Difference between revisions of "The Zone"
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==List of episodes== | ==List of episodes== | ||
===Season 1=== | ===Season 1=== | ||
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Revision as of 12:38, 14 January 2019
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| The Zone |
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| Studio: Beyond Television Productions |
| Number of seasons: 2 |
| Number of episodes: 57 |
| Original airdate: 1994-04-30 — 1995-07-01 |
| Original channel(s): Nine Network |
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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.
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
Season 1
| No. | Video | Original Air Date | News and Features | Game Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 120px | 1994-04-30 | ||
| 2 | 120px | 1994-05-07 | ||
| 3 | 120px | 1994-05-14 |
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| 4 | 120px | 1994-05-21 |
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| 5 | 120px | 1994-05-28 |
- brief glimpse of Streets of Rage 3 (time - 13:01)
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| 6 | 120px | 1994-06-04 |
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| 7 | 120px | 1994-06-11 |
- 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"
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| 8 | 120px | 1994-06-18 |
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| 9 | 120px | 1994-06-25 | ||
| 10 | 120px | 1994-07-02 | ||
| 11 | 120px | 1994-07-09 |
- Contenders: NBA Jam, Virtua Racing, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters, Skitchin', Rock 'n Roll Racing, Clayfighter, Madden NFL '94
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| 12 | 120px | 1994-07-16 | ||
| 13 | 120px | 1994-07-23 |
10. Tomcat Alley 4. Jungle Book 3. Street Fighter 2 Turbo 2. Super Metroid 1. NBA Jam
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| 14 | 120px | 1994-07-30 |
Daytona USA caused Ridge Racer to drop to half price (time - 4:59) |
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| 15 | 120px | 1994-08-06 |
Sonic makes an appearance (time - 14:01)
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| 16 | 120px | 1994-08-13 |
Sonic makes an appearance (time - 19:48) (incomplete video) |
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| 17 | 120px | 1994-08-20 |
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| 18 | 120px | 1994-08-27 |
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| 19 | 120px | 1994-09-03 |
- Sydney Kings Basketball Team was sponsored by Sega in 1994 |
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| 20 | 120px | 1994-09-10 |
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- The Jungle Book (from episode 11)
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| 21 | 120px | 1994-09-17 |
- Since they can't show footage of the M15+ game on their G rated show, the team act out the moves in person
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- NBA Jam (time - 05:52) (score - 95) - Madden NFL '94 (time - 06:16) (score - 94)
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| 22 | 120px | 1994-09-24 |
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- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (score - 83.5) - Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck (from episode 15) - Boogerman (from episode 17)
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| 23 | 120px | 1994-10-01 |
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| 24 | 120px | 1994-10-08 | ||
| 25 | 120px | 1994-10-15 |
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| 26 | 120px | 1994-10-22 08:30am |
but was renewed by popular demand to continue the following week at the new time of 08:00am. |
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Season 2
| No. | Video | Original Air Date | News and Features | Game Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 120px | 1994-10-29 08:00am |
- PGA European Tour, Dune, Dune II: Battle for Arrakis, Landstalker
- Aladdin, John Madden Football, RoboCop Versus The Terminator, NBA Jam
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| 28 | 120px | 1994-11-05 |
- 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
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| 29 | 120px | 1994-11-12 |
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| 30 | 120px | 1994-11-19 |
- 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
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| 31 | 120px | 1994-12-03 |
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
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| 32 | 120px | 1994-12-17 |
"If you can drink and drive, you're wrong" (time - 03:52) - Freeplay Daytona USA at Bridge Point Tavern, Sydney on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights
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| 33 | 120px | 1994-12-24 |
"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
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| 34 | 120px | 1994-12-31 |
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| 35 | 120px | 1995-01-07 |
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| 36 | 120px | 1995-01-14 | ||
| 37 | 120px | 1995-01-21 | ||
| 38 | 120px | 1995-01-28 | ||
| 39 | 120px | 1995-02-04 | ||
| 40 | 120px | 1995-02-11 | ||
| 41 | 120px | 1995-02-18 | ||
| 42 | 120px | 1995-02-25 | ||
| 43 | 120px | 1995-03-04 | ||
| 44 | 120px | Unconfirmed | ||
| 45 | 120px | Unconfirmed | ||
| 46 | 120px | Unconfirmed | ||
| 47 | 120px | Unconfirmed | ||
| 48 | 120px | Unconfirmed | ||
| 49 | 120px | Unconfirmed | ||
| 50 | 120px | Unconfirmed | ||
| 51 | 120px | Unconfirmed | ||
| 52 | 120px | Unconfirmed | ||
| 53 | 120px | Unconfirmed | ||
| 54 | 120px | Unconfirmed | ||
| 55 | 120px | Unconfirmed | ||
| 56 | 120px | Unconfirmed | ||
| 57 | 120px | 1995-07-01 |
Final Episode
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