X-Play
From Wikislippy
X-Play is an American video game news show on G4. The show began as a video game review show on TechTV
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GameSpot TV
X-Play originated in 1998 on ZDTV as GameSpot TV. The show was originally hosted by Adam Sessler and Lauren Fielder until 1999 when she was replaced with Kate Botello. The show was filmed on a simple ZDTV studio set consisting of fake-brick walls, randomly positioned TV monitors, and functioning arcade game cabinets.For the occasional special episode, filming would move off-site to another location, such as the Sony Metreon arcade, and numerous game conventions such as E3.
Each episode would start off with Game News, where Sessler or Fielder would give a brief overview of top news stories featured on the GameSpot website. Game reviews were run in a segment known as The Grill (games were graded on GameSpot's official 0.1-10.0 system), Spotlight showcased special content such as interviews with industry leaders, and Game Breakers featured strategy guides and hints for recently released games. New episodes would debut on weekend mornings at 10:00 a.m. EST.
Extended Play
After ZDTV changed to TechTV, the partnership with Ziff Davis' GameSpot ended. This caused the show to be renamed to Extended Play in 2001.
When GameSpot TV converted to Extended Play, the show moved entirely to the Metreon, and took on a very simple style and format. Filming consisted of co-hosts Sessler and Botello and a small single camera crew; the show featured strictly game reviews and game hints, and the 10-point grading system changed to a 5-point system.
New episodes debuted once a week at 9:00 p.m. EST. Like GameSpot TV, certain special episodes would be filmed elsewhere. In August 2002, the series became a daily program with a mix of repeats and first-run episodes airing Monday-Friday at 4:00 p.m. EST, with Friday episodes remaining in the 9:00 p.m. timeslot. After the departure of Botello in early 2002, Sessler continued to host at the Metreon by himself.
