Review of 1UP Show

Produced by editors Kathleen Sanders and Demian Linn, the 1UP Show is 1UP Magazine’s online video podcast for gamers whose gaming habit is more than just a mere hobby.

Due to its youthful energy and personable reviewers, 1UP is one of the gaming world’s premiere magazines. Created by the promotional tech wizards at Ziff Davis Media, the site’s successful online network is a credit to the publication’s popularity in new media. The show itself has been streaming since August 2005 and has never missed a week in turning out new content during its seasons.

Once a week, the 1UP editors test drive, review, and feature exclusive footage of new games and systems. Their show has a sizeable budget and substantial industry access, but it also has the charm and tone of a homemade, low-budget, from-the-couch vlog about games, hosted by the people who love to play them.

The hosts range from snarky

reviewers to informed reporters with specialties that give them an edge, all of whom clearly love the subject they’re being paid to extensively discuss and debate.  For example, one Japanese-speaking reporter scored a choice interview Tohru Takahashi and the Japanese makers of Bullet Witch.

With behind-the-scenes looks at some of the biggest production studios, print giants like Electronic Gaming Monthly and Computer Gaming World, and all the latest products that only an industry rag can obtain months in advance, 1UP is definitely worth checking out if you call yourself a gamer.

The best part about 1UP Show’s style is the combination of irreverent, knowledgeable commentators and inside access.

I mean, how often do you get to see editors from a major publication lament the fact that some Swedish magazine published leaked screenshots of Halo 3 days before an exclusive article was set to print? It’s just an overall fun show for serious gamers.