threevue

Maybe bad is a little too strong. After I saw the first ad for G4TVs video game themed, video game based cartoon Code Monkeys, I was excited.

Then I saw the first episode and my hopes died faster than Jesse Camp’s career. You know the mark of quality when something arises and you don’t feel the need to try and like it. You have to try to like Code Monkeys. I like G4 a lot, it gives me Ninj Warrior and AOTS. So I think think it is acceptable to assume that a show, made to look like an 8-bit game, about making 8-bit games coming from the network that covers and rates…8-bit games (among other things) would be half way cool. But that is the problem, the show is only half way cool. And we all know that a grade of 50% is failing. So lets try to figure out what it is that limits Code Monkeys from being as awesome as everyone had hoped.

Stop right there.

What did we see? The token token-black-guy (intentional use of token twice, get it?), poop jokes, a guy giving the pinky-index “rock & roll ” sign over the title. Tsk tsk. Classic first season show mistakes. Lots of these things go away by Season 2, no problem. But listen to me talk about this show like I’m a regular Tony Danza. Let’s look at the show’s strong point, referencial video game in-jokes. Not since that one episode of Futurama with Fry and the What-If Machine have I seen so as many subtle nods to video games. The show has lots of  reminders of Nes era games as well as the liner jokes that appear in the health bar above the screen. They’re funny and they reward viewers who are half way smart and pay attention. I was pumped when I realized that when the characters get hit they took the faces from River City Ransom. Also, Clarence is funny.

I hope they tighten things up on the show in the upcoming seasons, I would love to have a game show that is actually funny, and not X-Play.