It’s a hands-on, no-holds-barred, do-or-die adventure! “The year is 1999. Television has adapted to the more violent nature of man. The most popular form of television remains the game show. One show in particular has dominated the ratings. That show is Smash TV, the most violent game show of all time. Two lucky contestants compete for cash and prizes. Each contestant is armed with an assortment of powerful weapons and sent into a closed arena. The action takes place in front of a studio audience and broadcast live via satellite around the world. Be prepared. The future is now. You are the next lucky contestant!”

Smash TV is the unofficial sequel to the duel-stick shooter Robotron: 2084, also designed by Eugene Jarvis. The game’s storyline is loosely based on The Running Man, a 1987 film based on a novel penned by horror author Stephen King. The game says very little, but when it does it throws out cheesy catchphrases like “Total Carnage, I love it!” or “I’d buy that for a dollar!” The latter being a nod to Bixby Snyder, the fictional TV host that appeared in the film RoboCop.

Check out more of these in Michael Thomasson’s Book Downright Bizarre Games book available at Good Deal Games and make sure to sign up to get Old School Gamer Magazine for free by clicking here!

Michael Thomasson Michael Thomasson (63 Posts)

Michael Thomasson is one of the most widely respected videogame historians in the field today. He currently teaches college level videogame history, design, and graphics courses. For television, Michael conducted research for MTV's videogame related program Video MODS. In print, he authored Downright Bizarre Games, and has contributed to nearly a dozen gaming texts. Michael’s historical columns have been distributed in newspapers and magazines worldwide. He has written business plans for several vendors and managed a dozen game-related retail stores spanning three decades. Michael consults for multiple video game and computer museums and has worked on nearly a hundred game titles on Atari, Coleco, Sega and other console platforms. In 2014, The Guinness Book of World Records declared that Thomasson had “The Largest Videogame Collection” in the world. His businesses sponsor gaming tradeshows and expos across the US and Canada.  Visit www.GoodDealGames.com.