Classic Game Room
In the late 1990s, dial-up modems moved aside to make way for high speed DSL and cable modems. As broadband access spread like wildfire into homes across the world, websites streaming audio and video quickly began replacing simple, static web pages. Those who began putting original content online found a new audience of millions of web surfers looking for ways to max out their seemingly unlimited bandwidth.
Classic Game Room, launched in late 1999, was one such show. Hosted by Mark Bussler and David Crosson of FromUSALive.com, Classic Game Room was an original online program that consisted of videogame reviews mixed with general wackiness. The show ran for about a year, until FromUSALive.com succumbed to the same fate that many other dot.com businesses met around the same time.
The Classic Game Room DVD contains ten classic episodes of the original show, featuring game reviews spanning from the Atari 2600 all the way up to the Sega Dreamcast. These episodes have been encapsulated within a documentary that tells the rise and subsequent fall of the show - although if you’re simply interested in just watching the episodes, you can do that through the DVD’s menu.
Mark and David’s acting is goofy, the writing is occasionally awkward and many of the jokes run too long. That being said, I think Classic Game Room perfectly captures the birth of online steaming video programs. It was a time when amateur filmmakers with small budgets and big dreams could create whatever they wanted and make those creations available to the viewing public. Not every idea worked, but after each stumble the guys regained their footing and continued to produce increasingly better episodes. It should be noted that for an Internet-based program, The Game Room has superb video editing and production. It is no surprise that Mark Bussler has remained in the film production world. It is readily apparent that much more work went into the production of this program than its content probably warranted.
The episodes themselves vary greatly in content and quality. The duo’s review of SeaMan consists almost exclusively of footage of the hosts playing the game; conversely, the review of Alien for the Atari 2600 contains less than a minute of game footage and instead spends over ten minutes parodying the television show The Real World. The show’s review of Sega GT for the Dreamcast features a Hollywood-style car chase that ends with crashes and explosions (if Hollywood used Hot Wheels).
The documentary itself is fairly cheesy and is presented more as a mockumentary than a true documentary. Where the DVD shines, however, is on Mark’s commentary track. Anyone interested in the true story behind the show or the logistics involved in putting together an Internet program MUST listen to the commentary track. It is by far the most entertaining and interesting portion of the program. The tone is a 180 degree flip from the rest of the film, chock full of facts and background information about the show. The only fault is that the feature is buried at the very bottom of the special features menu. I fear many viewers may not even discover what I feel to be the best feature of the entire disc, which would be a shame.
If you’re not sure whether or not the pair’s sense of humor is for you, search YouTube for “Classic Game Room” and check out several of the old episodes of the program. Even though some of the shows contained on the DVD are also available online, the documentary, and especially Bussler’s commentary track, is absolutely worth the price of admission. Game on, fellas!