Dear Readers,
This is it, gamefans. This is the issue you’ve all been waiting for: the WrestleMania of GameCola. Or, if you don’t fancy yourself a fan of the fake fights: The Super Bowl of GameCola. (Not that I’m one to endorse football in any way — I’m just trying to provide a decent analogy for you.) This, the January issue of 2004, is the biggest, most important issue of the past twelve months, and you are mere moments away from diving head-first into it. Are you ready?
To commence this epic journey into the far reaches of interactive video entertainment (following the submissions and news sections, of course), we’ve got a grand total of TEN reviews for you this month. Ten. The most we’ve ever had in one issue before this was six. We’ve got four reviews written by actual staff members, and a whopping six that were sent to us by readers like you. Additionally, in a repeat from last year, we’ve got an extended version of Loafy Carl. That’s right! Your favorite comic strip is no longer limited to only one appearance in GameCola — Neal Iannone makes his artistic presence felt SIX TIMES in this issue! And that’s not all! We’ve also got biggie sized versions of “The Gates of Life”, “Versus Mode”, and “Advice for the Sensitive Gamer”.
But you didn’t think we’d stop at just that, did you? You didn’t really think we’d just expand our current columns and call that a GameCola winter spectacular, right? ‘Cause if you did… well… you’re wrong, you cad! We’re pulling out each and every stop for 2004’s January issue. Allec Johnson is debuting a new column called “Preserving the Plastic”, which focuses on the collecting of video games. Matt Gardner has penned for us a special feature called “The Birth of a Forum”, which is the true story of how the Chrono Trigger social board came to be on GameFaqs. Brain Vanek, better known as “the guy who sent us pictures of his Nintendo watercolors a while ago” is debuting a new column called “You Learn Something New Every Play”, which will discuss the educational value of video games. And, as if that weren’t enough, Chief Justice Jenna Ogilvie is back with a brand new contest! There’s no haikus or limericks this time, readers; this contest is a “caption” contest. Do you think you’re funny? Can you come up with a clever string of words to place under a humorous picture? Prove it to us, and you just might win yourself a GameCola t-shirt!
There’s still one huge part to this January issue that I’ve yet to mention, though I’m sure you all know what it is: GameCola’s 2003 Interactive Video Entertainment Awards. Screw the VGAs! We actually have some idea what we’re talking about. What video game from 2003 is the most innovative? Which is the most disappointing? Who among you is GameCola’s “Reader of the Year”? And, most important of all, what is the “Game of the Year” for 2003? Read on to find out!
Enough of my yapping already. You’re not here to read a lengthy “Dear Readers,”; you’re hear to get a dose of the Internet’s premier video game webazine. So, without further ado, allow me to introduce to you: GameCola’s Second Annual New Year’s Awards Special!
Love,
Paul Franzen
Editor-in-Chief
e-mail: pfranzen@gamecola.net
P.S. I almost forgot! Check out the brand new official GameCola Forums! Programmed by Internet Mastermind Kevin Leacock, the GameCola Forums are a sight to behold. Discuss the January issue there after you’re done reading it!
