The GameFan history thread

[gamevet]

I do have the first two around somewhere, and all the catalogs.

There's a nice list of all the issues with cover pics here:

http://www.millartime.com/videogames/gamefan.htm

My collection starts at Volume 1 issue 6 (Cool Spot). I have every issue from there on, with exception to Volume 6 issue 6. Luckily I bought every issue of Mega Fan as well.

[mollipen]

Whats that story about how the GF crew weren't getting their paychecks for a long period of time and Halverson was driving around in an Audi TT?

I don't know Dave's side of this: however, here is the staff's side.

When I started, GameFan was under Metropolis Media. What would happen is, as payday was day or two away, we would call the bank to see if there was any money in the back to actually make the paychecks worth something. It was pretty sad that we knew by heart the phone number for the bank and the account number for Metropolis Media. Maybe twice a year, on payday, the full amount to pay all of the employees was in there. The most common even was that there would be about half of the required amount in there. The morning of payday, we'd call to make sure that there was at least something in there. The moment checks were handed out, everybody would run out to their cars, and Cannonball Run style, race to the closest branch of that bank to cash the checks. If you got there too late, you were out of luck. The remainder of the money to cover the paychecks might come the next day, or it might not come for a few days. I think once or twice, it even took a week or so to get in there, if not longer.

There were times, though, that no money was in there at all on payday, so everybody in the office simply had worthless pieces of paper. We'd then have to just call every day to find out when we could actually get some money.

[Rumpy]

Dango is still around. I'm not sure what company, but he does something in regards to putting out sports games. He is the only orginal GF writer that still comes to GF_Tavern to talk.

I want to say Visual Concepts. Not sure if that's right though.

[x2y]

I'm glad most of the staff at GF found other gigs in the industry. I was always one of my favorite mags. I used to skip 4th period at school to go the Brown University Book Store and get my fresh copy. I never subcribed for it seemed expensive at the time. If not there my local Bodega would have a few different issues at a time so I would pick them up by twos and threes at the time.

I started with the black and Gray Terminator issue in 1993 I think it was, good times.

[Dyne]

My collection starts at Volume 1 issue 6 (Cool Spot). I have every issue from there on, with exception to Volume 6 issue 6. Luckily I bought every issue of Mega Fan as well.

i got every issue after issue 6.....someday ill get them all. im suprised at how rare game magazines are on ebay. been trying to complete my next gen and GR catalogs as well (only missing a few of both).

[BEBOPlover]

I had every issue of Gamefan ever made and sold it for a couple hndred bucks a while back.

I actually wound up with tons of doubles because I had subscriptions, but got tired of waiting for them to show, so I'd either buy the magazine or take it home from the stationary I worked at at the time.

I still laugh when I think about Dave's review of Mario All-Stars for the SNES.

[DHG Otaku]

wow...what a great thread! I can still remember raiding GF's offices in the middle of the night with my buddy! Good times...

[haohmaru]

I'm still kicking myself for not taking revenge on the death of FatBabies via an editorial eulogy on how jaded and presumptuous their writing was.

Well, it was a good site, even if they did fan the flames of the whole GameGO! debacle to near record setting heights.

[Dolemite]

The moment checks were handed out, everybody would run out to their cars, and Cannonball Run style, race to the closest branch of that bank to cash the checks.

That's hilarious. Fucked up, but hilarious. What I'd give to have seen that happen just once.

Did you guys ever try out gimmicks on payday, like wearing a Captain Chaos outfit and having an ambulance waiting in the parking lot or something?

I wouldn't work in conditions like that.

[dhowerter]

Shidoshi -

Don't forget to include in your GameFan section of your website one of ECM's famous rants on 2D Gaming The Metal Slug 3 (Neo Geo), Gunbird 2 (Dreamcast) or Strider 2 (PS1) reviews would be excellent for that LOVED those rants, heh.

Oh yeah and I wish I had read more of GameFan, but I started collecting/reading them about April 2005. I then read all of them (maybe missed a couple) till the last issue in December 2000.

I truly loved that mag (and still do).

Is there any website where you can read old GameFan mags (in text form or scans of the pages). How about just the reviews/viewpoints ?

As for buying the old issues, can you get them anywhere but Ebay?