Take a road trip through the eyes of a Millenial
Added 2025-02-25 05:01:01 +0000 UTC
This week, The Resties hit the highway with Keep Driving, a road trip adventure that blends roguelikes, deckbuilders, and resource management RPGs. Get cozy in your gamer chair and take a virtual cross-country journey in a dumpy car loaded with trash and tchotchkes. The setting, the music, and the ambient economic anxiety make this one of the most distinctly Millenial games we've ever played.
In the back half, Frushtick talks about Star of Providence. Originally released in 2017, the shmup-roguelike is getting a second chance at the spotlight thanks to Dunkey publisher Bigmode and a flashy update.
Other stuff discussed:
Comments
Bracket ideas! - Best “I just had a kid games) - best 2 player games - best mmo
Duncan Hamra
2025-05-19 21:35:44 +0000 UTC-Best character one-liner.
Little Mel
2025-03-09 21:45:57 +0000 UTCThey've done biggest twist!
Little Mel
2025-03-08 23:38:41 +0000 UTCDidn't they do best boss?
Little Mel
2025-03-08 23:35:00 +0000 UTCBracket Ideas: -Best series lore. -Best voice acting. -Best vehicle.
Little Mel
2025-03-08 23:27:20 +0000 UTCBracket idea: best final game of each console. It is probably hard to really nail down (does random trash game count?) but something along the lines of that one game at the end of a console that kind of felt like the culmination of developers completely understanding the console.
Ferreeeeeence
2025-03-08 05:29:28 +0000 UTCI’d like to see a bracket for the best couch coop game!
The Biggest Papa
2025-03-05 11:58:01 +0000 UTCBracket Ideas: 1. Best UI/HUD in a game. Diegetic UI, Meta UI. Does it enhance or hinder the game? Does it add to the experience? I think there could be a lot of discussion around it. Bonus for talking about menu noises because I will forever recognize the sounds of navigating early Final Fantasy menus. 2. Best Movement in video games. Just Cause 2. Sonic the Hedgehog. Mario. Metroid. I think how you get around a world is so important and makes or breaks so many games. You could talk about progression and how important it is the gameplay. I think it would be a fun bracket.
NolanForMayor
2025-03-04 22:11:05 +0000 UTCRE: 'punishment' roguelikes, I propose 'attrition' roguelike, since you're usually trying to maintain as many of your resources as you can more so than you are making number go up?
Ian Moore
2025-03-04 17:47:41 +0000 UTCA couple of ideas for brackets: -Best Original Soundtrack -Best Licensed Soundtrack
Ryan Butt
2025-03-04 16:05:25 +0000 UTCI second this!
Grant Cameron
2025-03-04 07:26:23 +0000 UTCBracket idea: best “gamer” food product, such as Respawn gum or GamerFuel Mountain Dew
Sticky Dylan
2025-03-03 15:52:13 +0000 UTCBracket Idea: best Hideo Kojima nonsense. Can include things like the guy full of bees, his celebrity cameos, why babies can see ghosts, etc
EonFox
2025-03-03 14:17:35 +0000 UTCChef/owner of a burger shop here in Tokyo. Never comment, but heeding Russ’s call. 1. Russ is absolutely correct about big burgers. It’s beginning to die down now, but the trend in Japan for a while was these comically tall burgers that were impossible to eat. No thank you. Fellow professionals: please stop. 2. Chris is looking at it from the wrong direction. Burgers are the derivative form. Before hamburger sandwiches were Hamburg steaks. Hamburgs (or ハンバーグ) are omnipresent here and in some areas easier to find than burgers, including in convenience stores.
Blank Space
2025-03-03 06:48:00 +0000 UTCNot sure if Chris is a gundam fan, but if so, have you seen the new Gquuuuuux Beginning movie? First 20 minutes are dripping with nostalgia bait for the original series, and then the new characters are super fun
Avery
2025-03-02 19:08:16 +0000 UTCBest boss villain Best grunt bad guy (goombas and the like)
J. Mark Madison
2025-02-28 22:33:51 +0000 UTCOk but hamburger helper doesn't have any buns but is still called hamburger.
Lance Hayes
2025-02-28 20:15:44 +0000 UTCI feel like “through the eyes of a Millennial” is what we’ve all done over the past 30-40 years, lol
ames
2025-02-28 14:17:21 +0000 UTCAfter listening to the latest Besties main feed ep, I would kill for a ep where Justin goes in depth all the ways he's delved into building his own computers and systems for himself and his home. Maybe with an expert a la Other Russ to expound upon it and other options. It's fascinating and Justin explaining it makes it seem much more approachable. Please and thank you kindly!
Alec Maure
2025-02-28 12:39:17 +0000 UTCBesties battle bracket idea: -Best monster - in honor of the new Monster Hunter coming out. Anything from MH's Khezu, Bloodborne's "The One Reborn", or the SkiFree Abominable Snowman.
The Hottest Robot
2025-02-28 05:31:23 +0000 UTCWould love to see a Best Mario Sports game. On a side note, I'm not sure if y'all saw, but someone managed to make an unofficial port of UFO50 for Android. It requires a legal copy of the game to work, so there's no piracy involved. Runs perfectly on the Retroid Pocket 5. Link below: https://www.reddit.com/r/ufo50/s/IDVhoBvwbY
John Sheridan
2025-02-28 00:36:20 +0000 UTCBest Besties Episode pls
27Lizards
2025-02-27 20:44:55 +0000 UTCBest E3 presentation. This could be an entire presentation or just a snippet from a larger show. Just to take a crazy example of the latter, you could include Peter Molyneux’s Project Milo demonstration.
Alan Madison
2025-02-27 19:48:28 +0000 UTCRe: hamburger meat. You can buy stew meat too, but if you serve it alone on a plate it isn't stew.
Theresa
2025-02-27 06:41:51 +0000 UTCBest music would be great! I also love the suggestion of best loading screen. Any superlatives you want to give to individual characters is great too. I loved best sidekick.
billfromamerica
2025-02-26 21:20:16 +0000 UTCBest David Lynch-ass games. You know, those surreal games that feel like the writers were smoking weed and watching Twin Peaks when they came up with it.
Bee Money
2025-02-26 19:05:33 +0000 UTCBest Fishing Minigame
Zachary Emerson
2025-02-26 17:01:42 +0000 UTCBest Video Game Genre
Brannon Hoff
2025-02-26 16:36:38 +0000 UTCBest Loading screens
Walter Blakey
2025-02-26 14:25:48 +0000 UTCChris is wylin' out with the burger talk. You can order a ground sirloin steak at a steakhouse, which is essentially a burger patty, but it ain't a burger.
Shart Carbuncle
2025-02-26 13:32:08 +0000 UTCAlright, I've got a besties bracket where the rubric writes itself. "Best box art for the worst game."
Matthew Williamson
2025-02-26 04:58:09 +0000 UTCBest jumping.
The Onj Monster
2025-02-26 04:28:48 +0000 UTCPlease do a Battle Bracket of the best Couch Co-Op Games! My partner and I have just played through TMNT: Splintered Fate and have moved on to Cult of the Lamb. Games with friendly fire/accidental bumps are fine, but nothing strictly competitive should be in the mix, I figure.
Greg Harries
2025-02-26 04:20:08 +0000 UTCBest video game soundtracks!
melanee
2025-02-26 03:39:24 +0000 UTCBesties bracket idea Best game of the year You pick games that won the official game of the year title and pit them against each other to find the bestest game of the year. Bracket idea, what were their opponents- how difficult were they to beat? Would the game win game of the year again?
Whatsup Studmuffin
2025-02-26 02:13:27 +0000 UTCI prefer to use chopsticks to eat the Trader Joe's version of Takis regardless of if I'm gaming or not
Jimmy Towle
2025-02-26 01:59:35 +0000 UTCA few bracket ideas: Best video game movie Best use of motion controls Best magic system Worst in game company to work for (e.g. Aperture)
100 feral cats
2025-02-26 01:54:32 +0000 UTCBracket Ideas: Biggest Swings and Misses Strangest Boss Fights Nintendo IP Biggest badass Biggest Twist Games You Wish You Liked
Nic
2025-02-26 01:26:29 +0000 UTCRe: burgers, a pet peeve of mine is that in many countries (ime South Asia and Australia among them) anything on a burger bun is a burger. So what we in America would call a fried chicken sandwich a la Popeyes or chick fil a, they call a chicken burger because it’s on a burger bun. This infuriates me beyond a reasonable level, a burger requires ground meat
CJ Foss
2025-02-26 01:21:05 +0000 UTCLike this video: https://youtu.be/OyfJ_R2Q2IQ?si=cMe2ssKoDEA9SbOA
Mr. Pulley
2025-02-26 01:16:54 +0000 UTCThe burger guy is George Motz, an actual Burger historian. He knows his stuff, has researched meticulously, and recreated them faithfully. He has a small series with First We Feast about some of these different burgers. Worth checking out on YouTube.
Mr. Pulley
2025-02-26 01:16:03 +0000 UTCBest minigame!
Mat Yunker
2025-02-26 01:01:13 +0000 UTCAlso, really unfortunate timing on the Monolith news.
Devin White
2025-02-26 00:45:51 +0000 UTCBefore I drone on in my comment, first let me say: best (optional) housing/home system. Moving on, I find Russ’s roguelike distinction interesting. It’s subtle, but I get it. The limited nature of runs means that developers don’t have to include rest/refresh mechanics, like things that consistently restore your health and resources. It also means they don’t have to nerf positive feedback loops. So, the question is why is this roguelike a roguelike? Is it so developers can do more of the former and stretch you for resources, like in FTL? Or is that they can allow powerful otherwise-game-breaking combos, like in Slay the Spire or Hades? It’s a good distinction to make because the two vibes are very different, even though what separates them design-wise could be very little.
Devin White
2025-02-26 00:42:31 +0000 UTCIn a long term, geographically isolated work role for half the year so i’d love to hear a bracket battle on the best time commitment game - some are like balatro, where you can sink hours and hours into mechanics; then you have ones like xenoblade that are just an exceptionally long story. Which of these among competitors are ideal for extended offline play over a long period of time?
MitchellNotMitch
2025-02-25 23:04:31 +0000 UTCYall must’ve been talking about George Motz on the burger talk. Maybe a bracket of your favorite pokemon games? Like the mainline/detective pikachu/snap/stadium you can also get into what’s your favorite generation or pokemon. What your kids picked first if they’ve ever played. Idk just something
Brad MacDonald
2025-02-25 21:47:35 +0000 UTCBest voice acting, Best weird voice acting
IHaveARussFrushtickBodyPillow
2025-02-25 21:37:34 +0000 UTCBest console library
Ben Wood
2025-02-25 21:13:48 +0000 UTCI haven’t played it yet, but are you sure the genre of Keep Driving isn’t “Oregon-Trail-like”? (Also, shouldn’t we have more Oregon-Trail-likes?)
Christopher Floyd
2025-02-25 20:17:28 +0000 UTCBest Celebrity tie-in game, a la 50 cent blood on the sand, shaq fu, etc.
Landon Pate
2025-02-25 20:02:04 +0000 UTCFor the Resties community here is a running list of games mentioned on both Besties and Resties: https://www.ign.com/playlist/ixiandoom/lists/the-bestiesresties-games-in-2025
Matthew Williamson
2025-02-25 19:02:39 +0000 UTCBest non-console/controller accessory. Is it a lap desk? A wild gaming chair? Wildest food product aimed at Gamers: gaming supplements etc. Best game outfit or outfit customization that has zero effect on the actual game.
Kel Bennett
2025-02-25 19:01:21 +0000 UTCI’m gonna keep saying it until it happens: Best Video Game Bromance Examples include Shepard & Garrus Master Chief & Arbiter Marcus Fenix & Dom Kasuga & Nanba/Adachi
Royce Song
2025-02-25 18:44:11 +0000 UTCBest music to work out to
Benjammin’
2025-02-25 18:37:12 +0000 UTCI want to see a bracket for “Coolest video game character” but only if Dante from the Devil May Cry series is included. I don’t need him to win I just need to recognition.
Craig Kober
2025-02-25 18:33:46 +0000 UTCMy take is that the hamburger is the patty, which goes into a popular food item called a “hamburger sandwich.” However, over time, we have accepted “hamburger” to always imply “hamburger sandwich” because as quality of living has increased the notion of eating a hamburger patty has become associated with a guy-wearing-barrel-on-suspenders-type lifestyle. So now we expect the bun.
Eugene Marder
2025-02-25 17:39:48 +0000 UTCVery interesting take on Keep Driving. I, for one, didn’t find it punishing or stressful at all because of how the game is laid before you and how it knows that there isn’t a right choice at almost any point for any action you take, and that having that feeling is okay. I think the setting of being in early adulthood, being broke as shit, not having much direction in your life, subsisting off of gas station snacks, a case of beer, and what rest you can get whilst crammed in your car is crucial to making the game therapeutic and introspective. Shit happens all the time in it, and the people you find along the way are all lost and broken in their own different way from you, but that’s a part of what life is like. There’s always something fucking life up, no matter how far ahead you think you’ll get, and that’s kind of the point. As corny as it sounds, it really isn’t about the destination, or the win state in this case, it’s about the story that comes out of the journey. When you complete a run, those runs are collected in a stamp book at the main menu, detailing in short sentences what that run, that time in your life, was like, encouraging you to think back on those memories. Each start of a run also encourages you to slip into that headspace with its intro writing, changing your outlook on the trip and what comes after each time (I got one recently that described the road trip in terms of taking a break from treating an illness you have, with a nurse dotting out a path on the road map). Clearly this game stirred something up deep inside of me, really grateful for the time I’ve had with it so far
Stephen Taubner
2025-02-25 17:28:42 +0000 UTCBest rival is a good one
DieselDonkey
2025-02-25 17:00:49 +0000 UTCBest vehicle! And I 100% eat Flaming Hot Cheetos with chopsticks so I don't get the orange nuclear waste dust on my fingers. Thanks for the tip, Plante!
DieselDonkey
2025-02-25 17:00:38 +0000 UTCFor the next bracket I suggest either best rival or best basic enemy. Thanks for the pod!
Tobachnick
2025-02-25 16:11:46 +0000 UTCI don’t know if this is feasible but maybe a bracket of best deep cut childhood video games/abandonware games, basically games that aren’t major titles but deserve some recognition, examples would be like Lego racers 2 or zoombinis or something
Daniel Munck
2025-02-25 15:59:43 +0000 UTCYours is the first gaming podcast I've ever listened to, and I don't know why I haven't been, to the point where I'm back-listening now as well. I am for sure a 'late to the game' gamer and finding community has been tough! I learned what different types of video games are (metroidvania! roguelike!) and I've gained the confidence to try games I never, ever would (spoiler: it was Elden Ring and I did quit, but at least I tried!) and you've introduced me to new games that have become favourites (my wife can't stop playing balatro, and I love Penko Park and Astrobot). You've made me more comfortable in my community, made me more knowledgeable about what I like and look for in games and helped me introduce other friends to things they'll love too. I want to thank you for the accessible, fun and always informative podcast. I'll never be someone who doesn't use guides (sorry Russ) but I've found a small aspect of each of you that matches my gaming style. Love, a new lifelong patron and listener, Kel (catpennies)
Kel Bennett
2025-02-25 15:52:08 +0000 UTCmillennial great episode! Keep Driving looks awesome.
Merina
2025-02-25 14:46:39 +0000 UTCI think a burger is as little as the patty. You would say “let me get the burgers off the grill” before a bun or wrap is even involved.
William (Biggggg5) Mason
2025-02-25 14:06:44 +0000 UTCWould love a bracket on best game that started a genre (ex. Metroid starting search action games)
zach winstead
2025-02-25 14:00:43 +0000 UTCRuss, my wife does chips or similar things with chopsticks, while working sometime so her hands are clean and not grummy. Some bracket ideas: -World you would rather spend a long vacation in for the next few years -best game where the most fun is doing everything other than the main plot or point of the game -best villain or antagonist that you'd still be okay with them being your parent -best games that are fun and while being adjacent to edutainment.
Bret Scofield
2025-02-25 13:15:51 +0000 UTCI had a totally different experience with Keep Driving. I never found it overly anxious inducing or that difficult. Got one of the many ending my second play though.
Squeatus
2025-02-25 12:28:14 +0000 UTCRuss I've been playing a game I think you might like. It's called Archaeogem. Has some Celeste vibes, very precise platforming built around the dash mechanic but where it is a consumable (i.e. has a limited amount) rather than rechargeable. Wouldn't say it's breaking any ground but a fun short puzzle platformer for those of us who are sad about Earthblade being cancelled
Caleb Ackerman
2025-02-25 05:14:38 +0000 UTC
