Videogame Nation is a British entertainment television series produced by Ginx TV, focusing on video games. It was broadcast on Challenge from 30 March 2014 to 11 June 2016.[2]
Background
It was originally presented by Tom Deacon (who was later replaced by Nathan Caton) and Emily Hartridge. The original version of the show was negatively received by viewers, so on 16 August 2014, it was completely revamped with new hosts Dan Maher (Explosive Alan), John Robertson (who first appeared as a guest) and Aoife Wilson (Eurogamer).[3]
Episodes
This is a list of Videogame Nation episodes, the first 20 episodes did not have a specific title or focus.
Videogame Nation takes an irreverent look at gaming culture: in this first episode, they indulge in a retro overview of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and run down their Top 5 of the worst sidekicks in video games.
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6 April 2014 (2014-04-06)
A look at John Robertson's live interactive game and show The Dark Room, and the Top 5 worst power ups.
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13 April 2014 (2014-04-13)
A chat about Street Fighter IV with Ryan Heart, and the Top 5 least scary monsters.
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20 April 2014 (2014-04-20)
A Rayman Legends challenge, and the Top 5 worst player likenesses.
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27 April 2014 (2014-04-27)
The presenters take their sweet time with a Fighter Within challenge and talk about the Top 5 worst fighting games.
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4 May 2014 (2014-05-04)
They have a go on Kinect Sports Rivals, and check out the Top 5 worst motion-controlled games.
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11 May 2014 (2014-05-11)
In this episode, they get started on their Trials Fusion challenge and discover the Top 5 worst licensed movie games.
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18 May 2014 (2014-05-18)
They crack at a Bomberman challenge and count down the Top 5 worst wrestling games.
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25 May 2014 (2014-05-25)
They tackle a Mario Kart 8 challenge and snip at the Top 10 franchises that just need to die.
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1 June 2014 (2014-06-01)
An ultimate countdown of the Top 5 worst Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games, and they take on an NBA Jam challenge.
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8 June 2014 (2014-06-08)
Watch Dogs is under scrutiny this time, along with a look at the 10 worst Nintendo games.
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15 June 2014 (2014-06-15)
They give their opinion about the all guns blazing Wolfenstein: The New Order, and take a look at the 10 worst sports games in history.
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22 June 2014 (2014-06-22)
In this episode, there's a first look at Dark Souls II, and a countdown of the Top 5 games missing from E3 2014.
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29 June 2014 (2014-06-29)
A talk about eSports with Gfinity, and a countdown of the Top 10 indie games of 2014.
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6 July 2014 (2014-07-06)
Some of the best tips with eSports commentary training from Gfinity, and a selection of the Top 10 platformers of 2014.
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13 July 2014 (2014-07-13)
They talk about LittleBigPlanet 3 and pick their Top 10 consoles of all time in this episode.
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20 July 2014 (2014-07-20)
We learn more about Battlefield Hardline and the countdown of the Top 10 shooters you've never heard of.
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27 July 2014 (2014-07-27)
In this episode, we learn more about Dragon Age: Inquisition, and a countdown of Top 10 role playing games.
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3 August 2014 (2014-08-03)
A FIFA 14 challenge, and a countdown of the Top 10 sports games that aren't sports in this episode of Videogame Nation.
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10 August 2014 (2014-08-10)
Open world games is the theme of this episode as John delves into the roots and future of the genre, and discover the definitive Top 10.
Watch Dogs is the game of the day on this episode as Ant jumps into Ubisoft's open world Chicago, whilst Dan checks out the game's unique hacking mechanic.
Mario Kart 8 is the game of the day in this episode as Dan drifts through Nintendo's premium kart racer, and then challenges the rest of the team to a round of multiplayer action.
Minecraft is the game of the day as John takes on Mojang's indie blockbuster, whilst Dan visits London-based developer, State of Play to check out Lumino City.
The Last of Us Remastered is the game of the day as Aoife survives Naughty Dog's post-pandemic apocalypse, whilst Dan chats to Mike Bithell, the creator of Thomas Was Alone.
Destiny is the game of the day as Dan battles the hordes in Bungie's sci-fi epic, whilst John heads down to the arcade to check out classic co-op shooters, House of the Dead and Time Crisis 2.
Hyrule Warriors is the game of the day as John dives into Nintendo's fusion of the Zelda and Dynasty Warriors series, whilst Dan checks out some of gaming's greatest spin-offs.
Forza Horizon 2 is the game of the day as John take us through a journey into retro driving games, while Neil Cole sits back into a Mad Catz steering wheel to enjoy Forza Horizon's scenery.
We dive into the Tolkien and Lord of the Rings world with Shadow of Mordor, the game of the day on Videogame Nation with Aoife and Dan, whilst John browses through previous games derived from franchises.
Dan and Aoife tinker around The Evil Within, the horror game of the day on Videogame Nation. After much comparing to Resident Evil 5, John explores the creative madness of Japanese developer Shinji Mikami.
Bayonetta 2 is the game of the day as Aoife admires the plastic, battle skills and attitude of the game's heroine, and we take a discerning look at female protagonists in games.
Sunset Overdrive is the game of the day as Dan and Aoife use Xbox One's colour-soaked game world as a bouncy castle and explore what's so fun about funny games.
Assassin's Creed: Unity is the game of the day from Paris as Aoife compares the real deal with its revolutionary in-game version, and John introduces us to the game's assassins in his wanted list.
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"Games of 2014"
13 December 2014 (2014-12-13)
Too many games and too little time? Check out the Videogame Nation's own selection of the top games of 2014. Did your favourites feature on the list?
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"Trends of 2014"
20 December 2014 (2014-12-20)
Too many games and too little time? Check out the Videogame Nation's own selection of the top gaming trends of 2014. Did your favourites feature on the list?
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D takes centre stage on this episode, whilst John rates his top 5 time travel games and Aoife and Dan review the New Nintendo 3DS.
Grim Fandango Remastered is in the spotlight this time, whilst the team check out gaming's top 5 re-releases and take a trip back to the golden era of adventure games.
Steampunk third-person shooter The Order: 1886 is the top billing this time, and Dan, John and Aoife take a look at some of the new gaming franchises of 2015.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is in the sights this time as Dan, John and Aoife delve into what makes military shooters so popular and learn the unique charm of Exo Zombies.
Touching independent game Never Alone takes centre stage on this episode as John waxes lyrical about games with a message and Aoife takes a look at Never Alone's cultural insights.
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7
"Wrestling Games"
28 March 2015 (2015-03-28)
Wrestling fans unite as Videogame Nation charts the history of wrestling in gaming. From TNA to WWE via nWo, John uncovers everything the genre has given to video games.
Telltale's take on Game of Thrones is in the spotlight as Dan, John, Aoife and the rest of the VGN team take a look at the popularity of episodic gaming.
Gothic adventure Bloodborne takes top billing as Dan, John, Aoife and the team get to grips with From Software's brutally hard game and crack the allure of the console exclusive.
Indie game sensation, OlliOlli grinds into view as Dan, John, Aoife and the team check out gaming's greatest skaters and wax lyrical on the extreme sports genre.
Nintendo's epic brawler, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U takes to the ring for this spectacular episode. The VGN industry experts deck it out over what makes the fighting genre so popular, and pit the team against each other in a Smash fight to the (virtual) death!
The biggest game on the planet, League of Legends takes centre stage on as newbies Dan and Aoife find out what makes the game such a sensation, John counts down his top 5 games to play on Twitch, and the rest of the team chat their heads off about the world of eSports.
Bonkers alternate history shooter, Wolfenstein: The New Order – and its mad add-on, The Old Blood are the centre of this episode, which sees Dan, John, Aoife and the VGN team delve into the history of the retro shooter and chart the evolution of the first person shooter.
Chaotic, colourful shooter, Splatoon is in the sights on this episode as Dan, John, Aoife and the team take a look at Nintendo's first foray into the world of shoot-em-ups.
Fantasy epic The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is in the spotlight as Dan, John, Aoife and the team check out what could be one of this generation's defining open world games.
E3 2015 is just around the corner, so Dan and Aoife mull over their predictions for the show, whilst John counts down the top 5 most embarrassing conference moments.
Sony's seminal action/adventure franchise, Uncharted takes top billing on this explosive episode as Dan, John, Aoife and the rest of the VGN team look at gaming's greatest action set-pieces.
Rockstar's giant Grand Theft Auto franchise takes centre stage on Videogame Nation as Dan, John, Aoife and the VGN team look at its impact on gaming.
Series 3 (2015)
No. overall
No. in series
Title
Original release date
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1
"Influential Games of the 1980s"
4 July 2015 (2015-07-04)
Dan, Aoife, John and the VGN experts chart the 10 most influential titles of the 80's, a decade that saw the rise, fall and rise again of the games industry, and gave birth to some of gaming's most iconic mascots.
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2
"Influential Games of the 1990s"
11 July 2015 (2015-07-11)
Dan, Aoife, John and the VGN experts chart the 10 most influential games of the 90's, a decade that saw the birth of 3D, the creation of new genres and the rise of PlayStation.
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3
"Influential Games of the 2000s"
18 July 2015 (2015-07-18)
Dan, Aoife, John and the VGN experts chart the 10 most influential games of the 2000s, a decade that spanned three console generations, saw Microsoft enter the fray and gave us motion controls.
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4
"Influential Games of the 2010s"
25 July 2015 (2015-07-25)
Dan, Aoife, John and the VGN experts chart the 10 most influential games of the last 5 years: a period that’s seen the success of mobile gaming, given us huge, sprawling open worlds and the most powerful generation of consoles and PCs to date.
British game developer, Rare take centre stage on this episode as Dan, Aoife, John and the VGN experts talk up their 30 years of game experience taking in everything from Goldeneye 007 to Battletoads via Banjo Kazooie.
Mega franchise, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic World get the Lego treatment on this episode as Dan, Aoife, John and the VGN panel talk dinosaurs, Spielberg and Lego games in equal measure.
The caped crusader's gaming trilogy has come to an end in Batman Arkham Knight, which takes centre stage on this episode as Dan, John, Aoife and the VGN team chalk up Batman's success as a gaming protagonist and figure out the pitfalls for licensed superhero games.
Classic cover shooter, Gears of War and its remaster for the Xbox One, are in the sights on this episode as Dan, John, Aoife and the VGN team revisit the Microsoft exclusive and talk up the ups and downs of remasters.
First-person mystery, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture strides into view on this episode as Dan, John, Aoife and the VGN panel check out the experiential genre.
Mike Bithell's stealth game, Volume, is in the spotlight on this episode as Dan, John, Aoife and the VGN panel talk up the allure of stealth in gaming.
As Mario turns 30 years old, Dan, John and Aoife celebrate the Italian plumber's gaming adventures with a challenge on the Nintendo mascot's latest game, Super Mario Maker.
Dan, John and Aoife discuss post-apocalyptic action-adventure game Mad Max before going head to head in the unique vehicle football game, Rocket League.
Mad space simulator, Kerbal Space Program is the centre of this episode as Dan, John, Aoife and the VGN panel talk up gaming's greatest spaceships and race to be the first to get their rocket into space.
Dan, John and Aoife discuss the episodic genre and take a look at the interactive drama Life Is Strange, a game that follows a young woman with the ability to rewind time.
With James Bond's newest film Spectre hitting cinemas, Dan, John, Aoife and the team take a look at 007's contribution to gaming.
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18
"Halloween Special"
31 October 2015 (2015-10-31)
The team celebrate Halloween by charting the ten best horror games of all time. It's a genre with several classics to its name, but which one will come out on top?
Dan, John and Aoife chart the success of the Tomb Raider franchise as Lara Croft returns in the action-adventure video game sequel Rise of the Tomb Raider.
With the release of Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid V and The Witcher 3, 2015 has been an epic year for video games. The Videogame Nation team count down the top 20. What will be number one?
The spotlight falls on the iconic Resident Evil franchise this week as Dan, John and Aoife take a look at what makes Capcom's survival horror series so popular.
Pokemon is 20 years old and Videogame Nation is celebrating with a special show charting the history of what is one of the most popular franchises of all time.
The team looks at the hotly anticipated time-manipulating third-person shooter Quantum Break before chatting about gaming's greatest time travel games.
Dan, John and Aoife discuss the merits of interactive storytelling as they take a look at one of the most hotly anticipated games of 2016: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
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21
"Videogame Nation Challenge Special"
4 June 2016 (2016-06-04)
Dan, John and Aoife compete in a series of gaming challenges to determine who is the greatest gamer on the Videogame Nation presenting team.
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