Blast from the Past: Starcade

Superstation WTBS was the shiz back in the day. Not only did they have Night Tracks and an undending supply of the best classic programming (The Carol Burnett Show and Mama's Family, to name a few), but they had Starcade, the f-ing bomb.





My brother and I (self-proclaimed GEEKS) would make an effort to get up early (it was probably close to 6am) on Saturday mornings to watch this nerdfest. Starcade allowed video game geeks to compete head-to-head in the best aracade games of the time. Two competitors answered trivia questions to determine who would be the first to choose from 5 top-notch arcade games. The first player was then given a set amount of time to score as many points as possible. The second player was then given the chance to beat that score.

Two more rounds were played the same way, and the leader after the 2nd round could play "Name the Game" to win prizes by ID'ing screenshots of video games. The player in the lead at the end of the third round won the game and a bonus prize, and got to move to the bonus round, where they had 30 seconds to beat the average of 20 high-score games.

The Grand Prize? Oh, just a full-size arcade game console or a freakin' jukebox, or even an awesome robot.

Yes, a robot.

Here is Starcade in action, baby. Enjoy.




Fun fact? Larry Wilcox was featured on this show. No, not Heather's dad* - the blonde cop from Chips.

*This is an inside joke that may or may not work for you. Most people I've met know a Heather Wilcox.