Episode 385 – Video Game Holiday Gift List

The Family Gamers Podcast

0:0:00 Hello and welcome! This week we’ve invited video game hype man Stephen Duetzmann (from Engaged Family Gaming) to go over his video game holiday gift guide.

Fact for 385

The largest gathering of people dressed as elephants is 385, achieved by 2 Wish Upon A Star (UK), in Cardiff, UK, on 13 August 2016.

Sponsor Message

If you want to talk through financial ideas to take some of the stress out of the holidays, set up a time to talk to First Move by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today.

0:04:30 What We’ve Been Playing

Stephen – Empire of the Ants (PS5) and Mario and Luigi: Brothership (Nintendo Switch)

Anitra – boop the Halls (review coming soon), and Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Nintendo Switch)

Andrew – Paris, City of Lights and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (on Steam/Xbox/PS)

0:17:45 Backtalk

OK, so what’s your favorite beverage for board game night? See responses on Discord and Facebook.

Stephen says mostly water, maybe a diet energy drink.

Anitra’s is hot coffee in the morning, or herbal tea in the evening.

0:25:20 SNAP Review – Hamster Roll

Elliot helps us explain this rolling dexterity game.

We highly recommend Hamster Roll and have put it on our Hall of Fame.

Watch the video or read the transcript of our Hamster Roll review.

0:30:50 Video Game Gift Guide for the Holidays

Stephen Duetzmann helps us with the best video games to give this year, via the Engaged Family Gaming holiday list.

“Should we buy a Switch this year?” Still yes. Even if a new Nintendo console comes out, Switch games are not going away any time soon, and the new console will be backwards-compatible.

What kind of Switch to buy? Depends on how it’s going to be used. If you only want a handheld, not to use the TV (like an old-style Gameboy), get the cheaper Switch Lite.

Andrew asks about controllers.

Playstation or Xbox? It doesn’t matter – for KIDS – unless you need Spiderman (only available PS5)

0:39:10 Playstation Recommendations

Astro Bot – “must play, for just about everybody”
EA Sports College Football ’25 (available on Xbox too)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (rated T)
Spider-man 2 (rated T) – very very good!
Cat Quest III (available on Switch and Xbox too)

0:43:40 Xbox Recommendations

Metaphor: Refantazio (rated T – available on Windows and PS5 too)
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (rated T – also on PS5 and Switch)
Balatro (on literally everything, including Apple Arcade)
Star Wars: Outlaws (rated T – also on PS5)

0:50:00 Nintendo Switch Recommendations

Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Mario and Luigi: Brothership
Super Mario Party Jamboree “the GOAT” – including a mode that eliminates some of the randomness that most Mario Party games have had!
Princess Peach Showtime – Anitra agrees. “Very definitively NOT a Mario game.” Perfect if your kids loved the Mario movie.
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (remake of Gamecube game) – “the funniest game I’ve ever played”
Nintendo World Championship: NES Edition – show your kids your OG Nintendo skills.

1:02:00 Miscellaneous

Andrew complains there’s no Spyro on Xbox Gamepass… but there is! Look for the Spyro Reignited Trilogy.

More kid-friendly stuff should be coming next year.

Don’t forget, the subscription services also make a great gift (Xbox Game Pass, Playstation Plus) especially if they’re going to be playing games against others online.

Playstation Plus has multiple levels and they can get expensive. But it’s necessary to play online games.

If you’re buying a console for a holiday present, do not leave it in the box!

Don’t forget to set it up before Christmas! (Plug in, connect to the internet, download updates, install a game or two. You might need to update the firmware on the controller.) It’s a much more effective surprise if it’s ready to play on Christmas morning.

And don’t forget about The Family Gamers holiday gift guide, too!

1:09:00 Holiday Contests

Reminder: We have five giveaways – enter the ones you’re interested in, because there are a few days left!

ArcheOLogic
Patrician: Towers of Influence
Mutton Bustin
Avant Carde
Holiday Hijinks! (Kickstarter is done)

1:11:15 New Backtalk Question

What’s your favorite video game of the year? What’s your favorite of all time?

Stephen: Astro Bot for 2024, and World of Warcraft / Final Fantasy X for all time.

Andrew: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor for the year – and Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for all time.

Anitra: Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and Katamari Damacy (or any variation) is her favorite to play any time.

Find Stephen Online:

EngagedFamilyGaming.com
Facebook: @EngagedFamilyGaming
or the Engaged Family Gaming Community

(You can find Stephen in The Family Gamers community as well.)

Find Us Online:

Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/community
Twitter (X): @familygamersaa
Instagram: @familygamersaa
TikTok: @familygamersaa
Youtube: TheFamilyGamers

or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord

Or, for the most direct method, email us! [e-mail] and [e-mail].

Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.

PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.

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The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.

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