• Aspect Ratio: 1:78:1

• Video Codec: AVC MPEG-4

• Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)

• Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English Dolby Digital 2.0

• Subtitles: None

• Subtitles Color: N/A

• Region: A (B? C?)

• Rating: Not Rated

• Run Time: 124 Mins.

• Digital Copies: None

• Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)

• Studio: Rocket Science

• Blu-ray Release Date: November 15th, 2012

• List Price: $49.99

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Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Series
[Rating:3.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]

Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures

(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)

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The Series

[Rating:3.5/5]

Video Game High School, in this first season, tells of a world where the best video game players are seen as the top athletes in the world. Viewed as a competitive sport, one such star is simply known as ‘The Law’ (Brian Firenzi), whose ability to play sees him earning a chance to show the world, live I might add, his greatness. As the match progresses, he easily kills all his foes with rather simply methods, thus spurring him to try and be more crafty. Due to this, he soon finds himself being killed by an ordinary high school student known as Brian (Josh Blaylock). It’s after this amazing kill, that Brian’s life changes forever – with an invitation to the coveted VGHS (Video Game High School.) While this might sound great, Brian soon finds himself at odds with the same person he killed, in ‘The Law’. What results is a rather quickly paced first season at just under 2 hours – one that is entertaining regardless of your interest in video games.

Viewed as a fan product by the creative minds of Freddie Wong, Will Campos, Brian Firenzi and Matt Arnold, VGHS started out as a concept series. Donations piled in through Kickstarter, with an initial goal of $75K, which was quickly raised in less than 24 hours. The series itself is the utter definition of a fan project, with fans being the sole reason of the series existence.

With that said, I’ll easily admit that I had never even heard of VGHS before this 1st season arrived on my doorstep. After watching these brief 9 episodes, compiled here into a sort of 2 hour mini movie, I’m really hoping funding will allow for a 2nd season. Each episode goes by quickly in a manner that is never too out of reach for any real audience. Clearly gamers will find a lot to enjoy here, but I’m pretty confident when I say that even casual gamers (of which I consider myself), as well as both serious gamers, will equally find something to enjoy here.

Video Quality

[Rating:4/5]

This First Season of Video Game High School is presented with a 1:78:1 framed, AVC MPEG-4 encoded transfer. No real technical information on how the series was shot is available, so if anyone out there happens to know anything, please drop a comment below and I’ll update this section. With that said, the series’ color palette has a very natural, clean look and feel to it. Colors pop off the screen whether it be the bright yellows/blues of the sky or the darker interiors of the VGHS campus. Grain is absent, so I’m going to think this series was shot digitally. Contrast levels are strong and flesh tones are spot on. Some of the real dark FPS moments can have a bit of crush to the blacks, but this wasn’t an overly big issue. All in all, I found this to be a solid transfer, especially considering the low budget.

Audio Quality

[Rating:3.5/5]

The series provided DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix does what it can with the series limitations. Dialogue is well reproduced throughout, with no real instance of drop out. Atmosphere tends to be reserved for the more robust ‘gaming’ sequences where the mix of live action scenes offer up fine discrete effects. Gun shots and explosions help to bring home that 360 degree sound field. LFE also offers up a bit of deep low end during these moments, but nothing that is going to overly impress. All in all, this track does the job its required to.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:3.5/5]

The supplements provided on this release are featured in High Definition:

• Episode 4 – The Party: 80’s Version – This is an alternate take on the 4th episode, as if it were from an 80’s TV Show. The episode has all the cheesy 80s music in tack and runs 17:30.
• Welcome to VGHS – This is an introduction to the series as a whole, with interviews with Freddy Wong, Matt Arnold, Brian Firenzi and a few others. The clip runs 5:05.
• Video Game Blooper School – 4:45 worth of bloopers are shown.
• The Making of VGHS – A whopping 1:00:44 is dedicated to the creation of the series, featuring interviews with many different cast and crew members. For fans of the series, this is an excellent behind-the-scenes look.
• Alternate Scenes – 3:51 worth of alternate scenes are shown.
• The Art of Drift – A 5:41 glance into the world of drifting.
• The Guns of VGHS – All the series different weapons, are shown in 2:46.
• The Look of VGHS – The physical look and style of VGHS, as well as any issues the crew ran into, are shown in 9:06.
• VGHS at E3 2011 – A 4:43 glance into VGHS premier at E3 2011.
• VGHS VidCon Panel – A 40:00 panel featuring a majority of the cast and crew as they answer fans questions.
• Writing VGHS – A 6:08 glance into the writing of the series.

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:3.5/5]

Video Game High School, as a series, is a fun, addictive little gem that I honestly had no idea of its existence before receiving this set. The Blu-ray for the 1st Season features solid V/A as well as a wealthy amount of supplements, of which fans of the series will definitely enjoy. Recommended.

Additional Screen Captures

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Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Series
[Rating:3.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]

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