Pokopia Rekindles Our Love for Pokémon

The Besties

Listen to this week’s episodeImage: Pokopia

Plenty of companies have torched their fortunes trying to smelt together a collection of hit games and genres, hoping to recreate others’ success. Understandably, many folks (ourselves included) approached Pokopia with a cold skepticism. A Pokémon, Animal Crossing, Minecraft, and Viva Piñata combination? It sounded too good to be true.

Friends… they did it. Pokopia isn’t just a collection of great ideas; it’s also a wholly interesting and original thing. We can’t wait to tell you about this wonderful game. Plus, we look at Nintendo’s peculiar plan for the rest of 2026.

Like the show? Leave a review!

Now on The Besties Bonus Patreon: This past Tuesday, The Resties talked about Esoteric Ebb, an incredible role-playing game inspired by Disco Elysium and D&D that will be in the GOTY conversation later this year. Trust us, you’ll want to hear more about this! Been considering a subscription? The Patreon now features a back catalog of over 60 episodes!

Image: Esoteric EbbGames discussed:Image: Slay the Spire 2

Pokopia, Slay the Spire 2, Death Stranding 2 on PC, Esoteric Ebb

New Griffin book discussed:

The Stowaway

TV discussed:Image: Survivor

Survivor 50, Traitors Australia

Have questions for The Besties?

Drop them in the comments! We aren’t able to respond to every question, but we read all of them and answer some in episodes!

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Thanks for reading The Besties! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Next week on The Besties:Image: Marathon

On next week’s The Besties: End of Winter grab bag!!

The ESA Saved Video Games Once. Can It Do It Again?

Post Games is now available for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and RSS. Watch shorts on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Patreon subscribers get early access, weekly bonus segments, and the monthly video series Video Game Journalism 101.

Besties Merch!

Bonus links:
  • Shovel Knight team’s homage to Zelda is going to be a very big deal (Polygon)

  • I sure hope the Resident Evil Requiem DLC is all about Grace, the best thing to happen to Resi in years (Eurogamer)

  • Blizzard vet Rob Pardo closed this year’s GDC keynote by urging executives to cool it with the layoffs: ‘The game team is more valuable than the game itself’ (PCGamer)

  • “Valve does not cooperate with gambling sites” - Counter-Strike publishers issue rare public defence of lootbox mechanics, following New York lawsuit (RPS)

  • They Might Be Giants - Doctor Worm (Live on KEXP) (YouTube)

More description
Listen to this week’s episodeImage: Pokopia

Plenty of companies have torched their fortunes trying to smelt together a collection of hit games and genres, hoping to recreate others’ success. Understandably, many folks (ourselves included) approached Pokopia with a cold skepticism. A Pokémon, Animal Crossing, Minecraft, and Viva Piñata combination? It sounded too good to be true.

Friends… they did it. Pokopia isn’t just a collection of great ideas; it’s also a wholly interesting and original thing. We can’t wait to tell you about this wonderful game. Plus, we look at Nintendo’s peculiar plan for the rest of 2026.

Like the show? Leave a review!

Now on The Besties Bonus Patreon: This past Tuesday, The Resties talked about Esoteric Ebb, an incredible role-playing game inspired by Disco Elysium and D&D that will be in the GOTY conversation later this year. Trust us, you’ll want to hear more about this! Been considering a subscription? The Patreon now features a back catalog of over 60 episodes!

Image: Esoteric EbbGames discussed:Image: Slay the Spire 2

Pokopia, Slay the Spire 2, Death Stranding 2 on PC, Esoteric Ebb

New Griffin book discussed:

The Stowaway

TV discussed:Image: Survivor

Survivor 50, Traitors Australia

Have questions for The Besties?

Drop them in the comments! We aren’t able to respond to every question, but we read all of them and answer some in episodes!

Subscribe to this newsletter for regular updates on shows, upcoming games, merch, and egg steam.

Thanks for reading The Besties! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Next week on The Besties:Image: Marathon

On next week’s The Besties: End of Winter grab bag!!

The ESA Saved Video Games Once. Can It Do It Again?

Post Games is now available for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and RSS. Watch shorts on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Patreon subscribers get early access, weekly bonus segments, and the monthly video series Video Game Journalism 101.

Besties Merch!

Bonus links:
  • Shovel Knight team’s homage to Zelda is going to be a very big deal (Polygon)

  • I sure hope the Resident Evil Requiem DLC is all about Grace, the best thing to happen to Resi in years (Eurogamer)

  • Blizzard vet Rob Pardo closed this year’s GDC keynote by urging executives to cool it with the layoffs: ‘The game team is more valuable than the game itself’ (PCGamer)

  • “Valve does not cooperate with gambling sites” - Counter-Strike publishers issue rare public defence of lootbox mechanics, following New York lawsuit (RPS)

  • They Might Be Giants - Doctor Worm (Live on KEXP) (YouTube)

2026-03-13
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