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Gripe #029: Extended Play
7/05/01

I know many of you may not get satellite or digital cable (200+ cable channels), but if you do, or your cable company carries TechTV (My favorite channel), you would come across Extended Play. EP is TechTV's video game show...Don't get me wrong, I love the show. So why am I griping? For one thing, it's only 30 minutes. 30 minutes to pack in news, reviews, previews, and product reviews. That isn't much time, if you ask me. Plus, they review games a month old half the time. TechTV...PLEASE MAKE THIS AN HOUR LONG SHOW! *ahem* Here's another issue: The hosts (Adam Sessler and Kate Botello..I'll get to them later) claim to have strategy guides for games. While *sometimes* the guides might help you a wee bit, the guides are pretty much for complete and utter idiots who have never played games in their lives! Like Adam and the EP crew needed to get a NFL football player to tell me "When you find a player that can run the ball well, use him" in Madden 2001 on PS2?! I KNOW THAT!!! Like I needed tips from COOLIO (Yes, the rapper) on how to play NBA 2k1 on the 'net. As you know, I am very well trained on how to play over the 'net (Hence my mom having to pay $1000+ for long distance...spam that SegaNet). Like I needed tips from a former UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) champion to tell me how to play UFC on the Dreamcast. Most of his tips were completely stupid and useless in the long run. "Pratice, practice, pratice" he says. SHUT UP!! I KNOW!! Atleast I got some comedy with Adam's guide to Omnimusha (whatever) Warlords on PS2. "Look out for that! Don't step on that! Pull the middle lever! WATCH OUT! sucker punch..." LOL, you had to see it. Adam's a goof. This leads me to the hosts...Adam and Kate are..well, okay I guess. They get on my nerves when they pronounce the NES "the NESS" or SNES "the SENESS". DAMN IT! JUST CALL IT THE N-E-S and S-N-E-S! WHO THE HELL SAYS "Hey, I have a SENESS"!? NOBODY! Here's another thing: I'm no fashion guru, and I know everyone at TechTV's a geek, but geez, Adam and Kate when the awards for worst dressed hosts on TechTV hands down. Don't believe me? Check out these pics:

	Now. Honestly, look at this picture and not laugh. I dare you. Adam often over reacts things, and it's often funny since he has very "serious-like" voice and when he does over react, I'm sorry..I roll on the ground laughing. This is Adam before he bleached his hair..
And here's Kate Botello, TechTV's 2nd red-head (taking a backseat to Jessica Corbin of my favorite show "The Screen Savers). Okay, no. That "do" isn't working for ya, Kate (You think this is bad, you should've seen her at the Tokyo Game Show..AHHH!). Many sites tell me she looked a lot better when she hosted "The Screen Savers" back in '98, and since she left, she went downhill. Enough with her looks before Kate Botello fans hang me..
	And here's ol' Adam at CES 2001 in January 2001...with his hair bleached. Now honestly, I didn't see him before he did that, so I didn't think too much of it, but after seeing that pic above of him..I couldn't contain myself..once again, Adam manages to make me laugh hysterically. Oh yeah, there's one more thing that erks me about this show...
Extended Play is the only reason why I went through with buying a Dreamcast. You see, the day I was supposed to get one (1/23/01) Sega announced that they would stop making the DC. I said, "Oh well, I'll get a PS2..". However, after school on 1/24/01 Tech TV News was on and Adam Sessler kept saying "Dispite this tragic news of Sega discontinuing the Dreamcast gaming system, there are still a lot of quality titles being released this year.". That and Kate Botello kept plugging the Dreamcast on every show saying that it's the best and all that jive. So, guess what? Dispite my mom saying "Wait until the PS2's come back in, it's not like they've stopped making them", I listened to Adam and Kate and bought the spam Dreamcast, only to have the price drop to $99 two days later(after my mom spent $288 bucks on the system and stuff)...that and..well, read Gripe #016.	You litterally couldn't watch an episode of Extended Play without them talking about the gaming goodness that is the Dreamcast. There sure pulled me in..damn that footage of Phantasy Star Online...AND I NEVER GOT TO PLAY IT!

END GRIPE!!