The Besties – "One Game to Consume All of Your Time"

Hosts: Chris Plante, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Russ Frushtick
Date: October 17, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode revolves around two central topics: an in-depth review and discussion of the new game "Bollocks Pit" (aka "Bulk X Pit"), and a heated debate over the newly-launched ROG Xbox Ally X handheld. The crew explores the engaging gameplay mechanics, genre mash-up, and addictive qualities of "Bollocks Pit," then switches gears to critique Xbox’s ongoing hardware identity crisis and the struggles of the handheld gaming market. The episode wraps up with game recommendations and some news on how Steam Next Fest is inspiring the hosts.

Main Discussion – "Bollocks Pit" (Bulk X Pit)

Discussion starts ~[05:38]

What is Bollocks Pit?

• Genre fusion: "What if you took Vampire Survivors and you took Breakout and you added an X in the middle and you would get this. Oh, also, you can build towns." (Christopher Thomas Plant, [04:22])
• Paddle-based action game, with balls acting as weapons, rows of blocks/enemies descending, experience pickups, and a meta-game based around town management.

Mechanics and Core Gameplay

• Gameplay Feel:

  • Not just Breakout: Enemies come down the board in rows, dealing damage if they reach the bottom. Paddle is now a character, able to move more freely. (Griffin McElroy, [05:59])
  • Adds roguelike and Vampire Survivors-style drafting, leveling and synergy systems.

• Strategy & Synergy:

  • Drafting and evolving special balls: Poison balls, laser balls, area effects, and more.
  • "If I can get this behind the back row of enemies, they're going to deal more damage, bounce faster. Like, there is a… There's a shocking amount of sort of..." (Griffin McElroy, [08:30])
  • Ball catching isn’t central, but catching speeds up DPS and can trigger mini-ball bonuses for certain builds.

• Meta-Progression:

  • Town-building phase where resources gathered are used to grow a town pinball-style, impacting future runs and character unlocks.
  • "Your town is sort of like... if you imagine your town like a pinball table, which you can increase the size of, and you can place the bumpers, and the bumpers are buildings that have both a direct impact on your gameplay..." (Justin McElroy, [13:33])

Notable Insights and Criticisms

• Initial Hook:
  • "The first play through the first hour of this game I think is like, holy shit, I cannot put this down." (Ross Feral, [09:30])
• On its Depth:
  • Evolution mechanic for combining balls creates new, powerful “fusion” balls, much like Vampire Survivors weapon evolutions but with more variety.
  • "Fusion… gives you a lot of, I don't know, ability to really fuck up the board and really break a run wide open." (Griffin McElroy, [13:18])
• Town Meta-Game Concerns:
  • Both Griffin and Justin felt the town-building phase becomes tedious, with upgrades feeling less meaningful over time. The harvesting minigame didn’t always feel “celebratory” or satisfying.
  • "It feels like, I don't know, I mean you can move this stuff around and you can kind of get an idea, but like, it's not very fun to move around." (Justin McElroy, [16:05])
• Balance & Progression Issues:
  • Game quickly becomes grindy and frustrating for some hosts, who deleted it to avoid addiction and out of frustration with progression.
  • "The first four hours of this game are some of the most fun I've had in a video game this year. The next two hours convinced me I needed to delete this game immediately." (Christopher Thomas Plant, [17:27])

Key Quotes

• “There's a scaling that happens that is a bit unpredictable, where you'll feel like, hey, this is a fucking good… and then I'd hit the second boss or third wave and it'd be like, oh, fuck. Actually, wow, I wasn't even close to ready for this.” (Griffin McElroy, [19:12])
• “It almost feels like those different systems that are supposed to, like, reward you … don't necessarily like, interact with each other in a way where it’s all clicking." (Justin McElroy, [19:36])

Segment: The New ROG Xbox Ally X Handheld

Discussion starts ~[29:03]

Market Context & Device Overview

• Xbox is lagging behind the PS5 and is seeking new relevance, which includes collaborating with Asus on this new Windows-based handheld.
• "They partnered with Asus and put out a device which is out this week called the ROG Xbox Ally X." (Ross Feral, [30:19])

Windows Handheld Frustrations

• The hosts admit the Windows experience on handhelds is clunky and unfit for casual or console-style play:
  • "It fucking sucks, dude. Yeah, it's really bad. I genuinely would have returned my Rog." (Griffin McElroy, [31:40])
  • "I hate Windows gaming so much that metaphorically, I have spent hundreds of dollars on a thing and then gotten a screwdriver, just banged it into its brain until it died..." (Justin McElroy, [31:47])

Xbox OS: Big Picture Mode for Xbox?

• A full-screen Xbox-centric launcher is supposed to hide Windows, but in practice, still buggy, forces users into Windows frequently, and lacks basic handheld features (like instant suspend/resume).
• "Once you’re actually in a game, it's fine. I've been. It's been fine." (Ross Feral, [33:28])
• "This does not play Xbox games." (Christopher Thomas Plant, [35:45])
  • Meaning it only plays PC versions, not actual Xbox console-exclusive games.

Criticisms & Big Picture Analysis

• Hosts see the device and strategy as desperate, scattershot, and ultimately not delivering on the Xbox promise:
  • "So weirdly, this is an Xbox means that nothing is an Xbox." (Christopher Thomas Plant, [37:29])
  • "It screams a biz dev product that wasn’t really conceptualized with a market in mind..." (Justin McElroy, [38:17])
• There’s a consensus that Microsoft wants Xbox to be an amorphous label—an online ecosystem like Steam—but can’t quite commit.
  • "Can be a storefront to them where they are selling video games. They would love for that to be a consistent online thing across all your devices. But it's called Steam." (Justin McElroy, [42:14])

Notable Moments

• "If you thought the branding was bad for the Xbox Series X and S, welcome to the new age." (Ross Feral, [30:20])
• "You want to press the button and have it immediately switch off, and then when I press the button, immediately switch back on into the game that I am." (Griffin McElroy, [37:05])

Recommendations & Game Talk

Starts ~[46:16]

Fall / Halloween Recommendations

• Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Switch) – Great for co-op, not too scary, perfect for playing with kids.
• Roblox: 99 Nights in the Forest – Multiplayer family-friendly Halloween game.
• Absolom (Switch 2) – Couch co-op beat ‘em up, accessible and fun, great for parent-child playthroughs.
• Japanese Rural Life Adventure (Apple Arcade) – Chill, low-pressure life sim.
• Puzzle Bobble 2 Arcade Edition – A classic for some old-school bubble-busting.

Steam Next Fest Callout

• Russ encourages listeners to share favorite demos discovered during Steam Next Fest for future recommendations.

RetroAssembly.com Shoutout

• Justin pitches a web tool that turns cloud or local ROMs into a streaming retro arcade, completely self-hosted for legal use.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "Sonic, I don't know if he is who I want to take driving instructions from." (Christopher Thomas Plant, [01:22])
• "You gotta catch your balls. Otherwise you're dealing no damage." (Griffin McElroy, [11:38])
• "Shmup is the new light MMORPG elements. Like you could just put a shmoop in it." (Justin McElroy, [25:32])
• "It almost feels like those different systems… don't interact with each other in a way where it’s all clicking." (Justin McElroy, [19:36])
• "So weirdly, this is an Xbox means that nothing is an Xbox." (Christopher Thomas Plant, [37:29])

Takeaways

• Bollocks Pit is an inventive mashup that hooks immediately but struggles with late-game grind and meta-progression satisfaction, leaving the panel hopeful for future balance tweaks.
• The ROG Xbox Ally X hardware launch is emblematic of Xbox’s current identity crisis, failing to reconcile PC and console experiences in a way that feels intuitive or “console-like.”
• The Besties maintain their signature banter and constructive critique, alternating between passionate tangents, technical analysis, and practical recommendations for games of all ages and preferences.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Podcast Cold Open / GPS Banter: [00:00–03:00]
• Introduction and Name Pronunciation Bit: [03:10–05:00]
• Bulk X Pit Deep Dive: [05:38–28:53]
• Xbox Rog Ally X Handheld: [29:03–45:48]
• Handheld Market & Xbox Strategy Analysis: [40:11–46:12]
• Game Recommendations & Steam Next Fest: [46:16–51:46]
• RetroAssembly / ROM Streaming: [51:47–53:24]

For fans of indie roguelikes, genre innovations, and behind-the-scenes console drama, this episode delivers smart analysis and a hearty dose of signature Besties mirth. If you want a game “to consume all your time,” or just a handheld debate for the ages, this is a can't-miss listen.