Video & Arcade Top 10 - Gameplay

Gameplay

The main portions of each episode would have four contestants playing one player modes of video games against each other, typically from Nintendo consoles supported at the time of filming. Two separate games on the same console were played on each episode by two different groups of contestants, with the hosts explaining what needs to be done in order to win each round before gameplay begun. Scoring was calculated by having the contestants try and either get the highest score, collect the most of something, maintain the most health, or get the best time in their game, depending on the genre, with a tie-breaking method emphasized on air in case it was needed. For example, in WWE WrestleMania X8 on the Nintendo Gamecube. they had to pin the most people, while in Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64, they had to collect the most stars. During gameplay, Nicholas & the main co-host would tell the audience about the games' rules, plots, special moves, and sometimes secrets or codes while assorted gameplay footage was shown on screen, though specific coverage of the contestant's progress and scores weren't revealed to the home audience.

Though Nintendo consoles were the most frequently used systems on Video & Arcade Top 10, games for Nintendo's Game Boy handheld systems were also featured occasionally, either being played through the Super Game Boy peripheral on the Super Nintendo, or the Wide-Boy 64 adapter for the Nintendo 64. Later seasons also occasionally featured games on Sony's PlayStation consoles.

At the end of the round, the winning contestant generally won a copy of the game that they just played, and a second small prize, typically a Timex watch in later seasons. Some seasons featured an additional first place prize from a show sponsor, like a Toronto Blue Jays prize pack or a KFC Big Crunch meal. By the end of the series' run, first place winners received a title from the show's "video game library" rather than the game they played on that episode.

Each losing contestant would win a consolation prize of their own. For example, later seasons saw the 2nd place finisher win dinner passes for the Medieval Times dinner theater in Toronto, while the third & fourth place contestants each won a Video & Arcade Top 10 t-shirt, or by the last season, an Air Hogs helicopter toy. Each contestant was also paired up with a viewer at home that sent in a postcard & an attendee in the studio audience that would each win the game that their assigned contestant won if they came in first place.

The show was aired abridged, editing out some host bloopers and portions of the show that didn't impact the final results. As a result, contestants had much more time than what was shown to reach their goals in the featured games. Six or seven shows were shot sequentially, and the same audience was used for three shows in a row, meaning that they would have to be present for several hours during taping.