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

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.

Key Segments, Debates, and Memorable Moments

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.

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)

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.”

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).

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.”

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)

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)

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

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

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

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)

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.

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!]