Okay, this is weird.
Hello hello, okay.
Um, where are you and where is everyone?
Um, i'm at the beach and i'm pretty sure everyone is still on vacation.
Are you in the office?
Yeah, because it's august 14th and we're supposed to be back on.
That is definitely my bad.
Thank you.
Have a great time at the beach.
Bye.
Okay.
Well, I'm here in the studio alone, so I might as well do something.
I'm Ryan Willard.
It's Thursday, August 14th, and this is a 10 News super secret special bonus episode all by myself.
Let's go.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
All right Tenors.
I hope you've been having a tremendous summer, filled with water fights barbecues, bicycle adventures, ice cream sundaes and boba tea and all the good stuff.
Obviously, I hope you didn't have any bad vibes, tummy aches or land in your ear, like some people did.
In case you're wondering, I've been having a great time these past couple months on break from the show and I've played more video games than I've ever played in one single summer.
And I still have a few weeks left.
So today, I'm going to tell you the 10 games I've been playing this summer and what I think of them.
These are 10 games you need to know, plus some bonus games, of course.
GGs!
Good games.
First off, obviously, I've been playing Mario Kart World on my Switch 2.
It was the big launch title, and it absolutely did not disappoint.
The skill ceiling is really high so anyone can pick up and play, but there are some insane tricks and shortcuts that I've already seen people do.
Mario Kart is best played with friends, so I've gotten to play with some tenors like Jax Max Audrey, Juno and Will.
And it got heated.
Next up is a game called Blueprints, where you inherit a mysterious, ever-shifting mansion from your great-uncle.
And to fully inherit the estate, you must find the hidden 46th room.
Blueprints is a rogue-like puzzle game, so every time you play you start fresh and the mansion changes.
It's not scary or anything, but it's got a cool story and it's really fun to explore the mansion and solve all of the puzzles.
Blueprints is on Xbox, PS5, and PC.
Number three is Ruffy and the Riverside, which is an indie, old-school 3D platformer that is hand-drawn.
It looks really, really cool.
You play as Ruffy the Bear, and when an alien cube named Groll shows up and steals powerful magic marbles, you gotta get those marbles back and save the riverside.
Ruffy's powers include copying and pasting, so you can copy an environment or texture, like water or sand, and paste them onto other things to solve puzzles.
It's very original, and it has 1990s vibes, so I dig it.
Ruffy and the Riverside is on PC, Switch 1 and 2, Xbox, and PS5.
Number four I've been playing Rematch, which is an arcade-style soccer game, or football if you're anywhere but America.
When I say arcade-style, it's either 3v3, 4v4, or 5v5 and matches all last six minutes.
It's a fast and loose type of soccer game and there are no fouls, no offsides, and no handballs.
There's also no corner or goal kicks and there's no progression or skill points to earn.
So it's a totally level playing field, I will say.
When I played online players, it got a little sweaty.
But when I played with my friends, I had a blast.
Rematch is available on PS5, Xbox, and PC.
Also got to give a side shout out to Madden 26.
I got an advanced copy and I've just started playing it.
It's the first time Madden has been on a Nintendo system since Madden 13.
And it does run well on the Switch too.
But I will say I've been playing it mainly on my PlayStation 5, since i haven't played madden in a long time.
I've been stuck in the skills trainer mode, which is a souped up tutorial, and it's actually really awesome.
Madden 25 is available on switch 2 ps5, xbox and pc.
Number five hogwarts legacy.
This game came out in 2023, but i got the switch 2 edition and dude.
If you like the wizarding world of harry potter, you'll think this game is unbelievably cool.
You get to create your own character, get sorted into a house and then swept right into the original story.
You basically get to be a student at Hogwarts and do all the things you'd expect to do.
Learning a ton of cool spells, flying and racing on broomsticks and teaming up with a teacher to solve a great mystery.
I don't want to give anything away because the story was awesome.
Hogwarts Legacy is available on Switch 1 and 2, Xbox and PlayStation 4 and 5.
But if you have PlayStation Plus, Extra, or Premium, it's available for free.
Okay, I need to take a quick break and catch my breath.
Hey, grownups, it's me, Tracy Leeds Kaplan.
Can I borrow you for a minute?
Don't tell Ryan, but I'm calling in from the beach with an ask for you wonderful parents guardians caretakers, all around awesome adults.
Here it is.
We have kicked off our fundraising to support the next season of the 10 News.
We need your help to make sure we can commit to a full season.
If you're able to help us with a gift.
You'll find the link to our fundraising site in the show description.
We do have a bunch of different ways to support the show and all gifts are appreciated.
And if we don't fit in your family's budget right now?
Another way to help us out is tell your friends about the show.
Leave us a review, rate it, make sure everyone you know is listening to the 10 News.
Thank you for being part of the 10 News family.
Now, speaking of family, I better get back to mine.
Owen, did you put on any sunblock? and we're back.
All right, number six.
I know this is a game that is older than some of you tenors, but I've been playing The Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild.
The Switch 2 edition has a much higher frame rate, so the game looks better than ever and runs smoother than butter on hot pancakes.
And if you're allowed to download the Switch app for a device, there's something called Zelda Notes, which is a companion app, and it gives you additional story through Zelda's voice memories and even a navigation tracker to help you find everything possible.
So you can 100 that game.
Breath of the Wild Switch 2 Edition is only available on Switch 2.
Number seven, if you didn't know, I think ninjas are the coolest people ever.
And since I'm not allowed to carry a sword or throwing stars, I've been playing a lot of ninja games.
First off, I got Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, which is based on the original Ninja Gaiden series, and it brings it back to its original roots.
Other Ninja Gaiden games were 3D, but Ragebound brought it back to its 2D side-scrolling beginnings.
It's simple, yet hard and fun.
I'm digging it.
Unfortunately, I bought the Switch version, which runs at 30 frames per second, but the Xbox, PlayStation and PC versions run at a smooth 60 frames per second.
I'm hoping there's a Switch 2 update, but I haven't heard anything yet.
Oh, there's also a really cool demo for Shinobi Art of Vengeance, which is actually based on an old arcade and Sega franchise that started in 1987.
The new Shinobi feels a bit like a Metroidvania, meaning you'll have to explore a lot.
And the last Ninja game that I'm very excited for is called Atomic Owl, but that's not out for consoles yet.
It's only on PC.
I will update when I've got it on consoles.
Which is supposed to happen later this year is Deltarune, which is a side sequel to the legendary RPG Undertale.
Deltarune takes inspiration from Earthbound and other Super Nintendo RPGs.
It's basically an elevated old school RPG with really great writing.
Toby Fox is a master game creator and Deltarune's chapter one through four are no exception.
Fun fact, if you rearrange the letters in Undertale, you get Deltarune.
As of now, Deltarune chapters one and two are available for free on PC Mac, PlayStation and Switch.
And if you like that, you can purchase chapters three or four to continue the journey.
And for number nine, it's... Split Fiction from Hazelight.
The studio that made the award-winning game, It Takes Two.
Split Fiction is a co-op game where a science fiction writer and a fantasy writer are invited to test out a simulation machine where they experience their own stories.
The two accidentally collide, and so the pair just keep jumping between a futuristic, high-speed cyber world and a fantastical fantasy world with wizards and magical creatures.
It is really fun to play with a friend or family member.
Highly, highly, highly recommend.
I think it's a game of the year contender and you can play Split Fiction on Switch 2 PC, Xbox and PS5.
And at number 10 is the game I played the most this summer, drum roll please.
What do you think it is, by the way?
All right, I'll just tell you.
It is Donkey Kong Bonanza.
When I got a sneak preview of the Switch 2, I said that this was my most anticipated game and it was worth the wait.
It's from the same team that made Super Mario Odyssey and is just incredibly fun to play.
You play as Donkey Kong, paired up with a young singer named Pauline, and you travel deeper and deeper underground to catch and stop the mining company Voidco, who is a group that stole the Banandium gems to fuel their meteor ship.
Along the way, you get Bananzas, which are different animal-infused powers that make Donkey Kong way OP, so you can get super strong, crazy fast and a whole bunch of other powers.
My favorite part of the game is that there's no right or wrong way to play it.
For instance, a tenor named Jax likes to speedrun the game, while I like to take my time and just smash everything that I possibly can and also find as many bananas as possible.
I also think that this is a Game of the Year contender and it's officially my favorite video game of the summer.
Donkey Kong Bonanza is only available on Switch 2.
And that is that.
Owen's on summer break, so there's no trivia today, and Pam and Cap are on a beach somewhere, so...
I guess it's time for 10 new snaps right after this quick note for the grownups.
It's time for 10 new snaps.
A tenor named Grace said, I love the show.
Thank you, your grace.
A tenor named Archie said, I love this podcast.
I listen to it every day and I love the 10 new snaps.
Definitely five stars.
Thank you for that, Archie.
And I hope you like your 10 new snaps.
And a tenor named Hot Sauce said, great podcast.
And I love this podcast because it is informative, but not boring.
I also like how they describe the topic more than other podcasts.
You know I got to tell you Hot Sauce.
We do our absolute best and try really hard to give you a great podcast.
So I'm glad you don't think we're boring.
And then EasyBear20 AGPI, TacoSeal and WinterC11 all seem to have left reviews that contain a lot of
I don't like it.
I don't want it.
Why would you do that to me on my summer break?
And if you want to help support The 10 News, you can make a tax-deductible donation at the link in our show notes.
The whole team thanks you for your support.
The 10 News is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and part of the Airwave Podcast Network.
The 10 News credit team is Not here.
No one's here.
So I'm only going to shout out our editor for doing what he does best.
Thank you, Adam, the great Bambino Bernard.
Our production director is Jeremiah on fire.
Tittle and our executive producers are Donald.
All right.
All right.
All right.
And show creator Tracy takes the leads.
Kaplan.
I'm Ryan Willer.
Thanks for listening to this 10 news bonus episode.
Enjoy the rest of your summer.
