VideoGaiden series two to have 30-minute episodes

What do you get when you take two brutally honest Scottish video gamers, give them some games, and then ask them to review them on a freely downloadable internet programme? You get Consolevania: a show that’s been so popular online that the BBC saw fit to let them have a ten-minute slot on BBC Scotland to provide a late-night condensed version called videoGaiden. It was received very favourably, and several months ago the BBC announced to a joyous internet community that the programme would be returning for a second series.

However, one of the major criticisms of the first series was how short each episode was: ten minutes long. Needless to say, this made it difficult for the Scots who’re used to entertaining for a full 30 minutes to provide an experience that met the high level Consolevania set long ago. They managed it, but it was tight. The show would really have benefited from a bit more breathing room.

According to Andy, the BBC has heard these wishes. Yes, that’s right — the next series of videoGaiden will have a full 30-minute slot! It’s going to be just like having Consolevania in your living room. And if it carries on building momentum, we could be seeing it on the national BBC rather than just the localised Scottish version. Sure, it’s still available to the whole country if you’re on cable/Sky, but it’ll obviously fly under the radar for those not looking out for it.

And that’s what we need. We need something like videoGaiden to hit the mainstream, smack everybody in the face with its quality, and act as a wake-up call to those responsible for the trashy rubbish that video game TV has become since the days of GamesMaster. Want to see this happen? All you have to do is keep an eye on the TV schedule (or my blog) and make sure you tune in. Tell all your friends and family to do the same. If you have a disabled granny in a retirement home, set her TV to automatically switch over to videoGaiden. I want to see those ratings soar like eagles on pogo sticks.

If you’re unfortunate enough to have never seen Consolevania before, I suggest going over to the official website and grabbing the latest episode, which comes with a review of brand new Half-Life 2 mod The Ship. Alternatively, scope out YouTube for some choice clips such as this (review of Hitman: Blood Money).