Video Power is one of those shows from the 1990's that nowadays, is seen a cheesy. Starting in 1990, it was created mainly because at the time, video games were big news again (especially with Nintendo and their NES, and releasing the new Super NES to start what would be known as the console wars against Sega). Because of the NES' success, cartoons based on Super Mario Bros. and The Legend Of Zelda would be made by DiC. This show lasted only two seasons, and each one had a different format.
The first format is basically like a news program. Hosted by Johnny Arcade (played by Stivi Paskoski), he would give tips for video games, and in some episodes, would even visit special events (one episode has Johnny at the 1990 Nintendo World Championship). The main highlight, however, is the Power Team cartoon, which is basically a Acclaim-themed copycat of Captain N. Only instead of Mega Man and Simon Belmont, we got characters from video games published by Acclaim, like Max Force and Kuros. Even the real life monster truck Bigfoot is in the cartoon. Sadly, this didn't do well to the point where the second season, everything changed.
Yes, the second season, a.k.a. the game show season. Basically, this was the coolest part as a kid. Each day, four kids would compete for a chance to go into a mall for prizes. The four winners came back on the Friday show to play for another trip and a spot in a tournament where the winner and some wildcard winners competed for a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood, a $10,000 college scholarship, and a trophy.
Basically, the second season was a little better, but as an adult, you can see the 90's cheesiness. Johnny Arcade is there, joined by Terry Lee Torok, the announcer who basically acts like he's the actual host. They do play actual NES games in this. However, all of them are third party titles, and they are a mix of good games like TMNT II and Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers, to bad games like WWF WrestleMania Challenge. However, the show does offer prizes, as in the bonus round, there is a hidden game, that once collected, can win a special prize, like a Game Boy or a Neo Geo console, but they also gave out some dud prizes. In one episode, one contestant stumped Johnny Arcade, and all he won is a shower cap and some cheese. I mean, really, those are more like gag gifts you give you someone you hate at a Christmas party than to a kid who stumped the host of a video game-themed game show.
Sadly, this did not do well enough as well, and when it was done, Saban decided to give the show the axe. While it was a good game show as a kid, as an adult, you can see how cheesy the show really is. Thankfully, there are episodes uploaded on YouTube you can see (along with some classic commercials).
The first format is basically like a news program. Hosted by Johnny Arcade (played by Stivi Paskoski), he would give tips for video games, and in some episodes, would even visit special events (one episode has Johnny at the 1990 Nintendo World Championship). The main highlight, however, is the Power Team cartoon, which is basically a Acclaim-themed copycat of Captain N. Only instead of Mega Man and Simon Belmont, we got characters from video games published by Acclaim, like Max Force and Kuros. Even the real life monster truck Bigfoot is in the cartoon. Sadly, this didn't do well to the point where the second season, everything changed.
Yes, the second season, a.k.a. the game show season. Basically, this was the coolest part as a kid. Each day, four kids would compete for a chance to go into a mall for prizes. The four winners came back on the Friday show to play for another trip and a spot in a tournament where the winner and some wildcard winners competed for a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood, a $10,000 college scholarship, and a trophy.
Basically, the second season was a little better, but as an adult, you can see the 90's cheesiness. Johnny Arcade is there, joined by Terry Lee Torok, the announcer who basically acts like he's the actual host. They do play actual NES games in this. However, all of them are third party titles, and they are a mix of good games like TMNT II and Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers, to bad games like WWF WrestleMania Challenge. However, the show does offer prizes, as in the bonus round, there is a hidden game, that once collected, can win a special prize, like a Game Boy or a Neo Geo console, but they also gave out some dud prizes. In one episode, one contestant stumped Johnny Arcade, and all he won is a shower cap and some cheese. I mean, really, those are more like gag gifts you give you someone you hate at a Christmas party than to a kid who stumped the host of a video game-themed game show.
Sadly, this did not do well enough as well, and when it was done, Saban decided to give the show the axe. While it was a good game show as a kid, as an adult, you can see how cheesy the show really is. Thankfully, there are episodes uploaded on YouTube you can see (along with some classic commercials).