this, what sort of bike and gaming set-up are you using? I have chronic pain which means a lot of traditional exercise doesn't work for me. This sounds like it could be a good option to get regular cardio.