So here we have it, issue one of the newly launched GameFan. According to this thread, it's shipping now and issue 2 is already being worked on. Little on the cover stands out to me, apart from maybe the "indie" section, and Grasshopper interview. Pretty cool they listed Sakura Wars as a coverline, most editors would avoid that due to its niche nature...
Generally the cover reminds me of the old PLAY crossed with the old printed Hardcore Gamer magazine (no affiliation to HG101), which I never liked, despite subscribing. As a journalistic coleague said: never was there a magazine so unlike its name. Which is true, because despite the occasional decent piece, it quickly descended into casual fanzinery. And don't get me started on the absurdity of scoring a game out of 5, but then devolving into decimals points as precise as 0.25 because you don't feel confident enough to stand behind your decision to score games only out of 5. You might as well stick with the more easily understand 10 point scale. Anyway, enough ranting, bottom line is: this cover makes me nervous.
Once GameFan hits US newstands, hopefully one of my fellow bloggers resident in the States can make a fuller first-impressions posts.
And here is the movie fan cover. There's no mention of anime, which to me is a bad sign. Hopefully there's some coverage inside.
I'm a little worried by Dave Halvorsen's newest venture. Diehard Gamefan was a constant companion of mine as a kid, but this reincarnation seems a little... generic. And that Moviefan section is most troubling. Why not expose gamers to good movies? I'm there are a lot of gamers out there willing to give the best of contemporary cinema and classics by the likes of Welles, Truffaut, Kozintsev, Ozu, et al a try.
ReplyDeleteI collected Diehard Gamefan religiously as a kid. I will make sure to check out the local book stores in the next few days to find Halverson's newest magazine venture. The cover reminds me of the latter days of the original when ECM was editor. I like the fact Sakura Wars and Fragile Dreams are listed on the cover. Both games are pretty niche, giving me hope for some original content inside the issue. I will be sure to give some impressions on the new Gamefan on my blog during the coming week. I hope the revival is for the best.
ReplyDeleteMy ex worked for the original Gamefan magazine he was one of the writers. After hearing the stories about the end of the old Gamefan, I bet some of the old employees are a little bitter now.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely interested in this, especially with two low-key niche Wii titles on the cover.
ReplyDelete@Brand:
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear these stories, if you/your ex is happy to have them posted on here.
There's a few amazing stories about GF in circulation, like LSD ending up in coffee, and they always make interesting reading.
I read it as a kid, hell I went to their stores, and it was fine for what it was, but jeez, this is his what, fifth failed magazine venture in the making? Where the hell does he get the seed money for these things?
ReplyDeleteIt's also amusing looking back and reading the old issues realizing that at least two, possibly three of the reviewers at any given time were Dave Halverson.
Seriously. I was thinking that same question. I mean, financially speaking, Halverson has a wretched track record. I'm surprised he still can find willing investors and writers to participate in these ventures. Well, more power to him.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to see that America may potentially have a quality gaming magazine again. Don't misunderstand me--I like Edge and GamesTM. I love you Brits, but I find your tastes in gaming to be a bit peculiar at times. Especially in the retro arena. When I read the praise heaped on Dizzy's Adventures, Zool, James Pond, Alfred the Chicken, etc. , my jaw can't help but hit the floor.
Apparently there's a story floating around that Dave once stole the corporate payrool checkbook to buy himself a four foot tall Sonic the Hedgehog statue.
ReplyDeleteA couple of the ex-GameFan/Play guys have gotten together to do a podcast called Warning! A Huge Podcast is Approaching! or something like that. I've only listened to bits of them but they're worth downloading.
@Discoalucard
ReplyDeleteWhere can one find these podcasts, good sir?
Podcast ahoy:
ReplyDeletehttp://radio.morningproject.com/
Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThere's also a story regarding a bust being made in GameFan's main office over pirated copies of Resident Evil 2, not long before GameFan and the last Die Hard stores went under. Halverson wasn't charged or anything because as I remember it was space he'd rented out, but in retrospect it kind of adds to the overall "scumminess" he exudes.
ReplyDeleteDave's a character, no doubt about it.
ReplyDeleteWhere did you hear that the magazine is on its way to stores? I've contacted my local magazine store as well as several local bookstores and none of them have the magazine lined up for delivery. I tried following the link at the beginning of this post, but it no longer exists. And the only reference I can find to the new Gamefan is the Game Abyss article announcing its return.
@ "Problembar": I am running into similar circumstances. I reside on the west coast in the USA. I contacted a local Borders bookstore/spoke with a worker and asked how their magazine shipments work. Finding mag's at newsstands isn't like it used to be. So, if I see it, I'm expecting it at a larger bookstore. Also, I've only seen the same articles you have online in regards to the revival of GameFan. Also, I've heard some vague things about Dave H. over the years, but nothing as harsh as what's rumored in these comeents on this site. Wow....is it just stuff that's been passed along through the 'grapevine' so-to-speak?
ReplyDelete@Anon
ReplyDeleteI live in Los Angeles. I contacted two independent newsstands as well as the local indie book store, Borders, and Barnes & Noble, but nobody seems to have heard of the magazine nor do they have it in their system to order. Puzzling.
The comments you read on this site are only the tip of the iceberg as far as Gamefan and Dave Halvorson rumors are concerned. Most of this I remember reading years ago on a forum thread where several members of the old Gamefan came together to share their war stories. I think this was back in the early 2000's. Reading that thread, it was a wonder how the magazine managed to stay solvent for as long as it did.
Personally, the original Gamefan was probably Halvorson's best work with Play being the weakest. I still have nearly all my old Gamefans and, after all these years, they still provide unalloyed reading pleasure. The general quality of Gamefan was better down to the paper and binding it used. Aside from Nick des Barres' articles, I can't say I cared too much for Play. Heather Campbell's diatribes, in particular, were a chore to read. Their "comic strip" was anything but comic. And there were those dreadful columns they ran in 2009. I forget the name of the author--some imposing triple or quadruple barreled name--but his rambling psuedo-profundities about video games and gaming instantly annoyed this reader.
@Problembar: Thanks for the reply/insight. I too, date back to the early GameFan-days. I picked up every issue I could (pretty much all of them), then went on to subscribing to Gamers Republic and then PLAY (sidenote: I subscribed to numerous other mag's over the years, not just them). But, for the last 7 - 8 years, PLAY was the only gaming mag I still subb'd to. Nick Rox was my favorite as well (I listen to the podcast WAHP now, with him), I also liked Takuhi (who is also on WAHP). In regards to PLAY -- I don't think it was as good as the original GameFan -- but, for the time/era I thought it was mature (in terms of layout), and had a 'modern' feel to it. Heather Campbell grew on me. As for Halverson, I thought he was pretty much dead-on when he WAS NOT reviewing a game, but doing an article outside of that (if that makes sense).
ReplyDeleteAlso, for s*its & giggles I went to the bookstore again today and didn't see squat. HELL, I still haven't seen the first re-launch issue of EGM on stands yet. You and I are probably the only two people in the nation looking for these print magazines.
@Anon
ReplyDeleteYeah, it sure looks like it. I've seriously been calling every single Borders and Barnes & Noble in Los Angeles county, as well as Vroman's, Book Soup, various newsstands in Montrose, San Fernando, Hollywood, etc. and can't find it. The only one that was of some help was Vroman's. Their magazine buyer says he was able to find Gamefan and has ordered it for the store, but that it won't be arriving until May. In the meantime, is there anybody here that can help us out with finding out some more info about this magazine? Can anybody confirm that it is indeed available now?
@Problembar
ReplyDeleteFunny, the 'hunt' for this publication is reminiscent of the 'original' GameFan days -- when there were delays/inconsistencies. LOL The thing that is a little bit surprising -- you'd think there'd be a little website/blog up for the re-release of this publication promoting it?? Even if it was a 'cheapy' site to get the message out there. (sidenote: I reside in Portland, Oregon). I had a buddy of mine who lives in the downtown-area check a specialty magazine/cigar shop, that gets tons of weird/hard-to-find publications. They don't have it (at least, yet) either.
I worked at a Borders about six years ago, and the release date for magazines was whenever the hell they came in. No one had any clue, even the inventory folks, when they were due or what was on order. It was all in the hands of corporate folks who never told us anything.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting development - almost to the point where I'm wondering if they're not being printed, and maybe it was some kind of viral marketing campaign to gauge interest?
ReplyDeletePlease keep us informed, all who are looking for it. This is most interest!
It's me -- Mr. Anonymous again...
ReplyDeleteAs of Sunday 4-18-2010
I've checked some local grocery stores again as of this past weekend (to change-it-up from just checking Borders/specialty magazine shops). Still no 'dice.' Also, (to reiterate), I still haven't seen the first printed (relaunch) of EGM either. So, not GameFan or EGM as of this comment post. Also, the GameFan should stick-out like a sore thumb, as it was stated to be the size of the old-school Rolling Stone magazine years ago o-O
4-19-2010: Big Surpise!!!!! STILL NO GAMEFAN :-/
ReplyDeleteUpdate (4-20-2010)
ReplyDeleteStill no GameFan magazine ... but,
http://feeds.feedburner.com/morningproject/XRPo
The above link is to the podcast webpage for WAHP -- but, interestingly, check out the new "Morning Coffee" update from 4-19-2010; it has Shidoshi and Steve Haske. Steve is of the new revived GameFan; they discuss the new publication a bit. I guess it is real...
Just picked up GameFan #1 at my local B&N in midtown Manhattan. I haven't read through it yet, but my first impression is that it's a large page size than I expected.
ReplyDelete@Anoymous from April 22: can you tell us about it? (leaving overseas sadly, hoping to get it soon someway somehow)
ReplyDeleteIt is in Barnes and Nobles in D.C. Way to big a print size for a magazine. More pics and less articles. Not to sound negative, but it will be gone within a year.
ReplyDeleteIt's out at Barnes and Noble for sure now.
ReplyDeleteIt's "me" -- the original Anonymous from 'April 13th'
ReplyDelete_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Update 4/30/2010
I have finally found an issue of the new GameFan. There are a few copies left in Bridgeport (Portland, OR) Borders. They have it located in the movie-magazine section (currently) and not in the gaming magazine section. For those unfamiliar (I haven't read any of it yet), it feels like Newtype EXCEPT, instead of 250+ pages, picture about 100 pages with that binding gloss cover/thin paper stock. Also, EGM(i) sent out reminder e-mails to subscribe and their site has been updated. I'm gonna' give them a shot for a 6-month deal. Thanks for all of your input guys.
www.gamefanmag.com
ReplyDeleteSo what would you have liked to see on the cover instead?
ReplyDelete