Icons

1. S01E01Oddworld InhabitantsMay 1, 2002—It's an Oddworld after all. Lorne Lanning and Sherry McKenna, co-founders of Oddworld Inhabitants, have created a video game franchise unlik
2. S01E02Nolan BushnellMay 1, 2002—For decades Nolan Bushnell, the originator of Pong and ATARI, has pushed the boundaries with inventions that were sometimes a bit ahead of t
3. S01E03Pac-ManMay 6, 2002—In 1979, a young Japanese game designer named Toru Iwatani had the desire to create a non-violent arcade game that would appeal to everyone.
4. S01E04Lara CroftMay 19, 2002—Dubbed "Indiana Jane" before her 1996 release in the United States, Lara Croft kicked the door open for open for an army of other video game
5. S01E05ActivisionJune 9, 2002—Founded by four former Atari vets in 1980, Activision dominated the video game industry with smash-hit titles like Pitfall!, River Raid and
6. S01E06MiyamotoJune 16, 2002—Mr. Miyamoto has created characters such as Donkey Kong, Zelda and, of course, Mario. But with each success, the pressure on Mr. Miyamoto ha
7. S01E07EverquestJuly 7, 2002—Fans worldwide have embraced EverQuest since its debut in March of 1999. The enchanting land of Norrath--populated by humans, gnomes, elves
8. S01E08BiowareJuly 28, 2002—In just seven short years, the video game company Bioware, formed by Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, has become one of the most respected and f
9. S01E09Will WrightAugust 18, 2002—Before they became a part of the biggest-selling PC video game franchise in the world, Will Wright's Sims games were met with skepticism by
10. S01E10Women in GamingSeptember 1, 2002—Women are finding careers behind the scenes as producers, designers and even CEOs of gaming companies. But their rise to the top hasn't alwa
11. S01E11Insomniac GamesSeptember 22, 2002—Find out how two Princeton graduates, Ted Price and Alex Hastings, created a budding gaming dynasty with Insomniac Games. Get the history on
12. S01E12Sid MeierOctober 6, 2002—Sid Meier launched his first game company, Microprose, in 1982 on a dare from friend Bill Stealy. Over the next decade, Meier and Stealy cre
13. S01E13Scary GamesOctober 27, 2002—When did video games start scaring you? Do you remember the first scary game you ever played? We take a look back at the scariest of the sca
14. S01E14Richard GarriottNovember 10, 2002—The land of Britannia; a realm of magic, mystery, intrigue, and adventure. Who created this world? How did it begin? Find out the true story
15. S01E15Bruce ShelleyNovember 24, 2002—Very few people can say that they've honed their gamemaking skills alongside a gaming god. But that's exactly what Bruce Shelley did. After
16. S01E16John Madden NFL FootballMarch 3, 2005—Presenting the history of the Madden football franchise, from its humble beginnings on the Apple II to the realistic powerhouse that it is t
17. S01E17Splinter CellDecember 18, 2002—Introducing the first in a series of Icons specials that feature the latest and greatest games, developers, and companies of today. For our
18. S01E18Lord of the RingsDecember 23, 2002—When Universal Interactive decided to make a game based on "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, they realized that it would take a special effor

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

1. S02E01AtariJanuary 19, 2003—We kick off our new season with the real story behind the world's first truly great videogame company: Atari. Find out just how wild they go
2. S02E02Music MusicFebruary 2, 2003—We sit down with Tommy Tallarico, George Sanger (AKA "The Fat Man"), Clint Bajakian, Masaya Matsuura, Scott Gershin and other music makers t
3. S02E03UnrealFebruary 16, 2003—We get the lowdown from Cliffy B and show you the true story behind the creation and rise of the Unreal series. From the first Unreal to Unr
4. S02E04Yu SuzukiMarch 2, 2003—A founding father of gaming, Yu Suzuki's every step revolutionized the way we play games. Watch as we follow the ups and downs of the Michel
5. S02E05IntellivisionMarch 23, 2003—We take an in-depth look at the Intellivision. Get the true story behind how they began, the world's first console war, and who won. With in
6. S02E06The Legend Of ZeldaMarch 27, 2003—Icons brings you the story behind a boy named Link, a princess named Zelda, and one of the most loved gaming series of all time. Join Shiger
7. S02E07XboxApril 10, 2003—How does a console go from an idea to your living room? Join us as we follow the path the Xbox team took. Learn how a failed game led a youn
8. S02E08ArcadeApril 28, 2003—Icons brings you an in-depth look inside a place we all grew up with. Get the story behind the arcade's glorious past, its downfall, and whe
9. S02E09The History Of E3May 22, 2003—It's where we see the games for the first time. It's a celebration of gaming and a testing ground for game companies. We take a look behind
10. S02E10LucasArtsJune 5, 2003—From Ball Blazer to Grim Fandango, we give you a tour of the one and only, LucasArts. Find out how they got their start with games like Resc
11. S02E11Red StormJune 12, 2003—What happens when Tom Clancy meets up with a former British submarine Commander? Videogame history. Gear up, it's time to learn about how a
12. S02E12Warren SpectorJune 19, 2003—In an industry ripe with derivative sequels Warren Spector's games have consistently given players new ways to play. From his days at Origin
13. S02E13PC GamingJuly 10, 2003—Its beginnings were humble, but soon the personal computer would become one of the greatest gaming platforms of all time. Join us as we foll
14. S02E14The CrashJuly 24, 2003—In the early 80's video games were still a young medium, but they were responsible for billions of dollars in sales every year. Predictions
15. S02E15Games In The MilitaryAugust 7, 2003—From Battlezone to Operation Flashpoint, we take a look at gaming in the Military. Find out what happens when a civilian game becomes a mili
16. S02E16Naughty DogSeptember 25, 2003—In 1986 two sixteen year old friends start a company together to make money to buy games. Now, almost twenty years later, people are saving
17. S02E17Mario FranchiseAugust 21, 2003—We'll follow the Italian pipe-cleaner as he climbs the ladder of success from a bit part to a global celebrity. With over twenty years of ga
18. S02E18OnimushaOctober 16, 2003—While Resident Evil was a hit series, Capcom pushed the evelope with Keiji Inafune's Onimusha series. The first game was the first million-u
19. S02E19Mega ManNovember 20, 2003—It's the story of the little robot that could. Mega Man creator, Keiji Inafune, looks back at the victories and hurdles his team faced with
20. S02E20Yuji NakaDecember 11, 2003—Yuji Naka began his career at Sega as a teenager. Girl's Garden, F-16 Fighting Falcon and Phantasy Star earned him critical praise and fan a
21. S02E21Final FantasyJanuary 1, 2004—From the first Final Fantasy to X-2 and beyond, get the story behind one of the most successful and longest running franchises in gaming his
22. S02E22Dungeons and DragonsJanuary 29, 2004—Dungeons and Dragons is a fantasy world that invites players to create their own characters and adventures. By the 1980's, this new world tr

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

1. S03E01Music GamesFebruary 12, 2004—Suddenly, everyone thinks they can bust a move. In today's episode we look at the movement of Music Games. Parappa The Rapper started the f
2. S03E02Sega DreamcastMarch 11, 2004—We explore the rocky history of Sega's last venture into the console market. Hear from Sega insiders Bernard Stolar and Kathy Schoback about
3. S03E03ESRBMarch 25, 2004—In 1992, games like Mortal Kombat and Night Trap pushed the envelope when it came to advancing graphic and technical capabilities... and cat
4. S03E04Peter MolyneuxApril 8, 2004—Peter Molyneux's first game, Populous, helped create an entire new genre, god games - and it has been copied several times since. With games
5. S03E05TetrisApril 22, 2004—Was it the challenge? Was it because it was easy? Was it the colorful blocks? Or was it that distinctive music? What ever it was, Alexey
6. S03E06Electronic ArtsMay 6, 2004—Hear how Electronic Arts grew from a small PC publisher to one of the largest game publishers in history. EA has innovated and driven the in
7. S03E07Game BoyJune 10, 2004—For 15 years, it has been the dominate console in the videogame hand-held market. Icons follows the creation of the Nintendo Game Boy; from
8. S03E08Donkey KongJune 24, 2004—It started with a flop. But a young visionary turned failure into success, and created a legendary character. He fought back legal battles a
9. S03E09Nobuo UematsuJuly 8, 2004—Learn how Nobuo Uematsu went from playing keyboard in a band to joining Square in 1985. Join us as Nobuo himself tells us about his musical
10. S03E10DOOMJuly 22, 2004—No longer content with safe simple games like Mario, Zelda and Atari games from yesteryear, gamers have evolved to the next level - it inclu
11. S03E11Dead or AliveAugust 5, 2004—Mortal Kombat may have reinvented the fighting game, but it did so by promoting bloody violence. The Dead or Alive series, while still slig
12. S03E12SNKAugust 19, 2004—From it's first game in 1978 Ozma Wars to the soon to be released SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom, SNK has battled against Capcom, lived through a
13. S03E13Mortal KombatSeptember 2, 2004—No other game can claim that it created such controversy that it lead to the creation of a ratings board. Icons looks at the beginnings and
14. S03E14Prince of PersiaSeptember 30, 2004—Prince of Persia has a long history in the gaming industry, mostly due to it's creator putting it aside on occasion to also work with his ot
15. S03E15Mark CubanOctober 14, 2004—Mark Cuban wasn't given his money, he earned it. "Icons" looks at his humble beginning, to his creating then selling of Broadcast.com which
16. S03E16Metal Gear SolidOctober 28, 2004—Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima and character designer Yoji Shinkawa take Icons on an exculsive look at the history of the series that
17. S03E17Half-LifeNovember 16, 2004—In celebration of today's release of Half-Life 2, Icons looks at the history of the title. Half-Life changed gaming in that the main charac
18. S03E18BungieDecember 9, 2004—Bungie Studios' name is less familiar than the titles it produces. When a game sells 2.5 million copies on it's release date, you would thi
19. S03E19Apple IIJanuary 6, 2005—Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were men with a vision. Icons retraces their steps to find the stories behind the creation of a company and th
20. S03E20Fighting GamesJanuary 20, 2005—It's the genre that created the ESRB. Simple games like Karate Champ and Yie Ar Kung-Fu suddenly gave way to the more detailed and more vio

Season 3 ranked & reviewed

1. S04E01Gran TurismoFebruary 3, 2005—There's no question that racing is one of the oldest and well-loved genres in the game industry, but there is one series out there that trul
2. S04E02Splinter CellMarch 3, 2005—In contrast to the smooth and suave spies of lore, Sam Fisher is a grizzled, middle-aged ex-Navy SEAL who has seen and done it all, but is n
3. S04E03Frank MillerMarch 31, 2005—Fans of Frank Miller's Sin City have been for years bedazzled by the comics' bold, hard-boiled look and the gritty tales told within, but ma
4. S04E04Tim SchaferApril 28, 2005—Though he's been an influential force in games for over a decade, Tim Schafer hasn't been heard from much in recent years because he's been
5. S04E05Star Wars GamesMay 12, 2005—Following the debut of the first Star Wars film in the late 1970's, Star Wars games have become an almost natural extension of the series' p
6. S04E06Ralph BaerJune 9, 2005—Contrary to what you might have been led to believe by fanboys, the father of video gaming is not Shigeru Miyamoto, Will Wright, or even Nol
7. S04E07PlayStationSeptember 8, 2005—Icons digs deep to get the real history of the Sony PlayStation, starting with its beginnings as a parts-maker for Nintendo consoles and the
8. S04E08George A. RomeroOctober 31, 2005—George A. Romero was a pivotal figure in the development horror films with his first feature, "Night of the Living Dead" in 1968. We talk wi
9. S04E09NESDecember 1, 2005—What goes into creating a next generation console? We'll go behind the scenes and talk with the production team of this exciting new project
10. S04E10Xbox 360December 4, 2005—Icons delves deep into the history of the NES, the console that changed the world. From its beginning in Japan over 150 years ago, through
11. S04E11King KongDecember 12, 2005—We look back at the cinematic fascination with this monster ape and talk with director Peter Jackson, the artistic genius behind the latest

Season 4 ranked & reviewed

1. S05E01J.J. AbramsJune 3, 2006—
2. S05E02Suicide GirlsJune 10, 2006—
3. S05E03Marc EckoJune 17, 2006—
4. S05E04Michelle RodriguezJune 24, 2006—
5. S05E05Suicide Girls: UncutJuly 1, 2006—
6. S05E06Kevin SmithJuly 15, 2006—
7. S05E07Jamie KennedyJuly 22, 2006—
8. S05E08Shepard FaireyAugust 12, 2006—
9. S05E09Seth GreenAugust 19, 2006—Comedy guru Seth Green, the actor-writer-director noted for roles in the “Austin Powers” films, “Family Guy,” and his work on his series, “R
10. S05E10LollapaloozaAugust 26, 2006—The Lollapalooza festivals are discussed.
11. S05E11The OnionSeptember 2, 2006—
12. S05E12British MusicSeptember 24, 2006—
13. S05E13Sacha Baron CohenNovember 3, 2006—
14. S05E14Tom "Tsquared" TaylorDecember 10, 2006—
15. S05E15Chuck "The Ice Man" LiddellDecember 17, 2006—
16. S05E16Tony "Mad Dog" AlvaDecember 24, 2006—
17. S05E17Frank MillerMarch 4, 2007—
18. S05E18Eli RothJune 3, 2007—

Season 5 ranked & reviewed