Level Up Your Holidays: A Video Game Deep Dive
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šJoin Ryan, Everett, and Pam in this year's Ten News Holiday Deep Dive! š® They dive into their favorite video games and share listener favorites. āļø Plus, a Nintendo Surprise!
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Transcript:
INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO
RYAN: <yawns> Good morning Alarmo, what a delightful way to wake upā
EVERETT: Whooooa, an Alarmo! I wish I got to wake up with a Nintendo alarm clock that played Legend of Zelda soundsā
RYAN: Itās pretty sweetāwait, why are you here when Iām waking up? What are you doing in my bedroom?
EVERETT: Iām not in your bedroom. Weāre at the Ten News officeā¦why were you sleeping here?
RYAN: Iāve been waiting for my secret friend's holiday gift to arriveā¦
EVERETT: Whoād you get??
RYAN: I canāt tell you bro. Thatās why itās a SECRET friend holiday gift exchangeā
EVERETT: Itās Pam again, isnāt itā
RYAN: No, itās not Pam, I had her last yearāHEY! Stop trying to get it outta me! Itās a secret! Go charge the controllers, we have work to do!
EVERETT: Ahhh I love when we get to do video game updates! <SFX runs right pastā HI PAM BYE PAM
PAM: Hi Everett, bye Everett. Hey, Ry, I need your helpā¦ I got Owen for the Secret Friend Holiday Gift Exchange and I was wondering if you had any gift ideas for himā
RYAN: I definitely, most DEFINITELY do.
PAM: Who did you get for the Secret Friend Holiday Gift Exchange? And did you remember toā
RYAN: <hushed> I got Everett. And yes I remembered to get him a gift. But it hasnāt come yet, so I gotta stallā¦ AND YES we gotta start the show!
PAM: Well, Iām Pamela Kirkland and Iām in the holiday spirit of GIVING. Itās Friday December 13thā¦
RYAN: And Iām Ryan Willard and Iām in the holiday spirit ofā¦ GAMING! But also giving.
PAM: This is a Ten News Holiday Deep Dive!
INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO - HALLWAY
RYAN: Not gonna lie, Iām a little jealous you have Owen and not me. You give the BEST secret friend holiday gift exchange gifts.
PAM: Thanks Ry, I try! His trivia has been AWESOME this season so I want to get him something heāll love. Do you have any video game suggestions?
EVERETT: OF COURSE WE DO.
PAM: Oh boyā¦
RYAN: Step in to the game room Pamela, you just happened to ask that question on our favorite day:
EVERETT/RYAN: VIDEO GAME TESTING DAY
<SFX PLAYSTATION STARTUP SOUND>
RYAN: Alright, I literally just finished Mario and Luigi Brothership for the Switch. You follow Mario and Luigi as they try to help the people of Concordia fight off a dark force called Glohm. Itās an RPG that feels like a comedic anime, with a great story and a turn based battle system thatās really fun.
EVERETT: I just finished Lego Horizon Adventures, which is based on the hit Playstation series, Horizon Zero Dawn-
PAM: Oooooh, Horizon Zero Dawn is soooo good! Iāve played that! Aloy is so cool.
EVERETT: Lego Horizon Adventures reimagines and simplifies that story, and makes it hilarious in that signature Lego way, while maintaining the awesome action of the original. Itās really cool to fight the animalistic machines in that world, faithfully recreated with Lego bricks. Lego Horizon Adventures is on Switch, Playstation and PC.RYAN: Sonic x Shadow Generations is actually two games in one. Itās a great remake of Sonic Generations, which in itself is a tribute to the history of Sonic. But the other half of the game follows Shadow the Hedgehog in creative reimaginings of the stages of his previous appearances in the Sonic games. I gotta say, Shadow is one of my favorite characters in the Sonic universeā
PAM: I canāt wait for the third Sonic movie, Keanu Reeves is voicing Shadow!
EVERETT: Iām really hyped for that too. Sonic x Shadow Generations is on Switch, Playstation, XBox and PC.
RYAN: Pam, you could also get him my favorite Playstation game of the year: ASTROBOT. Itās a 3D platformer based on a free game that comes with the PS5, Astroās Playroom. Astrobot takes it to a whole other level and really utilizes the DualSense controllers, making the game come alive in a whole different way. Itās an incredibly joyful game that celebrates the Playstation universe, you gotta experience it to understand it. Astrobot is only available on Playstation 5.
<SFX INCOMING EMAIL (or text?)>
EVERETT: HOLD UP.
RYAN: WAIT A MINUTE. Is thatā¦
EVERETT: Are those what I think those are?!
PAM: YUUUUP! We just got some Tenāer recommendations! <SFX 1UP or something fun!>
PAM: A Tenāer named Duh Minecrafter said, āsome of my favorite games on the Nintendo Switch are Pikmin 4, Super Mario Odyssey and finally, the Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. Thank you and love the podcast!ā
RYAN: Great calls Duh Minecrafter. A Tenāer named Olivia also said, āhaha you should play Tears of the Kingdom, itās da best!ā
EVERETT: āA Gamer 1578ā said, āfor video game suggestions I will suggestā¦ LEGO STAR WARS THE SKYWALKER SAGA.ā Iām with you, A Gamer, I have it, finished it and LOVED it.
PAM: A Tenāer named Ridge said, āmy favorite games on the Switch has to be Lego Jurassic Park and Lego Marvel Superheroes 2.ā
RYAN: Gosh, our Tenāers have great taste. Last one! A Tenāer named Silas said, āMy favorite games are Lego Star Wars and Mario Kart 8. This Summer, I played Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order with my dad every Sunday during Naptime. It is cool. You fight monsters and storm troopers in it.ā And Silasā brother Ben said, āWe built a chicken walker to save R2D2.ā Okay I need to game more with the Tenāers, you all know how to play and Iām here for it!
EVERETT: Last but not least, a Tenāer named Everett said, āMy game of the moment is Mario Party Jamboree. I played it at my friends house and want to play it again. Will somebody please play it with me?ā
RYAN: Ummmm, Everett, are you talking about yourself?
EVERETT: Yes, I was. Iām glad you caught my not so subtle hint.
PAM: Okay these are awesome suggestionsā¦I think I have enough inspirationā¦Iām gonna run out and see what I can get Owen.
RYAN: So, should weā¦test more games?
EVERETT: OBVIOUSLY.
PAM: Hey Tenāers, do you want to hear Ryan and Everettās bonus top 10 lists of their favorite games on each system? If so, leave us a comment on spotify or a review on Apple and tell us you want to hear āTen Games You Need to Knowā and we might put out a bonus with it! Okay back to the show!
<SFX controller sounds>
EVERETT: So are you gonna tell me who you got now?
RYAN: Nope.
EVERETT: Did you get Kap for the Secret Friend Holiday Gift Exchange?
RYAN: No I didnāt get Kapā hey stop trying to get it out of me! I will reveal it at the perfect time! < DOUBLE SFX controller sounds>
EVERETT: Okay okayā¦I canāt believe Sony Playstation just celebrated their 30th anniversary.
RYAN: Did you know the original Playstation debuted in North America in 1995 and sold 102,000,000 units worldwide. And I had one.
EVERETT: I didn't know that. I canāt believe you had a gaming console from last century. Whenās the PS6 coming out?
RYAN: Not for a whileā¦
EVERETT: What about the successor to the Nintendo Switch?
RYAN: According to Nintendo, they will announce when itās coming out sometime BEFORE March 31st, 2025.
EVERETT: The Switch was the first gaming console I ever owned. And I still canāt stop playing it.
RYAN: Wellā¦the Nintendo Switch is the GNOAT at this point.
EVERETT: THE GOAT? As in, better than PS5 and XBOX?!
RYAN: I actually said, the GNOATā¦ And, thatās a tricky question, because Nintendo canāt really be compared to Playstation or Xboxā¦
EVERETT: What do you mean?
RYAN: You know what, letās just break it down. Here are 5 reasons why the Switch is the GNOAT. Aka the Greatest NINTENDO Of All Time.
RYAN: Number 1: Nintendo doesnāt compete in the āConsole Wars.ā The Nintendo Gamecube system of 2001 was the last time Nintendo competed with Sony and Microsoft in their race to have the most powerful hardware and graphics. In 2006, they came out with the Nintendo Wii which was less powerful than the Playstation and Xbox, but introduced motion controls and Wii-motes (WII CONTROLLERS). The Wii would go on to sell 101.6 million units, outselling the competition. In 2017 when the Switch debuted, it arrived AFTER the PS4 and XBOX 1, and was again, less powerful hardware! But the innovations the Switch brought once again put it in a category of its own
EVERETT: Oooooh, Number 2: The Switch comes with a pair of joy-cons, which can be attached to the Switch, or detached and used as one single controller, or split into two independent controllers. The joy-cons also have motion controls, which can be used in all sorts of ways, depending on the game. With so many different functions and ways to use them, the joy-cons are still some of the most innovative controllers weāve ever seen.
RYAN: Number 3: The biggest innovation was that the Nintendo Switch was Portable AND Dockable, you can play on the go AND on the couch. Before the Switch, Nintendo always had two systems: a home console and a handheld system. There was the NES and the Gameboy. The Wii and the DS. The WiiU and the 3DS. The Switch COMBINED the handheld and home system and made them work seamlessly. By doing so, it allowed their software development teams to focus on one single system.
EVERETT: Number 4: AKA THE GAMES. By focusing on one system, the Switch has had a continuous stream of games coming out. For example, in November we got Mario and Luigi Brothership. In October, Mario Party Jamboreeāwhich is my current favorite game of the moment...And in September it was Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. This year alone, Nintendo has released a new game almost every single month. In total,with indie and cross console titles, the Switch currently has over 4,200 games available.
RYAN: Number 5: The Nintendo Switch debuted in 2017 and we know that Nintendo will announce its successor before the end of March 2025, which makes the Switch, Nintendoās longest running system. And the numbers donāt lie, Nintendo has sold over 146 Million Switches and over 1.3 Billion games for it, more games have been played on Switch than any other Nintendo console. And we know that the successor to the Switch will be backwards compatible and able to play Switch games.
EVERETT: So just because a new Nintendo console will be announced next year, the Switch isnāt going away anytime soon.
RYAN: EXACTLY. And thatās why, the Switch is the GNOAT. <SFX Super Mario Ringtone> Hold on one secā¦Hi this is Ryan. Oh youāre ready? Alright, bet. <SFX hangs up>
EVERETT: Whoās ready for what?
RYAN: Alright Everett. I gotta confess, I have YOU for the Secret Friend Holiday Gift Exchange.
EVERETT: REALLY?! Whatād you get me?!
RYAN: Wellā¦I feel like youāve been ācasuallyā mentioning how much you wanted a certain gameā¦so I got you a physical copy. <SFX pipe warp sound> <SFX mario toss> There you go.
EVERETT: YOU GOT ME MARIO PARTY JAMBOREE?! No way!
RYAN: Yeah I figured we could play online during the holidays, and also thought you and your brother Bennett might dig it. Did you know that I had you?!
EVERETT: Of course I knew. I overheard you telling everyone you got me and asked what to get me. Thatās why I dropped the not so subtle hints.
RYAN: Itās like you were playing Jedi Mind Tricks onā
EVERETT: Think how much easier I made your shopping experienceā¦
RYAN: It wasā¦easierā¦thank you?
EVERETT: Youāre welcome!
RYAN: Instead of getting you a game, I wanted to get you an EXPERIENCE. And I know Mario Party Jamboree is your favorite game of the moment, so I thought we should play with some people FROM Nintendo.
EVERETT: NO WAY. Thatās one of my dreams, Iāve always wanted to play Nintendo with people who work at Nintendo. I AM SO DOWN.
RYAN: And you can bring a friendā
EVERETT: OWEN! GET OVER HERE ITāS GAME TIME BABY!
<SFX footsteps run overOWEN: (RUSHES IN) Whatās happening? What are we playing?
RYAN: Youāll see. Alright boys, step into this green pipe and warp thereā-
<SFX Mario Pipe grows>
OWEN/EVERETT: WHOA./COOOOOOL
OWEN: Wait, we justā
EVERETT: Letās gooooo! <SFX mario jump> <SFX Warp Sound>
OWEN: Oh that looks fun. Why not? <SFX mario jump> <SFX Warp Sound>
RYAN: Alright Tenāers, weāre gonna go play Super Mario Party Jamboree with two people who actually WORK for Nintendoā¦ Weāre gonna make this a standalone BONUS episode, which you can download and listen to TOMORROW!
<SFX DOOR OPEN>
PAM: Owen? Ooooowen?
<SFX MARIO PIPE WARP> <SFX MARIO JUMP>
OWEN: That. Was. Awesome. Nothing like a game break in the middle ofā
PAM: Hello Trivia Master Owen. Did you justā¦warp here?
OWEN: Yes, I did. Would you like a cup of hot chocolate?
PAM: Yes, I would. Thank you! Soā¦I wanted to stop by to give youā¦your Secret Friend Holiday Gift Exchange gift. <SFX hands him a box (of Lego Bricks)>
OWEN: You had me?! No way! What is it? <SFX tears open wrapping paper> No way. Itās the LEGO Bowser set.
PAM: Yeah! I know you love video games and Lego Bricks, so I thought this was the best of both worlds.
OWEN: Pam this is TREMENDOUS. Thank you so much! I donāt know if you noticed, but I made a new Trivia Throne, out of Lego Bricks.
PAM: WOW! That is wildly impressive.
OWEN: Wanna hop on up and do some trivia?
PAM: OBVIOUSLY.
OWEN: The Lego Group was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen. The word Lego is an abbreviation of two Danish words, leg and godt, which mean to āplay well.ā The Lego minifigures, aka the little Lego characters we all know, are some of the most recognizable toys on the planetā¦because there are so many of them! How many Lego minifigures are on planet earth? Is itā¦
2 Billion
4 Billion
12 Billion
PAM: Ooooh, thatās a tough one. Iām gonna guess, A, because 2 billion is a ridiculous amount of anythingā¦
OWEN: The answer isā¦B, Since 1978 more than 4 billion Lego minifigures were producedā¦ which means, if they were people, they would be the largest population! There are more Lego minifigures than people in India and China combined.
PAM: WOW. I have heard that Lego produces up to 340 million minifigures a yearā¦
OWEN: And if you put them next to each other in a line, it would stretch 7,900 KM!
PAM: Thatās almost the distance from London, England to Beijing, China.
OWEN: This is the best, Secret Friend Holiday Gift, ever. Thank you so much Pam!
PAM: You are most welcome my friend!
INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO
<SFX MARIO PIPE WARP>
RYAN: OK. Pam? I think we are officially, AWESOME Secret Friends.
PAM: We absolutely are! Are you all gamed out now?
RYAN: I will never be gamed out, BUT, I am ready for a break.
PAM: Wanna go ice skating?
RYAN: YES PLEASE. You are my favorite not so secret friend.
PAM: And you are mine! Letās hit the rink, but first, we gotta give Ten News Snaps to some of our listeners!
RYAN: And before that, hereās a quick note for the grownupsā¦
[Ad Break]
RYAN: TIME FOR TEN NEWS SNAPS!
PAM: A Tenāer named Froggy said, āSo good. Omg I loved this podcast you should definitely listen to it.ā Thank you for the kind words Froggy, and thank you for recommending our show to others!
RYAN: And if you want some bonus content, you could join the Tenāers Club on our website. And to our grownups, if you want to help support the Ten News, you can make a tax-deductible donation at the link in our show notes. The whole team thanks you for your support!
PAM: āThe Ten Newsā is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts, and part of the Airwave Podcast Network.
RYAN: The Ten News creative team is getting into the holiday spirit and includes: Tracey Not A Crooks, Adam the Great Bambino Bernard, Brian NOT Ryan Douglas, Hebba the Big Cheese Gouda, Tia Johnson, and Carson Pitter Patter Potter. Big thanks to our Trivia Master, Owen, Not Slowin down for anybody.
PAM: Our Production Director is Jeremiah Tittle, and our Executive Producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. Iām Pamela Kirkland.
RYAN: And Iām Ryan Willard, thanks for listening to the Ten News
