The Besties: "Dispatch's Second Chance (and The Game Awards Predictions)"

Date: December 5, 2025
Hosts: Chris Plante, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Russ Frushtick

Episode Overview

This episode of The Besties kicks off with an in-depth discussion of the game "Dispatch"—a narrative-driven, interactive TV-style superhero adventure that surprised the crew with its quality and storytelling. The second half shifts to Game Awards predictions, the Besties’ own Game of the Year voting bracket, and a series of wild guesses (and jokes) about imminent game announcements. The crew also touches on listener mail and highlights several notable indie and mainstream games in their honorable mentions segment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Exploring "Dispatch" (00:55 – 25:07)

Initial Skepticism, Unexpected Delight (05:13)

• Griffin (D): "[Dispatch is] my hat in hand…mea culpa game of the year…one that I felt pretty rock solid certain I wasn’t gonna like…so not excited by any of the trailers…but was so sort of shocked by how much buzz and positive reaction it had gotten. And I'm very glad I gave it a sh—"
• He binged six of eight episodes quickly, finding the writing and acting compelling and the management mechanics surprisingly engaging.

How Interactive Is It? (06:21)

• Russ (B): "It’s much less interactive than a Telltale thing. It feels more like you’re watching a show and occasionally you have options to choose dialogue…”
• "Dispatch" isn’t a traditional point-and-click; it’s more like “interactive TV,” with narrative choices and occasional gamey bits.

Gameplay Structure (09:27)

• Griffin: “You are running a superhero team…the Z Team of former villains…You are basically their manager…assigning them to different jobs, making those decisions based on their different superhero stats..."
• The team skill system uses a pentagonal radar chart, and missions’ success rates are calculated as percentages based on character/job overlap (10:11).

Visuals & Acting (11:27)

• Russ: “Animation-wise, like, holy shit. Wow. Incredible. And shot really well…Framing is…professional…surprised they didn’t partner with a streaming network.”
• Aaron Paul voices the protagonist ("He crushes" – Russ, 17:12), with other strong performances by Jeffrey Wright and Laura Bailey and cameos from streamers and "Critical Role" alums (17:34).

Genre, Tone & Comparisons (08:52, 19:01)

• Russ and Griffin agree the show strikes “drama…light drama” more than pure comedy.
• The narrative succeeds largely due to character writing and a "loving misfit family" dynamic—a familiar trope handled well here.
• Justin (A): “If you’re talking about an interactive TV show, I can’t tell you something that’s worked better than this.”

Mechanical Weight vs. Narrative Weight (13:08)

• Success and failure in missions are somewhat random, but the key experience is narrative engagement, not mastery.
• Griffin: “But you’re not gonna get too good or too bad. It’s much more about keeping you engaged with the story.”

Episode Structure, Pacing & Length (22:43)

• Each episode is about 45 minutes, resembling a TV episode (“it is exactly the length of a television episode”—Justin, 23:10).
• Pacing uses “dispatch” segments to break up action and establish rhythm; hosts found this clever and well-structured.

Character Attachment & Choices (21:25)

• Discussing favorites among a large cast, Griffin notes even minor characters have memorable moments and arcs.
• Justin: “It actually makes…the specialness of the interactivity more because…the things that I’m seeing feel special…this is my experience and it’s good enough that that actually means something.”

2. The Besties' Game of the Year Bracket (26:49)

• The main bracket is set, but listeners can still vote to fill four more spots (26:59).
• Chris: "You have a chance to vote on four additional games that will round out the 16-seed bracket…polls close tonight, Friday at 11:30pm Pacific Time."
• Listener picks could include lesser-discussed games such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle or Dispatch itself (28:02).

3. The Game Awards 2025: Predictions, Hot Takes, and Announcements

(28:22 – 45:31)

Game of the Year & Likely Winners (28:41, 30:10)

• Chris strongly predicts Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 will sweep most categories:

  "I think it's just going to clean sweep basically whatever it's in" (28:42).

• Expected to take top awards over strong contenders like Silksong and Death Stranding 2.
• Discussion about splitting votes between "Best Game Direction" and "Game of the Year," paralleling Oscar voting patterns (31:38).
• International voting body disadvantages English-only games like Blueprints (31:19).

Category Debates & Industry Trends (33:33)

• Best performance nominations, Oscar-style emotional voting, and the impact of late releases like Dispatch missing nominations.
• Death Stranding 2 praised but likely "too divisive"; Clair Obscure’s emotional ending may tip the scales (32:28).

Curiosities and Oddities (34:43)

• Megabonk’s developer declined a "Best Debut" nomination to avoid unfairly taking a newcomer slot—a rarity that amuses the hosts.
• Nostalgia for past award show antics, like someone dressed as a clown to accept a prize (35:47).

Wishlists & Wild Announcements (37:39)

• Justin runs down rumored Game Awards reveals, hypothesizing trailers for the Max Payne remake, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake, a Blade game, new Sega projects, Persona 4 remasters, and inevitably, "Elder Scrolls Online bullshit" (39:45).
• Russ: “I have a genuine thing…” About always getting tricked by Elder Scrolls Online teases (39:49).
• Chris and Russ also bet on Sega, Sonic's 35th anniversary, Jet Set Radio’s return, and more Nintendo-adjacent reveals (41:04).

Boldest (and Funniest) Prediction (43:18)

• Justin, inspired by recent Fortnite cross-media events:

  "When I wrote it, I just wrote in this document, Fortnite Movie." (43:18)

• General agreement that, while wild, a Fortnite movie in partnership with a major animation company is plausible.

Listener Mail & Honorable Mentions

Notable Reader Recommendations (45:40)

• Strafftet (FPS party game) — praised for fun-per-minute and the absurd speed of matches (46:14).
• Kirby Air Ride and its sleeper hit "City Trial" mode (47:25).

Indie and Other Game Highlights (48:02 – 60:47)

• Sektori (Twin-stick score-attack shooter):
  • Justin is #19 on the classic-mode leaderboard: “Everybody’s got to play more Sectori. I think it’s so good. Makes you feel good when you play it.” (48:16)
• Root Shooters are Dead (detective puzzle game):
  • Russ puts it in the lineage of Obra Dinn, lauds the in-game hint system, and recommends it for its internet-sleuth narrative (54:47).
• Castle Crashers: Painter Boss Paradise DLC:
  • Griffin highlights a new customization system and continued enjoyment in co-op with his son (54:42).
• Routine (horror stealth game):
  • Chris recommends it for horror fans, praising its analog/digital art direction and atmospheric tension, even if he doesn't finish it himself (58:53).

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• "Did you guys know that normally I've just discovered a new feature in Riverside?…You can just pin Russ. So you can just make Russ big." — Justin, joking about video call setups. (00:00)

• "I'm reading his micro aggressions, the tiny fractal eyelash blink that lets me know he wants me to reference New York giraffe or something." — Justin, riffing on the subtle language of close podcast friends. (00:58)

• "It is a story about a bunch of fuckups who…eventually form a pretty sort of loving misfit family…that format has been beaten to death and done so many different times. And so I think it's like, pretty remarkable how good a job it does." — Griffin, on Dispatch's central theme. (18:54)

• "I feel like the property…there isn't a big enough property for Fortnite to consume it. It almost has to be…the meta property itself. And it feels like there's a Lego Movie opportunity that’s just been like…sitting there." — Justin's reasoning for predicting a Fortnite Movie announcement. (44:31)

• "Within the span of a decade we have gone from women with award winners painted on their bodies to someone withdrawing from consideration to preserve the sanctity of the game awards.” — Justin, reflecting on how the industry and its award shows have changed. (35:55)

• "When you spell out the word, you enter this Rainbow mode. That is the most satisfying thing. It reminds me of Peggle back in the day when Peggle would really hit. When this thing hits rainbow mode, oh, baby, it is a ho–" — Justin, describing his joy with Sectori. (50:30-50:57)

• "Best adaptation threw me for a loop. 'Cause did you guys know they did a Splinter Cell cartoon with Liam Schreiber is Sam?" — Justin, discovering a nominee no one remembers. (36:46)

Final Takeaways

• "Dispatch" comes highly recommended by the Besties for fans of interactive narrative experiences, especially those seeking fresh takes on the superhero genre with great performance and writing.
• Game Awards 2025 predictions heavily favor the emotionally resonant indie "Clair Obscure: Expedition 33," while also forecasting big sequel wins and a healthy dose of skepticism about industry trends.
• Listeners play an active role in shaping the show's Game of the Year debate, with voting still open as of the episode's release.
• Honorable mentions highlight a thriving indie scene, the power of customization in old favorites, and the podcast’s ongoing search for surprise hits—even in genres they think they dislike.

For fans looking for recommendations, critical insight, and spirited video game conversation, this episode delivers a full banquet of opinions, laughs, and genuinely thoughtful analysis.