This GAS doesn't stink.
Written: Mar 19 '03 (Updated Jun 03 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Chock full of original and interesting games.
Cons: Currently the sports shows are limited.
The Bottom Line: The bottom line would get crushed on Nickelodeon Guts.
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| imprimis2's Full Review: Nickelodeon Games and Sports |
Nickelodeon games used to simply come on your local Nickelodeon station. That is until a few years ago, when they devised a plan to start showing all their original games on a new network! This was not just a groundbreaking move for the company, but now, viewers across America could watch their favorite Nick game shows on one channel 24 hours a day.
There are more than fifteen different game shows that make a home on this network, and we will look at several of them. All of these game shows either require the kids to use their physical power, or their mental capabilities, or both. Game shows run around the clock, seven days a week, with the exception of a few sports shows shown here and there.
The best age range I can put on this channel is for kids ages 9 and up. None of the games are oriented for younger children, so you probably won't find your 5 year older interested in these games.
{GAME LINEUP}
It's time to dig into the heart of this network and what it offers. I hope you're ready. :)
[Double Dare]
Hosted by Marc Summers, Double Dare is a fast paced question and answer show with a twist. If you don't know the answer to a question, you can dare the opposing team. If they don't know, then they can double dare you back for quadruple the amount. At that point you either answer the question or take a "physical challenge".
Physical challenges can range anywhere from flipping hamburgers over your head and getting them to land on your partner's plate, or popping creme filled balloons in order to find a flag. All physical challenge games (except for the round two tossup) are played against the clock.
There are two rounds in this game, and the team with the highest score at the end of the second round goes on to play the obstacle course.
The obstacle course, at least in the shows' early run, was fairly "clean". It wasn't until a few years later that you could get slime all over your body. In any case, the object of the obstacle course was to pass through all eight obstacles (while collecting the orange flag) in sixty seconds. You would, however, win a prize for each obstacle cleared. This game show is very educational and fun to watch. I highly recommend it.
[Family Double Dare]
Family Double Dare was hosted by Marc Summers also. The premise of this game was exactly the same as the original Double Dare, except this time, four members are on a team instead of two. And, instead of two kids, you will have the entire family participate, which means two children, one mother, and one father.
Another major change was the introduction of new physical challenges such as "Pies in the Pants". These challenges were extremely messy and you would frequently find contestants and stagehands falling on their butts on the floor.
The obstacle course remained primarily the same, except a few new obstacles were added to increase the amount of gak, gooze, slime, and other messy ingredients.
Like the original Double Dare, I recommend Family Double Dare.
[Figure it Out]
Remember the old game "I've Got a Secret"? Well, this game follows a very similar format. Hosted by Summer Sanders, four contestant panelists will try to uncover the clues to identify what makes a child so special. Each day there will be two different kids taking the main podium to be barraged by a blitz of questions. You will see a wide variety of talents, as well. On one such episode, I remember seeing a girl who won the "Best Dressed Rat" contest, and a boy who is a "Healthy Hot Dog Taste Tester". And, as with many other Nickelodeon games, you'll see that ever-infamous gak! Another fun game to watch, and I recommend it. :)
[Finder's Keepers]
This game will have kids scrambling throughout a house trying to find items that correlate with clues. The front game is composed of kids trying to find hidden objects on one of those "find the shape" puzzles you would find in a Highlights children's magazine. Two teams of two compete for the highest score. The winner goes on to the House Run, where the winning team will have 90 seconds to find 6 items with yellow tags that correspond to clues the host reads. It's not my favorite show, so I'll just say that if it sounds interesting, watch it. If it doesn't sound all that fun, skip it.
[Get the Picture]
Hosted by Mike O' Malley, Get the Picture is a game where an eye for detail can make you a winner. The main object of the game is to try and guess what the picture is. Problem is, you have to answer questions in order to reveal a square that actually hides the picture. In the first round, the board will be composed of dots, and once a team successfully reveals a square, the dots will be connected. Once a team thinks they know what the picture is, they can guess; but if they're wrong, they'll lose points.
Special POWER SURGE squares are used in the first round to help speed up the game. These are "side-games", and such an example of a POWER SURGE activity would be where kids have to guess 5 pictures that are scrambled within 30 seconds.
After the POWER SURGE game, an actual portion of the square will be revealed.
In round two, there are no connect-the-dots. Instead, the game that's played is called "dots". Each team will answer a question that either has 2, 3, or 4 answers. Once that team answers the question correctly, they will be able to make lines on the board to form boxes. Once a complete box is made, that section of the board will remove the covering, and an actual portion of the picture is shown.
Just so you know, the board has 16 squares.
The team with the highest score at the end of the game goes on to the bonus round, called Mega Memory. This is simple enough; the team will get 10 seconds to memorize 9 pictures. Then, they will get 35 seconds to locate them.
All in all, this game is very fun and great to watch, and it's very fast paced. Another game I recommend.
[Global Guts]
Hosted by Mike O'Malley, Global Guts will exercise a child's physical muscles. Throughout the game, they will participate in elastic, water, zero gravity, sports and climbing games. Four different games are played each day, which is followed by the final test of endurance; the Mega Crag. This "Mega Crag" is a makeshift volcano ready to explode at any minute. The kids will be bombarded by rock slides, snowfall, avalanches, and other debris.
Points are awarded based solely upon the placement of where that person finished. If you get first place, you win 300 points, second place gets 200 points, and third place gets 100 points. In the crag, points bump up, but first place still gets the most points.
At the end, the person with the highest score wins the game, and wins a glowing piece of their "radical" rock. All participants will receive a medal based upon their placement. First gets gold, second gets silver, and third gets bronze.
While it's not as educational as other Nick games, it is still fun to watch. I recommend this one as well.
[Legends of the Hidden Temple]
In this game, kids will get to explore the ruins of an ancient Mayan temple. Each episode will be centered around an ancient story, and some artifact from that story will always end up in the temple. The keeper, Olmec, will tell kids the story and also warn them of the possible dangers they may face in the temple if they make it there.
The game is hosted by Kirk Fogg, who is a pretty decent host. Although I really think Olmec could do a good job by himself.
This game exercises both mental and physical muscles, as there is a question round, as well as a "temple game" round, where two teams will go head to head playing three different physical games. Each game is played for "pendants", and the team with the most pendants at the end of the game get to explore the temple. A very good game.
[You're On!]
This game is absolutely silly. Hosted by Phil Moore, Youre On! is a game that uses kids as a lure to try and get adults to do wacky and unusual things. I've seen kids persuade adults to stand on their head and sing "I'm a Little Teapot", and even have some grab their hand into a box of snakes (tame ones, but the adults didn't know that) and retrieve a baby rattle.
In the middle of the show, you'll see kids get to guess whether they think the selected kids can achieve 1, 2, or all 3 of the preset wacky goals, within a time limit of ten minutes. At the end, you'll see the kids who guessed correctly jump with joy.
It's not really big on prizes, but the game is pretty silly. I just dont' care for it that much. Maybe you'll find it to be interesting.
{OTHER ASPECTS OF NICK GAS}
Nick GAS isn't just games. There are also sports shows, although they are quite limited. As a matter of fact, nine times out of ten when I turn to this channel, it's games. With that in mind, I cannot really tell you all of the sports shows they air.
However, I do know of one in particular.
[Topspin]
If you know your sports, you'll know this show is about tennis. Basically, this show will go behind the scenes of the tennis world, with a few interviews on current tennis players. I'm guessing, but I'd say you can also get tips on your tennis game by watching this show.
I have also seen one show about soccer. It aired a few months ago, but I haven't seen it since.
A skateboarding show will also make its appearance, and you'll see such skaters like Tony Hawk.
{BREAKS IN PROGRAMMING}
You will also see a few "extras" from time to time on Nick GAS. Well, actually, they appear about every thirty minutes. Let's go into those right quick.
[Plugged In]
Dave Aizer will give you up to date cheats, tips, and tricks on games for the Xbox, Playstation2, and GameCube in this segment. It's especially helpful for kids since most of them want to try out a cheat every now and then. There is a new plugged in feature every day, but I have seen more than one different cheat be shown in a day.
[Phone Trivia]
Dave Aizer also hosts this little segment. A random kid from somewhere across the nation will answer 6 True or False questions about games and gaming consoles. They will win a prize, or prizes based upon the number of questions they answer correctly. The prizes are pretty small, but you can win pencils, a drink container, a t-shirt, or a football.
[In Play Today]
This is one of my favorite bits. Dave Aizer or Mati Moralejo will bring you the games and sports from around the world that are in focus for that particular day. Just recently, I heard about a contest that took place in Ireland, West Virginia, where people had to roll a potato or something down a major road, and whoever completed the journey in the least amount of rolls wins. This is a very interesting and informative segment.
[GAS Grill]
Here, Nick GAS will ask a celebrity in the games and sports world five different questions. These are not true or false, and have only one correct answer. I think it's sometimes interesting to see just how much a famous person knows about their profession, or how much they know about the world in general. Interesting.
There are other segments that are more like commercials that I won't go into, simply because they don't hold your attention for very long.
{PROGRAM ROTATION}
You will see a lot of games repeated throughout the day. Nick GAS only has about fifteen different games, so you will be sure to see the same games at least twice. This can either be a convenience or an inconvenience, depending upon how often you watch this station.
{CONCLUSION}
I always loved Nickelodeon Game shows, but until the introduction of Nick GAS, I couldn't watch them whenever I wanted to. This station is very convenient for me. I'm 19 and still love games! Does that tell you anything? :)
In any case, kids will probably love this channel, but children under 8 probably would not enjoy this channel. I could be wrong, though. Each child has different tastes, so you MIGHT find yours wanting to watch this network.
I have not heard any offensive language, except for the word "fart", but that's pretty lame to me. All game shows are original, so you won't find these games on other networks.
If you're looking for some interesting and fun children's games, or the kids are home alone and want to watch TV, this station is great to watch.
Tune in today, and watch people exercise their physical and mental muscles, and get nasty in slime too!!
Recommended:
Yes
Type of Program: Educational
Program Quality: Entertaining, but not intellectually or emotionally engaging
Best Suited For: 9 Years or Older
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Epinions.com ID:
imprimis2
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Location: Kentucky, USA
Reviews written: 127
Trusted by: 45 members
About Me:
You can be happy using your brain, but you're smart when you use your heart.
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