The Besties – “Scott Pilgrim vs. Millennial Nostalgia”

Podcast: The Besties
Hosts: Russ Frushtick, Chris Plante, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy
Date: March 6, 2026
Main Theme:
A review and in-depth discussion of Scott Pilgrim Ex (the new Scott Pilgrim game), including its structure, combat, nostalgic roots, and how it fits into the evolving landscape of beat-em-ups and millennial culture. The episode also covers announcements in the Pokémon franchise, reader mail (including Resident Evil advice and game recommendations), and media recommendations.

Episode Overview

The Besties convene this week to dive deep into Scott Pilgrim Ex, the spiritual sequel to the beloved 2010 beat-em-up and a kind of follow-up to the recent Netflix show. The hosts unravel its ambitious homage to retro classics like River City Ransom, analyze its mechanics and structure, and reflect on the increasingly stacked beat-em-up revival. The conversation also explores how nostalgia operates in games, segues into Pokémon Winds and Waves hype, and fields listener questions before wrapping up with game and show recommendations.

Scott Pilgrim Ex: Nostalgia and Structure

Background & Franchise Ties

• Scott Pilgrim Ex is described as a “spiritual sequel” to the cult favorite Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (2010), but is also an unofficial companion to Netflix’s Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.
• Created by the tribute-loving studio, Tribute Games, with veterans of the original game's team.
  [02:56 Chris Plant]

“Scott Pilgrim Ex is a, I would say, spiritual sequel to Scott Pilgrim versus the world. The game released in 2010. Very similar to that game. This is a beat em up. Very different than that game is the entire structure which we're going to talk about.”

Comparing Structures: Classic vs. Ex

• The original Scott Pilgrim game featured linear levels, each themed after one of Ramona’s evil exes. Progression involved a quirky coin and stat system anchored to the first level.
• Scott Pilgrim Ex modernizes this with an open world Toronto, numerous side-levels, shops scattered throughout, and a structure reminiscent of River City Ransom.
  [04:34 Griffin McElroy]:

"…the original game was…linear levels…Whereas this one, Scott Pilgrim Ex, is extremely inspired by River City Ransom, I was gonna say in almost every way."

• The open-world design introduces “mini-objectives”—go to the beach, defeat someone, get an instrument, unlock next area—but doesn’t always give incentives for exploration beyond the direct route.
  [06:23 Russ Frushtick]:

"…you're given these many objectives that are like, go to this beach or go to this haunted castle, fight a person…you can kind of go in a lot of different places. You don't have to…but…you are being led pretty directly through this open world."

Progression, Difficulty, and Pacing

• The game stays true to its retro inspirations—challenging, sometimes punishing, with high-stakes death penalties and no roguelite elements.
  [08:12 Griffin McElroy]:

"You don’t get to keep the stuff…since the last checkpoint. And…I think you start with the health you had…And also you lose money as a penalty for dying."

• Multiplayer is heavily encouraged for balancing difficulty and enjoying the chaos. Solo play is far tougher and “obviously geared” toward couch co-op.
  [09:21 Griffin McElroy]:

“It is I think completely and obviously sort of like geared for, for multiplayer. Because...not having someone to off tank the boss…is like really, really, really tough.”

• Progression hooks exist (equipment and stat upgrades), but they may be inelegantly handled and can leave players behind if they want to try new characters.
  [13:10 Griffin McElroy]:

“There simply is no other option. Like, you're just not. You don't have the stats for it. You're gonna get your ass kicked. Which means if you wanna play as another character...they are going to be much, much weaker.”

Combat, Variety, and Tribute’s Touch

Mechanical Depth and Playstyles

• Combat is a highlight: punch/kick spamming, blocks, weapon chaos, interactable objects (volleyballs, etc), and “support characters” like Young Neil, each with unique effects.
  [10:05 Chris Plant]:

"…it is hardcore. I mean you have the traditional beat em up of just spamming punch and kick. You also have…a block system…tons of physics objects…the chaos happening…"

• The character roster offers genuine variety. Each fighter plays very differently—speed, grappling, range, etc.
  [12:35 Russ Frushtick / Griffin McElroy]:

[Russ] "Who did you land on?"
[Griffin] "I did Lucas for a long time…but…I ended up going with Roxy Richter…”

Technical Play vs. “Just Having Fun”

• For casual players who just want action, the lowest difficulty is advised. For fans of “score, no hitting, tech and shit”—the game is deep and rewarding.
  [08:48 Russ Frushtick]:

"…this game has a lot of that tech out the ass. It is incredibly complicated…"

• There’s some tension between depth and accessibility—the comparison to TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge and Absolum highlights approaches to onboarding new players and nudging them to experiment.
  [13:55 Griffin McElroy]:

"…a lot of this game made me appreciate a lot of the design decisions in Absolum a lot more. And…like…the way Absolum would toss these options at you…made those mechanics like really fun and surprising…"

Critique of Structure and Downtime

• The strongest criticisms revolve around pacing and downtime. Navigation between fights and item management sometimes kill momentum for newer or younger players.
  [16:07 Chris Plant]:

"15 to 20 seconds of downtime where you're just looking for the word go…"

• The “authentic” River City Ransom structure sometimes feels like padding, reusing classic indie game levels when modern beat-em-ups might prefer more focused progression.
  [17:02 Russ Frushtick]:

"…the open world stuff was a way to pad out the experience…very densely animated…But…it did…feel a little bit like I don't need to go through this level again."

Nostalgia in Layers

Millennial Nostalgia: Recursive & Aesthetic

• The panel reflects on the game’s role as both a retro homage and a generator of its own “nostalgia aesthetic.”
  [20:13 Justin McElroy]:

“Are we just sort of in this stage where, like, nostalgia is like a general sort of vibe…now this game is hearkening back to a game that was hearkening back to another generation before it."

• Scott Pilgrim Ex may not directly target players who have nostalgia for the original 2010 game—its nostalgic signaling may now be more an “aesthetic” than a genuine memory connection.
  [21:19 Justin McElroy]:

“Are we now a generation removed from that. So is this like, is this nostalgia for them or is it more of like a aesthetic?”

• Story and onboarding are minimal—a "love letter" to fans, but possibly impenetrable for newcomers.
  [22:15 Griffin McElroy]:

“If this is the first piece of Scott Pilgrim media you’ve consumed, do not expect an onboarding process.”

Tribute Games

• The studio’s "tribute" mission is celebrated for its reverence to genre ideals—though this can also limit its mass appeal.
  [19:09 Chris Plant]:

“…They are so dedicated to honoring and recreating and sticking to the early pleasures of these games. The problem is that’s just for me personally, not where I’m at…”

Pokémon Wins and Waves: Key Announcements & Reactions

[24:00–33:50]

Announcement & Details

• Pokémon Wins and Waves, next-gen, Switch 2, simultaneous global release.
• New starters: Pom Bon (fire-type, Pomeranian dog), Gekwa, Brute (possibly grass? described as “if a lime came to life”).
• Southeast Asian/tropical setting.
• Scooter-mount mechanic introduced.
• Mechanically not many surprises yet, but the hosts hope for new “Funky Five” type combinations (e.g., Bug/Dragon, Fire/Fairy, etc.).

Fun Moments:

• [28:14 Justin]: “Ground fairy, Fire fairy, Ice poison, Bug dragon, Rock ghost.”
• [28:40 Justin]: “What if you found the ground fairy? Just a dirty ass ground fairy rutting around down there in the dirt…”

Meta Commentary

• Discussion of nostalgia and how the Pokémon audience cycles: "Are kids nostalgic for this, or is it a wider aesthetic?"
• Concern and excitement over platform exclusivity and hopes that performance issues from Scarlet/Violet are gone (“Ran like dog shit” – [26:59 Russ]).

Listener Mail: Resident Evil & Game Recommendations

[34:00–40:17]

• Discussion on which Resident Evil game is least scary and most approachable for newcomers (“4” and “Village” are suggested).
• Quick opinions on new/indie games:
  • Morsels (quirky roguelike, opaque design)
  • Rune Dice (physics-based roguelike dice puzzler)
  • Little Gator Game: DLC (more cave levels, new items)
  • Shotgun King (chess with a king and a shotgun; new mobile release—[41:10 Griffin]: “...it's a game about having a shotgun on a chessboard.”)
  • Minishoot Adventures (shmup/Zelda hybrid arrives on Switch)
  • Starship Troopers Ultimate Bug War demo

What They’re Playing & Watching

• Wonder Man (Marvel TV, Marvel Spotlight miniseries):

  • A “showbiz” superhero show about Simon Williams/Wonder Man trying to keep his powers secret to keep acting jobs, mentored by Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery.
  • [47:32 Justin McElroy]:

    “But the show itself is about acting. It's about him wanting to be an actor…If you don’t care about acting and showbiz…probably gonna seem sort of desperately up its own ass, but I found it really, like, charming…one of the best things Marvel has done in a long time.”

• Wonder Man canonizes Baby’s Day Out in the MCU and features Joe Pantliano as himself for a memorable meta moment.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “[22:15 Griffin]: This thing starts out with a fucking bang. If this is the first piece of Scott Pilgrim media you’ve consumed, do not expect an onboarding process.”
• “[13:10 Griffin]: There simply is no other option. Like, you’re just not. You don’t have the stats for it. You’re gonna get your ass kicked.”
• “[19:09 Chris Plant]: What I admire about them and what I admire about this game is like they are. I mean, Tribute is the perfect name for the studio. They are so dedicated to honoring and recreating and sticking to the early pleasures of these games…”
• Joe Pantliano in Wonder Man: “Baby's day, Baby's day out. Suck Joe Panliano!” ([49:12], paraphrased by Justin)

Segment Timestamps

• Scott Pilgrim Ex Discussion: 02:56 – 23:07
• Pokémon Wins and Waves: 23:21 – 33:57
• Listener Mail (Resident Evil advice/games): 34:02 – 40:17
• New/Game Recommendations: 40:17 – 44:21
• Wonder Man Review: 44:22 – 50:00
• Closing/Pitches/Plugs: 50:00 – End

Hosts’ Final Thoughts

• Scott Pilgrim Ex is a lovingly-crafted, mechanically rich beat-em-up with punishing retro design, destined to delight diehards but potentially frustrate genre newcomers or the more nostalgia-agnostic.
• Pokémon’s new announcement is met with both excitement and skepticism, especially for performance and meaningful innovation.
• Listeners are reminded: Whether it's niche indie games, big licensed releases, or MCU oddities, the Besties' mission remains—should the world’s best friends pick the world’s best games?

Next week: Pocopia (new game discussion anticipated)