Fire Escape Cast #122 (Part 2) - GAME OF THE YEAR

Summary

Fire Escape Cast #122 (Part 2) – GAME OF THE YEAR

Fire Escape Cast: Dan Ryckert, Mary Kish, Mike Mahardy, with Judge Jake Decker
Date: December 15, 2025

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Episode Overview

This epic Game of the Year show is a marathon of impassioned debates, absurd nominations, and creative category wrangling as Dan Ryckert, Mary Kish, Mike Mahardy, and "Cool Judge" Jake Decker journey through the best—and weirdest—games of 2025. The team applies their signature mix of expertise, humor, and playful antagonism to a sprawling, multi-hour deliberation across dozens of creative GOTY categories.

Their approach is inclusive and spirited, with each member championing personal favorites, making hard cuts, and sometimes resorting to coin flips or mock legal arguments. By the end, the crew emerges—beers, Funyuns, and craft supplies in hand—with their top 10 games of the year and a grab bag of awards you won't hear anywhere else.

Tone: Funny, raucous, occasionally biting, and always passionate about giving credit to what truly stands out in gaming.

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Key Segments, Debates, and Memorable Moments

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1. Cool Dude of Ginger Nooch (00:52 - 19:13)

Nominees include:

• Joe Musashi (Shinobi)
• Samoa Joe (Pirate Yakuza)
• Hinako (Silent Hill F)
• Indiana Jones (Great Circle)
• Atsu (Ghost of Yotei)
• Pizza Chef (Death Stranding 2)
• King of All Cosmos (Katamari)
• Samus (Metroid Prime 4)
• Donkey Kong, Waluigi, Rooster (Arc Raiders), and more

Discussion Highlights:

• Sightseeing Mario (Mario with sunglasses, beach shirt) debated for "coolness," but dismissed for being “just a character aesthetic.” (16:55)
• Samoa Joe lauded for being cool even though none of the panel played the game he's in:

  "Samoa Joe is maybe just the coolest dude I could still tell..." —Jake, (02:52)

• Hinako (Silent Hill F) gets a passionate defense:

  "They are putting her in some of the most absurdly scary, terrifying situations... she's just, like, cool. I guess I gotta hit this person with a board with a nail in it. Like, let's go. This person is an action hero wrapped in the body of a school girl." —Mary, (04:25)

• Samus’s silent coolness and “badass motorcycle moments” in Metroid Prime 4 are celebrated.
• Donkey Kong discussed as someone “you’d just wanna hang out with,” but “nothing special this year.”
• Roastings abound—e.g., rooster from Arc Raiders, Sightseeing Mario, and Mario's flip-flop game.
• WINNER: Hinako (Silent Hill F), with Samus and Atsu as runner-ups.

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2. Dumb Thing of the Year: Good (20:24 - 39:46)

Nominees include:

• Couch gag (Simpsons Fortnite), Leapers (Arc Raiders), Monaco’s foot fetish (Expedition 33), Cannon & Lollipop (Peak), Zebra Song (DK Bonanza), Pizza Chef Fight (Death Stranding 2), Gigante (Kirby Air Riders), Smoking in RV (There Yet), Gummy Room (Kirby Air Riders)

Memorable Moment:

• Mary’s description of the Peak cannon:

  "It just like reminds me of this thing. It might seem like a real cannon where you're like, someone's gotta get in there and one of your friends has to be like, it'll be me... You get in this cannon and just hope that you fucking make your destination. If they don't, we all laugh. If you do, we all cheer." (29:26)

• Death Stranding 2’s “coffin board” discussed as both “cool” and “dumb”—the team waffles over whether it’s dumb enough to keep.

WINNER: The Cannon (Peak)
Runner-ups: Coffin Board (Death Stranding 2), Gigante (Kirby Air Ride)

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3. Dumb Thing of the Year: Bad (41:14 - 48:45)

Nominees include:

• Amiibo sound effects (Metroid)
• Weird campaign choices (Black Ops 7)
• Everything about Mind’s Eye
• Die Hardman Dance (Death Stranding 2)
• Xbox Rock Ally
• Lost Soul Aside
• Tower Dominion’s aesthetic
• Online lobbies (Wheelchair Basketball Game)
• Everything Mario Party Jamboree
• Randy Pitchford (Gearbox)

Debate Highlights:

• The team rapidly dismisses several categories, including Tower Dominion’s art and the abysmal Mario Party Jamboree upgrade concept.
• Die Hardman Dance—"bad Kojima" vs "good Kojima"—divides the group:

  "I love so many things this guy has done, but [Death Stranding 2] only like... This game is just a collection of hundreds of gimmicks." —Jake, (135:59)

• WINNER: Randy Pitchford (Gearbox)—Unanimous: “That guy just needs to stop doing everything he’s doing.”

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4. Best Remake/Remaster (49:02 - 56:28)

Nominees include:

• Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• Metal Gear Solid 3 Delta (Snake Eater)
• Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4
• Trails in the Sky: First Chapter
• Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalis Chronicles
• Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2

Memorable Arguments:

• Tony Hawk 3+4’s “feel” debated.
• Trail in the Sky First Chapter praised for “remaking Final Fantasy VII the way people wanted.”
• Heated Delta vs. Tactics coin flip, with Jake making the call for tactics:

  "He’s the judge. He gets to make these calls." —Mary, (56:00)

WINNER: Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalis Chronicles (over strong Metal Gear lobbying).

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5. Not Poop (AKA Most Okay Game) (56:21 - 59:50)

Nominees: Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Mafia: The Old Country, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, Mario Kart World, Borderlands 4

Hilarious Summary:

• “Welcome Tour?” “I don't even know what that is... is like Google Docs okay?”

WINNER: Mario Kart World — “I guess it is... it’s okay.”

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6. Most Fucked Fucker (59:53 - 81:16)

Top Nominees & Why:

• Birthing Monster (Silent Hill F): “It is like, literally giving birth... crying, slithering, pus-filled, absolutely grotesque.” —Mary (61:30)
• Banana Thieves (Lego Party): Screwing over Dan via monkey piles; “It looks like a bunch of monkeys falling on the character, stealing..." (64:51)
• Mulgrim (Midnight Walk): “A claymation slithering slug with sharp teeth... sticks its head in and looks for you, genuinely upsetting." (67:01)
• Bush (Megabonk): "R2D2-shaped bush, tracking you, then two feet and a sniper rifle pop out—he starts chasing you, humping you across the map." —Jake (77:12)
• Fred (Look Outside): “You keep meeting more Freds and the Freds get more and more up... you open a freezer, a decapitated Fred head says I am Fred, kill the OTHER Fred...” —Mary (73:41)

WINNER: Fred (Look Outside)
Runner-ups: Bush (Megabonk), Mulgrim (Midnight Walk)

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7. Best Game to Look At (81:28 - 104:34)

Shortlist: Ghost of Yote, Silent Hill F, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Death Stranding 2, Shinobi, Keeper, Sword of the Sea, Midnight Walk, Claire Obscure, Expedition 33, Metroid Prime 4, Luminous Arise

Debate Highlights:

• Heated Metroid/beauty argument:

  "Metroid is a beautiful game... Going back to the NES, sights, sounds. Metroid is very much known for that." —Dan, (87:10)

• Jake’s “Sopranos vs. The Wire” analogy about consistent greatness vs. high peaks (204:39).
• Winner: Ghost of Yote

  "The UI is so clean... every environment, the scale, the color, the lighting, it’s just, that game is up there with the most beautiful ever." —Jake, (101:27)

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8. Best Game to Listen To (104:38 - 110:52)

Nominees: South of Midnight, Keeper, Luminous Arise, Death Stranding 2, Hollow Knight Silksong, Metroid Prime 4, Doom Dark Ages, Claire Obscure, Arc Raiders

Memorable Quotes:

• “Keeper is better to look at than sound.”
• “I think a good example is like Battlefield—amazing sound, but it’s just a cacophony.”

WINNER: Claire Obscure: Expedition 33

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9. Dumbass of the Year (111:08 - 117:29)

Nominees Include:

• Nate (Baby Steps), Miles McKenzie (Metroid Prime 4), Void Kong (DK Bonanza), Dora (Hades 2), Doll Man (Death Stranding 2), Trojo (Hollow Knight Silksong), Yahtzee (Avowed), The Gestrals (Expedition 33), Randy Pitchford

Highlights:

• Trojobio: “Just a super cocky guy who sings his own name.”
• The Gestrals from Expedition 33 win for their pint-sized obnoxiousness and classic villain energy.

  [Jake, as a Gestral] “You can't draw, are you fat or something?!” (112:46)

WINNER: The Gestrals (Expedition 33)
Runner-ups: Void Kong, Trojo

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10. Final Top 10 Game of the Year Deliberations (118:16 - End)

Process:

• Each host nominates personal favorites, with bargaining, defending, and strategic cutting.
• Dan’s defense of Donkey Kong Bonanza: “You just destroy the environment—three of the four face buttons are fuck things up, and one is jump.” (163:36)
• Silent Hill F praise: “It is using story and mechanics to push the player…” (175:14)
• Heckling over who’s trying to “gerrymander” the list, flip-flopping, and feigned outrage ensues.
• Ordering the Top 10 comes down to:
  • The emotional highs of Hollow Knight Silksong vs the “hum” of Hades 2.
  • Team agrees Expedition 33 is a rare game where “morally gray” decisions and an unusual party structure make it both “the least Dewey game” and “a remarkable achievement” (217:48).
  • “I will be thinking about Silksong forever. I will be thinking about this game for the next five years.” —Mary, (212:42)

Top 10 Games of 2025:

1. Claire Obscure: Expedition 33
2. Hollow Knight: Silksong
3. Hades II
4. Blueprints
5. Donkey Kong Bonanza
6. Silent Hill F
7. Ghost of Yote
8. Peak
9. Mega Bonk
10. Metroid Prime 4

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Notable Quotes & Moments (by Timestamp)

• Mary on Hinako (Silent Hill F):
  “She is the most badass protagonist. She is so fucking cool. The way she keeps her calm and collective under the most extreme conditions should be studied... She gets her shit together and stabs people through the pain.” (15:34)

• Dan on Donkey Kong:
  “I've always thought Donkey Kong was just a cool dude I'd like to hang out with. His entire goal is to get bananas.” (12:05)

• Jake on Death Stranding 2:
  "This game is just a collection of hundreds of gimmicks." (135:59)

• Mary's hand-crafted "KFBR 392" notebook to Dan:
  “I made this for you. Based on who you are to me.” (88:22)

• On Claire Obscure’s ending:
  “It's not like a dumb 'oh, do you want to side with the hot villain or this...' The ending asks, do you think it’s more important to have an illusion and be happy, or know the truth and hurt?” (198:33)

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Final Thoughts / Episode Reflection

This show is a raucous, affectionate love letter to an extraordinary year in games. The Fire Escape crew’s blend of critical analysis, lived experience, and irreverent chemistry is on full display. Enduring themes: the value of emotional highs over consistency, the glory of weird innovation, and a mock-trial sense of justice for every nominee (even Sightseeing Mario).

If you want the “recap within a recap”:

• Big Winners: Expedition 33, Silksong, Hades 2, Blueprints, Donkey Kong Bonanza
• Best “Dumb Thing”: Peak’s Cannon
• Best “Fucked Fucker”: Fred (Look Outside)
• Running Gags: Death Stranding’s “gimmick overload,” making Dan defend Metroid to the death, and Mary’s increasingly wild defenses of her favorite games.

The spirit of the cast: They argue, mock, and roast, but ultimately celebrate games—big and small—that earned a place in their hearts this year.

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Final Top 10 List (220:19):

1. Claire Obscure: Expedition 33
2. Hollow Knight: Silksong
3. Hades II
4. Blueprints
5. Donkey Kong Bonanza
6. Silent Hill F
7. Ghost of Yote
8. Peak
9. Mega Bonk
10. Metroid Prime 4

[Listen to the full episode for all the heated debates, live 'judge' rulings, and plenty of genuinely unfiltered GOTY bickering!]

Transcript

[Dan Reichert]

Quick, choose a meal deal with McValue. The $5 McChicken meal deal, the $6 McDouble meal deal, or the new $7 Daily Double meal deal. Each with its own small fries, drink and Four Piece McNuggets. There's actually no rush. I'm just excited for McDonald's for a limited time only. Prices and participation may vary. Not badly for McDelivery.

[Mary Kish]

Save over $200 when you book weekly. Stays with VRBO this winter. If you need to work, why not work from a chalet? If you haven't seen your college besties since, well, college. You need a week to fully catch up in a snowy cabin. And if you have to stay in a remote place with your in laws, you should save over $200 a week. That's the least we can do. So you might as well start digging out the long johns because saving over $200 on a week long snowcation rental is in the cards book [e-mail].

[Mike Mahardi]

All right, next category is Cool dude of Ginger Nooch.

[Dan Reichert]

Categories or nominees are Joe Musashi of Shinobi. Samoa Joe from Pirate Yakuza, Hinako from Silent Hill.

[Judge Jake Decker]

F. Indiana Jones from Indiana Jones.

[Dan Reichert]

Atsu from Ghost of Yotei, Pizza Chef.

[Mary Kish]

From Death Stranding 2 King of All.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Cosmos of Once Upon a Katamari Fame, Donkey Kong Samus. Sightseeing Mario.

[Dan Reichert]

What is that?

[Mary Kish]

Mariachi Waluigi Rooster from Arc Raiders.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, yes, sure. Sightseeing Mario.

[Dan Reichert]

Sightseeing Mario is like backwards hat, sunglasses. Mario Sunshine beach shirt, shorts, probably from Mario Kart. From Mario Kart World. They all have these different like. Like you just see this dude and it's like, man, that's a cool Mario.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Mario's never ever, ever been cool.

[Dan Reichert]

You look inside seeing Mario, Mario's not a cool character. I'm looking up, which one do you want?

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'll take this. Thank you.

[Dan Reichert]

I. Okay. I think he's very cool and I'm going to pull up a thing and you need to describe this man.

[Mary Kish]

I think he's very cool.

[Dan Reichert]

Look how fucking cool that man.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, he's a cool dude.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Flip flops.

[Mary Kish]

Is he smoking a sick. Why is there smoke?

[Dan Reichert]

Looks like an RV there.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

No, Sightseeing Mario is fantastic.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, he's cool.

[Dan Reichert]

And then I will also pull up Mariachi Waluigi just so you can see that. Which is kind of exactly what you would expect him to look like. Mariachi Waluigi. That this is just a good mariachi outfit. And also like his idle animation. He's like, doing this, like, snapping thing. Like, just a very cool variant of waluigi.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Okay. Got like, sort of dia de los muertos kind of vibe going on.

[Dan Reichert]

It's fantastic.

[Mary Kish]

It was cooler.

[Dan Reichert]

That's tough.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Samoa Joe is in pirate yakuza in Hawaii.

[Dan Reichert]

And I did not play this game, but I've seen clips of Samoa Joe in there.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I know he's cool.

[Dan Reichert]

And that's the thing. I just. Was it. Samoa Joe is maybe just the coolest.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Dude I could still tell. Take him. But he's cool.

[Dan Reichert]

He is. I know you guys aren't wrestling people. Just trust me when I say Samoa Joe kicks ass. He loves games. I cannot say enough about this, man. And I want to see him do more video game stuff. He's in twisted metal Pirate yakuza now.

[Mike Mahardi]

Loving games hasn't made me cool.

[Dan Reichert]

Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately? That's true. Hold on, wait.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We put me on pretentious. Can we put Judge Jake on Cool.

[Dan Reichert]

Dude of the Year?

[Mary Kish]

Cool Judge Jake.

[Mike Mahardi]

No, no, no. It's already a crammed category.

[Mary Kish]

It is crammed.

[Dan Reichert]

I want to keep. I don't.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Is Rooster the gun salesman?

[Dan Reichert]

No, it's the rooster.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, the chick. The cowboy hat.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, whatever. Chicken, rooster, whatever.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, yeah. Which is a chicken.

[Dan Reichert]

What?

[Judge Jake Decker]

Roosters are chickens. Okay.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Mike Mahardi]

But you can give him a cowboy hat.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, you can get him a cowboy hat. I love also too, that apparently you just never see him. He's not, like, modeled in the game. It's just. You get back and he's like, he found a bunch of. For you.

[Mike Mahardi]

No.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Here's just doing a job, running around.

[Mary Kish]

Nice guy.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, you see him in the ui?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

He's like. He, like, does. You know, he shakes, but not in the game.

[Dan Reichert]

You're not, like, down.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah. The hideout is like glorified menus. Yes, yes. Chickens are fucking cool, too. You've been to Key West. They're cool. If you put a cowboy hat on one of them, that makes them even cooler. That's a fucking.

[Dan Reichert]

It's a cool dude.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I want to like someone. I don't. I don't want to cut. So I don't know how helpful this.

[Mary Kish]

Is if you don't have to.

[Judge Jake Decker]

If anybody has an obvious cut, go for it. I just. I think Arts is a really good character.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, she's awesome.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Badass.

[Mary Kish]

She's great badass. Along those lines, Hinako is so, so fucking cool because they are putting her in some of the most absurdly scary, terrifying situations that I'VE ever seen. And at no point is she just like, this sobbing mess. She's just, like, cool. I guess I got to hit this person with a board with a nail in it. Like, let's go. This person is an action hero wrapped in the body of a school girl. I'm, like, obsessed with her. I think they did such a good job with making her the protag. I'm really. I was blown away by the character development of this and just how rad she is. So absolutely cool. Deserving of being on here. I will fight for her.

[Mike Mahardi]

She is an incredible character. I don't want to spoil anything, and it depends on interpretations, but there's one interpretation where I'm like, maybe she's not so cool, though, you know?

[Mary Kish]

But that's what makes her nuanced and interesting. And Silent Hill is actually about that. The protagonists have a history of, like, being, like, sometimes complicated and shitty, but that's what makes them in the moment. You're just like, damn, this person's really going through hell and high water for what they believe in.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think it's a character I've never really seen written in a game before. In a way, it's a very, very well written character with some very cool moments. I'm with Mary, where I think I'd fight for her, too. At least for now.

[Dan Reichert]

I want to offer two cuts. One, King of All Cosmos. I think I added him. He's like. I just always found him to be a very. Just cool, funny, flamboyant, just, like, loud character.

[Mary Kish]

Visually appealing.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Just a cool design. Yeah, I just think he's hilarious. I mean, there's nothing really in Once Upon a Catamara that makes him that much different than, you know, any other catamara game. So I think we cut that and then Indiana Jones is just like, look, Indiana Jones has been Indiana Jones since 1984. He's always been cool. There's nothing in the great circle that, like.

[Mike Mahardi]

I would say he's less cool in this because it's not.

[Dan Reichert]

It's not actually Harrison Ford. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

Like, he's still cool because he's Indiana Jones. But, like, oh, yeah, we should.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I don't know if we ever mentioned last year we did our Game of the Year at a time when we could all get together. Yes. The two major games that came out that we promised we would talk about didn't say necessarily we promised we'd love them, were Indiana Jones the Great Circle and Stalker 2 Heart of Chernobyl. So that's why Indiana Jones is On here because we wanted to make sure we touched on them.

[Dan Reichert]

But yeah, I think we cut that. And King of all cosmos. Okay, I'll make the argument for Samus here. Like Samus, I think she's always just looked incredible. It's like one of the coolest designs ever. But also in this game, it's funny because like, some people hate the fact that there's like extra characters and stuff added here. But like these other characters, when they meet Samus, they're always just like kind of fan. It's like, oh my God, it's fucking Samus. Like there's one girl who's just like, I don't. I want to take a picture with you. And oh my God, I can't believe I'm meeting Samus and all this. And they're all just kind of marking out and she doesn't talk. So like she just kind of like stares at them while they're being like fanboys. And like at most she'll just kind of like nod or just like shrug. It's just like, not at all. It's just non plus by this and just doing the coolest shit, you know. When you summon your motorcycle, just a 20 foot backflip in the air, land super gracefully on this sweet fucking space motorcycle, and cruises across the desert. And then every like, you know, in Metroid games, as you get upgrades and things like that, or whole new suits, the design of the suit changes. And there are a couple times in Metroid Prime 4 where the like, larger changes happen to the suit and it's just like, oh, that looks like I've seen so many cool Samus designs, but there were a couple times in this where I was like, God damn it, that's a cool design.

[Mike Mahardi]

I. I was sold on having her in this list when I got violin. Just stopped on the bike and the way she just stands there and I'm like, oh, she's so cool.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, like all timer.

[Mary Kish]

The bike looks cool.

[Dan Reichert]

The viola is incredible. Yeah, Yeah, I want to keep her.

[Mary Kish]

You can't keep both of your cool Nintendo boys.

[Dan Reichert]

Both of them.

[Mike Mahardi]

There's a lot of them.

[Mary Kish]

Favorite, bro.

[Dan Reichert]

All right, I will. I wanna, I also want to say.

[Mary Kish]

I think this is a strategic choice by you to have like four of something from the same game. That way you have to get one of them.

[Dan Reichert]

There's two from the same game.

[Mary Kish]

Person from sacrificing one. When you strategically put in multiple, there's two for kill.

[Dan Reichert]

Waluigi. I love Waluigi. Sightseeing Mario, he's got sunglasses. He just looks cooler.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, but flip flops are just never. They're so rarely.

[Dan Reichert]

Mario pulls it off.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I don't think so. I think he looks. He's more at home.

[Mary Kish]

He's gonna go next.

[Dan Reichert]

Joe from Shinobi is like, he's a cool ninja. Like, I mean like, there's a lot of cool ninjas in video games, dude.

[Mary Kish]

A cool fucking ninja is way cooler.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Than a cool ninja. And she's way cooler.

[Dan Reichert]

I think Atsu's cooler.

[Mary Kish]

I'm amazed you're fighting for Mario more than a ninja.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't know if I'll fight for Mario more than Atsu because Otsu is like, God, I just love like, you know, you'll encounter like three cocky dudes. Just like, like a non story thing. It's like, oh, who are these three? Like, you know, riding horses around you walking. I guess I'm gonna get my bounty, gonna kill you. And she'll just like walk up, like pull a sword out, say something cool and you just slaughter them in the.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Coolest way she does.

[Mary Kish]

She cuts their head off.

[Judge Jake Decker]

She plays the. Pulls a guitar out. Plays guitar and a wolf shows up. And then once she kills you, she wipes your blood on this like white.

[Dan Reichert]

Like scorecard she has that's wearing a scary ass mask and stuff. Like, she's so fucking cool.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I said this during. Oh man. This is more of a like a later in the episode. But like I said this when we talked about the game in the first episode after embargo. The game kind of encourages you to embrace how badass she is. You get a mask from all of the major characters you kill. So what I started doing, I was like, you get a lot of cool looking masks in that game. Yeah, it's like felt most badass to me to wear the mask of the one I most recently killed from the main crew. Because then I show up to the next one and in the cutscenes you're wearing the snake's mask. When you're about like, they're like, oh my God.

[Dan Reichert]

Recognize it? I don't even know if they address it, but it's like in your head you can have that head cannon of like, hey, you know where this fucking came from?

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, she, she's cool. And then like, I also appreciate that the sucker punch. I think she can get a bit one note if you're just playing a lot of the side stuff. But the main storyline, when you get into, I think they introduce characters that play really good foils to her in a way that she's like, maybe I was just kind of killing way too many people the last 10 hours. Which, like, I appreciate that.

[Dan Reichert]

Right.

[Judge Jake Decker]

When I'm like, maybe she's not the badass, they're like this. And then she changed. Yeah. I don't know. I just think.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, you're just extremely killing people. Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I get. She has.

[Dan Reichert]

She's up there.

[Judge Jake Decker]

She's got reasons to be pissed off.

[Mary Kish]

After talking about these really rad people, I think that the rooster is out.

[Dan Reichert]

All right.

[Mary Kish]

But, yeah, rooster wins. To these women.

[Dan Reichert]

You.

[Mike Mahardi]

I guess.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I guess we got him.

[Mary Kish]

That rooster always gives me my stuff from a menu.

[Dan Reichert]

So wacky.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'm an ally, so I got to pick a woman. I guess Atsu, Hino, and Samus just have to win now or else I'm.

[Dan Reichert]

An idiot rooster seems problematic. I don't know. Now that I think about it.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah. Has anyone seen the rooster's tweets here?

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, we're gonna milkshake Rooster God. All right, let's cut. Donkey Kong's always cool.

[Mary Kish]

Where was he January 6th?

[Dan Reichert]

DK doesn't know who the president is.

[Mary Kish]

There's no way this guy is fine. Is he?

[Dan Reichert]

No.

[Mary Kish]

The coolest.

[Dan Reichert]

There's nothing in Bonanza that makes him cooler than. I've just. I've always thought Donkey Kong was just a cool dude I'd like to hang out with. I still feel that way.

[Judge Jake Decker]

He's admirable. Like, I. His entire goal is to get bananas.

[Dan Reichert]

He just loves bananas.

[Mike Mahardi]

What would you do if you hung out with Donkey Kong?

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think you just slam some nanners, dude. What do you think?

[Dan Reichert]

I just think he would be a positive presence to be around. He's just, like, grunting and giving thumbs up and stuff. And I'm like. I just like the whole attitude.

[Judge Jake Decker]

He's punching.

[Dan Reichert]

If he hasn't had beer, I would, like. I would peer pressure Donkey Kong into getting drunk with me.

[Judge Jake Decker]

He would punch a hole to China if he drank enough beers.

[Dan Reichert]

From here, right behind him, I would be hanging off from, like, Pauline. Yeah, the kicks ass.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Fucking.

[Dan Reichert]

We get arrested, we have to walk the line. Like a dui.

[Mike Mahardi]

He's got up.

[Judge Jake Decker]

He's got one of the construction hats with beer. Like, just some UDA pills funneling into his mouth the whole way through the core.

[Dan Reichert]

He's great, but he's always been great. Nothing special this year.

[Mike Mahardi]

So, for Pirate Yakuza, I have a question. Is this. Is this Samoa Joe's coolest?

[Mary Kish]

Is it because.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It's.

[Dan Reichert]

Because it's Samoa Joe that's it like I can't. I don't have an argument here. I haven't played the game.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I also want to raise the point. I fear for us if we cut him. Like if he ever sees this. I'm just joking. I'm not afraid of that guy. Guys, guys, if as long as you're in my presence, you're safe. Okay, Cool Joe Barrels, you do an.

[Mary Kish]

Ocular pat down of the room.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'll assess the situation. I'll let you guys know what the plan A, B and C is for escaping.

[Dan Reichert]

Mike would just like run.

[Judge Jake Decker]

No, no, I understand. Hopefully I have some sort of fake sumo suit that I just bounce off him.

[Mary Kish]

Hopefully Samoa Joe will take pity on you once you've pissed yourself.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, pissing.

[Dan Reichert]

We can cut.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Tell me what you want me to.

[Dan Reichert]

Maybe we cut him since none of us have played the game he's in. Yeah, it's probably a good Samoa Joe for being very cool. Wow.

[Mary Kish]

A very impressive cool dude of the year that he made it as far as he did without us playing.

[Dan Reichert]

None of us played games.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Pizza Chef.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, Pizza Chef. It's. It's just one of those wacky Kojima moments where it's like, oh, he's so wacky.

[Mary Kish]

Kojima. Oh my God. Can you go back up to most up its own ass and increase the font of Kojima?

[Dan Reichert]

Have you seen the Pizza Chef fight?

[Mary Kish]

No.

[Dan Reichert]

It is a super choreographed, impressive, fun fight where you're in a pizza kitchen rolling over counters and stuff, throwing pizza at each other and like it's a. It's just a cool scene and he's the one who teaches you pizza dough and everything.

[Judge Jake Decker]

But Kojima stumbled across that tiktoker who does all the fancy like pizza dough flips in his backyard and punches my stuff. He's like, I'm going to put that in my game. Even though it doesn't make sense.

[Dan Reichert]

No, everything. The logic is sound with everything he's ever done. We can cut him.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We got one more to cut. Well, it can't be sightseeing Mario because I'm not an ally.

[Mary Kish]

I mean, I think.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think it should be sightseeing Mario. I really do.

[Mary Kish]

I want to be clear. This is not about like, this is not a gender battle. One of these is obviously not as cool as.

[Dan Reichert]

Let's be real. I think it's silent.

[Mary Kish]

Hell f. You're out of your mind.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, I didn't play it, so it can't be that.

[Mary Kish]

That's not my fault that you don't game enough.

[Mike Mahardi]

There is Something that happens in the sight. I won't say what it is, but there's something that happens on Hill F that is way more badass that Hanaku does more than anyone on this list.

[Dan Reichert]

Have you seen Sightseeing Mario?

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yes. Yeah, because you Google for us.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think Hinako should just stay. I'm. I'm fighting for Hinako to win over Atsu. I am not kidding. She is the most badass protagonist. She is so fucking cool. The way she keeps her calm and collective under the most extreme conditions should be studied in. And they make it believable. She's not just this, like, numb person who's going through this. She's suffering, but she fudgeing, gets her shit together and stabs people through the pain. It's unbelievable what she goes through.

[Mike Mahardi]

And, like, there is a scene that is just like. It is. Yeah, it's something else. Like, I haven't seen it in a game before.

[Mary Kish]

Nightmare.

[Dan Reichert]

Hyperbolic.

[Mike Mahardi]

But, like, there's a moment in that game where it turns, and I'm like, oh, I can't. They're not doing this. They're not doing this. And then they do it, and I'm like, whoa.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay, okay. I'll take your word for it. So we cut in Samus or sightseeing Mario.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It's kind of up to you.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, no.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, no.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It's Sophie's Choice, really?

[Dan Reichert]

In the same way that we cut Donkey Kong for just being kind of a. He's always been Donkey Kong and always been really cool. Samus is incredibly cool. In Metroid Prime 4, the motorcycle does bring it up a little bit, but.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Isn'T Sicy Mario just, like, a, like, character aesthetic?

[Dan Reichert]

How dare you?

[Judge Jake Decker]

I have.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes, it is. We can cut him.

[Mike Mahardi]

Sorry.

[Dan Reichert]

They gave him sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt.

[Mary Kish]

Jesus. We had to fight so hard for this.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Mary.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think you should thank Mike and I for this.

[Dan Reichert]

Wow. You want to make the font bigger?

[Mary Kish]

No. You guys should all be added to Loserville.

[Dan Reichert]

Loserville.

[Mary Kish]

You guys are all worthless list. This is an obvious list that we had to fight through a lot of crap for. I had to argue multiple times for a. I'm on your side.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'm on your.

[Mary Kish]

You lift your fist to me.

[Mike Mahardi]

So who's the. Who's the coolest dude, though?

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, I think Atu is just unbelievably silent.

[Judge Jake Decker]

He'll laugh. But you guys seem passionate about.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Ho.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Sounds to me it's Atsu over Samus. But actually, I've only played Gossip Yote here.

[Mary Kish]

That's true. I. I haven't played Samus. I haven't had time to play Metroid Prime 4. But I have played Ghost of Yutai. I do think Atsu is such a badass.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

It is because of the experiences I've had with Hinako that I think that Silent Hill F takes the cake for me. This might have to go to a judge because I think they're both incredible. They're both incredible. I can't.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You've played all three. Yeah, you. You should be the one to pick.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, shit.

[Mary Kish]

He's really soaking.

[Dan Reichert]

All right.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Letting the bongo hit before he's Henako.

[Dan Reichert]

Wow.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I gotta play that game.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Mary Kish]

I had faith. I had faith in this Silent Hill faith. I didn't have to gerrymander anything. It just naturally.

[Mike Mahardi]

Well, the check did clear, so.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Can I go to the bathroom super quick?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, go piss.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Is this the right time? Or you do it now while we read through. Or I'll do nominees and then I'll.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. Okay.

[Mike Mahardi]

So cool dude of the year runner ups are Samus and Otsu. But the coolest dude of the year is Hinako from Silent Hill F. True.

[Mary Kish]

I also think this is a good time, Dan, to just re up what we're doing here.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes, everyone, if you're just joining us, I am Dan Reichert. This is Mary Kish, this is Mike Mahardi, and this is cool judge Jake Decker. Uh, we are Fire Escape Cast. If you have never heard us, check us out on your podcast platform of choice. And we are a video game podcast. We've known each other for a long time. We all work together kind of like, I guess, game spots.

[Mary Kish]

Weirdly though, like games media for a decade. And now we talk about games in our off hours. And we are discussing game of the year deliberations, including very specific categories for games that we just think deserve mentions. We have nominees, we have honorable mentions and we have awards and we are in the thick of it.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes, we are probably like at least maybe over halfway through now, hopefully. I think we still have some more hours here to go. But yes, we are working through our categories right now. And our next category is Dumb Thing.

[Mike Mahardi]

Of the Year parenthesis. Good.

[Dan Reichert]

Your nominees are the Couch Gag from Simpsons Fortnite Leapers and Arc Raiders.

[Mary Kish]

Monaco's Foot fetish in Expedition 33.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Smoking in RV there yet cannon and.

[Mary Kish]

Peak Lollipop in Peak.

[Judge Jake Decker]

The Gummy Room from Kirby Air Riders.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm sorry, do you want to take the next one too?

[Judge Jake Decker]

Gigante from Kirby Air Riders.

[Dan Reichert]

The Zebra Song in DK Bonanza.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think Dan should just do the. This splash of death strand.

[Mary Kish]

I agree. These are yours.

[Dan Reichert]

All right. The coffin board in Death Stranding 2. The Die Hard Man Dance and Death Stranding 2. The Pizza Chef Fight and Death Stranding 2. Cut that. Nobody likes Pizza Chef here. Guitar Battle and Death Stranding 2. All right, so this is good dumb thing. All right, let me. Let's just get the death stranding stuff out of the way here.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Can we add the banana dudes? Oh, no, that's.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, they're. They're under. Wait, I thought. Were they not another cool dudes? No, they were under something else.

[Judge Jake Decker]

They were.

[Dan Reichert]

They were. Yeah. So I'm going to say these three death stranding two things and I will just let you. I will graciously allow you to just. You have one of them. Okay. The coffin board. There are coffins and desktop. They're like cool future coffins. They're like, you know, sleek and cool and, you know, and you can surf on them. You can basically tie them to you and like surf down mountains and kind of like snowboard through areas and stuff. You can also like shove bodies in it and bury it and stuff like that. But I just liked surfing around on like snow covered mountains on a coffin. I thought was very cool. The Die Hard man dance.

[Judge Jake Decker]

God, how do I Die Hard man is the.

[Dan Reichert]

He became the President.

[Judge Jake Decker]

The mask.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, he had the mask in the first game. He became the president. Then he died and he came back as a mannequin torso and Death Training two. And then there's a point where you and the current US President are on the beach, which is a bit of a purgatory between the living world and the dead world. And you're kind of just talking about the nature of the universe. And then the mannequin pops up and does a. Like, he's doing like James Brown call outs. Like, good God. Like dancing around this mannequin. And then like, it's just Die Hard man and he comes back and he's just. It's this whole crazy song and dance number thing that is just during a very serious moment. And it tickled me quite a bit.

[Judge Jake Decker]

This is dumb thing of the year.

[Dan Reichert]

Good. I don't think. Yes.

[Judge Jake Decker]

How far into the game is that?

[Dan Reichert]

60 hours. Okay.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's why I didn't see it because I. I played like 30.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes. And then even beyond that, it's you and Higgs. Troy Baker's character, the villain. The final battle is like, you know, Kojima always ends these things with like it's a couple. You know. You're shirtless on top of a Metal Gear fighting in the flames and stuff like that. This one. It's. It's this climactic battle. But you've got guitars. I don't remember why Sam has a guitar but Higgs has a guitar from, like the trailers and all that stuff. And you are just like guitar battling back and forth like a guitar room man sequence and hitting each other with guitars and stuff. And a giant baby comes out of the sky and all this stuff. And it is just like the most unrestrained death stranding has ever been one or two. And I just had to smile because it's like, okay. We just don't care at all about any sense of keeping things restrained. It is like full unchained Kojima in a way that, like, I like a lot. A lot of people don't like. So those. Those are the three things I liked the most. Like dumb desk training. Two things. So you can select one to say for now. Doesn't have to save forever.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Why does it?

[Mike Mahardi]

I think Coffin Board is not a dumb thing. I think it's just cool.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

I think it's just rad.

[Mike Mahardi]

Like, I love using that thing.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You know, it doubles as a. Like an underground incinerator in tar pits as well.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Because I would argue that's not good for the game design. But it's still cool because.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Body will create a.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We're not talking about good mechanics.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I think his repentance for Dan making us listen to four things that he knew couldn't get through so he could get one through. We should cut all of them.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's exactly what he was doing.

[Mary Kish]

This is 100% your strategy. You're doing it again and I would like you to be punished for it. You get none. Thank you. Good day.

[Dan Reichert]

I love how I don't even know what my strategy is and you do. You're giving me too much credit for my thought process.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I would say I. For my own sake. Let's keep Coffin Board for now. But Guitar Battle and Die Hard Man. Sounds stupid. That sounds like. That sounds like. I don't know what to do with this game. They need to fight each other with guitars now. They said out loud. That sounds cool. But like I. I. Within the game's context. I don't.

[Dan Reichert]

I think I just love it when there are creators that clearly no one's telling them no. I just like that a lot. You know, Whether it's James Cameron or Hideo Kojima or the Evangelion Joseph. Only when it's ones I like. Yeah. Or.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Your box.

[Mike Mahardi]

You love that.

[Dan Reichert]

No.

[Mike Mahardi]

Is that your favorite thing?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Yeah. It's not for everyone. Maybe cool if we keep Coffee board for a little bit? Okay.

[Mike Mahardi]

My argument was coffin board is just cool. It's not dumb why it should not.

[Dan Reichert]

Be surfing on a coffin.

[Mike Mahardi]

I guess it is pretty dumb.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You say it out loud, though, and it sounds like the coffee coolest thing ever. Like, imagine or like snowboarding down a slope on your great grand there or whatever. And that's her. That's her dying wish.

[Dan Reichert]

Darby Allen, why don't you go down.

[Judge Jake Decker]

A black diamond with me inside the coffin? Your grandma's strapped to your grandma's casket and you just smash into a tree. I got to get down. That's what she wanted.

[Dan Reichert]

Good.

[Mike Mahardi]

You know, I'm torn.

[Dan Reichert]

Let's just keep it for now. You can cut the other ones because I'm generous.

[Mike Mahardi]

Okay.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Very thoughtful. Dan.

[Dan Reichert]

What is this?

[Judge Jake Decker]

I don't know.

[Mike Mahardi]

It's a table. The table seems to be squeaking. Yeah, I've noticed it, too.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Bathroom?

[Dan Reichert]

I'm good. All right. You guys know the zebra song Bonanza?

[Mike Mahardi]

I do, yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

It's fantastic. Like, I love all the bespoke songs. When you do a bonanza. Bullshit. That's the best one by far. I like that. Good. Dumb. Tell me about Gigante and Kirby Riders.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Okay. Who is it?

[Mike Mahardi]

Gigante.

[Dan Reichert]

Mike's nodding and thumbs up. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

You guys haven't played a lot of Kirby areas. I know you have.

[Dan Reichert]

I've played a decent amount. And I'm the stars.

[Mike Mahardi]

Right? They're all just little things, right?

[Dan Reichert]

The machines.

[Mike Mahardi]

The machines, yeah. They're all just these little things that they stand on.

[Judge Jake Decker]

They're very cute.

[Mike Mahardi]

You know, there's legendary ones, too, right? And these legendary ones are a little bigger. Gigante takes up the entire stage on City Trial. And it just.

[Dan Reichert]

Is it a thing that you can just pick from the, like, machine select?

[Mike Mahardi]

You have to unlock it, and you have to collect all the parts. And if you do, it just levels all the buildings in City Trial. It's broken. It doesn't make sense. It shouldn't be there. But it is a to your point. Like, it seems like. Like Sakurai was like, I just want to put this in the game because I think it's kind of cool. It's unbalanced. It's. It's ridiculous, but it just takes up the entire stage whenever you do a spin. It's incredibly slow, but you can see all the People you knock out. And then if you get it, the. The default City Trial ending is everyone against you who's got it. It's pretty cool.

[Dan Reichert]

And this is the thing that you earn in one city Trial. So it's not a thing. It's not like a vehicle you unlock and you can pick it whenever. Right.

[Mike Mahardi]

You do have to unlock it in a different mode, but once you've unlocked it, then it'll appear in City Trial.

[Dan Reichert]

But you can't pick it as your main machine.

[Mike Mahardi]

So it is. It is very random based. Doesn't happen every run.

[Dan Reichert]

Honestly, that's f. Like I like broken things like that.

[Mike Mahardi]

It's so stupid that the scale of it is ridiculous.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay, I, I'm on board with that.

[Mike Mahardi]

That sounds like we have the Gummy Room.

[Dan Reichert]

I love. That was when I kind of realized what Kirby Air Riders was. Cuz like I never played the gamecube game really. And I was like, what the fuck is this? And it just seems like chaos. And then when I like went into the Gummy room, I just realized again, it's like, oh, no one's telling them no. Just, just.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I don't know.

[Dan Reichert]

It's a room full of. You look at fucking gummies and you can zoom in on them and you have a sword and a magnet or whatever, you know. Yeah, I would, I would say if we're picking a Kirby or writers thing, that Gigante thing sounds more substantial. But. But I, I do think the Gummy room is what made me respect Kirby writers.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah. I think if we. One Kirby Air Writers thing, I would fight for Gigante over.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. Yeah. Okay. Mary, we're all killing our babies here. He did some Kirby, I did some Destiny, which Peak thing?

[Mary Kish]

I mean, I think they're both good in different ways. They're both absurdly stupid. The cannon and peak is meant to help you launch each other to an area that you would not have been able to climb to. But you can't really tell where your destination is going to be until you put someone in it and send them pack in. Very funny. To launch someone into a mountain and hope that they get to the area they're meant to get to without dying.

[Dan Reichert]

Is there like a dotted line or a reticle or something? Or do you just kind of like point and shoot?

[Mary Kish]

It's a point and shoot situation. And so you're kind of like. It just like reminds me of this thing. It might seem like a real cannon where you're like, someone's got to get in there and one of your friends has to be like, it'll be me. And you get in this cannon and just hope that you fucking make your destination. If they don't, we all laugh. If you do, we all cheer it. It results in these epic cheers or laughter of whatever ends up happening. So I think it's a very funny addition to this game. And it didn't. It didn't start in peak. It was added later on. And when canon was added collectively, all players were like, what an absurdly funny, ridiculously stupid thing to add to this game. We needed more ropes, we needed ladders, we needed practical things in this game was like, you get a cannon that you can't control. Good luck. And I think that's funny and I think it's dumb and it's good. The lollipop was. This is funny. It's canon in the sense that it was originally in the game and it was always in the game. The lollipop is a. An enhancer for your stamina. So you eat a lollipop immediately, you get unlimited stam, like 10 seconds. So let's say you cannot climb this thing. It's too tall, and there's only one of you. This is a perfect opportunity to take a lollipop, hurry up and climb. That way you can maybe put a rope down for everybody else. But the second your 10 seconds is up, you go into a sugar crash and you pass out. And so it's very funny because you'll. You might actually succeed and get to the part that you're trying to get to, but when you pass out, you can roll off the edge. It's just very funny to like, lick a lollipop and then be like, I'm on come, I can do it. And you get to the top and then you fall off. I think it's. I think it's very funny. They're. They're both brilliant. But I think the. The canon has resulted in some of the funniest. It is chaos. It is chaotic that the developers thought of this as a traversal mechanic. And I applaud them for coming up with something so stupid.

[Dan Reichert]

It's so. It sounds like a three suit, like a Laurel and Hardy bit or something of just like the physical comedy of just like going to put someone in a canon and see what the fuck happens. It's almost certainly going to be stupid. Like, I think that sounds incredible. Lollipop sounds great too, but canon sounds better.

[Mary Kish]

They're both so stupid and so funny. But, yeah, I would have to go with the canon.

[Dan Reichert]

Canon.

[Mary Kish]

Smoking an rv, there yet is so stupid. But it does actually give you a. It gives you, like, a boost of stamina as well. I think ultimately what it is is its esthetic. It's very funny to be in an RV with your peers. You're looking around and one person's driving. Maybe someone's flipping burgers and stuff. Somebody's doing nothing, but everybody's smoking a fucking cig, and it's just really chugging some lung.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Beers.

[Mary Kish]

And there's beers. It's. It's unnecessary. I don't know what the developers were thinking, because you could tell they had to make very stern decisions of what they had time and energy to code into this game. There's moose in this game that don't walk. They're just ping images. Like, you can tell when they ran out of budget, and we're like, we're out of time. But they put a lot of energy into these six. They put a lot of energy into you being.

[Dan Reichert]

It just fits the aesthetics. You're just these, like, pudgy dudes in an rv. And it's like, that does seem like such a natural. Like, yeah, this fits here. This is great.

[Mary Kish]

They're so silly and unnecessary. And I think it's. I think it's exemplary of this category. It is so stupid, and it is. It is a funny thing. And they added a mechanic to it, so it actually has a value. When you smoke the cigarette, you get, like, a boost of energy, and you can do something if you need to, but ultimately, it's for cool factor.

[Dan Reichert]

I. I got something that I'll mention, but I. I will also cut right afterwards. But, like, Simpsons. Fortnite I loved so much. But, like, as far as the gags and stuff like that, I was trying to think of, like, there's a million little ones and references where it's like, oh, you see the rake on the ground? I know what we're gonna do there. Oh, you see the. The phone at Moe's Bar? Okay, I see.

[Mary Kish]

It's like, oh, good.

[Dan Reichert]

And they. There's so much for people like us that just love Simpsons and stuff. It's like, it delivers all that core to my being.

[Mary Kish]

I'm glad that they were able to capitalize on it so, so well.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. And I think the reason the couch gag was maybe the best version of it with Fortnite is because, like, Fortnite is already this insane thing where it's like every IP that's ever existed is in there. And then you put the super iconic thing. Like, if you go in there's, the Evergreen Terrace portion of the map. You go down there, you can go into the Simpsons house. You can take a mission from Marge or whatever, but also you go to the couch, and you can hit X to sit. And it's just like, I was playing a solid snake, and my sister was playing as Vegeta, and we hit X to sit. And now just Homer's or snake is there holding basically a Duff they rebranded Slurp. Yeah, Solid snake and Vegeta on the Simpsons couch. And it's like, that's so stupid and funny. And then when you think about just like, oh, it could be a Xenomorph, it could be Ariana Grande. It could be like, man, what a. What an exemplary. Like, stupid. This is what Fortnite is. Just everything ever. And it's just kind of wild to see it all together in a way that I think could feel a lot shittier. But Fortnite, I kind of love how they do it. So it was. I wanted to pick something from Simpsons Fortnite just because there's a lot of good dumb things in there. I think we cut it. I think there's some stronger ones here. But, like, again, Simpsons Fortnite was fantastic.

[Mike Mahardi]

How about Monoko's foot fetish? This is, like, kind of funny.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Is it?

[Mike Mahardi]

Is it? Is it? Does it hang with the others?

[Dan Reichert]

You're the foot guy, right? What?

[Judge Jake Decker]

No, don't show me your feet.

[Mary Kish]

Mike, don't you want to represent this one? Because you are a little freak boy.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'm a freak boy, but not with feet.

[Dan Reichert]

Didn't you add this one?

[Judge Jake Decker]

No.

[Dan Reichert]

Who added this?

[Judge Jake Decker]

Jake did, I think.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh.

[Mike Mahardi]

Look at us.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Who looks like a foot freak?

[Dan Reichert]

The owner of Footjudge.com. order.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Order, order, order.

[Dan Reichert]

Your Honor.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Your Honor, I'm sorry.

[Mike Mahardi]

Okay, so we're cutting that.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I didn't add it, but, like, they really are the hottest appendage.

[Dan Reichert]

They all look the same. Every foot looks the exact fucking same.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's not true.

[Dan Reichert]

Some people fucking love it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

No, they don't look the same.

[Mike Mahardi]

I mean, Kojima does.

[Judge Jake Decker]

There's nuance.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, some are, like, probably missing toes and shit. Or have, like, dirty. Anyway, I think I love the zebra song. I don't know. I think there's stronger examples of good dumb things this year. Yep.

[Mike Mahardi]

Okay.

[Mary Kish]

I think we have to make an argument for leapers. I haven't heard it yet.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes. Yes, I can.

[Mike Mahardi]

I can do this. Have you seen those things jump?

[Dan Reichert]

Yes. And it's not just that they jump. It is that you Try to kill them. And then everything else starts jumping when, like, the amount of times that you go to kill them and it's like, oh, like, they're still going. They just.

[Mike Mahardi]

They just throw all their weight at something, and if it's a wall, they'll hit the wall.

[Judge Jake Decker]

The.

[Mike Mahardi]

The. The animations are, like, very good. And they just kind of. And they look so stupid when they do this. There's just limbs flying everywhere, but they're also, like, scary as hell.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think they're real dumb just because of how their limbs are flying everywhere. They're bashing against things.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think it should be here, but.

[Mike Mahardi]

There'S some stiff competition.

[Dan Reichert]

This is a strong five here. Ooh, boy. I think. I think this category should be, like, the thing that is dumb and funny, but also, like, has, like. It's actually, like. It's not just a gag. It is a thing that actually kind of plays into the game. And I think most of these, like, definitely the Canon Gigante, I mean, the coffin boards, actually a really good way of getting around the leapers are they're actually really good enemies. I think there's an argument maybe the smoking is the least. Actually, like, that seems like the most esthetic kind of vibes thing.

[Mary Kish]

Like, then it's not essential or necessary. It is very dumb, and it is good, but I don't think it's as good as these others. So I'm willing to cut it. I will say right now. I have said this before, but I think it is the noble and honorable thing to do to also cut death stranding to stop you from doing the thing that you always do.

[Dan Reichert]

What's that?

[Mary Kish]

You just shove a bunch of shit down our throats and hope that one gets through.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think the coffin board is cool, though.

[Dan Reichert]

It's really cool.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Like, if that was a strategy, it worked because I love the coffin board.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, he got you.

[Dan Reichert]

It wasn't like a considered strategy. I just like a lot of things in this stranding.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's one of the few things I love in that. No, it's not. I'd like a lot in that game, but.

[Dan Reichert]

I. I would say cut smoking and maybe cut leapers.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think. I think leapers.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think it's. I think it's cool to be anti tobacco.

[Mike Mahardi]

Okay, that's a good point.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Which one's saving lives?

[Mary Kish]

Smoking is so cool.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You're literally surfing around on an already dead body where smoking is creating more of them. That could trigger a void out.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah, but it's not cool of the year. It's dumb thing of the year.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You're right. Dumb good.

[Mary Kish]

It's dumb good.

[Dan Reichert]

All right. And we're taking smoking out.

[Mary Kish]

We can take smoking out.

[Mike Mahardi]

Okay, so then what is the dumbest thing of the year? Good.

[Dan Reichert]

Dumb good. Honestly, Mary makes a good point for canon.

[Mary Kish]

Canon's so it sounds like.

[Dan Reichert]

But it does sound like effective. Definitely. It actually seems like a thing where if it goes well, it could be a game changer. Right.

[Mary Kish]

For that run goes well, but it could also be shoot them to their death.

[Dan Reichert]

That sounds amazing. All of these are like gigante sounds incredible too. But that canon, that seems like what this category is.

[Mary Kish]

I just also want you to say like when you have like four people and somebody because these are, you know, prop gen of what item you get. When someone's like there's a can and everyone goes, oh. Because you don't know if it's good or bad yet. Like, you know it's sick. But like it could be the death of the entire run. That's how risky it is. It's so funny.

[Mike Mahardi]

It's just like the idea of launching someone up and be like, oh yeah, they died.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, put them in a cannon shop and they died.

[Mike Mahardi]

Sucks.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I. I would vote for cannon.

[Mike Mahardi]

Okay. Are we agreed?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I think so.

[Mike Mahardi]

All right. Dumb thing of the year. Good. The runner ups are Coffin Board, Death, Straining two, Gigante, Kirby Air Ride, and Cannon in Peak is the winner.

[Mary Kish]

Good job.

[Dan Reichert]

That's a good category. That was. That was good.

[Mary Kish]

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[Dan Reichert]

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[Mike Mahardi]

So I believe we are. No, we're not. We're on our last category.

[Dan Reichert]

No, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. We got eight more.

[Mary Kish]

I think we need to start burning through some of these.

[Dan Reichert]

We'll see some of them will be longer than others. Definitely.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, my God.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

Well, okay. Well, next one is dumb thing of the year.

[Dan Reichert]

Bad.

[Mary Kish]

So this is a thing that is stupid. Just like the last category and bad. But we don't like it, right?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, we like the other dumb things. We don't like these dumb things.

[Judge Jake Decker]

The nominees are Amiibo sound effects in Metroid.

[Dan Reichert]

Weird campaign choices in Black Ops 7.

[Mary Kish]

Everything about Mind's Eye, Die Hardman Dance.

[Dan Reichert]

The Xbox Rock Ally Lost Soul aside. Tower Dominions aesthetic, online lobbies in the.

[Mary Kish]

Wheelchair basketball game, everything Mario Party Jam Tell.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'm sorry.

[Dan Reichert]

Weird. I think it's mine to say this. Randy Pitchford. I want to say to cut. I. The Xbox Rock Xbox Rog Ally has major problems. We mostly tied to Windows and everything. I will say, despite its problems and its frustrations, it is like the one I travel with. Like, I am traveling with it. Like, like, it runs things very well now that I've got, like the full screen experience and all that. Like, it's a powerful handheld. I like the ergonomics of it and everything. The Windows stuff sucks. I hate that stuff.

[Mike Mahardi]

It leaves you locked in a loop of not being able to log in.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Oh, I've had so many different problems with it, but, like, the fact that I am still, like, putting it in my bag when I travel and stuff. And like, again, I fucking love my Steam deck. But there are certain games and stuff that, like, will run better on the Xbox Rog Ally and like, I'm not even using the Xbox parts of it. I'm like, loading up Steam. I love Steam. You know, it's basically a little more powerful Steam deck to me. But if I want to play Fortnite on it. If I were like, when I was home over Thanksgiving playing all that with my sister, I was playing on the Rock Ally, you know, you can't easily load up the epic games to run a Steam deck, so I want to take that off. It's got fucking problems for sure, but I don't think it's beyond saving.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I would say we can cut Tower Dominion's aesthetic. I think it is bad. It's really dumb. I love that game.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think it's dumb. Thing of the year.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I don't think it's dumb. I don't think it contends with a lot of the stuff here. That was just the one I added because that is the Biggest knock I have against that.

[Mike Mahardi]

I guess to add to that then I would say weird campaign choices in Black Ops 7 because I didn't actually play it. I just saw videos of it and I was like, that looks dumb. And then just moved on with it.

[Dan Reichert]

It doesn't seem like a great campaign anyway. But also the fact that yeah, me and Kayla like loaded it up and we're like, let's check it out. And it's like we both right away were like, there's just a million little things from like, oh, these characters have health bars. And it's all built for like multiplayer and it just, it's got like a loot system. It just doesn't feel like. Like I like the traditional Call of Duty campaigns. This felt like just a weird hodgepodge DLC mode that like just did not. It did not feel good at all.

[Mike Mahardi]

Even dumb, it's just kind of bad.

[Dan Reichert]

It just sucks. Yeah. Like everything about Black Op 7 just seemed like a total misstep. I'll just say the Mario Party Jamboree thing is insane. It's like one of those things that's like way too expensive. It's like an add on version or Switch to edition upgrade of Mario Party Jamboree which is not a great Mario Party game anyway. And it's just like separated into like, oh, you can play like the old Mario Party Jamboree but it doesn't have a resolution boost. But you can play the new Switch 2 Edition stuff here, but then your unlocks there don't go to. It's just a very weird Nintendo thing of like this package doesn't make any fucking sense. It's, it's. It's almost hard to describe how confusing is. We tried to stream it a couple times and like none of the new stuff they added is like super substantial or good or anything. And it's just, it's so confusing that like, I don't even think it's worth talking about. I just think it sucks. Like again, Lego Party, that's, that's what I go to right now. Mario Party Jamboree on Switch to is is bad.

[Mike Mahardi]

I like threw out Lost Soul aside because I was like, that was a really dumb game. I don't know if you saw much of this game, but it was absolutely like. I think it was a Sony published game as well. That was just kind of like, what, what? Or Sony helped fund it. I don't know. It's a very strange game. But I didn't really play it. I just watched footage of it and I was like, yep, that looks bad.

[Mary Kish]

Looks bad.

[Dan Reichert]

Mine's hot. What's going on there? I mean, is that even, like, dumb or is that just like a catastrophic failure?

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah, I think it's probably, it's like.

[Dan Reichert]

A Dumb is like, I think dumb is like, duh, what a dumb thing. Like, Mind's Eye was a massive waste of time and resources and, and I'm sure talent that worked at the studio, which is bad leadership. Just the final game seemed soulless and terrible. And then what? There was like, recent stuff too, where I, I think this goes into, like, larger, like, labor and layoff stuff, which isn't really what this category is about. So I don't even know. Maybe it's just that game sucks and everything surrounding it seems like it stinks, but I don't know if it's necessarily like, oh, a dumb thing, you know?

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, let me just talk about the Amiibo sound effects in Metroid. So I have a bunch of Amiibo for some fucking reason. And usually when I get a new Nintendo first party game, it's like, okay, what's the Amiibo support? And I didn't want to buy the $50 fucking Samus bike ones or anything like that, but, oh, I got these old Metroid ones. They usually like. If it's the same series, it usually does something. You go into the Amiibo scan thing and you scan the old ones and you have to go into a menu, go into the Amiibo thing, scan the Metroid amiibo and it will just play a sound effect from Metroid.

[Mike Mahardi]

Well, also on the viola, right? You can listen to a song or like some music.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't think I got that. I just literally would like.

[Mike Mahardi]

It might be specific amiibos, but that's what I heard.

[Dan Reichert]

Maybe that's the bike one or something. But like, the old ones are just like, oh, it's the, like you got an item sound that you can hear in a menu or you can just play the Metroid game and hear the Metroid sounds. It's insane. It's just so silly. Stupid. But yeah, Die Hard Man Dance. You saw that and did not like it, right?

[Mike Mahardi]

I thought it was really dumb.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. I described it to Ben Hansen and he thought it was like, oh, this seems like the bad Kojima. So maybe it's just me that likes it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

So keep it on here.

[Dan Reichert]

Then I, I, I looked at Jake for that because he didn't like it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

This is dumb thing of the year. Bad, dumb Kojima. Bad Kojima.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. But I'm saying I think he thinks it's bad.

[Mike Mahardi]

I did not like the dance.

[Dan Reichert]

Do you think it hangs on this category?

[Judge Jake Decker]

I mean, what.

[Mike Mahardi]

What's the deal with Online Lob?

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, God. We tried to play this game on Giant Bomb and it was like, okay, I think it was me Grab Monotti. It's a three on three wheelchair basketball game. Like, all right, we'll go on.

[Mike Mahardi]

We'll Dragon Drag extra.

[Dan Reichert]

Drive drag extra. Yeah, yeah. And you get thrown into a lobby with it's like 12 people or something. And I think they're trying to do like a pickup game type thing for like the online lobbies. But like, we could not team up with each other. We were like in a lobby of 12 and it just randomly put like six of us together and jumbled us up. So it was like, oh, me and Grub and Orando against Minati and two others. It's like, wait, we're three, we're in the same. Why are we not? We can't play on a team. Like, it's an online sports game and we couldn't even like party up. It just seems like there's so many baffling decisions that went into this. But key among it is like, even if the game was bad, you would think you'd be able to like play with two friends against three people. It doesn't even let you do that.

[Mary Kish]

I don't even think you need to say Drag X Drive. Nintendo multiplayer is like always notoriously so. Fucking ass.

[Dan Reichert]

Nintendo and the Internet. Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yes.

[Mike Mahardi]

But Kirby Air Riders had the best implementation of Nintendo Online multiplayer. Genuinely mind blowing.

[Dan Reichert]

Really.

[Mike Mahardi]

Which doesn't say a lot considering.

[Mary Kish]

Yes.

[Mike Mahardi]

How bad they are normally, but kind of a tangent. But like, I don't know if I just say Nintendo Online because that's a different thing.

[Mary Kish]

Well, then they messed up here again.

[Mike Mahardi]

I agree.

[Mary Kish]

I would say that's worse than it sounds. Like you like Die Hardman, so I would take that off if you like it. I like it a lot and it's not bad.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I liked it a lot. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

I mean, yeah, I'm okay with these.

[Mary Kish]

All right. And then Randy wins. Done.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Randy Pittsford.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yes.

[Dan Reichert]

Dumb bad thing of the year. It's Randy Pitchford of Gearbox. Yeah, that guy just needs to stop doing everything he's doing. All right, stop talking. Next.

[Mike Mahardi]

Next category is Best Remake and Remaster.

[Dan Reichert]

All right, nominees are Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion, Metal Gear Solid 3, Delta, Snake.

[Mary Kish]

Eater, Tony Hawk, Pro Skater 3, and.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Four Trails in the Sky, First Chapter.

[Dan Reichert]

Final Fantasy Tactics, the Ivalis Chronicles, Zelda.

[Mary Kish]

Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the kingdom. Swish. 2.

[Dan Reichert]

First question. Anyone play tactics? Yeah, I played a lot. Okay. It's on my list. I love tactics. I just haven't played it yet. Want to make sure somebody has.

[Mike Mahardi]

So I didn't play the original, so it's hard for me to, like, say, but it seems like people are pretty happy with it.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, it's a buy by getting. Yeah, I.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It. I don't know that I would go back to the. What do I have it on? It was on psp. I played the game for the first time, a PSP Classic or whatever you want to call it. And then I went to PS3.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, the War of the Lions one. Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I can't foresee going back to it in any other way now that I played this one.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. These are all really good. Boy, I know The Tony Hawk 4 stuff bothered some people that were big on the, like, more open original game. I don't know. I don't know where you guys are at with, like, Tony Hawk. I'm obsessed.

[Mike Mahardi]

I played a lot of three plus four. I. It didn't bug me.

[Dan Reichert]

It didn't bug me either. And it felt incredible. Like, the important part of those games is the feel of it. That's why Tony Hawk HD sucked. But, like, this was killer. I loved it. I love Delta Oblivion. Is anyone going to go to bat for Oblivion if we're looking for stuff to cut?

[Mike Mahardi]

So I played a lot of Oblivion Remastered. I think that's a weird one because I think there are very special things that they kept from the original that make the remaster feel just as weird and out of place and kind of awkward in a way that I really appreciate. But I also. God, I don't know. I don't even know how to talk about that, to be honest. Like, I. I think it could probably go sort of how I feel, because it is. They, like, added Sprint and, like, made the graphics better, but it is still the same janky game, which I love.

[Judge Jake Decker]

But they're like weird things.

[Mike Mahardi]

And I'm like, you could have done this too, and it would just been a little smoother, a little more interesting. Like, you could have just taken a tiny risk here.

[Mary Kish]

I think you can take out Zelda, too.

[Dan Reichert]

I was gonna say that.

[Mary Kish]

I don't. I mean it. I just don't think it did anything that informed me. Groundbreaking.

[Dan Reichert]

The important thing with those is the performance. And it is like, I did play through. Like, I'm probably gonna finish it, but I finished three of the four Shrines in Breath of the Wild again. And, you know, it's my favorite game ever. And it just plays so much better. But as far as, like, adding things, I mean, there's like the Zelda Notes app stuff, whatever.

[Mary Kish]

Like that better things on this list.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, totally. I am very glad that those remasters, not even. They're just the Switch two editions that just run better. I'm so happy they exist. It is the way to play those games now. But these other ones are more substantial. Definitely. Delta is really fun. I'm very happy Delta exists. I mean, Snake Eater is one of the best games of all time. I think it, like, got to the finals of our. Was it a Patreon thing? We did the 100 best games of all time.

[Mary Kish]

Metal Gear should stay.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. I mean, Tony Hawk's great. You know, Trails in the Sky. I think you'd be the one to talk about that.

[Mike Mahardi]

So once again, I didn't play the original. I played this one. But from what I understand and kind of like, the sentiment I've heard is that this is kind of how people wish they remade the Final Fantasy vii. It's very true to that original, but at the same time, they redid the entire art style. They redid the combat. They brought it up. They brought it up to sort of a modern audience in a way that I really appreciate, I've been really enjoying. But once again, I didn't play the original, so maybe it's not the best, but it's same thing with Final Fantasy Tactics. For me, it's just like, I didn't play the original, but I like what I played of Ivalis Chronicles and I.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Want to play more.

[Mike Mahardi]

And I didn't play the original Trails in the sky, but it seems like a very substantial rework and remake of that game.

[Dan Reichert]

Are we thinking that Metal Gear and Tony Hawk are locks and we have to decide between Trails and Tactics?

[Mike Mahardi]

Yes, sure.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. I guess I would look to Jake for that then.

[Mike Mahardi]

Oh, God.

[Dan Reichert]

You're in the same spot with both those games.

[Mary Kish]

It seems like your favorite child.

[Mike Mahardi]

I feel like I didn't play enough of Tactics to.

[Judge Jake Decker]

To.

[Mike Mahardi]

Do you feel pretty strongly about Tactics?

[Mary Kish]

People like Tactics. I think Tactics is very well received. But the most important opinion is this table.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, no, I mean, I. I love Final Fantasy Tactics was one of my favorite games of the few hours I played of IIS Chronicles. Again, it's just so much more convenient to play. And also, I think they. It was a pretty faithful job they did. I didn't play Trials in The sky.

[Dan Reichert]

Though, I will also say I think a great remake or remaster is like, you know, taking some of the biggest and best games of all time and making them more accessible to modern audiences. And I think nobody's going to deny that. Metal Gear Solid, Tony Hawk, Final Fantasy Tactics, these are like pillars. I'll be honest, I don't know what the fuck Trails in the sky is. Sure. So, like, I don't know if that's as necessary. You know, maybe that's just me. I don't know what it is, but.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah, I'm okay cutting that.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. Boy. I mean, you know, I'm a Metal Gear guy. I really like Delta. It is very, very faithful. But the visuals are so upgraded. The quality of life stuff, being able to switch camo on the fly with the D pad. It is. I'm very particular about Metal Gear Solid, and I would be the first to be skeptical of a Metal Gear project without Kojima involved. Yeah, it was clearly made with love and reverence for the original. And I don't know how you could have done it better.

[Mary Kish]

I have to guess, give you credit for this as well. This is like your expertise. And I. I have seen the. The before and afters. It looks really good. They did a great job. So I wouldn't be mad if this one. I think this is a totally fair argument. Unless anyone has like a strong argument for someone else.

[Mike Mahardi]

I will say I started up Metal Gear Solid Delta and I was like, played this game before, not that long ago. Don't need to play this. And like Alt F Ford. I played five minutes and I was like, I'm good. Don't need to. Don't need to play it. I think that's unfair. You know, I probably should have played more before I say more, but I do think, like, there is an argument that this doesn't necessarily need. Kind of like the same thing I was thinking with Oblivion, where it's like, does this really need it?

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, you say that about Tony Hawk too. Like, you know, I played Tony Hawk Pro Skater three several times a year, like since it came out, even like recently and it didn't need it. But I like the fact that it is just available and looks better for modern audiences. Easily playable on modern hardware and stuff. Like, I just think these are very important games to like, be easily playable in 2025 and beyond.

[Mary Kish]

I think it has to go to the judge.

[Mike Mahardi]

Oh, shit.

[Mary Kish]

Sorry, bud. Give us that sweet, sweet beat.

[Mike Mahardi]

That'll give me time to think.

[Dan Reichert]

Wait for the. Wait for the bongos.

[Mike Mahardi]

Foreign. Fantasy Tactics.

[Mary Kish]

He's the judge. He's the judge. He gets to make these calls.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'm playing.

[Mary Kish]

I love how Dan was like, speed seize with him, confident that that was going in his favor.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I mean.

[Dan Reichert]

But I also love Final Fantasy Tactics, so I'm not, like, mad. I'm just.

[Mary Kish]

You don't seem happy.

[Dan Reichert]

I like Metal Gear, Antonio.

[Mary Kish]

Tough shit.

[Mike Mahardi]

Okay, next category. It's not Poop. AKA Most. Okay. Game of the year.

[Dan Reichert]

Your nominees are Assassin's Creed Shadows, Mafia.

[Mary Kish]

The Old Country, Nintendo Switch to welcome.

[Dan Reichert]

Tour, Mario kart world, and borderlands 4.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I want to say one thing. I don't think any of us played Mafia the Old country. So I don't know that it's fair that it's even here.

[Mike Mahardi]

I did.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, you did? That's why it's here.

[Mike Mahardi]

I reviewed it.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Oh, weird. Have you ever met this man, your friend supposedly fucking?

[Judge Jake Decker]

I don't follow his work.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, my God.

[Dan Reichert]

Wow.

[Mary Kish]

I think Assassin's Creed Shadow should also not be on this list.

[Dan Reichert]

It's pretty good.

[Mary Kish]

I think it's pretty good. I think it's unfair. I understand we're having a bit of.

[Judge Jake Decker]

A lull, but I think on Assassin's Creed, I think.

[Mary Kish]

I think it did good for an Assassin's Creed, and I think it gets its. I think it should get its due, and I think it should be off this list.

[Mike Mahardi]

I feel like Dan has something to say.

[Dan Reichert]

I do.

[Mike Mahardi]

Oh, you. The way you were looking, I was.

[Dan Reichert]

Like, I'm just drunk.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Okay. You're still mad about that Metal Gear?

[Dan Reichert]

No.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

He.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, I. I was thinking, like, I can feel this. It' going to be either Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch to welcome Tour.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

I think Mario Kart World gets too much shit. I will agree it's not the top two Mario Karts ever, but it's not this huge disappointment. I think some people point it as I would.

[Mike Mahardi]

Okay.

[Dan Reichert]

I guess it is. It's okay. I kind of just want to play 8 Deluxe, to be honest. With its 96 circuits, 8 Deluxe is really good. And Switch to Welcome Tour is like. I don't even know what that is. Like, is that okay? Like, I don't know. Is like, Google Docs okay? Like, it's just. It's like. It's. It's barely a game, you know?

[Mary Kish]

It's barely a game.

[Dan Reichert]

I kind of liked it. I'm definitely more forgiving of welcome Tour. I kind of liked it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I liked it.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

Because it was a very weird thing. And, like, Nintendo was, like, telling you about all the features of their system in like mini games and it.

[Dan Reichert]

In a very Nintendo way. Yeah, yeah. There were many games. Like, we want to show you very specifics about how our like, rumble motors.

[Mike Mahardi]

Were trying to explain 4k with like 1:1.

[Dan Reichert]

That was awesome. There was some clever stuff in there for sure. Actually, you know what I like? I like switch to welcome tour. Take it off here.

[Mike Mahardi]

I'm for that, I guess. I don't know. You did. You didn't play it. There's no way.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, no, I'm gonna say then, because we're already at our.

[Mike Mahardi]

We're at three.

[Mary Kish]

Mario Kart was just okay.

[Judge Jake Decker]

The way you described it sounded okay. I actually, I. I think it's. I had. I liked quite a bit about Borderlands 4.

[Dan Reichert]

Wow.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think my thing with Mario Kart World is like, man, they were cooking for so long.

[Dan Reichert]

Unstoppable.

[Mike Mahardi]

We had Mario Kart 8 for like 10 years before that came out. And it's just kind of like, all right, there's an open world and there's the. To be fair, there is the cool, like, wall writing stuff, but what percentage of players actually, they don't.

[Dan Reichert]

And the open world stuff is not as much of a game. Like, when I saw that first trailer for World, I was like, this is the game changer. This is the killer app. And like, it's a very good game. But yeah, after like a 10 year wait and everything, like, what could they possibly do with the next Mario Kart? And like, it's not exactly, I think, what I wanted, so, boy, I think they could win.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Okay.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

Are we Mike Mario Kart World?

[Judge Jake Decker]

Sure.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. It hurts me to say it, but.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah, it's not poop. AKA the most okay game of the year. Runner ups are Borderlands 4 and Mafia the Old Country. But the winner is Mario Kart World.

[Mary Kish]

Great.

[Dan Reichert]

All right, next category.

[Mike Mahardi]

All right, a fan favorite. The most shout out to Deadlock.

[Dan Reichert]

Who came up with this? The only podcast I listen to. And nominees are.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Fox Mask from Silent Hill F. The.

[Dan Reichert]

Birthing Monster from Silent Hill F. The.

[Mary Kish]

Banana Thieves from Lego Party.

[Dan Reichert]

Mulgrim from the Midnight Walk, Libra from Elden Ring night rain.

[Mary Kish]

All three. All the Act 3 bosses in silksong.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Bush from Mega Bonk.

[Dan Reichert]

Fred from Look Outside Higgs From Death.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Stranding 2 Horny dude in Hades too. Did we. Is this Dionysus?

[Dan Reichert]

Is that what he's the guy with the leaf that always wants to.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It describes a lot of them though, doesn't it?

[Dan Reichert]

You guys know Matt Riddle? He looks like Matt Riddle. He's the guy that's like, oh, one. Hey, what's up? Do you want to have some wine?

[Judge Jake Decker]

Dionysus, I think.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

You want to have some?

[Judge Jake Decker]

Anyway, sorry, there's one more.

[Dan Reichert]

Dan and the cow from. Or just cow from Mario Kart.

[Mary Kish]

Is it possible, Judge Yake, for you to replace this category text with images from some of these characters? Because I think it's important.

[Dan Reichert]

That might be.

[Mary Kish]

I know I don't want to push it, but.

[Dan Reichert]

But also for the audio, Listen, some.

[Mary Kish]

Of my arguments are so based on the visual design of these characters that either all of the people in the audience are gonna have to Google them or you're gonna have to put up a quick image.

[Dan Reichert]

I think, you know, so many people will listen on audio that I think, like. Like, if you do want to see, I'd say Google. But I would say do your best to describe. I would say, like, you know, some of the more fucked up ones.

[Mike Mahardi]

Okay, well, I. I. To start out, I would say birthing monster, I think, deserves it over Fox mask from Silent Hill.

[Mary Kish]

F. Totally.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think I put fox mask on there.

[Mike Mahardi]

I put fox mask because I was like, there's got to be something in here. And then I saw you added birthing monster. I was like, oh, yeah, that's the one.

[Mary Kish]

The birthing monster is what it sounds like. It is like, literally giving birth. Birth. I think it's a classic Silent Hill. It's indicative of horrors, of birth, of children. It's crying, it's slithering, it's vile, it's bulbous, it's pussy. It's really fucking upsetting. And it does lock you in a space with it with a key. There's no way out. And if you kill just comes back. You can't actually kill it. Like, I think this is a puzzle where you have to solve it with this. With this being in your vicinity. Absolutely grotesque.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, I never even saw that video everyone saw in junior high of actual birth. And, like, everyone acted like that was horrifying. So I don't even know what that looks like. I'm sure this is worse than that, right?

[Mike Mahardi]

It's not as bad, but the real.

[Dan Reichert]

Deal is, like, probably we don't, like. I can't even imagine birth.

[Mary Kish]

And I think it does it really.

[Dan Reichert]

Why did she say that with the same cadence? I like holes.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We don't like birth.

[Mike Mahardi]

Mary Kish, 2025.

[Mary Kish]

We don't want it. I think it's a. A very clear horror for so Many people. And yeah, absolutely vile. I think it, I think personally it should remain.

[Dan Reichert]

Sorry, that sounds fucked up.

[Mike Mahardi]

There's something on here that doesn't belong. Now to be fair, I've only played this once, but the banana thieves in.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Lego Party were kind of cool.

[Dan Reichert]

No, they're not cool.

[Judge Jake Decker]

They should be cool dudes. I thought they were in that.

[Dan Reichert]

Hey, hey, hey, Mike, why don't you describe what they fucking do? What is their one thing they do? The banana thieves in Lego Party, they.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Pull up in like the penultimate round in a banana shaped boat with like 16 mufflers and they're dressed like bananas, matching the boat with sunglasses and they've got night at the Roxbury era. Cell phones the size of like the like the key cards in goldeneye poly. Dangerously then when someone rolls up and pays them 75 Lego studs, they steal from Dan.

[Dan Reichert]

They then they don't just steal it for me, Mike, what do they do?

[Judge Jake Decker]

They then call in a fleet of balloon riding monkeys in the sky, one monkey of which has a similar cell phone. Like, yeah, we got a boss. And they all just drop onto the person that you put the hit on.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, so it was me like eight times with like a fleet of monkeys falling on me.

[Judge Jake Decker]

And like, I think because like Lego's staying true to the property, they're like, well, it has to just be the monkey figs that we created in the game. But what it looks like is a bunch of the monkeys falling on the character who is in like horrified.

[Dan Reichert]

You fall on your bag, you're like, no.

[Judge Jake Decker]

And a bunch of the monkeys just kind of fall and pile on this person. Steal whatever you tell them to steal, whether it's the gold brick more often than not I would imagine, or some studs. Then they just basically like fulton recovery system back up into the sky. And the banana dude's like, all right, peace out. And then he goes to the next place to make more money, give you.

[Dan Reichert]

The gold brick that the monkeys you for.

[Mary Kish]

Cool. Yes, cool dudes.

[Judge Jake Decker]

In case I was not clear, it.

[Mary Kish]

Just in general, it does not.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, it was not a. The monkeys piling on them had more than a hint of some salacious behavior.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, it's your under a pile of monkeys that are all just like shaking and. Yeah, it's really up stress.

[Judge Jake Decker]

And then so in order to. So like to Jake's point, like the banana thieves are actually pretty fucking cool. And then. Oh, and then they have the audacity to show up to the awards ceremony.

[Dan Reichert]

They do to fucking mock you when I'M in last place. The monkeys are like, yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We know what we did.

[Dan Reichert]

It was their fault.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, they're. They're so fudgeing cool. They should have been in Cool Dudes or Badass. I don't think they would have beat out.

[Mary Kish]

I think it's funny. I think it depends on who's hiring them. Like, I don't think they belong here.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I don't either.

[Dan Reichert]

They should have been a ghost of yote. There's like a skill tree unlocked to get the banana thieves and ghost. They'll take Mon and then samurais, you don't like.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You just. They just descend on every like outpost and just wreck the samurai.

[Dan Reichert]

They do sound really cool.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, you're playing the guitar.

[Dan Reichert]

Like, I'll be honest, if they didn't just me into last place today, I'd be like, God, this is the coolest thing I've ever heard.

[Mary Kish]

I know. They got to go really fucked. Fuck.

[Judge Jake Decker]

They're not fucked fuckers. Dan's Fuck fucking for coming in fourth.

[Mary Kish]

I agree. I think I put in the Mulgram anyone who has played the Midnight Walk. If you haven't, here's my short sales pitch. This is a. I want to look.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Up Mulgren because you told us to.

[Mary Kish]

Google and Google mogram. The Midnight Walk. It's listed in the upper left corner so you can see how to spell it. This is like a claymation style game. You're in first person you're running from. I want to say it looks like a slithering slug with sharp teeth.

[Dan Reichert]

You know what it looks like to me is it looks like, you know, in the 80s they'd make these shitty horror movies and stuff. But it was all like practical effects would be like the monsters and stuff. It looks like a thing made of like rubber and like.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, that thing looks like someone thumb that was decomposing. And then I grew a nose and teeth and eyes.

[Mary Kish]

It doesn't look like it should be alive, but it is hunting you. And a huge component of this game and the reason I added it isn't just the way it looks, but it also like it's hunting you. And so you have to hide under these peaks in the game. And when you hide, even if you hide, if it saw you, it chases you and sticks its head in the hole to look for you. And having it like, like look really close, it gets really into the camera looking over and around you. Very upsetting. It's a terrifying boss. You can hear him. He's. He's slithering around. It's Nasty. And if he catches you, ah, it's genuinely upsetting to be hunted by this.

[Dan Reichert]

And this game is in VR as well, right?

[Mary Kish]

It is in VR. And I think that's like an additive skill. I did not play it in VR. I just played it on PC. I don't think you need the VR experience. I think you would probably be more. It would be an even if you were in in VR. But as a PC game, I think this is a vile, disgusting monster that hunts you. It is frightening. And he's also kind of sad. That's kind of like the additive part of it. He's not just gross. He's just this sad little mass of goo.

[Dan Reichert]

Honestly, this sounds like this sounds great for this category.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, he's nasty. So he's a good. He's a good. He is a good person for this category, I think. I don't know if he's a person. He's a good little slug.

[Dan Reichert]

I think we got a couple potential cuts here. One I don't love. Yeah. I have not seen all the Act 3 bosses in silksong. I'm sure they all suck ass in terms of just like this is just a huge pain in the ass to kill. But like, huge lumping looks like a whole ax bosses into one thing. I don't know. This seems like we got some strong options here.

[Mary Kish]

I didn't put this in there. I don't remember placing this. I think that the bosses are in Silksong are really aggro and they're very difficult. But even like the main girl that you fight at the very end, what's her name?

[Dan Reichert]

And Silksong, she's got all the clouds.

[Mary Kish]

Around her and she's tiny and white and she's got this tiny little sword and she stabs you like four times.

[Dan Reichert]

Spin or needle or pointy or something pointy.

[Mary Kish]

She's really tough. Hey, fighter.

[Judge Jake Decker]

For few times.

[Dan Reichert]

And she's jade fire.

[Mary Kish]

She's brutal. And she's not even the toughest. I just think, like, you're getting to a point where it's really stressful. I don't actually think that she's a fucked fucker, though, because that descriptor is for someone who looks. That's for someone who looks vile. I'm so thirsty. Wait, are we out of beer?

[Dan Reichert]

No, no, no.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'll go get something else.

[Mary Kish]

Anyway, I. I don't think she belongs. So let's take out the Act 3 bosses.

[Mike Mahardi]

Wait, hold on. I put that there.

[Dan Reichert]

I didn't.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, I was like, I think it Was Jake that put. Did you do Act 3?

[Mike Mahardi]

Did you complete Act 3?

[Mary Kish]

I didn't complete Act 3.

[Mike Mahardi]

Act 3 is fucking brutal. That is almost the reason I stopped playing that game. What.

[Mary Kish]

Gonna come up.

[Dan Reichert]

We wanted to come back to that.

[Mike Mahardi]

Act three is.

[Mary Kish]

Act three is fucking brutal to it. I don't think that they're fuckers.

[Mike Mahardi]

They are all fuckers except for one. There's one boss that isn't. And there's a very touching story as to why that boss is there. And I. And I like it. But all the other ones fucking. Have you done Coral Tower?

[Mary Kish]

Yes, I just finished it.

[Mike Mahardi]

Hated that shit.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, that one's really, really tough. And there's a really tough run back for it as well. So every time you lose, there's like a five minute journey to get back.

[Mike Mahardi]

To the boss and it's just, arena, arena, arena, arena. And then the boss.

[Mary Kish]

I know. But the end.

[Mike Mahardi]

I'm venting a little.

[Mary Kish]

So rewarding.

[Mike Mahardi]

I'm venting a little because that Act 3 almost broke me. Like, that almost broke me. I almost wish I didn't play through act three because of how.

[Dan Reichert]

Whoa.

[Mike Mahardi]

Much like how brutal that third act was.

[Dan Reichert]

That's like, I ended like, I got credits on 2.

[Mike Mahardi]

I wish I did.

[Dan Reichert]

And then it's like, I. I did. The first kind of like, went down. I was like, I got so many other games I need to play now. I've been playing like 60 hours of silksong. Maybe I'll come back to act three. And like, so my thoughts on Stokesong are very positive. I've heard stuff.

[Mike Mahardi]

Still very positive. But act three was such a. And they, like, I don't want to spoil things. They, like, do things to the world that also make it more of a pain to traverse in a way that I also did not like to. Act three, for me was just. I just. I felt like I was banging my head against the keyboard the entire time I was playing it. To your point, these bosses aren't like, fucked fuckers in, like a, you know, kind of way.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You know who looks like a right now?

[Dan Reichert]

I didn't say it.

[Mike Mahardi]

I'm gonna mute you.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Where.

[Judge Jake Decker]

What is this wig?

[Mike Mahardi]

What characters anyway? I just need to get that off my chest.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Mike Mahardi]

You know, I'm like, fair.

[Mary Kish]

I think it's a fair thing to.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Bring that boss you were talking about.

[Mike Mahardi]

In the end of act two.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

Not at all what I was talking about.

[Dan Reichert]

It's just.

[Mary Kish]

I'm not talking about that either. Yeah, those.

[Mike Mahardi]

Those bosses were absolutely.

[Mary Kish]

This is a fair Point. I don't think they belong in this category. I don't.

[Dan Reichert]

I. I will cut. Higgs from Destiny 2. This is stiff competition. This is Troy Baker's character, the main bad guy from Destiny 2. He's just a weird, joker, guitar player guy that, like, wants to end the world and always got a tragic backstory or something. It's. It's not the deepest character. He's fucked up, for sure. He has a guitar. He sets you on fire. A bunch of. There's better stuff in this category.

[Mary Kish]

Okay? Cow.

[Dan Reichert]

What the. Up with that? Cow. That's a good point, Right? He's riding a motorcycle. He's never. Don't even have to look up. Picture. Have you seen a cow before? Yeah. Imagine one on a motorcycle. It's up.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That sounds cool.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't know if he's. I would.

[Mary Kish]

Sounds like a cow having a good time.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't trust them.

[Mary Kish]

I think cows deserve to be able to live better lives.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I mean, that's pretty cool.

[Mary Kish]

That seems awesome.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That looks pretty awesome.

[Mary Kish]

You've lost cred.

[Dan Reichert]

All right, fine. Take the cow off.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's pretty cool.

[Mary Kish]

Weirdo.

[Dan Reichert]

Kind of.

[Judge Jake Decker]

While you guys don't have my meat rare.

[Mary Kish]

While you guys are googling Google Fred from Look Outside, this is important that I explain that this is a character that you meet when you meet him. He says, I'm a painter, and there are people trying to hurt me. You need to know I am the real Fred. Kill all the other Freds.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah. Why is Eminem there?

[Mary Kish]

The next thing you do.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I don't think that's.

[Mary Kish]

That's like, listen, you bozos.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'm listening. I'm trying to help. The next just Fred is that Fred fan art?

[Mary Kish]

So the next thing you need to know is you open a freezer, and in the freezer is a decapitated head of Fred on, like, an alien body. And the head says, I am Fred. The person you just talked to is not Fred. That person is an imposter. They cut my head off. They put me in here. I am the real Fred, and you have to help me kill that guy immediately and protect me. And then right there, your character has to make a decision of whether or not you kill the Fred you just met. That said, listen, every other Fred you're going to meet is an imposter. Something's going on. Or the guy that you met in the freezer. And that starts a cascade of decisions. As you keep going, you keep meeting more Freds, and the Freds get more and more up.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, there's Wrigley. There's Wrigley Fred. There's Tumor Fred. There's Bright Fred. There's Shadow Fred. Fred who Bites.

[Dan Reichert]

We saw an image coming out of Slim Shady.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Toxic Fred, Godhead Fred, Faceless Fred. Look at this.

[Dan Reichert]

I, I kind of think this, this seems incredible.

[Mary Kish]

It's incredible.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It's actually like eight different in one.

[Mary Kish]

He is. And it's also very the thing because the whole point of what this is setting up is somebody's lying to you and you as the character, get to decide who the real Fred is. I think this is one of the more brilliant things that happens in Look Outside, which anyone who doesn't know is a game where you. It's kind of like a point and click adventure thing. But you're, you have to solve a horror is. Is a horror experience where you can't look outside. There's an alien or some entity that's taking over the world and you're coming across these characters where something horrible is happening to them. This area of Fred is terrifying. I find it so stressful to go in each door knowing I'm going to find another Fred who's going to beg to me that they are the real Fred. And they're all disgusting, they are all vile. And it's a really cool sequence. I, I, Their art, Their art guy, like, went off the chain on this one. So hats off to this game. And Fred.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, Mary, between Fred and Mulgrim, I mean, these are two, like, slam dunks.

[Mary Kish]

I know they're both slam dunks. And I think, like, take the cow off. I can't. Yeah, I can't. I'm glad you didn't ask me. I think they both belong on here.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, they both look awesome. Awesome. Yeah. Mike, I'm with you on the bush from megabonk. That's up. Do you want to tell about the bush?

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah. So first, the first forest level in Mega Bonk. On tier one, you can come across a bush that has googly eyes that's kind of like tracking you. And then you can press X on it to like, what is it? Investigate the bush. And then all of a sudden, two feet and a sniper rifle pop out of it. Yeah. And you see bush. And then he starts chasing, chasing you. In the first tier, it's. You see red laser sights track you down and take out like, half your health with each shot that he makes. If you encounter him on later tiers, he doesn't even bother with the sniper rifle. He just chases you and kind of like Humps you across the map. It's only later you can if you upgrade a certain tome secondary item to the right level and complete Forest Tier 2, I believe or Beat the Bush, you can unlock him as a character. So that's just a little like R2D2 shaped bush with the same proportion feet running around with like guns attached. The sniper rifle attached to me like.

[Dan Reichert]

That is like the soul of a fucked fucker where it's like, you just think it's like, oh, what's this bush? I can hit X on it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It's just like, press me, press me.

[Dan Reichert]

And there's so many things in that game where it's like, oh, it's a pot. Ooh, I got some gems. It's like, oh, here's this thing. Oh, I got a nice thing. And it's like a bush I can hit X on. And then it's like hunting with a sniper.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Every world has one. There's the bandit in the desert and I forget the third one. And they're all really difficult if you do them too early. You really need to know what you're doing or you need to be confident you're at the right level. But Bush is the first one. And then it's very funny that you can then unlock Bush as a character later on. Yeah, he's a. He's a fucker.

[Dan Reichert]

It's like we can probably cut Horny. Like this is a very strong category. Now we got some real contenders. The horny dude in Hades too. Every time I get to his area, I was like, I'm just walking to this weird fuck hotel. Like you kind of ignore it. Yeah, man, I just want to take the up. Whatever you give me. I just want to clean and you know, I think it's Dionysus. It's the guy with the leaf on his dick and he's just like drunk and it's like some, some weird. Yeah, yeah, I think there's a bunch of like weird like cow people dancing around and stuff.

[Mary Kish]

Tell me about Libra.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah, well, I was gonna offer that one up as a, as a cup, but Libra I think is kind of become notorious in Night Rain for being a bit of a. He does this thing when you do an ever dark run where he summons a bunch of random people who come and fight against you.

[Mary Kish]

Right.

[Mike Mahardi]

He's a pain in the ass. But I, I don't think he's as some of these other ones.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, we got some. This is I think crazy categories.

[Mike Mahardi]

Here we go. And yeah, I think it's because it's.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. And let's keep bush boy.

[Dan Reichert]

So we got a birthing monster. We got the weird.

[Mary Kish]

These are all miserable.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. We got the bush boy. I kind of like the idea keeping bush because it's a different flavor of. Than the rest of these guys.

[Mary Kish]

I agree.

[Dan Reichert]

So what out of the like just horrific. H.R. geiger, you know, Lovecraftian, whatever. Like, can we. Which one of those can we cut?

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah, I think either birthing monster Mulgrim probably or the.

[Dan Reichert]

I like what I've seen Birthing monster sounds up, but in a way that I've seen Silent Hill be up before.

[Mary Kish]

I'm gonna. I'm gonna do something out of character and I'm gonna say the birthing monster can go because I expect expect this from Silent Hill. They. They have consistently made horrible, disgusting monsters and they've also played with like children birth before in other silent hills. This wasn't outrageous.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Residential 8 did too.

[Mary Kish]

Correct. This wasn't something where I was like, I can't believe it. I've never seen a Fred before. Where they have 10 characters that are all pretending to be Fred but only one of them is Fred and the others are monster that consumed his soul. I've never seen a Mogram which is like some kind of weird toilet slug that's found its way out and is trying to also eat you. It. These are very stressful character designs that deserve more.

[Dan Reichert]

I think. I think your description of Fred was. Yeah, what sold me on that?

[Judge Jake Decker]

And he's like eight different.

[Dan Reichert]

And I would recommend, you know, Mike looked it up and like Mary said, like, looking at it is helpful. Look up Fred from Look outside play.

[Mary Kish]

Look outside. I mean, ultimately, like, the reason we do this game of the Year showcase and we talk to you about all these games is because they're all worth playing. There's a lot of reasons to play all the games that are nominated for various reasons.

[Mike Mahardi]

Skip that one.

[Mary Kish]

People probably won't, I think naturally want to play or like expect to play. Look outside. This is an indie ass. Indie game. It might never heard of it.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

It might not tick all of your boxes, but if you're interested in scary games.

[Mike Mahardi]

Cosmic horror.

[Mary Kish]

This game is terrifying. It also has a really cool mechanic. Just very briefly, where you actually can't save unless you open a certain amount of doors. It's making you experience a certain amount of rooms before you're allowed to backtrack.

[Dan Reichert]

Go to a safe room. Like, no, that's cool.

[Mary Kish]

It's very cool. So it's designed to scare the shit out of you and they do an excellent job. So if you like to be scared.

[Mike Mahardi]

Check out Look Outside Horror Earthbound or Horror Mother three.

[Dan Reichert]

That's.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, Nightmare Fuel.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I'm told that sounds cool as hell.

[Mike Mahardi]

Okay, well, we've got it then. The most fucked fucker runner ups are Bush, Megabunk, Mogram, Midnight Walk. And the winner is Fred from Look Outside.

[Mary Kish]

All right.

[Dan Reichert]

Some heavy hitters this year for that one.

[Mary Kish]

That's cool to have Look Outside win anything. That's awesome. I'm really excited.

[Dan Reichert]

I think it's only.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

All right, next up, next up is.

[Mike Mahardi]

Best game to look at.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, this is a vision. This is like not just visual fidelity. It's everything, like artistic style, direction, color, you name it. So it's just like we keep these really vague and kind of generic intentionally to be like, well, what'd you like looking at?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. 100. And the nominees this year are Ghost of Yote, Silent Health, Kingdom Come, Deliverance 2, Death Stranding 2, Shinobi, Art of Vengeance, Keeper, Sector, Sword of the Sea.

[Judge Jake Decker]

The Midnight Walk, Claire Obscure, Expedition 33.

[Dan Reichert]

Metroid Prime 4, Luminous, arise. Ooh, Ooh. Man, I'm looking for easy cuts and it's not even that easy.

[Mary Kish]

I know. I mean, I'm gonna. I'm gonna offer up a couple. I think that Keeper is. Is really cool. I'm gonna offer it for a couple reasons. It's a really neat looking artistic style. I think it looks good. It did not play great for me on a Steam deck. Like they didn't obviously, like make sure that it played on a lot of different consoles and I think that that's a bummer. So I think that is a cut for me just because if you want it to play good, it has to play.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I have another potentially controversial cut. I think there are some really cool environments in Claire Obscure. I don't think it's the best looking game. I think it's actually pretty rough around the edges.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't think fidelity wise, it's necessarily the most pushing the polygons, but I love the design so much that like just that weird, you know, swirly Eiffel Tower. Tower. And like the design of like the guest roles and a bunch of these characters, even like the actual main party and everything. I think they all like the first major area.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You're basically in like a coral reef, but it's not underwater. Almost like it's really neat.

[Dan Reichert]

That game looks awesome.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. Like your hair is floating. Like you're underwater, but you're Running like you're not underwater. I thought that was cool.

[Dan Reichert]

And part of the reason I've never really clicked with turn based RPGs and stuff is I feel like so many of them are so trope. And it's like, all right, I got a big sword and there's a fucking castle and I can't. Whatever, I don't give a shit. This, like, I've never really seen a game where the characters and environments looked quite like this. And that is kind of why I was willing to go outside of my usual comfort zone.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, you can also. You can. You can have characters in with berets and baguettes slung over their shoulders.

[Dan Reichert]

So that's cool. Yeah, it's gonna take.

[Mary Kish]

We're gonna have to make some cuts, I think. Like, can we. If no one is opposed, let's take out Keeper.

[Mike Mahardi]

That game is so beautiful, though. Like, artistically, I think it's.

[Mary Kish]

We can't keep them all, dude.

[Mike Mahardi]

So far ahead of a lot of these other games.

[Mary Kish]

All right, all right, Tell me, Judge, I need you to throw some stuff.

[Mike Mahardi]

Out, then things Throw out. Well, okay. Lumens Arise.

[Dan Reichert]

Luminous Arise. That game, it's a great puzzle game, but part of Luminous has always been the sights and sounds. And it's just beautiful shifting. But like, if you played Tetrospect again, Luminous kind of did that before Tetris effect, where it was kind of shifting. You never knew, like, oh, this time it's apples and broccoli. And now it's shifting into like, it's taxis and ice. And, you know, it's just the way it seamlessly kind of flows in and out. But it's still kind of the same puzzle game. I don't think it's gonna hang with some of the other ones here, but it is a beautiful game and the music's fantastic. I don't think it's gonna make it.

[Mary Kish]

Okay.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think we could cut personally secretory. I think it's a really clean, vibrant looking game, but it is really not. It's like Geometry Wars.

[Mary Kish]

Beaut. Yeah, not in this category.

[Dan Reichert]

It's what I want. It's exactly what I want that game to look like. It's readable. I know what I'm doing.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Tetris effect. Even Luminous Arise almost. Or like, even Geometry wars was like, they did that.

[Dan Reichert]

I wouldn't change the thing about the way that game looks, but, like, there's ones doing more interesting things.

[Mary Kish]

I agree.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

What about Metroid Prime 4? I think you even said that in your head. It kind of Looks like Metroid prime.

[Dan Reichert]

And maybe. Yeah, it's just, I'm a mark for, you know, that Metroid prime nostalgia. But like everything is just so clean. It's the best looking Nintendo game like ever. It's just that design is. What is that shrug.

[Mary Kish]

It's just not a really good argument.

[Dan Reichert]

Damn.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Just out of nowhere.

[Mary Kish]

We're talking about Ghost of Yotai. We're talking about like these are like games that are so stunningly beautiful and you're like, of all the other Metroids, which are a bunch of stinkers, this one looks pretty like stinkers. I'm just saying, like none of them are known for their art style.

[Dan Reichert]

Metroid.

[Mary Kish]

Yes.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. Beautiful series.

[Mike Mahardi]

What are you talking about?

[Mary Kish]

This entire category is about pushing art to its limit. That's really not what Metroid is known for.

[Dan Reichert]

The.

[Mike Mahardi]

I, I, I disagree with that. But I do think with Metroid prime, like the desert in Metroid Prime 4, pretty bland.

[Dan Reichert]

You know, it's bland, it's empty. Deserts are, I will, I will say the design of Samus and just nostalgia goes a long way.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You need a shovel, dog.

[Dan Reichert]

Nostalgia goes a long way with it. It. I've been thinking a lot about my thoughts on Metroid Prime 4. A lot.

[Judge Jake Decker]

There's most up. It's, can we put Dan up? I've been thinking a lot about my thoughts on this game and I'm the pretentious one. This is how the is this, Mary? I feel like Dan's being kind of obnoxious right now.

[Mary Kish]

A little pretentious. And you won't acknowledge like it's not that Metroid. Metroid is a beautiful game. I'm not saying it's not. I'm just saying, like we're talking about category. Like this category is like about incredible visual esthetic. These really are like really pushing it. Has that Metroid Prime 4 pushed the boundaries of visual esthetics to a new level? Everyone's talking.

[Dan Reichert]

You don't think it's a beautiful esthetic?

[Mary Kish]

I don't.

[Dan Reichert]

Have you played this game?

[Mary Kish]

I've looked at it. Which is what you need to do to vote for this cast category.

[Mike Mahardi]

Best game to look at.

[Dan Reichert]

You know, this ethereal, lonely space adventure. The design of a Samus's suit and these alien worlds, everything. The Volt forge the way, like these environments look incredible. Like Metroid is a beautiful game. Has always been a beautiful game. Going back to the nes, sights, sounds. Metroid is very much known for that. And I think Metroid Prime 4 is 100% right there. It's not. I mean, it's a Switch 2 game. It's not going to hang fidelity wise or anything, but art design wise. I think it's up there with the best of them.

[Mary Kish]

Just feel like you're looking at a bunch of tunnels and doors. Oh, is it time?

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yes. He just said. I've been thinking about my thoughts about this game a lot lately.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Mary has a. Dan, I have a.

[Mary Kish]

Christmas gift for you.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, what are we doing?

[Judge Jake Decker]

She had something for you.

[Mary Kish]

Can you.

[Dan Reichert]

What is this?

[Mary Kish]

I want to be careful with our setup, but is it possible.

[Dan Reichert]

What is this?

[Mary Kish]

That camera closer.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, my God.

[Mary Kish]

Like this one. Just so that we can make sure that the audience.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Mary said, like, let me know when Dan's being the most obnoxious.

[Dan Reichert]

This is my Wendy's moment. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

You've earned. Dan, I made you something.

[Dan Reichert]

Is this.

[Mary Kish]

I made this for you. Based on who you are. To me. That means I really appreciate it if when you show this gift because it takes time for you to reveal it, that the audience gets to enjoy it too. So I'd like you to like, kind of show it like this. Is that okay?

[Judge Jake Decker]

It's not the New Yorker. That's just the reveal.

[Mary Kish]

It's not the New Yorker.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. Okay. It's this.

[Judge Jake Decker]

This.

[Dan Reichert]

Here. I got it.

[Mary Kish]

Yep.

[Dan Reichert]

What the fuck is this? A fucking KFBR 392. Okay.

[Mike Mahardi]

Looks a lot like it.

[Dan Reichert]

It's the fire escapes. I appreciate the reference.

[Mary Kish]

You're gonna love this reference.

[Dan Reichert]

Game of the year. It's the clues. Okay. All right. I don't have any problems yet.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Progressively weirder.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh.

[Judge Jake Decker]

A lot of time involved to make this.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, my.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Keep going.

[Dan Reichert]

You can't fake that. That's just a marker on a paper.

[Mary Kish]

I spent three months on this.

[Dan Reichert]

What's on the page for the audio listener? If you've seen McGruber, it's pretty much a one to one so far of the KFPR 392 pad of just shining all Jack working. No play. I'm. Jeez, I'm drunk. It's just my name a million times over in a notepad. Oh, my God.

[Mary Kish]

Da.

[Dan Reichert]

It's a. It's. Look, there's no description I can do that's going to do this justice. Right now. You should find the video version. You're almost. This is on a notebook paper with actual marker. There's no way you fake this. I can feel the marker ink. Let's.

[Mike Mahardi]

Let's get that close.

[Dan Reichert]

Mike, you want to describe that?

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, it's. It's Mary hanging from, like, what looks like a trellis, pooping on Dan or Mike Minati from Way of.

[Dan Reichert]

It's a pretty good drawing of me.

[Mary Kish]

It's a red steno. It's the exact same notebook that he made in the book.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You said, like, when Dan's being, like, very Dan, I'm gonna bust it out.

[Dan Reichert]

I unironically love this.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I know. I told her that. I was like, if you think this is gonna differ, inflate his ego.

[Dan Reichert]

No, I am putting this in there with, like, my yearbooks and that. Like, this is.

[Judge Jake Decker]

This is incredible. As soon as you said. I've been thinking a lot about my thoughts on this game.

[Mary Kish]

I've been thinking a lot about you and how much I hate and also love you.

[Dan Reichert]

Mary.

[Mary Kish]

This.

[Dan Reichert]

This is fantastic. Thank you so much. Yeah, this is incredible. Thank you.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Anyway, so cut Metro Prime.

[Dan Reichert]

Suck. Suck my ass. Suck my dick. Yes.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Everyone sucks.

[Mary Kish]

All right.

[Dan Reichert]

God damn it.

[Mike Mahardi]

Probably, like, ghost, right?

[Dan Reichert]

This is incredible. Okay. Do we really cut Metroid prime for Defend Me?

[Judge Jake Decker]

I didn't play it yet.

[Dan Reichert]

Fucking Jake. Oh.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think that series is. I think that series is purposely kind of dark, and I think when that series uses color, it's with intention, and I think that's what I said. No. Yeah, Yeah. I don't need to defend you.

[Mike Mahardi]

We don't have to cut it yet, but, like, looking at this list, I.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Already know what my winner is. I'm just trying to find the other cuts to get there.

[Mike Mahardi]

I'll throw one out there. I think, like, Kingdom Come Deliverance is a very beautiful game, and it relies on realism in a way to create its world. And I think it is stunning, but, like, it's not striking, maybe.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah. I feel like at a certain point, I appreciate how much it sticks to that, like, bohemian bohemia, the.

[Mike Mahardi]

And I've seen videos about how, like, the. The bushes and trees and how the foliage is set up that it fucking buckles. Realistic. And, like, very. And it's. It's really cool. But, like, when I play that game, I'm not like, oh, this is the most beautiful.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Was not the most striking time to be alive visually. But, like, they stuck to that for the purposes of the setting. But, yeah, they, like, researched everything down to the very, like, buckles that would have been on every belt, which is, like, not exactly what I look for in games, but it's, like, considering how much impressive. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

But I don't know. That's, like, my favorite to look at.

[Dan Reichert]

I want to cut Shinobi. I think that art style Is killer. I think certain things, like those super attacks for the dragon comes in there, like some of that just hand drawn art style is incredible. But there's a lot of areas too, in environments that are just like. I don't know, here's a big kind of like factory area. Here's just like, you know, some of the like. Sure doesn't really stand out, I think Looks great. It's a stacked category.

[Mary Kish]

It's stacked. I think we should talk about death stranding too.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, I think out of all these, that's probably the most like, holy shit. Photorealistic fidelity type, you know, like that is. But it also. It's not like it's boring, realistic. It is very surreal, otherworldly. You know, it's.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, there's parts in that game like a. There's when the. What were the characters when they were walking toward the first plategate?

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

The red.

[Dan Reichert]

All those red characters. Oh yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

The costume design, the depth. But even right at the beginning when you start off, I don't seek out photorealism in games. I actually think I'm kind of not against it, but it really does not do much for me. But early on in that first opening scene, I'm like, this looks pretty real. Those ridges you're kind of balancing along. That was one of the most stunning things ever. I don't. But to answer Mary's question, I don't think the whole game really looks that great in a way. Other open world games here look fucking stunning everywhere you look. But I do think there are moments that pop in a way that I'm like, that's unreal looking.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

There are some very, I think, purposely muddy areas in that game that are supposed to be like a quagmire that he's fighting through. But like.

[Dan Reichert]

And look, I know photorealism, like some people might find it boring or whatever, but like if you just talking about like people looking like people and looking like these act the facial animations and things like that, like the capture technology is like it's in a league of its own. You know, I think there's something to be said for that.

[Mike Mahardi]

I'd say just to kind of change. I think Silent Hill F probably doesn't hang. I think that is a very beautiful game and the way it uses color is impressive, but they're also like. Like early on you're just kind of going through the very monotone town and it's like. I know it's intentional.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

It's foggy. It's a. Yeah. Like It's a dreamlike nightmare.

[Mike Mahardi]

I don't think it hangs as much as I do like the direction and art style of it. I, I, I think like it's a.

[Mary Kish]

Category all I will concede. I think if we're at this point, I think we have to re talk about Claire Obscure.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. I would add, like someone has to.

[Mary Kish]

Be an advocate for this game at this point.

[Dan Reichert]

I, I'll just say right now I think the heavy hitters are, I think Ghost of Yote. I think that's training too. To me, those are the two leaders.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I didn't play Sword of the Sea, but from what I saw, it looks great. It looked awesome.

[Dan Reichert]

It looks awesome, but it looks awesome in the way that Journey or the other games from this developer Abzu have looked. They're stunning.

[Mary Kish]

I think it's a stunning design. I think we've seen that style before. I do love the sand and the addition of sea creatures with the sand. It looks amazing. It's funny as we keep talking about this stuff though, I'm maybe more inclined to keep Keeper than I am Sword of the Sea and that's just where we're at with this conversation. But there are games I'm gonna fight for and I'm not sure if I would fight for Sword of the Sea. It's beautiful though. Midnight Walk is also, again, it's so cool to have a claymation style game like that in today's age.

[Dan Reichert]

I think it looks awesome, especially as.

[Mary Kish]

We'Re talking about AI and just like the way that artists are making games. This game is handmade. It's, it's incredible that they've constructed this the way that they have. And all the characters, they look ridiculous and they've done such a good job creating original, disgusting characters. So at this point, at some point it's subjective and I have to let it go.

[Dan Reichert]

I'll say I think Expedition 33 is beautiful, but looking at the rest of this list, I don't know if I but it's going to hang.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think the environmental artist.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I'll be willing to like again. This is very stacked.

[Mike Mahardi]

I also, I mean Keeper, I know I fought for it, but looking at like Ghosts of Yote, I mean I, I'd say Keeper over Death Stranding, but I would too. But I mean Midnight Walk I think is one that I wouldn't want to.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, to me it's Yote, Death Stranding and Midnight Walk.

[Mary Kish]

Michael.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think the thing with Keeper though is like every single frame or shot in that game, I think you could print and put on your wall and it would look incred. Like it doesn't look like a video game in a video game way. They did this very cool watercolor style that just gives so much depth and layer to that game in a way. Like I don't think I've seen a game with that style. And like, you know, as I just said, I. I would literally print out screens from that game.

[Mary Kish]

I agree.

[Mike Mahardi]

And the way the camera is. So you don't control the camera in that game. And it's very, very intentional because every shot is just so well composed. And there is like a level of detail and perfection to how these shots are that like it's such a visually stunning game. But they don't have the motion capture that death stranding has. So, you know.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, but you put a bunch of.

[Mary Kish]

Dots on someone's face and have a 60% zoom in on someone's cheek doesn't mean that it's an amazing.

[Dan Reichert]

It's not just the technical stuff. It's like what Mike was saying about like that. That plate gate thing with like all the like cultists going in and like.

[Mike Mahardi]

I will say like the first time in death straining when you go into that like alternate reality and you fight that one guy and there's all the Ferris wheel.

[Dan Reichert]

That is maybe the most stunning looking thing if this is the best game to look at.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

I first saw that section when I was at that preview event in Japan.

[Mike Mahardi]

Let it sit there.

[Judge Jake Decker]

And I was the. The Ferris wheel and the like.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, that part's stuff, you know. I'm so glad you brought that up because when I was at the preview event, you know, there were like 30 people playing the game all on different things in the same room. And you know, I'm getting up to use the bathroom and stuff. I had food poisoning. I was my brains out at Kojima Productions.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Really?

[Dan Reichert]

Oh my. I chat so much there know about.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Well, no, I need to know that. That's crucial info.

[Dan Reichert]

It's crazy. So one of my 19 ships in the community. How much? What consistency. I would get up toilet's night and I would walk and I was taking my time and so people were getting ahead of me.

[Judge Jake Decker]

And you saw this Ferris wheel scene and then you act like your pants.

[Dan Reichert]

As a result, I had five chili dogs.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's right.

[Mary Kish]

You were healed.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh my God, the chili dogs.

[Dan Reichert]

Don't eat it.

[Mary Kish]

Chili dog is in.

[Dan Reichert]

He's in the corner.

[Mary Kish]

Skip ahead, skip ahead, skip ahead a little more.

[Dan Reichert]

So seriously, I'm walking to the bathroom and Like I would just out of the corner of my eye see all these different stations and I would just see these like spinning pinwheel like with all the like. And they were playing on. We had base PS5s at that event and I was like, what the is it? I would like be trying to look away, but I was like, that is a stunning looking sequence. And then I got to it and holy. Like, I do think that that Neil section with the fireworks and everything is maybe the best, best game to look at. I think it is like the best looking sequence I've ever seen in a.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Game that definitely really, really good.

[Mike Mahardi]

I would say like that was a moment where I was like, oh, like they like you don't even see that stuff on PC.

[Dan Reichert]

Like, like it is, it's tremendous.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Well, Judge, I think this has to go to you. I don't think I'm willing to.

[Mike Mahardi]

Oh, I'm gonna cut that stranding Yotei or Midnight Walk. So I, I think, I think, think as much as I love Keeper and Mary, that was like the first one you brought up. I, I think, I think that's.

[Mary Kish]

I'll take it. I think that's fair. I want to start this by saying I believe very firmly that the winner here is Ghost. I agree and I think it is incredible in so many ways. I don't think we should have to argue for it. If we're all in alignment, it is so unbelievable.

[Dan Reichert]

We don't have to argue, but I think we do need to give it credit of things where it's like there's obviously the fidelities is stuff like that. It's a beautiful looking game. Like the environments are incredible. The way that like oh, the snowy area, this kind of autumnal area. But then even the little things like, you know, how many maps have we looked at in open world games? And you look at the map here and just all the kind of like, you know, paint lines and stuff and just kind of the hand drawn like fortresses and things. And when you get the, the map pieces and you're trying to look at all the rivers and stuff and align it, like everything feels like this just cohesive hole in that game.

[Judge Jake Decker]

The UI is so clean, funny. And like every sword hilt you get, even if it's not the style you're going for with Atsu, it still just looks incredible with the threads around the hilt. But I don't. Every single environment I was in, the scale, the lighting, the color, use of color is up there with Assassin's Creed Origins is one of My favorite open worlds. You go into that bamboo forest in the north and it's just perfectly dark. And the way the footprints settle into the snow, they're still there when you come back.

[Dan Reichert]

The.

[Judge Jake Decker]

When you're just looking out over the coastline. The way the fog settles over it. Like, I feel like I can smell that game almost because it looks so good no matter what environment. Then you go down to the beach in the south and it's like completely different vibes. I like that. Is up there with the most beautiful games I've ever played.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

And I. Not that this is the best barometer, but I have never felt the need to go into photo mode that often. And like I actually like. When I was playing that game, I pulled up my own. My old screenshots from like a few days before. I was like, this game is fucking unreal.

[Dan Reichert]

There's that part of the late title card when you're riding the horse and you just see the mountain in the background. Stuff. Like it's rare that I'm like taking it back.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Feel like Kill Bill meets Inglorious Bastards. Me, like in the Mood for Love. It feels like Wong Kar Wai was involved with every shot of that. And the fact that you're controlling the camera and they still managed to make every single sight line that beautiful is.

[Mary Kish]

And it's a part of the design. When you choose your next mission. It's done through the flower petals in the wind. Like how nice is that? It's not an arrow. It's the wind going through the reeds that you're running through on your horse. Like, hot damn.

[Dan Reichert]

Like a lot of that. They did that in Sushima, you know, the wind and everything. But like I think they just took everything and just up a notch. They really did with like the cinematic quality of this. Like, I mean the sushi was very influenced by Kurosawa and different movies and stuff. But like I think the cinematic influence is much more obvious in the direction of this one.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

And like a lot of the quests know exactly how good looking the world is. It's like it's not Go to this place. It's. There's a very. There's an orange tree somewhere in this area. Go find it. And then you stumble upon it. I forget what kind of tree it is. It's not the ginkgo trees, but it's.

[Dan Reichert]

Like, yeah, it's gorgeous.

[Judge Jake Decker]

And then you're finding these like ice statues of a woman and her daughter everywhere. Snow statues, etc. But like, oh, then the villages like the architecture is just like, there's a lot of intricacy to every piece of wood. I that game is just also fucking costume design. Every time I got a new leaving, leaving aside the quest design which I'm sure we'll talk about later, but like every new gear set I got, I was so fucking excited to upgrade it to see what it looked like because it like, especially like the crimson kimono or whatever it was, like so many of them look unreal and just like further embrace the ninja fantasy. That game, every layer. I think that game looks incredible.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I think it's the winner.

[Mike Mahardi]

All right, I already bolded it Good. Best game to look at. Runner ups are Midnight Walk and Death Training two. But the winner is Ghost of Yote.

[Dan Reichert]

Yep. Nice. Next category is.

[Mike Mahardi]

Category is best game to listen to. Nominees are second to last before we get to gaming.

[Dan Reichert]

Jesus Christ. Okay.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Nominees are south of Midnight Keeper, Sector Luminous arise, Death Stranding 2, Hollow Knight, Silksong, Metroid Prime 4, Beyond Doom, the Dark Ages, Claire Obscure, Arc Raiders.

[Dan Reichert]

I'll cut Death Stranding. I do.

[Mary Kish]

What? The game that you've put in every category. That's crazy.

[Dan Reichert]

And I've cut a lot too. I just think like I always am annoyed whenever there's a movie or game or something and I feel like the soundtrack is like, oh, it's the creator being like, check out my eclectic taste. You know, it's like, it's why I hated Baby Driver. It's like, yeah, we get it. Edgar Wright. Like, oh yeah, we've heard the music. It's just annoying to me.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It's people trying to be special.

[Dan Reichert]

I just don't like Baby Driver as a movie. But I mean I, I think all the music industrial ending makes sense for what's happening. But it's just like, all right, we get it. Hideo, I follow your Instagram. I get it.

[Mary Kish]

You know, Keeper is better to look at than sound.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah, yeah, I, I, I agree. I think there's respectfully cool tracks, but.

[Mary Kish]

Like, like let's be real here. They can't all be winners.

[Dan Reichert]

Sector kicks ass. I mean, it might as well be Geometry wars music to me, you know, which is good for what it is.

[Mary Kish]

It's not the winner and I think we have to start like being a bit more our creators. The sound design is incredible. Is this really like our best game to listen to?

[Mike Mahardi]

Oh, well, actually so I think the thing about Arc Raiders though is that the sound design implies how you play that game. Like the sound design is so important to that game.

[Judge Jake Decker]

In my Opinion you can hear where there's gunfights going on.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah, like, like the guns sound differently so you know what people are using away you. You can hear the robots, you know which robots you're gonna have to deal with. So I think like, maybe it doesn't sound pretty as like some of these other games, but I think like the, the actual usefulness of the sound design I think is something that a lot of games don't quite get to that level.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Also the proximity chat genuinely sounds like there's an echo to it. When you're in certain size buildings that's like. It does actually kind of reverberate around bigger rooms. And then when they're in small hallways, it sounds like it's right there.

[Mike Mahardi]

Like I think, oh, hi boss. I think a good example is like Battlefield has incredible sound design, but it's like not all that useful when you're actually playing it. You know, it's just like a bunch of like just, just cacophophony.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I can't say cacophony.

[Mike Mahardi]

You know, it's just a bunch of shit happening. But in Arc Raiders it's like, it's very intentional and like every sound means something and I think that's pretty cool.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, it's not the game that I want to listen to.

[Dan Reichert]

Metroid Prime 4 has all of the good Metroid sounds that you want to hear and it has like a couple like all timer tracks. Like that Fury Green track is incredible. But overall I don't think it's gonna hang.

[Mary Kish]

It's just shocking that you like. Did you nominate this?

[Dan Reichert]

I don't know. I may have.

[Mary Kish]

You did this in Death Stranding 2, I assume, but not Hades too, which is like to listen to. Yeah. It has music in it. It has a boss dedicated to music.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, the Siren.

[Mary Kish]

You shouldn't even be here. Like, I don't really why we do what we do.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't remember any video game music.

[Mary Kish]

It's such a music oriented video game. But you didn't nominate.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't remember game music.

[Mary Kish]

South of Midnight is stunning and is set to musical tracks. So everything, the story, all the boss fights, they're all set to musical tracks. It is incredibly well done and it does deserve a nod. I would cut other things before I cut it. I think Doom. I love me some metal music and I think it is really good metal music, but I don't think it's actually the best metal music I've ever heard.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think this is the weakest of the Doom soundtracks.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I agree the first game was.

[Mary Kish]

Then there it goes.

[Dan Reichert]

Luminous. The music is a big part of the game, but I think Jacob Geller said something about how a lot of it sounds like songs that would be like royalty free on like a Netflix reality show or something. Like a. Yeah. And it's like, I think on the PSP and like it. It works for the game and everything. But like, I cannot imagine listening to any Luminous music outside of the context of Luminous. I think we can cut it.

[Mike Mahardi]

Okay.

[Dan Reichert]

Does Hollow Knight have good music?

[Mary Kish]

Hollow Knight does have good music. I think it's within the context of it. It's hilarious. I think if. If we had nominated other games, I would have been like, holy shit. Like this game. Like the music is so central to the gameplay. I don't think that's true with Hollow Knight, but I think it's incredible for world building and atmosphere.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You know what game I should have nominated for this is Ball X Pit. They've got some really fucking good songs in that. Especially the desert got stuck in my head for like six days.

[Mary Kish]

There is good music in there. I think it's like, like I think we're at the point though where I think we have to start making some like serious cuts. And I think if we're gonna fight really hard for our creators, I would keep that over, but I won't lose. Claire Obscure, which I think is just phenomenal and probably the winner. And south of Midnight, which I think put this game is about the music. The music is core to the game and then the game mechanics work around the music. That is so cool.

[Mike Mahardi]

I mean, Woodbridge didn't like the music south of Midnight. It was like too on the nose.

[Mary Kish]

Oh no. Too literal.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

Like when you're climbing the tree and it's like singing to you about climbing the tree. It's like, yep, that's what I'm doing.

[Mary Kish]

There's a body in that tree though.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah. You know, I. I get why people like it and I do think it. I think the music itself is good, but the way it's set to the game, I just. I couldn't do. But I. Music is so core to that game.

[Mary Kish]

I'll take it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We're also at a point with these.

[Dan Reichert]

Three where we're arguing.

[Mike Mahardi]

We are.

[Judge Jake Decker]

To me, it's direction and music now.

[Mike Mahardi]

Obscure.

[Dan Reichert]

I think it's very obscure.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It's got really good soundtrack score. And also the sound direction is good too for a turn based rpg. Like the noises when you're actually like connecting with a boss and it was.

[Dan Reichert]

Just like to listen to, like, great voice acting.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mary Kish]

The. The voice actors.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Unbelievably good.

[Mike Mahardi]

Except for Ben Starr.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Mary Kish]

He's amazing.

[Judge Jake Decker]

They're all so sick of hearing about this guy.

[Mike Mahardi]

Okay, best game to listen to runner ups are Arc raiders in south of Midnight. And the winner is. Clear obscure exhibition 33.

[Mary Kish]

Spill some ink.

[Mike Mahardi]

I don't know where my stone went.

[Dan Reichert]

Final.

[Mike Mahardi]

This is the final one.

[Dan Reichert]

All right. The final four.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Top ten.

[Dan Reichert]

Before we bring it down.

[Mike Mahardi]

Take a break and then top 10.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Okay, here it is.

[Mike Mahardi]

Dumbass of the Year. Parentheses, positive or negative?

[Dan Reichert]

Your nominees are. Nate from baby steps, Miles McKenzie from Metroid Prime.

[Mary Kish]

4 Void Kong from Donkey Kong Bonanza.

[Dan Reichert]

Dora of Hades 2, Doll Man, Death.

[Mary Kish]

Stranding 2 Trojo Hollow Night Silk Song.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, Yahtzee from Avowed.

[Dan Reichert]

The guest roles from Expedition 33. And Mike, you want to take this one?

[Mike Mahardi]

No.

[Mary Kish]

Randy Pitchford.

[Dan Reichert]

I. Boy, they're good ones here. I. I think Doll Man's just a cool dude.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

I think we cut Doll Man.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, he's dumbass.

[Mary Kish]

Doll Man's fine. There's.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You've seen that synchronized swim dance thing he does.

[Dan Reichert]

That's incredible. And his whole head changes.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Stupid.

[Dan Reichert]

But I love so much. Yes. Yeah. Yahtzee is more just insufferable than a dumbass. I just like, Yatsley is someone. If she was my neighbor, I would move.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's a good way to describe Yahtzee. I don't know that I get bad.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I don't know.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I get. That's the dart in the bullseye. I. Yeah, she's not great.

[Dan Reichert]

She sucks.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, God, the gesturals are so fucking good.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think they embody kind of dumb.

[Judge Jake Decker]

There's such little fucking shit. And they're like. But they're such. They're.

[Dan Reichert]

They're.

[Judge Jake Decker]

They're so quick to talk, even though they're like a quarter of your size. Like, ah, you can't draw villains. Are you fat or something?

[Dan Reichert]

He's really good at this. Boss is getting the out.

[Mary Kish]

He's had enough.

[Judge Jake Decker]

See, he's like, this is a dumbass. Good. I gotta leave.

[Dan Reichert]

Really good.

[Mary Kish]

Unbelievably French.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, they're.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, they're so fun. I love that.

[Dan Reichert]

In the same bane as Yatsley, the ghost from Hades 2. Dora, I think again, insufferable. I don't think it's a dumbass. She's just like. You're just. I just hate talking to you.

[Judge Jake Decker]

She's the. I'm trying to think. I feel like they go A bit too, like Manic Pixie dream girl with.

[Dan Reichert]

Her, it's just too Gen Z. Just, I hate you. And now I'm sweet and like, oh, you know, I just hate that I don't spoil it. But what do you think?

[Mike Mahardi]

Think the twist for Dora is a chaotic character named Dora.

[Mary Kish]

She's an explorer.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I don't know Dora.

[Mike Mahardi]

Like, oh, God, I don't want to spoil it because people haven't done it.

[Dan Reichert]

But.

[Mike Mahardi]

But like, immediately I met this character and I was like, okay, they are doing this thing. It's this. This character in mythology or whatever. And it's just like, yeah, okay, Dora.

[Mary Kish]

You saw it. You saw it coming.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yes. And to the point where I was like, that's such low hanging fruit. But maybe it's. There's a box involved too much. But I was just like, okay, okay.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, she sucks. Boy, Boyd Kong is a dumbass.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think he's really funny.

[Dan Reichert]

I think he's a lady, but he's a dumbass. And it's also the way he's just.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Got spikes all over the world that you then destroy and you just.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, also it's so fucking funny. Again, we're spoiling it's game of the year. But the fact that, like, he's built is like, I'm the bad guy in this game. I'm Void Kong. And then like near the end, the of King K rules comes like, you. Yeah. Out of here. It's like, you suck.

[Judge Jake Decker]

He's just plugging up holes all over the world.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes. Yeah. I love that boy.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Miles McKenzie sounds like an actual. Like anybody says booyah.

[Dan Reichert]

He. What? I don't mind him. Like, I mean, yeah, there's that the. When you first meet him, he's annoying. And then it's just like, he's just a nerdy guy that upgrades your arm.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Well, maybe we. That maybe we caught him.

[Dan Reichert]

Then I think we cut him. It's just like, he's totally.

[Mary Kish]

You have to feel strongly about these or either direction or they have to go.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think. I think Trobbio is a very good.

[Dan Reichert]

Trobio is awesome. He's a dumbass.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Just a super cocky guy who sings his own name and like, yeah, he's great.

[Mary Kish]

I think he's kind of built this aura and he has a stage and there's all this text about him. I actually think Trobio is perfect for this list, so I think he should stay Nate. I don't feel super strongly about Nate, positive or negative, but he is a dumbass.

[Dan Reichert]

He. That's the thing is, like, he is super. Purely a dumbass.

[Mary Kish]

Turns down a map, turns down help.

[Dan Reichert]

Doesn'T want Just lives with his parents and just sits around his dirty pajamas. And, you know, it's like, yeah, you just. You suck. You're a dumbass. You know, Like, I don't know, but it's not like, positive or negative. It's just like, dumbass. This is just a dumb dude neutral. Yeah, yeah. Where's like, some of these are lovable dumbasses or. You're so dumb, it's notable, you know?

[Mike Mahardi]

Who are you thinking with that, Nate?

[Mary Kish]

Like, removing.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I just don't. I don't think it's positive or negative. I think he just sucks.

[Mary Kish]

He does suck.

[Mike Mahardi]

We gotta cut one more.

[Mary Kish]

We gotta cut. I want to keep Trojo. I feel strongly about that.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think the gesturals are hard. I think this is a tough one.

[Dan Reichert]

This is tough. We got Void Kong, Trobio, the Gestrals, and Randy Pitchford of Gearbox the Human man. That exists.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Gesturals. After you beat. After you beat the first soccer Patot, they're like, oh, my God, we up. We didn't build it correctly. That's like. They're literally good dumbasses. They're so funny. They're just basically, like, cooler. What are the things you.

[Dan Reichert]

You.

[Judge Jake Decker]

The seeds you get from Breath of the Wild? Oh, they're like koroks, but funny.

[Dan Reichert]

I will say Randy already won. He won dumb thing of the year. Bad. I think we can cut Randy.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Congrats to Randy.

[Mary Kish]

Cut him.

[Dan Reichert]

And so it's Void Con Tropium Gastro. God, Mike, I think we need to.

[Mary Kish]

Do another Gestral impression to really seal the deal.

[Dan Reichert]

All right, Gestral, tell us why you should win. Because we are the prime defenders of.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Our village and we don't need the soccer path. We will defend our own pride and our honor. And you with your stupid paintings and your stupid endings and multiple endings to this game. I don't care about that. We will you up.

[Mary Kish]

Gestural.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I think.

[Judge Jake Decker]

All right.

[Mike Mahardi]

Dumbass of the year Runner ups are Void Kong Trojo. But the winner is the guest, the gesturals from Expedition 32.

[Dan Reichert]

Hell, yeah. It's time to figure out the top 10 games of 2025. We have a blank Gulak in front of us. We are Fire Escape. We are Dan, Mike, Mary, and Jake. And this is it. After 24 categories, it is down to this. What are you laughing at?

[Judge Jake Decker]

I was trying to move the pages.

[Dan Reichert]

It wouldn't Move. No, because we don't have anything below this. We got to fill it out. Judge Jake, the cool Judge Jake over there will be the one filling this out as we populate this list, cut things off, and then order the final top 10 of the year. I guess it's time we start naming stuff. Let's hit the obvious ones.

[Mary Kish]

Wait, when we do, like, circle that way, one person isn't naming six games.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. Fair. Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Okay. I'm not gonna just go out of order a bit.

[Dan Reichert]

I'll say. Blueprints had these two.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Okay, let's give him time.

[Dan Reichert]

Go faster, faster, faster.

[Mike Mahardi]

Wait, Hades too? Okay. Also, I have to fix the font.

[Dan Reichert]

Because it's so Roman numeral, too.

[Mary Kish]

Let me know when you're ready, Judge.

[Dan Reichert]

He looks like a damned fool.

[Judge Jake Decker]

He looks like a audio listener.

[Dan Reichert]

He's got a damn Donkey Kong. I bet.

[Mary Kish]

All right, Expedition 33.

[Mike Mahardi]

I'm gonna put Silent Hill F. Okay.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Monster Train 2.

[Dan Reichert]

Ghost of Yote.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Thinking and chewing.

[Mary Kish]

And chewing.

[Dan Reichert]

Shinobi. Art of vengeance.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Hollow knight. Silk song.

[Mike Mahardi]

Arc Raiders.

[Judge Jake Decker]

If you're gonna do shinobi, I will.

[Dan Reichert]

You don't know what I'm doing.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Megab.

[Dan Reichert]

Sectori.

[Mary Kish]

Randy Pitchford, You can skip. I'm thinking Shinobi.

[Dan Reichert]

Art of Vengeance.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

I'm going to do Ooh.

[Mary Kish]

For Game of the Year.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

All right, bud.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Throwing shit out there. I felt what you said.

[Mary Kish]

Hollow Knight said, okay.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, I'm difficult, and I make people's lives more meaningful. Sorry I'm wasting all my good arguments.

[Mary Kish]

I use all my impressions to help me get through my bad arguments.

[Judge Jake Decker]

The Woswee beads are a metaphor for religion.

[Mary Kish]

Not religious.

[Judge Jake Decker]

What do we have here? Oh, you already said Hades, too. Trying to think of mine. Now I'm getting into my, like, five to Tens Battlefield six.

[Dan Reichert]

Donkey Kong Bonanza. Thank you, Peak.

[Mike Mahardi]

Really?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

It doesn't feel good, does it?

[Dan Reichert]

Says man in Donkey Kong hat.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, negative aura.

[Mike Mahardi]

You know what? I'm muting you.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Night Rain.

[Mary Kish]

At some point. Yeah, start looking. Because at some point, if you're just saying games, we're wasting.

[Dan Reichert]

I got obvious.

[Mike Mahardi]

I have not not ventured outside my list.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I haven't. I'm trying to now. I'm just trying to remember.

[Dan Reichert]

I think now we just yell it. Obviously. Death. Training two.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, yeah. That's Training two. Metroid's not on there yet either, right? I'm assuming you want it there.

[Mary Kish]

Someone said art. Yeah. Our creators is on there.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Lego party.

[Dan Reichert]

Did we get our creators?

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah, we got our creators. I think all of My favorites are here.

[Mary Kish]

I think the ones where I know they can. They have a chance are on there.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm checking mine. I think most. My big ones are on here. We got blueprints. Yeah, the first one. Yeah, that seems pretty strong.

[Mary Kish]

Let me. Nothing's popping out and make sure. Yeah. Speak now or forever hold your peace. We have shinobi. Okay.

[Mike Mahardi]

So we have 19 right now.

[Mary Kish]

Avowed.

[Dan Reichert]

I loved it.

[Mary Kish]

You would have to argue for it. This is a damage.

[Dan Reichert]

I'll look at my kind of loose list right now.

[Mary Kish]

If it's not on your top 10, I don't want you to say.

[Dan Reichert]

That's the thing. I know. Don't even even know right now. It's at my, like, loose 16.

[Mary Kish]

Don't put it on there.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Okay.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Mike Mahardi]

Okay.

[Mary Kish]

You know what I mean?

[Judge Jake Decker]

If we're struggling, then find something. Maybe that's a good sign or like, a sign that we.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I mean, like, Luminous is, like, close to my top 10, but I'm. I know I'd be the only one, and it's not even definitely on my top 10. So. Mario Kart World's not going to make it. You were saying Fortnite should make it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, the Out Foxies came out earlier this year.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, we did talk about. That was really. That was a really good one for the outboxes. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think Pipestrello will make it. I don't think Guns of Fury will make it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Keeper. Do you guys want Keeper?

[Mary Kish]

I don't think it's gonna make it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, but I mean, like, do you still, like, do you still think it's. It could get, like, number 10?

[Mary Kish]

I don't think it will get top 10.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Okay.

[Mary Kish]

That is how I feel. I like that game. I. I like that game. I do not think it's top 10. I don't think doom is top 10. I don't think will world is top 10. Midnight walk is not top 10. There's a lot that I like.

[Mike Mahardi]

I'm like, it's a good year, man.

[Mary Kish]

I know. It's a great year.

[Dan Reichert]

This is good.

[Mary Kish]

We're being tough because it was. These are. These are hot contendees, and I just don't think we're probably going to get them in. And I want to respect everybody's.

[Dan Reichert]

It's the best year since we started doing this podcast. Like, I look back at my top tens of every year and. And usually, like, there. There are years where it's like, the 1, 2, and 3 I feel strongly about, and the rest is, like, that was Fine. This is the first time I've ever wanted to do a top 20 list.

[Mary Kish]

Reduce the font so people can see all the games on here.

[Mike Mahardi]

Because people are like, yeah, I. I'm struggling with that because it's gonna be tough to read, too.

[Mary Kish]

So small.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Maybe go half a size for now and then.

[Mary Kish]

I think it's on Dora.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

No, I'm. I'm scrolling.

[Mary Kish]

I'm running out of funyuns.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm worried. 16 more cookies.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, my God.

[Mary Kish]

We're so blessed.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Give her the crunchiest food. I love it. It's the best thing I've ever.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, my.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I getting right here. I don't need to hear. That's fine. It's not triggering me.

[Mike Mahardi]

It's pretty small, but they're all there. We do have 20 here. I think that's probably a good place to start. To start, you know, chopping this down a little.

[Dan Reichert]

I'll be realistic. Lego Party is probably gonna be in my top 10.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. Bless you for even trying.

[Dan Reichert]

No, I'm not even trying. I'm cutting it. Literally the first cut.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah. So is that what we're doing? We're trying to find 10 to cut? Cut.

[Dan Reichert]

We need to just cut. I know. Lego Party is not going to make it.

[Mary Kish]

Let us not make strong arguments for why Clear obscure should be on here.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We know that's going to make it Battlefield 6. I've had some great times with that. I think it is a really, really strong course correction for the series. I don't think I'm going to get in the top 10 here as a group, but I've had tons of fun with that game this year. You've been sitting on the fence because you liked 3 and 4 or even Battlefield 1 and been wanting to go back. This.

[Dan Reichert]

This.

[Judge Jake Decker]

This is the time.

[Mike Mahardi]

I'll. I'll offer up Night Rain. That is a game that I played the hell of but. Or the hell out of. But I think it's just me.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'll offer up out Foxies because it came out in, like, 19.

[Dan Reichert]

Hang on. I don't know. Not yet. I am very impressed with what I saw of Ooh Today, and I definitely want to play it. I just don't know in such a stacked year if that's a realistic top 10, especially when you know most of us and not played it before today.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I would ask Jake because I recency bias and the fact I've never played. I just watched Mary play it today. Like, do you think you would. Do you think you would have ammunition for it? To be in the top 10.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think it's a brilliantly designed game. I don't think we cut it yet, but I think it's probably, like. If there's some impassioned arguments for other games, then I think it's.

[Mary Kish]

I would like to hear an impassioned argument for DK Bonanza. I'm not saying it's not good.

[Mike Mahardi]

I'm just saying it's impression.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Let's go. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

Let's hear it. Right?

[Judge Jake Decker]

He's dressed like dog.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah. Couldn't finish it because I thought.

[Mary Kish]

Is it better than O.

[Dan Reichert]

You thought DK Banana was boring.

[Mike Mahardi]

It was not what you said.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You burnt out because you were trying to get every single thing in it. That's not.

[Mike Mahardi]

That's. I did myself in. I got. I got halfway through, and I was like, I can't play this game anymore.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, we got Kayla, my sister, in the chat saying she does not see Dynasty warriors origins. Is that a. Did we make a mistake?

[Judge Jake Decker]

Ah, sorry.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't think.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, that's too late.

[Dan Reichert]

It's too late. We already locked it in. Yeah. Weird.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Boy. I didn't think we'd have to argue to get.

[Mike Mahardi]

I will say Donkey Kong Bonanza is definitely in my top 10.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Yeah. It's definitely, definitely in my top 10. Yes. I don't think we need that. That's not on the. The cutting board yet. Cutting board. Is that the phrase? Yes. Chopping.

[Mary Kish]

Chopping.

[Dan Reichert]

Chopping block. Cutting board.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Cutting board.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. True. Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

If you're making fancy.

[Dan Reichert]

Myself on one. Yeah. This is gonna be tough.

[Mike Mahardi]

O.

[Dan Reichert]

Peak.

[Mary Kish]

I think that that has a lot of merit to be on this top 10 for how much work it did this year in terms of games to play with Friends. I think it was one of the. This is for us. I just want to say, like, culturally, this is, like, a very important game that was significant in terms of sales. Consistent players, like, people played this game because it's funny, it's entertaining, and it's goddamn good. And I played it a lot. I played this almost every weekend for, like, a couple of months. I'll fight for peak.

[Dan Reichert]

Let's do this. The stuff we've crossed out, let's go ahead and move it down into another zone there and get it off the even.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Start the section.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Another area, man.

[Mike Mahardi]

After we do this, I would be curious to hear everyone's, like, top three, because I think even that's gonna be wildly different.

[Judge Jake Decker]

This is the least certain I've been about my top five. Like, maybe since we started doing the podcast. It's just gonna come down to who I'm most annoyed with and then let's.

[Dan Reichert]

Joking. I. I think Monster Train 2 is a tremendously designed game. I feel like no one here, like, is against it or anything like that. But did who here, like, really dove in and played a ton of it? Mike? Yeah, I played a lot.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I unlocked every faction.

[Dan Reichert]

I played maybe 10 hours of it and I thought it was very, very good things. I don't. I really don't like the art style of that game.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I don't either.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. But it is a very smart game. Great Steam deck game.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It's one of my favorite deck builders and I'm not even a deck builder person. But, like, as a roguelite, as a deck builder, as a strategy game, I think it's incredibly smart. I think it's.

[Dan Reichert]

It definitely is.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's one of the games on this list I've thought the most about when I wasn't playing it. I. The knocks against it. I think they tried way too hard to force story into it. There's like cutscenes between the stuff, which I did not need, they did not do in the first game. I don't know why they felt the need to do that here, but I still think that is absolutely. Like, if you're. That is a much better. What is the game Climbing the tower that they started that deck builder roguelite genre.

[Mike Mahardi]

Slay the Spire.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Slay the Spire. Thank you. I think it's a much, much better Slay the Spire. As much as I like Slay the Spire, but I think that's the best version of a Slay the Spire so far that I've played.

[Dan Reichert]

Do you think it makes top 10?

[Judge Jake Decker]

It's very. It's definitely in my top 10.

[Dan Reichert]

But I mean, the group. I don't know how big this list is right now.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah. But I can't, like, I'm probably number.

[Dan Reichert]

Two in terms of liking it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, I think it should stay in there. But, like, I. I'm gonna keep it in there. I want to keep it in there just because, like, only we played it. It's. It's against.

[Mary Kish]

I. I think, like, we have to talk about the group here. Not enough of us have played Metroid Prime 4 for this to be a hot contender.

[Dan Reichert]

I realize that. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

I. I like Metroid Prime. I haven't finished it, but it is my, like, number 10 and I could see it moving up, but right now, having.

[Dan Reichert]

Not right now, it's in my top three. Oh, wow. I mean, I Love it. I mean, there's a chance it's my.

[Mike Mahardi]

Number one and I cut it.

[Dan Reichert]

So. Yeah, I mean, there's a chance. Prime four is my number one.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Night Rain was your one.

[Dan Reichert]

Was it? Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

I mean, most days it is.

[Dan Reichert]

But I mean, yeah, like, Jake, I feel like you're the one who's playing it the most. Like you're actively playing it here. And I think it's very good.

[Mike Mahardi]

Like, I'm super into it and I cannot wait to play more in.

[Judge Jake Decker]

In. In the interest of progress, can we put Monster Train 2 at like, top Runner up? Just so I, like, know I could potentially get it back in if I don't hear better arguments down the line. Because I really love that game. But I don't think I don't see any others here that we're going to obviously cut as a group right now.

[Dan Reichert]

I want to argue something here. As cool as elements of. Of Arc Raiders are.

[Mary Kish]

Wow.

[Dan Reichert]

Is the game itself because, like, as an extraction shooter and extraction shooter, again, I'm not an expert in the genre, but it's all about the loot and everything. Honestly, every time I get back and I'm in the menus, I'm just looking at 400 wires and rubber parts and plastic parts and I'm just trying to like clear out my inventory and selling to one of five different shopkeepers and stuff. Like, I don't think the loot stuff is exciting at all.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You know what also is not that great in this third person shooter is the shooting.

[Dan Reichert]

That's fine. No, it's not targeting on the drones. And like, I agree with you, Helldiver.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Or Helldivers too, I think is if we're talking like third person shooter had became my bar. I don't think the shooting is good in our crater. I tolerate it because I love playing with the people I'm playing with.

[Mike Mahardi]

I. I like it. But I. But I am with you in that. Like, my least favorite part of that game is when I get back to base and I'm like, oh, my inventory is full. And now I have to like.

[Judge Jake Decker]

But that's extraction shooters. I would say say. But like, going beyond that, I would say the UI here actually has numerous problems where it's like not nearly that easy to be able to junk stuff as a group.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Move things around and remember workbench and which shopkeeper and everything. It's just like, it's a messy thing for a game that is so much about your, you know, the loot and what you have. And we need to Sell and what you need to craft and everything. It's like, it's laborious to do any of that.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yes.

[Mike Mahardi]

The way I've described this game though is like, like the highs are so high and the lows are pretty low. But like, I think Battlefield is like, you know, it's consistent. We already cut it, but it's like Battlefield. Consistently fun, but I've never been like, like, I don't remember anything I've done in Battlefield, but I remember these moments in Arc Raiders more than I remember, like, moments.

[Mary Kish]

Brilliant extraction shooter and it has like, evolved the genre tremendously. And I think it's, it is so important to gaming. When we're talking about the evolution of what we want games to be and what they can be. It is a very important game. I think we have to put that into account. If we're reordering things. You can make it lower, but I would put that above Death Stranding too.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Fuck yeah, I would.

[Dan Reichert]

It is tough when you're the one.

[Mary Kish]

Person that, like, go ahead and do it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You know, I, I, I played, I think 40 hours of that game. I like that game quite a bit. I still think at its heart it is a fine AAA open world game with really cool tools surrounding it.

[Dan Reichert]

A fine, open world AAA game. It is like Horizon, same engine. It's that boring game. Death Stranding 2 is far from boring.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'm going, I'm sneaking around with mediocre stealth around these bases. And then when like it opens up, it's fine shooting over the shoulder. And then I'm like, there's really cool tools. They clearly had a lot of good micro ideas. But overall, like, you're immediately getting like, I, I immediately felt like I. Horizon, Forbidden West's outposts.

[Dan Reichert]

It's so much more interesting than Horizon's ever been.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

But I'm also, I'm, I'm doing the like, calculus now of like. Okay. I love desk training too. It's high up on my list. I don't feel like any of you love this game. Nobody here beat it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

So I like it a lot. I should beat it almost eight hours and didn't finish that game. I think it's good, but I just.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm wondering how realistic it is for me to get it on top.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You guys know we've, you've, you've read my brilliant thesis about my turnaround with Director's Cut for the first game. Yes. For two, it. I genuinely don't feel like anybody, Kojima himself was like, thinking, does this actually fit in this game and I. We can stand him all day. I love his shit. Some of my favorite games of all time, Metal Gear Solid three included, are came from his mind. Like, I love so many things this guy has done, but like it only like Dan, you mentioned gimmicks all the time. This game is just a collection of like hundreds of gimmicks.

[Dan Reichert]

I love gimmicks.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I know I don't want to make.

[Dan Reichert]

That very clear and I like it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

So I, if my problem is, I think if any other studio tried to like have this doll that was doing around synchronized swimming in water, we'd be like, this is fucking stupid. It doesn't make sense. But because it's Kojima we like. I love this. It's the best thing. Like this game's real good, but it.

[Dan Reichert]

Fits in that world. I mean, if Doll man was really lasting us, I would think it was stupid.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You know, I really don't think it fits in this world. I don't think, I don't think this world has an identity. I think the first game had a clear, cogent, mysterious, powerful identity. And two is just a collection. It's, it feels like the whiteboard in the first pre production meeting and they're like, great, now go make this.

[Dan Reichert]

God, I feel like two is better than one in every conceivable way.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's, that's bananas.

[Dan Reichert]

Two. Two makes one look like a tech demo.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Bananas. That's, it's every.

[Dan Reichert]

What, what possible thing is better in one than two?

[Judge Jake Decker]

It feels like an, like an actual game that, that people got together to make that made sense in any way.

[Dan Reichert]

You're saying that about Death Stranding one.

[Judge Jake Decker]

First game compared to two? I'm gonna surf around a coffin and then I'm gonna fucking dip people into tar and then I'm gonna use a rocket launcher.

[Dan Reichert]

Have you played Death Stranding 1?

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yes, I've played it a lot and it has way more fucking like actual purposeful design behind it. There's pacing to it. It's not just automatically dude. Like, I swear to God, if you put, put Horizon, Forbidden west up against Death Stranding 2, the actual things you're doing are exactly the same. You're just using different tools to do it.

[Dan Reichert]

Wow. I, I, I agree with everything that's what I'm saying. Like I, I could go into a whole thing, but I don't think it's worth it because I, I don't think there's anything I could possibly say right now that would get Destroying two on this topic.

[Mike Mahardi]

Destroying One Twice. The first time I didn't love it, but I still played through it. The second time, I really enjoyed it. And I think it's because I bought into that vision in a way that kind of surprised me because I felt like there was a cohesive direction this game was going. And two is just like, okay. It just turns into an open world game where I'm like. Except I'm carrying a bunch of boxes and I'm shooting people, you know, Like, I feel like it lost some of the thing that made Death Stranding 2 unique.

[Judge Jake Decker]

The one unique. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

Death Stranding 1 unique. And I think, like speaking on Kojima being like, well, people liked the preview too much, so I gotta make it bad now. Death Stranding 1 felt like it was.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, he was too positive in my preview.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

In Death Stranding 1 where it was very like divisive and Death Straining 2 felt like he like. Like that felt very fake. It was like, okay, well, too many people like it. So my boy Nicholas winning refn half his moves fucking suck.

[Judge Jake Decker]

So I want more than half.

[Dan Reichert]

Pretty much all of them. But drive, right?

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Squad. I like Pusher Trilogy and Valhalla, but like, I really do like that game Again, I. It's almost like a number 10 for me, but it's right on the cusp. I don't.

[Dan Reichert]

Look, I don't think it's making our top 10. I'm not willing to have it be cut yet.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think two of us just had an impassioned argument against it. I don't think Mary's gonna fight for it.

[Dan Reichert]

You don't know.

[Mary Kish]

Move it on down.

[Judge Jake Decker]

She suggested that we cut it.

[Mary Kish]

I think it should be below my Monster Hunter Monster Train too. And I think we should just see how we feel.

[Dan Reichert]

Can we test the little alt shift? Up, down.

[Mary Kish]

Does that work all the way down? Yeah, down.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, yeah, look at that. Oh, that's a good stuff.

[Mary Kish]

And then cross.

[Dan Reichert]

No, put it up. Yeah, yeah. Not yet. Not yet, not yet, not yet. Let me ask this, Jake. Like, where would generally OO be on your top?

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'm pretty low.

[Mike Mahardi]

It's above death strings for sure.

[Dan Reichert]

Death rating is pretty high on mine.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, put it. There you go.

[Dan Reichert]

15.

[Mary Kish]

I think that's fair.

[Dan Reichert]

Death Stranding 2 is pretty high on mine. Mike likes it a decent amount, I think. Ooh. Seems very cool. I like what I've seen. I want to play it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

What I saw of OOH today felt like more of a. More of a well designed game than death rating 2, which I like despite.

[Dan Reichert]

Its 1 to 1, same type of game.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'm gonna write a review about death raining two director's car and it's gonna be sick. And then I'll go back to. And we'll annoy Mary by saying it was the best game that came out that year. It'll get its time to sun Silent Hill. F. Jake, I asked you if I should play that and you told me that it's great, but the gameplay itself sucks.

[Mike Mahardi]

The gameplay is not great. Like, that is something that it. It's hard to get around. And I've heard arguments like, oh, it's intentional, you know, like, gameplay is bad for a reason, you know, and, oh, I've heard.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I gotta play that.

[Mike Mahardi]

Silent Hill fans are something else.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, yeah, they are, to be fair.

[Dan Reichert]

And I.

[Mike Mahardi]

And I'm sure there's.

[Dan Reichert]

They are.

[Mike Mahardi]

I'm sure there's some in the chat and they're not happy. But like, I. I do think the story, the themes, the direction, all that really elevates that game, like, so far beyond its gameplay. And I don't think the gameplay is terrible. Like, it's not awful, it's not unplayable, but it is not like it. You want to. You played it too. Don't put this all on me.

[Mary Kish]

I actually think the gameplay is pretty, pretty good. And I've. I enjoyed the puzzle design and the puzzle design is quite good. I think it puts you in these tremendously terrifying situations. And, you know, we're at this point where we have to start putting it on a list. Right. Like, how high is it? And I think it's too high.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. We gotta start kind of finessing it a little.

[Mary Kish]

What I would like us to start thinking about is what's in your top 10. Right. Like donkey Kong Bonanza is not in our top 10. Then I would. Well, get used to it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Donkey Kong Bonanza absolutely deserves to be in our top.

[Dan Reichert]

Not in it. That's put together.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Like, no, Donkey Kong Bo is like, in my top four games.

[Mary Kish]

That's what we're doing. This is what we're talking about.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Donkey Kong Bananza moving up like six spaces of these.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think it. It's above Arc Raiders at least.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes, of course.

[Mary Kish]

I think that that's fair.

[Dan Reichert]

You're so measured.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You're so measured.

[Mary Kish]

And I think Silent Hill. But. But are we pushing out Mega Bonk or Sector? These are the.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We're talking about.

[Dan Reichert]

We haven't even talked about him.

[Mike Mahardi]

We're just trying to trim it down and then we're going to rank.

[Mary Kish]

I'm just talking about moving around.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think deserves the.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's what I was asking. I didn't. I don't have any strong things against it.

[Mary Kish]

Ghost of Yote has to be talked about.

[Dan Reichert]

Is going to be very high. I think.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think Go See Yote is one of the best games that came out this year. Like, do you want to talk about it now or. I. I'm.

[Dan Reichert]

I think there's going to be a conversation about Yote later. I think for sure. Go See Otay will be, like, high up on our list. I don't think we need to. I think now we need to focus on the ones that might be on the bubble.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. That's what. Yeah. Okay.

[Dan Reichert]

And Yote is not that.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I don't think Yote will be okay.

[Mary Kish]

Shinobi is on the bubble. Sector. Is on the bubble.

[Dan Reichert]

Sector.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I will say I think sectori is a great game. Well crafted. I love a lot what they're doing. Combining that, like, geometry wars with vampire survivors with just generally like that Tetris effect flow staking.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't really see the van. I've heard several people bring up vampire survivors. I don't really see that.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Just because you're. You're killing enemies and you're collecting the glimmer to. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not saying it's heavily inspired. I'm just saying it's a.

[Dan Reichert]

It's not a shooter. I mean, it's. Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Correct. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

But I guess. Guess I. Oh, sorry. One game that's not on here. Well, I guess Ball X Pit. Is anybody gonna. Also. I. I really. That was one of my favorite.

[Dan Reichert]

I think it's good.

[Mary Kish]

But I actually would fight for Sector or Mega Bonk more.

[Dan Reichert]

I would too. And.

[Mary Kish]

And we're getting to the point where, like, it's not gonna.

[Dan Reichert]

We're not gonna get it with those. I think Ball.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think it's gonna make it.

[Dan Reichert]

I think B has too many big flaws.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think the building to cut it.

[Mike Mahardi]

But I feel good.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Bollocks. Pit was my. In my top five.

[Mary Kish]

But I. But if you were to ask me, like, which one should hit in the top 10, I would. I would fight for Sector Mega Bunk more.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think Recency bias. I think. I think. I think recency bias is heavily affecting Sector.

[Mary Kish]

I agree too.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I don't think we're gonna talk about Sector in six months. At the moment.

[Dan Reichert]

I might be. I don't know.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I don't know if I can get.

[Dan Reichert]

Up to Grubs level on the leaderboard.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Is that game is such recency bias. I think it's great. I think it's well made. I think it's visually stunning, But I truly don't see all. Like, all of house Mark's games. I think the best housemark game that I've ever played was probably. What was their second game? Resogun was great.

[Mary Kish]

Is sick. I would like to make a case for why peak should be in our top 10.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think I'm not against.

[Mike Mahardi]

Don't you want it in our top 10?

[Mary Kish]

I think peak should be in top 10 and sector should be out.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'm fine with that.

[Mike Mahardi]

Oh, sure. Okay. Yeah. Well, I was gonna say, if we're gonna cut sectori because of, like, recency bias, I think.

[Dan Reichert]

Ooh.

[Mike Mahardi]

Is.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I don't want the shot.

[Mary Kish]

Well, who is hurting on 15, babe? Like, it's already over for you, but.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It'S not out yet.

[Mary Kish]

No, no, no, no, no. You're. This is false hope. Anything that's not in top 10 is.

[Mike Mahardi]

Basically out because we haven't ordered it. We just gotta cut it down to 10, and then we order.

[Mary Kish]

No, girl, it's over. Who's over? I understand what you're saying, but, like, no, keep. We're at the point where we're, like, fine tuning. What's a bubble for top 10. We're bubbling top 10, and I'm saying we should be switching.

[Mike Mahardi]

Okay.

[Mary Kish]

Peak and sectori.

[Dan Reichert]

Randy Pitchford gave me this shot glass. Winner of this year, super duper.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Do like a half one for me. I got to get up earlier than anybody.

[Dan Reichert]

Thank you, Mike Minati. I know you're watching. Look at all these great giant bomb shot glasses we used to have.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, I heard he hates mugs.

[Dan Reichert]

He does one, though. He's turned around on mugs. Shot glasses are next.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I just don't see us cutting many things in the top 10 outside of our graders right now. I think that game's awesome, but I really don't know that in shinobi.

[Dan Reichert]

I would cut our graders before shinobi.

[Mary Kish]

Wow.

[Dan Reichert]

All right. I'd cut them both.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Do you want to swap those?

[Mike Mahardi]

All right, I'll swap.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Or no, so not swap those. Put peak in arc raider's spot.

[Mary Kish]

I would put peak in arc raider's spot because I'm a psychopath.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Okay.

[Dan Reichert]

Cheersing. Yep. All right, let's get down to it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Gonna wake up in, like, five hours.

[Dan Reichert]

Hard. Monster trend two. Gonna make it, babe.

[Mary Kish]

We're past.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We're just keep the. Yeah, yeah. We're not there.

[Mary Kish]

You guys are blowing my Mind, these.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Below are just like, potential, like ammunition.

[Mary Kish]

To only pay attention to. Top 10. If you're not going to fight tooth and nail for it to be in the top 10, you're. You're wasting air if you're not saying right Now Metroid Prime 4 has to be in the top 10. It's better than Shinobi.

[Dan Reichert]

I think it is better.

[Judge Jake Decker]

But that's like, that's where we're at. That got moved out because none of us have played it, really.

[Mary Kish]

But that's.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's not fair. If you make enough argument that can.

[Dan Reichert]

Super sad.

[Mike Mahardi]

I know.

[Mary Kish]

Now make the argument.

[Mike Mahardi]

I would put Metroid over Shinobi.

[Dan Reichert]

Me too. Yeah. And I love Shinobi.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's gonna be Metroid Prime 4, number 10 right now.

[Mary Kish]

I like Shinobi. I haven't played Metroid, but, like, I really like Shinobi, so I don't. I don't like this.

[Dan Reichert]

I played them both extensively. Beat both of them, like, near 100 completion. I do think Metroid Prime 4 is significantly better.

[Mary Kish]

Shinobi.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Taking a photo. Make sure there's no shenanigans while I'm peeing. Because I.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, Shovi's, like, might be like six or seven for me.

[Mike Mahardi]

I'm cutting Metro or I'm cutting Monster Train.

[Dan Reichert]

I, I don't think it's okay. God. Death training Metroid Prime 4. It's just.

[Mike Mahardi]

I, I'd fight for Metroid Prime 4.

[Dan Reichert]

I, I, I think it's a losing battle for me with Death Stranding 2. I just don't think I'm gonna.

[Mary Kish]

It's over.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't think it's doable. I'll be realistic. Yeah. You can cut it.

[Mary Kish]

It's like, make it sound like it's a sacrifice. It's already dead.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes. I'm just being realistic.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

It's not gonna make it. Great.

[Mary Kish]

Thank you. I think Shinobi. I think it's. Oh, Shinobi is still in. I'm a little bummed to lose Shinobi. I loved it.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't necessarily want to lose it yet. It.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, but you're fighting for Metroid above it.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Okay.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, but that would. As you were saying, that would knock it down. Well, I don't think monster TR2 is going to make it.

[Mary Kish]

It's not.

[Mike Mahardi]

I don't either.

[Dan Reichert]

It's not like. It is awesome.

[Mike Mahardi]

I, I played a little bit.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I like it.

[Mary Kish]

So we only have to cut one.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, my gizmo. Any thoughts? No. Never. Okay.

[Mary Kish]

There's games like I'll die over. And there's games that I'm okay with, but I am apprehensive to make any glaring changes at this point. I actually think we have it.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, I don't really care about Silent Hill. Do you want to cut it?

[Mary Kish]

That's such a cute attempt. No, I think Silent Hill F is really important and I think it's where it belongs. I don't think it's going.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't think it's fun to play. It's all just trying to be deep and whatever. It just seems boring.

[Mike Mahardi]

If that was the case, it would have been. It would have won up its own ass. But it didn't.

[Mary Kish]

It didn't though.

[Dan Reichert]

Was it probably good? Whatever.

[Mary Kish]

Metroid prime is hanging on by a thread. I actually really like the Metroid series and I'm looking forward to playing this. And I've heard things that are really good about it. I've already really mixed things about it. So it's a. I mean, complicated.

[Mike Mahardi]

I've already played more Metroid prime than I did Shinobi. Not that I didn't like Shinobi, but I just was like, it's cool. But there's also some like. I don't know. I love Metroid.

[Dan Reichert]

I. Yeah, I think some. Again I said earlier, the environments in Shinobi are just. Some of them are uninspired, some of them are awesome. There's like that city with all the like Sega retro shovel, Dreamcast and shit everywhere. But like ah. Some of the level design didn't really do it for me. The combat is stellar. It's like some of the best 2D combat ever. But some of the environments, I'd say actually most environments kind of wrote. I could, I could see. I. I mean I'd rather see Silent Hill get knocked off. But if I need to be a hero, I would. I would sacrifice shinobi.

[Mike Mahardi]

What do you think, Mike?

[Judge Jake Decker]

To put metroid prime at 10 right now?

[Dan Reichert]

I mean just. We need to kill one and then we can figure out orders.

[Mary Kish]

Someone has to make a strong choice. I would prefer Shinobi, but I didn't play.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I've got.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think I have a call.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Here in this 11. I've got like, like. Like6 I feel extremely strong about. So I'm. I don't know that I'd weigh in on like the 10. 11 if it's between shinobi or. I like Shinobi a lot but not enough to.

[Dan Reichert]

I. I feel very strongly about 10 of these 11 judge. Oh God.

[Mike Mahardi]

Shinobi's getting cut.

[Dan Reichert]

Wow, that hurts. That hurts. I love punched above its weight. I mean, it wasn't ever the biggest franchise or anything. And then it came out. It's like, oh, good for it.

[Mary Kish]

For doing so well.

[Dan Reichert]

And I don't even really care about the old Shinobi games. I never had them on Genesis. It's just like this one was so good. It was undeniable. But, yeah, that's a tough year.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think we have a perfect top 10 already.

[Dan Reichert]

Bug, you don't say crazy things yet. Look at.

[Judge Jake Decker]

This is. It's already perfect.

[Mary Kish]

We have some things to move.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, no, it's not perfect, actually. I just saw a few that I.

[Mike Mahardi]

Don'T stand for having just, you know, made the ruling to cut Shinobi. I think metroid's good at 10. I don't think we put it up.

[Dan Reichert]

I think we honestly kind of happy to get it on there.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think it has enough.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You feel strongly enough about it? I feel like It's a prime 10 because we haven't played it, but, like, prime.

[Mike Mahardi]

I like what I've played. It's very high on your list, I think. I think 10, 10 safe.

[Mary Kish]

I think that's as far as she goes.

[Dan Reichert]

You know what? I would be happy for that.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Dan's blathering us up with Whiskey to get his games.

[Mike Mahardi]

I mean, not to go for the jugular, but Blueprints can get knocked down.

[Dan Reichert]

It will get knocked. I don't. Blueprints is not going to be our game of the year. Wow.

[Mary Kish]

Why don't we stop at the other end of the spectrum? I think Mega Bonk is where it should be.

[Dan Reichert]

Same same. Maybe above Silent Hill.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, I see. Okay, Dan, I want to point out something.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You're. We just got a game that only you have really played onto number 10 for my.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Why don't you shut the up?

[Judge Jake Decker]

So those two have played Silent H and they've given passion arguments for it.

[Dan Reichert]

I know. I'm just being a stinker. I. The one game on here I haven't played and I don't care about.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I can tell.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

What is, like, the most egregious ranking here to, like, each of us right now?

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, obviously, Blueprints is number one.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I can see a case where Blueprints is number one. I'm not going to, like, fight tooth and nail to keep it at number one over other things. I'm going to save ammunition.

[Dan Reichert]

I think Mega Bong should be above peak.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think that's the case. I think Mega Bonk has done extremely well for the game that it is, which is a Vampire Survivor clone that has added some things and made it really delightfully fun.

[Dan Reichert]

Vampire Survivors was my number one game.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Risk of Rain too, I want to point out. Like, it's, it's, it's definitely a mashup though.

[Mary Kish]

I think it's incredible. I'm just saying, like, I think it's where it belongs. I think it's really good. I think Peak was extraordinarily innovative. I think it's, it capitalized on something that gamers in our audience was like really excited to watch and play. I put so many hours into this game with my friends, like when we talk about like guttural belly laughs. This is the game that did that for me. This is the game. I didn't put Repo on here. I didn't put any of the other games that were like so funny to all of you guys on here. This is the game that I wanted to play every weekend. This is the game that was so joyful.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I have a question and I, I'm really not trying to go anywhere with this. It's actually just more curious. Is that game, was it dependent on the people you were playing with? I guess any multiplayer game is. Obviously if you're playing with people you don't like, you're not gonna like it.

[Mary Kish]

But like, is the gameplay with people I hate?

[Judge Jake Decker]

Right. Is the game itself really, really good or is it just a good avenue for you hanging out with people who are just like really fucking funny and fun to hang out with?

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I mean, and that doesn't mean it's not, that doesn't disqualify it because again, Arc Raiders.

[Mary Kish]

That's why I love think it's, I think to your point. Right. As well, because we're, we're like talking about like, how brilliant was it? I, I think Peak kind of feels like one of those game dev games where they made it in a couple of weekends. We're like, isn't this crazy?

[Dan Reichert]

And it worked.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think this is like some impeccably designed game. I think it works extraord, extraordinarily well for what it's intending to do, which is allow people to like come together and play for a weekend. I think that it's designed impeccably for its purpose. So when we're talking about like, and this, this is just kind of going to like what our top 10 really is. But like Mega Bonk is designed impeccably for someone who's like, I won't play a game, but I want to take it too seriously. I don't want to worry about it too much. I think Mega Bonk is exactly where it is. And I also think Peak is exactly where it is. I don't think it's going to go any higher, but I don't think it should necessarily go any lower is where I'm at with it. Like, I'm not fighting for Peak to get higher. I'm just saying, like, when I think of Megabunk, I think of like, damn, I had a lot of, like, nice casual nights watching TV and also playing this game. And when I think of Peak, I was like, how many amazing weekends did I have finding people to play this with and having really glorious weekends with it was very meaningful to me to play this game and to find this game. And I think it was really brilliantly constructed. And I'm not, I'm not saying Megabunk was bad. I'm just. We're at this point where we're like, we're calling out these, like, impeccable games.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We're splitting hairs the rest of the night for sure. Yeah, yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I wouldn't move it.

[Dan Reichert]

I do feel like the legs on a lot of these friend slop games. When you look at, like, the history, the short history of this genre, there's. They really don't have legs as fun as they are. You know, you play Lethal Company a few times, you play Phasmophobia a few times, you play Repo a few times.

[Mary Kish]

You go play megabonk in 10 years and be like, what?

[Dan Reichert]

I think people. I think people will talk about Megabunk longer than they talk about Peak.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think they will.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think Peak is the exception to that because, like, I still play Peak. Peak is one of the few friend slot games I still play because I think its mechanics are so much fun. And even if, like, they're not people you like that you're playing with, like, there is that. Like, there's more mechanics that come into play when you're playing with multiple people that I think make it worth it. Like, you know, if we had Repo in here, I'd be like, yeah, Repo. Like, Repo is very funny, but I'm not gonna play more. But Peak, I still come back to.

[Dan Reichert]

It is one of the best ones of those. Yeah. If not, maybe the best. Yeah, I, I think when people talk.

[Mary Kish]

About this genre, they're gonna bring up Peak as this, like, pinnacle of like, this was a pivotal moment. I don't think megabonk was this pivotal moment. I think it was just an excellent addition to an already established genre.

[Dan Reichert]

I think it was the first one to take that vampire survivors type auto shooter thing to like 3D and do it really, really well the way it did.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I think it did.

[Dan Reichert]

No, peak is really. It's really.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

I mean, I haven't played enough megabunk to say, but I like Peek a lot.

[Dan Reichert]

So. Yeah, I mean, I'm fine with MegaBonk at nine.

[Mary Kish]

I'm fine with Mega Bunk at nine.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. A lot of these do kind of look like generally where they should be.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Let me ask you too, and I don't mean to keep gunning for this.

[Dan Reichert]

It's just.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Cause it's my. The only game I haven't. The only game on this list I really haven't played. And that's. Do you think Silent Hill F is in the right spot? Like, genuinely. Do you think it's top five? If it is. Like, you. You gave very impassioned arguments about it. And that's why I was like, all right, cool. It sounds rad. And I've been texting Jake about like, I need to play it.

[Mike Mahardi]

And I.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It's a genuine question. It's not like I'm not trying to be disingenuous.

[Mike Mahardi]

No, I mean, God, I think it is better than Ghost of Yote, which is a weird comparison to make because they are two very different games. But I think the themes and the characters and the ideas that Silent Hill goes for is something that I've not really seen in a game before.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Like, without. Obviously you don't want to spoil things, but like, you're speaking very vaguely and I kind of need more. Yeah, I know. You don't want to spoil anything.

[Mike Mahardi]

Try not to spoil stuff because there is a moment in what, like what.

[Judge Jake Decker]

What kind of themes are they touching on really well that no other game has?

[Dan Reichert]

Are you worried about spoiling Mike or the audience?

[Mike Mahardi]

The audience.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, I think maybe we could give like maybe a three minute safe zone here if you want to fast forward or mute the twitch stream or something like. Because I do think this is game of the year. This is when you spoil stuff a.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Little bit or just as. As like I.

[Mike Mahardi]

Okay, I think it could go down. But I think, like, I really like Ghost of Yote. I was surprised how much I like Ghost of Yote. Yeah, but Ghost of Yote is kind of like junk food, dude, in a.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Way, like the side content. But I. Yeah, yeah. No, sorry, you're, you're.

[Mike Mahardi]

I, I. And I think, I think Silent Hill F is like swinging for something that.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

How do I say that without spoil? Do you, do you, do you want to add something like, I trust you too, like that.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I know you're talking like, I trust your taste in the game.

[Mike Mahardi]

I just, I feel like the way I'm describing it too, makes it sound like it's very up its own ass. But there is a sequence in this game that is like I've never seen in a game before, and they do something that is disturbing beyond so many levels, but I think it works.

[Dan Reichert]

I, I think I, I want to hear that.

[Mary Kish]

I think you have to maybe go.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Into it a little because it's, it's right now at number four. I feel like I, I just been.

[Mike Mahardi]

Here, but I think if I, I.

[Dan Reichert]

Think you have to.

[Mike Mahardi]

If I explain it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I, I don't.

[Mike Mahardi]

Want, I don't want to ru it.

[Dan Reichert]

Because we, we have the spoiler tag. People, People are assuming we were talking spoilers right now. Anyway.

[Mary Kish]

It's goie.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. This is the time to do it. Yeah, do it. Do it. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

So the whole kind of premise around that is that there is a lot.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Of.

[Mike Mahardi]

I'm not making a good case. I'm too drunk to make a case for this.

[Judge Jake Decker]

No, it's fine. I know it's tough because you don't want to spoil it. And also, I'm sure the buildup is a huge part of what makes it.

[Mike Mahardi]

Good, but I think a lot of what makes Silent Hill life so good is everything that's unsaid. There is so much subtext and context that I think builds on each playthrough where you get to a point where you learn so much about characters that are not obvious at first. And it builds and it builds and it builds. I think the moment in particular that I think about constantly is. God, she fucking saws her own arm off and it's just this, like, fucking insane, like.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, God, James Franco in the movie.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah, exactly. 127 hours.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

God, I hate that I said that because I don't know how many people played that game, but, but, but there's that. I.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We can leave it alone for now and then maybe if we need to.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think it can drop down. Mary, do you think it would drop down?

[Mary Kish]

I think it can drop down, but I think, I think, like, I would have problems with it being. We're at the point where I'm going to start saying other game names and I want you to understand that you're going to be like, what? I love it. But it's like, sure.

[Judge Jake Decker]

No, I know. I think.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think it can be below Donkey Kong. I think it is extremely powerful, what it's doing, and it's using game mechanics and design and story in a way that is important, and it needs to be at a certain level. So I don't think it has to be in the top five. But it can't go. I wouldn't.

[Judge Jake Decker]

What if you swapped it with Hollow Knight?

[Mary Kish]

I would be okay with that.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I figured.

[Mary Kish]

I'm amazed that you offered that.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I like Hollow Knight a lot. I. Let me be clear. I like Hollow Knight Silksong quite a bit. I just don't think it's a best game of the year.

[Mary Kish]

I didn't think that it was going to make it to best game of the year, but I do think that it's under where it should be. It's an incredible game, but I didn't expect it to win.

[Judge Jake Decker]

But it's a weird year where I Usually. We'd start at the bottom of the top 10 and kind of like, whittle things away and then get. But like, it's almost like sort of.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I want to put Donkey Kong above Silent Hill. So Donkey Kong is a weird franchise in that, like, obviously, everyone's always loved the character. He's been a mainstay and everything. But they definitely have never found a way to move him into 3D in a meaningful way. 64. They tried. You know about that. It DK 64 is not good. And he's like. They've gone back to 2D stuff.

[Mike Mahardi]

They've like, I like 64.

[Dan Reichert]

I. I'm kind of a defender of it. Yeah. But it's like, it's not exactly. There's a reason they haven't done a big 3D Donkey Kong between, like, 2000 and 2025. It's like 25 years of not really trying another one of those. I think this was an incredible revival of, like, one of the most iconic video game characters of all time. From just the aesthetics, what he looks like and everything, to what they managed to do where you take the Odyssey team and it's like, okay, task them with let's make a Donkey Kong platformer. And I'm sure if it just played like, Mario Odyssey or Mario Galaxy or anything, but it was Donkey Kong and, like, oh, they threw in some Minecart levels and you can ride a rhino or whatever, I'm sure it'd still be a very good game. But they did not do that. They made it. They reinvented Donkey Kong. And like, what would Donkey Kong do? What would be fun to do as Donkey Kong in a 3D environment? And that's. He's just a big fucking dumb ape and all he knows how to do is to swing his arms around and fuck things up. And so three of the four face buttons are fuck things up and one of them is jump. And then they had this brilliant idea of like, okay, well what if just like that's the whole hook of the game, is that just destroying the environment and then all those other things, the low hanging fruit they're, you know, riding Rambi, the, the Minecart levels and things like that. Like, you know, they, they add all those mainstays. You know, you put in the Cranky Kongs, you do the fan service stuff. Here's Diddy, here's Dixie, here's all that stuff. But it, it is not just Mario Odyssey with the Donkey Kong skin. It is not just playing the hits. It is reinventing Donkey Kong and the way he looks, the way he plays and making a 3D platformer that like, that's a genre that's been around since the mid-90s. And they've tried so many times, so many developers and so many series have tried to like, change what a 3D platformer can be. And it's like, I don't know, here's a different type of jump, here's a, a hat that gives you a different way to fly or something like that. And no one's really gone as big as this game did. And that like, what if you could just destroy the entire world? And we made it work, you know, you can dig yourself through an entire mountain and the camera and the silhouettes and all that system, like, it just works. And like Mike talked about earlier, like, you can find your own ways to different objectives. You can break the world in ways that makes it all work. I think it is a tremendous achievement that I think deserves to be higher up.

[Judge Jake Decker]

3D platformers, to me, is a genre that just requires precision and intentionality. And the fact that you can actually burrow through the world and mess with the level design, or at least the aim of the level design is incredible. Not only we have not had something like that. I don't think anybody's ever going to try that again for good reason. But the level design itself also deserves credit. I mean, not just the aesthetic of each level, but also some levels are more about layering. And it's more verticality and how you're kind of descending through this canyon. Others are more about exploring the forest and kind of finding these little hidden nooks and crannies. And then the fact that you can just kind of break the game every five feet. It reminds me of Tears of the Kingdom. I think Tears of Kingdom is a far superior game. Yeah, it's apples and oranges, but I think Tears of the Kingdom, they did a really good job letting you kind of, like, cheat and, like, with between Ascend and the Ultra Hand, I think they were like. I think it's just more indicative of Nintendo getting more open with letting players kind of fuck with their games in a way that's really encouraging. But I like Don Kong Bonanza a lot. For me, it would be higher. But I. I don't know what you.

[Mary Kish]

Mean by that, though, because you keep saying higher, but, like, we're at a point where we have to start saying.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I just said, for me it would be higher, but I'm fine with where it is now.

[Mary Kish]

Sure, sure. I think then maybe it's more for, like, Dan, like, well, we're arguing about. To me, what I'm saying to you is, like, no one's saying it's not an excellent game, but at this point we're saying, like, it has to challenge another game for its spot. And I don't see any game that I would swap with Donkey Kong Bonanza.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, what are the things that, like, thematically and everything, it sounds like Silent Hill. There's some interesting characters and the themes and everything. But, like, what? Like, people have been saying that stuff about Silent Hill since, you know, the first one and definitely the second one. Like, is it really doing anything? Like, what is it doing that other Silent Hills have not been given credit for decades ago?

[Mary Kish]

Well, I mean, I think it's reinventing a genre that already established itself, but it's doing it in. In such a way where often when we're talking about these games and Donkey Kong falls into this. So it's like a really nice comparison where you're like, well, did it do anything new for this, for this character or for this world? And it's like, actually, yes, it did. And it might be one of the best absolutely, in its series. I think it is pushing the boundaries of narrative design and characters, and its dialogue is so good because no one is annoying. It doesn't have any obnoxious characters or wasteful time.

[Mike Mahardi]

Time.

[Mary Kish]

It's all pretty efficiently and expertly connected to me. Even though you guys are talking really positively about Donkey Kong Bonanza. It also seems a little shallow where you're just basically like, he can destroy the world. He can do whatever he wants with it. That's awesome. Like, that is. That is important that when you can do that and you can break the game that you're. Where you're at. I'm not seeing that. It's. It's absolutely like world breaking or like genre shattering.

[Dan Reichert]

That's what I want to. You mentioned reinventing the genre. You said Silent Hill reinvented the genre. And, like, that's what I was saying with DK Bonanza is all that stuff of decades of 3D platforming. And, like, I do think it was doing a lot of things to like, you know, do things that 3D platformers have not done before. So I would challenge, like, what is. Would you call Silent Hill F in terms of genre? A survival horror game.

[Mary Kish]

It's survival horror. And I also think, like, in terms of narrative design, I think it's doing something with girls that it hasn't done before. A lot of times when we're talking about, like, the history of Silent Hill, there's like, a lot of male protagonists that are dealing with, like, the horrors of things that they've done in the past. It's very refreshing to seeing it done with this protagonist.

[Judge Jake Decker]

But that's the franchise, not the genre.

[Dan Reichert]

I want to boil. You said it was reinventing the genre. So would you say the genre of Silent Hill F is survival horror?

[Mary Kish]

Yes.

[Dan Reichert]

What would you say Silent Hill F is doing to reinvent the survival horror genre?

[Mike Mahardi]

I mean, to Mary's point, I think it's all narrative. Like, I don't think. I don't think the gameplay itself reinvents it. But, like, I mean, the red pills, like, what they did with that I think is pretty. What.

[Judge Jake Decker]

What are the red pills? So just spoil whatever, because I feel like we're getting. We. You need specifics to sell me on these platitudes.

[Mike Mahardi]

Red pills heal you, and they are presented to you at the beginning. And you know about these red pills. And you take the red pills, they look like medicine, and they look like medicine. And the more you play, the more you learn about these red pills that you are taking constantly, and you start to learn what these red pills are, and you've made it to the end of the game, and basically it kind of like pushes you to an ending that is defined by the fact that you have been taking these red pills. And then you do a new game plus and it. You. You know about These red pills and you play the game differently.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It is like, I just feel like that's like getting to the end of bananas and they're like, the bananas were.

[Dan Reichert]

Bad the whole time.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Like, like, I just like that seems.

[Mary Kish]

Donkey Kong would never do that because it's too deep. And Donkey Kong is just, like, about the world. But what I'm saying is you guys are ragging on a game for trying something besides breaking the world.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm not ragging.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'm not doing anything besides breaking the world. That's a pretty big thing for.

[Dan Reichert]

Right.

[Mary Kish]

It's worthy of the top 10. But I want to be clear, it's limiting how far it really should.

[Dan Reichert]

I want to be clear. I am not ragging on Silent Hill F. I'm just saying if you say it reinvents the genre. I need to hear how I know that's why I found her. Because, like, that, that's a big thing to say, and I need to hear you back.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Resident Evil 4 remake just came out.

[Mike Mahardi]

Okay. I would say, like, Silent Left deserves to be of Ghost of Yote. I like Ghost of Yote a lot. Donkey Kong Bonanza. That is an argument that I am open to. I think Bonanza is amazing. But, like, Ghost of Yotei for me is junk food. Like, it is a game that, like, I played 50 hours, that game. I still plan on finishing it, but it is a game that, like, did not compel me the way that Silent Hill has or even Donkey Kong, you know?

[Dan Reichert]

And that is where I think I will. I would be okay with Silent Hill being above Ghost of Yotei because I do feel that way about Yote as much as, like, we, I think all love that game a lot. Yeah, but like, you kind of hinted at here, like, I haven't beaten it yet. I've had it since three weeks before it came out or whatever. And every time I play it, I'm enjoying it. It's a popcorn movie. It is like, oh, that. That kill felt great. You know, I like the story and everything, but it's not something that, like, I'm thinking of Sectori way more than I'm thinking of Ghost of Yote. And every once in a while I'll be like, oh, right, I still need to work on Ghost Yote. And I'll go and I'll play three hours tomorrow night and I'll be like.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I, I, I do want to point out, because I feel like we talk about a dick addictive games a lot. Sectori is one of the games that's Designed to be addictive and make you want to play when it's not away. I just want to push back against the fact that that necessarily makes a game better. But I. I'm fine with what you're saying. I'm fine with Yote dropping. I love Yote, But I think, like, just. Yeah, I don't know. I would get dropping.

[Dan Reichert]

I would see the argument of putting Silent Hill above Yote easier than I could see putting Silent Hill above DK Banana.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah. What if we went, so, what if we swap Bonanza and Yote right now? Isn't that what we're all kind of sort of saying that? Have you played DK Bonanza?

[Mike Mahardi]

No.

[Mary Kish]

I'm not impressed by these arguments either. I'm really not.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You said it reinvented a genre, and then we asked. You were like, oh, kind of.

[Mary Kish]

You're talking about Silent Hill. Elf. I'm talking to you about Bonanza. Tell me why Bonanza should be more.

[Dan Reichert]

We just went on a whole thing about it.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, but how it breaks the world.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It breaks the entire genre. You say, like, it reinvents the 3D platformer genre. And I just gave an argument for how it did that. You couldn't give an argument for how Silent Hill.

[Mary Kish]

It's boring.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You.

[Dan Reichert]

You need to back up how Silent Hel f reinvents survival horror.

[Mary Kish]

You. You actually haven't convinced me with your Bonanza argument. And you keep saying, because you're saying an argument that it worked, but you're just talking. You actually didn't convince me. I'm not convinced that Donkey Kong Bonanza did what you said it did.

[Dan Reichert]

Did.

[Judge Jake Decker]

But I feel like we went at length about it.

[Dan Reichert]

We talked a lot about.

[Mary Kish]

There was a lot of talking, and I just did not feel that it actually did what you said it did.

[Mike Mahardi]

I guess it's just kind of stonewall.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It can't. Like. I guess that's one tactic for tonight.

[Mary Kish]

You make platforms, you destroy them. You move up, you move down. But, like, what else? Like, that's it.

[Dan Reichert]

It. That's it.

[Mary Kish]

You move around a lot.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We said a lot.

[Dan Reichert]

We. We went in depth on it, and we still need to hear how Silent Hill F reinvented the genre.

[Mary Kish]

Silent Hill F is using story in a way. It has a protagonist that hasn't been explored in a way that has been, like, very profound. It is using mechanics to push the player to, like, what mechanics?

[Judge Jake Decker]

How has the protagonist been explored in a way that no other game has?

[Mary Kish]

I don't think there's a lot of other Young female protagonists in a horror genre that have been as strong as this character. That's why she kind of won biggest dude of the year, is because she's extremely powerful and she's quite fearless in what she's doing. But I don't want to get too. I think it's a fallacy. Focus too much on her as the reason that it should be what it is. I think what I'm saying is that every decision you make in Silent Hill has a very dramatic effect that you don't find until the end of the game. Every choice that you're making is impactful and important, and you don't recognize the value of that until actually new game plus. That's when you realize that the decisions that you're making were very impactful. I don't know. I think.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think you did a lot of talking, but you didn't convince me.

[Mary Kish]

I mean, I think we're at a bit of a standstill.

[Dan Reichert]

We are.

[Mary Kish]

I'm not convinced that. Duncan, Donkey Kong Bonanza is this, like, powerful game. I. I think it's. I think it's great what it's done. I. I'm. I'm not.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Like, for the record, I can live with this ranking.

[Mary Kish]

We had the chance to tell everybody, like, you gotta play Donkey Kong, and you didn't. You guys told me to play Sectori.

[Dan Reichert]

What?

[Judge Jake Decker]

We talked for, like, three episodes about how you should play Donkey Kong.

[Mary Kish]

No. In. In Discord, we said, hey, if anyone really needs to play a game to make sure it's disgusting. Discussed in.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Because Sector you. We had not talked about it.

[Dan Reichert]

Came in really hot.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We had not talked about on the show. Any of the listeners who listen every.

[Mary Kish]

Episode was not, like, it's gonna be in it. Like, it wasn't up there.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We talked a lot about DK Pananza on the episodes. I feel like we're just rewriting Fire Escape episode history now.

[Dan Reichert]

And, like, DK Bonanza came out months and months ago. And, like, Sectori, like, came in hot, and we hadn't played it or talked about it. So it was like, like, hey, we should try to get this in beforehand.

[Mike Mahardi]

Listen, I'm fairly happy with his ranking.

[Dan Reichert]

So am I.

[Mike Mahardi]

So am I. Ghost devotees left DK Bonanza. But I will say, mike, you better finish Donkey Kong Bonanza if you're fighting this hard for it, because it's got.

[Dan Reichert]

An incredibly strong ending.

[Mike Mahardi]

That's what I've heard. But the middle section is, I'm so over it. Like, I fired it up. And I was like, okay, I'M going to get through the hamburger level. And I'm like, I can't do this. And I had to stop.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It's a hamburger level. I love it.

[Mike Mahardi]

Like, it's, I think it's a very good game, but, like, it did not compel me the way that it was that I hoped.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, I'm certainly not going to say, like, narratively, like, I know he likes bananas, you know, like, I'm sure it was best narrative. Obviously, Silent Hill clearly has it, but.

[Mike Mahardi]

I wish the Odyssey team made another Mario platformer.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, I do, too, but.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, yeah, same. No, I, I honestly have no problem with entire ranking.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, okay, I, I'm okay with, like, five down, and I think we got to talk about the top four.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

How you feeling about the five down?

[Mary Kish]

Are you talking about five to 10? Sorry.

[Dan Reichert]

I think five to 10 looks good.

[Mary Kish]

I can accept.

[Mike Mahardi]

I hate to say it, but I don't think we're getting Silent Hill any higher, Mary.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think it's getting any higher.

[Mike Mahardi]

I had a shit argument, and I just spoiled parts of the game.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'll play this game, and then I'll, like, I'll see what the you guys are talking about, and I'll be like, yeah, they were, they were getting at some stuff. I just.

[Mike Mahardi]

I, yeah, I found it very refreshing. I, I, I'll say that that's the last thing I'll say. I just.

[Dan Reichert]

The fact that it's above Ghost of Yote is, like, incredibly high praise.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You know, yot is my top in my top three of the year.

[Dan Reichert]

It's probably, like, top five for me. Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's not saying we can't with five through 10, but, like, I think we can move on.

[Mary Kish]

I think we can't with five through 10. I think you can up with four through one. I think, like, if, if you're really pushing for DK at that level, that's the highest it ever goes. No, I, I'm dead serious. And I'm, like, almost irritated about it. The fact that it got this high is insane. Picking at these games. It's. It's like, it's like, we can, we can maneuver these things, but, like, how is DK top 4?

[Judge Jake Decker]

As long as you're threatening us, like, really bring a better argument next time that you want to.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, it's got verticality.

[Dan Reichert]

Like, that's not so much more than that.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, it's got a weak middle section.

[Mary Kish]

Does it even stick? The ending? You don't know.

[Dan Reichert]

The ending is extremely strong from What.

[Mike Mahardi]

I've heard it does stick.

[Judge Jake Decker]

The end.

[Dan Reichert]

The last like hour is like it was some of the strongest in that entire game.

[Mike Mahardi]

Pushed through the middle section is cuz.

[Dan Reichert]

I want to see the ending's incredible. Love that game.

[Mike Mahardi]

I heard it's like Inception levels.

[Dan Reichert]

It's so good. Yes.

[Judge Jake Decker]

So four through one. This will be.

[Dan Reichert]

I. I think Blueprints is.

[Mary Kish]

Four through one's going to be really nice.

[Dan Reichert]

I think Blueprints is number four.

[Mike Mahardi]

I. I'm with you.

[Dan Reichert]

It is awesome. Everyone I've ever talked to, including me, like even the ones who love the game so much, they all kind of petered out at a certain point. Like, wow, there's more after the credits. And it's like this is almost maybe too much of this game. I think it may be overstated to welcome a little bit. Bit. I think it is number four and I think it's ordering the other three.

[Mary Kish]

I'm in agreement that it should go down. I think Blueprints is really brilliant with its design. I think there is a point where I get a little frustrated about the test of my time and its value. This will probably come up with multiple games in our top four of like, how much does it value your time. But in these other games, even if you lose or if you have struggles, you're learning tactics, you're learning strategy, you're learning gameplay. Sometimes in blueprints, RNG is what it is and you just have a bad run. It feels bad, man. To play like 30 minutes and lose because they didn't, they didn't give you the room you fucking needed. That sucks.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah. Much as I love that game, it's. Again I mentioned it, I don't know what my number one of the year is. Blueprints was a contender. There was times later on after I had found room. What room 49 or whatever, it was like I was like, I really like a lot of what this game is doing. It's making me think on different levels about the actual overall world. It's making me kind of question how big it is, how precise it can get. I love how there's puzzles within puzzles within puzzles. I love how I'm finding like Mary mentioned this the first episode. You guys talked about it. Like you come across little bits that you think are just like throwaway lore. And it's actually a really crucial hint for a puzzle in a type of room you don't unlock until like your 30th day. I love that. But there's also later on I'm like questioning. I Think the game's too long. The stuff you could do. I think, like, later on, it's like, I don't think the Roguelite meets. I don't even know how you describe it. Roguelite meets walking simulator meets house builder works later on, because, again, the rng, which is kind of core to a Roguelite, ends up fucking you. And the interesting stuff, which is, I think, so much, that game is incredible because you're like, all right. You're balancing inventory management and your footsteps and your currency and the type of rooms you're building and what you're served and the other, like, overall permanent upgrades you unlocked, like the mine or the garage or the driveway. Sorry, that kind of dissipates later on in the game. I just don't think it. There's not enough fuel to carry through the whole way.

[Mary Kish]

I think there's a high that I got trying to hit credits. Right. Like, getting to that end room was exhilarating. And the moment where all the pieces fell into place and I had enough keys and I had the gems and the luck of the draw the RNG was working for. And I got to the end, and I was like, this is one of the best moments I think I've ever experienced in games. It felt so good. And then I got to the end, and they were like, there's more. And I was like, amazing. But I never caught that high again. I still continued playing for another 10, 15 hours, but it never caught that initial moment of getting to the end room. I think to me, one of the bummers was. Is, like, constructing the game in such a way where once you hit the credits, did you really need to keep going?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

How did they keep pushing me? How did they encourage me to keep playing?

[Dan Reichert]

It feels like in the first Star wars, if, like, they blew up the Death Star and then it's like, yeah, you want to watch, like, Luke hang out for a while? Not really. It seemed pretty cool when the Death Star blew up, you know, like, could probably end it there.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah. Because I guess compared to, like, Hollow Knight, which once you, quote, unquote, hit credits, like, after that, there's a ton that's still really compelling. It's. It's their. The structure does not carry through for blueprints. I'm fine with that moving anywhere.

[Dan Reichert]

I think blueprints.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think. I do think it's top five.

[Mary Kish]

I think it's top five. I think it would be weird for blueprints to not be top five below Bonanza.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think blueprints is top four.

[Mary Kish]

Michael do something.

[Judge Jake Decker]

No, I. I think blueprints is Dan. I love.

[Mary Kish]

Stop him.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Michael. I was with you. I was riding with you for Bonanza as far as I could. I think five is as much as.

[Dan Reichert]

We'Re going to get. Bananas. Fair enough. Fair enough.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Let sleeping dogs lie.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm fine. I'm fine. Just sleeping dogs. Also a good game. Let's put it on.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Chill out.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Judge Jake Decker]

With the Bonanza shit. For a second, Mary was giving me eyes in a way that I think she might actually kill me. So let's relax.

[Dan Reichert]

Hell, yeah. Okay.

[Mike Mahardi]

You should do that.

[Judge Jake Decker]

She doesn't have a listen to calm her down anymore. Antagonizer. He's sleeping.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. Okay.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Fair Fairy's perfect.

[Mary Kish]

No, I'm not sure. I think we do need to have an honest conversation about Hades, too. I think it is extremely good. I don't know if it's goatee for me. I think that Hades, too, is incredibly additive to what Hades did. But I always just kind of feel like I'm playing Hades.

[Dan Reichert]

It is.

[Mary Kish]

Yes, it is a better version of Hades, but I sometimes revert back to how I felt playing Hades and how incredible that made us feel and how much that was our goatee. I think that this is rehashing a lot of what Hades was. And I don't know if it's as additive or as explorative. I don't know if it's really changing the game as much as Hades one did. And I. I think we should probably, like. We should have that conversation of, like, is it. Is it really this monumental game or is it was just. Just feeding us something that we loved a lot?

[Dan Reichert]

It's giving us more of. Yeah. Of what we loved. Like, Hades one was our game of the year in whatever year that was. And this is definitely more Hades. And in the hub world, it's like, oh, we're planting things and then like, all the incantations, like, building out the bar and the fishing area and all this other. And the challenges there. There's a lot more Hades here. I do think it's better than one in every way.

[Mike Mahardi]

I agree.

[Dan Reichert]

I really do. And like I said earlier, I do think the going up and going out thing adds a ton of variety to it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I also want to put this out there. Last year, our game of the year was, in many ways, more Breath of the Wild. Obviously, I'm being reductive there.

[Dan Reichert]

Pick one. 4.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think tears of the Kingdom did many big things that Breath of the Wild did in what was last year's Tears of The kingdom was two years ago. Oh, my God. So two years ago was Tears of the Kingdom. I think it's, like, how meaningfully did it build on Hades and. Or, like, was what it. How it built on it. Just enough to make it feel impactful again.

[Mike Mahardi]

I love playing, too. I played so much of that game. I saw almost as much as I could, but. But I do think, like. Like. Like, dude, I could not. Like, I skipped through so much of that dialogue.

[Dan Reichert]

I just didn't care.

[Mike Mahardi]

And, like, not that that makes that game bad. Like, it's still one of my favorites.

[Dan Reichert]

But I will say the writing's great, too. So, like, some people love.

[Mike Mahardi]

It's good, too, but it's just like.

[Dan Reichert]

That'S so much of it.

[Mike Mahardi]

There's so much.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

And, like, every time you finish a run, it's like, all right, talk to.

[Dan Reichert]

Half Doris screaming about something great.

[Mike Mahardi]

And it's just like, dude, I just want to hit things with an axe.

[Mary Kish]

It just was, like, almost.

[Dan Reichert]

Almost.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think Hades one was a good balance of that. While I think, like, Hades 2 has much better gameplay, much better, like, builds, and much better weapons, I do think the balance between, like, plot and gameplay and Hades one, I thought was, like, the perfect balance.

[Dan Reichert]

I just kind of skipped it all on both. Seems pretty similar to me.

[Mary Kish]

Point. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

But, yeah, I mean, I don't know that I said all that just to say, like, yeah, I think you can go down.

[Dan Reichert]

It's a thing I'm thinking about a lot now as I'm trying to figure out. My personal top 10 is like, I. I don't. Maybe Hades 2 is my number one. I mean, just as a game, as a roguelite. Like, I. I still think it's like, this is the standard bearer in the genre, you know, and it's one of my favorite genres. If it's not my favorite genre. Hell, this podcast, I feel like, what between Returnal and Hades, and.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, we didn't even talk about it. Yeah, Hades was such a brilliant. It was such a brilliant game for its genre, and we all knew it. We knew it the moment we laid eyes on it. We knew when we were talking what it was. And I don't feel that way this year, where I'm like, yep, it's just unquestionable. And this one, I question, like, was it so monumental? Was the impact higher? Did it add so much more? Of course. It's a fucking slam dunk of a game. It's Hades. Hades. Yeah, it's fucking Hades. We all loved that game. But at this Level. You have to start asking yourself like, was the. Was the additions so much more impactful than what Expedition 33 did?

[Dan Reichert]

You're right. Because you know, Hades 1 was a revelation. Like that was the first game of that type of that caliber we had really played. And this is while I do think objectively better than the first game in every way. It's almost a Breath of Wild tears the game kingdom situation. I, I do think that tears the kingdom in so many ways on paper is better than Breath of the Wild. But how much do you factor in that first time that like discovery. Exactly. Yeah. And like the first time we played Hades is like we hadn't played anything quite like that. We've definitely played things like Hades 2. It was called Hades 1.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

And even though I think it's better, it doesn't have the same impact, doesn't.

[Mary Kish]

Have the same shock value that Expedition 33 had. Because no one was expecting that. No one was expecting that. When you built these characters and experience these stories that you could, you could have this world building or you could. The way that you have design in a turn based game where you actually have to be on your toes and be ready with quick time events, but not in an annoying way, in an actual fun way that makes sense.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, but they've done that in a lot of games going back like Paper Mario and Mario RPG and stuff and like. But I, I do think this is my favorite version of that of like having that like interaction in in turn based battles. God. The parries just felt better. Like you know, it feels great when you parry something in Paper Mario wherever.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Jump, dodge and then downwards when the.

[Dan Reichert]

Whole party dodges and you all hit back with something like it made those. It is the best.

[Mary Kish]

Incredible.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Well, yeah. While we're on Expedition 33, I also think that game overall, the fact that. And like I love RPGs where each character feels like they came from a different game. This one is kind of like this is the front runner for that.

[Mary Kish]

Maybe you liked a character that I didn't like and I thought that was really fascinating.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Like you have to learn. It's like you get a new character and you're getting with someone with a double sided scythe. What's her name, the third character?

[Dan Reichert]

Mael.

[Judge Jake Decker]

No, no, no. You get CL in like fuck. This is like at first it was a lot. You're like she feels like she came from a different game.

[Dan Reichert]

Like where the moons are different.

[Judge Jake Decker]

You're building up the card like the tarot cards.

[Mike Mahardi]

When you figure it out yeah, that's what I'm saying.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's what I'm saying. She's my favorite character though, because like once, like you have to. The fact that they have these different characters who are all very, very asymmetrical in their design and yet they can each contribute so strongly to the combat. Combat is incredible. It feels almost like a strategy game in which the factions are very asymmetrical and I'm learning each of them. It feels like a different game each time I play. It's like it goes between these characters in combat and each time it goes to a new character. My brain has to access a different wrinkle across the way. It's like, oh, fuck. Ciel plays like this, all right. Mile plays like this, all right. Now I need to like, fucking first character's the most boring. Build up his attacks and then you just go all out. But he's kind of a one note character so it makes sense for him. But like, there's so much wrapping around that too. And like, much as I would say the Pictos, you can ignore them for long stretches. I do still think similar to the Crest system, if you take the time to actually like acknowledge how much they can change the game, the Pictos, you can break Expedition 33 really early on with each character.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think that's one of my favorite things about it is a bunch of people were like, ah, well, you know, like, you are so overpowered for that final boss. And I'm like, yeah, I know.

[Dan Reichert]

Everyone's like, oh, you put a bunch of dialogue.

[Mike Mahardi]

And I'm like, I don't give a shit. I one shotted that dude. One of my biggest pet peeves.

[Judge Jake Decker]

One of my biggest pet peeves in modern games where I would argue like, the games that are the most successful are the ones where developers are willing to let you break them. Belatro, Returnal, Hades, Octopath. Octopath. It's like Octopath. No, like, one of my biggest pet peeves is when you do spend the time min maxing these characters and making them way too powerful and you get to the boss, they're like, oh, no, that that ability doesn't work because it's a boss and it wouldn't make sense.

[Mike Mahardi]

Oh, you can't put Expedition 33 is.

[Mary Kish]

Like, I, you've earned it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

There were several boss. Yes, you've earned it. You thought about it like, I, there's times.

[Mike Mahardi]

There was days I was shout burn like 10 times.

[Judge Jake Decker]

There's days I was showering, I'm like, oh my God. I could make him so fucking powerful. And then like, you do it against a boss and they're like, yeah, I guess we gave you these tools and we set these rules out and you fucking smoked him in like three. So sure, go for it. And that's like, the whole game is about this expedition, the first expedition that actually has a chance to complete this like, vicious cycle. And then obviously leaving aside all the implications of the bifurcated ending. But it's like, I love that, like, it shows so much more confidence in your game design when you're like, you give freedom to the players and you do not like kind of yank the leash at any point when they're like actually kind of really pushing up against the wall. That's awesome. To me, that was when I was like, this game was fucking rad.

[Dan Reichert]

And I think there's so many ways, like with each character you mentioned, like being like from a different game and everything with all their different systems, like, that could have so easily been overwhelming. Like, oh yeah, I could, I could totally imagine a world where this game was like, every time I get a new character giving me way too much of a tutorial and me being overwhelming. Like, fuck this, I'm done with it. But like, every one of those main characters in your party has such a different style of turn based combat, but they kind of explain it quickly. And like, even if you don't get it right away, like, I remember the CL stuff. The like, I can't remember. I think she was the sun and moon stuff. Yeah, you build. You build up. I forget what it was called. Like you would build up a certain resource and then you would.

[Judge Jake Decker]

No, you're juggling too. You're building up the sun and moon energy or something. Then you're spending. Spending that on.

[Mike Mahardi]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

The cards that also burn the moon.

[Mike Mahardi]

Or you build up the moon and burn the.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's been a while. But like I remember like being. At first, like, it seems like a lot, but then you just like do a few fights and it's like, oh, I think I'm starting to get it. And like, even if you don't fully get it, you can still just kind of do attacks and stuff. It is. It eases you into this stuff and before you know it, you just kind of understand how these different characters work. And just every battle, like, I. I feel like that's the thing that always turned me off of JRPGs is like you'd get into random battles and things like that. And every time in a Final Fantasy 7 or something goes into the fight. It's like I'm just going to hit X. I'm going to pick the same things. I'm going to be bored or whatever. And every time I did like I was seeking out fights in this game because of all these systems and the real time stuff in those fights and everything. Like I felt engaged all the time and these systems were fun to play with and everything. And that is like. I honestly don't think I've ever enjoyed a turn based RPG more than this one.

[Mary Kish]

I've never liked a turn based RPG in my life. And I think you and I are probably similar on this. The dialogue, the characters. Ugh. Like, spare me. This was the first time where I was like, like maybe I don't need to like learn everybody's backstory and understand everything to appreciate the fact that these people are dying every year lower and lower and they're trying to save their very skins. Yeah, it's cool to watch them die and have such an incredible villain. The father figure guy.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, the Pierce Brosnan.

[Mary Kish]

Pierce Brosnan come in and kind of like acts a character.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I really circus. Right.

[Mary Kish]

Andy Serkis, I loved that character and that kind of gutted me a lot. Rebuilding and finding someone that I was like half okay with, but he wasn't the character I wanted. Took a lot of rebuilding of trust for me to grow and adapt to a new person. This entire game is going back to how we're talking about Silent Hill F. This game is a lot about love and loss and coping. Grief I think it deals with in a way where like, for someone like me who does not like a lot of bullshit, I cared about these characters. At the very end when I had to make a very serious decision, I meant it. I was very emotional about the decision that I made and I had to live with it. And at the end I wasn't happy. I don't think anyone's probably happy at the end of that game, but I. It felt earned. It felt honest. I was like, I'm okay with this. I agree with like the direction they took this game. I felt like I learned a lot, I grew a lot lot. I saw those credits and I was like, I'm. I feel like very powerful with what they've given to me.

[Dan Reichert]

And we're not the most like story heavy podcast by any means. No one's accused us of this. We talk about like people love the Hades story. We were talking about skipping through it or whatever. I. This is a turn based RPG and I loved the story. I Cared about the characters, the choice at the end. You reference like, like, like all these characters were so well written, so well acted. Like I actually was invested in what was going on here. I'm watching the alternate endings and stuff like that. Like, it is a remarkable achievement.

[Mary Kish]

It's a remarkable achievement.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I also like talking about the multiple endings. I feel like multiple endings in the vast majority of video games that have them come down to like, oh, who do you want to live or die? Or yeah, who do you, oh, like, do you want to like Sith or Jedi this game? I, I, I don't think it's like the most well written story of any medium ever told. However, I appreciate that like the ending is more, it's more complicated than just like who lives or who dies.

[Mary Kish]

It's like, or who's good and bad.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It's asking you, like, do you, do you think it's more important that someone has an illusion and they're happy or if they know the truth and it might hurt them and grow? And so it's actually asking. It's not like, I know there's people who are like, oh, anybody who picks this ending is objectively bad person. Like, shut up.

[Dan Reichert]

Wait, what were people saying? Like, which one was the bad one?

[Judge Jake Decker]

The one where cuz they're like, oh, if you pick this one, you effectively murder my L. Right?

[Dan Reichert]

Like, yeah, wave my L. Like going to the real world or whatever. It's a blue pill, red pill thing.

[Judge Jake Decker]

No, no, no, no, the opposite. If you maintain the painting, the illusion.

[Dan Reichert]

So if you stay into one where he's playing the piano and stuff, that's. You're a bad person.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah. And I was like, you're just, no, you're just like, who the fuck? Maybe we're in a painting right now. Is my like, like it's Matrix, like blue and red pill. But I just like appreciate that it's not just like a dumb like, oh, do you want to side with this sort of hot villain? Or do you want to side with this?

[Mary Kish]

Like, listen, there, there's a bunch of hot characters in the game. I mean, I agree with you though. Like, it's so much more important to recognize these characters.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It took me a while to figure out her mechanics because I had to go do other stuff.

[Mike Mahardi]

What?

[Dan Reichert]

Elaborate.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I had to jail.

[Mary Kish]

I hope we're not, hope we're not.

[Dan Reichert]

On the F. Not even a joke.

[Mary Kish]

We're not on the fp. If you're J in it.

[Mike Mahardi]

I'm not.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Sorry.

[Mary Kish]

I think it's important to respect Morally gray characters and nuanced storytelling.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's what I was trying to say.

[Mary Kish]

Are they good or bad? Do you want them to live or die?

[Dan Reichert]

The.

[Mary Kish]

The choice that you're given at the end of this game is important because neither of them are morally correct. And it is up into interpretation. And that is the fucking point.

[Dan Reichert]

Because.

[Mary Kish]

Because the point is for us to discuss those things and decide what is meaningful to you. I actually believe that when we discussed this originally, we had different endings. We chose different things.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I maintained the pain.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't think I fully understood the implication.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think me and Dan did the same thing.

[Mary Kish]

And you guys maintained.

[Dan Reichert]

I got the piano.

[Mary Kish]

And I don't think. I don't think that you were wrong or right. I think the point is, is that we got a really good discussion about why we chose them the way we did and whether or not we. We regretted it or changed our mind. That is brilliant game design. It's brilliant game design to make you make that choice and make you question your own choice. And this game should probably be number one.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardi]

Already.

[Dan Reichert]

Already. Oh, he did.

[Mike Mahardi]

I. I stepped away for a bit, though, like, Hades 2 Hollow Knight. Do we want to, like, figure out.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, we didn't talk a lot about Hollow Knight.

[Mike Mahardi]

I feel like Hollow.

[Dan Reichert]

This is the right.

[Mike Mahardi]

I haven't heard anything about Hollow.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Talk about Hollow Knight. I feel like we need to ignore the fact that, like, the Internet was on fire over, like, dumb discourse again. Some good difficulty.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, that's off.

[Mike Mahardi]

I know.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I'm just saying every time. That's what I'm saying. So it's like, I don't play it.

[Mary Kish]

I think what's interesting, though, is, like, you and I were talking about the argument of, like, time wasted time. If you're, like, frustrated with your time, if you feel like you're lost your time.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We talked because when plant was on, we talked about. We were talking about baby stuff, steps. And then we're like, I guess we could talk the same about Hollow Knights.

[Mary Kish]

And I think you could actually make that argument for blueprints as well. The point is, is, like, sometimes you, like, make a run in blueprints and you don't get the RNG that you wanted and you waste it. And that's frustrating. It's very frustrating to, like, work very hard and very. Be very smart, but not get what you want because the game didn't work out. It's equally very frustrating in Hollow Knight to beat your head against a wall with a boss. That's very difficult. And They've made it it. The difficulty level is so high that the minor mistake or any. Any issue, you're gonna die and you're gonna to fucking go back through this run back. I think they're both frustrating. It is my opinion that Hollow Knight Silksong has higher highs because I am working so hard to. To beat a boss. When I beat it, I know it's because I worked very hard to learn. Every mechanic I learned, I watched their attacks. I watched when I was able to heal, I had to learn. I have a vivid memory about taking three hours to beat this like, drill boss. And it was such a boss. But after three hours I was like, that is my victory. For three hours, I fucking broke my face against this. And I did it. And I am amazing. And that height sticks with me. It's very important to me me more than after the credits of blueprints. Specifically after that. Like, the high of hitting the final room in blueprints is extraordinary. But after that it never, it never capped.

[Dan Reichert]

I agree.

[Mary Kish]

Every boss in Silksong passed like the final boss. You're like, I'm a God. I'm a golden God. I had to work extremely hard to do this. And so I am. I think that game is where it should be. I welcome arguments for it, but I think it rewards a goddamn dedicated gamer.

[Dan Reichert]

It is one of the Metroidvanias of all time. Definitely like among the like, great grades. The Super Metroids and Symphony of the Knights. It's incredible. But it's not perfect. Know for reasons we talked about. And like, I do think some of the complaints about the run backs and stuff like that and the difficulty, like, sure, I get it. Those HP pools are pretty high for a lot of those bosses. But what you were just saying about like, when you get that win, you're not thinking about like, they did a little too much hp. It's like, I did it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I, you know, I said that on the episode after I. I think after it released, I was like, the peaks are so high and so impactful that I forgive all the very, very many little things I don't like about the game. I think I mention this every game of the year. It's like it comes down to do you value consistent greatness or do you value higher peaks? So it's the Sopranos versus the Wire for me. It's like, I think the Wire is a. Is consistently a great show, whereas the Sopranos has some real low valleys. But the peaks are so high. It's like, which do you value? Yeah, I feel like Hades 2 is more consistently a very good game than Hollow Knight. However, Hollow Knight's peaks are way the fuck up there.

[Dan Reichert]

You wouldn't put Hollow Knight above.

[Mary Kish]

No, I think we're, we're talking about it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It's. That's what I'm saying. Like, what do you value more? I, I personally think Hades. I think the order is correct right now. Again, I think Hollow Knight, my knee.

[Dan Reichert]

Jerk is that Hades is better than Hollow Knight. But like there's an argument.

[Mary Kish]

I think there is a world in which these are both sequels to incredible fucking games that are genre breaking. The world talks about them. We all love the originals. I think that Hollow Knight adds more. Silksong adds more to that world than Hades 2 adds to Hades.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, Silksong is way more. It's a bigger evolution.

[Mary Kish]

It's a bigger world. They add more to the game design. They add more to the mechanics. They push the level design is better. The boss fights are more incredible.

[Dan Reichert]

The Crest stuff we talked about earlier.

[Mary Kish]

I think they, they push it a step further.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think Hades, where I'm at, I think Hades 2 is a better game. I think Hollow Knight, Silksong is a better like on the continuum of like Hollow Knight, the first game and the sequel.

[Dan Reichert]

Hollow Knight takes bigger swings. Silksong way more, you know.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think I, as much as I like detest many parts of Silksong and I think like, like people ignore them. I also like, I'm right there when people are like, yeah, these were some of the best moments ever. I'm like, yeah, it's, it's really, really fucking good. I still think this order is correct, but I am not gonna, I'm not gonna like, yeah, throw a fit if Hollow Knight goes up.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. I do think the closest thing is Hades and Hollow Knight. Like that could go either way, I think. But I think the rest is exactly where it should be.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I, I'm not, I don't think I'm arguing for much of anything and I don't think I would like fight tooth and nail. I, I will make a final case that I think, I think Hades too. A lot of people have generally said, and even this crew has generally said that Hades 2 is just like hella more Hades. It's so good and it's so smooth. I think Hollow Knight built upon a solid rock foundation. I think it, I think it made a universe. Can I just say, like there's a point too where it rocks you two. Hades too. I'm never like shocked, but there's a point in Hollow Knight where you're captured and you wake up in jail and you get nothing, and you're like, all right. And you have to find your. You have to claw and scratch your way out of that place.

[Mike Mahardi]

Send part in Hollow Knight.

[Mary Kish]

The ascension is so sick.

[Mike Mahardi]

That's pretty.

[Mary Kish]

To get your wings, they make you. They make you scratch for everything. Like, you really earn your stripes in that game.

[Dan Reichert]

I will say with Hades 2, the entire time I played that game, I was just like, I am loving this. I'm having a good time. It was kind of like. It was a hum that was like, very high up here. I felt great the whole time. Yeah, Hollow Knight was the thing where it's like, I would be like, I was yelling. You know, it's the way I haven't done since Elden Ring, where I am just like, God damn. Like, these bosses and like, God, I. I thought I. I had this. I thought I had these patterns memorized and with this some horseshit and you did this thing and whatever. Like, there was many. So, so many bosses. I am not someone when I'm playing by myself and I'm not on camera or anything, that's like yelling at a game and getting, like, emotionally involved that way. I was yelling for, like, 50 hours playing Silk Song, and I. I see that as a good thing.

[Mary Kish]

I love. I love your emotion. I have. I have strong, guttural reactions to Hunter's March. There are these times in Hunter March where you get past a section of platforming and you say, say, oh, surely there is a bench pier.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, my God.

[Dan Reichert]

You get into the bench and then.

[Judge Jake Decker]

The thing like, yeah, that's like Sen's Fortress from Dark Souls 1. And I'm like, I. I literally, like, went out to the living room like, Amanda's like, are you still playing Hollow Knight? I was like, no, I'm never playing that game again. And then, like, that night, of course.

[Mike Mahardi]

Like, I'm, like, playing it Bio water. You, like, so hard to get up there, and you sit in the chair and then just falls.

[Judge Jake Decker]

It's.

[Dan Reichert]

Dude, that's good.

[Mary Kish]

The emotions that it elicits from you is so much higher than the emotions I had in Hades 2. Did I say, yes, I liked Hades 2? All the time. I. Every time I played 82, I was like, I like, this. This is good. But did I ever scream at the top of my lungs, Did I ever, like, say to myself, you're the best, or like, maybe you should give up? I. I felt the highs and lows of Every gamer, when I played that, I think, think. I think it pushed me to my core. Is it perfect? No. But I think it pushes you emotionally. And that is a victory. That is a triumph that should be rewarded. I think it's just incredible.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I really, really don't like the idea of runbacks. Like, I. I think. I think that Team Cherry is so often moving the goal post in that game that I feel like I know what the goal is. And then they're like, nope, that's not what it was. You. You had no idea. And that can be powerful. Like, you. Then all of a sudden you're like, I got to the bench and then sit on it. It falls through. It could be frustrating. I also think I. Again, you get the moments in that game where it's so fucking cathartic that you just beat something. You're like, holy shit, I accomplished something that, again, in hindsight, I forgive a lot of little things that was like, oh, man. I don't even like how that there was not a compelling area to Explore from a 3D platforming or exploration perspective. I think a lot of times, like, I feel like I've heard people glaze Team Cherry a bit, and I'm like, I think they have faults, but, like, again, looking back at the Sopranos thing, it's like, Sopranos, one of my favorite shows of all time because despite the fucking Christopher Columbus episode, they also have Made in America, which is like, one of the best episodes of TV ever. So, like, what do I think about when I think about the Sopranos? I think about those highs. So it's like, again, again, I don't think Silksong is in any way the most consistently good game I've ever played. Especially even this year. Hades 2 was consistently. Dan, you mentioned, like, a hum is a really good way to phrase it. It's like, it was just. I was on the same wavelength with it the whole time. But again, like, Silksong is more of an EKG of someone who was, like, fucking having a heart attack. I was like, I, this, that Silksong, its best moments are unlike anything I've played this year or in many years.

[Dan Reichert]

I do think the EKG thing, I think that is more interesting than the Hunt, you know? So I honestly, after this conversation, I could see Silk Song going to two.

[Mary Kish]

I love you guys.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yes. I, I, I'm fine with that. I think that's a more. I don't like it more than Expedition 33.

[Dan Reichert]

No, but, like, nope, nope, nope. Crazy.

[Mary Kish]

I'm not gonna fool myself into Thinking that I can get Silk Song to go.

[Judge Jake Decker]

But there's a world in which there's a world.

[Dan Reichert]

I do want to talk to you about Bonanza being number one.

[Mary Kish]

Let it go.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Go into bed. I'm gonna play in the morning. This is when I check out.

[Mary Kish]

Silk Song is. Is. Is my goatee. And there's a lot of reasons for it, and I agree with you. It's not perfect, but I think. I think the feelings that it elicited in me is why I fight so hard for it. It is incredible that. That it has made me feel the way I feel when I play it. Angry, scared, sad, alone, joyous, triumphant. Its highs are absolutely unstoppable. I feel stronger when I play, when I'm like, oh, what game am I gonna play again? Or what game am I gonna play when I leave here? I'm going to continue to play Silksong. I want to continue that journey. I've beaten Expedition 33. I don't think I'll. New game plus it. I don't think I'll play it again. That was a very powerful journey, and I'm proud of it. I'm glad I finished it. I will be still thinking about Silksong forever. I will be thinking about this game for the next five years.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, I'm not gonna.

[Mike Mahardi]

I think, to your point, like, I, you know, as much as I hated Act 3, not hated Act 3 of silksong, but I. As frustrated as I was the second I finished that, I was like, well, I'm gonna play again on Switch, and, like, immediately grabbed my switch and started playing through. I'm addicted to this game.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I also, last thing I'll say, I appreciate how Silksong kind of feels like an antidote to. I mean, we have Megabonka number nine. Like, I think there's this. There's this genre of game. Not genre, but many genres that are kind of capitalizing on this. Like, tune out. Play this game passively, and you'll still be making progress and ranking up, I think. I'm not saying that's bad. I think there's a place for that. It's the Airplane game. Like, right. Like, that's what I want to melt hours. I appreciate this. Silk Song is kind of like, fuck that. We want you engaged every step of the way, whether it's good or bad. I want you to actually, like, come to this. We don't want it to be, like, merely addictive and compelling in a immediate sense. We want this to actually be a range of emotions. And I love that, that's yeah, I do feel like games are going to keep going the lat the former way for a while and I appreciate that. Silksong's like, no, we're going to swim against the tide on this one and we're going to, to like whatever people, people are going to hate us. As we clearly seen like people have a lot of problems with the, the challenge level of this game, but it.

[Mary Kish]

Is a challenging game and I, and I think like that can be debatable of like it's, it's, it's merit when you're beating your head against a wall. Like is that, is that how you want to spend your time? That's like the biggest detriment I hear against it which is like man, I like just don't want to, to go against a boss for four hours. I respect that. There's so much time you can spend in this game up, leveling your character, just getting beads that you can spend them on shops. When you play with different build outs, different character builds, you will find that maybe that boss isn't so difficult. You do have to challenge yourself as a player to say, maybe I shouldn't be playing the same way I've been.

[Dan Reichert]

Fucking playing for the last buy a water boss. And then once I put on this shit where it's like I can hang out in the poison water and be fine. I can just like be a little shit hanging out in the poison and.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Like a little broker in the poison. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Once you learn like there's areas where you can prevent poison or fire damage. There's an area where like you can put on an armor that prevents fire damage. And it's just like you. I understand the frustration of that area. You can get past that once you learn the different things that you need to get past it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I, I think an Ocarina of Time level shift like going to Death Mountain without the red tunic.

[Dan Reichert]

You're. Yeah. Dr. Goron.

[Mary Kish]

Anyway, I don't think it's probably going to get any higher. So yeah, I think.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Would you want it to like. I like this ranking.

[Dan Reichert]

I like this a lot.

[Mary Kish]

I could make a case. I my. I have said it already. My personal game of the year is Silk Song. I think it is the best game of this year. I think that it will be very difficult to get it above Expedition 33. I also think think Claire Obscure is phenomenal and I'm not angry with it being at number one. I'm okay with this. I am okay with this. I got no problems with it. If you want me to make a case? I'll try, but like, I don't think it's happening. I think it's done very well. I'm not angry about it.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I like this ring.

[Dan Reichert]

I like it too. Hey, bananas, have a blueprint.

[Mike Mahardi]

No, no, no.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's when I would leave the Bonanza boat.

[Mary Kish]

I think we could probably switch. We could probably see.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Switch the Bonanza bones mega bomb up.

[Mary Kish]

With this and Donkey Kong Bonanza.

[Dan Reichert]

I. I like this.

[Mary Kish]

You know.

[Mike Mahardi]

So this is our list.

[Dan Reichert]

I think this has our list. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Can we read them?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, let's read one. Let's you start with you with 10 and then. Sure, Mike.

[Judge Jake Decker]

No, I've got a Mary. So she can say this. Yeah. And I'll say blueprint. So that's my number.

[Mike Mahardi]

10 is Metroid Prime.

[Dan Reichert]

4.

[Mary Kish]

Number 9 is Mega Bonk.

[Dan Reichert]

Number 8 is Peak.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Number 7 is Ghost of Yote.

[Mike Mahardi]

Number 6 is Silent Hill.

[Mary Kish]

F. Number 5 is Bonanza.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm sorry, what? Say it's full name, please.

[Mary Kish]

DK Bonanza.

[Dan Reichert]

Donkey Kong. This is government.

[Mary Kish]

Care about it.

[Dan Reichert]

Number four, blueprints.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Oh, sorry. Number three is Hades. Two. Sorry, I thought Mary would be on the Mary. Say it.

[Mary Kish]

Blueprints.

[Judge Jake Decker]

No, no, no. Number two.

[Dan Reichert]

This is going smooth.

[Mary Kish]

Hollow Knight. Silk song.

[Judge Jake Decker]

And number one, Jake Clar.

[Mike Mahardi]

Obscure Expedition 33.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Nice. I also want to point out the poetic beauty of the fact that we have a role playing game at number one for fire escape.

[Mary Kish]

That's crazy.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's crazy.

[Mary Kish]

I think that shows the value of. You guys made a hell of a game.

[Dan Reichert]

No, no, no, no, no, no. We made. We're Sandfall Champagne.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We've been. We've been working under. Sandfall Studios is our pen name. No, no, no, no. I just think it's cool that like a strategic turn based game got number.

[Dan Reichert]

One so fucking good. It's undeniable.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That's the least Dewey game that's won. I think it's a very dewy game, but I think it's the most talky game that's won our game of the year.

[Dan Reichert]

Again, turn based rpg and none of us are upset about it.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, it's. It's an incredible accomplishment. They. They. We've also been talking about like games that sound really good. There's this boss and Clara Obscure that sings and you're listening to her. The closer you get to fighting her.

[Mike Mahardi]

Oh yeah.

[Mary Kish]

It's cinema. It's. It's really incredible. Even it. You know when I talk about like how much I love Hollow knight, There's no. There's no time I can think of where I was like, man, I was like, like, getting closer and closer to a boss fight for, like, two hours while I heard her, like, Claire Obscure was, like, teasing me for a really long time. Every time I got close to a boss fight or a monumental story break, it earned every story that it told, and that's hard to do. Every. Everything that it did, I, I. Every time a character died, I wanted to cry. Every time a character was mad at someone, I was like, yeah, yeah, them. It. It really earned those stories.

[Mike Mahardi]

Honestly, getting number one was not that hard. It was just cutting it down to 10, which was.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah, that was a lot of good games.

[Mike Mahardi]

It's a good year.

[Judge Jake Decker]

I think, like, half of mine didn't even make the top.

[Mike Mahardi]

I mean, looking through this, like, out foxes would have been in 10.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, that was close.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Like, yeah, Arc Raiders.

[Mary Kish]

You can still switch it with Metroid Prime 4.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Metro frame forward.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, that's.

[Dan Reichert]

That's like, people are debating that.

[Judge Jake Decker]

That is a me call. I'm gonna put out foxy at number 10 instead of Metroid Prime 4. Jake, can you swap? Can you put out foxy number 10?

[Dan Reichert]

No, that's ridiculous.

[Mary Kish]

That's ridiculous.

[Judge Jake Decker]

The game came out in, like, 1963 or something.

[Mary Kish]

And switch out Foxies with DK Bonanza.

[Judge Jake Decker]

We have prevailed without the sucker Patat. We did not even need them. They decided on our game by themselves.

[Mike Mahardi]

We're at seven hours.

[Dan Reichert]

That's a game of the year. That's the game of the year.

[Mike Mahardi]

Almost eight hours.

[Dan Reichert]

Hooray. Shit. Okay.

[Mary Kish]

You're welcome.

[Judge Jake Decker]

Cheers. We didn't kill each other either.

[Dan Reichert]

We had a game of the year. That was tremendous. Shrink Jack, folks. Boss, thank you for tuning in. Boss, thank you for your help. Whether you've been watching us on Twitch, watching us on YouTube, listening on your podcast platform of choice, thank you so much. We are Fire Escape. I am Dan. This is Mike. This is Mary. This is cool judge Jake. Our game of the year is Claire Obscure Expedition 33. Thank you for listening and tune in. We'll be back soon.

[Mary Kish]

Bye.

[Dan Reichert]

Sam.