GameFan
Four men named Tim Lindquist, Greg Off, George Weising, and Dave Halverson launched a publication called Diehard GameFan in September 1992. They chose to print their magazine on high-quality paper that cost more than the standard glossy sheets used by competitors. This decision allowed them to display game screenshots with colors that matched the actual graphics seen on television screens. Other U.S. magazines at the time printed images that looked dull or inaccurate compared to what players saw while playing. The editors also adopted an anonymous writing style where staff members could publish multiple reviews under different pseudonyms. Dave Halverson wrote several articles using fake names to cover the same game from different perspectives. Their approach drew attention for its passion rather than the polished text found in other publications.
The September 1995 issue of GameFan contained paragraphs filled with derogatory comments about Japanese people. One sentence referred to them as little Jap bastards while another self-degraded the writers as poor white trash from So CA. These words replaced a paragraph intended for a review of College Football '96 but instead discussed a Namco combat flight simulator called Ace Combat. The text was poorly written and appeared out of place among the rest of the content. An official apology dated the 24th of August 1995 appeared in the October 1995 issue in both English and Japanese. The magazine claimed a rogue employee had sabotaged the publication to alienate their Japanese audience. Later reports suggested the offensive text was actually filler material someone forgot to remove before printing. It turned out to be an internal joke that accidentally made it into the final copy.
Editors selected winners for the annual Golden Megawards program starting in 1992 and continuing through 1996. The January 1993 issue listed Gunstar Heroes as the best game on the Genesis platform. That same year they named Landstalker the top import title for the Mega Drive system. By January 1994 Earthworm Jim won the Game of the Year award for the Genesis console. The January 1995 edition crowned Yoshi's Island as the best SNES game of the previous year. In February 1997 Tomb Raider and Resident Evil shared the top spot for the Top GameFan Game of 1996. These awards allowed staff members to choose categories like Best Soundtrack or Best New Character without external voting. Winners included titles such as Street Fighter II Turbo and Final Fantasy V depending on the specific year and category.
The magazine featured a comic strip called The Adventures of Monitaur which drew inspiration from anime series. The main character Monitaur fought against a villain known as The Blowmeister who represented leadership at rival magazines like Electronic Gaming Monthly. Staff members appeared as characters within the story while only Monitaur was drawn as a distinct figure. Discussions began in 1994 to produce a full-length animated movie produced by Dark Moon Productions Inc. This company was founded by Andrew Spencer and Gary Tucker alongside their sister entity DMP Multi-media. The agreement also involved launching a Monitor comic book series with two new startups named Dark Moon Productions and Dark Moon Comics. The strip served as a vehicle for mocking competitors while personifying the actual people working behind the scenes.
Dave Halverson went on to publish Gamers' Republic after the original magazine ceased operations in December 2000. That publication ran for 35 issues before stopping in July 2001 due to the dot-com bubble burst. He later launched Play Magazine which consisted mostly of former GameFan and Gamers' Republic staff members. Play Magazine survived for 97 issues until its publishing company filed for bankruptcy. Tim Lindquist started another title called Hardcore Gamer along with several other original team members. Their company DoubleJump Books later renamed itself OnionBat Books and began developing strategy guides. The DieHard GameFan name returned as a website managed by Alex Lucard with Halverson's permission. This online version continued to review indie games much like the print edition did during its active years.
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Common questions
Who founded Diehard GameFan in September 1992?
Four men named Tim Lindquist, Greg Off, George Weising, and Dave Halverson launched the publication called Diehard GameFan in September 1992. They chose to print their magazine on high-quality paper that cost more than standard glossy sheets used by competitors.
What happened in the September 1995 issue of GameFan regarding offensive content?
The September 1995 issue contained paragraphs filled with derogatory comments about Japanese people including a sentence referring to them as little Jap bastards. An official apology dated the 24th of August 1995 appeared in the October 1995 issue claiming a rogue employee had sabotaged the publication.
When did editors select winners for the annual Golden Megawards program at GameFan?
Editors selected winners for the annual Golden Megawards program starting in 1992 and continuing through 1996. The January 1993 issue listed Gunstar Heroes as the best game on the Genesis platform while the January 1995 edition crowned Yoshi's Island as the best SNES game of the previous year.
Who created the comic strip The Adventures of Monitaur featured in GameFan?
Staff members created the comic strip called The Adventures of Monitaur which drew inspiration from anime series. Discussions began in 1994 to produce a full-length animated movie produced by Dark Moon Productions Inc founded by Andrew Spencer and Gary Tucker alongside their sister entity DMP Multi-media.
What happened to Dave Halverson after Diehard GameFan ceased operations in December 2000?
Dave Halverson went on to publish Gamers' Republic after the original magazine ceased operations in December 2000. He later launched Play Magazine which consisted mostly of former GameFan and Gamers' Republic staff members before it survived for 97 issues until its publishing company filed for bankruptcy.