All this talk about Video Power and Gamepro TV has made my phantom leg-warmers itch. I watched both religiously. In fact, Gamepro TV deserves a hearty "thank you" for spoiling the twist near the end of Mega Man 4. Yeah, so maybe it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Dr Wily was manipulating Dr Cossack, but I was, like, ten at the time. That's serious shit when you're ten.
Unlike most of you, I had one more video game show in my Saturday roster: Canada's own Video & Arcade Top 10. It debuted in 1991 on YTV and, if I'm not reading my sources incorrectly, it still endures.
There's a definite charm to Canadian television that I would sorely miss if I were to follow up on my life's dream to live among penguins. Canadian television is terribly low-budget, but goddamn if it doesn't try hard. And, more often than not, it comes out smelling beautiful in its own funky way, like the smell of a dog you loved through childhood. If a Canadian show reaches cult status in America, it's a hit. Kids in the Hall got lucky, as did ReBoot--and both wholly deserve(d) the success they receive(d). In all, Canadian television reflects a relaxed culture that smokes a lot of marijuana isn't as uptight about censorship and sponsors. That's why Video & Arcade Top 10 is as cheesy as France, but doesn't try to be anything spectacular. Its theme song was ripped straight from Crash Man's stage in Mega Man 2.
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