Something Awful on G4TV

Reader Mantorp wrote in to mention an article over on Something Awful (reader beware) discussing the good and bad points of everyone's favorite video gaming channel, G4. Except for not mentioning Icons (which I view as a variable but generally good program), they nail the channels pros and cons dead on. From the article: "I almost wrote an update like this when the merger first happened, but it would have been purely reactionary. The resulting channel needed time to ferment for better or worse, and luckily for you it got much worse because my only backup article idea was a fake guide to an NES game based on the Herman Melville book Bartleby The Scrivener."

Comments

Can't get enough of those catch-phrases

[nijk]

Kevin: So that's how you download the newest fake nude pictures of Angelina Jolie and your "legal" (long dramatic pause to let his delicious rebellion sink in) mp3s to your PSP's memory card and your Xbox's hard drive.

Sarah: (giggles) Your hard drive sure was in my Xbox last night! If you know what I mean!

Kevin: (turns to the camera and gives a slow wink) I know how to crack your app! PEER TO PEER NETWORKING.

ROFLMAO

Re:Can't get enough of those catch-phrases

[Draigon]

My favorite line "His funnier moments go so far over the other hosts' heads that they violate federal airspace regulations and occasionally graze God's testicles." oh my.

Honestly, if you want tv for nerds you watch discovery or history channels. If you want tv for gamers you turn your gaming console on. If you have a few hours to sit around and you want something moving in front of your eyes but not making you think, anything from Fox News to Mtv to G4 will apply. TV as a whole is just not that worth it. There's far more content on gaming blogs or even the often shallow gaming network sites.

What is TV useful for again?

Re:Can't get enough of those catch-phrases

[nijk]

What is TV useful for again?

The only use it currently has is porn. If only there was a free x-rated channel. The people want free nonstop streaming high-quality nudity.

Re:Can't get enough of those catch-phrases

[frikazoyd]

Basically the guy is lamenting the loss of a channel that was for nerds. TechTV (or ZDTV, if you remember that far back) used to cover all sorts of nerdy stuff. Particularly, the Screen Savers was a very cool show with some neat tips and experiments, and was the first TV show I ever saw that publicly acknowledged that Linux existed.

There was a show that covered new technology that was emerging and reviewed them once they went commercial (handy for buying a PDA at the time), and then Gamespot TV was pretty cool (becuase it was before G4TV was announced, and was actually really good.) And there were some filler shows too, but they seemed to have their own niche (for instance, Call For Help was handy if you didn't want to explain how to burn a cd to your grandmother).

In short, TechTV used to be really interesting, and the only TV I ever watched. We're all sad that it left, I suppose.

Hmmm

[Otter]

In the absence of goatse.cx, I wonder where Rich is going to be directing his Slashdot referrals this time...?

Re:Ambiguous title

[MarkGriz]

"Is Something Awful making the leap to the small screen thanks to G4TV?"

-1, Redundant.

G4 is already something awful

Re:Pretty much agree..

[frikazoyd]

I'm sure what he meant was "Adam Sessler is the fucking man, but has to play the part of a retard now that he is on G4TV and works with Morgan Webb, just to make her look smart".

Trust me, when Adam Sessler was solo (or with that other hot chick back when the Dreamcast was still around), the show rocked and I hated to miss it. I think it was Gamespot TV then. Then it changed names to something weird, then it changed to X-Play and started sucking like a Dyson.

Re:Pretty much agree..

[suyashs]

Adam Sessler was the worst host on TechTV who has become the best host on G4TV...

I have no pre-G4 bias...but here is my .02

[pnice]

I didn't have access to the channel back when it was TechTV and I've only had the chance to view what is now G4. That being said, I like the channel enough to watch (at least Attack of the Show) on a daily basis. Sometimes what I see is a repeat of things I've already read about that day online, but it is still presented in an entertaining way and I can relate to the humor/personalities of the cast (Kevin Rose, Kevin Pereira, Sarah Lane, Brendan Moran). I like Icons and even Formula D is starting to become interesting to me.

Cheat pains me. That Kristin Holt is not the person for the job. I think the execs feel that all geek/gamers need is some decent looking girl repeating what was written down on a piece of paper to host the show and it'll work great. I'm 26 and that formula doesn't cut it for me anymore. I wish I could have seen Adam Sessler back when he was supposed to be good at what he does, but I missed the boat on that one. When it's him and Morgan Webb talking in those damn monotone voices doing reviews I can't imagine either of them play a crucial role in keeping X-Play alive. I need something with more personality.

The worst part of G4 is the repeat shows. I'm not talking about just reruns from the night before...or even the week before. Just today at lunch I was flipping through the channels and heard the voice of Adam Sessler talking about the future PSP...before they even knew when it would come out or how much it would cost. I know every show can't be brand new but at least keep it within a relative time range. Replaying a show that is so extremely dated doesn't work well when your dealing with something that has to stay up to date. It would be like watching reruns of the news from 5 months ago.