Game Player's PC Buyer's Guide Vol. 2 No. 5 (November/December 1989)

5 minutes ago, E-Day said:

That's what they were known for. Reading the Editor's letter, he says something about it being the semi-annual Buyer's Guide. I didn't get it when I first read it, but it makes sense now, in a Game Player's sort of way.

And yeah, I'm looking at the Editor's Notes from Vol.2 No. 4, and it says:

Quote

we'll have plenty more hot titles for the next issue - our semi-annual PC Buyer's Guide.

I wonder if anyone can identify this one?  the pic is too small to see the volume/issue on the cover.  But it's got Loom on the cover, which was given a 5 page strategy section in the Vol.2 No.4 issue, so maybe this is Vol.2 No.3? 

After that, we've got Vol.2 No.2 scanned by marktrade at archive and Vol.1 No.2 (when it was called "Game Player's Guide to MS-DOS Computer Games"

Oh, and here's a link to a post with the info pieced together so far (which seems to suggest that there is NOT a vol2 no6, and so your upload can safely be labeled Nov/Dec 1989):

https://www.retromags.com/forums/topic/10305-missing-magazine-game-players-pc-entertainment/?do=findComment&comment=48967

I think this is the only download to reach two pages of comments.

So since all the nice comments got buried at the top of page one, I'll bookend it here by again saying THANK YOU so much for scanning this issue.  I realize people love their Gamepros and Nintendo Powers, but let's face it - you can't turn around without bumping into dozens of those mags at any given moment on eBay.  It's super-rare stuff like this that you only see once in a decade or more that makes me all tingly.

Here's hoping we can finish a collection of this title someday.

If anyone spots an issue of this title (or any of it's aliases) and lets me know, I'll gladly make a bid for it so long as we're not talking stupid amounts of money.  I don't hang around eBay at all, so I'm unlikely to see this sort of stuff.

CGW is always welcome, but my enthusiasm is tempered by the fact that the entire run has been available for years (albieit in lower resolution than your scan will be). 

Any 1990s issues of PC Gamer on the other hand will also be greatly appreciated.

7 hours ago, kitsunebi77 said:

I wonder if anyone can identify this one?  the pic is too small to see the volume/issue on the cover.  But it's got Loom on the cover, which was given a 5 page strategy section in the Vol.2 No.4 issue, so maybe this is Vol.2 No.3? 

After that, we've got Vol.2 No.2 scanned by marktrade at archive and Vol.1 No.2 (when it was called "Game Player's Guide to MS-DOS Computer Games"

Just made an account to comment on this. The earlier issues seem to have a different logo and all feature a bunch of PC game boxes in the air. Based on the logo it's probably either Vol. 3 Number 1, 3, 5 or 6 (the other issues from Vol 3 & 4 have been scanned). And the old post about missing issues that has a running list mentions Vol. 3 Number 6 is labeled "Special Buyer's Guide". That would be my guess for this issue.

6 hours ago, kitsunebi77 said:

If anyone spots an issue of this title (or any of it's aliases) and lets me know, I'll gladly make a bid for it so long as we're not talking stupid amounts of money.  I don't hang around eBay at all, so I'm unlikely to see this sort of stuff.

CGW is always welcome, but my enthusiasm is tempered by the fact that the entire run has been available for years (albieit in lower resolution than your scan will be). 

Any 1990s issues of PC Gamer on the other hand will also be greatly appreciated.

Also, now that you mention it. There's an issue on eBay right now that's not scanned, Volume 3 Number 5. Here's a link!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Game-Player-s-PC-Strategy-Guide-Search-for-the-King-November-1990/254175020539?hash=item3b2e0305fb:g:bbgAAOSwnN5bfNvY&frcectupt=true

9 minutes ago, mideast said:

Just made an account to comment on this. The earlier issues seem to have a different logo and all feature a bunch of PC game boxes in the air. Based on the logo it's probably either Vol. 3 Number 1, 3, 5 or 6 (the other issues from Vol 3 & 4 have been scanned). And the old post about missing issues that has a running list mentions Vol. 3 Number 6 is labeled "Special Buyer's Guide". That would be my guess for this issue.

Well, maybe, but some of the games seen on this cover like Loom and Codename: Iceman are featured in the Vol.2 No.5 Buyer's Guide.  It would be odd to have those same games show up in another buyer's guide printed a year later (if it was vol.3 no.6).  So I'm guessing something earlier. 

Doesn't really matter, though.  I'll not be adding anything to the database until we have definite confirmation (i.e. non-thumbnail-size pics).  Keep an eye out!

4 minutes ago, mideast said:

Also, now that you mention it. There's an issue on eBay right now that's not scanned, Volume 3 Number 5. Here's a link!

Ah yes, I saw that issue a couple of months ago, and then never saw it again.  Figured someone bought it despite the ridiculous price.

Turns out it's been there all along, unsold (as one would normally expect of a mag in very little demand being sold at that price).  Rare doesn't always equal valuable...but I digress.

Turns out the reason I couldn't see it was because the seller only ships to the USA, and eBay apparently doesn't show search results for anything that won't ship to your home country.  I must have been logged into a US hub of my VPN the day I saw it.  I can access it now through that link, but if I do a search for it, it doesn't show up since the guy doesn't ship to my country.  Stupid eBay.

18 hours ago, kitsunebi77 said:

Well, maybe, but some of the games seen on this cover like Loom and Codename: Iceman are featured in the Vol.2 No.5 Buyer's Guide.  It would be odd to have those same games show up in another buyer's guide printed a year later (if it was vol.3 no.6).  So I'm guessing something earlier. 

Doesn't really matter, though.  I'll not be adding anything to the database until we have definite confirmation (i.e. non-thumbnail-size pics).  Keep an eye out!

Found it!! It's actually Volume 3 Number 3 which should be May/June 1990. I messaged someone who had it listed before on eBay and it ended up being the actual person who did he original cover art for the issue. Here's a link to an enlarged copy:

https://imgur.com/a/X83F5ug

4 hours ago, mideast said:

Found it!! It's actually Volume 3 Number 3 which should be May/June 1990. I messaged someone who had it listed before on eBay and it ended up being the actual person who did he original cover art for the issue. Here's a link to an enlarged copy:

https://imgur.com/a/X83F5ug

Awesome.  Thanks!  Mystery solved - I can finally get rid of that tiny thumbail that's been sitting on my desktop for the past year!

Being, the cover artist, I imagine they kept a few copies of the actual mag.  I wonder if they'd be interested in donating a copy to be preserved and shared with the world?  Wishful thinking, probably.