Difference between revisions of "The Zone"
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'''''The Zone''''' was a video games focused television programme that aired on the Nine Network on Saturday mornings at 8:30AM AEST from 30 April 1994 to 1 July 1995. The show was produced by Beyond Television Productions and was hosted for the majority of its run by Adam Riley. [[Sega Ozisoft]] was a major sponsor of the show. | '''''The Zone''''' was a video games focused television programme that aired on the Nine Network on Saturday mornings at 8:30AM AEST from 30 April 1994 to 1 July 1995. The show was produced by Beyond Television Productions and was hosted for the majority of its run by Adam Riley. [[Sega Ozisoft]] was a major sponsor of the show. | ||
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| date=1994-05-07 | | date=1994-05-07 | ||
| time= | | time= | ||
| − | | video= | + | | video=The Zone (AU) s01e02 07-May-1994.mp4 |
| description= | | description= | ||
| + | *Jack In: [[Arcade Power Stick]] (time - 05:30) | ||
| + | *Head to Head: Basketball games (time - 06:28) | ||
| + | - ''[[NBA Jam]]'', ''[[NBA Showdown '94]]'', ''[[Jammit]]'', ''[[Barkley Shut Up and Jam!]]'', ''[[Hyper Dunk: The Playoff Edition|Hyper Dunk]]'' | ||
| + | *Accessories: [[Extension Cord-Double|Sega Ozisoft Extension Cables]] (time - 08:47) | ||
| + | * Cheatz: ''[[Skitchin']]'' (time - 09:07) | ||
| + | * Arcade: ''[[Virtua Fighter]]'' (time - 09:39) | ||
| + | * R&D: [[Super Pad (Innovation)|Infrared Joypad]] (time - 15:03) | ||
| + | * The Buzz (News) (time - 16:58) | ||
| + | - USA Charts: ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'', ''[[NFL Football '94 Starring Joe Montana|NFL Football '94]]'', ''[[Madden NFL '94]]'', ''[[NHL Hockey '94]]''; EGM Review ''[[Sonic 3]]'' - 10/10; Diamond encrusted [[Game Gear]] | ||
| + | * Cheatz: ''[[NBA Jam]]'' (time - 18:30) | ||
| + | *''[[Dune II: Battle for Arrakis|Dune II]]'' (time - 04:05) (score - {{#expr: (89 + 90)/2}}) | ||
| + | *''[[The Ren & Stimpy Show Presents Stimpy's Invention|Ren & Stimpy - Stimpy's Invention]]'' (time - 11:00) (score - {{#expr: (75 + 72)/2}}) | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{episode | {{episode | ||
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| date=1994-10-01 | | date=1994-10-01 | ||
| time= | | time= | ||
| − | | video=The Zone (AU) s01e23 01-Oct-1994.mp4 | + | | video=The Zone (AU) s01e23 01-Oct-1994 complete.mp4 |
| description=*Playguide special | | description=*Playguide special | ||
| − | *''[[Urban Strike]]'' ( | + | * Playguide 1: ''[[Dragon's Lair]]'' (time - 02:30) |
| + | * Playguide 2: ''[[NHL '94]]'' (time - 02:58) | ||
| + | * Playguide 3: ''[[Super Street Fighter II]]'' (time - 07:59) | ||
| + | * Playguide 4: ''[[Virtua Racing]]'' (time - 11:45) | ||
| + | * Playguide 5: ''[[Sonic 2]]'' (time - 13:57) | ||
| + | *''[[Mortal Kombat 2]]'': The Moves (time - 03:26) | ||
| + | *Zone Approved Games (Clips from earlier eps) (time - 05:46): | ||
| + | - ''[[Virtua Racing]]'' (score - {{#expr: (90 + 93)/2}}) | ||
| + | * The Buzz (News): ''[[Radical Rex]]''; [[Sega 32X|32X]] (time - 08:46) | ||
| + | * Preview: ''[[Radical Rex]]'' (time - 15:56) | ||
| + | * Preview: ''[[Earthworm Jim]]'' (time - 16:23) | ||
| + | *''[[Urban Strike]]'' (time - 00:58) (score - {{#expr: (88 + 95)/2}}) | ||
| + | *''[[ESPN Baseball Tonight]]'' (time - 10:06) (score - {{#expr: (92 + 90 + 86)/3}}) | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{episode | {{episode | ||
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| time= | | time= | ||
| video= | | video= | ||
| − | | description= | + | | description=*More [[Sega 32X|32X]] coverage |
| + | *''[[Earthworm Jim]]'' Review | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{episode | {{episode | ||
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}} | }} | ||
}} | }} | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Ratings== | ||
| + | {{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Ratings}} | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Latest revision as of 08:09, 14 September 2024
|
| The Zone |
|---|
| Studio: Beyond Television Productions |
| Number of seasons: 2 |
| Number of episodes: 57 |
| Original airdate: 1994-04-30 |
| Original channel(s): Nine Network |
| Country of origin: Australia |
The Zone was a video games focused television programme that aired on the Nine Network on Saturday mornings at 8:30AM AEST from 30 April 1994 to 1 July 1995. The show was produced by Beyond Television Productions and was hosted for the majority of its run by Adam Riley. Sega Ozisoft was a major sponsor of the show.
Contents
Format
The Zone took on a format similar to most magazine style programmes on television. The show generally opened with an introduction from Adam of what would be on the show that week, followed by the latest gaming news, previews, reviews and some random stuff like gamer jargon. Reviews and previews were typically presented by two people, many of whom were Sydney-based freelancers or worked on magazines such as HYPER>> and Gamestar.
The most popular member of the show's on air crew was Justin "Mutlee" Mansour, who also acted as the voice of the Sega Hotline at the time.[1] Mansour also worked behind the scenes on the show's technical production.
Production
The Zone was notorious for its low budget. According to one member of the crew, the show was filmed in a disused storage room. A cameraman for the show remembers only being paid $20 per episode each week.
Cancellation
The precise reasons for the cancellation of The Zone are not known. The final episode made fun of the fact that the show had got the axe.
Legacy
Due to the aged nature of the content, the potential rights issues concerning footage and the distinct lack of a market, it is unlikely that The Zone will ever see any sort of release on DVD or anything similar. Some dedicated fans and former crew have posted episodes of the show on YouTube, usually captured from VHS tapes that were used to record the show on their first airing. (This is why the SD footage quality is so poor. The recording would depend on the broadcast reception as well as the VCR and tape used.)
Notes
Two episodes remain unaired. Produced on Monday, aired on Saturday mornings. According to Justin Mansour, Richard Parnell has the whole series on tape. Adam Riley was originally brought in to do the music, but wound up being the host when a suitable candidate could not be found, and his screen test was well received. Stuart Clarke was also editor for HYPER>> at the time.
List of episodes
| Episode | Video | Name | Date | Airtime | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1x01 | Season 1, episode 1 | 1994-04-30 | |||
| 1x02 | 
|
Season 1, episode 2 | 1994-05-07 | *Jack In: Arcade Power Stick (time - 05:30)
- NBA Jam, NBA Showdown '94, Jammit, Barkley Shut Up and Jam!, Hyper Dunk
- USA Charts: Mortal Kombat, NFL Football '94, Madden NFL '94, NHL Hockey '94; EGM Review Sonic 3 - 10/10; Diamond encrusted Game Gear
| |
| 1x03 |
|
Season 1, episode 3 | 1994-05-14 | *The Buzz (News): Project Mars - 32X (14:03)
| |
| 1x04 |
|
Season 1, episode 4 | 1994-05-21 | *The Buzz (News): Sega Ozisoft "Sega Classics" Rental Plan (10:15)
| |
| 1x05 |
|
Season 1, episode 5 | 1994-05-28 | * Feature: Inside Hyper>> Magazine
- brief glimpse of Streets of Rage 3 (time - 13:01)
| |
| 1x06 |
|
Season 1, episode 6 | 1994-06-04 | *Playguide: Skitchin' (time - 9:31)
| |
| 1x07 |
|
Season 1, episode 7 | 1994-06-11 | * News: Australia hardware sales, as at Jun 1994 (time - 2:10)
- Game Gear - 50,000 - Game Boy - 250,000 - Master System - 300,000 - NES - 500,000 - Mega Drive - 600,000 - SNES - 300,000 - Mega CD - "heaps"
| |
| 1x08 | Season 1, episode 8 | 1994-06-18 | *Sports Sim Special | ||
| 1x09 | Season 1, episode 9 | 1994-06-25 | |||
| 1x10 | Season 1, episode 10 | 1994-07-02 | |||
| 1x11 |
|
Season 1, episode 11 | 1994-07-09 | * The Zone Top 10 games of 94 competition (time - 0:00)
- Contenders: NBA Jam, Virtua Racing, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters, Skitchin', Rock 'n Roll Racing, Clayfighter, Madden NFL '94
| |
| 1x12 | Season 1, episode 12 | 1994-07-16 | |||
| 1x13 |
|
Season 1, episode 13 | 1994-07-23 | * "Oz Gamer Day" - 23 July (time - 0:00)
10. Tomcat Alley 4. Jungle Book 3. Street Fighter 2 Turbo 2. Super Metroid 1. NBA Jam
| |
| 1x14 |
|
Season 1, episode 14 | 1994-07-30 | * In the arcade review of Cyber Sled, the guys mention how the release of
Daytona USA caused Ridge Racer to drop to half price (time - 4:59)
| |
| 1x15 |
|
Season 1, episode 15 | 1994-08-06 | * Brought to you by Sega (time - 0:00)
- Sonic makes an appearance (time - 14:01)
| |
| 1x16 |
|
Season 1, episode 16 | 1994-08-13 | * TZM Hint: Daytona USA (time - 3:35)
- Sonic makes an appearance (time - 19:48) (incomplete video)
| |
| 1x17 |
|
Season 1, episode 17 | 1994-08-20 | * Sonic the Hedgehog makes an appearance (time - 01:10, 05:14, 13:48 & 14:04)
| |
| 1x18 |
|
Season 1, episode 18 | 1994-08-27 | * Cheatz: The Jungle Book (time - 08:54)
- Skitchin' (score - 88.5) - Tomcat Alley (from episode 4) | |
| 1x19 |
|
Season 1, episode 19 | 1994-09-03 | *Playguide: Jurassic Park (Mega-CD) (time - 07:03)
- Sydney Kings Basketball Team was sponsored by Sega in 1994
| |
| 1x20 |
|
Season 1, episode 20 | 1994-09-10 | *Cheatz: Streets of Rage 3 (time - 02:34)
- The Jungle Book (from episode 11)
| |
| 1x21 |
|
Season 1, episode 21 | 1994-09-17 | *Mortal Kombat 2: The Moves (time - 07:04, 16:45)
- Since they can't show footage of the M15+ game on their G rated show, the team act out the moves in person
- NBA Jam (time - 05:52) (score - 95) - Madden NFL '94 (time - 06:16) (score - 94)
| |
| 1x22 |
|
Season 1, episode 22 | 1994-09-24 | *Preview: Sonic & Knuckles (time - 02:51)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (score - 83.5) - Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck (from episode 15) - Boogerman (from episode 17)
| |
| 1x23 |
|
Season 1, episode 23 | 1994-10-01 | *Playguide special
- Virtua Racing (score - 91.5)
| |
| 1x24 | Season 1, episode 24 | 1994-10-08 | *More 32X coverage
| ||
| 1x25 |
|
Season 1, episode 25 | 1994-10-15 | *Preview: 32X Launch - Virtua Racing Deluxe (time - 04:39)
| |
| 1x26 | Season 1, episode 26 | 1994-10-22 | The series was originally scheduled to end with this episode, but was renewed by popular demand to continue the following week at the new time of 8:00am. | ||
| 2x01 |
|
Season 2, episode 1 | 1994-10-29 | *Adam is wearing a Sonic & Knuckles T-shirt (time - 02:51)
- PGA European Tour, Dune, Dune II: Battle for Arrakis, Landstalker
- Aladdin, John Madden Football, RoboCop Versus The Terminator, NBA Jam
| |
| 2x02 |
|
Season 2, episode 2 | 1994-11-05 | *The Buzz (News): USA Top 10 (time - 02:12)
- Mortal Kombat, Super Metroid, Street Fighter II Turbo, Star Fox, Earthworm Jim, Samurai Showdown, Wild Guns, World Series Baseball, Pocky & Rocky
Streets of Rage 3, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters
- feat. Sonic & Knuckles poster
| |
| 2x03 | Season 2, episode 3 | 1994-11-12 | *Games for your mum | ||
| 2x04 |
|
Season 2, episode 4 | 1994-11-19 | *The Buzz (News): Sega 32X Australian Launch (time - 03:10)
- 6:00pm, 19th November 1994, Hoyts Cinema Complex, George Street, Sydney
Virtua Fighter for playtesting in Nov '94 (time - 04:36)
- Bev is wearing a Sonic & Knuckles T-shirt
| |
| 2x05 |
|
Season 2, episode 5 | 1994-12-03 | *The Buzz (News): A Bookmaker in the UK was running a book on the top game
for Christmas 1994 (time - 03:18): 1. Donkey Kong Country - 6:4 2. Earthworm Jim - 2:1 3. FIFA International Soccer - 5:1 4. Super Street Fighter 2 - 5:1 5. The Lion King - 6:1 6. Mortal Kombat 2 - 10:1 7. Sonic & Knuckles - 12:1
- Sonic the Hedgehog was at the event
| |
| 2x06 |
|
Season 2, episode 6 | 1994-12-17 | *The Buzz (News): Sega Ozisoft Daytona USA Promotion
"If you can drink and drive, you're wrong" (time - 04:26) - Freeplay Daytona USA at Bridge Point Tavern, Sydney on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights
| |
| 2x07 |
|
Season 2, episode 7 | 1994-12-24 | *Adam is wearing a Sonic & Knuckles T-shirt (time - 00:00)
"If you can drink and drive, you're wrong" (time - 05:51) - Freeplay Daytona USA at New Brighton Hotel (Manly), Sydney on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights
| |
| 2x08 |
|
Season 2, episode 8 | 1994-12-31 | *Mortal Kombat 2: The Moves (time - 00:08, 06:16, 18:51)
| |
| 2x09 | Season 2, episode 9 | 1995-01-07 | *Best of the Year specials | ||
| 2x10 | Season 2, episode 10 | 1995-01-14 | |||
| 2x11 | Season 2, episode 11 | 1995-01-21 | |||
| 2x12 | Season 2, episode 12 | 1995-01-28 | |||
| 2x13 | Season 2, episode 13 | 1995-02-04 | |||
| 2x14 | Season 2, episode 14 | 1995-02-11 | |||
| 2x15 | Season 2, episode 15 | 1995-02-18 | |||
| 2x16 | Season 2, episode 16 | 1995-02-25 | |||
| 2x17 | Season 2, episode 17 | 1995-03-04 | |||
| 2x18 | Season 2, episode 18 | 1995-03-11 | |||
| 2x19 | Season 2, episode 19 | 1995-03-18 | |||
| 2x20 | Season 2, episode 20 | 1995-03-25 | |||
| 2x21 | Season 2, episode 21 | 1995-04-01 | |||
| 2x22 | Season 2, episode 22 | 1995-04-08 | |||
| 2x23 | Season 2, episode 23 | 1995-04-15 | |||
| 2x24 | Season 2, episode 24 | 1995-05-20 | |||
| 2x25 | Season 2, episode 25 | 1995-05-27 | |||
| 2x26 | Season 2, episode 26 | 1995-06-03 | |||
| 2x27 | Season 2, episode 27 | 1995-06-10 | |||
| 2x28 | Season 2, episode 28 | 1995-06-24 | |||
| 2x29 |
|
Season 2, episode 29 | 1995-07-01 | Final Episode
|
Ratings
- Main article: The Zone/Ratings.
References