GameFan, originally Diehard GameFan, was a monthly magazine dedicated to video games and gaming culture created by Tim Lindquist, Greg Off, George Weising, and Dave Halverson. The first issue was published in September 1992. It provided coverage of both domestic and imported video games and was notable for its extensive use of game screenshots in its page design, which distinguished it from other U.S. publications at the time. The original magazine ceased operations in December 2000.
In April 2010, Halverson relaunched GameFan as a video game and film magazine. However, the relaunch was short-lived and suffered from internal conflicts and low advertising revenue.
History
The idea for the name GameFan came from the Japanese Sega magazine called Megafan. Although it began as an advertising supplement to sell imported video games, primarily from Japan, the small text reviews and descriptions drew attention for a lack of refinement and a sense of passion. Editor profiles featured caricatures drawn by Terry Wolfinger. The anonymized approach allowed certain editors like Dave Halverson to write multiple reviews of the same game under different pseudonyms.
GameFan was well-known for its extensive coverage of important games and its expansive coverage of emerging interest in anime. Another major feature that separated it from other gaming magazines was the high-quality paper used to print it. GameFan's game screenshots were more colorful and accurate to in-game graphics.
By 2000, the magazine had a monthly print circulation of more than 100,000.
Controversy In the September 1995 issue of GameFan, an article was printed that contained several derogatory comments about Japanese people (calling them "little Jap bastards") as well as a self-degrading racial comment ("Us poor white trash from So CA"). The text took the place of one of the paragraphs of one of the sports game reviews. The article discussed a Namco combat flight simulator, Ace Combat, rather than College Football '96 (which was the topic of the article) and was poorly written.Cavalier, Cal. College Football USA '96. DieHard GameFan. Volume 3. Issue 9. No.33. Pg.115. September 1995.
GameFan's official explanation was that a rogue employee had sabotaged the magazine in order to alienate its Japanese audience and fan base. However, later reports indicated that it was actually filler text that someone had neglected to remove, and the entire incident was an internal joke that accidentally got printed. An apology (dated August 24, 1995) was published in DieHard GameFan's October 1995 issue in both English and Japanese.Halverson, Dave. Editorial Zone. DieHard GameFan. Volume 3. Issue 10. No.34. Pg.4. October 1995.
The Adventures of Monitaur
The magazine included a comic strip, The Adventures of Monitaur, an anime-derived series. Although the title character Monitaur was only drawn for the strip, the rest of the magazine's staff personae appeared as characters. Monitaur's main storylines were his struggles against The Blowmeister, who represented the leadership of rival magazines such as Electronic Gaming Monthly. In 1994, GameFan and two new startups, known as Dark Moon Productions and Dark Moon Comics, entered into an agreement to launch a Monitor comic book series, and at that time discussions were underway to make a full-length animated movie to be produced by Dark Moon Productions Inc and DMP Multi-media, a sister company founded by Andrew Spencer and Gary Tucker.
Golden Megawards The winners of GameFans annual Golden Megawards were chosen by editors.
+1992 MegawardsGameFan, volume 1, issue 3 (January 1993), pages 70-71 Award Skid Brody Tom Slick The Enquirer Best Game Wonderdog (Sega CD) Cybernator (SNES) Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis) Street Fighter II (SNES) Best Import Game Landstalker (Mega Drive) Parodius (Super Famicom) Landstalker (Mega Drive) Final Fantasy V (Super Famicom) Best Arcade Translation Street Fighter II Best Handheld Game Shinobi 2 Dracula Mario Land 2 Best Action Platform Game Wonderdog Sonic 2 World of Illusion Best One-on-One Fighting Game Art of Fighting Street Fighter II Best Action Fighting Game TMNT: Hyperstone Heist Streets of Rage 2 Best Movie Game Alien 3 Star Wars Best Shooter Air Zonk Thunder Force IV Space Megaforce Best Cartoon Game Taz-Mania World of Illusion Taz-Mania World of Illusion Best RPG Soul Blazer Zelda: A Link to the Past Best Puzzle Game Q*bert 3 Lemmings Krusty's Fun House Q*bert 3 Best Simulation Steel Talons Battletank Steel Talons Best Sports Game Baseball Stars 2 Madden '93 Baseball Stars 2 Best Driving Game Mario Kart Top Racer Mario Kart Best Strategy Game Warsong Rampart Warsong Rampart Best Action Adventure Legend of the Mystical Ninja Cybernator Prince of Persia Legend of the Mystical Ninja Best Sound Effects Global Gladiators Super Star Wars Best Intro Wonderdog Out of This World Best Game Music Wonderdog Streets of Rage 2 Super Adventure Island Legend of the Mystical Ninja Best Music (Import Game) Lunar Fhey Area Nobunaga's Ninja Force Final Fantasy V Best Character Wonderdog (Wonderdog) Cybernator (Cybernator) Dhalsim (Street Fighter II) Guile (Street Fighter II) Best Boss Smoke Ring Boss (Wonderdog) Level 5 (Thunder Force IV) Scaling Face (Mystical Ninja) Best New Peripheral Sega CD Worst Game All THQ Games
+1993 MegawardsGameFan, volume 2, issue 2 (January 1994), pages 54-58 (PDF) Award Winner Runners-up Game of the Year Gunstar Heroes (Genesis) Star Fox (SNES) Landstalker (Genesis) Best Action Platform Game Gunstar Heroes (Genesis) Tiny Toons (SNES) Best Action/Adventure Alien 3 (SNES) Flashback (Genesis) Best Fighting Game Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition (Genesis) Street Fighter II Turbo (SNES) Best Shooter Silpheed (Sega CD) Star Fox (SNES) Best Action/Arcade Game Batman Returns (SNES) Final Fight CD (Sega CD) Best Movie Game Aladdin (Genesis) Alien 3 (SNES) Best Cartoon Game Stimpy's Invention (Genesis) Taz-Mania (SNES) Best Puzzle Game Mean Bean Machine (Genesis) Lost Vikings (SNES) Best Simulation AH-3 Thunderhawk (Sega CD) MechWarrior (SNES) Best Strategy Game Shining Force (Genesis) King Arthur's World (SNES) Best Action/RPG Landstalker (Genesis) Secret of Mana (SNES) Best RPG Lunar (Sega CD) Paladin's Quest (SNES) Best Driving Game Crash & Burn (3DO) Formula One (Genesis) Rock & Roll Racing (SNES) Best 2 Player Game Dashin' Desperadoes (Genesis) Battletoads (SNES) Most Innovative New Game Landstalker (Genesis) Tax-Mania (SNES) Best Music Lunar (Sega CD) Star Fox (SNES) Gunstar Heroes (Genesis) Sonic CD (Mega CD) Best New Character Bubsy (Bubsy) Aero (Aero) Sparkster (Rocket Knight Adventures) Best System of '93 Sega Genesis SNES Best Handheld Game Gear Best New System Atari Jaguar 3DO
+1994 MegawardsGameFan, volume 3, issue 1 (January 1995), pages 68-75 (PDF) Award Winner Game of the Year Earthworm Jim (Genesis) Import Game of the Year Clockwork Knight (Saturn) Action/Platform Game of the Year Earthworm Jim (Genesis) Action/Adventure Game of the Year Metroid (SNES) Action/Arcade Game of the Year Contra (Genesis) Fighting Game of the Year Super Street Fighter II Turbo (3DO) Shooting Game of the Year Novastorm (3DO) Movie Game of the Year Demolition Man (3DO) Cartoon Game of the Year Mickey Mania (Sega CD) Simulation Game of the Year Iron Soldier (Jaguar) Strategy Game of the Year Shining Force 2 (Genesis) Role Playing Game of the Year Final Fantasy III (SNES) Action/RPG Game of the Year Illusion of Gaia (SNES) Driving/Racing Game of the Year Road Rash (3DO) Puzzle Game of the Year Bubba 'n' Stix (Genesis) Best Adventure/RPG Snatcher (Sega CD) Best 2 Player Game Contra (Genesis) Eternal Champions (Sega CD) Super Street Fighter II (SNES) Best Soundtrack Earthworm Jim (Genesis) Best Music Final Fantasy III (SNES) Burning Soldier (3DO) Best Special Effects Castlevania: Bloodlines (Genesis) Donkey Kong Country (SNES) Guardian War (3DO) Best FMV Loadstar (Sega CD) Burning Soldier (3DO) Best New Character Earthworm Jim (Earthworm Jim) Best New System Sega 32X Best System '94 Panasonic 3DO
+1995 MegawardsGameFan, volume 4, issue 1 (January 1996), pages 104-106 Award Winner Import Megawards Game of the Year Yoshi's Island (SNES) 16-Bit Game of the Year Yoshi's Island (SNES) 32-Bit Game of the Year Jumping Flash! (PlayStation) SNES Game of the Year Yoshi's Island Genesis Game of the Year Vectorman PlayStation Game of the Year Jumping Flash Saturn Game of the Year Virtua Fighter 2 3DO Game of the Year D Portable Game of the Year Red Alarm (Virtual Boy) Action Platform Game of the Year Yoshi's Island (SNES) Hermie Hopperhead (PlayStation) Action Adventure Game of the Year Skeleton Warriors Fighting Game of the Year Virtua Fighter 2 (Saturn) Killer Instinct (SNES) Shooter of the Year Panzer Dragoon (Saturn) Darius Gaiden (Saturn) Movie/Cartoon Port Game of the Year Skeleton Warriors RPG of the Year EarthBound (SNES) Mystic Ark (Super Famicom) Action RPG of the Year Beyond Oasis (Genesis) Tenchi Sozo (Super Famicom) Racing Game of the Year Sega Rally Championship (Saturn) Motor Toon GP (PlayStation) Puzzle Game of the Year Zoop (PlayStation) Puyo Puyo 2 (Saturn) Simulation/Shooting Game of the Year Warhawk (PlayStation) Strategy Game of the Year Ogre Battle (SNES) Tactics Ogre (Super Famicom) Racing/Combat Games of the Year Wipeout (PlayStation) Off-World Interceptor (Saturn) Graphic Adventure/FMV Games of the Year The Mansion of Hidden Souls (Saturn) Discworld (PlayStation) D (3DO) Special Effects Game of the Year Warhawk (PlayStation) Soundtrack of the Year Skeleton Warriors New Character of the Year Astal (Astal)
+1996 MegawardsGameFan, volume 5, issue 2 (February 1997), pages 34-36 Award Winner(s) Runners-up Top GameFan Game of 1996 Tomb Raider Resident Evil Super Mario 64 Nights Tekken 2 Best Import Game of the Year Enemy Zero Keio Yu Gekitai Coin-Op Game of the Year Virtua Fighter 3 Street Fighter Alpha 2 16-Bit Game of the Year Virtua Fighter 2 (Genesis) Donkey Kong Country 3 Portable Game of the Year Wario (Virtual Boy) Red Alarm (Virtual Boy) Alternative Game of the Year Nights Tail of the Sun Side-Scrolling Game of the Year Guardian Heroes Metal Slug Action/Platform Game of the Year Crash Bandicoot Pandemonium Action/Adventure Game of the Year Tomb Raider (PlayStation) Super Mario 64 Action/RPG Game of the Year The Legend of Oasis Legacy of Kain Corridor Game of the Year PowerSlave (Saturn) Final Doom Shooting Game of the Year Panzer Dragoon Zwei (Saturn) Virtua Cop 2 Fighting Game of the Year Street Fighter Alpha 2 Fighting Vipers Racing Game of the Year Ridge Racer Revolution, Wave Race 64 Jet Moto, Daytona CCE, Formula 1 Racing/Combat Game of the Year Wipeout XL Motor Toon GP, Wipeout (Saturn) Puzzle Game of the Year Tetris Attack (Super NES) Puzzle Fighter RPG Game of the Year Suikoden Super Mario RPG Strategy Game of the Year Return Fire (PlayStation) Tecmo's Deception Simulation Game of the Year GunGriffon (Saturn) Pilotwings 64 Best Sports Game of the Year Worldwide Soccer '97 (Saturn) Cool Boarders Best Game Story of the Year Suikoden Legacy of Kain Best Special Effects of the Year Super Mario 64 Tomb Raider Best Soundtrack of the Year Suikoden Tekken 2 Best Use of FMV/CG of the Year Tekken 2 Legacy of Kain
Related publications GameFan's original editor-in-chief, Dave Halverson, went on to publish Gamers' Republic, and then Play Magazine (an American video-gaming magazine, not to be confused with the English publication of the same name), consisting mostly of former GameFan and Gamers' Republic staff members. Gamers' Republic had a run of 35 issues and ceased publication in July 2001 when the dot-com bubble burst. The Play had a more successful run of 97 issues until the publishing company filed for bankruptcy.