I started out as nothing more than a regular of the local forum. But eventually I started writing letters to the website and then I began writing a weekly round-up of the discussions taking place in the forum.
After about six months I was eventually commissioned to write a professional article that I got paid for.
If it were not for the demise of the site I would probably still be writing for them today.
Whether you prefer the D-pad or the Dual Shock, your favourite game controller is the result of many years of experimentation and development. In the first of a two-part feature, we take a look at the way these peripherals have developed.Rob WilsonIn 20 years, the games industry has transformed from two lines bouncing a small white square to each other, played in the bedrooms of a select few, classed as geeks by society, to publishers with multi-million dollar projects and multi-million polygon 3D-powered graphics cards capable of producing incredible graphical environments, sounds and AIs. This industry, once so unpopular, is now even bigger than the film industry, generating over £1 billion due to the introduction of "fashionable" games, attracting mainstream appeal.The games industry is driven by speculation and future developments. When will the next generation machines be released? When will games like Perfect Dark appear? Machines and their games have evolved through time, demanding more complex algorithms and processing power. However, one area that's overlooked by consumers, despite its presence probably being the most important aspect of any machine, is the input device or controller.Pong was such a simple game that it required a simple paddle control to move your player. Today, games such as GoldenEye and Ape Escape require analogue control sticks (two in the case of Ape Escape), with eight action buttons performing various actions. The most complex PC games ask you to press multiple buttons and use virtually every finger to operate the game, as well as using two different controls, such as the mouse/keyboard combination. For example, Mech Warrior 3 has a whopping 99 different action buttons. So how did the earliest Atari 2600 joystick develop into the latest Dual Shock Analogue pad? Read on...In 1977, Pong was released as a home version. It was a simple game where you deflected a white dot off paddles that defended each side of the screen. To control this paddle, a simple control method was introduced - a lever that moved the paddle. This controller was designed solely for the purpose of Pong and so no other game could really use this system. A universal controller that could play multiple games needed to be produced.
In 1978, the first home consoles became available. The Atari 2600 was released with a virtual arcade replica controller. This was a simple joystick with the one action button for, you guessed it, actions. It was used for jumping, firing, accelerating, etc. The machine, stunning to the eyes of players (at that time, anyway), was very basic and unable to undertake complicated tasks.It's what can be perceived as a Domino effect. Games were limited by what the machine could do and controllers were limited by what games could do. This meant that when new machines were introduced, new, more powerful software could be made, requiring more complex control systems. Evolution and growth as a whole was slow at first, since capital input was at a premiun. It was only when the big players began to flex their muscles that evolution began. In 1982, a Japanese card manufacturer moved into the console industry and released the Famicom (or Nes in the UK). Nintendo were about to revolutionise the entire industry in multiple forms. Games such as Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong and Metroid entranced a generation of Japanese kids and squeezed their parents' wallets dry.The basic Nintendo control pad brought in the new A, B button design which Mario (with his run, jump and shoot abilities) could not have been without. You may think the second action button wasn't important but it doubled the number of actions that could be performed - pass and shoot in football games, use weapon and utility item in RPGs, run and jump in platform games. Also, the Nintendo had START and SELECT buttons, so pauses were easy to execute and menus easy to navigate.Nintendo set the standard for console controllers, although Sega released the Master System (again with two buttons) and then the Mega Drive with three buttons. The Mega Drive was the first 16bit machine. Games had the potential to be twice as powerful as the NES but the controller wasn't in synch. Many gamers, although enjoying Sonic, believed the experience was shallow, possibly due to the blue hedgehog not having enough actions.
Once again, Nintendo produced the goods in 1991. The Super Nintendo was released with yet another revolutionary controller design. The SNES control pad looked simple enough, with four action buttons on the face of the pad, but the real innovative idea was the insertion of two shoulder buttons. These were perfectly placed so the pad was never congested.The game which typified the usefulness of the shoulder buttons first was the superb conversion of Street Fighter II. Probably one of the greatest games of its time, it brought its six-button arcade machine onto the SNES seamlessly. Shigeru Miyamoto and his team had managed to create a pad that was the envy of the industry. Sega did release a six-button pad when the Mega Drive finally got its version of Street Fighter, but this could only be seen as an imitation of the SNES joypad.As you can see, the controllers only evolved when the machines and games did. Very rarely, if ever, did you see a new "standard controller" released on a console as it would split the machine's buying audience, and people without certain controllers would be unable to play certain games - the Mega Drive made this mistake with the six-button joypad. Once the standard controller was designed, the developers of software were confined to these specifications during the machine's life cycle. Often several buttons on the SNES pad were redundant in a game, but the hardware was there if they developers saw fit to use it.In the next generation consoles a similar revolution occurred. Launched in 1995, both the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn pads had eight buttons. Ideas had obviously been borrowed from the SNES as shoulder buttons were present on both, but whereas Sega placed an extra two buttons on the face of the pad, making it clumsy and congested, Ken Kutaragi's Sony crew simply slapped two more shoulder buttons on the PlayStation pad.Although not revolutionary, it was brilliantly executed. The pad was complex but not congested. Also, the PSX pad, in our view, is extremely comfortable - the small humps on the bottom of the SNES pad had grown into prongs which meant you could rest the fingers you didn't use in a comfortable spot. The prong formation has been imitated by countless third-party hardware developers and even Nintendo bowed to the PSX pad's comfort with the "prongs" in place for its N64 controller
In March 1997, one of the greatest games ever was released in the UK. Mario 64 stunned everyone it touched. Miyamoto had made the Mario transition from 2D to 3D worlds seem effortless. With the new-found love for 3D in the gaming world, thanks to the increasing power of graphics cards, a new standard controller was demanded. A digital D-pad was clumsy and inaccurate for 360-degree movement, so what did Miyamoto and his team do? Simple: they added an analogue stick to the middle of the pad, placed a couple of extra "c" buttons on the face, a trigger button on the underside of the controller and kept the D-Pad intact where it was.The result was the most bizarre but amazing controller. It looked like a something from the rejects of starship design on Star Trek but played like the Liverpool of the '80s. After only an hour's use the controller was like second nature. As well as the analogue stick providing easy 3D control, the trigger button added a new dimension to control. The Z-Trigger is best utilised on GoldenEye (and various other first-person shooters) for use in firing weapons. I actually feel I'm firing the guns and not just tapping a button. Also, another noticeable inclusion was an expansion slot actually fitted into the N64 pad. This allowed memory cards and new Rumble Paks to simulate effects in the game, another revolutionary step involving motors which rotated at different speeds, causing small rumbles for effects such as engine noises and heavy rumbles for effects such as explosions.
Nintendo, who had influenced the industry before, had done it again. Sony's PSX pad looked laughable compared to it. As a result, Sony followed suit with an unsuccessful analogue pad before releasing, in conjunction with Gran Turismo, the Dual Shock Analogue pad. This was another pad that was superbly designed and executed. The Dual Shock motors didn't require batteries, feeding power directly off the machine, and the mushroom-shaped dual sticks were very comfortable and also doubled up as buttons, increasing the action button count to 10. Although games on the PS could be played with a regular joypad, the Dual Shock joypad is far better suited to the avalanche of 3D games flooding the PlayStation market.The evolution of PC controllers is a much more complex side of the industry. Because there's no governing hardware body, companies release joysticks, joypads and other such devices as and when they're needed. PCs are much more complex, with games demanding more controls than a simple joypad could give. As a result, most PC games tend to use the keyboard for the more mundane tasks, like targeting craft or selecting buildings, and use controllers for the vital tasks, such as movement and key actions. In the past few years, the mouse/ keyboard combination has become a popular choice, especially in strategy games and first-person shooters. Remember, Doom was a very basic form of 3D which had auto aim for height - just imagine not using a mouse for new games like Half-Life and Championship Manager 3.Throughout the past 20 years, besides the bog standard controllers, there have always been novelty efforts. Light guns have been around for ever, but had never been any good until Namco's delicious G-Con 45; the early 360 NES Max was probably the worst controller I've ever encountered; there were infra-red controllers which never worked; Multi Taps have been used to allow four players to play on one machine (although the four controller ports as standard on new consoles renders these devices useless); 3D controllers such as ASCII Sphere for PlayStation and the Frag Master for the PC; steering wheels; Namcos Jog-Con for Ridge Racer 4; and there's even going to be a fishing rod available for Dreamcast for the fishing game Get Bass. These control methods are usually too expensive, just plain pants or don't have enough software support, and that's why they remain novelty products.
So what can we expect for the future of controllers? The answer is, who knows? There are potential signs of what's in store. The new controller-in-controllers (referring to Sony's Pocket Station and Dreamcast's VMS) have plenty of promise and I certainly wouldn't be surprised if the Nintendo Game Boy Color was compatible with Nintendo's new machine. Being able to download games onto a special cart for the GBC would certainly be interesting and exciting. Rumours are that Shigeru Miyamoto is currently working on the new Nintendo controller for Dolphin - we wait in anticipation...I feel there will be very little change in Sony's new controller as their machine will be backward compatible, meaning old PSX games will function on the new machine. Though it has been tried before, unsuccessfully, game gloves may make a comeback because they have something of a 3D aspect about them. Just imagine walking round the online world of Everquest, greeting people with a handshake or fighting hand-to-hand combat. So far, controllers have been only able to tap into one sense, that being touch (through Rumble Paks, etc). Developers seem intent on taking us completely into the world of their games and so controllers of the future may include sensors which can monitor heartbeat and brain activity and adjust the game mechanics to suit each individual player, such as humour level, scare factor, etc. This sort of technology is some way off but, if achieved, has massive potential.Controllers are under-respected and not given the credit where it's due, but they can make or break systems - remember the Atari Jaguar's 'phone' controller? Having the right feel and control for your character or object is one of the most important aspects of a game. Without simple, easy-to-use controllers, games would be impossible to master.
You may often catch a glimpse of what goes on in the Forum from the Nibbles section of the magazine. This week, however, Future Gamer take a closer look at what really goes on in the virtual pub.
As Future Gamer have grown, so have their subsidiaries. The Future Gamer Clan continue to break new records, the number of affiliates grows by the week and Michael Foster's appearance in the Feedback section surpasses the 1,000 mark. The Forum is no exception to this rule either. This may sound like a cliché but I remember the time when there were about five people on the Forum: Kaneda, HOOKED, Attica, Joda and myself. But since then, as the news has spread and the space devoted to the weekly round-up within the magazine has increased, the popularity of the Forum has exploded exponentially. On an average week these days you'll probably see over 1,000 posts from 30 or more different people.Here's the sort of stuff you're likely to see in an average week on the Forum, starting from the Friday (the day after Future Gamer's weekly publication is sent).
Friday: The day usually starts with the inevitable post from one person moaning about why Future Gamer isn't in their mailbox. Later, the problem is solved when the email address of the sender begins with Z, meaning that's the last in the lot to be sent. One wise guy (usually Kev) now suggests changing their email to Abon, and then the entire Forum alter their email, only to find they're back to square one. MrKevin brings in his usual "Letter of week" Thread. This week it's S. S for Sony, S for Super Sony games, S for Some other Sony thing. With the pressure of the Thursday deadline out of the way, Andy Smith pops in to suggest what to do; Sparkie (rumoured to be Andy Ashwin) suggests Firkins, again.
Saturday: The Forum changes overnight - with all the weekday workers gone for a couple of days, the BT Internet free weekenders take over, reposting threads that have all already been done. FGC members usually get into gear, posting messages about their latest match. Uni students, with nothing better to do, commandeer computer rooms across the country and talk about anything, even if it's to do with food or TV programs, irrespective that it's a games Forum.
Sunday: The quiet day, when most are in bed or still in the pub. FGC_Macca pops into the Forum and reports on their latest match: "They were a bit good. We, erm... lost". Attica suggests that FGC_Macca should hotkey the words 'FGC' and 'lose'. Kaneda finally finds time to catch up on the Forum using Outlook Express.
Sunday: The quiet day, when most are in bed or still in the pub. FGC_Macca pops into the Forum and reports on their latest match: "They were a bit good. We, erm... lost". Attica suggests that FGC_Macca should hotkey the words 'FGC' and 'lose'. Kaneda finally finds time to catch up on the Forum using Outlook Express.
Monday: Early morning users find a sea of "RE:" posts from Kaneda who has just about replied to every message through OE. The start of the week usually sees the most game-related posts. Zeddx81 asks whether cartridges are any good, and a well-structured debate opens up and the Forum has its first decent thread of the week.
Tuesday: The cartridge debate continues. Several year-12s cheekily access the Forum while in an IT class, explaining how dull their lesson is. They are later rumbled when teachers access the Forum (hey, they like Future Gamer too!) and see several posts from Hiltono@school. Felix begins his weekly round-up of the Forum for Thursday's Future Gamer. His job is to sift through all the posts, trying to determine which are either suitable or funny enough. After five minutes he becomes bored and plays Unreal Tournament, saying to himself, "I'll do it tomorrow." The report is emailed the following day, normal about four hours late.
Wednesday: The cartridge debate ends with CDs the clear winner and Zeddx81 is congratulated for the thread. A thread which has no conceivable link on games pops up: "Cheese or Sausages - which do you prefer?" Strange as it may seem, the thread is more popular than the cartridge thread, smashing the record 30-post mark (previously held by "Which toilet roll for you?") and providing some heated and sometimes quite vicious replies. Mikfoz and Hiltono take the thing all a bit too seriously. A newbie to the Forum brings up the PSX vs N64 thread. No-one replies.
Thursday: The newbie returns to ask why nobody replied to his thread. Mikfoz explains but the Newbie doesn't accept the reason and starts shouting abuse at most regulars, so he is quickly "flamed" out of the Forum, never to be seen again. The cheese/sausages debate continues to the disbelief of veteran HOOKED. "Isn't this a games forum?" he asks. AndyXL begins "Guess That Game 34", but within three minutes of the post, Hiryu is quickly in with the correct answer.
You're probably thinking to yourself this very minute that all this is over-exaggerated twaddle. Trust us, though, when we say this is really what happens in the Forum. It's this close knit community spirit that separates this from any other forum - it really is just like your local pub. People tend to visit on certain days; the landlords occasional pop in to consult with us; the new visitors are always treated with cautious but friendly hellos; the troublemakers are always removed; there's always one person who is there all the time, whatever day, whatever time (like Barney at Moe's bar in The Simpsons); and we even have the token loner - you know, the one who sits alone in the corner and never says anything. We're still trying to find who that is, though, seeing as he/she never says anything.
The Future Gamer Weekly Forum Round up
Issue 31 – June 10th, 1999
You're probably thinking to yourself this very minute that all this is over-exaggerated twaddle. Trust us, though, when we say this is really what happens in the Forum. It's this close knit community spirit that separates this from any other forum - it really is just like your local pub. People tend to visit on certain days; the landlords occasional pop in to consult with us; the new visitors are always treated with cautious but friendly hellos; the troublemakers are always removed; there's always one person who is there all the time, whatever day, whatever time (like Barney at Moe's bar in The Simpsons); and we even have the token loner - you know, the one who sits alone in the corner and never says anything. We're still trying to find who that is, though, seeing as he/she never says anything.
The Future Gamer Weekly Forum Round up
Issue 31 – June 10th, 1999
We begin the round-up with the news that the Future Gamer Chat Forum has undergone yet another face lift. This time it has received a warm reception, which should please the technical crew at FG (these guys really do listen to us). Interesting news is, unsurprisingly, scarce in the wake of E3 - a point illustrated in the forum by a glut of trivial threads. The once popular ‘Quiz’ has made a welcome return and has had a good response with many gaming, and sometimes non-gaming, questions taxing the regulars. "The wonders of useless information" has been another popular topic this week - is London really the second smallest city in the world? Is there a word in the English dictionary that rhymes with orange? Who knows? Who cares? The most sought after item of the week is surprisingly not Quake 3 Arena or C&C: Tiberian Sun but FG mouse mats. 'Struddie' is certainly keen, nay desperate, to get his hands on one. Also, has 'Martin' rumbled 'Kaneda's' secret identity? ("are you that Miguel chappie?" he asked). Something important did happen in the computer world last Sunday with the Europe-wide Internet strike, which has as far as we know received strong support. So if you want to talk about games, give us a quiz or add your own "useless wonder of the world" then pop over to the Future Gamer Chat Forum and bring us some excitement before we resort to watching the cricket.
Issue 35 – July 8th, 1999
Well it's all been happening on the Future Gamer Chat Forum this week. 'Luc' has confirmed our deepest fear with the admission that he is indeed a geek (due to some obscure reference to a pre-Star Wars George Lucas film). Now if it were the wonderful American Graffiti it would be fine. 'brad_lacey' is still trying to plug his website (grrr... those cheeky Aussie's). Other forum users have been venting their frustration with Driver - they can't believe that a game so full of bugs has actually been released. We can. It's all to do with cash flow, unsurprisingly. It happens on the PC all the time, but at least you can download a patch. The Future Gamer Clan seems to have really picked up over the past week. Interest has certainly been bolstered by the promise of 'official' clan T-shirts to wear to ECTS.
Issue 36 – July 15th, 1999
Games-related postings were relatively rare on the Future Gamer Chat Forum this week, as illustrated by Dodocream's lighthearted attack on our Dutch members. Retribution was quick and left him wondering why everyone loves Kev. Kaneda shared with us the most annoying thing that ever happened to him, and although most of us aren't fluent in binary or hexadecimal, the gist of his posting was that his computer broke. BigNick risked the wrath of the mighty Future Gamer Tech Dept. by posting a somewhat amusing cartoon, while everyone around him was debating whether to use Outlook Express or go to the Future Gamer homepage to use the Forum. Schumacher’s crash at Silverstone received more attention than it deserved on a games forum and created the sort of controversy not witnessed since Mr Gannon last made an appearance. On a more games-related theme, RichyS managed to out-scoop IGN by revealing news on a cheat for Rogue Squadron, which should be available right now. Turneround threatened to seriously injure himself if he didn’t receive help with Jersey Devil and the relative merits of Time Crisis 1 and 2 were discussed. Finally, andy.a descended from Future Gamer Towers to ask for advice on the WonderSwan.
Issue 38 – July 29th, 1999
Issue 35 – July 8th, 1999
Well it's all been happening on the Future Gamer Chat Forum this week. 'Luc' has confirmed our deepest fear with the admission that he is indeed a geek (due to some obscure reference to a pre-Star Wars George Lucas film). Now if it were the wonderful American Graffiti it would be fine. 'brad_lacey' is still trying to plug his website (grrr... those cheeky Aussie's). Other forum users have been venting their frustration with Driver - they can't believe that a game so full of bugs has actually been released. We can. It's all to do with cash flow, unsurprisingly. It happens on the PC all the time, but at least you can download a patch. The Future Gamer Clan seems to have really picked up over the past week. Interest has certainly been bolstered by the promise of 'official' clan T-shirts to wear to ECTS.
Issue 36 – July 15th, 1999
Games-related postings were relatively rare on the Future Gamer Chat Forum this week, as illustrated by Dodocream's lighthearted attack on our Dutch members. Retribution was quick and left him wondering why everyone loves Kev. Kaneda shared with us the most annoying thing that ever happened to him, and although most of us aren't fluent in binary or hexadecimal, the gist of his posting was that his computer broke. BigNick risked the wrath of the mighty Future Gamer Tech Dept. by posting a somewhat amusing cartoon, while everyone around him was debating whether to use Outlook Express or go to the Future Gamer homepage to use the Forum. Schumacher’s crash at Silverstone received more attention than it deserved on a games forum and created the sort of controversy not witnessed since Mr Gannon last made an appearance. On a more games-related theme, RichyS managed to out-scoop IGN by revealing news on a cheat for Rogue Squadron, which should be available right now. Turneround threatened to seriously injure himself if he didn’t receive help with Jersey Devil and the relative merits of Time Crisis 1 and 2 were discussed. Finally, andy.a descended from Future Gamer Towers to ask for advice on the WonderSwan.
Issue 38 – July 29th, 1999
As yet another week of the summer flies by, the Future Gamer Forum is still suffering from a shortage of new games to discuss. Thankfully, the Star Wars craze that gripped the Forum last week has vanished as quickly as Jar Jar's popularity in the movie. Nevertheless, some time has been spent addressing other burning gaming issues. The arrival of the UK Dreamcast at Future Gamer Towers has lead to excitement, as well as a game of 'I Spy' - "Where's this 60MHz switch thing then?" They have looked as far and wide as "next to the serial port", to the realms of the "underside" without success. And we trust them to bring us cutting edge news from the gaming world each week, huh? Alexander Moller has been taking up so much of the Forum's time with his ranting that regulars are beginning to suspect that he might be Patrick Gannon in disguise. Possibly the most popular thread of the week has been regarding what the Future Gamer Clan's slogan should be. So far, ideas have ranged from terrible to... well, worse. So anybody with a creative mind is urgently needed! One surprise so far has been the lack of Dreamcast conversation within the ranks, despite the fact that the machine is less than two months away. Hopefully discussion on the matter should heat up as we get closer to the autumn launch. If you want to spark the DC issue or bring up a new topic (so long as it doesn't involve Alexander Moller, Jar Jar, or people saying they're off on holiday) click right here. Until next week...
Issue 39 - August 5, 1999
The most popular thread in the Future Gamer Chat Forum this week has without doubt been the piracy issue brought to light in FG38. "Sweaty overweight men in filthy bedsits" (Kaneda?) have been up in arms trying to explain that copying the odd CD is nothing compared to the situation in the Far East.Felix blamed the publishers and companies for it (as usual, it's always somebody else's fault except his!) and TEk was slightly riled too - not with piracy, but the fact that he'd spent an hour writing a huge post and then his computer crashed. Andy Mitchell posted a message regarding his Future Gamer FrontEnd software, which helps you access your installed issues and search for information within the mag - good work Andy! Gamers have also vented their frustration at Driver, which has the worst final mission ever created, as the reported destruction of 17 joypads, three PlayStations, two copies of the game and a goldfish certainly attest. If you have any views you wish to air then don't hesitate to click here to find out what you're missing...
Issue 40 - August 12, 1999
This week's Chat Forum round up is being written as the total eclipse gets underway and so far we haven't had the greatest view of it - Future Gamer Towers is unfortunately completely shrouded in cloud, rendering the experience a total disappointment. Someone else currently shrouded in darkness is Tek, who reports that screaming.net is not all it's cracked up to be. When he checked his phone bill and found that he was still being billed from BT for his phone calls, he had a sudden urge to become a lemming. Despite help from various regulars such as Mr Flibble, the lawyers have had to be called in - it's good to see people sticking up for their rights. Good luck, Tek!As ECTS approaches preparations gathered momentum for the regulars set to attend. Kaneda has readied his toolbox for an attempted sabotage job on the Hotel TV, enabling him to play Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast being supplied by another regular. Also in the forum this week, Kev C has expressed his delight at the fact that US gamers will have to pay a set monthly subscription fee for the online services of the Dreamcast. To be honest, most of us would rather pay the fee than have to pay for the phone call. Finally, it appears that nowhere is safe from crime, even the Forum. LucX reported that going home for lunch isn't such a good idea when you find burglars turning the place over. We expect that his PlayStation, washing machine, microwave and garden gnome will be auctioned off later this week. If you'd like to purchase any of these items or, more importantly, talk about games, pay a visit to the Forum now. Until next week...
Issue 46 - September 23, 1999
The PlayStation2 has continued to dominate the Future Gamer Chat Forum for much of the week, even with the Dreamcast launch looming. Giovanni Paulo reckons that Sony's new beast is destined for failure - because it's not grey! Think about it... Saturn, Jaguar, MSX... non-grey machines have always struggled. This is only one of the concerns regarding PlayStation2's aesthetics. 'CD tray', 'swish-looking dehumidifier' and 'steaming pile' have all been spotted in threads. PlayStation2 aside, the Forum has been pretty quiet, probably due to the fact that Kaneda has been away. However, the rest of the regulars have endeavoured to keep things eventful. Kev has decided to set up his own little games emporium, with plans to undercut the competition, so expect to hear, "Get yer Wip3out 'ere! Only 20 paahnd a go!" down the Saturday market soon. Chris Lewis has suggested the resurrection of The A-Team in the form of BA Driver. Whatever next? Face Fashion Designer? How about a Dukes of Hazzard-themed Mario Kart clone? Yes please! Elsewhere on the Forum it would appear that romance is in the air - Macca and Sophie had a 13-post conversation! Wouldn't it be shocking if the lovely Sophie turned out to be a man...
Issue 47 - September 30, 1999
After a two-week stint at the top of the 'Things to discuss list', talk of PlayStation2 has virtually ceased on the Future Gamer Chat Forum. Instead, the week has been dominated by the Future Gamer Clan's continuing rise to fame. Dave Perry's interview is on the site after a slight delay, Sean has been planning the first official Clan match, destined to end in a crushing defeat, no doubt, and Kaneda celebrated the 1,000th visitor to the site. Other titbits in the Forum have included yet more improper use of school resources. Gaz, BigNick, Tek and Macca are all guilty of accessing the Forum during lessons. Is Future Gamer such a draw or are lessons that bad? Mikfoz has been gloating over his new freeloader position as Future Gamer's NeoGeo Pocket Color reviewer. Attica changed his name to Maiko and has been moaning that his sister completed Tekken 3 on her first go. Continuous efforts to fix the three-letter line problem in posts have finally proved fruitful, with the exception of Felix, who still can't get his head round it. Silly cat. And finally, Kev has bought a Sega console... a Saturn to be precise! Yeah, it's been one of those weeks.
Issue 48 - October 7, 1999
Just imagine, next week you could be reading Future Gamer on your telly via a Dreamcast. As such, the Future Gamer Chat Forum should have been dominated by the excitement surrounding the little white box. However, as we're sure Sony intended, PS2 talk has risen to top priority again this week. MrKevin is certainly enthusiastic about it... maybe a little too enthusiastic. Sony were also involved in threads this week, following the passing of founder Akio Morita. Without him, the Walkman, Discman and the PlayStation would never have existed. Chris opened up the usual "Game of the Month" thread, which produced a predictable response - Homeworld, C&C Tiberian Sun, WWF Attitude and, rather bizarrely, Rhubarb. Guess that poor fella got the wrong forum - Alan Titchmarsh can be found at the BBC's site.Gaz enquired about Babylon 5's release date, only to have his dreams of controlling the alien with the dodgy Russian accent shattered as it's been cancelled. The best thread of the week, however, goes to Zedd-x81, who's having various problems with his system. He upgraded his Girlfriend v7.0 to Wife v1.0, which has caused a child processing procedure, as well as taking up valuable resources. "Football v10.0, Poker v8.3 and Going Down the Pub With Mates v4.6 are no longer compatible with my system," he sobbed. When he asked the Forum regulars for advice, the resounding response was to get hold of the beta version of Steamy Affair v1.0.
Issue 50 - October 21, 1999
Hello to all you Dreamcast readers! That's what we would be saying if you could actually get online. The main topic of discussion on the Forum this week has been the European Dreamcast launch - most punters seemed happy; "converted" even, in some cases. It appears that many players eager to get online are having a lot of problems though. S8N summed up the frustration nicely: "6 billion players was reduced to two tired idiots staring bleary-eyed into the TV." The games that have impressed the most appear to be Sonic Adventure and the delectable Power Stone. As expected, it was a chance for some of the more hardcore gamers to gloat. "You think Power Stone's good, wait until you see Soul Calibur," Felix joyfully proclaimed. "With the imminent arrival of the import mod, I will be playing everything," added Anaardvark somewhat cheekily. MrSony... er, we mean MrKevin, however, is still unfazed by all this razzmatazz and eagerly awaits Final Fantasy VIII, as do we all.Other Forum chatter involved Future Gamer's review of F1 '99 coming under fire, even prompting a response from Ralph at Studio 33. The resulting heated brawl left mikfoz requiring a new set of teeth, Dodocream paying a visit to casualty and RichyS's dreams of playing for England in tatters. Since when has 80 per cent been a harsh mark? God knows what will happen when someone brings up the subject of the England Vs Scotland game... Kev asked the regulars for their thoughts on the most addictive game ever, and Tetris was the overwhelming winner. If you're interested in bringing up any gaming topics and chipping in your knowledge then click right here, unless you haven't got a mouse. Which leaves you kind of stuck, doesn't it?
The most popular thread in the Future Gamer Chat Forum this week has without doubt been the piracy issue brought to light in FG38. "Sweaty overweight men in filthy bedsits" (Kaneda?) have been up in arms trying to explain that copying the odd CD is nothing compared to the situation in the Far East.Felix blamed the publishers and companies for it (as usual, it's always somebody else's fault except his!) and TEk was slightly riled too - not with piracy, but the fact that he'd spent an hour writing a huge post and then his computer crashed. Andy Mitchell posted a message regarding his Future Gamer FrontEnd software, which helps you access your installed issues and search for information within the mag - good work Andy! Gamers have also vented their frustration at Driver, which has the worst final mission ever created, as the reported destruction of 17 joypads, three PlayStations, two copies of the game and a goldfish certainly attest. If you have any views you wish to air then don't hesitate to click here to find out what you're missing...
Issue 40 - August 12, 1999
This week's Chat Forum round up is being written as the total eclipse gets underway and so far we haven't had the greatest view of it - Future Gamer Towers is unfortunately completely shrouded in cloud, rendering the experience a total disappointment. Someone else currently shrouded in darkness is Tek, who reports that screaming.net is not all it's cracked up to be. When he checked his phone bill and found that he was still being billed from BT for his phone calls, he had a sudden urge to become a lemming. Despite help from various regulars such as Mr Flibble, the lawyers have had to be called in - it's good to see people sticking up for their rights. Good luck, Tek!As ECTS approaches preparations gathered momentum for the regulars set to attend. Kaneda has readied his toolbox for an attempted sabotage job on the Hotel TV, enabling him to play Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast being supplied by another regular. Also in the forum this week, Kev C has expressed his delight at the fact that US gamers will have to pay a set monthly subscription fee for the online services of the Dreamcast. To be honest, most of us would rather pay the fee than have to pay for the phone call. Finally, it appears that nowhere is safe from crime, even the Forum. LucX reported that going home for lunch isn't such a good idea when you find burglars turning the place over. We expect that his PlayStation, washing machine, microwave and garden gnome will be auctioned off later this week. If you'd like to purchase any of these items or, more importantly, talk about games, pay a visit to the Forum now. Until next week...
Issue 46 - September 23, 1999
The PlayStation2 has continued to dominate the Future Gamer Chat Forum for much of the week, even with the Dreamcast launch looming. Giovanni Paulo reckons that Sony's new beast is destined for failure - because it's not grey! Think about it... Saturn, Jaguar, MSX... non-grey machines have always struggled. This is only one of the concerns regarding PlayStation2's aesthetics. 'CD tray', 'swish-looking dehumidifier' and 'steaming pile' have all been spotted in threads. PlayStation2 aside, the Forum has been pretty quiet, probably due to the fact that Kaneda has been away. However, the rest of the regulars have endeavoured to keep things eventful. Kev has decided to set up his own little games emporium, with plans to undercut the competition, so expect to hear, "Get yer Wip3out 'ere! Only 20 paahnd a go!" down the Saturday market soon. Chris Lewis has suggested the resurrection of The A-Team in the form of BA Driver. Whatever next? Face Fashion Designer? How about a Dukes of Hazzard-themed Mario Kart clone? Yes please! Elsewhere on the Forum it would appear that romance is in the air - Macca and Sophie had a 13-post conversation! Wouldn't it be shocking if the lovely Sophie turned out to be a man...
Issue 47 - September 30, 1999
After a two-week stint at the top of the 'Things to discuss list', talk of PlayStation2 has virtually ceased on the Future Gamer Chat Forum. Instead, the week has been dominated by the Future Gamer Clan's continuing rise to fame. Dave Perry's interview is on the site after a slight delay, Sean has been planning the first official Clan match, destined to end in a crushing defeat, no doubt, and Kaneda celebrated the 1,000th visitor to the site. Other titbits in the Forum have included yet more improper use of school resources. Gaz, BigNick, Tek and Macca are all guilty of accessing the Forum during lessons. Is Future Gamer such a draw or are lessons that bad? Mikfoz has been gloating over his new freeloader position as Future Gamer's NeoGeo Pocket Color reviewer. Attica changed his name to Maiko and has been moaning that his sister completed Tekken 3 on her first go. Continuous efforts to fix the three-letter line problem in posts have finally proved fruitful, with the exception of Felix, who still can't get his head round it. Silly cat. And finally, Kev has bought a Sega console... a Saturn to be precise! Yeah, it's been one of those weeks.
Issue 48 - October 7, 1999
Just imagine, next week you could be reading Future Gamer on your telly via a Dreamcast. As such, the Future Gamer Chat Forum should have been dominated by the excitement surrounding the little white box. However, as we're sure Sony intended, PS2 talk has risen to top priority again this week. MrKevin is certainly enthusiastic about it... maybe a little too enthusiastic. Sony were also involved in threads this week, following the passing of founder Akio Morita. Without him, the Walkman, Discman and the PlayStation would never have existed. Chris opened up the usual "Game of the Month" thread, which produced a predictable response - Homeworld, C&C Tiberian Sun, WWF Attitude and, rather bizarrely, Rhubarb. Guess that poor fella got the wrong forum - Alan Titchmarsh can be found at the BBC's site.Gaz enquired about Babylon 5's release date, only to have his dreams of controlling the alien with the dodgy Russian accent shattered as it's been cancelled. The best thread of the week, however, goes to Zedd-x81, who's having various problems with his system. He upgraded his Girlfriend v7.0 to Wife v1.0, which has caused a child processing procedure, as well as taking up valuable resources. "Football v10.0, Poker v8.3 and Going Down the Pub With Mates v4.6 are no longer compatible with my system," he sobbed. When he asked the Forum regulars for advice, the resounding response was to get hold of the beta version of Steamy Affair v1.0.
Issue 50 - October 21, 1999
Hello to all you Dreamcast readers! That's what we would be saying if you could actually get online. The main topic of discussion on the Forum this week has been the European Dreamcast launch - most punters seemed happy; "converted" even, in some cases. It appears that many players eager to get online are having a lot of problems though. S8N summed up the frustration nicely: "6 billion players was reduced to two tired idiots staring bleary-eyed into the TV." The games that have impressed the most appear to be Sonic Adventure and the delectable Power Stone. As expected, it was a chance for some of the more hardcore gamers to gloat. "You think Power Stone's good, wait until you see Soul Calibur," Felix joyfully proclaimed. "With the imminent arrival of the import mod, I will be playing everything," added Anaardvark somewhat cheekily. MrSony... er, we mean MrKevin, however, is still unfazed by all this razzmatazz and eagerly awaits Final Fantasy VIII, as do we all.Other Forum chatter involved Future Gamer's review of F1 '99 coming under fire, even prompting a response from Ralph at Studio 33. The resulting heated brawl left mikfoz requiring a new set of teeth, Dodocream paying a visit to casualty and RichyS's dreams of playing for England in tatters. Since when has 80 per cent been a harsh mark? God knows what will happen when someone brings up the subject of the England Vs Scotland game... Kev asked the regulars for their thoughts on the most addictive game ever, and Tetris was the overwhelming winner. If you're interested in bringing up any gaming topics and chipping in your knowledge then click right here, unless you haven't got a mouse. Which leaves you kind of stuck, doesn't it?
Issue 51 - October 28, 1999
The Future Gamer Chat Forum has been pretty hectic of late, with rabid discussion/speculation on all the next gen consoles. However, as soon as the Dreamcast hit UK shelves, everyone went quiet. Maybe they're all having a rest before the big Christmas rush. As such, this week has consisted mainly of quarrels and sly digs at each other, coming to a head over the review of Homeworld. American claimed that the British were stupid for thinking Homeworld was too hard. Oh dear! The discussion soon turned into a slagging match, with some claiming that the US didn't help us enough in the war and others stating that our beef is deadly. There was further feuding over the trivial matter of whether to get a SCART or S-Video cable for the Dreamcast, resulting in a 24-post thread comprised mainly of insults. Still, from a safe distance it's quite amusing to see people rip each other's heads off over two pieces of cable! In other less heated debates, Chris celebrated completing Speed Freaks, Mr Kevin got even more excited about the Final Fantasy VIII release, which has been brought forward to October 27, and John Tweedie asked everyone for memories of their first game - Out Run and Breakout seemed to be the most common. And finally, we must all say congratulations to regular Mikfoz, who's adopting two rugrats soon. Rumours that one is to be called [FGC]_MiniFoz have been categorically denied. Drop in on our virtual pub by clicking here, but be warned - you may have to buy the first round and that might prove pretty expensive!
Issue 53 - November 11, 1999
With Halloween and Bonfire night done and dusted for another year, all our attention has turned to Christmas and there does appear to be a certain smell of excitement in the Future Gamer Chat Forum (and no, it doesn't smell like chicken). Games, rather than consoles, were at the centre of attention in various threads, so this week our three course Forum menu looked like this...For starters, the monthly thread surprisingly called "Game of the Month" arrived with the expected answer. Final Fantasy VIII really does seem to have swept away the competition so far. However, I'm sure next month it'll be a little harder to decided what game will be tickling the taste buds of the regulars. Two spoonful's of Jet Force Gemini, a sprinkle of Unreal Tournament, four ounces of Soul Calibur and a generous helping of Tomb Raider 4 all thrown into the blender will leave a cup full of shattered discs and carts. However, used to proper effect in their respective machines and they add up to an explosive start to the festive season.The main course comprised of Andy XL and his excellent 'Name that Game' series, which has been stumping even the most knowledgeable Forum members. There was also Miffy and her Secret of Mana troubles; the must-have games of yesteryear for the NES and SNES; the 'Play, Want and Bin' thread, which was taken in the wrong light by Felix, who wanted World peace and insisted any music beyond 1990 was binned; and finally, Casper's explanation of the advantages of cartridges.Unfortunately, the dessert was a bit sour. Big Nick explained that he never got in the Forum round-up but said it would impress a certain lady friend if he got in, so now we can all give him a big wave when he next goes into college.Pop over to the Future Gamer Chat Forum if you're online - there are always tasty topics to discuss and people to embarrass...
Issue 54 - November 18, 1999
Controversy and rumour are commonplace on the Future Gamer Chat Forum, and this week has been no exception. Apparently, Sega have announced that Dreamcast will be their last machine, opting instead to focus solely on software. Some greeted it with surprise while others dismissed it as "total bollocks". Irn-Bru (made in Scotland from girders) certainly stirred up some interesting views with his "Final Fantasy is crap" thread. The responses were surprisingly balanced - it would appear to be one of those love it/hate it things. Like Marmite. Andy XL baffled everyone with his "Soul Calibur or Smash Brothers" thread - we're not quite sure how you could compare the two. Are they even in the same genre? Our Dutch counterparts have not been happy this week, though, with the news that Sega will not be officially releasing Dreamcast in Benelux (don't they make washing machines?) countries. Apparently, only two specialist shops in Rotterdam will be getting the machine. Speculation is rife that Mikfoz (Michael Foster for readers of the splendid feedback section) is none other than a Future Gamer employee, due to the sheer number of his letters that get published in the hallowed virtual pages. "Write better letters," he argued. Rumours that he will have his own column soon have been strongly denied. Other threads of note include more "guess that game" brain teasers, quiz questions (can you name all the Metal Gear games?) and the continuing Star Trek story, as narrated by Miffy.If you want to get chatting, simply click here.
Issue 55 - November 25, 1999
Christmas is on the way, and what will Santa have in his sack? Who knows? Future Gamer's own Andy Ashwin is hoping for a Game Boy Color. Anyone buying? One thing we do know is that the yearly awards are as inevitable as Southampton avoiding relegation on the last day of the season, and who better to host these awards than Felix? (Note: this Chat Forum round-up was written by Felix - Ed). He set out the first two categories this week for the regulars to ponder over. "Best Character of the Year" award seems to be going the way of Squall (Final Fantasy VIII) at the moment - do you agree? Other names being bandied around at the moment include the evergreen Mario and Manuel Calavera from Grim Fandango. "Surprise Hit of the Year" has been another popular award thread, with games such as Midtown Madness, Monaco GP and Hidden And Dangerous all appearing from out of nowhere to surprise gamers. The Forum hasn't all been about awards though; another thread has been causing quite a stir - Mr Kevin's feeble attempt at guessing the age of the Forum regulars. Andy Smith - 28 indeed! And since when has Kaneda been 22? Probably about 10 years ago! Geoffrey bored everyone with his theory on the temporal dynamics of Zelda. Believe us when we say the explanation was bordering on Star Trek complexity. Maybe Link should just buy a Sports Almanac and make loads of loot like Biff did in Back To The Future 2. Tom_J expressed his disappointment at the delay of Marvel vs Capcom on the Dreamcast. Don't worry fella, something called Soul Calibur should be out by the time you read this. Fingers crossed...Fancy a chat, argument or just want to vote in the awards? Click here to have your say...
Issue 56 - December 2, 1999
With the end of the millennium fast approaching, votes have been flying in to the Future Gamer Chat Forum, and respect due to 100% cotton for hosting the 'event'. Apparently the Best Game award goes to Final Fantasy VIII, one of the least bizarre nominations. SD-Snatcher on the MSX got 3.71% of the share - probably due to Kaneda cheating and sending multiple votes under different names. What a tool. The most anticipated machine was, predictably, the PlayStation2. It hasn't all been voting this week though, as the regulars tried to keep everyone interested. "Guess That Game" has now reached the 25 mark, which just about puts it on par with the number of sequels EA will churn out of their sports division this Christmas. Hiryu seems to have an uncanny knack of getting every single one of these quizzes right too, the keener! Kev asked who worked in the games industry, and Wolfchild and Clam responded but wouldn't give much away, for fear of suddenly not working in the games industry. Finally, Ben asked the Forum whether or not Andy Smith was actually a god. Opinion was definitely split on this one, although Mr Smith himself declared that he's "more of a dick".
Issue 57 – December 9, 1999
This week's Future Gamer Chat Forum round-up comes courtesy of Felix, who's come over all poetic. We absolutely did not write this - it's printed verbatim, with the occasional bewildered comment in brackets. Enjoy...Wolfchild told us how the US saw the release of Donkey Kong 64,Unfortunately it seems more bugged than a Malaysian football score.Unreal Tournament got the regulars in excite. (What?)Watching bloody battles and giblets flying around certainly is a fright.There was a heated discussion on why we hate Dixons,Maybe it's because the staff are all simpletons? (NOT Future Gamer's opinion.)Wide UK warned us of a virus on a nuking program,Be warned, nuking programs are a terrible... er... sham? (Oh dear...)Rumours spread that Felix is crap at badminton, (And poetry.)He agreed. Felix is a simpleton!Andy XL sobbed for Nintendo's current showing in the UK, (What rhymes with UK?)Don't worry Andy. With the Dolphin Nintendo should be OK. (How about toupee?)And finally, former Forum regular HOOKED came in and said, "Hello",We hope to see more of you again, HOOKED. You are such a nice fellow. (Creep!)Hmm... that was nice, Felix. Don't be put off by this twaddle though - most Forum regulars make perfect sense. Most of the time.Issue 58 - December 16, 1999Due to an overwhelming embarrassment and a fear of being lynched, poetry will not be making a return this week. It may well be the season of goodwill but that doesn't seem to apply to the Future Gamer Chat ForumWhat started out as an unclear posting about Nintendo and Sony getting sued about something or other turned into a full-scale multinational brawl. Let's not go into detail but if we say that it involved the French then you'll probably get the idea! On a positive note (statistically anyway), this was the longest ever thread, with over 30 posts, and spawned many follow-ups such as "Bandwagon... sheep... cult followers", "Sieg Heil" and so on. Apart from this saga, the Future forum has been pretty quiet of late. 'Andy XL' said, "cheerio" until next year, so no more quiz games for 'Hiryu' to dominate. Rumours spread across the forum that International Superstar Soccer will make an appearance on the Dreamcast. Finally, 'Dodocream' announced the results of the "Most respected forum regular" - 'Mikfoz' emerged victorious. Yes, he's that popular! Other regulars who got votes were 'Kaneda', 'Wolfchild' and 'Jaffa'. And, bizarrely, even 'Felix' got 5% of the votes - guess someone liked his poetry from last week!
Issue 65 - February 10, 2000
It appears that, finally, the Future Gamer Chat Forum has returned to relative normality after a hectic couple of weeks. Gone is the discussion over whether Zinedine Zidane is destined for the Reds, "Cheese vs Sausages" is but a distant memory and the excitement over Tyson's demolition of Julius 'Punch Bag' Francis has long since faded. So you'd think the topic of the moment would be the pending release of PlayStation2, right? Well, as ever, the Forum never follows the form book and the Dolphin took centre stage. Will the Dolphin be released this year or not and whether it would be a success were the main topics of debate. AndyXL seemed adamant it would succeed on both counts, whereas Steve disagreed: "Personally I think Nintendo have had it. No-one sees them as 'cool' any more since the PlayStation took over - they haven't learned from their mistakes and I don't care what you say. Their attitude towards Europe stinks; they can't even be bothered with us over here and that's why they employed those clowns ‘THE’ to mess everything up." However, AndyXL countered with: "I really don't think that with record Game Boy and Pokémon sales, the top-selling games in the US in 1999, and two major hardware launches in the near future, Nintendo are in trouble. Sounds like a real crisis to me!" Will the Dolphin rescue Nintendo Flipper-style or will it be tinned up in tuna before you can say Ecco the Dolphin? The ever popular "Play, Want, Bin" made a welcome return too. Gran Turismo 2, Unreal Tournament, Snakes (you know, the old wiggle around a screen and eat stuff game, found on fancy mobile phones) and, for some lucky people, Crazy Taxi featured highly in the "Play" category. Crazy Taxi, Resident Evil: Code Veronica and Perfect Dark dominated the "Wants", while residing in the "Bin" were Omega Boost, AOL, Virtua Striker 2 and Aerowings. Other 'interesting' threads have included a bet on Schumacher winning the Formula 1 championship this year, a Krusty Quiz (for the OAP Forumites, bless 'em) and, finally, which car to buy in GT2. Future Gamer would go for the Renault Clio any day because it has an extra four centimetres of lateral suspension. Size matters.
Issue 66 - February 17, 2000
With so few games on the horizon (eh?) and little reason to get excited about the launch of PlayStation2 (what?), the Future Gamer Chat Forum regulars have focused more on the trivial. The most popular thread of the week was "What's a good book to read?", started by Jimmy. Plenty of books where tossed into the fire before The Beach, Complicity and 1984 emerged as the top picks. There was also an "Is Star Trek Voyager any good" debate. Most of us believe that it's a load of pap, although that bird with the metallic face decoration and large norks isn't half bad. There were a few game-related threads - they were just well hidden under a pile of nonsensical babbling. Kevin was keen to know what all the fuss is about Grandia and Final Fantasy Tactics - if you've ever talked to Felix you'll know far too much about both of these games. Big Dave was desperate, like all of us, to get his grubby mitts on ISS Pro Evolution. The PlayStation (are we allowed to use that word?) version is due out on February 25, fingers crossed. And finally, Big Nick revealed that he doesn't deathmatch. Shame on you Nick! The Future Gamer Clan will hunt you down like the dog you are. If you'd like to join the lynch mob, pop over and have a chat on the Forum. Just don't ask us how to get one of those Future Gamer fleeces!
Issue 67 - February 14, 2000
There was a fresh start for the Future Gamer Chat Forum this week after requests from several regulars - it was wiped clean and reset in an attempt to get rid of old posts and prevent responses to topics started in November 1998. Needless to say, we did enjoy the tranquillity and harmony, even if it did only last for a few hours. The Forum continues to go against the norm, with discussion on Nintendo's future topping the list. Debaser and Andy are adamant that Nintendo will have the last laugh in the next gen console wars. It appears there's still a lot of pushing and shoving before any conclusion can be ascertained. Egos were both inflated and annihilated this week with the "How big is yours?" thread. Can you believe that Kev has a 12Mb Voodoo 2 card, G3N3R1C has a self-built AMD K6-2 450 and, amazingly, Kaneda possesses a SCSI internal zip drive? Wow! By the way, if you're confused, we're talking about PCs. The "Play, Want, Bin" thread also made a premature return this week. Unreal Tournament still seems to be doing the rounds, ISS Pro Evolution is wanted and Monday mornings were binned. Finally, may we extend special thanks to Jaffa who mutilated one of the ECTS pictures for the Forum's amusement. However, we would like to point out that Andy Ashwin doesn't actually have horns and a goatee beard. At least not during the day...
Issue 68 - March 2, 2000
The Future Gamer Chat Forum has been absolutely car-azy this week, as Crazy Taxi got its European release. It certainly looks like Sega have hit the nail firmly on the head with this one. Public transport aside, the Forum has been rather quiet (apart from the usual nonsense), which is amazing considering that Sony's PlayStation2 is released in Japan this weekend. However, Casper introduced an interesting thread on the lifespan of consoles. Are consoles really dying younger these days? Kaneda introduced a new twist to "Guess that Game" with "Guess that Game Tune" via the use of .wav files. Of course, most of us were baffled by the obscure Japanese tunes cropping up, though credit must go to WideUK, who whistled his way through the Rainbow Islands theme. Jimmy was interested to know everyone's favourite games for each genre. We were also forced to confess which of the so-called 'great' games we hadn't played; Tomb Raider received more than a passing mention. Finally, it appears that certain regulars are getting just a bit too excited about the start of a new Formula One season. Start your engines and rev into the Forum by clicking here.
Issue 57 – December 9, 1999
This week's Future Gamer Chat Forum round-up comes courtesy of Felix, who's come over all poetic. We absolutely did not write this - it's printed verbatim, with the occasional bewildered comment in brackets. Enjoy...Wolfchild told us how the US saw the release of Donkey Kong 64,Unfortunately it seems more bugged than a Malaysian football score.Unreal Tournament got the regulars in excite. (What?)Watching bloody battles and giblets flying around certainly is a fright.There was a heated discussion on why we hate Dixons,Maybe it's because the staff are all simpletons? (NOT Future Gamer's opinion.)Wide UK warned us of a virus on a nuking program,Be warned, nuking programs are a terrible... er... sham? (Oh dear...)Rumours spread that Felix is crap at badminton, (And poetry.)He agreed. Felix is a simpleton!Andy XL sobbed for Nintendo's current showing in the UK, (What rhymes with UK?)Don't worry Andy. With the Dolphin Nintendo should be OK. (How about toupee?)And finally, former Forum regular HOOKED came in and said, "Hello",We hope to see more of you again, HOOKED. You are such a nice fellow. (Creep!)Hmm... that was nice, Felix. Don't be put off by this twaddle though - most Forum regulars make perfect sense. Most of the time.Issue 58 - December 16, 1999Due to an overwhelming embarrassment and a fear of being lynched, poetry will not be making a return this week. It may well be the season of goodwill but that doesn't seem to apply to the Future Gamer Chat ForumWhat started out as an unclear posting about Nintendo and Sony getting sued about something or other turned into a full-scale multinational brawl. Let's not go into detail but if we say that it involved the French then you'll probably get the idea! On a positive note (statistically anyway), this was the longest ever thread, with over 30 posts, and spawned many follow-ups such as "Bandwagon... sheep... cult followers", "Sieg Heil" and so on. Apart from this saga, the Future forum has been pretty quiet of late. 'Andy XL' said, "cheerio" until next year, so no more quiz games for 'Hiryu' to dominate. Rumours spread across the forum that International Superstar Soccer will make an appearance on the Dreamcast. Finally, 'Dodocream' announced the results of the "Most respected forum regular" - 'Mikfoz' emerged victorious. Yes, he's that popular! Other regulars who got votes were 'Kaneda', 'Wolfchild' and 'Jaffa'. And, bizarrely, even 'Felix' got 5% of the votes - guess someone liked his poetry from last week!
Issue 65 - February 10, 2000
It appears that, finally, the Future Gamer Chat Forum has returned to relative normality after a hectic couple of weeks. Gone is the discussion over whether Zinedine Zidane is destined for the Reds, "Cheese vs Sausages" is but a distant memory and the excitement over Tyson's demolition of Julius 'Punch Bag' Francis has long since faded. So you'd think the topic of the moment would be the pending release of PlayStation2, right? Well, as ever, the Forum never follows the form book and the Dolphin took centre stage. Will the Dolphin be released this year or not and whether it would be a success were the main topics of debate. AndyXL seemed adamant it would succeed on both counts, whereas Steve disagreed: "Personally I think Nintendo have had it. No-one sees them as 'cool' any more since the PlayStation took over - they haven't learned from their mistakes and I don't care what you say. Their attitude towards Europe stinks; they can't even be bothered with us over here and that's why they employed those clowns ‘THE’ to mess everything up." However, AndyXL countered with: "I really don't think that with record Game Boy and Pokémon sales, the top-selling games in the US in 1999, and two major hardware launches in the near future, Nintendo are in trouble. Sounds like a real crisis to me!" Will the Dolphin rescue Nintendo Flipper-style or will it be tinned up in tuna before you can say Ecco the Dolphin? The ever popular "Play, Want, Bin" made a welcome return too. Gran Turismo 2, Unreal Tournament, Snakes (you know, the old wiggle around a screen and eat stuff game, found on fancy mobile phones) and, for some lucky people, Crazy Taxi featured highly in the "Play" category. Crazy Taxi, Resident Evil: Code Veronica and Perfect Dark dominated the "Wants", while residing in the "Bin" were Omega Boost, AOL, Virtua Striker 2 and Aerowings. Other 'interesting' threads have included a bet on Schumacher winning the Formula 1 championship this year, a Krusty Quiz (for the OAP Forumites, bless 'em) and, finally, which car to buy in GT2. Future Gamer would go for the Renault Clio any day because it has an extra four centimetres of lateral suspension. Size matters.
Issue 66 - February 17, 2000
With so few games on the horizon (eh?) and little reason to get excited about the launch of PlayStation2 (what?), the Future Gamer Chat Forum regulars have focused more on the trivial. The most popular thread of the week was "What's a good book to read?", started by Jimmy. Plenty of books where tossed into the fire before The Beach, Complicity and 1984 emerged as the top picks. There was also an "Is Star Trek Voyager any good" debate. Most of us believe that it's a load of pap, although that bird with the metallic face decoration and large norks isn't half bad. There were a few game-related threads - they were just well hidden under a pile of nonsensical babbling. Kevin was keen to know what all the fuss is about Grandia and Final Fantasy Tactics - if you've ever talked to Felix you'll know far too much about both of these games. Big Dave was desperate, like all of us, to get his grubby mitts on ISS Pro Evolution. The PlayStation (are we allowed to use that word?) version is due out on February 25, fingers crossed. And finally, Big Nick revealed that he doesn't deathmatch. Shame on you Nick! The Future Gamer Clan will hunt you down like the dog you are. If you'd like to join the lynch mob, pop over and have a chat on the Forum. Just don't ask us how to get one of those Future Gamer fleeces!
Issue 67 - February 14, 2000
There was a fresh start for the Future Gamer Chat Forum this week after requests from several regulars - it was wiped clean and reset in an attempt to get rid of old posts and prevent responses to topics started in November 1998. Needless to say, we did enjoy the tranquillity and harmony, even if it did only last for a few hours. The Forum continues to go against the norm, with discussion on Nintendo's future topping the list. Debaser and Andy are adamant that Nintendo will have the last laugh in the next gen console wars. It appears there's still a lot of pushing and shoving before any conclusion can be ascertained. Egos were both inflated and annihilated this week with the "How big is yours?" thread. Can you believe that Kev has a 12Mb Voodoo 2 card, G3N3R1C has a self-built AMD K6-2 450 and, amazingly, Kaneda possesses a SCSI internal zip drive? Wow! By the way, if you're confused, we're talking about PCs. The "Play, Want, Bin" thread also made a premature return this week. Unreal Tournament still seems to be doing the rounds, ISS Pro Evolution is wanted and Monday mornings were binned. Finally, may we extend special thanks to Jaffa who mutilated one of the ECTS pictures for the Forum's amusement. However, we would like to point out that Andy Ashwin doesn't actually have horns and a goatee beard. At least not during the day...
Issue 68 - March 2, 2000
The Future Gamer Chat Forum has been absolutely car-azy this week, as Crazy Taxi got its European release. It certainly looks like Sega have hit the nail firmly on the head with this one. Public transport aside, the Forum has been rather quiet (apart from the usual nonsense), which is amazing considering that Sony's PlayStation2 is released in Japan this weekend. However, Casper introduced an interesting thread on the lifespan of consoles. Are consoles really dying younger these days? Kaneda introduced a new twist to "Guess that Game" with "Guess that Game Tune" via the use of .wav files. Of course, most of us were baffled by the obscure Japanese tunes cropping up, though credit must go to WideUK, who whistled his way through the Rainbow Islands theme. Jimmy was interested to know everyone's favourite games for each genre. We were also forced to confess which of the so-called 'great' games we hadn't played; Tomb Raider received more than a passing mention. Finally, it appears that certain regulars are getting just a bit too excited about the start of a new Formula One season. Start your engines and rev into the Forum by clicking here.
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