G4's Icons series...

[nickerous]

Does anyone have any of these episodes recorded? I have a few, but they quit airing them around the time I started recording them. I'd like to see some of the ones I missed...here's what I have:

Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Mario, Zelda (Icons - 1disc)
Atari, Intellivision, The Crash, Nintendo, Game Boy (Game Makers - 1disc)
Tetris, Metal Gear Solid, Dreamcast, X-Box, Electronic Arts (Game Makers - 1disc)
Nobeu Omatsua, Prince of Persia, (disc not finished)

And, here's a complete list of the shows:

Season 1
01 - Oddworld Inhabitants
02 - Nolan Bushnell
03 - Pac-Man
04 - Lara Croft
05 - Activision
06 - Miyamoto
07 - Everquest
08 - Bioware
09 - Will Wright
10 - Women of Gaming
11 - Insomniac Games
12 - Sid Meier
13 - Scary Games
14 - Richard Garriott
15 - Bruce Shelley
16 - John Madden NFL Football
17 - Splinter Cell
18 - Lord of the Rings

Season 2
19 - Atari
20 - Game Music
21 - Unreal
22 - Yu Suzuki
23 - Intellivision
24 - The Legend of Zelda
25 - Xbox
26 - Arcade
27 - The History of E3
28 - LucasArts
29 - Red Storm
30 - Warren Spector
31 - PC Gaming
32 - The Crash
33 - Games in the Military
34 - Mario
35 - Naughty Dog
36 - Onimusha Halloween 03
37 - Mega Man
38 - Yuji Naka
39 - Final Fantasy
40 - Dungeons & Dragons

Season 3
41 - Music Games
42 - Sega Dreamcast
43 - ESRB
44 - Peter Molyneux
45 - Tetris
46 - Electronic Arts
47 - Game Boy
48 - Donkey Kong
49 - Nobuo Uematsu
50 - Doom
51 - Dead or Alive
52 - SNK
53 - Mortal Kombat
54 - Prince of Persia
55 - Mark Cuban
56 - Metal Gear Solid
57 - Half-Life
58 - Bungie
59 - Apple II
60 - Fighting Games

Season 4
61 - Gran Turismo
62 - Splinter Cell
63 - Frank Miller
64 - Tim Schafer
65 - Star Wars
66 - Ralph Baer
67 - Playstation
68 - George A Romero
69 - NES
70 - Xbox 360
71 - King Kong

Game Maker Specials
72 - God of War
73 - Jade Empire
74 - Fantastic 4
75 - Americas Army: Rise of a Soldier
76 - Ultimate Spider-Man
77 - Spartan: Total Warrior
78 - Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
79 - Gun
80 - The Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

Season 5
81 - J.J. Abrams
82 - Suicide Girls
83 - Mark Ecko
84 - Michelle Rodriguez
85 - Special: Suicide Girls Uncut
86 - Kevin Smith
87 - Jamie Kennedy
88 - Shepard Fairey
89 - Seth Green
90 - Lollapalooza
91 - The Onion
92 - British Music
93 - Sacha Baron Cohen
94 - Tom "Tsquared" Taylor
95 - Chuck "The Ice Man" Liddell
96 - Tony "Mad Dog" Alva
97 - Frank Miller
98 - Eli Roth

Not really interested in that last season, though. Does anyone have ideas on where to track these down?

[pookninja]

i got:
megaman
nes
tetris
mario
id software(doom)
all on a dvd.i wish i had more episodes as well.looking at your post,there is more icon shows then i though there would be.i would be intrested in all of them in a dvd set,except the last season,which sucked a dick.

[norkusa]

The first 3 seasons are available for download on BitGamer.

[The 1 2 P]

I wish they released all of those seasons on dvd, as well as some of the other now canceled G4 shows like Filter and Arena.

[Leo_A]

Most of these are regularly available on YouTube in between removals for copyright violations, so that's one route you can take to catch a few of them.

[HappehLemons]

Better than Icons

http://www.onnetworks.com/videos/play-value

Watch 'em

I had no clue Icons had so many episodes though, I'll have to go hunting for some later.

[CRV]

The earlier episodes became Game Makers when they revamped Icons.


Better than Icons

http://www.onnetworks.com/videos/play-value

Watch 'em

Meh. They botched the Atari vs. Nintendo episode, making it sound like Atari Games/Tengen and Atari Corp. were the same company.

[Kiddo]

Only archive I have is the (slightly edited) Mega Man episode from Mega Man Anniversary Collection on Gamecube. It seemed like a pretty decent documentary for people who weren't hardcore into Mega Man, but of course there were some nitpicky details to deal with.

[SaturnFan]

Argh, season 5 looks like crap. Looks like G4 ran out of ideas after season 4.

[Nintendo Gamer]

.....

[segagamer]

I also had no idea the first 3 seasons had so many good shows...I used to watch it whenever I could when G4 was all about games. Now I don't watch it anymore...

[Baloo]

The earlier episodes became Game Makers when they revamped Icons.



Meh. They botched the Atari vs. Nintendo episode, making it sound like Atari Games/Tengen and Atari Corp. were the same company.

They weren't the same?

[JSoup]

It's sad that the people holding the pens never thought to made DVD sets of their better shows.

[CRV]

They weren't the same?

Tengen was a subsidiary of Atari Games Corporation, which was formerly the coin-op division of Atari, Inc. (1972-1984) Atari Corporation (the company that put out the Lynx, Jaguar, etc.) was formerly Commodore founder Jack Tramiel's Tramel Technology, which bought the consumer division of Atari, Inc. from Warner Communications. TT was then renamed Atari Corporation.

[Famidrive-16]

I wish I had every episode of Cinematech so I could play it on my television nonstop. Even while I'm sleeping.

[Nintendo Gamer]

.....

[Kevincal]

I recorded the Atari episode of Icons on VHS.

Man I almost forgot about Cinematech, that was a good show. G4 is hit or miss anymore. I do like a lot of the movies they play and I like Ninja Warrior and Banzuke. And the sexy ladies show. :P Olivia is hot too but she's also pretty annoying...

[11killer11]

Oh I love this... people actually talking about old G4/ Tech TV days or Tech TV days if you were watching since me.

I wish Portal and Arena were released on DVD.

I did hear that the maker of Portal is releasing a movie, still in production though.

[MarioMania]

I want the DVD of Season 1 - 4

[NE146]

Oh I love this... people actually talking about old G4/ Tech TV days or Tech TV days if you were watching since me.

Yeah I did like G4 before they merged with TechTV. I really wish I had recorded their "strategy" videos for Atari 2600 Adventure, & Haunted House. That's something you'll never see on tv again LOL

Speaking of TechTV.. by the time they merged I had already lost interest in them. I like them better when they were ZDTV.. When they became Techtv it had gotten a little too flashy :p

[cyberfluxor]

We didn't get TechTV or G4 at home until around the time they merged. I remember watching c|net Sunday mornings on USA back in the 90's, but that was so limited in comparison to a whole network. By the time we got G4 it was alright, but since has completely gone to almost complete garbage. I did manage to catch a few episodes of Icons, Cinematech, Game Makers, and some other stuff I can't recall too well. A DVD set would be nice to see instead of letting these documentary shows disappearing.

[general.chaos]

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[Kiddo]

Since the topic was bumped, I guess I'll give my perspective on G4 as a network.

I mostly paid attention to them starting in 2006 or so, which I believe was a bit into the post-TechTV merger. At the time, people were saying it already jumped the shark, but thinking about it, and recalling the old "Icons", "Cinematech" and remembering when the block was MAJORLY gaming-oriented rather than the grand total of 2 shows they didn't cancel...

I remember when Ninja Warrior was on and I kinda appreciated it - back when it was a sort of "break from the norm" and it was technically still "gaming" in a sense. However, things started to get stupid once they started showing reruns of "Lost", "Heroes" and "Cops". Now, Cops is practically ALL THEY AIR. It's pathetic - they'd probably get more ratings airing the friggin' DiC Video game adaptation cartoon line. They GET mroe ratings from X-Play and Attack of the Show, yet refuse to acknowledge their "Genre shift" as a grave error. Sadly, a similar thing more or less happened to the one other Network I used to watch often - Cartoon Network - back in 2009. Thus, I've grown cynical of TV Networks.

[HappehLemons]

Looking for these too, bitgamer only has season 1 now.

[general.chaos]

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[Greg2600]

Better than Icons

http://www.onnetworks.com/videos/play-value

Watch 'em

I had no clue Icons had so many episodes though, I'll have to go hunting for some later.
I tried, and sorry to say, these suck big time. The people are clearly actors reading a script, and doing a lousy job. I get the VH1 rip-off, but they are going for the masses with material that honestly the masses don't care about. You'd think video game history would be a subject they don't have to dumb down for stupid. G4 Icons was a good quality program, with actual gaming experts, and could keep you interested.

[NE146]

I really should've snagged the entire collection that was posted on Usenet when I had the chance. As is, all I got is the following:

CGE2003onPulse.avi
Filter-Episode221-Best_Old_School_Console_Games.avi
Icons-Episode221-Final_Fantasy.avi
Icons-Episode307-Game_Boy.avi
Icons-Episode206-The_Legend_Of_Zelda.avi
Icons-Episode301-Music_Games.avi
Icons-Episode302-Sega_Dreamcast.avi
Icons-Episode208-Arcade.avi
Icons-Episode219-Mega_Man.avi
Icons-Episode214-The_Crash.avi
Icons-Episode220-Yuji_Naka.avi
Icons-Episode222-Dungeons_And_Dragons.avi
Icons-Episode306-Electronic_Arts.avi
Screensavers 9 - 10 - 2004.asf

[Grobles87]

I'm looking for an invite to bitgamer so I can download season 1. Anyone who can help me pls send me a PM or you can email me at grobles87@hotmail.com. I'm dying to see Icons again. I loved the Final Fantasy episode, but it's just impossible to find now.

[Grobles87]

I suddenly had an idea. I'd like to revive as much as we can the show. So, anyone with episodes can send me a PM? I'm downloading season 1 from bitgamer already, but I'm looking for seasons 2 and 3. Season 4 is going to be the big challenge.

My idea is to post all the episodes in my personal MU Premium account and post them in a particular forum thread like taringa or vagos with all the links. Any other good gaming forums are also welcome (maybe pspiso as well?)That way it's going to be easier for other people who are interested in Icons (trust me, there are a lot) to find the eps all in one place and download them.

Anyone interested can PM me here or send me an email to grobles87@hotmail.com

[BetaWolf47]

I suddenly had an idea. I'd like to revive as much as we can the show. So, anyone with episodes can send me a PM? I'm downloading season 1 from bitgamer already, but I'm looking for seasons 2 and 3. Season 4 is going to be the big challenge.

My idea is to post all the episodes in my personal MU Premium account and post them in a particular forum thread like taringa or vagos with all the links. Any other good gaming forums are also welcome (maybe pspiso as well?)That way it's going to be easier for other people who are interested in Icons (trust me, there are a lot) to find the eps all in one place and download them.

Anyone interested can PM me here or send me an email to grobles87@hotmail.com

That'd be awesome. I wish I could contribute, but I've got nothing.

[Ayce]

meh!!

[JSoup]

I think the G4 froums keeps boards up for all of their old shows. That might be a good place to start for building a list of some kind.

EDIT: Actually, a full list of episodes and their topics has already been populated on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icons_(TV_series)

[Famidrive-16]

Looks like some games had some of the episodes included:


* Episode 112, "Sid Meier,"was put in the game of the year edition of Civilization IV.
* Episode 116, "John Madden NFL Football," was featured as part of the Madden 2005: Collector's Edition for PlayStation 2.
* Episode 117, "Splinter Cell," was featured on the Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory collectors disc for the PlayStation 2.
* Episode 219, "Mega Man," was featured on the Nintendo GameCube and Xbox versions of Mega Man Anniversary Collection (Though some of the content featured in the original episode that was unrelated to Mega Man or Capcom was removed).
* Episode 223, "Castlevania," was featured in Castlevania: Curse of Darkness for PS2 and Xbox.
* Episode 310, "The DOOM Franchise," was featured on the Doom 3 Collectors Edition for Xbox


Kinda makes me want to buy some of those now just for the eps.

[general.chaos]

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[Ayce]

meh!!

[general.chaos]

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[JSoup]

Looks like some games had some of the episodes included:



Kinda makes me want to buy some of those now just for the eps.

Not sure if that Castlevania one is true or not. I've played Curse of Darkness inside and out, this is the first I've known of such a thing. I can't seem to find any information on it either. Granted, this is the PS2 version I'm using, maybe it's in the XBox version.

[Ayce]

meh!!

[NE146]

Well I spent about a week uploading the ones I have listed above to general.chaos assuming he'd be able to share them out to all y'all in some way. :)

That being said, I got them off Usenet, and I suppose I could upload them back if given enough time. I don't do Torrents for the most part.

[general.chaos]

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[general.chaos]

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[atariboy]

I too would be interested in other episodes that i dont have. These are the episodes I have, If you need any of them let me know.

Season 1
01 -
02 - Nolan Bushnell
03 - Pac-Man
04 -
05 -
06 -
07 -
08 - Bioware
09 -
10 -
11 - Insomniac Games
12 -
13 - Scary Games
14 -
15 - Bruce Shelley
16 - John Madden NFL Football
17 -
18 -

Season 2
19 - Atari
20 - Game Music
21 - Unreal
22 - Yu Suzuki
23 -
24 -
25 - Xbox
26 -
27 -
28 -
29 -
30 -
31 - PC Gaming
32 - The Crash
33 - Games in the Military
34 - Mario
35 - Naughty Dog
36 -
37 - Mega Man
38 - Yuji Naka
39 - Final Fantasy
40 -

Season 3
41 -
42 - Sega Dreamcast
43 - ESRB
44 - Peter Molyneux
45 - Tetris
46 -
47 - Game Boy
48 - Donkey Kong
49 -
50 - Doom
51 - Dead or Alive
52 - SNK
53 - Mortal Kombat
54 -
55 -
56 -
57 -
58 - Bungie
59 -
60 -

I dont Have any season 4 or 5 and no game maker specials.

I do have a "making the game" episode of Halo 2 if interested.

[Ayce]

meh!!

[atariboy]

I'm not sure, I recorded them to a dvd recorder from standard def programming they are in dvd format. How do I check bitrate?

[MarioMania]

How many episode can you fit on a Single DVD??

[atariboy]

I've got 7 episodes on one dvd all episodes are without commercials.

[MarioMania]

Can you do VHS to DVD??

I have some of my Fav Episode's on VHS Tape

[HappehLemons]

I've been looking for a complete collection of this show for a while, I hope everyone can collaborate together and get this done.

[ganondorf]

I know where you can find torrents for complete season 2 and 3, send a PM if you want.

[general.chaos]

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[Ayce]

meh!!

[Ayce]

meh!!

[general.chaos]

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[Ayce]

meh!!

[general.chaos]

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[HappehLemons]

Fantastic job Ayce! What are the chances of getting some more season 4 content?

[Ayce]

meh!!

[Ayce]

meh!!

[general.chaos]

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[AB Positive]

Icons is awful once you start watching them in order. There was a point where, no lie, they use the same 4 minute interview clip, broken up, over four consecutive episodes in the same season (season two if I'm not mistaken). It's like they got all their interviews for the first three seasons done in a week, and just mix and mash them up and hope you don't notice.

Brilliant idea, awful execution.

[general.chaos]

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[schultzed]

I think I can help. I was a big fan of the show. I would DVR them and then put them on my DVD recorder (a Toshiba with a hard-drive). I have most of the episodes on DVDs. I don't have a capture card and I've had little success converting these to a better format.

I would be willing to mail discs to the OP and they could transfer them. I edited out ads (and the opening segment sometimes) to squeeze 6 on disc . . . I think the bitrate is pretty good and should be fine at 640x480. In fact, my copies may (or may not) be upgrades for some of the 320x-240 ones. I don't think I ever got the Lara Croft one but I have all the others.

I have:

205 Intellivision
403 Frank Miller
404 Tim Schafer (Pyschonauts double-length episode)
405 Star Wars games
406 Ralph Baer
407 Playstation
408 George Romero
409 NES

GM1 God of War (G4 special)
GM2 Jade Empire (G4 special)

Also of interest (these could be included):
Cinematech on 1998 (they argue its the greatest year in gaming)
Cinematech (old-school 80s games with nice commercial footage)
Judgment Day 100th episode (best of Tommy and Victor)

[general.chaos]

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[AB Positive]

thanks for your 2¢ :?

Yeah I meant to put a bit more in there, but somehow I spaced on it...

What was missing was "I've only seen the first two seasons however - did the series ever get better after that, i.e. more interview footage or at least new content?"

... I gotta stop posting early in the morning. :P

[general.chaos]

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[norkusa]

Season 1 is on freeleech this week at Underground-Gamer

[general.chaos]

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[Ayce]

meh!!

[Ayce]

Also of interest (these could be included):
Cinematech on 1998 (they argue its the greatest year in gaming)
Cinematech (old-school 80s games with nice commercial footage)
Judgment Day 100th episode (best of Tommy and Victor)

Those do sound interesting.

[Ayce]

meh!!

[general.chaos]

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[Ayce]

meh!!

[general.chaos]

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[Ayce]

meh!!

[schultzed]

Were there 2 episodes about Splinter Cell? The list on page 1 shows a season 1 and a season 4 listing for Splinter Cell.

I have one on my discs following Gran Turismo in season 4 . . . Is this one needed for the collection? I'll check to see if I have 2 on SC.