Nick Arcade

Gameplay

Face-off

Main rounds

• Nintendo Entertainment System
• Super NES
• Genesis
• TurboGrafx-16
• Neo-Geo
• Custom games, including the face-offs, were implemented on Amiga computers.

Mikey's World

Moving Mikey

• The Four Ps : Note that all point values listed below were doubled in the second round.
• * Points - The team that moved Mikey was automatically awarded 25 or 50 points and kept control.
• * Video Puzzle - Different puzzles were played. The team that solved the puzzle received 25 points and control of Mikey. Examples of video puzzles:
• ** "Video Repairman": Identifying the artist in a music video with a scrambled picture.
• ** "What Was That?": A video of an object being destroyed was rewound, and the objective was to identify it.
• ** "Credit Crawl": Credits appeared identifying a person, place, or thing, and the object was to identify it.
• ** "Fast Forward": A sped-up video clip was shown, and the object was to predict the outcome beforehand. Season 1 teams were given three possible answers, with each team using a Magna Doodle to write the answer they thought was correct. Season Two puzzles were played in a manner similar to The Price is Right. Each team used their Magna Doodle to predict how much of a certain activity could be accomplished, within a set time limit, by the person in the video. The team that came the closest without going over received the points and control of Mikey. If the teams were tied in prediction, they both scored the points, but the team that moved Mikey last would get control.
• ** "Robot Vision": A thermographic video clip depicting an activity.
• ** "Hyper Channels": A montage of original TV-style clips identifying an actor, musician, etc.
• ** "Video Text": A basic rebus puzzle, usually forming a phrase.
• ** "Flash Frame": A montage of images was flashed rapidly, and the object was to recall 3 of the 5 themed objects.
• ** "Hidden Camera": A miniature video camera was placed somewhere, such as in a trash can or a grocery bag, and the object was to guess the camera's location.
• ** "Instant Replay" : Contestants were shown a short video on the monitor, and when it ended, they were asked a question about what they had seen in the video. The team that correctly answered would get the points and control.
• ** "Split Screen": Images of an activity being performed, initially arranged in a "matrix" of very small tiled images on the monitor, were shown to the players. The pictures would gradually become larger, and the first team to correctly identify the activity would get the points and control.
• ** "Mixed Signals": Video images of one activity would be presented onscreen, while the audio of another activity would be played simultaneously. The object was to identify the latter activity.
• * Pop Quiz - A question was asked that related to the area Mikey was traveling. The teams could buzz-in during the middle of the question. If a team guessed correctly, they earned 25 points in Round 1 and 50 points in Round 2 and control of Mikey.
• * Prize - The team that moved Mikey won a prize and kept control. Any prize the team received was theirs to keep, regardless of the game's outcome.
• Video Challenge - One of the contestants from a team chose one of five video games on stage to play. The goal was to beat the "Wizard's Challenge", which was usually to achieve a certain score within 30 seconds for the game chosen. The other team member had three seconds to write, using a Magna-Doodle, how much of their score they would gamble that the partner could complete the challenge. If the player met or beat the challenge, the wager was added to their score, and the team kept control of Mikey. If not, they lost the wager and the other team gained control. Teams could wager any amount from zero to their current score or the value of one question in that round if the team had less. In the event the other team member wagered more points than their current score, the wager was rounded down to their current score, only if the challenge was won. Each game could be played only once during an episode, and when it was chosen, the marquee light was turned off. Only games with constantly visible on-screen score displays were used. One of the Video Challenge game used during season 2 was an early prototype version of Sonic The Hedgehog 2. In the unofficial un-aired pilot featured an early prototype version of Sonic the Hedgehog as one of the Video Challenge games and Super Mario Bros. 3, which was never featured on an actual episode.

• Enemy - An animated enemy, which changed with the setting of the game board, "attacked" Mikey, and the team that moved Mikey that gets run over by an enemy would lose control to the opposing team. The Enemies included:
• * A Ghost who would scare Mikey away in "Creepyville".
• * A Witch Doctor in the "Volcano Jungle", who would blow up a voodoo doll of Mikey and then let it fly off and deflate.
• * A Fire-Breathing Dragon in the medieval realm "Camelittle", who would burn Mikey by breathing fire on him with a yelp and flying off screen.
• * A Hammerhead Shark, found in the "Specific Ocean", who would flatten Mikey with his hammerhead, turning Mikey into a coin with his face on it. The Hammerhead Shark also appeared in the underwater areas of "Pirate's Cove".
• * Blackboard the Pirate, a pirate shaped like a chalkboard, found in "Pirate's Cove", who would attack Mikey with a ruler sword by saying "Walk the plank, ye scallywag!"; a spoof on Blackbeard.
• * Silly the Kid, a baby armed with baby-bottle pistols in "Slurpy Gulch" who would say "Dance, pardner!", then loses his balance from the effort and falls; a spoof of Billy the Kid.
• * Game Over, the town bully in "Mikey's Neighborhood" who would say, "Hold it right there, bean brain!" and hit Mikey in the face with a cream pie. Game Over also appeared in the "WeGot'Em Mall", the "Time Portal", and on the beach in the "Specific Ocean".
• * Two Giant Smooch Aliens, creatures with pigtail wigs and big lips, found in "Cape Cosmos", that would surround Mikey, kissing him until he became dizzy and powerless.
• * A Djinni in the "Forgotten Desert" who would cast a spell on Mikey, turning him into a chicken. He reappeared in the "Enchanted Flight" stage of the Video Zone in Season 2, casting lightning bolts on the player.

• Time Bomb - In the rare occurrence that Mikey moved to a space that had already been landed on, a "Time Bomb" would occur. The team controlling Mikey had 10 seconds to spell a word, alternating letters back and forth between team members. If a team correctly "pong-spelled" a word, they kept control; otherwise, the other team would gain control. Regardless of the outcome, no points were awarded. The "Time Bomb" occurred only on a couple of occasions. In an attempt to prevent this event from occurring, host Moore would dissuade teams from choosing to move to a square that had already been occupied, or simply tell the team that they could not make that move.
• Goal - The Goal worked in two ways. If the team that moved Mikey moved him to the Goal, they alone were asked a question based on a category their opponents chose from a list of four categories. A correct answer earned 50 points in Round 1 and 100 points in Round 2 and the Goal for that round. If they answered incorrectly, the opponents got 1/2 the points and the Goal by default. If time ran out before Mikey reached the goal, a sudden-death Pop Quiz question was asked for 50 points in Round 1 and 100 points in Round 2. Usually, because of time constraints, the Goal was not reached by teams on many occasions, and so the sudden-death situation was played frequently.

The Video Zone

Level 1

• Jungle Fever: A jungle setting where the player climbed palm trees to obtain three bunches of bananas at the top while avoiding coconut-throwing monkeys, as well as toucans, piranhas and snakes. The player could go behind the waterfall, or touch a golden idol to cause a rope to appear to help cross the waterfall safely.
• Alien Moonbase: An intergalactic mechanical building where the player had to turn off three anti-matter reactors, while trying to avoid steam vents and attacking robots. Touching the main computer would immobilize all enemies and hazards, rendering them harmless for five seconds, and would also activate a "light bridge", which made the reactors easier to reach.
• Ancient Tomb: A Mayan temple where the player had to grab three coins on both levels while trying to avoid bats, a statue's hammer, arrows shot from the ground, fireballs, and a mummy. Touching a beam of sunlight eradicated all enemies and unlocked all doors, revealing the hidden coins.

  Season 2 only

• Monsters on the Loose: A city besieged by alien UFOs, where now the giant player had to rescue three humans from being abducted by the UFOs, while avoiding monsters such as a giant laser-firing eyeball, a slimy earth-burrowing creature, and a monstrous cockroach. Touching a power rod released cosmic radiation, clearing the screen of all enemies and thus leaving the player unhindered for a few seconds.
• Haunted Museum: A haunted mansion scene, where the player was required to pick up three statue busts hidden inside moving bookcases, while avoiding monsters such as a gargoyle, grasping tentacles, a vampire, and the "Hand of Doom". Pulling back a curtain bathed the room in sunlight, destroying all enemies and thus leaving the player unhindered for a few seconds.

  Level 2

• Runaway Rail Car: The player traveled on a railway car through a Wild West town and abandoned mines; he or she had to obtain three coins while avoiding vultures, hanging timbers, cactuses, tumbleweeds and rats. If the player touched a green "luck stone," he or she regained full power.
• Nile River Raft: The player, floating on a fast-moving Egyptian river with a wooden raft, had to grab three gems while avoiding flies, alligators, rats, vultures and a mummy. Touching the legendary "Eye of the Pharaoh" diamond restored full power.
• Mine Maze: A Mayan room gauntlet where the player had to collect three coins while dodging fireballs, spears, and electrified floor tiles. If the player touched a "Power" tile, he or she was granted immunity to all damage for a few seconds.
• Cliffhanger: Taking place on a cliff with a network of caves, the player had to clear the cave openings to find three coins while avoiding rock slides, snakes, vultures and giant lizards. Touching a TNT device blasted open the cave openings, thus revealing all the coins.
• Food Fight: A school lunch room setting where a food fight was taking place. The player had to grab three textbooks scattered on the floor, while avoiding flying food and the gym coach. Opening a locker with stinky gym shoes stopped the chaos for five seconds.

  Season 2 only

• Sub Search: An ocean scene with the player in a waverunner; the player had to collect three treasure chests while avoiding dangers such as sharks, eels, giant lobsters, explosive mines and squids. Touching a nuclear power cell, however, restored all power.
• Enchanted Flight: A magic carpet scene, where the player had to grab three rings while avoiding swordsmen, gate traps, cobras, a royal guard, a baby dragon, guard dogs, and a genie that shot lightning bolts. Touching a magic lamp restored the player's health.
• Snow Slingers: An arctic scene where the player had to hit three elves with snowballs while dodging those of the elves. The player also had to avoid skiing foxes, and hitting an ice-skating polar bear by mistake. Hitting a snowman made it play a song that forced the elves to stop attacking and dance in place for five seconds, making them much easier to hit.

  Level 3 aka The Wizard Level

• Merlock's lair has bubble-like objects
• Scorchia's lair has crystals
• Mongo's lair is a frosty snow cave

  Pilot

Notable celebrities

• Joey Fatone, later a member of 'N Sync, once appeared on the show as a contestant. His team did not make it to the Video Zone.
• The casts of Clarissa Explains it All, Salute Your Shorts, and Welcome Freshmen appeared on three special celebrity episodes to compete for charity during Season 2. In the Salute Your Shorts episode, the game was played as per the normal rules; however in the other two episodes both teams advanced to the Video Zone while Salute Your Shorts had just the winning team moving on.