Diehard GameFan 2.0 Interview

[RCM]

I know a lot of folks around these parts still dig GameFan, and it recently came back! Check out my interview with the EIC of the new version.

http://www.j2games.com/new/forum/ind...sg5537#msg5537

Enjoy!

[Melf]

I have to ask "why" as well. It's just a name, and using it will hold this site up against people's nostalgia. It'll be quite hard to live up to that.

Looking at the site, the reviews are simply way too long. Ten different criteria for evaluation?

[Sudo]

I just came in here to post that "Al Lucard" has the coolest name ever.

....

I'll leave now.

[Ed Oscuro]

u card

[Kevincal]

That's kinda cool that GF came back in one way or another... I had to sell my nearly complete collection of Gamefan mags recently cus I was broke... Best magazine ever imo. Ya know, it would be REALLY awesome if they modelled their website after the original Gamefan website from the late 90's...

[Steven]

EDIT: Had a chance to really take a GOOD look at the site. My opinion has changed from that of my first (skimming) impressions. The site needs a LOT of work. The writing is subpar and the aesthetics of the site is not appealing at all. It's still relatively young though, so I'll give it time to grow before "damning" it. But so far, it's pretty average in the long line of gaming websites. Nothing really sets it apart from the many other me-too pages out there. Now I can see why the URL choice makes it even worse. At least if the site were "WOW I GOTTA TELL MY FRIEND ABOUT THIS THAT'S HOW GOOD IT IS!" then yeah, the URL would be cool. Now that I've had a thorough chance to check out the site, I'm disappointed.

[Melf]

My questions stems mostly from their desire to use the name. If they're going to be an entirely new crew with a new vision and site, why use the old name? Why tie yourself to something so highly regarded if you're doing something different? It seems like a quick way to generate hype, but how does it relate to the original GameFan other than in name?

[Steven]

It says on their site they intend to pick up the ball that GameFan "dropped" when they folded, to go back to a certain 'purity' (more or less, not exactly what they said but pretty much) that has long left the gaming journalism world since GameFan faded in the early part of this decade.

Whether they 'accomplish' that remains to be seen. But so far, they're not close IMO. So-so site.

[roushimsx]

I'm unimpressed by the writing quality on the site.

[Nescollector]

It"s been so long since I seen one (have some stored away) I hope to hell they don"t pickup where they left off in saying .....bliss....one of the reviewers always said.....it was pure bliss, and bliss that...

[tcv]

I kinda miss the original DIEHARD ads. Was this the same company?

OH, btw..

Melf, I like the guy's balls (whoa that came out wrong..)

... but you LEFT IT IN THE MESSAGE!

[j_factor]

I'd rather they resurrect GameGO.

[TheRedEye]

I'm unimpressed by the writing quality on the site.

Yeah, it seems like another site where people write about games for people who write about games (see: The Gamer's Quarter, ActionButton), except unlike those sites I don't know any of these authors so I have no interest in wading through their gigantic walls of picture-less text.

Seriously, who reads this stuff?

[Damaramu]

Checked out the site. Yuck. As stated by others, they're just trying to cash in on the old GameFan name. That grading systems is awful, bordering on pretty awful...but not nearly as bad as downright awful.

But seriously, ditch the Gamefan name.

[roushimsx]

Yeah, it seems like another site where people write about games for people who write about games, except unlike those sites I don't know any of these authors so I have no interest in wading through their gigantic walls of picture-less text.

Seriously, who reads this stuff?

In my opinion, the site is in desperate need of a couple of dedicated editors that would be willing to comb through those mammoth first drafts and clean them up. Get rid of all of the spelling and grammatical errors, tighten up the focus, clean up the "ratings system", establish size limitations, etc.

It's like they're trying to situate themselves between 1UP and ActionButton, adopting the worst aspects of both in the process and then tagging on the DieHard GameFAN name to pull in hits. I haven't dug through the site enough, but have they gotten Tim Rogers on board to write a guest review for them yet?

[Kevincal]

Hardcore Gamer actually had a handfull of guys that used to be with Gamefan. But I'm not even sure if HCG is still around... :P

[nestlekwik]

Hardcore Gamer actually had a handfull of guys that used to be with Gamefan. But I'm not even sure if HCG is still around... :P

"Dear faithful Hardcore Gamer readers,


Hardcore Gamer is going quarterly.


Thank you for showing your support by subscribing to Hardcore Gamer Magazine. It's folks like you who make it worth the effort for us to keep publishing a print magazine when the competition from the internet for your attention is so stiff.


Due to the massive shift in the video game journalism industry to a more online-focused strategy, we have decided to also shift our main focus for Hardcore Gamer to a a model that better takes advantage of our website, HardcoreGamer.com. That means we are going to start posting our reviews, previews and features to our web site as soon as they are ready instead of waiting for the print version to hit street as we used to. At the same time, we will be providing unique content within the printed version of Hardcore Gamer so that the two no longer conflict with each other.


For this reason, we will be publishing the printed version of Hardcore Gamer only four times a year instead of twelve. Please see the new schedule below so you will know when to expect your issues to arrive in your mailbox from now on.


Issue On-Sale Date

Spring 2008 02/19/2008

Summer 2008 05/20/2008

Fall 2008 08/19/2008

Winter 2008 11/18/2008


The cost of each issue to someone who does not subscribe, as you do, will be rising. The price of a yearly subscription, however, will still remain $24.95. All current subscriptions have been extended until the Winter 2008 issue.


Sincerely,

Hardcore Gamer staff"

It's primarily an online focused entity now. I know many of the HCG staff also work on the Double Jump published strategy guides as well, so maybe they are putting more time into that as well.

[RCM]

Thanks to all that read the interview, and my apologies for the delay in response. The new GameFan does need a lot of work, but Alex is a good dude and I hope it happens.

I wonder if there's a need for reviews anymore, considering more and more demos are available to the public for free. Also, I wonder if it's time to reconsider how to review certain titles, esp. "casual games."