The Besties: Best Game Bracket 2025 Edition, Part 2

Podcast Date: December 26, 2025
Hosts: Justin McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Chris Plante, Russ Frushtick

Episode Overview

In this lively and debate-packed episode, Earth’s “best friends” continue their annual tradition of whittling down the top games of the year through heated discussions, passionate defenses, and plenty of jokes. In the 2025 Best Game Bracket’s second round, the crew tackles their final eight, fiercely advocates for their personal favorites, and ultimately crowns their collective Game of the Year. As always, the chaos is steered by their group dynamic—equal parts insightful, unserious, and deeply invested in what games meant most in 2025.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: The Final Eight

[05:50]
Chris recaps the final bracket:

• Clair Obscura
• Expedition 33
• Blippo+
• Silksong
• Absolum
• Death Stranding 2
• Indiana Jones
• Baby Steps
• Sektori

“...We’ll get down to a top four after these and then pull one up from previous contests to make a clean top five.” — Griffin, [06:15]

2. Expedition 33 vs. Blippo+

Defining “What’s a Video Game?”
[07:00–10:41]

• The group debates the validity of comparing the interactive “TV” experience of Blippo+ with the structured JRPG form of Expedition 33.
• Justin argues games should offer progression, not just “changing channels.”

  “For it to be a game, there has to be a bit more in terms of back and forth between the player and the game beyond just changing channels.” — Justin, [09:31]

• Chris/Griffin note that Blippo+ is unique and self-aware as something “not really a game,” complicating definitions.

Expedition 33 Praised for Emotional Impact
[11:19–17:36]

• Justin and Griffin highlight its storytelling, mechanics tied directly to narrative themes (like grief), and design touches (the use of lamps to secretly mark the “critical path”).

  “It is using game mechanics and the idea of game exploration as a way of communicating something... you are feeling things because of how this game is set up.” — Justin, [11:19]

• Some concerns about spoilers; this game delivers “huge, huge, huge shit with the story” that can’t be discussed openly (Griffin, [14:25]).
• Decision: Expedition 33 moves forward due to its group resonance and achievement, even as some hosts consider Blippo+ compelling but not easily slotted into “video game” discussions.

3. Hollow Knight: Silksong vs. Absolum

Silksong’s Evolution
[18:04–27:50]

• Russ provides an enthusiastic rundown: a much-anticipated sequel that “felt like a reimagining of the original formula,” stronger narrative, and world-building.
• Praise for the sound and visual design; more digestible story than its predecessor.

  “There is a great story, and when I finished it, I felt like... I knew about 80% of the story. And obviously, there’s edges I didn’t fully grok.” — Russ, [21:33]

• Discussion of punishing early difficulty, which devs later dialed back (“They actually made the game easy... unlocking benches dramatically cheaper... more tools, more whatever.” — Russ, [24:05]).
• Absolum seen as a promising proof-of-concept for the genre but not on Silksong’s ambitious level.
• Decision: Silksong advances.

Memorable Quote:

“It looks really pretty... it wrestled with Catholic faith in a way I did not expect... and that song that one character sings... I love it.” — Chris, [27:02]

4. Death Stranding 2 vs. Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones: Movie Adaptation Done Right
[29:16–36:56]

• Justin lauds how it translates movie pacing and Indiana’s introspective moments rather than aping action formula.
• Russ/Chris call out the risky opening (the “most famous Indiana Jones scene in history”) and Troy Baker’s astonishingly strong voice work.

But... Video Game-ness Gets in the Way
[35:40–36:56]

• Justin notes gamey collect-athons and outfit changes sometimes break immersion (“...starts to feel like Disney with the lights off...” — Justin, [35:40]).

Death Stranding 2: Kojima’s Masterpiece
[37:11–41:07]

• Across the board, it’s cited as Hideo Kojima’s best and most coherent game, satisfying both as a “strand-type” communal experience and a solo journey.
• Griffin: “I think it’s his best. I genuinely do.” [37:43]
• Russ/Chris discuss the joy and utility of the community-built world and smart onboarding for returning players.

Memorable Moment: The Ramp Launch

“Norman Reedus flies into the air about 600ft and starts doing fucking backflips and on the screen it says, extreme, double extreme, triple extreme every time you’re doing a backflip...” — Russ, [39:03]

• Decision: Death Stranding 2 advances.

5. Baby Steps vs. Sektori

Score-chasing vs. Quirky Mastery
[42:40–55:27]

• Justin introduces Sectori as a slick, iterative take on dual-stick shooters (akin to Geometry Wars), lauding its huge player agency and “cinematic genius” in moment-to-moment play.
• Chris: “It feels like sitting down with a symphony... you’ve never played violin... just keep up, and you’re like, oh, I’m actually doing pretty okay.” [47:30]
• Baby Steps gets championed as uniquely challenging yet hilarious, with both slow, tactical sections and “absurd failure” moments (hats falling off cliffs).

“The player agency vibes and the feeling of player control... is similar [to Sektori].” — Russ, [49:14]

• Discussion centers on Baby Steps’ polarizing nature and whether its masochism is genuinely fun; it’s “holistic,” bridging challenge and acceptance of help.

Tiebreaker & Decision:
After a deadlocked, passionate debate, the hosts decide Baby Steps will advance (“Baby Steps sucks, but I’m outvoted, unfortunately. That’s the way it goes sometimes.” — Justin, [61:23]).

6. Selecting the Fifth Finalist

Honorable Mentions and Final Arguments
[62:40–71:56]

• The hosts review Sektori, Dispatch, Root Trees, and Hades 2 as possible fifth finalists, focusing on long-term playability and holistic design.
• Strong debate about Hades 2’s early-access, slow-rollout nature and whether it affected its impact.

  “The only reason that Hades 2 is not higher on this list or already in this top four is because of the way in which it was drip fed out and evolved over time.” — Justin, [64:36]

• Dispatch praised for writing, but dinged for game systems being sometimes vestigial (“The game of the year does not have a turn off interactivity because it’s just getting on my nerves...” — Justin, [66:52]).

Finalists Settled:

• Death Stranding 2
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Expedition 33
• Baby Steps
• Hades 2

7. Crowning the Game of the Year

[73:50–84:30]

In rare consensus fashion, all hosts simultaneously declare:

“Death Stranding 2.” — [73:53–73:57]

Why Death Stranding 2 Is the Besties GOTY:

• It’s a massive step up from the original, turning Kojima’s notorious narrative haze into something coherent, playful, and rewarding.
• Seamlessly fuses online and single-player experiences (“It engages with the fact that it is online in a way that doesn’t detract from, but rather builds up the single player experience.” — Justin, [76:19])
• Meaningful community, inventive traversal, memorable moments (coffin surfing, pizza delivery, shared infrastructure).
• All hosts express genuine satisfaction and pleasure while playing, agreeing it is “the game they will remember and recommend.”

Memorable Quote:

“It really does feel like one of our last auteurs in games... actually evolving... actually changing and wanting to stay relevant.” — Justin, [74:34]

The Besties 2025 Top 5 Games (in order)

[83:55–84:30]

1. Death Stranding 2
2. Hollow Knight: Silksong
3. Expedition 33
4. Baby Steps
5. Hades 2

“Thank you so much for joining us here today to celebrate the top five besties games... with a bullet, Death Stranding 2.” — Chris, [83:59]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Russ, on Death Stranding 2’s launch:
  “It’s also cogent, which is more than I can say about every fucking Kojima game ever...” [38:29]
• Chris on Baby Steps:
  “I think about this game constantly... the micro and the macro in this game are constantly in conversation with each other in a way I don’t feel very often in video games. It’s so holistic.” [54:05]
• Griffin on Expedition 33:
  “There are moments in this game that I think are going to stick around in the kind of consciousness of the gaming community... it does huge, huge, huge shit with the story.” [14:25]
• Consensus moment (naming GOTY):
  “It’s fucking crazy that the best game of the year is Death Stranding 2.” — Justin, [73:57]

Timestamps for Critical Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------|-------------------| | Final bracket introduction | 05:42 – 06:41 | | What is a video game? (Blippo+ debate)| 07:00 – 10:41 | | Expedition 33 in depth | 11:19 – 17:36 | | Hollow Knight: Silksong breakdown | 18:04 – 27:50 | | Indiana Jones vs. Death Stranding 2 | 29:16 – 41:07 | | Sektori detailed take | 42:40 – 55:27 | | Baby Steps’ unique appeal | 49:14 – 55:27 | | Deciding the top 5, picking fifth | 62:40 – 73:19 | | Announcing GOTY, ranking order | 73:50 – 84:30 |

The Besties' Tone & Chemistry

The episode is quintessentially Besties: full of undercutting jokes, sidelong personal attacks, and plenty of contrarianism—but always rooted in clear affection for each other and genuine expertise. Critical discourse is balanced by absurdist asides (“I wrote a big monorail. It ruled.” — Justin, [85:15]) and memorable running gags about butt cushions and “boosting a juicer,” giving even non-gamers something to enjoy.

Summary

This year’s Besties bracket show delivered both a robust GOTY consensus and some of the sharpest genre and design debates in the series. Death Stranding 2 was unanimously crowned for its rare balance of design ambition, narrative clarity, and communal play. The final list captures a spectrum of what made 2025’s gaming scene vibrant, with careful consideration for both artistry and fun. The Besties continue their reign—not just as “Earth’s Best Friends” but as some of the sharpest, funniest tastemakers in video gaming.