Discussion The Electric Playground |ST| Calling Canada-Fami!

[Oscillator]

The Electric Playground was a video game preview & review TV show produced in Vancouver, Canada by Victor Lucas and co-hosted by (alleged) video game composer Tommy Tallarico. It ran as a 30 minute program weekly from 1997 to 2002, at which point the reviews were split off into its own show, Reviews on the Run (shown as Judgment Day in the U.S.).

Both shows continued to run back-to-back weekly until 2008, when EP changed to a daily format, adding non-gaming topics such as comic books, movies, and TV. Both shows were cancelled in 2015.

Games media scion Geoff Keighley and former Ubisoft producer Jade Raymond both starred as field reporters on EP around 2004.

Alongside magazines like Nintendo Power and Electronic Gaming Monthly, EP was how I heard about upcoming game releases in my formative gaming years. The show was slickly produced with sharp editing, cool music, and fun VFX, and super in-depth too, featuring interviews with developers, including from the floor of E3.



Starting March 23rd, Vic will be re-premiereing all the classic episodes of EP and ROTR weekly on YouTube, sponsored by Winnipeg-based indie game store PNP Games.



It'll be like the 90's for me all over again - an episode every Saturday, sponsored by the spiritual successor to my old go-to game rental store, Microplay (who was one of EP's classic sponsors!)

http://epn.tv
https://twitter.com/Victor_Lucas
https://www.youtube.com/@EPN

 

[big lantern ghost]

Aw yiss, Thanks for this thread. Canada Forever

@Suswave @Derachi

 

[Yamanoi]

I thought this was about The Electric Undergound, that shoot em up channel on YouTube first. Never heard of this one hah.

 

[Oscillator]

Vic had a long conversation with PNP's marketing guy talking about the show, the business of retro gaming, etc. Good stuff.

 

[big lantern ghost]

Very cool, @Dopply!

 

[Dopply]

Very cool, @Dopply!

As someone who grew up watching Electric Playground and Judgment Day/Reviews on the Run, this is utterly surreal and also life affirming stuff. Interviewing with Victor was also incredible, he's such a nice, professional person, but my child self would be screaming if he knew that one of the guys he loved watching on TV reviewing games would one day review his.

 

[big lantern ghost]

As someone who grew up watching Electric Playground and Judgment Day/Reviews on the Run, this is utterly surreal and also life affirming stuff. Interviewing with Victor was also incredible, he's such a nice, professional person, but my child self would be screaming if he knew that one of the guys he loved watching on TV reviewing games would one day review his.

I’m going to watch the interview today! That’s so wild to have come full circle like that And I’m so glad to hear that Victor is as kind as he appears!

 

[Oscillator]

On the heels of the launch of Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story, Vic's got a nearly hour long interview with Jeff Minter and the collection's director Chris Kohler.

 

[Oscillator]

Episode 1 of EP re-premieres on YouTube in 90 minutes! Vic has confirmed that it's been re-transferred in 60 FPS, and he'll be in the live chat.

https://www.youtube.com/@EPN

 

[big lantern ghost]

Wow, going back to the start! Super fun, I'll have to watch this later.

 

[Oscillator]

Know this - EP is always worth watching, in any quality. And these re-premieres will be great for getting the word out about them.

But, seeing the quality of these new transfers (episode 1 anyway), they're honestly not as comfortable to watch as the old uploads were. The 4K upscaling process has made them look noisier, there's a black rim around them that preserves the full frame but also exposes junk on the edges, and they still aren't in 60 FPS.

I know that the show WAS in 60 at some point but maybe the early seasons weren't? Or has Vic messed up the transfers twice?

....

Nevermind, nevermind. Bad vibes. Remember, an episode EVERY Saturday going forward!