Video game TV shows didn’t start with Good Game. Back in the early-mid 90s, before rubber chickens, we would all be “jacking in” to Channel 9’s The Zone.
There are many things to admire here. The CCTV style edits of host – and soon-to-be failed popstar – Adam Reilly. The hilariously deadpan reviews from a host of then-magazine editors, including Amos Wong (NMS) and Hyper’s Stuart Clarke and Andy Humphreys.
Favourite moment? Around 5:38 when some guy from New Kids On The Block shows up to tell us: “These arcade stick controllers are just that, dudes, arcade controllers.”
Part two is just as good. And not just because the clip starts with an ad for Copperart and continues with a station promo for Hey, Hey, It’s Saturday!
Part three drags a little, but it does include another station promo, this time featuring a young Larry Emdur. Also look out for Muttley’s terminology section. “Tuneage”. Remember that word, kids, and it’s nothing to do with fish.
Part four has a great montage of random utterances from the show’s gaming experts. It’s so seamless you’d hardly realise they needed a minute of filler to pad out the episode.
[Thanks Jeb for the heads-up!]
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