Must Watch: Charlie Brooker's GameSwipe
British comedian Charlie Brooker debuted Gameswipe, a one-shot video-game themed show styled after his Newswipe and Screenwipe programs, on BBC4 this week, and it was so glorious, it made up for every cringe-filled episode of GamesMaster, Video Power, and GamePro TV that many of us suffered in the 90s.
In the 50-minute show, Brooker (whom Zero Punctuation's Yahtzee cited as his "main inspiration" for his own video reviews) introduces viewers to different game genres while bringing on guests to hash over releases like Gears of War and Grand Theft Auto, as well as discuss topics like inane plots and frustrating elements that keep you from seeing the entirety of a game you've paid for.
BBC's iPlayer site is streaming GameSwipe but only to viewers in the UK. The rest of you will have to rely on clandestine Youtube rips like the one below:
If you want to watch the rest of the show -- which you really should, especially for Brooker's scathing breakdown of 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand -- you can click the "Related Videos" section of the above video or just pull up a search on Youtube for recent Gameswipe uploads.
If I had to cite one flaw with the program, it would have to Father Ted and The IT Crowd director Graham Linehan, who mistakenly credits Valve's Gabe Newell as the writer for Left 4 Dead. There was at least one Valve superfan who was upset with this gaffe:
Yeah, this meme kills me every time. Back to Gameswipe, while it was commissioned as a one-off, Brooker did admit on his Twitter account that the show pulled in more viewers than both Screenwipe and Newswipe last night. Perhaps that will prompt BBC4 to order more episodes? The comedian also indicated that future Screenwipe episodes could also include game content.
Comments
The best bit about it is how clearly enthusiastic Charlie Brooker is about games as a medium. It makes the thing really watchable.
Posted by: Merus | October 1, 2009 9:44 PM