Xplay
X-Play (previously GameSpot TV and Extended Play) is the highest rated video game review show on television. The program airs on G4 in America, on G4TechTV in Canada, and on Fuel TV in Australia. The show is hosted by Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb. Sessler is the original host of the program; he has co-hosted in the past with Lauren Fielder and Kate Botello, respectively. X-Play began on ZDTV in 1998 as GameSpot TV where Sessler co-hosted with Fielder for the show's first year, then co-hosted with Botello up through 2002. The show was renamed to Extended Play in 2001 after ZDTV changed to TechTV and the partnership with Ziff Davis' GameSpot ended. Botello left in early 2002, and Sessler hosted the show by himself up until April 2003, when Webb joined the cast and the show was renamed to X-Play. It is the only show to entirely survive the May 2004 merger of G4 and TechTV.
The show revolves around Sessler and Webb's banter between reviews and previews of popular video games, and quirky sketches generally centered around a specific theme. The humor on the show is inconsistent, tending to fluctuate between highbrow educated references and lowbrow juvenile jokes; the latter typically being much to the dismay of Webb.
History of the show's format
GameSpot TV, Extended Play and X-Play all originated in San Francisco, California. Over the show's eight year history, it has gone through numerous changes, in more than just name.
GameSpot TV
In the days of Gamespot TV, the show was filmed on a simple ZDTV studio set consisting of faux-brick walls, randomly positioned TV monitors (running the GameSpot TV logo and assorted videogame footage), and functioning Gauntlet Legends and Rival Schools arcade game cabinets. For the occasional special episode, filming would move off-site to another location, such as the Sony Metreon arcade, and numerous game conventions such as the Classic Gaming Expo and E3. Each episode would start off with "Game News", where Adam Sessler would give a brief overview of top news stories on the GameSpot website. Game reviews were run in a segment known as "The Grill" (games were graded on GameSpot's official .1-10.0 system), "Spotlight" showcased special content such as interviews with industry leaders, and "Game Breakers" featured strategy guides and hints for various recently released games. New episodes would debut on weekend mornings at 10:00 AM eastern.
Extended Play
When GameSpot TV converted to Extended Play, the show moved entirely to the Metreon, and took on a very simple style and format. Filming consisted of co-hosts Sessler and Botello and a small single camera crew, the show featured strictly game reviews and game hints, and the 10-point grading system changed to a 5-point system. New episodes debuted once a week at 9:00 PM eastern. Like GameSpot TV, certain special episodes would be filmed elsewhere. In August 2002, the series became a daily program with a mix of repeats and first-run episodes airing Monday-Friday at 4 PM ET, with the Friday at 9 PM berth also kept. After the departure of Botello, Sessler continued to host at Metreon by himself until the change to X-Play in April 2003.
X-Play San Francisco
When X-Play debuted, the show moved back to the TechTV studios from the Metreon, and Morgan Webb came onboard as co-host, leaving her previous hosting duties on TechTV's The Screen Savers and Call For Help. X-Play had a larger scale than that of Extended Play, but it still maintained an extremely simple and spartan style. Filming was done in TechTV's Studio B, home to the sets of Call For Help and TechLive. The filming setup was increased to three cameras; a main floor camera, a Jibcam for high angle shots, and a black-and-white handheld DV camera, which would be cut to suddenly and intermittently throughout episodes. X-Play's primary set consisted of a single couch, coffee table and television positioned in the middle of the large studio floor, but hosts Sessler and Webb would migrate around various areas of the studio, normally not even going to their actual set until the end of the program. The show's format consisted primarily of game reviews and previews, with an occasional game-related sketch thrown in for comedic value. Unlike its predecessors, X-Play had more of an edge, containing minor adult language and more mature subject matter. As a result, it was paired in a programming block with the network's other new show, Unscrewed with Martin Sargent. X-Play originally ran new episodes five nights a week at 11:30 PM ET, but it was moved up to 11:00 ET soon after.
X-Play Los Angeles
TechTV was purchased by G4 in May 2004, and X-Play moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The show is now filmed in a small studio set resembling a lounge or "rumpus room". The set contains an anonymous functioning arcade cabinet (adorned with X-Play logos), a sofa and coffee table, a bar counter and stools, and two chairs positioned in front of a plasma TV. The TV is used at the show's introduction to run preview footage of the games featured in each episode. Sessler and Webb move back and forth between the different areas of the set throughout the show. Like every previous incarnation, X-Play is occasionally filmed off-site for certain episodes, like Tokyo Game Show and E3. The show still contains edgy, mature (sometimes controversial) subject matter and strong language, but new episodes now debut on weekdays at 4:00 PM ET. As of April 10th, 2006, X-Play no longer has its 11:00 PM ET slot. Due to the increased workloads of Webb, Sessler and the rest of the X-Play staff, there are only three new episodes per week; Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Reviews and coverage
The video game reviews on X-Play use a five-point rating scale;
- 5 - Perfect. A must-own game.
- 4 - Great. The game may have a couple of faults, but it's still worth buying.
- 3 - Average. Nothing special, possibly worth a rental or purchase for casual fans of the game or genre.
- 2 - Mediocre. Can only be recommended as a rental for serious fans of the game or genre.
- 1 - Terrible. The game is very poorly designed, to the point of actually being unplayable.
Games that score a 5 and many that score a 4 are compiled for both an annual holiday buyer's guide episode known as the Non-Denominational Winter Season Buyer's Guide, and an end-of-the-year "Best Of" show that categorizes the games according to system or genre (racing, platformer, etc).
X-Play is also known for its in-depth coverage of video games at annual conventions including the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Tokyo Game Show, and Electronic Entertainment Expo (E³), although the latter two events have been covered by the entire channel since TechTV merged with G4. Similar to the holiday review guide, an annual Best Of E³ episode showcases buzzworthy games for all of the current systems, leading up to what X-Play believes to be the most promising game of the year. The show has also been known to cover the Game Developers Conference (GDC).
Trademarks
The disembodied voice announcer begins each episode with an often over-the-top introduction to which the hosts usually respond or comment (these comments are widely varied ranging from total non-sequiters to Gilbert and Sullivan references and current events). In March 2005, production assistant and disembodied voice announcer Jason Frankovitz left X-Play. After a period of experimentation with various joke announcers, a legitimate new announcer was chosen.
Sessler used to occasionally say "Dik-Dik", and in the days of TechTV regularly wore a "Dik-Dik" t-shirt on-air. This is in reference to the manga and anime Ultimate Muscle, which contains a character named Dik-Dik Van Dik, whose Japanese name is "Gazelleman." Sessler has said in interviews that he likes the phrase "Dik-Dik" because it's a subtle way to legally use questionable words on TV. Due to a G4 policy stating that all on-air talent must be supplied with a stock wardrobe (as opposed to TechTV, where personalities were allowed to wear their own clothing on-air), Sessler no longer wears the Dik-Dik shirt on X-Play.
Celebrity "impressions" are done once in a while, via cut-out images of celebrities with a moving jaw section. Past impressions have included Steven Segal, Bob Dole, Al Pacino, Tom Cruise, Paris Hilton, Sean Connery, Patrick Stewart, OJ Simpson, Pete Rose, The Beatles, Barry Bonds, John Malkovich, Andrew Dice Clay, Ozzy Osbourne, Stan Lee, former FEMA Director Michael Brown, and Vice President Dick Cheney.
During reviews, cropped images of kittens are often used to censor particularly violent or grotesque sequences. In a similar fashion, images of puppies were used in a review of Dead to Rights 2 and images of babies were used in a review for The Suffering: Ties That Bind.
Sketches and segments
Sketches are sometimes shown between reviews. These sketches normally deal with video game related topics. For example, one episode had a sketch about poorly done Japanese-to-English translations in video games, while another documented games you should never buy. Adam and Morgan are often seen playing recurring character roles in many of these sketches.
SHOCKED! with Shad Grimgravy
Sessler's trademark character is Shad Grimgravy, an excessively flamboyant, poetic and melodramatic Rip Taylor-esque "news correspondent", who humorously covers various video game topics, such as the aforementioned Japanese-to-English language sketch, violent games, children's educational games, the Dance Dance Revolution phenomenon, and the strange web games that are created by companies such as Hershey's and Frito-Lay to try and attract customers.
Morgan Von Webb
Morgan Webb's darker alter ego is Morgan Von Webb, a mad scientist with a deliberately bad Transylvanian accent.
Only 2 segments have been made with the Morgan Von Webb character;
- "Webb of Destruction", where Morgan tests the physical durability of three game consoles (GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2) to see which system(s) could still successfully function afterwards. Her tests included dropping a 10-pound weight on each of the consoles, striking the consoles with a 20-pound sledgehammer, and dropping them each off a 15-foot-high ledge. The PS2 was the first to be eliminated, failing to boot up after having the weight dropped on it. The Xbox was eliminated in the "drop off the ledge" test, it was rendered unplayable after the system's entire front side and power switch shattered. The GameCube was the only console to completely survive, successfully booting up after all three tests. Afterwards, Morgan seductively proclaims that "Ze losers must be punished", and she proceeds to destroy the Xbox and PS2 with the sledgehammer. Immediately following the segment, Morgan and Adam, sensing that some viewers would question the validity of the segment, revealed that they actually performed these tests twice, as to ensure that the results were not a fluke. On both occasions, the outcome was exactly the same as stated.
- "RPG Radiculopathy", starring Adam as Morgan's test subject, who has played so many role-playing games that he starts confusing and incorporating events from his games into real-life experiences. For example, after trying unsuccessfully to get into a nightclub in real life, Adam initiates a turn-based RPG-style battle with the bouncer. The sketch culminates with Adam fighting in real life against a character of his own imagination (Ratty Handpuppet), who ends up biting Adam's head off (parodying a scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail).
Sensitive Sess with Adam
A parody of daytime talk show dramas and a contradiction of the segment's own title, Adam interviews and viciously mocks gamers (played by X-Play's Interns) who have been unfortunate in life, such as a gamer who lost his thumbs, and Billy , a Pokémon card player with no friends that happened to cross paths with a violent Yu-Gi-Oh! card-playing street gang. After the gang physically assaults Billy, Sessler steals Billy's wallet.
Games For Cheap Bastards presented by EBGames
Games that scored a 4 or 5 in the previous year that have since been reduced in retail price to $20 or less are reshown in this segment. An opposing segment was created in 2005, titled Games for Rich Bastards. The segment featured games that boasted considerably larger price tags ($70 and up), such as Steel Battalion, a mech simulation game notorious for being sold pre-packaged with an immense $200 40-button joypad. The segment also featured one of Adam's "personal favorite games", the Japanese version of Rez, infamous for its' "Trance Vibrator" peripheral. Games For Cheap Bastards appeared to have been discontinued for some time, but in April 2006 it made a return to X-Play, sans the EBGames sponsorship.
Weird Games presented by EBGames
Odd or unusual games, such as Katamari Damacy and Cubivore, are featured in this segment. Like Games For Cheap Bastards, this segment also appeared to have been discontinued, but it returned in April 2006, minus the EBGames sponsorship.
Crazy Adam's Import Game of the Week
In a vein similar to Weird Games, Adam, portraying a stereotypical southern car salesman, pitches and showcases odd games that are unavailable in America (typically Japanese-based games). Adam occasionally interrupts the game's feature to scream about his "LOW LOW PRICES!!!" and how he's "still crazy!" This segment began in April 2006.
Spoiler Theatre
In this segment, Adam and Morgan showcase and spoil the endings of current-generation games that have been on the market for some time. Past games have included Metroid Prime, Def Jam: Fight For New York, Halo: Combat Evolved, Digital Devil Saga, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, and Resident Evil 4 (GameCube version).
Golden Mullet Awards
In a polar opposite of X-Play's yearly "Best Of" special, X-Play also has a yearly special showcasing the absolute worst video games (that scored a 1 or 2) of the past year; the special is known as The Golden Mullet Awards. It was named after the shoddily-designed 2003 video game Aquaman:Battle For Atlantis, the game's main character had a blonde mullet hairstyle. Each installment of the awards show is highlighted by Adam and Morgan wearing tacky-looking dress clothes and each of them donning large mullet wigs.
Constant themes
Constant themes show up throughout the series. Such themes include:
- Adam and Morgan's eternal hatred for card battle games such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, Japanese dating simulation games, the repetitiveness of the Dynasty Warriors and Mega Man series, and the glut of redundant World War II strategy and first-person shooter games on the market (with the exception of Call of Duty 2).
- Like the above, there is a constant hate (mostly by Adam) for the dreaded "escort mission" usually seen in first-person shooters where the player is forced to keep an NPC character, who has his own health meter, from dying. Usually the NPC's A.I. is unsatisfactory, resulting in extremely "stupid" characters who put their own lives in harms way leaving the player with little or nothing to do about it. X-Play will often times stamp a blue sign over footage of the game of a crossed out picture of one figure holding an umbrella over another accompanied by Adam saying "We don't like escort missions."
- Adam and Morgan's constant physical and mental abuse of the show's interns.
- The vitriol towards Adam and Morgan in viewer e-mails sent by Dragon Ball Z, Inuyasha, and Fullmetal Alchemist fans.
- X-Play's not-so-thinly veiled annoyance at all departments of G4, with subtle cracks at the network's acquired programming (The Man Show and Fastlane are constant targets) and the loud, disruptive in-show ad graphics that promote G4's other programming and in turn, block out X-Play's own graphics, subtitles and skits with both noise and video elements. This was lampooned in a review of the low-rated game Dragon Booster, which had intentional fake advertisements incessantly blocking out the review. Additionally, the entire G4 network was mocked in a "We Heart Communists" parody episode of X-Play, where Adam explained that a week prior to that episode, G4 "underwent a lot of changes" and became a Communist dictatorship.
- Sessler is also known to make remarks (at his own expense) expressing his lack of bladder control, his bad luck with women, lack of education or social status, and hatred for his own life and anything Final Fantasy. His self-pity might get him Morgan's sympathy on a few occasions, but for the most part, it clearly annoys her.
- Adam and Morgan making references to each other's numerous embarrassing moments on the show, including (but not limited to) Adam's infamous penchant for stapling his own crotch and striking himself in the temple with a hammer when he's bored with a game, Adam dressing up in a yellow womens' cheerleader outfit, Morgan being forced to don a chicken costume for a review of Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, and Morgan's kiss with homicidal robot Adam V (Morgan attempted to justify this moment by alluding that she was inebriated at the time).
- Countless guest appearances by fellow G4 personality Kevin Pereira, including, to name just a few, during X-Play's 2005 April Fools' Day episode, as a brief co-host where he shamelessly advertised Attack of the Show (much to Morgan's dismay), then again during the 2005 Holiday special, where he appears at the end of the show to deliver a Christmas goose (infected with Avian Flu) to Adam and Morgan and their guests. Throughout his appearances, he constantly shows obsessive romantic feelings for Morgan (who strongly rejects his every advance), and regularly inexplicably feuds with Adam.
- There are constant jokes about viewers doubting if Morgan is actually a gamer.
- Frequent cheap shots towards numerous celebrities and Hollywood trends (Tom Cruise and Scientology are regular fodder).
- Since the release of Brokeback Mountain, X-Play has made countless references and jokes about the movie on a regular basis. At one point, Adam and Morgan apologized for this, and promised that the jokes would stop "when gay cowboys stop being funny", though Adam immediately expressed doubt that that would ever occur.
Recurring characters
These characters/personalities have made numerous appearances on the show, either as part of the show's theme or as part of the game review.
- Ratty The Handpuppet, an obscenity-spewing misanthropic hand puppet first introduced during a review of NRA Varmint Hunter (known for the phrases "oh snap!", "suck it bitches!" and a drawn out "damn!") On X-Play's 2005 holiday special it's revealed that Ratty is Jewish.
- Johnny Xtreme, a loud caricature and personification of the "X-treme" sports genre. His catchphrase, "It's extreme! TO THE MAX!" is heard often during his appearances. As an expression of how "extreme" he is, he occasionally finds the need to break a beer bottle over his crotch; normally after doing so, he encourages the person beside him to do the same, cheering them on with the phrase, "Yeah! Now you!" He co-hosted five minutes of X-Play's 2005 April Fool's Day special with Morgan; after she quickly became annoyed by his loud and somewhat vulgar attitude, Morgan shot and "killed" Johnny. He was seen again at E3 2005, attempting to pitch his own video game titled Johnny's Xtreme Adventure, and later in the G4 specials, "Race to G-Phoria" and "Chasing G-Phoria," in the summer of '05. It wasn't until the 2006 April Fool's Day episode that Johnny made his re-appearance introducing his new video game (the aforementioned Johnny's Xtreme Adventure); the game is said to have "behind the scenes looks" at its making and re-playability value with its "unlockaballz". Both Adam and Morgan gave the game a score of 3 out of 5, generally because of its basic side-scrolling and low-quality graphic visuals. Johnny, who was in the studio with Adam and Morgan during the review, was upset, said the game was "too extreme for X-Play", and stormed off.
- Guy LaFleur, aka Canadian Guy, a blatant French-Canadian stereotype and hockey fanatic, who "walked off" X-Play after Morgan gave a 3 out of 5 score to EA NHL 2006 and made jokes about the Montreal Canadiens. Guy was replaced by Le Adam Sess le'uer and Webb de Morgan, parodies of Guy performed by Adam and Morgan, who wear down-filled coats and Ushankas similar to Guy's, and who speak with bad Quebecois accents. A third parody of Guy was also featured, performed by X-Play head writer Guy Branum. LaFleur returned a few episodes later, only to be shot, sparking a mystery as to who shot him (a parody of the Dallas "Who Shot J.R.?" storyline). It's now been stated on the show that the shooter was Wayne Gretzky and that "the mystery has been solved....maybe." Performed by Jonathan Solin.
- Roger "The Stan Lee Experience", "the 5th best thing to Stan Lee", a foul-mouthed, perverted stand-up comic parody of Marvel Comics creator Stan Lee, used when X-Play needs (but doesn't bother to get) the real Lee's insight into the latest Marvel-licensed game. Roger's segments normally consist of him describing details of numerous unspeakable adult encounters, usually involving the wife of another Marvel veteran, Jack Kirby, with each encounter somehow leading to the creation of a well-known Marvel character. Roger also appeared in the review of Karaoke Revolution Party (2006), where he sang a couple selections from the game. Performed by X-Play's associate producer Michael Leffler.
- Governatuh Ah-nuld, a gap-toothed, musclebound, sunburned parody of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Also performed by Michael Leffler.
- Sniff, a shady looking, paranoid individual whose nose is always covered in white powder (supposedly cocaine, but this is never actually explained), and who sniffs and snorts anything he sees. He also challenged the hip-hop intern Mo Pippy to a dance-off during the review of Guitar Hero. Performed by Jonathan Solin.
- Drunk Link, an alcoholic parody of Link from the Legend of Zelda series. Performed by Michael Leffler.
- The Drunk Writer, a female staffer (and girlfriend to Drunk Link) who wears a shirt bearing the words "I Need Drink", who is always seen chain smoking and drinking from a bottle of Southern Comfort, performed by X-Play's former senior writer, now G4 executive Blair Butler.
- The Screaming Intern, who only communicates in loud high-pitched screams. Played by X-Play producer Robert Manuel.
- Evil Star Wars Fanboy, who tried on two separate occasions to kill Adam and Morgan after they gave a 2 out of 5 score to Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. Performed by X-Play editor Jason Cheung.
- Jedi Master Morgan Windu, the fictional divorced widow of Star Wars character Mace Windu performed by Morgan, who fights evil fanboys using her late husband's signature purple lightsaber, which she claims to have won during their divorce hearing.
- Lando Sessler, Adam's cosplay of Star Wars character Lando Calrissian.
- The Resident Evil 4 Merchant, who haunted and annoyed the cubicles of the G4 offices with the constant queries of "What'r ya buyin'?" & "What'r ya sellin'?", until Morgan killed him during one of the merchant's "sales meetings". This character made a reappearance in the "Best of 2005" episode when Resident Evil 4 was awarded, "Game of the Year". Performed by segment producer Matt Keil.
- Billy, the man who played Pokemon, who debuted in the Sensitive Sess with Adam segment focusing on Billy. When he gets scared he likes to pretend he is "Billychu." At the end of the segment he gets beaten up by a violent Yu-Gi-Oh! card playing gang. Billy appeared again in Adam's review of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Duel Academy (2006), where he was now seen playing Yu-Gi-Oh! card battles. When he needed help, the Yu-Gi-Oh! gang would come to his aid....then beat him up. It's later seen that Billy apparently joins the gang. Billy is played by X-Play producer Robert Manuel.
- Cobra and Mongoose, badly drawn Flash-like cartoon spoofs of characters from the movie Top Gun and similar action movies. Usually Mongoose ends up dying in every segment, and Cobra just yells out "Mongooooose!" Cobra is voiced by Paul Bonanno. Mongoose is voiced by Michael Leffler.
- Kratos the God Killer, the main character from God of War who tried a new life as an intern after killing inferior gods. He made reappearances throughout X-Play's 2006 Valentine's Day special, starring in a "Dating Do's and Don't's" segment, and in parodies of the TV shows Blind Date and COPS. Performed by a G4 producer, known only as Corrado.
- Old Man Stumpy Hazleton, the senile, wheelchair-ridden X-Play video game historian. He died in his rocking chair during X-Play's 2005 "Holidays for the Homeland" special, unbeknownst to all but one of Adam and Morgan's party guests, after incessantly requesting that he, Adam and Morgan should all sing Christmas carols. Played by segment producer Paul Bonanno.
- The "Barbarians", flapping mouthed cut-outs of Jason Giambi and Sammy Sosa, with respective viking helmets and knight's helmets super-imposed onto their heads. They typically chant whatever either Sessler or Webb just said, scream, and laugh. Sessler claims they're both on his fantasy baseball team. They first appeared in Morgan's review of Armored Core: Nine Breaker (2005), and have since appeared in numerous reviews of real-time strategy games, and also a review of MLB '06: The Show.
- Special Agent Bob and Secret Agent Steve, "the best official unoffical splinter cells in the United States", characters from Splinter Cell Co-op Theater, X-Play's machinima series based on the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell games. Bob occasionally believes that his name is "Thor-Axe the Impaler" and that he is empowered by the Greek God Iapetus, and dubbed Steve as "Steve the Vagina". Whenever Steve disobeys, "Thor-Axe" throws bolts of lightning at him (the "lightning bolts" actually being Flashbang grenades). Steve is actually a double agent working for rival team Specter, as stated in an episode. Bob occasionally tries to get Steve to go see Brokeback Mountain with him.
- Grabnar the Wanderer, played by Michael Leffler, is a fictitious ancient hero whose chronicles are viewed on TV by Splinter Cell agents Bob and Steve. It was revealed in the Grabnar movie (also shown on Bob and Steve's TV) that he is really a meek young man in the 21st century named Joey, who enjoys playing Dungons and Dragons, and apparently becomes Grabnar after he consumes large quantities of Mountain Dew. That is also the only way to change him back. Grabnar's traditional battle cry is that of a high-pitched yell.
- Rodney, a mentally challenged intern who wears wrestling headgear and enjoys "playing Xerox" (unnecessarily printing blank paper from the office Xerox machine).
- Nebil Flavian, an odd, Crocodile Hunter-esque explorer who hosts his own segment entitled Wild Larp'ing Kingdom, an obvious parody of the Animal Planet television show Wild Kingdom. He has also co-hosted the blatant MythBusters parody, Myth Crackers!, with co-host Don RonJon. Nebil is played by X-Play's segment producer Paul Bonanno.
- Patrick "For The N-Gage!" Stewart, who always says that Star Trek and X-Men video games are for the N-Gage, simply because he likes saying the word "Engage". Stewart is played by Jonathan Solin.
- Princess Katpower, Grabnar's beloved, who announced on X-Play's 2006 Academy Awards parody episode that she had left Grabnar for Bill Bellamy, and was preparing for a staring role in an upcoming series titled "Princess Katpower's Reasons Why Not." Played by X-Play intern Emily Mollenkopf.
- The Yu-Gi-Oh! Street Gang, a gang who dresses and acts like gangsta-rappers, only their specialty is playing Yu-Gi-Oh! card battle games and being very knowledgable in the game. They first appeared in the Sensitive Sess With Adam segment that focused on Billy, the Pokemon player.
Not so-recurring characters
These characters/personalities have made one or two appearances on the show (via either short segments or complete special episodes) but are not really considered 'regulars'.
- Adam V, a robot intern who murdered most of the X-Play staff, until Morgan stopped his rampage by falling in love with him and teaching him about sacrifices in the name of love, eventually sharing a kiss with him. Nine months after the above events (canon), it's revealed that Morgan and Adam V gave birth to a cyborg baby. Their story theoretically ends six months later (real-time) on a second robot-themed episode of X-Play, when Morgan proclaims that robots are incapable of loving; this would imply that things between her and Adam V didn't work out. The identity of the actor who played Adam V is unknown.
- Raoul Sessler and Amelia Earhart, parodies of the Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo characters from the Hunter S. Thompson story Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas. Performed by Adam and Morgan in a Fear and Loathing parody episode of X-Play, when they venture out to the New Mexico desert in search of the infamous missing E.T. cartridges.
- Adam 2.0, a "clone" of Adam who claims he's better looking than the original Adam, and has a "bigger hard drive". He was in select TechTV-era episodes of X-Play, and was one of Morgan's co-hosts in the 2005 April Fool's Day episode. Performed by Adam's real life twin brother Jonathan Sessler.
- Ulala, the main character from the game Space Channel 5, performed by Morgan. To get into the spirit of reviewing Space Channel 5: Ulala's Cosmic Attack for the GBA (and as a symbol of her professed legitimate adoration for the character), Morgan dons a purple wig and orange miniskirt outfit impersonating Ulala, and wanders around the TechTV office dancing and loudly playing the game. Much to Morgan's sadness, her hi-jinks only end up deeply annoying her co-workers (including Adam), who are also unable to figure out whom she's supposed to be dressed as (Matt Keil and Blair Butler think she's impersonating RuPaul, former web producer Tisha Caparaz thinks she's supposed to be a tramp).
- Slippy the Fish and Slappy the Fish, real red snappers used as comedic props. Slippy debuted in the Aquaman: Battle For Atlantis review, where he was given a tour of San Francisco by Adam. At the end of the review, Slippy makes off-color remarks about Adam's hair, and in return he is deep-fried and eaten by Adam. Slippy's cousin Slappy was introduced when Adam and Morgan returned to San Francisco for the 2005 GDC conference. Slappy ended up meeting a fate similar to his cousin's; after making inappropriate advances towards Morgan, Slappy was deep-fried and eaten by Morgan.
- The Reservoir Geeks, featuring Adam, Morgan and other X-Play staffers dressed in two-tone suits, discussing the Madonna song Like A Virgin and how it relates to video games, directly parodying the opening diner scene from the Quentin Tarantino movie Reservoir Dogs.
- Grover the Crack Squirrel, a drug-addicted squirrel puppet introduced in a review of the M-rated game NARC.
- Telly The FCC Standards & Practices Vole, a prudish rodent with a monocle and pimp hat who butted into a review of Mr. Driller Drill Spirits, which contained crude sexual humor, threatening to report Adam and Morgan for violating FCC standards by yelling 'I'm gonna report you!' (despite the FCC having no oversight of basic cable networks like G4).
- Mr. Nemeesis, the "Nemesis" character from Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, who temporarily worked for X-Play as a production assistant. Performed by outgoing executive producer (and ZDTV/TechTV veteran) Peter Hammersley.
- Albert the Happy Intern, featured in the preview for Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, is an incredibly happy, overzealous intern who adds a lot of enthusiasm into whatever he says, such as, "I look like a complete tool, 3D is AWESOME!" During a review of the game Super Princess Peach, an "X-Play Breaking News" ticker revealed that Albert had been found dead in his car. Played by intern Albert Iskander.
- "Hot Stuff" Intern, who did nothing except wander around the G4 cubicles shouting 'Hot stuff comin' your way!', an annoying quote from the game Shining Force Neo, until Adam snapped at him for becoming a nuisance. Played by Robert Manuel.
- The Insane Intern, an intern who had to be committed to an asylum after being overexposed to the game Dragon Ball Z Budokai: Tenkaichi, during the review of said game. Played by Robert Manuel. (In the review that followed this one, Adam specified that the asylum was Arkham Asylum.)
- America Man, a superhero-esque character dressed in a stars-and-stripes sweatsuit and sunglasses, who tries to convince people that they should not question things said on TV, and who tries to get rid of intolerance. Performed by Adam.
- The Breakfast Club, a direct (albeit slightly darker) parody of the 1985 movie, featuring Adam (the nerd), Morgan (the preppie), Leffler (the jock) and Kevin Pereira (the stoner) locked in a Saturday detention, and forced to write game reviews. The "basket-case" and Vernon characters also appeared in the parody, but the names of their actors are unknown.
- Gay Cowboys, featuring X-Play head writer Guy Branum and production assistant Eric Acasio, a parody based on Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain.
- Don RonJon, co-host of the X-Play segment MythCrackers, where he and the other co-host, Nebil Flavian, attempt to crack the most well-known video game myths. A parody of The Discovery Channel's MythBusters. Don is played by X-Play's head writer Guy Branum.
- The Poker Players, featuring Adam dressed as Viewtiful Joe, Morgan as Æon Flux, Robert Manuel dressed like pro poker player Phil "The Unabomber" Laak, and a driver from Ridge Racer (actor unknown), sitting around playing Five Card Stud and discussing various video games. Viewtiful Adam happens to review World Poker Tour at the table (giving it a 2 out of 5), prompting Æon Webb to review World Championship Poker which she gave a 3 out of 5 to.
- Mo Pippy, a hip-hop-style intern, who first appeared on X-Play's "Intern Hip-Hop Off" (2004) and then returned as the drummer for Adam and Morgan's rock band in a review of the game Guitar Hero (2006). Performed by former X-Play intern, now production assistant Eric Acasio.
- Cupid, an obese, underwear-clad, aggressive urban/street-talking God of Love who vehemently tries to convince Adam and Morgan to give love a chance. He ultimately fails to do this, becoming depressed by Adam and Morgan's hopelessly lonely and negative attitudes. Introduced in X-Play's 2006 Valentine's Day special, and performed by head writer Guy Branum.
- Keevon Koziasku, the flamboyant X-Play fashion critic, introduced in X-Play's Academy Awards parody episode. Also performed by Guy Branum.
- The Driller Girl, a female intern dressed in a schoolgirl outfit who has a deep enjoyment and fixation for drilling things (literally drilling into assorted items with a power drill). She appeared during the review of the Game Boy Advance game Drill Dozer (2006). Played by X-Play intern Megan.
- Sledge Ryder, an X-Play special news correspondent who covered a story about an invasion of San Francisco by the Kha'ak (an alien race from the game X3: Reunion (2006)). Played by segment producer Paul Bonanno.
- Tom Peterson and Bill Tanner, the redneck co-hosts of X-Play's "Star Wars Alliance Shopping Network", which specializes in collectible lightsabers (a parody of the Smoky Mountain Knife Works TV show). During a product demonstration, Tom accidentally severs Bill's hand with a Mace Windu lightsaber; Bill dies in Tom's arms soon after. Despite accidentally killing his best friend, Tom shamelessly (albeit tearfully) continues to peddle the show's products. Bill was played by Paul Bonanno.
On the X-Play Boards
A music video performed by the X-Play staff in homage to the frequent users of the X-Play message boards (with complete lyrics and video).
X-Play Video Podcast
On November 11, 2005, G4 started offering a video podcast feed of X-Play. Short videos of popular segments and reviews from the show are offered freely for download for people to view on their computers and portable devices.
The Interns
The "X-Play Interns" have played a tremendous part in the show's segments and have become a fan-favorite. Interns are accountable for much of the game footage seen on screen and need to be adept at game-playing and finding critical scenes/glitches/humorous text within games. In addition to having to perform in numerous segments, X-Play interns also play a role in other behind-the-scenes work at the show. Some of the past X-Play interns have eventually been hired full-time within the overall G4 company itself. The first intern to be hired was actually Jason Frankovitz who would become best known as the show's disembodied voice until he left in early 2005. Albert Iskander (known best for his role as "Albert The Happy Intern") would eventually be hired as a Production Assistant for G4's "Video Game Vixens" and later for "G4TV.com". Gene Yraola would eventually work into G4's Games Editorial Department (the liasons between the shows and the actual software/hardware companies). The most well-known of all X-Play interns to eventually become hired full-time would be Eric Acasio, who is now a production assistant for X-Play. Acasio has been seen in the most X-Play segments out of any intern and worked on G4's "G-Phoria" Award Show prior to becoming X-Play's new PA.
- From Los Angeles, California: Gene Yraola, Chuck Wilkerson, Eric Acasio, Albert Iskander (X-Play's 1st Armenian Intern) , Chris Wilson, Issac, Geoff, Brian Flores, Russ, Emily Mollenkopf, Kenny, Megan, Alex Villegas, Stephan
- From San Francisco, California: Chris I, Kevin , Matt Ketterer, Desiree Peel, Jana Suverkropp, Blake Yoshiura, Kevin Yuen, "Jason Frankovitz"
The screaming intern, played by Robert Manuel, in reality is not an intern for the show but an actual producer.