Don’t Miss the Switch 2’s Hidden Gem

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Besties – Episode: "Don’t Miss the Switch 2’s Hidden Gem"

Release Date: June 20, 2025
Hosts: Chris Plant, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Russ Frushtick
Title: Don’t Miss the Switch 2’s Hidden Gem

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1. Episode Overview

In this episode of The Besties, the hosts delve deep into the latest release on the Switch 2 platform—Fast Fusion. They explore the game's mechanics, its place in the racing genre, and its comparison to established titles like Wipeout and Mario Kart. Additionally, the conversation expands to discuss the Switch 2 console's reception, ergonomics, and its competitive standing against other gaming systems.

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2. Fast Fusion: An In-Depth Review

a. Introduction to Fast Fusion

The episode kicks off with an engaging banter about the potential chaos surrounding Russ Frushtick’s apartment, setting a humorous tone before transitioning to the main topic.

Justin McElroy introduces Fast Fusion as a standout title for the Switch 2:

"Chris, what is this game?"
Christopher Plant [03:48]: "...a futuristic racing game in which you zip around these gravity-defying racetracks doing loop after loop."

b. Game Mechanics and Features

The hosts dissect the unique elements that Fast Fusion brings to the racing genre:

• Graphics and Technology:
  Chris Plant [06:27]: "It looks fucking great. It is using all of the new like whiz bang technology that allows you to turn low-resolution graphics into high resolution."

• Jump Mechanics:
  Plant [06:38]: "It's cool as hell to be able to jump in your racing games."

• Boost Pads and Color Matching:
  Plant [07:12]: "You shift your vehicle's color to match the boost pads. If you are the right color, you're zipping through the course. But if you’re wrong, it drains you."
  Griffin McElroy [16:09]: "Managing that bar is really important."

c. Comparisons to Other Racing Games

The discussion highlights how Fast Fusion stands apart from titles like Mario Kart:

Russ Frushtick [09:34]: "There's no randomness... feels fair. When I win, it feels like I deserved to win."

Griffin McElroy [05:26]:
"It's just Switch two right now. So we're going to be talking about Fast Fusion and it's a cool one."

d. Pricing and Value Proposition

At a price point of $14.99, Fast Fusion is lauded for its value:

Plant [12:43]: "I absolutely adore that game, but this is the opposite... feels fair."
Griffin McElroy [17:11]: "At 15 bucks it's a steal."

e. Gameplay Experience

The hosts share personal experiences, emphasizing the game's balance between speed and control:

Justin McElroy [09:05]:
"There's something about the view range and the angle where your ship is so close to the camera that even when it's going really fast, you feel like you've got a ton of control."

Griffin McElroy [16:09]:
"It becomes like croquet, because you have to hit this guy in front of me so I can steal his boost."

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3. Switch 2 Console: User Experiences and Comparisons

a. General Reception

The hosts express positive sentiments about the Switch 2, noting its improved performance and game library:

Griffin McElroy [19:21]:
"I've been playing the Switch 2 quite a bit... it's been getting a lot of play over here."

b. Hardware and Ergonomics

Discussions revolve around the console's physical aspects and user interface:

Justin McElroy [25:26]:
"The virtual game cards... It's a neat system that allows for smoother gameplay across devices."

Griffin McElroy [36:07]:
"The lack of ergonomic options right now for the Switch 2 is troubling."

c. Competitive Standing Against Other Consoles

The conversation compares the Switch 2 to heavyweights like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5:

Chris Plant [30:10]:
"The Switch 2 is a direct expansion and continuation of that whole thing."

Griffin McElroy [31:50]:
"I think the Switch 2 is a big enough bump in quality and power enough that that has, I don't know, settled in as the gimmick."

d. Future Accessories and Enhancements

The hosts speculate about upcoming accessories and modifications to enhance the Switch 2 experience:

Chris Plant [37:18]:
"They would definitely release more ergonomic options. Hori is ready to sell more stuff."

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4. Additional Discussions

a. Sponsored Segment: Ritual's Synbiotic Plus

A brief advertisement segment promotes Ritual’s gut health supplement:

Russ Frushtick [03:32]:
"Ritual Symbiotic Plus is designed with a delayed release capsule to help reach the colon, not the stomach."

b. New Reality Show: "Destination X with Jeffrey Dean Morgan"

Justin introduces a new reality show blending geography and mystery:

Justin McElroy [44:10]:
"Players are driven to a remote location wearing blindfolds and must figure out where they are through a series of challenges."

c. Book Recommendations: Robert Jackson Bennett

Griffin shares his enthusiasm for Robert Jackson Bennett’s works:

Griffin McElroy [50:48]:
"The Divine Cities Trilogy is absolutely essential if you enjoy fantasy novels."

d. Movie Recommendation: "Meta Wanders"

Chris advocates for a lesser-known movie that resonates with LGBTQ+ themes:

Chris Plant [53:03]:
"It's like a friendlier John Waters movie, full of great performances and a delightful storyline."

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5. Community Interaction and Listener Emails

The hosts respond to listener emails, discussing topics like the Hitman team’s potential Bond game and amusing confusions in subscriber messages. This segment adds a personal touch, showcasing the camaraderie among the hosts and their engagement with the audience.

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6. Upcoming Content and Closing Remarks

The episode concludes with teasers for future discussions and promotions for their Patreon:

Griffin McElroy [54:13]:
"You can support us at patreon.com/thebesties for exclusive content and battle brackets every month."

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Notable Quotes:

• Griffin McElroy [06:27]:
  "It's 4K HDR at 60 frames per second. Fucking looks pretty wild."

• Russ Frushtick [09:34]:
  "There's no randomness... feels fair. When I win, it feels like I deserved to win."

• Justin McElroy [16:09]:
  "It becomes like croquet, because you have to hit this guy in front of me so I can steal his boost."

• Griffin McElroy [17:11]:
  "At 15 bucks it's a steal."

---

Conclusion

In this episode, The Besties shine a spotlight on Fast Fusion, positioning it as a must-play title for Switch 2 enthusiasts. Through lively discussions, personal anecdotes, and expert analysis, the hosts provide listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the game’s strengths and its value proposition in the current gaming landscape. Additionally, the conversation around the Switch 2 console underscores its growing impact and the hosts' positive reception of its features and game library.

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Join The Besties next week as they explore "To the Fucking Beach," diving into the best aspects of stranding and beach-themed gaming adventures.

Transcript

[Griffin McElroy]

There's gonna be a fun tension this episode. Knowing that at any moment the chainsaw wielding burglars who have been terrorizing Russ Frushtick's building, his entire building for the last 24 hours, could appear at any time. And then Russ is just gonna disappear and his criticism will be missed.

[Russ Frushtick]

There might be a heist going on in my New York City apartment on the. Wherever it is.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Oh, fuck. Chainsaw heist. How have we not made this movie? Chainsaw heist, that is. That's at least $100 million.

[Russ Frushtick]

Now it should be noted chainsaws are not designed to cut through hard things. They cut through wood. I know Justin's the expert here. My understanding is they cut through wood. But when it comes to like stealing things from a bank, you probably don't want a chainsaw. It's probably not going to do the trick.

[Griffin McElroy]

I was under the impression, Juice, that you did not use a chainsaw much in your wood carving.

[Justin McElroy]

I have a chainsaw just because sometimes trees fall in my road and someone on the road needs to have a chainsaw to cut the trees apart so people can get off their.

[Russ Frushtick]

And you're that guy.

[Justin McElroy]

I have a chainsaw. I'm that guy.

[Griffin McElroy]

Whoa.

[Justin McElroy]

That's the kind of hill I'm on.

[Griffin McElroy]

Right.

[Justin McElroy]

If you look around your hill and I'm the guy cutting the trees out of the road, you need to move now. Have you ever become the guy for me?

[Russ Frushtick]

Have you ever felt heisty with that chainsaw? Have you ever felt like you wanted to break into a bank?

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, I mean, sometimes I feel like I want to carve into that beautiful wood and take home a slab for myself.

[Griffin McElroy]

But can you do that? What if you leave enough for the tree to be. To live, Are you allowed to go into the woods and just get yourself a little bit of woods?

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Wait, are you saying if a tree falls in the woods, can you steal it? Is. I think that's.

[Griffin McElroy]

That's not what I was saying. Even a little bit. No, that's not what I said.

[Justin McElroy]

You should leave the trees where they fall. They are purely decorative and riddled with bugs. The only place to get wood in the way that we think of it is at your local home.

[Griffin McElroy]

Good story. That's cool. And I do hear, I believe the sound of the burglars are back in the middle of the intro.

[Justin McElroy]

Quickly, r. Thwart them, thwart them.

[Russ Frushtick]

They are knocking, which is very polite.

[Justin McElroy]

At the very least.

[Griffin McElroy]

Cool, cool, cool. The power tools will come later.

[Russ Frushtick]

Yes.

[Justin McElroy]

My name is Justin McElroy and I know the Best Game of the.

[Griffin McElroy]

Week My name is Griffin McElroy. I know the best game of the week.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

My name is Christopher Thomas Plant and I gotta go fast.

[Russ Frushtick]

My name is Russ Freshik. I know the best game of the week.

[Justin McElroy]

Welcome to the Besties where we talk about the latest and greatest in home interactive entertainment. It is a video game club and just by listening you at home have just become a member and this week we're going to be talking about a brand new release across platform. Or is it just Switch two?

[Griffin McElroy]

You were so confident like now you were so confident.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

It's just Switch two.

[Griffin McElroy]

It's just Switch two right now. So we're going to be talking about Fast Fusion and it's a cool one. What is Fast Fusion?

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Chris Fast Fusion is a racing game in the style of Wipeout and F0 and it is actually a continuation of an ongoing series that's quite delightful but underappreciated. And did I mention it only cost 14.99? We'll talk about more after the break. After we recover Hoops from whatever pit he has fallen into.

[Griffin McElroy]

He's a real existential depth.

[Russ Frushtick]

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[Justin McElroy]

Hard to remember and harder to put down.

[Russ Frushtick]

Fast Fusion finally the Fast franchise is coming at us. Yeah, I think this is the second installment in the Fast franchise.

[Griffin McElroy]

This is the fourth installment in the Fast.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Good try.

[Justin McElroy]

Who's counting?

[Russ Frushtick]

I tried.

[Griffin McElroy]

There was Fast Racing League came out in the WWII Shop Channel 2011. We had fast.

[Justin McElroy]

With a name like that, how did it not burn up the charts?

[Griffin McElroy]

Fast Racing Neo was on the WWII U in 2015. Fast RMS.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Right.

[Russ Frushtick]

I knew about that one.

[Griffin McElroy]

The enhanced version of Fast Racing Neo came out as a launch title for the Switch and the Fast Fusion is a launch title for the Switch 2. And may I just say, one of the better launch titles on the Switch 2, I think.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, it's definitely up there. It is though, such a silly name that when people asked me what I was playing, I pretend that I didn't know the name of it because I didn't want to say Fast Fusion.

[Griffin McElroy]

Outblast. It sounds like you're describing a genre of restaurant. There's new Fast Fusion playseason on Delancey.

[Justin McElroy]

So, Chrisplant, what is this game?

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

So the best comparison, like I said, Wipeout F0. It is doing what Nintendo doesn't seem to have interest in doing. It doesn't seem like it wants to bring back F0. So this series has a history of filling that gap on Nintendo's behalf. It is a futuristic racing game in which you zip around these gravity defying racetracks doing loop after loop. But the hook here this time around is. Well, there's a few. One, it looks fucking great. And that is because it is using all of the new like whiz bang technology that allows you to like turn low resolution graphics into high resolution.

[Griffin McElroy]

It's 4K HDR at 60 frames per second. Fucking looks pretty wild.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Killer. The second thing that it's doing, it's a racing game that lets you jump and it turns out that's cool.

[Justin McElroy]

I love that.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

That's cool as hell to be able to jump in your racing games. And the third thing is the boost pads. There are these boost pads that go all around the track and they are two different colors. And I'm not sure what colors they were for you. Russ, what were they for you? Did it work?

[Russ Frushtick]

Are you addressing me?

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah. How bad is it over there?

[Russ Frushtick]

Do we think this is gonna work? Is this gonna be good podcasting?

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah. Great. I need Russ fresh stick. I don't care if there's grinding.

[Russ Frushtick]

Literally, if this plant has changed. Yeah.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

What colors were the boost pads?

[Russ Frushtick]

They look to me like red and blue, but.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Okay, great.

[Russ Frushtick]

Is that accurate?

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

So you can go. You shift your vehicle's color to match the boost pads. If you are the right color. If you match, you're zipping through the course. But there's a risk reward here because if you're the wrong color, it drains.

[Griffin McElroy]

Your juice, drains you dry. Yeah. There's also a boost meter that you're working up by collecting coins on the Map. And you can steal those from other people by boosting into them or landing on top of them heavyweight style. But the really important thing to know about this game is that you're going a million billion fucking miles per hour. And it's so, so fast in that, like I remember the first time I played, I think it was Wipeout on either PSP or PS Vita. And just being like completely mind blown by the fact that I was playing a handheld thing and playing a game that looked this good and this fast. And I feel like that, I don't know, I was shocked to have that same experience on 2025.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

You are going a billion trillion miles per hour, but you have an astonishing level of control right out the box of your vehicle. So it's really easy to get around the course. They want you to have the joy of moving really fast, but they don't want you worrying so much about the like racing the track as they do you making the decisions, these risk decisions. Like, hey, should I jump to try to get some extra boosts, like boxes risking putting myself into the air and like running into a billboard. Should I boost past a enemy, knocking them out of the way, but then not having enough boost, basically exposing myself to like attacks from other racers. It's all these like little choices that you're making and then the racing is kind of, I don't know. I found it kind of surprisingly simple and easy because it gives you so much control of your vehicle.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah, it feels really, really good.

[Justin McElroy]

There's something that smart it's doing about the view range and the angle where your ship is so close to the camera that even when it's going really fast, you feel like you've got a ton of control. Like it still feel, it doesn't feel like you're not able to keep pace with what it's doing. Most of the times that you die. A lot of the times at least it is your fault. Like it is for me. A lot of times it was seeing some like boost tokens in the air and thinking, I can just grab those.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah, for sure.

[Justin McElroy]

But then deciding to grab them like about five seconds too late, just smashing right into a bridge.

[Russ Frushtick]

There is also an element in this that you don't see in a lot of these arcade racing games. I guess F0 is probably the closest analog. There's no randomness, there's no, oh, you hit the thing and you get a slot machine of like, what are you going to get? Yeah, so that actually makes it. Fucking Christ. Why did you guys make me Come here. This will probably be the last good insight I have this episode because. Jesus Christ. But I did appreciate the fact that you weren't having to do the slot machine item pickup, blue shell thing every time.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

I'll build on that a little bit in that this is the kind of ideal companion to arrive alongside Mario Mario Kart World for me because I. I really enjoyed Mario Kart World and I do want to give everyone an update on my colonoscopy. It went great and I played a lot of Mario Kart World while preparing for it.

[Russ Frushtick]

I don't think we did talked about it.

[Justin McElroy]

Well, that's kind of like a you thing. It's a side quest that you went on without us. The your friends. I always knew it was a resting thing, so I'm glad to hear you fill in the. The.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

I figured while I was away that was like the number one topic. Why would you have Chris Grant on if not to talk about my health? Anyway, I played a lot of it. The frustrating thing about that game is you race and you race and you race and then you get third place at the very last second after being in first place the whole time. And it's maddening. That said, I absolutely adore that game, but this is the opposite. I'm sure there's rubber banding behind the scenes, but it largely feels fair. When I lose, it feels like I deserve to lose. When I win, it feels like I deserved to win. It feels while like an arcade racer, like something more competitive than Mario Kart. Also, the, I don't know, hoops or Griffin, if you can talk to this. The unlock path of this game I really enjoyed.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah, it's cool. So you get money by collecting these boost tokens on the map, but you get more money for placing really well in a race. There's another mode called superhero mode where you can also get a lot of money and that involves you coming in first in a race. And also you can't explode at any point and it's very, very hard. But you can get lots of money for doing that. And then. Sorry, I just ran up and down the stairs.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

There's a time attack mode also that is you versus developers times. And it is tough like I expected. Oh, I'll be able to win the first race after a few rounds. And no, they really want you to figure out every little angle of the race. What I can't get over. And I. I know we usually don't talk about like Price on this show, um, but 14.99 is such a bizarre price for this game in that it feels as feature rich as any other launch title I remember playing on any other video game console. I don't know if it's just like they assume that everybody will buy it if you price it.

[Griffin McElroy]

I mean, I think it's just standing out so. So much more in comparison because the, you know, killer app, at least from Nintendo's side, the big new game is Mario Kart world, which costs $80. And there's been so much discussed about that. To have another racing game come out that, I mean, frankly, guys, I have not played. I don't think I've played Mario Kart since last. Last week. It was kind of dead on arrival. I feel like at our house, we've been playing a lot of Switch 2, but not. Not that. And this is obviously not as big and ambitious as Mario Kart, but I do think I have had some more fun with it because it looks so good, and it just feels really, really good to play.

[Russ Frushtick]

It feels like an onboard, like a total. Like, how can we get the most amount of customers at any given time? I'm sorry, Rachel.

[Justin McElroy]

Why?

[Russ Frushtick]

Poor Rachel is gonna have to work with this audio. To be fair.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

People can't see it. The chainsaw is right behind you.

[Griffin McElroy]

It's like coming through the wall into his office.

[Russ Frushtick]

And I want this to be a 40x experience for the people at home. So please jam a vibrator under your seat, if you won't mind. And you know what? If that's gonna work for you, so much the better.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

You were talking about the res motion controller.

[Russ Frushtick]

Yes, Correct.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah. Only use the res motion control. We didn't finish. I didn't actually finish my thought about the, like, economy of the game. Like, you get the boost tokens, and then you can use those to buy new tracks, access to new tracks, and you can buy new ships, and then you can fuse the ships together to create new ships. And those are, like, unique in their own way. And it does. I mean, the ships do feel kind of different from each other. There's, like, heavier ones that go much faster when they boost, and then there's ones that accelerate faster. That's not the most novel concept, but it is just kind of enough to, I don't know, put that extra little carrot on the. On the stick.

[Justin McElroy]

I feel like it's just a really good blend of, like, the amount of focus that you have to give it and the layering of the mechanics. It feels like when you're in the pocket, almost a little bit more like a rhythm Game where, like, you know the sequence, you know the next thing you need to do, you're like, after you do a big, long, like, blue trail, I would sometimes start to, like, just go ahead and flip to orange automatically thinking, like, okay, the next thing I'm going to do is over here. And especially as you repeat the tracks over and over again, you start to get a sense of, like, oh, that's right. This jump is coming up where I can hit that line and then I'm going to land. And if you're getting those mechanics, like, like Plant said, the racing becomes almost secondary. And I like that so much more. I'd much prefer that where I'm learning game mechanics. Yeah. Than I am to, like, actually, like, dueling someone for, like, trying to drift behind them and get a few more seconds of my time shaved off.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

That's such a great point. And the fact that the track itself kind of looks like a track in a Guitar Hero game brings that home even more. The dueling other racers. What I do love about that we briefly touched on it is you build up this boost meter and it does give you some speed. And it's especially useful if you've come to a complete stop and you need to catch up to the package. But really it becomes this offensive move for taking people out in that constant feeling of, okay, I have somebody in front of me and I can take them out, but I know I have two people behind me, and if I boost through them, I'm gonna be empty on my boost gauge. And that means the two people behind me can take me out. And it becomes this.

[Griffin McElroy]

It becomes like croquet, right? Because it's like I have to hit this guy in front of me so I can steal his boost. So then I can boost past these next. These next. Because if you're not boosting in this game, the boost feels fucking great. If you're not using it constantly, you slow down to a point where you are going to get past. So managing that bar is really important.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

If you run it out to zero, you expose yourself defensibly and it's like that. Yeah, the head games are playing against robots, but, yeah, it's something special. I think it's great that this in Mario Kart are just gonna be cooked onto mini switch 2s. Day one is killer. Griffin. I was thinking, you know, like, last fall we went to a lake house with some of our friends together, and I imagine, like, having both of these games. I want both.

[Griffin McElroy]

Like, yeah, there are certain people I.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Want to play Mario Kart.

[Justin McElroy]

With.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

And there are some people like, I cannot wait to play this game with you. Playing Mario Kart with you. That'll be fun. But like playing this, I feel like.

[Griffin McElroy]

We will for the real game, for the just say for the real gamers.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

For the real gamers is what I'm trying to say.

[Griffin McElroy]

I think this game rules. I think it's genuinely, it's some of the most fun I've had on the Switch 2 in the week and change that I've had my hands on it and I think at 15 bucks it's a steal.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Hell yeah. Cool. Video games. Should we take a break and then talk about other games?

[Griffin McElroy]

I would love to do that. Russ, how are you? Russ is holding his face in his hands in a really?

[Russ Frushtick]

Can I leave? Is that possible?

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah, I think that would probably be.

[Justin McElroy]

Thanks, Russ.

[Griffin McElroy]

Thank you so much, Russ.

[Russ Frushtick]

Have a nice day.

[Griffin McElroy]

Sorry about all the shit, man.

[Justin McElroy]

Sorry about everything. Russ.

[Griffin McElroy]

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[Justin McElroy]

We talked a little bit about, I think last week about how little fanfare there was with the Switch 2 launch, and we kind of wanted to revisit it this week to see where everybody's head is at now that the, you know, we're past all the hubbub, the lights the glamour, the glitz. How's your Switch journey been, y' all?

[Griffin McElroy]

I mean, we've been playing it quite a bit. Mostly still Tears of the Kingdom, the updated Switch 2 version. Henry has finally kind of taken a shine to that game. It's a very complex. He plays a lot of games at this point, but there's so much shit you can do in that game and just so many kind of buttons to juggle to do all of that stuff. But it seems like he's finally clicked with it and so we've been having a lot of fun playing that. Honestly, I love having Fast Fusion kind of on the docket because it is a fun like five minute game. It's a fun game to just like pick up and do a little chunk of. But yeah, I've been playing the Switch 2 quite a bit at this point. I did not. I have a couple things on my Rog Ally X on my to do list to go to, but it is maybe because it is significantly heavier. I have been trending towards the stuff on Switch 2. So yeah, it's been getting a lot of play over here.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

I love this damn thing. It's so good.

[Griffin McElroy]

You weren't here last week, right, Chris?

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Yeah, I wasn't here last week. My take and I'm glad I had the extra time to play it and I'm glad I had colonoscopy so I can really get to know this thing and it can get to know me. It, I will just say, like the obvious bummer of it out of the way is not actually to do with it. It's to do with just everything in games now, which is we have locked into the iterative era of hardware. Gone are the days of the Wiimote and the Kinect and all of those things, whether you like them or not. And here are the new days of the iterative console release. But what I can say as a huge compliment to the Switch 2 versus the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 is I want to turn it on with both those consoles. I just had no desire pretty much immediately, you know, I worked through Demon's Souls. But beyond that, the systems, they are a means to an end of playing the thing on my TV. The Switch 2 is the opposite. So far I really enjoyed Mario Kart, even if it frustrates me in all the way Mario Kart has. I've really enjoyed Fast Fusion. I've loved digging into the GameCube catalog.

[Griffin McElroy]

I have not even done that yet, dude.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Soul Calibur 2 is just a killer game. And it just being on my console, ready to work whenever I want it is absolutely perfect. And I love that things run well. They run really, really well. I wasn't sure about the upgrades to Zelda and stuff, and I was worried about it because that sort of stuff in the past has not been Nintendo's jam and they've absolutely nailed it. And I think what I just had to do as I was playing it more and more was let go of my feelings about consoles, basically of the past. And if I thought about this in the same way that I felt when I played the Switch oled, it's like, way past even that. Like, I'm loving this way more than I did that upgrade. And we talked about that.

[Griffin McElroy]

That was such a more marginal upgrade than.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Yeah, but we all loved it, right? Like, it was a great screen. But the moment when I realized, like, oh, it's really clicking for me was we have to acquire code for games that we talk about on the show week after week. And I started to want to go back to asking for Switch code instead of Steam. And I haven't done that for years because the Steam deck was my default and then other options. And you're right, Griffin. Like, it's so much lighter and just more comfortable and being able to get that same amount of power and ease, but also having it not weigh so much is it matters. It, like, really does matter. So, yeah, overall, I like it. I do feel like we are living in a period of an embarrassment of riches, and I think that's overall really good. I do wonder if we're also barreling towards, like, our own version of the modern console wars, where people are, like, very picky about what they want from a handheld. Yeah, but I don't know. So that was kind of my rant.

[Griffin McElroy]

Sorry to jump it all. So weird to think of Nintendo competing in that. Like, they've been so clearly doing their own thing. But the fact remains that for the past two, three years, whenever the Steam deck came out, I basically kind of put my console stuff to the side almost entirely and was using that except for Nintendo games. And now, I don't know, man. I will cop to last week being so being a little blustery about, like, well, my Rog Ally X is stronger in every conceivable way. And I don't know, after playing more Tears of the Kingdom, which just fucking looks and runs so good, like, I don't really even feel that way particularly strongly anymore, I'm sure that there are some big showpiece games that will still Maybe stand out, but, yeah, it has really asserted itself around here. What about you, Juice? Because you were much cooler on it than we were last time.

[Justin McElroy]

Thanks, Griff. I always try to be very, very cool. Appreciate you noticing that. I had a couple of good contextual experiences with it, where I needed to be. We were at the theater and our show got rained out and I had it with me and we were like, backstage in the shell, and I was able to pop off the controllers and put on the little do hickeys, which is a bad solution for that. That's stupid. I hate having to have that with me. They help, but it's like another thing.

[Griffin McElroy]

You're talking about the joy con rails.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, yeah. You're supposed to use them for mouse. But also, like, it gives you a bit more grip when you're doing like, the individual joy con things. But we did some Mario Kart and I just had, like, me and Cooper did two player, like, battles and stuff, and then we had a couple other people play. And it's, you know, you put it in somebody's hand and it's the screens big enough that you don't feel ridiculous popping out the kickstand and actually, like, playing a little bit. So for that, like, it was good. Not the, like, ideal game for it, I guess for me, just because it's not my favorite, but, like, that worked well. I went out and got actually a couple of the wheels, wheel things. They've got like a two pack of the wheel handles for these. I want to see how the kids. If the kids enjoyed those. They did not. They thought it sucked to do. They hated it. They cried, literally. I've got them at the house. People can use them, but not my kids. And I bought a camera Grif. I don't know if you're going to get a camera.

[Griffin McElroy]

No. I've seen so many pictures of just like best buy display units of just like all them switches gone, all the memory cards gone. There's like 50 cameras because.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, but it is that. That feels. I really feel like if the camera was going to be a thing, I really wish it had been packed in. It really does feel like, you know, it even feels weird. Like if I see people on and I have the camera, like, it feels presumptuous. Like I see them playing something else and I'm the one with a camera and I want to be like, pardon. Pardon. Mind. Hello. It's all. It's all weird, but Griffin, get one so we can, like. I will say there was a cool application for it. In when we were playing Mario Kart because it let you like move a circle to where your head is in the room.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah.

[Justin McElroy]

And that was like your icon for the game. So, like, as you like, whatever you did in the room, like, that was still your like, little icon.

[Griffin McElroy]

Really, really feels like I could wait four months and get it for $9.99 at the local Circuit City. It feels.

[Justin McElroy]

It feels like you'll already have spent that 10 bucks on welcome Tour, so you won't have it.

[Griffin McElroy]

That's a good point. That's a good point. That's still welcome to our welcome Tour having credible video functionality. I bet it does.

[Justin McElroy]

Hard enough on welcome Tour, but I guess we don't need to circle back around on that. There's so much of it that's invisible and you just have to wander around. That thing's a stinker. I will. I. You know what? It is? It is. I don't know how much value there is to grossing about this before the year is out. And there's like a whole other suite of stuff.

[Griffin McElroy]

Right.

[Justin McElroy]

That Donkey Kong game kit looks killer. I wish that was out at launch. I think I'd probably be a lot more excited about it. And if I would be more excited about it if that Donkey Kong game was out already, then like, who gives a shit, right? You know what I mean? It's like, yeah, then wait. You know what I mean, baby, don't buy it so early. Dork.

[Griffin McElroy]

We talk about console launches in their own kind of way. Like it isn't a contextual, sort of self contained event because it is like, I don't know it has such an impact on the industry in the year and the future of like what gaming promises. Like, it is an impactful thing. And so it is, I think, kind of, kind of shitty to have such a. What would almost certainly looks like could be like a first party killer app at launch, not be at launch.

[Justin McElroy]

It really feels now that I have a little space and I'm actually like a little less like frustrated about it because I see where it sort of fits in the landscape a little better. It really does feel like Nintendo making good on sort of what I feel like this is what Sony and Microsoft had have wanted to do in terms of the like seamless trying to get to iPhone levels of like just seamlessly replacing your hardware on a cycle that they can dictate and try to like, you know, the individual numbers were just like, it's a platform. You know what I mean? It's less about the numbering. I feel Like Nintendo has actually like done that in a way that feels really, really genuinely iterative. That has like kept continuity in this product where like, I don't think Microsoft and Sony have ever had the discipline to make a five feel like a successor to four. But I feel like the Nintendo Switch 2 really does do that. It feels like a direct expansion and continuation of that whole thing.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

I agree with that. And I think a lot of that is in the UI actually working. So much of what has been really nice about this console is not things that kids get excited about. It is, hey, I hopped on the store and it loaded and then I picked a game and I bought it and it didn't take like a million headaches, little tiny headaches to do that. And everything just actually works. And when I connect to online stuff, it is totally fine. And it's all these little small things that are not appealing back of the box cases. But I always wondered why Nintendo didn't just fix on the Switch one. And I'm wondering how much of the problems that they faced were like foundational and how they had made things and they simply could not fix them until they did a ground up rebuild. And that's a lot of what we have here. The only like, and this is. They don't need my worries, but there is plenty of clues that this was made to come out years ago, as in like when the motherboards were printed, things like that. And it feels like the right amount of powerful right now for running all these different things. But I'm not sure how much kind of Runway it has. Yeah, I enjoyed having that kind of three years of the Switch, really feeling.

[Griffin McElroy]

Like it was enough a contender.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Yeah. Yes. And I'm a little worried about that. But again, like that's not. They don't need my pity and that's not a person's concern.

[Griffin McElroy]

I think the excitement I feel for the Switch 2 would be considerably tempered if tomorrow, Steam or the Republic of Gamers were like, yeah, and here's the Rog ally lite. It's 30% stronger and it's 40% lighter. I'd be like, well, fuck, that sounds actually really good. I would actually love to go ahead and hop on that.

[Justin McElroy]

There's a whole lot of fucking around that I don't have to do with. This guy that I've fucked around with a lot of like PC handhelds, Windows handhelds, Steam handhelds, Linux handhelds, Android handhelds a lot recently.

[Griffin McElroy]

Right.

[Justin McElroy]

And I will say that even though I enjoy that a great deal, there is something to Be said for. It's going to work.

[Griffin McElroy]

It'll work.

[Justin McElroy]

It's going to work.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

You can handle it. They'll play kids and it will work. True.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah.

[Justin McElroy]

You want them to really clutch together in the open world of Mario.

[Griffin McElroy]

I let Henry use my old Steam Steam deck OLED after I got the Rog Ally X because there's some games that are not on Switch that he wanted to play and he bounced the fuck off that thing because of, I don't know, having to just navigate any of that UI and manage that stuff was not compelling to him.

[Justin McElroy]

I actually used the virtual game card system. Yeah.

[Griffin McElroy]

What did you. Was that with Survival Kids?

[Justin McElroy]

No, I used it with. So, okay, yes, I did use that for Survival Kids. That was just like redeeming a Steam code. That's what the cards are like. It's just like redeeming a code. That's not that cool. But the virtual game cards are kind of interesting. So I'll tell you the way that I used it. When I transferred my switch to my switch 2, it took a lot of my most recently played games and it put them into my library and started downloading them. And it said that I had the virtual game cards for these things loaded into this Switch. And then I had Nintendo Disney Dreamlight Valley on my switch on the Switch 2 had moved over. Charlie wanted to play it on my Switch 1. And I couldn't make that happen because it was. The virtual game card was in my Switch 2. Right. So basically I downloaded it on the old Switch and then I ejected the game card from my Switch 2.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yes.

[Justin McElroy]

And then my Switch 1 could load the virtual game card and then it was working.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah. The way it used to work. Because I've done this once too, actually. Before the Switch 2 came out, I had to move over the virtual game card for Minecraft from my Switch OLED to my Switch Lite so I could play with. Play multiplayer with Henry. The way that it worked before was just my Switch Lite was not my primary console. So anytime I played a game, either starting it up or resuming it or playing it, it was making online checks to ensure that the other Switch was not being used. So, like there was some bullshit where, like I would have to put Henry's Switch in airplane mode if we wanted to play Animal Crossing together across our two switches. It's a huge pain in the ass. And this seems like the solve for that is. It's just like, yeah, you have. You have a little transferable license token that means you can play the game without constant, you know, online checking. And that's what it is.

[Justin McElroy]

And it works pretty good.

[Griffin McElroy]

It works good, yeah. I thought you were talking about the game Share option where.

[Justin McElroy]

No, I did not try that.

[Griffin McElroy]

I know that Survival Kids has that equipped.

[Justin McElroy]

I'll complain about this. Little things that didn't bug me until recently. This nonsense right here with the buttons where the chat button is right beneath the home button. No, thank you. I never want to press that C in my life. Put it on the fifth side that is away from me. Not right next to the extremely useful home button, please. The home button is raised a little bit, but that feels like an admission of guilt, doesn't it, that you needed to raise it to remind me that that's the button I'm looking for. Put that C anywhere. Put it next to this circle I've never pushed, please. But a whole no Man's Land. If you can make an apps folder like I have on my phone for the things I can't delete, that'd be great.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Have you all tried that Jeff Grubb patented kickstand grip trick?

[Griffin McElroy]

Kickstand grip trick where you pull the.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Kickstand out, put your fingers in it as a grip.

[Griffin McElroy]

That's insane.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

And play the switch. It works quite well. Yes, it's pretty nice. Feels pretty good.

[Justin McElroy]

I mean, I would not be opposed to it. I will say it has been rough on the old carpal tunnel. I've had to not hold it very much. It is a beefy console and I know the Rog Ally X is bigger, but it feels better ergonomically. And honestly, that thing I usually put on a table with a kickstand up while I'm using it.

[Griffin McElroy]

So the lack of ergonomic options right now for the Switch 2 is troubling. I think for all the switch iterations I have had, I've had put some sort of case on there that gave it a couple handles on the back. Cause otherwise you're kind of having a cradle empty space with your. With your palm, which isn't great. Also, this is a minor complaint, but I have also modified all of my old switches so that the left set of four buttons is a D pad. I don't know if they ever actually sold joy cons that were like that. I feel like they did at a certain point, but it is like a very common custom mod is you swap out the shell and then you can replace those four disconnected buttons with a D pad. And not having that has been, I don't know, kind of. Kind of annoying.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Yeah. That is, I guess, the challenge for something that is iterative. Like this is over the course of the last, what, eight years, we got all these little tiny fixes that allowed us to make the switch one to our liking. And then you just restart that.

[Griffin McElroy]

I'm sure that shit's gonna come out.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

I'm sure Hori is like, you wanna buy more stuff? Please, we're happy to sell it to you.

[Justin McElroy]

Hey, can you talk about some emails?

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Sure.

[Justin McElroy]

Strong, you seem upset.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

No, I think that sounds great. I love it. Great. Yeah. You want to go ahead?

[Justin McElroy]

Go for it.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

First up, we have from Rob Griffin made a reference to the Hitman team needing to just go ahead and make a Bond game. And I just need to know if he's aware they actually are making one. Look sick as hell.

[Griffin McElroy]

Fucking cool, man. I didn't know. Not being in the industry anymore has been pretty. Not being on the industry anymore and Twitter completely fucking turning into an unusable, unnavigable, horrible wasteland has really kind of affected my ability to stay totally on top of what all of the. All the games coming out are, which is maybe not something that you want to hear your video game critic of choice to say out loud, but. Yeah, I didn't know 007 first light from. I'll catch you up. Enough, man.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

In the listeners.

[Justin McElroy]

There's a trailer actually came out last week.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah, Fucking cool, man.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

You're young, James Bond, you're in your 20s. You're just James Bond Jr. Chasing scum.

[Griffin McElroy]

Fuck yeah. Blasting scum. No, this looks cool. Awesome. Hey, thank you, dear reader. I guess I don't have to, you know, I don't have to be fully aware of every game coming out because then people will get. It takes a whole village to raise a child.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Next up, we have from Nathan. It's very funny that they replaced Chris Plant with Chris Grant and Russ with good Russ. I guess they should replace Justin with the other Justin McElroy if he's back from the rainforest. And Griffin with a Griffin presumably.

[Griffin McElroy]

I mean, Griffin Newman is the official sort of surrogate Griffin alter Griffin. Yeah.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Justin. I didn't know there is another Justin.

[Griffin McElroy]

Mail Justin with Canadian journalist Justin macro.

[Justin McElroy]

Good day, CBC. Justin McElroy.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah, we should do one episode.

[Justin McElroy]

He's back actually from his sabbatical.

[Griffin McElroy]

I think we should do an episode that's just Chris Grant and good Russ and Griffin Newman and Canadian Justin McElroy.

[Justin McElroy]

I'd listen to that. That would be good.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Yeah, that'd be really easy to record for us. Sebastian says I don't completely understand this hang up about the Switch 2 not having a gimmick. I was pretty sure the consensus for a while has been they definitely should just make a better switch instead of doing something weird that will flop. Would a new Xbox or PlayStation have this problem? Or they just need to be better? I bought the first Switch to play the games on it, not because I was excited about the Joy Cons.

[Griffin McElroy]

It's a fair point. But the new Xbox and PlayStation do have that problem. I don't. I was not excited really that much about the PlayStation 5 launch. This. I did not adopt a Series X or whatever until way, way, way the fuck after that came out. I do think that those platforms are not particularly exciting. I do think the Switch 2 is a big enough bump in quality and power enough that that has, I don't know, settled in as the gimmick. But I don't think it's unreasonable to want something exciting that your technology can do that it couldn't used to. And I definitely. I don't know. The mouse thing is such a. When Henry found out that you could use one of the Joy Cons for a mouse, one of his friends told him when they were over playing Mario Kart last weekend. He thought he was like lying because he thought it was so ridiculous. I think it'll be a while before they come up with any reason for us to use that Metroid.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Right.

[Griffin McElroy]

Like that's the man. Even that I don't, I don't.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

I think the trouble here, and it's a good question, but Microsoft and Sony are explicitly in the video game console business. Nintendo, in its own words, has been in the toy making business for most of its existence. I mean card business before that. But it expressly pursues novelty. It has talked at length about the importance of novelty in everything it does. So for it to do that, it's fine. It just is going. It is a contradiction of its own philosophy and what it states to be, which it can do. That is I think where the disappointment comes in versus the Xbox or the PlayStation where not only do we not expect them to do it, but when they do pursue novelty like the PlayStation Move or the Kinect, it tends to be a bit of an embarrassment.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah, yeah. I don't feel that strongly about that. I feel like any anymore just because, I don't know, I'm surprised by how much I've been. When I saw the launch line up, I was thinking like, okay, you know, we'll play it quite a bit that first week and Then bounce off. But I don't know. I don't feel that strongly anymore that it needs. It needed that. That thing. And I am kind of glad that they didn't tax some extra shit on that made it. They did tax some extra shit on, but it is not. It does not get in the way of my enjoyment of the thing.

[Justin McElroy]

There's also a difference between what I think would probably be a good business is this business decision and what I as a human would greedily want to spend money on and mess around with. I think we're always desperate for novelty like that. That makes sense. I think that it. It's a bit of a bummer to see video game consoles going the way of like buying the latest TV or whatever, where it's like you spend five minutes kind of messing around, be like, oh, that's fun. And they kind of connected to this. And this is a little bit higher res, but it is like, it does feel. It feels iterative in a way because everything is so connected. Like it feels for something to go too far out, out of bounds at this point with like, how portable it feels like games need to be now to. To. To really make sense. I don't know if that we're going to see those, like, huge departures as big swings like Nintendo was. Was used to. Although they can do a lot more in the portable space probably before it starts to feel.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Yeah, I mean, they used to, right? Like, we used to have the DS and the 3Ds back in my day.

[Justin McElroy]

We had Johnny Cash, Bob Hope, 3Ds.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

What else. What else are y' all enjoying right now?

[Justin McElroy]

Hoops.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

You enjoy anything? You watch any TV shows where, like, a mystery happens?

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, man. Do you guys want to hear about the best new reality show? This is my favorite new reality show.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah, of course. Destination X with Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's game Where the X Are We? I've saw. I saw a commercial where someone said, guys, where the X are we?

[Justin McElroy]

This thing is primo. It is. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is just like looking sexy in a bunch of different rooms. He's like barreling the camera like, this is my game. I think the players are gonna love where I've gotten them. This time it's Destination X. And then the whole episode is about these people have been driven to a remote location wearing Jeffrey Dean Morgan's patented electric blindfolds. And then they take them off and they are given a series of challenges where they have to figure out where they are. That is the whole game is like, where they are.

[Griffin McElroy]

So it's like geoguessr, but you're like, in it.

[Justin McElroy]

Some of it is geoguessr, some of it is wild shit. Like, Jeffrey Dean Morgan was interviewing people in these rooms and they'd come in, he's like, well, where do you think you're at? What are you. What are you thinking so far? Are you enjoying your time? And in one of the rooms there's a picture of Jennifer Aniston, and in the other room there was a picture of Eva Longoria. For no reason, they were just in there and they don't reference it as a viewer. You're just like. And then it turns out they're in Geneva. It's like you were supposed to get that. You combine Jennifer Aniston and Ava Longoria to get Geneva. That's just one of the many, many hits.

[Griffin McElroy]

That's awesome, man.

[Justin McElroy]

I feel like geography is one of the things that I am stupidest about and that is saying something. Yeah, let me say I. I feel so, so stupid about geography that I actually genuinely, no bullshit. Feel like I am learning from this bottom of the barrel NBC reality show. This. I say bottom of the barrel, but it is a highly produced format. This is actually a format there was a huge bidding war for internationally. It's one of those that you're going to see, like a lot of versions of this concept because there is a fun idea of if you participate in these challenges along the way where you're sort of racing, you will get information, but only the first person to obtain the information gets accurate information. And the other people get inaccurate information or red herrings without really knowing whether or not they've gotten good or bad information.

[Griffin McElroy]

Okay.

[Justin McElroy]

So a lot of it is about information sharing. What you have learned, what you can glean from other people, because you're kind of not sure what you can and can't rely on. Because it's not just like, I'm in France, it's like I'm in a specific city, specific area in France. Because the eliminations bit is the 5 players or 4 players or however many are selected, they're brought in what's called the map room with Jeffrey Dean Morgan. And they have to put a mark where they are at on the map. And whoever's farthest away from where they're actually at, they're eliminated. And the way that works is Jeffrey Dean Morgan takes you out of the bus and he's like, here's where the fuck you are. Look, it's the Eiffel Tower, you stupid son of a Bitch. And then you have to be like, fuck, the Eiffel Tower is right there. And I thought I was in Rome.

[Griffin McElroy]

Fuck is every.

[Justin McElroy]

Jeffrey Dean Morgan always offers to go get the person every episode. He's like, let's go get some ice cream.

[Griffin McElroy]

That's good. I like that. Is every episode a different destination?

[Justin McElroy]

Yes, it's a different destination. And you learn a lot about the destination. Like, you see all the famous people there from there. And again, I'm an idiot about this stuff. I feel like I actually learned a little something and it is challenging for me to play along because I'm so stupid that even I, without my digital blindfold, is still unable to geoguess the destination X. There's like four episodes up. I think it's pretty good. It's pretty good.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Okay.

[Griffin McElroy]

I don't know if you were trying to tee this up, Chris, but I've been watching Poker Face. Rachel and I started the new season, season two of Poker Face, the Natasha Lyonne Mystery of the Week show, and it's fucking great. It's really fun. Did you guys watch the first season of that?

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

I. I watched the first few of the didn't. And I don't know why, other than it being on streaming service that I don't instinctually turn on all the time.

[Justin McElroy]

I found it a little sluggishly paced from. For my tastes. I felt like it moved kind of slowly in the couple episodes I watched. I did not watch very much. It is one I would like to return to. It's one I like in theory. And when I see a show like that get picked up for another season, it makes me think there's other stuff going on that I would probably dig. Oh, by the way, andor is the best Star wars thing that's been.

[Griffin McElroy]

Oh, good. Yeah.

[Justin McElroy]

If you want to watch that. If you want to see the best.

[Griffin McElroy]

Star wars thing, Chris, I think you're the last one to.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Yes, I am. The last one I actually was curious to use. I guess I'll just use my time to throw back to you, Griffin. I saw you playing the hundred line.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah. Can I finish Poker Face real quick? Because I did want to spend some time. I do think this second season. I do think the first few mysteries of the first season are. Are the most sluggish. I do think that they get a bit more outlandish. And that turned out to be kind of the fun part of the show is you start to. It starts to just have like, shit in it that any other mystery show you would just be like, oh, it's so convenient that the killer just happened to X, Y, or Z, happened to say this in front of them. And then the second season goes 10 times as hard on that shit because I think they, I don't know, realize that that's the stuff that people liked about the first season. So if you like a mystery that does not take itself particularly seriously, I think the second season has been. We've only watched a few episodes, but they've been really fun and really great. I did start playing Hundred Line to put my cards out on the table earlier this year, before I knew about the existence of this game. I replayed Danganronpa because I was just jonesing to play that game. And so I feel a little bit like I just sort of played that. Like, it's so much. It's so much a danganronpa game, like, so much that I do. It hasn't really grabbed me, I think, just because I just spent a long time with it. So this may just be like a timing issue, but it is certainly that. It is certainly a genre reminiscent of a franchise that I really, really do like. I haven't had a great time with the SRPG kind of like combat stuff so far, but it also seems like the kind of thing like a fire Emblem or whatever, that once you have more units that can do different types of shit, it probably gets a little bit more. More interesting, so. Too soon to tell on that one. I did want to shout out one more mystery thing. I've been reading a book by one of my favorite fantasy authors, a guy named Robert Jackson Bennett.

[Justin McElroy]

Orson Scott Hart? No.

[Griffin McElroy]

Robert Jackson Bennett wrote the Divine Cities Trilogy, the City of Stairs, City of Blade City.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, yeah. That's good stuff.

[Griffin McElroy]

Those are fucking some of my favorite fantasy books ever. And the Founders Trilogy, Foundryside, Vigilance and Shorefall, which are also super, super rad. Last year, he published a book that is, I think, the start of a new series. The book is called the Tainted cup. And it is a murder mystery. It is a fantasy murder mystery set in this sort of kingdom surrounded by violent oceans where they have mastered sort of like genetic modification and plant modification to create humans who can do incredible things. Like there's one type that can remember everything that they see, and there's ones that are really good at math. And it is like a very, very much a Sherlock and Watson murder mystery set in this, like, fantasy world. And I'm like, maybe a third of the way through it. And it's fucking great. It's really, really good. It's called the Tainted Cup. And if you haven't read any of Robert Jackson Bennett stuff, you know, this one has been very fun. I think the Divine Cities trilogy is really, really essential.

[Justin McElroy]

Like, essential in the sense of, like, to read before.

[Griffin McElroy]

No, not essential in the sense to read before. I think it is, like, if you enjoy fantasy novels, then you should definitely read those fantasy novels.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

I'll throw one recommendation on just because we're doing a Pride series at our theater this month and it is a reminder always to watch. But I'm a cheerleader. You mentioned poker face. Natasha Lyonne is in this movie came out in 2000. It is about a teenage lesbian who is sent by her fundamentalist parents to a conversion therapy camp. Which sounds like it should be not a fun movie and super depressing and probably not hold up after 25 years, but let me tell you, it is a delight. RuPaul is in it and is just absolutely lovely. Clea Duvall. So many great performances in this movie.

[Griffin McElroy]

It's like.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

It's a bit like a John Waters movie if you wanted it to be not quite as prickly. If you wanted it to be a little more silly and slapstick and even a little cuddly. It's just a cute movie.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, it's like a friend. It's like a friendlier John Waters movie.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Yeah, yeah. It's like a John Waters if he made a sitcom in a weird way.

[Justin McElroy]

Like a Mayfair. Like if you watch a John Waters movie on a plane.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yes.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Yes. Yeah. Well, you don't have to be ashamed or worrying.

[Justin McElroy]

It's a cup for TNT version of a John Waters movie.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Cool. We got anything else?

[Griffin McElroy]

I don't think so, man.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Cool. We did it.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, it's great. Thank you so much for listening to our podcast. What are we doing next week?

[Griffin McElroy]

Next week we're talking about to the fucking beach, dude.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, dude. Dude. Yeah, man.

[Griffin McElroy]

Best stranding tune to the beach.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

I am so excited.

[Justin McElroy]

Gotta get pumped for that, man.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

It's my time to shine.

[Justin McElroy]

I can't so much more. We're gonna be loving it, living it, taking the journey together. I will have played it. That's gonna do it for us this week on the Best.

[Griffin McElroy]

Well, we got the Patreon. We should plug the Patreon.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, but Russ. That's Russ's job normally, so that's why I forgot. I'm sorry. But if you want to support Russ's.

[Griffin McElroy]

Walls, he's gonna need to rebuild them. The Chainsaw Maniacs have really done a number on the wall. He's been muted, but his video's on. He's okay, but his place is, like, fucked up.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

It's. You can find it at patreon.com forward slash. The besties. You get the besties battle brackets every month. You also get two episodes, the Besties every month. It's a great deal for only $5 a month and we would appreciate if you checked it out.

[Justin McElroy]

Thank you.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

That was it.

[Justin McElroy]

Now.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Now we're done. Now we can do it. You can wrap it up.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, that's gonna do it. Wait, I have one more recommendation.

[Russ Frushtick]

Oh, shit.

[Justin McElroy]

The. The episode of Post Games about the Switch to launch I found very edifying and I feel like I learn a lot from those discussions. And I feel like if you want a little bit more context and where this launch fits in the world and you want a good place to get on board with Post Games, I would highly recommend it because I really enjoyed that episode.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Thank you. That's pretty nice of you.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah. Check it totally out. That's going to do it for this week. Make sure to join us again next week for the besties, because shouldn't the world's best friends pick the world's best games Besties.