Year One
Issue One - Here is the first issue of the newsletter! The first thing you will notice is how short it was. Quite a difference from the epics we put out now! Featured first question of the month!
Issue Two - This issue was a bit bigger and featured the first video game reviews. They were newer games, but it was a start.
Issue Three - Another small increase in size. This one featured a story about a guy who tried to sell me some prototyes. I personally think it was a con job. Also featured an article about Imagic and the Intellivision.
Issue Four - This issue was the same size as issue #3. "A Deeper Look" debuted in this issue as did my first mention of MAME! This also debuted my first personal story from gaming in my youth.
Issue Five - This issue was a big increase in size from issue #4. This was also the first themed issue, with the theme being sequels. Also, the MAME reviews began here.
Issue Six - Another jump in size and another themed issue! This time it was Pacman and the clones that were the basis of the theme. A few articles I am proud of were "Pacman, the Babe Ruth of Video Games" and "Putting a High Price on Inferiority".
Issue Seven - This issue saw a 25% increase in size and the debut of another long running column, "The Many Faces of" where I would look at the same game on different platforms. Also, this issue featured the "Classic Video Game Quiz"!
Issue Eight - This issue went the opposite way as it was about 40% smaller than the previous issue. I did a column at the end that dealt with why I do this newsletter as I had some people who seemed puzzled that I would spend so much doing it and not charge for it. This was an Activision themed issue.
Issue Nine - Another themed issue, this time Parker Bros were the subject. I also discussed about whether or not there should be a monthly price guide for games and reviewed the V-Stick.
Issue Ten - This issue was the beginning of a change! Gone were the days when I wrote the entire issue. Fred Wagaman and Doug Saxon both came aboard as writers and helped usher in a new era! I did an article complaining about limited edition games (the one in question was "The Core" one which never came out and alot of people lost money on).
Issue Eleven - This was a huge issue and say four contributors! Rayth Orlea (also known as Reptile) and Paul Smith joined Fred and Doug! Also this featured a few new columns including "What's Happening in the hobby" and "eBay Gaming Trends, which later became "eBay Notes". My first interview was here as I talked to programmer of Venture 2 and Grandpa Pacman, Lafe Travis. Also a regular feature of questions asked to Andrew Davie, a game programmer of many games started here. Lastly, I started my first prose story, Return to Pacland.
Issue Twelve - The final issue of the first year! Another large issue with multiple contributors! This issue also featured a review with Warren Davis, who programmed Q*Bert and just released the Faster, Harder, More Challenging Q*Bert rom to MAME.