Icons - Season 3

G4 (ended 2007)



User Score: 1999

Episode Guide

  • Fighting Games
    Fighting Games
    Episode 20
    It's the genre that created the ESRB. Simple games like Karate Champ and Yie Ar Kung-Fu suddenly gave way to the more detailed and more violent Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. And despite the controversy, the games continue to sell. Join Icons as we look back at the history of the "Fighting Game."moreless
  • Apple II
    Apple II
    Episode 19
    Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were men with a vision. Icons retraces their steps to find the stories behind the creation of a company and the marketing of a small computer that would take a bite out of the competition.
  • Bungie
    Episode 18
    Bungie Studios' name is less familiar than the titles it produces. When a game sells 2.5 million copies on it's release date, you would think more people would know the company name. This episode looks at the history of Bungie Studios and it's most successful game series to be released, Halo.moreless
  • Half-Life
    Episode 17
    In celebration of today's release of Half-Life 2, Icons looks at the history of the title. Half-Life changed gaming in that the main character wasn't a soldier or the stereotypical hero, it was a common scientist that just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. This episode looks back at the original game and follows the development of the sequel. And you'll see why Half-Life 2 is "the most important game you'll ever play."moreless
  • Metal Gear Solid
    Metal Gear Solid
    Episode 16
    Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima and character designer Yoji Shinkawa take Icons on an exculsive look at the history of the series that defined the stealth genre.
  • Mark Cuban
    Mark Cuban
    Episode 15
    Mark Cuban wasn't given his money, he earned it. "Icons" looks at his humble beginning, to his creating then selling of Broadcast.com which ultimately lead to his purchasing of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team.
  • Prince of Persia
    Prince of Persia
    Episode 14
    Prince of Persia has a long history in the gaming industry, mostly due to it's creator putting it aside on occasion to also work with his other interest in creating films. It revolutionized the adventure game genre by incorporating real world physics and a time limit to games. We look at Persia's beginning on the Apple II and it's eventual return to the gaming industry for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Today, Icons looks at the life of Jordan Mechner, the mind behind the Prince of Persia series.moreless
  • Mortal Kombat
    Mortal Kombat
    Episode 13
    No other game can claim that it created such controversy that it lead to the creation of a ratings board. Icons looks at the beginnings and future of the Mortal Kombat series and takes a look at how one game changed the gaming industry forever by adding just a little blood to the genre.moreless
  • SNK
    Episode 12
    From it's first game in 1978 Ozma Wars to the soon to be released SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom, SNK has battled against Capcom, lived through a takeover, finally gave in to bankruptcy and returned to publishing titles. Now that SNK has returned, they are giving it's fans sequels of their favorite older games as well as a few other suprises.moreless
  • Dead or Alive
    Dead or Alive
    Episode 11
    Mortal Kombat may have reinvented the fighting game, but it did so by promoting bloody violence. The Dead or Alive series, while still slightly violent, concentrated on better game-play, detailed backstories and had more woman characters to try and add the female gamer demographic. Tomonobu Itagaki gives Icons the history of his DOA games and a hint to what he has planned for the future.moreless
  • DOOM
    Episode 10
    No longer content with safe simple games like Mario, Zelda and Atari games from yesteryear, gamers have evolved to the next level - it includes more action and fighting demons. Icons takes a look back at the history of the Doom franchise and how it helped evolve the First Person Shooter.moreless
  • Nobuo Uematsu
    Nobuo Uematsu
    Episode 9
    Learn how Nobuo Uematsu went from playing keyboard in a band to joining Square in 1985. Join us as Nobuo himself tells us about his musical influences in creating the soundtrack for the beloved Final Fantasy series and find out how he has propelled himself into mainstream music today.
  • Donkey Kong
    Donkey Kong
    Episode 8
    It started with a flop. But a young visionary turned failure into success, and created a legendary character. He fought back legal battles and obscurity to become a pillar of gaming history. This is the tale of the one and only Donkey Kong.
  • Game Boy
    Game Boy
    Episode 7
    For 15 years, it has been the dominate console in the videogame hand-held market. Icons follows the creation of the Nintendo Game Boy; from it's formulation from Gunpei Yoko to it's current place as the best-selling hand-held system.
  • Electronic Arts
    Electronic Arts
    Episode 6
    Can a Computer Make You Cry? Created on the future vision of two students at Stanford, Electronic Arts slowly grew from a tiny publisher of PC games to one of the largest game publisher as well as one that helps drive the industry forward. Icons follows the history of the company to not only give the world Madden but also the company that gave new meaning to what it is to be a game maker.moreless
  • Tetris
    Episode 5
    Was it the challenge? Was it because it was easy? Was it the colorful blocks? Or was it that distinctive music? What ever it was, Alexey Pajitnov's creation has a firm place in the history of gaming, as well as in the history of legal issues. Today's episode takes on the complicated history of Tetris.moreless
  • Peter Molyneux
    Peter Molyneux
    Episode 4
    Peter Molyneux's first game, Populous, helped create an entire new genre, god games - and it has been copied several times since. With games like Theme Park, Magic Carpet, Dungeon Keeper, BC and the highly anticipated Fable and The Movies, Molyneux continues to push the envelope and create truly immersive experiences for gamers.moreless
  • ESRB
    Episode 3
    In 1992, games like Mortal Kombat and Night Trap pushed the envelope when it came to advancing graphic and technical capabilities... and catching the attention of the federal government. Washington officials cited these two games as the most offending examples of violence and questionable material available to youngsters at the time via electronic games. As a result, Senators Joe Lieberman and Herb Kohl called on game industry officals to come up with a ratings system for all games. The industry responded with the creation of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. Since its inception in 1994, the ESRB has been widely praised by Washington - and Senator Lieberman - as the most comprehensive ratings system amongst all entertainment mediums.moreless
  • Sega Dreamcast
    Sega Dreamcast
    Episode 2
    We explore the rocky history of Sega's last venture into the console market. Hear from Sega insiders Bernard Stolar and Kathy Schoback about the Dreamcast's last days of life and how Sega made the leap from console maker to one of the top software publishers of today.
  • Music Games
    Music Games
    Episode 1
    Suddenly, everyone thinks they can bust a move. In today's episode we look at the movement of Music Games. Parappa The Rapper started the fad of making a game based on music, and not the other way around. This lead to people eventually dancing not in the streets but in the arcades with Dance Dance Revolution.moreless
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