The G4 Scorecard

[ManekiNeko]

If you have cable or satellite television, chances are good that you're seeing G4's programming for the first time. What's your opinion of the shows you've seen so far?

Right now, my favorite of the shows on G4 is Icons. I was dumbfounded by the quality of this no-nonsense documentary series... it describes the history of important contributors to the video game industry without pandering to the audience, being loud and obnoxious, or bending the truth to satisfy corporate interests (yes, Tony Hawk, I'm talking about you). This is the kind of video game television show I've been waiting for all my life!

I've already seen Game Sauce and Gamer TV on another network, and I deeply enjoyed them both. Game Sauce offers game reviews without X-Play's pro-Playstation bias and obnoxious comedy sketches. I like the dignity that the British co-host of Game Sauce brings to the table (even if the other host reminds me a little too much of J.D. Roth from the short-lived GamePro TV). Gamer TV isn't quite as good as Game Sauce, but at least it doesn't leave me insulted like most shows with a video game focus... just a little bored.

Cinematech is somewhat of an empty experience. The producers just run clips from popular video games and related merchandise. That's great if you're on the fence about buying a game and want to take it on a televised test drive, but the total lack of commentary on the games in question leaves me wanting more.

Filter's watchable, although it seems directed toward younger game enthusiasts, rather than players who's been around the block a few times. The chirpy, cheerful host counts down top ten and top five lists of outstanding games in different categories... one episode listed the most beautiful video games ever, while another was a tribute to Final Fantasy and its many sequels. The series is competantly made, but it doesn't really speak to me... I wish they'd find more engaging topics than "Who's cuter, Tifa or Aeris?"

Then there's Players, one of the least engaging G4 series. Players seems to be the video game equivalent of MTV Cribs... a thin, vaguely nerdy young man goes to the homes of various celebrities and challenges them to random games in his collection. I admire the fact that the GameCube is so prominently featured in this series, but it's hard to get excited about the celebrities... they're usually just cute but vapid Playboy models and soap opera stars.

I haven't seen much of Judgment Day. What I have watched didn't bother me too much, but I've heard that co-host Tommy Tallarico (you know, the guy who wrote that twangy music in all those overrated Genesis games by Virgin Interactive) hits all the wrong notes in some of his reviews. The transcripts I've read of some Judgment Day episodes makes him look like a crude charicature of a Playstation fanboy, ranting about the "crappy" graphics in games like Capcom vs. SNK 2. It's really too bad, because the other host seems like a reasonable guy.

I could do without Arena and Sweat. Arena is a televised gaming tournament, featuring a variety of bland, overexposed first-person shooters. Sweat is... I'm not even sure WHAT the heck the point of this show is. In the episode I saw, some MTV reject ran around a football museum or something, interviewing everyone he could get his hands on and showing clips of Electronic Arts' latest Madden regurgitation. Oh joy.

Overall, I wouldn't say that the good content on G4 outweighs the bad, but it DOES balance it out, making the network a lot less obnoxious than it could have been. I just hope they introduce more meaty and satisfying shows like Icons, and leave the pandering, intellectually draining nonsense to networks like MTV and Spike TV.

JR

[Richter]

sheesh i just got done watching Judgment Day (first time getting G4 in our area, had TTV for awhile) and all that Tommy character did was bitch about voice overs. Him being "funny" doesnt help a bit

Other host guy should ditch him

[Querjek]

sheesh i just got done watching Judgment Day (first time getting G4 in our area, had TTV for awhile) and all that Tommy character did was bitch about voice overs. Him being "funny" doesnt help a bit

Other host guy should ditch him

I agree, except the show is made by Talirico's own production company or something (It's credited at the end of the credits). I really don't like Tommy either, though.

I've had G4 since it came out. It was channel 107... but when I went to turn to it today, my cble box came up with a "???". Now, G4techTV is one TechTV's old channel, so now I have no channel 107. I usually don't remeber how to change to a different channel after a while, sadly, I just memorize the thumb motion to get there. This is really going to screw me up!

BTW, Icons rocks. Especially the episodes about the Crash and the episode about Nolan Bushnell.

[gamergary]

I like what I have seen of G4 so far but I want to see some of the shows tht didn't make it over from the old G4.

[kingpong]

My gripe with the merged channel is that the former TechTV shows stink compared to what they used to have. I used to get TechTV on C-band satellite back when they started as ZDTV, and I liked it a fair amount. I think I last saw it not too long after they switched the name to TechTV, so I'm not familiar with much of their current programming. G4 had been available on digital cable here for some time, but was just added to our analog cable a few months ago - about a month before they canned Starcade, unfortunately. With G4 there were a number of lousy shows, but you always knew that whatever show was on, it would at least be decent enough to leave on in the background. A number of these TechTV shows just aren't the least bit interesting and you're not going to leave them on in the background. So we've gone from the always mediocre G4 to the sometimes mediocre, sometimes crappy G4-TechTV.

If the programming on TechTV prior to the merger was what it was 5 years ago we would have a much better merged channel now.

[wisekrak]

I have loved G4 since I got it. It was a network that I could leave on if nothing better was on while I did other things. Most of the shows were good. Icons is the BEST show on the channel. Sweat is the worst.
:angry: G4TV.com is an entartaining topical show even though sometimes totaly chaotic. :)

The problem now is, they merged it with TechTV. I used to like ZDTV way back when, but that channel went downhill. Robot wars? WTF??? Booooring! So now, they have all of these shows sprinkled into my standard G4 lineupand I find myself looking for something else way too often. :(
I feel that even though G4 was a bit lite on variety with their shows, the TechTV merge just added more crap without any benefits. Instead of good shows like Fresh Gear and such, we get Robot Wars? Screen Savers???

Oh well, I could go on a rant about television that would take forever so I'll stop now to save you all the headache :)

[Raedon]

The TechTV/G4 combo was a great idea. I'm beta testing the new Motorola DVR DCT (digital box) the Motorola DCT6208 which our company will be rolling out in a few weeks so I've been recording all the G4 type shows. So far it's hit or miss. very low budget except for Pulse.

Best of Tech TV screensavers, call for help, tech live, X-Play (MORGAN MARRY ME!!!!!!!!!) and check out Unscrewed.

Pulse is a godsend and a great companion to The Screensavers.


now if they can just dump the filler like Robot Wars, Future Fighting, Thunderbirds and get a less random Anime Unleashed etc.



.


Morgan Webb MARRY ME!!!!

[davidmt]

When I first saw Victor and Tommy on Electric Playground, all I noticed were how they used their hands excessively when they talked. Now it's all I notice when I see those two. I'm not sure if it is supposed to be cool or what.

I'm just glad TheScreenSavers is still on-I hope it doesn't change too much.

[Half Japanese]

I haven't watched enough to know what the lineup is exactly, but overall it's better than TechTV was alone.

[SirDrexl]

Best of Tech TV screensavers, call for help, tech live, X-Play (MORGAN MARRY ME!!!!!!!!!) and check out Unscrewed.

"Call For Help" was cancelled, but G4 was supposed to be shopping the show so another network might pick it up.

You might like this site: http://www.iheartmorganwebb.com :)

[Raedon]

Best of Tech TV screensavers, call for help, tech live, X-Play (MORGAN MARRY ME!!!!!!!!!) and check out Unscrewed.

"Call For Help" was cancelled, but G4 was supposed to be shopping the show so another network might pick it up.

You might like this site: http://www.iheartmorganwebb.com :)

I know.. I'm just being funny. She lives to far from me to care.

[Lady Jaye]

Actually, Leo Laporte was hired by none other than G4TechTV Canada to host a new show similar to Call for Help. It'll be based in Toronto and will debut late summer. So far, G4TechTV in the US hasn't picked it up, to the dismay of American fans of Laporte... http://www.g4techtv.ca/canada/leo/

See, the difference between the Canadian and the American networks is that Comcast only owns 1/3 of G4TechTV Canada. The other 2/3 belongs to Rogers, who was the main owner of TechTV Canada. I can only guess that G4TechTV Canada is going to resemble more the old TechTV than its American sister station...

[showstoppa]

I haven't watched much of the new G4TechTV. I did catch Icons and liked that. I've always been a fan of TechTV. Screen Savers has always been the best show on the channel. Leo and Patrick have taught me so much. I also watched X-play and Fresh Gear and occassionally Call For Help. Those are pretty much the only shows I watched on TechTV. I'll have to see how some of the G4 shows are since I've never had that channel. I think G4TechTV should change it's website though. The old TechTV site was much better when I would check out the Screen Savers site. I know it'll take awhile to bring in all the archived episodes, but it seems very out of order right now.

[NE146]

Pulse is a godsend and a great companion to The Screensavers.
Morgan Webb MARRY ME!!!!

Man that's the one thing that pissed me off about the merger between zdtv and g4.. is that they canned the female host of pulse! She had nice ta tas :D I'd take her over Morgan Webb :P (Who I dunno.. isn't really that hot. But different strokes for different folks)

I don't understand though why they'd take out the female host videogame channel (i.e. mainly watched by males) and now it's two guys hosting. wtf happened.

[spooie]

Icons is indeed the best G4 produced show, but ManekiNeko... you've seriously got to be joking if you think Xplay is biased towards PS2. They've taken more shots at the system and games than any other.

LOL

The one good thing is, Xplay is the only show on the network now that ISN'T biased against Nintendo, or the Gamecube in general. When have you ever seen any G4TV show that refered to Gamecube owners as "Fans" and NOT "Fanboys" ? They're always pimping the PS2 and Xbox, and their "diehard gamers". And every time Nintendo gets mentioned, it's always "fanboys".

And Honestly, other than Judgment Day (which is produced OUTSIDE of G4, mind you), have you ever seen Gameboy Advance get any coverage? I mean, hell.. G4TV spent 6 weeks practically plugging the N-Gage as the greatest thing ever... but we never see GBA. When Viewtiful Joe was all the rage, they spent 20 seconds talking about it, and 10 minutes talking about "Whiplash" as one of the greatest games ever made.

x_x

They finally had the Gameboy episode of Icons, but that one annoying guy who kept talking about how all of Nintendo's gameboy devices were stupid, like the Super Gameboy and the Virtual Boy, really pissed me off.

[ubersaurus]

G4tv wanted me to be a caller on the ep they're taping today, but then one of the writers thought that my question would work better for an upcoming episode, so my G4 debut will have to be put off.

I also noticed they did a pretty lengthy segment on 4 swords, I don't know how that classifies as nintendo bias.

[NE146]

G4 outta take this opportunity to resurrect their old specials which they showed non stop for 2 weeks, and then never showed again. Their "Gaming in Japan" show is one of them...

[zmweasel]

The one good thing is, Xplay is the only show on the network now that ISN'T biased against Nintendo, or the Gamecube in general. When have you ever seen any G4TV show that refered to Gamecube owners as "Fans" and NOT "Fanboys" ? They're always pimping the PS2 and Xbox, and their "diehard gamers". And every time Nintendo gets mentioned, it's always "fanboys".

If you'd been at this year's E3 press conference, you'd understand the labeling. Nintendo's conference, as one of my editors pointed out, was more like an old-time revival. The crowd was packed with fanboys who cheered every word that came out of the terrifying Reggie's mouth. It was one of the most surreal events I've ever witnessed. Nintendo didn't do its fans ANY favors that day.

-- Z.

[Neil Koch]

I like the G4 stuff except for Arena... why would anyone want to watch other people playing games? They seem to re-run stuff a lot though (which was the case with TechTV as well) and they still need to get rid of crap like Robot Wars and Anime Unleashed.

Raedon, I'm assuming you've seen the Maxim Morgan Webb pics? X_x

[Lemmy Kilmister]

I kind of have a love hate feeling towards g4. I loved watching starcade and icons when i first got the channel. Though now because of the merger with tech t.v alot of good show have been cancelled and or replace with crappy ones (robot wars and that anime show they have). I still watch pulse,filter and cinematech from time to time, but it just doesn't really hold my intrest anymore.

[spooie]

If you'd been at this year's E3 press conference, you'd understand the labeling. Nintendo's conference, as one of my editors pointed out, was more like an old-time revival. The crowd was packed with fanboys who cheered every word that came out of the terrifying Reggie's mouth. It was one of the most surreal events I've ever witnessed. Nintendo didn't do its fans ANY favors that day.

-- Z.

You can't judge the entire network and it's history towards Nintendo based around unrelated events from a convention 5 weeks ago. Since I've had the network, I've noticed an overall abundance of Anti-Nintendo mentality at the network. As for E3...The convention only serves to get the gaming community jazzed about upcoming games. That's the whole point of E3. To get people worked up about the games they'll want over the next 18 months, and get investors interested in buying them. So no one can really use the success of the convention against them for doing the very thing they set out to achieve.

But speaking of E3 anyway... Sony for one, had their equal amount of fanboys. Xbox seemed the coolest of the bunch as far as fans. How else do you explain PSP winning best of show for a system that wasn't playable other than one small RPG mock demo which few people even knew was on the show floor, and all the game footage was streamed off of high-end PC emulators? I mean, if the media is just going to start awarding "best of e3" salutations to systems with nothing available to base them on than processor specs written on a piece of paper, they might as well call The Phantom the greatest system of all time.

And then there was Tommy Tallarico, whose opinions I usually find myself defending at the forums anyway. The guy basically slams Nintendo every chance he can get, and then acts all innocently on the boards. And if one, heaven forbid, Nintendo supporter questions him at the forums, he puts the blame square on them. Did you see the E3 G4TV.com episode where Tommy's sole presence on the show was talking about farting on Kirby's head when he goes over to the Nintendo booth?

[zmweasel]

You can't judge the entire network and it's history towards Nintendo based around unrelated events from a convention 5 weeks ago.

Sure you can. Nintendo's E3 conference gave the powerful impression that its fans are unquestionably the most...rabid of the Big Three. If G4 indeed tends to label all Nintendo fans as fanboys (which I don't think is the case--Nintendo fans are just overly sensitive), that conference heavily reinforced the network's attitude. Again, Nintendo did itself no favors.

I also noticed that a lot of real journalists (not game dweebs like me, but REAL print and television guys) had to stand on the sides of the auditorium, while the fanboys drooled all over the seats. Annoying the people who give you mainstream press coverage isn't wise.


Since I've had the network, I've noticed an overall abundance of Anti-Nintendo mentality at the network.

You'd have to cite specific examples of bias.


As for E3...The convention only serves to get the gaming community jazzed about upcoming games. That's the whole point of E3. To get people worked up about the games they'll want over the next 18 months, and get investors interested in buying them. So no one can really use the success of the convention against them for doing the very thing they set out to achieve.

"Investors"? I'm not sure what you mean there. Care to elaborate?

Also, how many E3s have you been to? I've been to all of 'em, as both a journalist and an exhibitor. So I have a decent grasp of what the point is. :)


But speaking of E3 anyway... Sony for one, had their equal amount of fanboys. Xbox seemed the coolest of the bunch as far as fans. How else do you explain PSP winning best of show for a system that wasn't playable other than one small RPG mock demo which few people even knew was on the show floor, and all the game footage was streamed off of high-end PC emulators? I mean, if the media is just going to start awarding "best of e3" salutations to systems with nothing available to base them on than processor specs written on a piece of paper, they might as well call The Phantom the greatest system of all time.

Were you at all three E3 press conferences? Nintendo's was blighted by fanboys. Sony's was calm, cool, and collected. If there was fanboys in the crowd, they were able to contain themselves in a professional manner. No whooping, hollering, cheering, or shouts of "Amen!" Microsoft's had a few PR-planted whoopers, but nothing too silly.

Who awarded PSP "best of show"? E3 itself? I'm not terribly surprised. In terms of aesthetics alone, it's a shit-hot portable.

The Phantom was at E3 in demo/playable form, but it didn't win any best-of-shows that I'm aware of. The industry as a whole is still very skeptical--not of the idea behind the tech (which is the future of all digital-entertainment distribution), but of the shifty dude behind the company.


And then there was Tommy Tallarico, whose opinions I usually find myself defending at the forums anyway. The guy basically slams Nintendo every chance he can get, and then acts all innocently on the boards. And if one, heaven forbid, Nintendo supporter questions him at the forums, he puts the blame square on them. Did you see the E3 G4TV.com episode where Tommy's sole presence on the show was talking about farting on Kirby's head when he goes over to the Nintendo booth?

What you have to understand is that the "TV Tommy" is very, very different from the real-life Tommy. He's a great guy and a humble guy. He loves the hell out of videogames and music, he's done a lot to advance videogame music in the States, and he's the head of an organization dedicated to helping the game-musician community.

Tommy amps up his 'tude for TV and trade shows, and intentionally so. You love him or hate him, but you're not bored by him.

-- Z.

[ubersaurus]

If I ever see Tallarico in person, I'm gonna ask him why he's been droppin the ball on every soundtrack since earthworm jim.


Seriously. I will.

[spooie]

Frankly, no offenese, but I don't care what people were doing at E3. I'm not talking about E3. I'm talking about G4, and I'm not going to say Nintendo is to blame for G4's neglecting and labeling of system owners, for putting on a good show that people liked a year and a 1/2 AFTER the network launched.

;)

I've been to NO E3s, but again, it really doesn't matter, because I'm not here to talk about E3. E3 does not represent every system owner in the existence of history. If it did, then I WOULD be there afterall. And I'm certainly NOT going to scrutinize Nintendo for succeeding in putting on a good show after the last few years of underwhelming everyone.

LOL

And yes, I watched Nintendo and Sony's press conferences. I saw clips of the Microsoft one, collected off the web... but have been unable to find a complete showing of it. Only, I found Nintendo's to be fun and energetic, and kept me glued to my seat the whole time I was watching it live. Sony's on the otherhand put me to sleep, after the first 40 minutes of lines such as "And we're going to optimize our business practices to make them more flexible to our online contributors with killer apps which will enable investors to build revenues that will generate and create a reality to move the industry in the right direction of... blah blah blah blah blah blah blah." If you thought the Sony one was better, more power to you... but I prefer to actually be excited by Nintendo's than dulled by Sony's.

:P

As for "Investors", I mean the people who run the stores and distribution outlets who are going to decide whether or not they want their companies to stock the actual products and how many to order, based on how well the products were recieved, had available to try out, and how much coverage they were handling.

As for who picked the PSP best of show, that would be the <a href=http://www.gamecriticsawards.com/win.html>GCA</a>, comprised of 35 gaming media sources. So, at least 18 of them chose PSP over something that was actually on the floor without mock videos, with heaven only knows how many of the specs will actually reach the system, and wasn't non-playable hype. I think the Phantom is a big sham myself, but that's just me (and about 10 million others), I guess.

I know what Tommy has accomplished. He's always responded to me and been nice when I've asked him something. Then again, I'm not running about blasting him about "sucking" all day... so maybe there is a reason. Unfortunately, the "TV Tommy" as you call it, comes off very biased and arrogant much of the time, and vehemently anti-Nintendo. I have no doubt that Tommy is a nice guy, and to his credit, he has always been nice and supportive to me on the forums when he would respond to something I asked or said. But this is the vision he choses to represent himself to people as, so it's quite understandable when people want to call him on that.

If I started yelling out "I hate hippies! Hippies are stupid!" and then in real life I was an actual hippie, you can expect people are still going to complain to me for publicly outsing hippies as being stupid. If he could tone is down some, and NOT spend every waking minute of his "TV" life ridiculing the Gamecube and Nintendo's characters, perhaps people would cut him some slack as well. And, yes... even when he is complaining about something, I find him very entertaining. Hell, his complaining is his most redeeming part, because he'll often rip into the right thing and say something you've always wanted to say but never did.

@_@

As for examples of G4's bias... because you asked...

G4TV for the most part is (or at least was) for a large time, only concerned about image. THEIR image. And back in february, when the network and site relaunched (pre-merger), they were trying to be even more "hardcore" with their image. That's why we got all these rappers shouting "When I say G, you better say 4! G-4! G-4!" in commercials, and those insipid "G4 pwns j00! n00b!" commercials with the guy getting smacked across the face because he wasn't a good game. Real nice, G4... turn away potential new gamers AND insult them in the process! Brilliant strategy there.

Only the problem is, to them, Nintendo ISN'T "hardcore". Sony and Xbox are "hardcore" and Nintendo is "Fanboy infested Kiddie material". Every other week on G4TV.com, for example, you'll see some no-name Sony game come out, or an Xbox exclusive, and they'll spend god only knows how much time plugging it. And when a new Gamecube game comes out, when they actually get around it's almost always Nintendo-made. And sure, occasionally they'll dip out of the in-house Nintendo box and cover something like Super Monkey Ball 2 or Viewtiful Joe, but even those are few and far between

You'll never see anyone from the company there to talk about it, and you never see some no-name 3rd party game getting covered like you would for Sony. And there are practically no GBA coverage. When is the last time you saw any B-movie actors or no name bands whip out their GBAs on Players? When is the last time you have ever seen Filter filter any GBA games? I've seen 10 times the N-Gage coverage (who is a major sponsor of the network, mind you), than I ever have the GBA.

When Viewtiful Joe was released, everyone was going nuts over the game. Every site was covering it, every magazine was covering it, everyone at their boards were talking about. Yet, G4 only mentioned it's existence TWICE the entire time. Once, as stated above, the other during the Pulse EB sales figures. Now, what's up with that? You'd expect "The voice of gamers" to perhaps cover the voice of gamers, wouldn't you?

They spend 20 seconds saying "People who complain about us not covering enough Gamecube titles should go and check out Viewtiful Joe. Some folks are saying this game is worth the price of the system alone", and then they cut away to spend 10 minutes talking about Whiplash, which isn't going to come out for 3 months.

And when someone is there to plug a game and says a game is going multi-platform with PS2, Xbox and/or PC... do you ever once hear Scot, Tina or Laura ask the question "Will there be a gamecube version coming? If so, why not?". I mean, if something is online for Xbox, they'll ask if it's online for PS2. If they're going to interview the people and at least assume the role as the voice of gamers, they should put them on the spot and ask them where the GCN versions are. Especially when GCN versions are PROMISED, and then they back out, much like Driv3r from the other week.

And if they got rid of the stupid imaginary "diehard" and "harcore" gamer caste system they've weaved so well, perhaps they'd get a little more respect. Contrary to what people think, not all gamers are 12 year olds orgasming over the fact that they snuck into their older brother's room to play Vice City for an hour and not have enough "l33t cred" to be considered a diehard gamer.

Now, don't get the wrong impression... I don't hate the network. I think Icons is an amazing show, I faithfully tune in for Judgement Day. Scot, Tina and Laura do a pretty good job with what they have to work with. And hell, I even admit to enjoying G-Phoria after that Spike TV crapfest. But to say they don't have a bias against Nintendo is impossible, and this "image" crap is in-ignorable.

BTW... Scot Rubin is a nice guy, no matter what the impression I may give, complaining. When I brought up some legitimate complaints about the network and what I saw wrong, he took the time to thank me for being honest and giving constructive criticism, and even admitted to being wrong when I corrected him on something.

:)

I hope that helps give you some insight into the reason behind my thinking.

[zmweasel]

Frankly, no offenese, but I don't care what people were doing at E3. I'm not talking about E3. I'm talking about G4, and I'm not going to say Nintendo is to blame for G4's neglecting and labeling of system owners, for putting on a good show that people liked a year and a 1/2 AFTER the network launched.

If Nintendo intentionally packs its E3 press conference--the event that, more than any other, defines the company for the next year--with shrieking fanboys, it's begging to be labeled as a fanboy system.


I've been to NO E3s, but again, it really doesn't matter, because I'm not here to talk about E3. E3 does not represent every system owner in the existence of history. If it did, then I WOULD be there afterall. And I'm certainly NOT going to scrutinize Nintendo for succeeding in putting on a good show after the last few years of underwhelming everyone.

Nintendo's E3 exhibit was fine, although getting one's hands on the DS required waiting in line for an ungodly amount of time (if one wasn't a press weasel who could cut to the front). Was it Nintendo's best E3 in years? If you think the playable DS demos and games were a masterstroke, then yes.


And yes, I watched Nintendo and Sony's press conferences. I saw clips of the Microsoft one, collected off the web... but have been unable to find a complete showing of it. Only, I found Nintendo's to be fun and energetic, and kept me glued to my seat the whole time I was watching it live. Sony's on the otherhand put me to sleep, after the first 40 minutes of lines such as "And we're going to optimize our business practices to make them more flexible to our online contributors with killer apps which will enable investors to build revenues that will generate and create a reality to move the industry in the right direction of... blah blah blah blah blah blah blah." If you thought the Sony one was better, more power to you... but I prefer to actually be excited by Nintendo's than dulled by Sony's.

"Fun and energetic", huh? We agree to disagree on this one. I found Nintendo's conference to be a terrifying, embarrassing "revival," complete with the most bizarre attempts at spinning sales figures that I've ever seen at any E3. George Harrison's comparison of the PS2 and the GBA was perhaps the lowest point.

Sony didn't need to stack its audience with shrieking fanboys, because it's the industry leader. It needs to do--and did--exude an air of professionalism and confidence. I agree that the end of Sony's conference (with a bunch of jibber-jabber about Cell) was very droll, but everything before that was engaging.


As for "Investors", I mean the people who run the stores and distribution outlets who are going to decide whether or not they want their companies to stock the actual products and how many to order, based on how well the products were recieved, had available to try out, and how much coverage they were handling.

The usual term for these individuals is "buyers."


As for who picked the PSP best of show, that would be the <a href=http://www.gamecriticsawards.com/win.html>GCA</a>, comprised of 35 gaming media sources. So, at least 18 of them chose PSP over something that was actually on the floor without mock videos, with heaven only knows how many of the specs will actually reach the system, and wasn't non-playable hype. I think the Phantom is a big sham myself, but that's just me (and about 10 million others), I guess.

The PSP was on the show floor, as well, albeit without playable games. Sony showed (gorgeous) video clips at its press conference, although those naturally don't give an indication as to how the games will play.

It's extremely unlikely that Sony will alter any of the major PSP system specs at this late date. I'm curious as to which you think it would change.

Several firmware features weren't initially available in the PSX, but that item is a very different beast (and Sony apparently restored those features via downloadable firmware updates).

The organization behind the Phantom has hired quite a few (formerly?) legitimate industry figures in recent months. While the hardware is doomed to failure, it deserves to be taken seriously at this point.


If he could tone is down some, and NOT spend every waking minute of his "TV" life ridiculing the Gamecube and Nintendo's characters, perhaps people would cut him some slack as well. And, yes... even when he is complaining about something, I find him very entertaining. Hell, his complaining is his most redeeming part, because he'll often rip into the right thing and say something you've always wanted to say but never did.

So you like him when he's ripping into OTHER things, just not when he's ripping into YOUR thing.


And when a new Gamecube game comes out, when they actually get around it's almost always Nintendo-made. And sure, occasionally they'll dip out of the in-house Nintendo box and cover something like Super Monkey Ball 2 or Viewtiful Joe, but even those are few and far between

Well, the number of GC-exclusive third-party games is few and far between, because no one's buying GC-exclusive third-party games. You've just cited two of the very few such games worth caring about. You can't seriously think Spirits & Spells is gonna get high priority.


You'll never see anyone from the company there to talk about it,

Quite possibly because Nintendo has never been good about supporting the press.


I've seen 10 times the N-Gage coverage (who is a major sponsor of the network, mind you), than I ever have the GBA.

I can't say I'm shocked by G4techTV's decision to cover the products of a major advertiser. That's pretty much how all videogame coverage works.


When Viewtiful Joe was released, everyone was going nuts over the game. Every site was covering it, every magazine was covering it, everyone at their boards were talking about. Yet, G4 only mentioned it's existence TWICE the entire time. Once, as stated above, the other during the Pulse EB sales figures. Now, what's up with that? You'd expect "The voice of gamers" to perhaps cover the voice of gamers, wouldn't you?

Viewtiful Joe was deservedly very well-received by critics and core gamers, but it underperformed at retail. That's why it's getting a PS2 conversion (which might get the coverage that the GC version deserved).


And when someone is there to plug a game and says a game is going multi-platform with PS2, Xbox and/or PC... do you ever once hear Scot, Tina or Laura ask the question "Will there be a gamecube version coming? If so, why not?".-

They probably don't ask because everyone will answer the same way: "Third-party GC titles don't sell."


I mean, if something is online for Xbox, they'll ask if it's online for PS2.

That's because the Xbox and PS2 have strong online support and userbases, while Nintendo dumped out its online adapters as an afterthought, and has made no effort to support them, preferring to hype GC/GBA connectivity.


Especially when GCN versions are PROMISED, and then they back out, much like Driv3r from the other week.

Drive-three-ur is hardly the only GC third-party title to be postponed, just one of the most high-profile titles.

During my stint at Working Designs, we gave SEGA fanboys seizures when we canceled the Saturn version of Lunar: SSSC, but Saturn stuff had literally stopped selling. Retailers weren't carrying it; gamers weren't buying it. To put out the Saturn version at that point would've been madness. (Even shipping Rayearth turned out to be madness, as WD still has a warehouse full of 'em.) I imagine "Atari" had far more to lose by developing and shipping a GC version of Driver.


I hope that helps give you some insight into the reason behind my thinking.

It does. Thank you!

-- Z.

[spooie]

If Nintendo intentionally packs its E3 press conference--the event that, more than any other, defines the company for the next year--with shrieking fanboys, it's begging to be labeled as a fanboy system.

Well, unlike yourself and G4, I do not have the ability to peer into the future 18 months and make brash assumptions about the entire fandom and gamecube ownership based on the events of one popular convention. So until I get those mystical time altering powers, I still see no link between Nintendo putting on a good show and G4 labelling the owners "Fanboys" a year and a 1/2 beforehand. Sorry.

LOL



Nintendo's E3 exhibit was fine, although getting one's hands on the DS required waiting in line for an ungodly amount of time (if one wasn't a press weasel who could cut to the front). Was it Nintendo's best E3 in years? If you think the playable DS demos and games were a masterstroke, then yes.

So far the only real system I've heard anything bad about this last year, as far as presentation, was the N-Gage. What little coverage it got was pretty resoundingly underwhelming. Even the Phantom got some decent recognition... not that it really says much to begin with.



"Fun and energetic", huh? We agree to disagree on this one. I found Nintendo's conference to be a terrifying, embarrassing "revival," complete with the most bizarre attempts at spinning sales figures that I've ever seen at any E3. George Harrison's comparison of the PS2 and the GBA was perhaps the lowest point.

Again, we'll have to agree to disagree. I'll admit, every company has their own line of BS going for them. But I'd rather take Nintendo's 10 minutes worth, compared to Sony's 70 minutes worth. Nintendo's had me very energized, and very much looking forward to the games. Sure, Nintendo had hell of a lot fewer 3rd party games to plug, but still they managed to do more with less. To me, Sony's conference was just sales figures and "supposed" ideas and specs for stuff that for all I know will never happen, or won't happen for years. I don't care about what MIGHT happen in 5 years Sony, I want to know what I'm going to buy with my PS2 right NOW. Personally, I think the coolest part of the press conference was not in fact the PSP, but the revelation of Ratchet and Clank 3 going online as a platformer. I'm kind of sorry Sony didn't "stack the audience"... perhaps then I might not have been so boring for me.



The usual term for these individuals is "buyers."

So what do we call the actual buyers at the store? "potential customers" ?

:)



The PSP was on the show floor, as well, albeit without playable games. Sony showed (gorgeous) video clips at its press conference, although those naturally don't give an indication as to how the games will play. It's extremely unlikely that Sony will alter any of the major PSP system specs at this late date. I'm curious as to which you think it would change. Several firmware features weren't initially available in the PSX, but that item is a very different beast (and Sony apparently restored those features via downloadable firmware updates).


I was really ticked that PSP took him so many accolades this year. I'm looking forward to the REAL PSP as much as the next guy, but without anything to judge it by... everything running on the PROTOTYPE being similated and all... It is proposterous for the "system" that no one could do anything with to win best of show. And even if it did play some clips (and who really knows whether they were simulated either), playing movie clips does not make the best GAME system. In fact, it doesn't make A game system, period. Next year I couldn't have seen it, once the playable system hits, but this year it's just a sham. And legitimate source who sold out to the hype should be hanging their heads very low.

As for changing the system specs... you never know. Sony has a pretty decent reputation for selling shoddy products. Not to put them down, but they do, and have since the early PS1 days. And when the PSX launched in Japan, it had a whopping 30% of the specs they actually promised it would (but cost the same none the less). Go figure. And what with all the games being simulated...and I believe EA even stated that they specially made videos with more graphical enchancements than the actual system is to have... I'm going to wait untl the playable versions get coverage.



The organization behind the Phantom has hired quite a few (formerly?) legitimate industry figures in recent months. While the hardware is doomed to failure, it deserves to be taken seriously at this point.


I guess.



So you like him when he's ripping into OTHER things, just not when he's ripping into YOUR thing.

Complaining about legitimate problems (bad AI, poor controls, horrible graphics, bad sound) and Bashing something for the hell of it (saying something is bad because it is "kiddie", ridiculing the company, ridiculing the game owners, complaining about something because it has Nintendo-related BONUSES included) are quite different. As a reviewer yourself, I expect you to know that.



Well, the number of GC-exclusive third-party games is few and far between, because no one's buying GC-exclusive third-party games. You've just cited two of the very few such games worth caring about. You can't seriously think Spirits & Spells is gonna get high priority.


Good plan. So instead of focusing on the few worthy games that are worth it, they should just screw them all over. But, come on... WHIPLASH? Getting 10 minutes of coverage and Viewtiful Joe getting 20 seconds at the height of VJ's popularity? There is no way somoene is going to tell me that Whiplash deserved more than VJ. And just wait, now that VJ is going the PS2... I'll expect a lot more coverage when the sequel and port hit.



Quite possibly because Nintendo has never been good about supporting the press.


Or maybe Nintendo just don't like G4. Can't imagine why though. :roll:

But still... where is Capcom to talk about their games? Where is Silicon Knights, or Factor 5, or Namco, or Sega? I don't see any of them getting asked to stop by or phone in the studio.



I can't say I'm shocked by G4techTV's decision to cover the products of a major advertiser. That's pretty much how all videogame coverage works.


Well, remove the "tech" part of that... and you'll have something. :D

Xplay reviewed a whopping 2 N-Gage games so far.. one got a 3, the other got a 1. On the other side, Laura Foy exclaimed it was one of the greatest things ever.

BTW... a friend of mine told me Scot Rubin once addressed complaints of them by saying Nokia was a chief sponsor and practically admitted to selling out. I don't know if it's true or not, though I trust this friend and his honesty... but I won't judge it any more than declairing it hearsay.



Viewtiful Joe was deservedly very well-received by critics and core gamers, but it underperformed at retail. That's why it's getting a PS2 conversion (which might get the coverage that the GC version deserved).


Okay... I'll buy that. It's a fair enough statement. Viewtiful Joe WAS the number one selling game, cross-platform for 3 weeks straight (unless Pulse was lying to me), but it still proves that G4 is more interested in their own pocketbooks and image than actually being "the voice of gamers". And you know as much as I do that when a Gamecube game NOT from Nintendo, gets everyone whipped up into a frenzy, that's a pretty big deal. Too bad G4 couldn't have cared less.



They probably don't ask because everyone will answer the same way: "Third-party GC titles don't sell."
[quote]

Exactly! So why not call them on it? If they're going to bother using that as an excuse, they might as well have the balls to stand by it when put under the gun. I want to hear from a company, directly, on the channel, why they yank their Gamecube releases after announcing them. And that's never gunna to happen.

[quote="zmweasel"]
That's because the Xbox and PS2 have strong online support and userbases, while Nintendo dumped out its online adapters as an afterthought, and has made no effort to support them, preferring to hype GC/GBA connectivity.


I didn't mean it like that. I know Cube's online titles are... non-existent, and no one other than Sega gives a damn. What I meant was, if there is something mentioned as "online" and someone says Xbox, they immediately ask about PS2. If something is available for PS2, they immediately ask about the Xbox. If something is available "multi-platform", exclusing the Gamecube... then never once ask about Gamecube. Why is it okay to ask about the PS2 and the Xbox, but not the Cube? That's what I was trying to point out.



Drive-three-ur is hardly the only GC third-party title to be postponed, just one of the most high-profile titles.


I know.. there have been many. I was just using that as an example. :)



ANYWAY... As you can tell, I get rather sarcastic about some stuff... but then, I get sarcastic about everything. So, don't take it personal. Now, I'm going to stop posting here for the time being, because I'm spending WAY too much time in this thread the last few hours than I really wanted to... and I've got a bout with "Batman Vengeance" to finish... and it's not going so well. So, thanks for reading and responding.

BTW... one final thing... you say you're a journalist... so, anything I may have read?

[zmweasel]

Well, unlike yourself and G4, I do not have the ability to peer into the future 18 months and make brash assumptions about the entire fandom and gamecube ownership based on the events of one popular convention. So until I get those mystical time altering powers, I still see no link between Nintendo putting on a good show and G4 labelling the owners "Fanboys" a year and a 1/2 beforehand. Sorry.

The GC's fanboy-heavy userbase has been apparent almost since its launch; it just became EXTREMELY apparent at this year's E3 press conference. G4 might be exaggerating the extent of the fanboyism, but not by much. Casual gamers aren't playing the GC (or the Xbox); they're playing the PS2.


So far the only real system I've heard anything bad about this last year, as far as presentation, was the N-Gage. What little coverage it got was pretty resoundingly underwhelming. Even the Phantom got some decent recognition... not that it really says much to begin with.

The redesigned N-Gage fixes the most considerable flaws of the Walkie-Taco--flaws that journalists were pointing out to the foolios at Nokia MANY months before the launch--but the games are still mediocre at best, and I don't know that Nokia can ever repair its self-inflicted damage.


Again, we'll have to agree to disagree. I'll admit, every company has their own line of BS going for them. But I'd rather take Nintendo's 10 minutes worth, compared to Sony's 70 minutes worth.

Sony is the dominant force in the videogame industry. Billions of dollars ride on what it's doing over the course of the next year. You can't expect the company to outline its past successes and future goals in ten minutes.


Nintendo's had me very energized, and very much looking forward to the games. Sure, Nintendo had hell of a lot fewer 3rd party games to plug, but still they managed to do more with less. To me, Sony's conference was just sales figures and "supposed" ideas and specs for stuff that for all I know will never happen, or won't happen for years.

Well, the fanboys in the audience were clearly energized, too. But E3 isn't supposed to be a pep rally.

Nintendo didn't talk about sales figures for the obvious reasons, although it engaged in some hilarious statistical spin. Sony talked about sales figures to remind everyone of its dominant position, and to outline the reasons for its plans to extend the hardware lifecycle from five to ten years.

As for the ideas and specs, which ones are you referring to? The hypothetical Cell stuff at the end of the Sony conference?


I don't care about what MIGHT happen in 5 years Sony, I want to know what I'm going to buy with my PS2 right NOW.

There was plenty of time at the conference given to both first- and third-party PS2 titles coming this year.


Personally, I think the coolest part of the press conference was not in fact the PSP, but the revelation of Ratchet and Clank 3 going online as a platformer. I'm kind of sorry Sony didn't "stack the audience"... perhaps then I might not have been so boring for me.

Again, Sony has a responsibility to the industry to maintain a professional atmosphere. It's the curse that comes with being a leader.


So what do we call the actual buyers at the store? "potential customers" ?

"Consumer" is the term I mostly commonly hear (and use).


I was really ticked that PSP took him so many accolades this year. I'm looking forward to the REAL PSP as much as the next guy, but without anything to judge it by... everything running on the PROTOTYPE being similated and all...

The PSP "shell" is complete. E3 attendees stood in line and fondled it for themselves. The game footage was from PC emulators using PSP specs, which is common practice for pending hardware. Until developers get real devkits, they develop on emulators. Without that head-start, they'd be unable to make the hardware launch.


It is proposterous for the "system" that no one could do anything with to win best of show. And even if it did play some clips (and who really knows whether they were simulated either), playing movie clips does not make the best GAME system. In fact, it doesn't make A game system, period. Next year I couldn't have seen it, once the playable system hits, but this year it's just a sham. And legitimate source who sold out to the hype should be hanging their heads very low.

It's preposterous to call the PSP "a sham." It's very much a real piece of hardware, from the company that has dominated the game industry for a decade.

Should the PSP have won "best of show"? You'd have to ask the voters. I can understand if they were sucked in by the aesthetics and potential of the hardware. And it's probably not good for Nintendo that more journalists voted for the PSP than the DS, despite the DS having playable games and demos.


As for changing the system specs... you never know. Sony has a pretty decent reputation for selling shoddy products. Not to put them down, but they do, and have since the early PS1 days. And when the PSX launched in Japan, it had a whopping 30% of the specs they actually promised it would (but cost the same none the less). Go figure. And what with all the games being simulated...and I believe EA even stated that they specially made videos with more graphical enchancements than the actual system is to have... I'm going to wait untl the playable versions get coverage.

What do you think Sony would drop or change with the PSP before it launches? Changing specs at this late date would fuck the developers and piss off consumers, and Sony wouldn't want to do either.

As for the PSX, again, it's a very different piece of hardware (not even handled by Sony's PS division) that received a very different launch than the PSP will receive. And, again, those missing features were later added to the PSX via downloadable firmware updates.


Complaining about legitimate problems (bad AI, poor controls, horrible graphics, bad sound) and Bashing something for the hell of it (saying something is bad because it is "kiddie", ridiculing the company, ridiculing the game owners, complaining about something because it has Nintendo-related BONUSES included) are quite different. As a reviewer yourself, I expect you to know that.

I agree that complaining about a GC game because it's aimed at children isn't fair. But it sounds like TV Tommy just enjoys pushing the buttons of GC fanboys, because they get so riled up about it. I can't deny him that pleasure when I've indulged in it many times myself.


Good plan. So instead of focusing on the few worthy games that are worth it, they should just screw them all over. But, come on... WHIPLASH? Getting 10 minutes of coverage and Viewtiful Joe getting 20 seconds at the height of VJ's popularity? There is no way somoene is going to tell me that Whiplash deserved more than VJ. And just wait, now that VJ is going the PS2... I'll expect a lot more coverage when the sequel and port hit.

I'm certain VJ will receive more coverage now that it's on the PS2, and why wouldn't it? There are more PS2 websites and publications than GC websites and publications, and the PS2 receives much more attention from the mainstream media.

Whiplash, for what it's worth, was a great game. Too bad the idjits at Eidos couldn't figure out how to sell it.


Or maybe Nintendo just don't like G4. Can't imagine why though.

I can't claim to know Nintendo's relationship with G4, only that Nintendo is notorious for treating the press like shit. If it treated G4 like it treats everyone else, I wouldn't be surprised at the network's attitude.


But still... where is Capcom to talk about their games? Where is Silicon Knights, or Factor 5, or Namco, or Sega? I don't see any of them getting asked to stop by or phone in the studio.

Silicon Knights and Factor 5 have both ditched Nintendo, so they don't count anymore. But I can't account for Namco and SEGA being MIA.


Xplay reviewed a whopping 2 N-Gage games so far.. one got a 3, the other got a 1. On the other side, Laura Foy exclaimed it was one of the greatest things ever.

Laura Foy is very, very wrong. And as for those scores, I'm surprised ANY N-Gage title got a 3.


Okay... I'll buy that. It's a fair enough statement. Viewtiful Joe WAS the number one selling game, cross-platform for 3 weeks straight (unless Pulse was lying to me), but it still proves that G4 is more interested in their own pocketbooks and image than actually being "the voice of gamers". And you know as much as I do that when a Gamecube game NOT from Nintendo, gets everyone whipped up into a frenzy, that's a pretty big deal. Too bad G4 couldn't have cared less.

If Pulse doesn't use NPD/TRST figures, the most encompassing and reliable game-sales data in the universe, then it's not giving you the big picture.


Exactly! So why not call them on it? If they're going to bother using that as an excuse, they might as well have the balls to stand by it when put under the gun. I want to hear from a company, directly, on the channel, why they yank their Gamecube releases after announcing them. And that's never gunna to happen.

You're not going to hear about any more canceled GC third-party titles, because very few third parties are announcing GC titles anymore. But I don't think a company needs to publicly state its reasons for cancelling a GC version when the reasons are readily apparent. Why rub it in the faces of Nintendo and GC owners?


What I meant was, if there is something mentioned as "online" and someone says Xbox, they immediately ask about PS2. If something is available for PS2, they immediately ask about the Xbox. If something is available "multi-platform", exclusing the Gamecube... then never once ask about Gamecube. Why is it okay to ask about the PS2 and the Xbox, but not the Cube? That's what I was trying to point out.

Again, they don't ask because they'll always get the same answer. As a GC fan, do you really want a bunch of third-party publishers saying "No, we aren't doing a GC version because it isn't worth our time and money" or "No, we aren't doing a GC version because it's the wrong demographic for us--we make games for grown-ups"? That doesn't do Nintendo or its fans any favors.

You want to hear the question, but you'll dispute the answer, or cite it as another example of G4's anti-Nintendo bent.


ANYWAY... As you can tell, I get rather sarcastic about some stuff... but then, I get sarcastic about everything. So, don't take it personal.

I've taken posts very personally in the past, but I'm trying to loosen up.


BTW... one final thing... you say you're a journalist... so, anything I may have read?

Dunno. If you played any Working Designs RPG for the PS1 (except Arc), you read my stuff. If you visited GameSpy in the past year or two, you might've read my stuff. Then there's PSE2, GMR, Surge, AsianWeek, and Film Threat, among other recent gigs. I've written for dozens of magazines and websites over the past 15 years, amd authored or co-authored roughly 50 strategy guides. I'm also the EIC of the upcoming Video Game Collector. Freelancers gotta spread the love.

-- Z.

[ManekiNeko]

Should the PSP have won "best of show"? You'd have to ask the voters. I can understand if they were sucked in by the aesthetics and potential of the hardware. And it's probably not good for Nintendo that more journalists voted for the PSP than the DS, despite the DS having playable games and demos.

I think this has less to do with the deficiencies of the Nintendo DS than it does the fact that the press gives Sony a free ride. Sony is the "in" game company right now, just like Sega was in the early 90's and Nintendo was in the late 80's. That's why Sony's Playstation 2 was considered the "best system" at 2001's E3... it wasn't because the system had better games than the Dreamcast, because it didn't. It was because everyone was excited about getting a PS2, and the media tapped into that excitement for the sake of ratings.

Sony's getting another free ride with the PSP, even though nobody has actually played games on it (because you know, who buys a game system to play games?). Most people consider Nintendo to be yesterday's news, the way they thought of Atari in the 1990's. They don't want another Nintendo system... they want something that'll be hip and cool to slide into their front pocket. Once again, the games don't matter, and neither does the price or the battery life... because it's a Sony product, people must have it. It's sad that today's gamers care more about image than overall quality, but it's a sad fact.

My only hope is that the early buzz for the PSP will die when people come to grips with the reality of its appalling battery life and insane price. Brand loyalty only goes so far... I like Coca-Cola, but if I see Pepsi on sale for thirty cents less, I'm probably going to buy that instead. When people see the PSP at a price substancially higher than both its competition and more robust console systems, they'll pass it by for whatever they can afford.

JR

[ianoid]

My favorite part of the channel are the two hotties on G4TV (the girls) and Sumi Das on Fresh Gear. She IS the fresh geat.

Icons is ok. Alot of filler. Certainly good mainstream pap.

The review show is ok. Could be worse. Could be sweat. Talking about reviews is like talking about flowers. I mean it's like talking about politics. I mean it's like talking about games. Everyone has their own opinion of what review style is best.

The news show is ok- the chick is sort of uncomfortable. I keep wondering if she is just 'talent' or actually into games. She sort of reads teleprompter like she's reading a book to 5 year olds. Perhaps that's appropriate.

Nice to see gaming commercials on tv one after another- better than sanitary napkins (or at least the non-Dead or Alive brand sanitary napkin commercials.)

[spooie]

The chick, Ronilyn Reilly, from the news show was fired and replaced with the co-host of Arena. She was the sole G4TV casualty of the merger... while 285 folks from TechTV got shafted.

[ubersaurus]

The chick, Ronilyn Reilly, from the news show was fired and replaced with the co-host of Arena. She was the sole G4TV casualty of the merger... while 285 folks from TechTV got shafted.

So?

Let's look at this. You have two fully staffed TV stations. You're making one's home office the home office for both of them now. There's alot of redundant personnel you won't need now, and it's bad business to keep them on the payroll. Take into account a good number probably weren't planning on moving to LA anyway. G4's going to try and hire back about 80 of them that would have open positions post-merge. I mean, I was mad about it too, until I realized that. It just makes sense.

[spooie]

So... WHAT? :hmm:

What Comcast SHOULD have done, since they were going to can Call for Help and TechLive from the Get-go, was move the Xplay studio down to the Screensavers set and lease out the second studio of the building... or better yet, have G4TV move there. It doesn't much sense to make the Successful network close shop and move into the one that was going to close down a year later anyway. But Comcast sunk too much money into G4 that they had to do something to save it... and the result was make TechTV and it's staff the victims of their own success.

As for hiring back 80 of the people... I'm sorry, but 28% of the staff given the chance to remain, doesn't sit well for me when the other 72% get canned... especially when they are from the better and more deserving network of the two. Besides.... 80 people aren't getting their jobs back. 80 people are getting *offered* new positions, at less pay, that require them to pick up and move to LA, disregarding everything and everyone they've come to know and love in San Fran. And believe me, not all 80 of those offerings are being filled. I know of many in front of and behind the camera who were offered and flat out turned it down for whatever reason. I'll be surprised if even 40 people from TechTV actually make the move.

But Comcast likes to put a PR spin on everything to make it seem like all are happy. Kind of like how they refused to even talk to Leo Laporte about returning... the ICON of TechTV... until after the thousands of calls and complaints came in. They started sending out messages to people complaining, about how they're in negotiations with him to return, as they've asked him to continue taping the 90 second Screensaver bumpers, and have plastered his picture all over the site, as if he's some big force they're working with... when in actuality, he'll be taping his segments for 3 hours, on day per month, and Comcast couldn't care less.

TechTV was a family. G4TV and Comcast are a business. That's all. But, hey... to each his own.

:)

[ubersaurus]

So... WHAT? :hmm:

What Comcast SHOULD have done, since they were going to can Call for Help and TechLive from the Get-go, was move the Xplay studio down to the Screensavers set and lease out the second studio of the building... or better yet, have G4TV move there. It doesn't much sense to make the Successful network close shop and move into the one that was going to close down a year later anyway. But Comcast sunk too much money into G4 that they had to do something to save it... and the result was make TechTV and it's staff the victims of their own success.


Why have G4 move to SF? No, really, why? It's Comcast who's buying them, so why would comcast go there? That's like Britain moving their capital to the new world after they beat down the french here. Yeah, they COULD do it..but there's no effing point, because then they'd have to lay off a bunch of G4 workers, and you'd have the same dilemma over who to keep. I'd really like to know where you're getting those numbers, considering that Techtv only really became successful in the past year, and when youv'e been on the air as long, I don't really see that as a successful channel overall.



As for hiring back 80 of the people... I'm sorry, but 28% of the staff given the chance to remain, doesn't sit well for me when the other 72% get canned... especially when they are from the better and more deserving network of the two. Besides.... 80 people aren't getting their jobs back. 80 people are getting *offered* new positions, at less pay, that require them to pick up and move to LA, disregarding everything and everyone they've come to know and love in San Fran. And believe me, not all 80 of those offerings are being filled. I know of many in front of and behind the camera who were offered and flat out turned it down for whatever reason. I'll be surprised if even 40 people from TechTV actually make the move.


Ok, new positions. That's kinda assumed. Why would they hire Cat Schwartz to do Call for Help if they weren't having that show, for example? It makes SENSE. As for pay, I'd once again liek to know your source. Who knows-maybe they'll just be making the same as the G4 staff, in which case it'd be logical. Once again, under your idea, you'd be expecting the G4 staff to pack up and leave everything they knew and loved in LA. And if those people weren't going to LA to work for G4 in the first place...then WHY ARE YOU COMPLAINING? "Better and Deserving" is an opinion, not fact. I think TTV had only 3 worthwile programs, whereas I watched more shows on G4, period. They have their absolute crap, but their good programs are still good.



But Comcast likes to put a PR spin on everything to make it seem like all are happy. Kind of like how they refused to even talk to Leo Laporte about returning... the ICON of TechTV... until after the thousands of calls and complaints came in. They started sending out messages to people complaining, about how they're in negotiations with him to return, as they've asked him to continue taping the 90 second Screensaver bumpers, and have plastered his picture all over the site, as if he's some big force they're working with... when in actuality, he'll be taping his segments for 3 hours, on day per month, and Comcast couldn't care less.

You've got your story COMPLETELY fucked up. Vulcan venture, the previous owners of Techtv, were the ones that canned Leo Laporte, because of contractual negotiation problems-they wanted him to give back his TTV stocks so that they'd get more when the merger happened. He refused, they dropped him. Fans rallied, they brought him back. When Comcast took over, they wanted him to stick around, but he had just built a home in SF, and didn't want to move. So they compromised, and they've asked him to tape the Screen Savers segments from his studio, pretty much indefinitely. Comcast had nothing to do with his firing.



TechTV was a family. G4TV and Comcast are a business. That's all. But, hey... to each his own.

:)

No, they were both businesses first. Both groups had alot of comeradie backstage. I think that goes for any work enviroment worth a damn. techtv, you must realize, was in the busines to make money-money for the owners and stockholders. They didn't really do that until the last year, and even then it wasn't enough to warrant not selling off. G4's had a shaky start, but there really is no doubt in my mind they would've eventually gotten to TTV's spot by themselves, but now they've merged, and that's just conjecture. Don't whine about the past...just hope that the channel ends up being greater then the sum of it's parts.

[NE146]

The chick, Ronilyn Reilly, from the news show was fired and replaced with the co-host of Arena. She was the sole G4TV casualty of the merger... while 285 folks from TechTV got shafted.

So?

So?!?!?!?!? @_@ She was the one I was talking about above with the nice TA TAS!!!!!!!!!!!!! :(

[SegaAges]

I actually started reading many of these posts, because I have had TechTV since it was ZDTV, but I never watched it then. I have also had G4 since it came out, but somebody was nice enough to give me a link to www.iheartmorganwebb.com. Now, don't get me wrong, I know why she is on the show (a pretty face gets nerds like me and you to pay more attention), but on that page, they have the pics from her posing for maxim. DAMN! I am sorry, I wanted to talk about shows and the new lineup, but I got sidetracked by those pictures. Now I will admit, the 2 girls on G4TV.com looked way better, until I saw those.

Um, I guess x-play is my favorite show now. Seriously, Morgan Webb looks descent in the show, but the maxim pics, all I can say is damn, you have to see them for yourself.

I got completely sidetracked because of those pics, so G4TechTV, good channel. Everytime I watch it, a show I like is on. Starcade sucked, I am glad it got cancelled. They need a starcade 2k4 or something, because I don't want to see kids from the 70's play arcade games and suck at them.

Judgement Day - Tommy Tallarico (or whatever his name is), is very annoying. Victor Lucas actually knows what he is talking about. If I remember right, one of you said that he worked on music for some games, well good for him. No need for a rant, I already got sidetracked. Good show.

Cinametec - It was good, but then got old really fast. Every other time it is on, it is a dedication to the .hack series.

I am really more on the G4 programming shows, I fon't watch many of the TectTV shows. Well, every once in awhile I will watched Unscrewed, but that is it.

There is this 1 show that comes on later at night, called play on or something. I kinda like that show. They will take some models and have them play games with some nerds or something like that.

Electric Playground sucks. I would rather go to a website and get the same information. All it does is tells about games that are coming up, and I can get that information online.

I don't feel like trying to remember anymore shows, just because I knew Morgan Webb looked pretty descent, but damn. If she dressed like that all the time, G4TechTV would have so many more viewers.

[spooie]

Why have G4 move to SF? No, really, why? It's Comcast who's buying them, so why would comcast go there?
It's impossible to compare logic to business practices, so I'm not even going to attempt it.


I'd really like to know where you're getting those numbers, considering that Techtv only really became successful in the past year, and when youv'e been on the air as long, I don't really see that as a successful channel overall.
Google up the news articles in the site directory, and you'll find many articles talking about their success. Though, you are right... it has only been the last year that TechTV became a "success" in the business term of the word. But that's still one year more than G4 has ever been. Besides, Leo himself talked about Call for Help and Xplay bring in 5 times the ratings they did over the last year. April of 2003, Xplay was brining in 400,000 viewers. 1 year later, it was 3.2 million. G4 isn't even listen on the Neilson ratings, because they are so low. But, then again, I guess that's not really their fault... but more the fault that they were in less than 1/3 of the households.

As for not believing a channel should be considered a success after so long on the air... well, no one watched Fox, WB and UPN for their first 4 years or so. People thought they were insane to make networks (and perhaps UPN still is)... but they're all a success, and it took time to do it. Same thing for cable shows like USA, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, SciFi, Comedy Central, TLC, the Food Channel. They all started off nowhere, and gradually grew after 5 or 6 years to become a household name.


Ok, new positions. That's kinda assumed. Why would they hire Cat Schwartz to do Call for Help if they weren't having that show, for example? It makes SENSE. As for pay, I'd once again liek to know your source.
This is kind of tough for me to answer, because you're calling me out on something I really CAN'T answer. I've heard some things... and I'll leave it at that. But if you MUST see something out there, again, I would say... head on over to Leo Laporte's messageboard and check his post log. One of the good things about not being part of the new network, and getting screwed over BOTH by comcast and paul allen, he's pretty open about his business practices and those of the network.


Who knows-maybe they'll just be making the same as the G4 staff, in which case it'd be logical. Once again, under your idea, you'd be expecting the G4 staff to pack up and leave everything they knew and loved in LA. And if those people weren't going to LA to work for G4 in the first place...then WHY ARE YOU COMPLAINING?
First off, I'm not complaining about any of the staff from G4. I'm not saying that THEY should have to move either. I said that they should have kept both open and leased the second TechTV studio. But if one is going to have to be "punished" and forced to move, logically, one one would assume the people who weren't doing the better job should change the fit those who were, and not the other way around. But again, that would be mixing logic with business... so.

Besides... I wasn't complaining to begin with. I simply said TechTV fired 285 people and Roni from G4TV, which was fact, and YOU called me out on it, asking "So?" and then giving your own little analysis on the situation. And I simply responded with mine, whether you want to agree or disagree with it. It's your choice. I'm not telling you, or anyone here, what to believe in. I'm just responding with my take on everything. If people don't like what I'm saying, or they think I've been mislead, that's fine... more power to them.

;) LOL



"Better and Deserving" is an opinion, not fact. I think TTV had only 3 worthwile programs, whereas I watched more shows on G4, period. They have their absolute crap, but their good programs are still good.
Hey... there are shows I can't stand on TechTV either. If they got rid of Robot Wars and Thunderbirds, I'd be a much happier person, believe me. I like G4's shows. I watch Pulse (a little too opinionated for a news show, but good none the less), G4TV.com, Judgement Day, Filter, Cinematech, I love Icons and I actually LIKED Blister and I even got into Portal over time. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to complain if I see something I don't personally agree with. I have my own complaints with TechTV too, you know.



You've got your story COMPLETELY fucked up. Vulcan venture, the previous owners of Techtv, were the ones that canned Leo Laporte, because of contractual negotiation problems-they wanted him to give back his TTV stocks so that they'd get more when the merger happened. He refused, they dropped him. Fans rallied, they brought him back. When Comcast took over, they wanted him to stick around, but he had just built a home in SF, and didn't want to move. So they compromised, and they've asked him to tape the Screen Savers segments from his studio, pretty much indefinitely. Comcast had nothing to do with his firing.

Well, actually... you've got it fucked up. Well... 1/2 fucked anyway.

This is true...

Paul Allen laid the groundwork for his contract and everything was to be signed right away. All nice and neat. About 4 or 5 days before the contract expires, Paul Allen writes a new clause into the contract saying he must hand over his company shares. Leo refuses and is canned. Leo's supporters go nuts over it, and Vulcan decides they want Leo back. Leo agrees to give up his shares and is re-hired as temporary freelance until things can be sorted out. Week later, the merge is official and TechTV gives everyone 60 days notice. Leo, being freelance, gets nothing from Vulcan, and less than 1/3 of what he should have from Comcast. Comcast contacts all of the on-air talent, except for him, about returning and completely ignores him as he is given the date for his last episode. Fans go insane and flood the president of Comcast's email as well as with phonecalls about the situation. In response, Comcast contacts Leo and asks him to stay with the network... but ONLY doing the 90 second segments for Screensavers. Comcast then sends out false emails to people writing in asking about Leo, stating that they are negotiating with him to return, while plugging his picture all over the site on opening weekend, as if to give the impression that he's some big force at the network still.

Oh... as for not wanting to move... this crazy idea has been done to death. Leo never said he wouldn't move. He said he had no intention of moving. He had just reworked his duties on Screensavers and began pre-taping Call for Help, so he could spend more time with his family. Those were his biggest concerns, and the reason why he didn't want to just get up and go. But he never said he wouldn't, only that he had no intention to and hoped that Comcast would see that. And at the time, Comcast had sent some of their "Agents" to watch over the TechTV management and shows while the contract was passing approval. Leo had actually started looking for homes in LA, and was waiting, patiently, for Comcast to contact him and offer up a new deal. But they never did.

As far as the business stuff... you're not seeing what I'm saying. I know the owners, and the stockholders, and all those people are a business. I mean the people who work behind the scenes, and develop and film the shows, and the on-air talent of TechTV. They're all a big family. That's why you see them doing things together, and talking about one another, and popping up in each other's shows, and in a whole bunch of skits together. TechTV was a nice friendly atmosphere where everyone was just being themselves and putting together fun stuff. G4 on the otherhand... oh, you'll have to excuse me... Wil Wheaton is on the other line.

LOL

And just because you asked so nicely...

, <a href=http://leovilletownsquare.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=TechTV&Number=567592&Forum=,,,All_Forums,,,&Words=&Searchpage=2&Limit=25&Main=567008&Search=true&where=&Name=2&daterange=&newerval=&newertype=&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post567592>This is where he talks about the strides the network made in the last year (http://leovilletownsquare.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=TechTV&Number=567589&Forum=,,,All_Forums,,,&Words=&Searchpage=2&Limit=25&Main=566773&Search=true&where=&Name=2&daterange=&newerval=&newertype=&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post567589>This), , <a href=http://leovilletownsquare.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=Leo&Number=570619&Forum=,,,,,,,,All_Forums,,,,,,,,&Words=&Searchpage=1&Limit=25&Main=569812&Search=true&where=&Name=2&daterange=&newerval=&newertype=&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post570619>This is where Comcast asks him to be quiet... ooo! Naughty! (http://leovilletownsquare.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=Leo&Number=567748&Forum=,,,All_Forums,,,&Words=&Searchpage=2&Limit=25&Main=566136&Search=true&where=&Name=2&daterange=&newerval=&newertype=&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post567748>This), , <a href=http://leovilletownsquare.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=TechTV&Number=582308&Forum=,,,,,,,,All_Forums,,,,,,,,&Words=&Searchpage=1&Limit=25&Main=581823&Search=true&where=&Name=2&daterange=&newerval=&newertype=&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post582308>This is where he explains that Comcast's telling people they are in negotiations are crap (http://leovilletownsquare.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=Leo&Number=575664&Forum=,,,,,,,,All_Forums,,,,,,,,&Words=&Searchpage=1&Limit=25&Main=572338&Search=true&where=&Name=2&daterange=&newerval=&newertype=&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post575664>), , <a href=http://leovilletownsquare.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=Leo&Number=582551&Forum=,,,,,,,,All_Forums,,,,,,,,&Words=&Searchpage=1&Limit=25&Main=581913&Search=true&where=&Name=2&daterange=&newerval=&newertype=&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post582551> This is where he finds the irony of G4Tech's new website pimping him all over for the opening weekend (http://leovilletownsquare.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=Leo&Number=582312&Forum=,,,,,,,,All_Forums,,,,,,,,&Words=&Searchpage=1&Limit=25&Main=581913&Search=true&where=&Name=2&daterange=&newerval=&newertype=&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post582312>...for), , <A href=http://leovilletownsquare.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=Leo&Number=583479&Forum=,,,,,,,,All_Forums,,,,,,,,&Words=&Searchpage=1&Limit=25&Main=580662&Search=true&where=&Name=2&daterange=&newerval=&newertype=&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post583479>This is where he talks about being able to film a month worth of bumpers in a day (http://leovilletownsquare.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=Leo&Number=582575&Forum=,,,,,,,,All_Forums,,,,,,,,&Words=&Searchpage=1&Limit=25&Main=581913&Search=true&where=&Name=2&daterange=&newerval=&newertype=&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post582575>This). Oh... and I just thought I'd sneak this in here... , <a href=http://leovilletownsquare.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=TechTV&Number=597448&Forum=,,,,,,,,,All_Forums,,,,,,,,,&Words=&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Main=595960&Search=true&where=&Name=2&daterange=&newerval=&newertype=&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post597448>and just for fun. (http://leovilletownsquare.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=TechTV&Number=597436&Forum=,,,,,,,,,All_Forums,,,,,,,,,&Words=&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Main=597157&Search=true&where=&Name=2&daterange=&newerval=&newertype=&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post597436>Leo)

Just about everything else, if you even need it, can be found reading leoville.com's front page. Anyway.... I hope these "sources" are sufficient enough for you. Of course, I can only really go by what I've read and been told. So, If I'm lying... they they're lying. And if they're lying, we're all fucked.

Either way, with Leo and Patrick gone, I look forward to the new 35-year old and under, MTV wannabe G4TechTV channel as much as the next person. But, like I said in a previous post... I'm spending too much time in here than I should. So either agree with what I've posted, disagree, or ignore it. The choice is yours.

Oh... and please, do not tell me not to "whine" about something. Thanks.

:P