Nickelodeon's 'Total Panic' show (circa 1989) looks at Genesis, TurboGrafx games

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04 Apr 2006, 06:45 PM
parallaxscroll

Nickelodeon's 'Total Panic' show (circa 1989) looks at Genesis, TurboGrafx games

from 1989 to 1990, Nickelodeon had this 3 hour variety show
on Sunday mornings called Total Panic.

They had these live action 'virtual' video-games like 'Eat A Bug'
(think PS2's eye toy on a huge screen) and Power Pad Pyramid that IIRC used the NES power pads.

anyway Total Panic was, to me, an awesome variety show that included videogame previews and reviews, including TurboGrafx-16 and Genesis which were both new at the time in the U.S.

I had a tape with a small amount of footage still there (most of it was gone) but the best of what remains on that tape are amusing previews of Sega Genesis Forgotten Worlds and, NEC TurboGrafx-16 R-Type.

I've uploaded the Forgotten Worlds and R-Type segments to Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3z3K5y5iB0
(patience with youtube, they seem to be having a slow day)

it seems that i couldn't get it to play through FireFox, but with
Internet Explorer it plays fine, yay!

there is not a whole lot, and the tape cuts off when they actually get down to 'review' R-Type, but not before a look at 4 of its levels.

for more info on Nickelodeon's TOTAL PANIC, see this post on Retrojunk
http://www.retrojunk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9285

when Total Panic was canceled by spring 1990, and after the re-runs ended, that was the end of my watching Nickelodeon. Nick crossed over into their era of 'complete crap', IMO, during the 1990s.
04 Apr 2006, 06:48 PM
ChaoofNee

Pete & Pete is not complete crap.
Bad supergraf...whatever. Bad.
04 Apr 2006, 07:04 PM
parallaxscroll

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaoofNee

Pete & Pete is not complete crap.
Bad supergraf...whatever. Bad.

each to his own :p
04 Apr 2006, 07:18 PM
Grave

I remember Total Panic reviewing the first TMNT game for NES. My sister and I used to watch it, and I haven't seen any footage of it since it went off the air... if I can get these clips to work, this is going to be awesome. Looks like they don't like Safari either.
04 Apr 2006, 08:20 PM
parallaxscroll

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grave

I remember Total Panic reviewing the first TMNT game for NES. My sister and I used to watch it, and I haven't seen any footage of it since it went off the air... if I can get these clips to work, this is going to be awesome. Looks like they don't like Safari either.

whoa, someone who actually remembers Total Panic, and doesn't just ignore it and go off talking about that other Nick show that came out a few years later. I'm highly impressed :D

It would be SWEET to see any clips you might have from any segment of
Total Panic. that show, brings me back to the good ole days.

:sweat: :sweat: :sweat:
04 Apr 2006, 08:32 PM
Glass Joe

For some reason I don't remember that show at all. By the way, it ran fine when I used Firefox.
04 Apr 2006, 08:45 PM
parallaxscroll

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glass Joe

For some reason I don't remember that show at all. By the way, it ran fine when I used Firefox.

well it was on for roughly a year, or no more than two years. I started watching it in late summer or fall 1989, through spring of 1990.

3 hours on Sunday mornings. for me, in the central time zone, IIRC it was on from 8:30 am to 11:30 am but I could be off by a half hour to an hour, though it was definitally 3 hours long, every Sunday. enough time to have plenty of videogame segments, and I also watched the commercials which often were for the then-new Genesis and TurboGrafx-16.

check out the 2nd link in my OP for more info on Total Panic.
04 Apr 2006, 08:52 PM
Diff-chan

supergrafxengine is living in the past, man.
04 Apr 2006, 08:53 PM
Josh

Mortal Kombat.
04 Apr 2006, 09:21 PM
parallaxscroll

Quote:

Originally Posted by diffusionx

supergrafxengine is living in the past, man.

another troll, how cute :rolleyes:
04 Apr 2006, 09:25 PM
NeoZeedeater

I miss the days when TNL had a good mix of modern and retro threads.

Interesting video. I didn't watch much TV at that time so the show is new to me.
04 Apr 2006, 09:33 PM
Diff-chan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh

Mortal Kombat.

IBTN.
04 Apr 2006, 09:33 PM
Frogacuda

In hindsight it's so obvious that these segments are payed advertisments.
04 Apr 2006, 09:40 PM
RoleTroll

Frankly, "Total Panic" doesn't look much better than IGN.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frogacuda

In hindsight it's so obvious that these segments are payed advertisments.

If the advertisers were behind it, there would be no in-game footage, only hype and PR nonsense.
04 Apr 2006, 10:46 PM
parallaxscroll

back in 1989, there was basicly nobody covering videogames on television.

there was no Nick Arcade(that show SUCKED), no Video Power, no GamePro TV,
no ZDTV, TechTV, G4, G4TechTV, SpikeTV, etc

all there was, was CNN and they did shit.

Total Panic's previews-reviews were alot more informative, concidering this was 1989-1990, that the crap commercials we had for Atari, Nintendo,
Master System, TurboGrafx and Genesis games.
05 Apr 2006, 12:25 AM
Tenchimo Dos

You quit watching Nickelodeon in 1990? Man, you missed out on Ren & Stimpy and Rocko's Modern Life...and...Doug...which was cool, til he raped Patty. Either way, you missed out on some good shows.
I never watched this show, but the commentary is pretty funny! "Take that you fiend!"
05 Apr 2006, 12:36 AM
Josh

Quote:

Originally Posted by supergrafxengine

another troll, how cute :rolleyes:

Hey April 2005. Shut up.
05 Apr 2006, 12:44 AM
haohmaru

Quote:

Originally Posted by diffusionx

supergrafxengine is living in the past, man.

I've come to the conclusion that the only reason you post in threads like these is because you're an attention whore. Nobody fucking cares what you think about Turbografx, PCE, or Genesis.
05 Apr 2006, 01:01 AM
parallaxscroll

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tenchimo Dos

You quit watching Nickelodeon in 1990? Man, you missed out on Ren & Stimpy and Rocko's Modern Life...and...Doug...which was cool, til he raped Patty. Either way, you missed out on some good shows.
I never watched this show, but the commentary is pretty funny! "Take that you fiend!"

I caught a few eps of Ren & Stimpy. pretty hilarious. but never watched the other shows, and never watched Nickelodeon regularly like I did in the 80s.
05 Apr 2006, 02:41 AM
SpoDaddy

I watched Total Panic all the time, up until now I've never seen anyone else even remember it existed. I recall them covering some national Super Dodgeball NES tournament, it was really crazy.
05 Apr 2006, 02:43 AM
animegirl

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tenchimo Dos

You quit watching Nickelodeon in 1990? Man, you missed out on Ren & Stimpy and Rocko's Modern Life...and...Doug...which was cool, til he raped Patty. Either way, you missed out on some good shows.
I never watched this show, but the commentary is pretty funny! "Take that you fiend!"

http://dougfunniecomic.ytmnsfw.com/
05 Apr 2006, 02:58 AM
Kev

What was that one video game game show that had a cartoon where Bigfoot and a bunch of other characters fought this fat mob dude who tried to suck them back into Game Paks?

Yeah, it Video Power. My God. This is Avengers movie bad.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oygIaaHKHhQ
05 Apr 2006, 04:15 AM
MarsKitten

Retarded?
No just Video Power and the Power Team.
05 Apr 2006, 04:28 AM
SpoDaddy

Nick Arcade?
05 Apr 2006, 07:54 AM
parallaxscroll

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpoDaddy

I watched Total Panic all the time, up until now I've never seen anyone else even remember it existed. I recall them covering some national Super Dodgeball NES tournament, it was really crazy.

that Super Dodgeball NES tournament rings a bell. a vague one.

damn, I so much wish that I had MORE footage of Total Panic, because I'd Youtube it in a freaking heartbeat.

do you remember some of the live musical performances they had? pop or dance-pop female groups? like, Seduction, and The Cover Girls?
I remember they had at least two. and they were always pimping music videos from Paula Abdul.
05 Apr 2006, 08:20 AM
Dyne

Quote:

Originally Posted by haohmaru

I've come to the conclusion that the only reason you post in threads like these is because you're an attention whore. Nobody fucking cares what you think about Turbografx, PCE, or Genesis.

holy shit, what got up your ass!? :eek:
05 Apr 2006, 01:17 PM
haohmaru

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dragonmaster Dyne

holy shit, what got up your ass!? :eek:

diffx constantly pissing on threads that involve old games, imports, and other shit that doesn't interest him anyway. We all KNOW already.
05 Apr 2006, 01:32 PM
Diff-chan

Not really, just saying hes living in the past because... he is. He doesnt participate in any other discussions just makes threads about decades-old software. That's cool if thats what he digs (notice I didnt make any negative comments in my post) but its still a fact. Fuck off.
05 Apr 2006, 01:36 PM
haohmaru

So why bother commenting about it? He know what he likes and posts relevant to that subject matter. Saying he's "living in the past" is hardly positive.

No, you fuck off.
05 Apr 2006, 02:04 PM
Josh

Quote:

Originally Posted by haohmaru

No, you fuck off.

hooray!
05 Apr 2006, 02:14 PM
Diff-chan

Quote:

Originally Posted by haohmaru

Saying he's "living in the past" is hardly positive.

Maybe for you, but that's your problem.
05 Apr 2006, 02:41 PM
haohmaru

Dude, if you think that's saying something positive about someone and is in some way flattering or nuetral, then you need to work on your social skills.

Scratch that. You need to do that anyway.
05 Apr 2006, 03:54 PM
parallaxscroll

I can talk about Xbox 360 and Playstation3 all fucking day. I can talk about the newest games or ones that have yet to come out.

Final Fantasy XII, XIII, MGS4, KillTheBSZone, etc.

but I'm more interested in talking about stuff that rarely gets mentioned online, plus contribute shit (i mean good stuff!) that isnt already online.

so to those that think i can only post about old-ass shit,
MEH, I could care less.
05 Apr 2006, 04:01 PM
StriderKyo

Please continue to post about old-ass shit. The 360, GC & Xbox's release lists are graveyards and PS3 threads are just dumb arguments waiting to happen.

Plus, all this PC Engine stuff has me itching to see what'll be available for Revolution.
05 Apr 2006, 05:57 PM
DirtySouth

I remember Total Panic well. I used to alternate between this and the "USA Cartoon Express" on Sunday mornings. I also unfortunately remember Video Power quite clearly. Seeing Genesis footage on thise two shows (Along with a late 1989 issue of EGM that had a huge blow-out of screenshots of upcoming Genesis games) is what made me want one.

BTW, while Nickelodeon was good in the 90's, the golden age of the channel was the mid to late 80's when they had shows like Pinwheel (the alternative to Sesame Street), You Can't Do That On Television, Turkey Television, Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, The Mysterious Cities of Gold, Finders Keepers, Grimm's Fairy Tales (which was done by Studio Ghibli I believe), (the original) Double Dare and others.

Or, my mind could just be clouded by nostalgia, and all of those shows sucked.
05 Apr 2006, 09:15 PM
Ex Ranza

Actually, the first time I saw the Genesis version of Ghouls 'n Ghosts in motion was on Total Panic. Like supergrafxengine, I taped it and watched it over and over again that Sunday.

I also seem to remember a segment on another day where they introduced the then-new 16-bit systems. They had Space Harrier II and R-Type again, I think. I'd totally forgotten about this show.. awesome.
05 Apr 2006, 10:19 PM
parallaxscroll

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ex Ranza

Actually, the first time I saw the Genesis version of Ghouls 'n Ghosts in motion was on Total Panic. Like supergrafxengine, I taped it and watched it over and over again that Sunday.

awesome! I don't feel so alone anymore :P

you know what? I have SOME footage of Ghouls 'N Ghosts on Total Panic.
*possibly* the same thing you watched where the host is being, uh semi-funny, in a not so funny way (i still liked it)

The amount of footage I have of it, is, very minimal. a few seconds.
edit: it's 21 seconds, with no audible sound for the first ~7 seconds.

I wonder if it would be worth uploading? edit: okay I will :D

.....it's the part where he is on the Demon Mountains with the pink tounges and he reaches the large Cloud boss. that's it.

I also have about 2-3 seconds worth of the female host (Molly Scott) reviewing Genesis Truxton. edit: after looking at it, it's only 2 seconds,
NOT worth bothering, since most of it was taped over years ago.

edit:

but the Ghouls N Ghosts Total Panic footage is coming.. though it's nothing great at all, not nearly as worthwhile as what I posted yesterday.

but, since you mentioned it.... here you are. Enjoy, if you can, this very short, incredibly low-quality trip down memory lane, in all of its grainy, noisey, low-def VHS glory

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSXmtzAmZ1k

damn, I wish I had all of it -- near the beginning, I remember the host says something like, I'll rescue the princess from 'these naives' or, "you naive!"
or something incredibly silly to the effect. my parents were like, what is that junk you're watching, and I was like.... they're reviewing this awesome new videogame that you said you'd get me :D :D :D :D :D

(oh God, the memories!)

today, I AM LIVING IN THE PAST! :P

Quote:

I also seem to remember a segment on another day where they introduced the then-new 16-bit systems. They had Space Harrier II and R-Type again, I think. I'd totally forgotten about this show.. awesome.

I have no doubt about your memory, whether it is exactly right,
or close to it. I think I too remember them introducing the then-new
16-bit systems, and seeing Space Harrier II.

I remember, on another day, they showed Battle Squadron for the Amiga
(I don't think it had been released on Genesis yet)

*kicks himself for not having much more footage left*
05 Apr 2006, 10:38 PM
RoleTroll

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh

hooray!

Your mom said hooray.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DirtySouth

BTW, while Nickelodeon was good in the 90's, the golden age of the channel was the mid to late 80's when they had shows like Pinwheel (the alternative to Sesame Street), You Can't Do That On Television, Turkey Television, Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, The Mysterious Cities of Gold, Finders Keepers, Grimm's Fairy Tales (which was done by Studio Ghibli I believe), (the original) Double Dare and others.

I loved the old B&W shows on Nick. Dennis the Menace, Lassie, etc. Great stuff.