List of Hsu and Chan Comics - EGM Strips

EGM Strips

Below is a list of the Hsu and Chan strips that have appeared in EGM as well as what video game they are parodying. Usually, but not always, the content of the comic is related to what is on the cover of EGM that month. Unless otherwise noted, each strip is one page long.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• (EGM #124, November 1999) - "Pocket Morons" (Pokémon Red and Blue - Game Boy)

Note: This is the first Hsu and Chan strip to run in EGM. It features the introduction of both Hsu and Chan Tanaka as well as Chernobyl, the Radioactive Chipmunk.

• (Unknown Issue) "Secret Agent Chan" (Metal Gear Solid - PlayStation)
• (Unknown Issue) "RPG Mayhem" (Role Playing Games)
• (Unknown Issue) "Peripheral Panic (Yes I know that's a dumb name. Shut Up!)" (The Tanaka Brothers attempt to copy the success of the N64 Rumble Pack with their own peripherals.)
• (EGM #133, September 2000) - Sonic Boobs! (Sonic the Hedgehog games)

Note: This strip features the introduction of Arnie.

• (EGM #134, October 2000) - "Retro!" (retro gaming)
• (EGM #135, November 2000) - "Pocket Morons PLATINUM" (Pokémon Gold and Silver - Game Boy Color)

Note: This strip features the introduction of Gila Mobster.

Note 2: Aside from the 2 Page strip, this issue also featured Hsu and Chan's Fall Preview-O-Rama which featured Hsu, Chan, Chernobyl, Arnie, and Gila Mobster previewing games such as The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Jet Grind Radio, Paper Mario and Final Fantasy IX.

• (EGM #136, December 2000) - Tales From Hsu and Chan (obsolete consoles and the horror genre)
• (EGM #137, December 2001) - "Online!" (Internet/online gaming; MMORPGs)
• (EGM #138, January 2001) - "O, Holy Nuts" (holiday special)
• (EGM #139, February 2001) - "Girly!" (women and videogaming)
• (EGM #140, March 2001) - "Schoolin'" (game design school)
• (EGM #141, April 2001) - "The Sushi Saga!" Part One: "Robots Suck."
• (EGM #142, May 2001) - The Sushi Saga! Part Two: "Backstory!"
• (EGM #143, June 2001) - The Sushi Saga! Part Three: "Electric Bugaloo"
• (EGM #144, July 2001) - "Advanced!" (Game Boy Advance)
• (EGM #145, August 2001) - The Trade Show Diaries (E3)
• (EGM #146, September 2001) - "Last Hurrah!" (end of summer antics)
• (EGM #147, October 2001) - Chums of Liberty (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - PlayStation 2)
• (EGM #148, November 2001) - "Wrasslemania! YARRG!" (WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It- PlayStation 2)
• (EGM #149, December 2001) - Game Noir (Gila Mobster as "Harry Booker, PI" in a crime noir-themed comic out of place in the Hsu and Chan universe)
• (EGM #150, January 2002) - "Squares" (Gamecube versus Xbox)

Note: This comic introduces X, the mysterious Microsoft spokesman.

• (EGM #151, February 2002) - 'Fantastique' (Final Fantasy X - PlayStation 2)
• (EGM #152, March 2002) - Rebirth (Maximo theme of 3-D revival of 2-D games)
• (EGM #153, April 2002) - Best of 2001 Round-Up! (the best games of 2001)
• (EGM #154, May 2002) - All-Star Gala Zombierama (Resident Evil - GameCube)
• (EGM #155, June 2002) - War Games (military video games)
• (EGM #156, July 2002) - Hsu and Chan Go Hollywood! (video game movies)
• (EGM #157, August 2002) - Down the Drain! (Super Mario Sunshine - GameCube)
• (EGM #158, September 2002) - Connections (PlayStation 2 online)
• (EGM #159, October 2002) - Hsu and Chan's Authoritative Net Etiquette Primer (online etiquette)
• (EGM #159, October 2002) - This issue also features a 12 page comic strip/feature article entitled "EGM's No-Problemo Guide to Taking Your PS2 Online" that was illustrated by Norm. Although Hsu and Chan do not appear in this feature, it does mark the debut of Jimmy, the lead character in the H&C spin-off comic, Game Critter Super-Squad!
• (EGM #160, November 2002) - First Person! (first person shooters)
• (EGM #161, December 2002) - Hsu Crime Stories (Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - PlayStation 2)

Note: This was a four page strip. It also contains a plug for the first issue of Slave Labor's Hsu and Chan comic book. The comic also confirms the correct pronunciation of Hsu's name (rhymes with "shoe," which rhymes with "true," à la "True Crime Stories.")

• (EGM #162, January 2003) - Hoard of the Things!/Hsu and Chan's 2002 Holiday Gift Guide! (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and other popular holiday games from 2002)

Note: Despite this being the January issue, the magazine actually shipping in December, making the Holiday Gift Guide still relevant.

• (EGM #163, February 2003) - 2002: The Year We Made Contracts (New Year's resolutions)

Note: Like the previous strip, this strip's content was still relevant at the time since EGM typically ships during the month prior to the month on the cover.

• (EGM #164, March 2003) - Drivel! (DRIV3R - PlayStation 2, Xbox)
• (EGM #165, April 2003) - Comeback Spectacular! (Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness - PlayStation 2, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire - Game Boy Advance, Yu-gi-oh!)
• (EGM #166, May 2003) - What is Hsu and Chan? (Enter the Matrix - PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube)
• (EGM #167, June 2003) - Rogues, Squandered (Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike - GameCube)

Note: EGM went through a redesign in this issue. The Hsu and Chan comic was moved from the end of the Press Start section (near the front of the magazine) to the last page (in a section called Game Over).

• (EGM #168, July 2003) - Symphony of the Nut (Castlevania: Lament of Innocence - PlayStation 2)
• (EGM #169, August 2003) - Sonic Weirdos (Sonic Heroes - PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube)

Note: This strip features the introduction of Arnie's family.

• (EGM #170, September 2003) - The Soul Still Burns (Soulcalibur II - PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube)
• (EGM #171, October 2003) - Survival (SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs - PlayStation 2)
• (EGM #172, November 2003) - Final Fantasize (the Final Fantasy series)

Note: This strip was drawn is a different style to emulate the art style of famed Final Fantasy artist, Yoshitaka Amano.

• (EGM #173, December 2003) - Lords of the Bling (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube)
• (EGM #174, January 2004) - Review Back! (video game reviews)
• (EGM #175, February 2004) - Award Zone (video game awards shows)
• (EGM #176, March 2004) - Pandora Yo Momma (Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow - PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube)
• (EGM #177, April 2004) - Horrors from Beyond! (predicting the future of gaming)
• (EGM #178, May 2004) - Thunderblarg (James Bond games)
• (EGM #179, June 2004) - Far, Far Away (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords - Xbox, the Star Wars prequels)
• (EGM #180, July 2004) - Wheelmen! (DRIV3R - PlayStation 2, Xbox)
• (EGM #181, August 2004) - On the Move! (the Nintendo DS vs. the PSP)
• (EGM #182, September 2004) - The Battle for Vendor Turf (The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age - PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube)
• (EGM #183, October 2004) - Above the Law! (crime in video games)
• (EGM #184, November 2004) - Episode IV: A New Joke (clichéd Star Wars jokes)
• (EGM #185, December 2004) - Bad Ways To Go (video game deaths)

Note: This strip doesn't feature Hsu and Chan, but is instead a collection of five different video games (Mortal Kombat, Clock Tower, Bionic Commando, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Resident Evil) drawn as if they were covers to 1950s horror comics.

• (EGM #186, Holiday 2004) - 5 Years of Hsu and Chan! (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - PlayStation 2)
• (EGM #187, January 2005) - Toys Galore! (new games of the 2004 holiday season)
• (EGM #188, February 2005) - Trouble at Port! (portable gaming)
• (EGM #189, March 2005) - The Godfodder (The Godfather - PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360)
• (EGM #190, April 2005) - Deep (putting depth into video games)
• (EGM #191, May 2005) - Amusements (Hsu and Chan's video game theme park)
• (EGM #192, June 2005) - The Ledger of Zelda (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - GameCube, Wii)
• (EGM #193, July 2005) - The Lamentations of Arnie (E3)
• (EGM #194, August 2005) - Do Consoles Dream of Electric Sheep? (highly advanced next-generation video game systems)
• (EGM #195, September 2005) - Terrors of the Soulcalibur Qualifying Rounds (Soulcalibur III - PlayStation 2)
• (EGM #196, October 2005) - Role-Playing Shame (the Final Fantasy series)
• (EGM #197, November 2005) - Under Fire! (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Nintendo DS, Jack Thompson (attorney))
• (EGM #198, December 2005) - It Comes To Us All (the death of the Xbox)
• (EGM #199, January 2006) - Shadowy Portents (Shadow of the Colossus - PlayStation 2)
• (EGM #200, February 2006) - Hsu and Chan: The Evolution (the history of Hsu and Chan)
• (EGM #201, March 2006) - Hearts o' Darkness (Kingdom Hearts II - PlayStation 2)
• (EGM #202, April 2006) - Elite Counter-Terrorist Operatives (Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas - Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
• (EGM #203, May 2006) - Wrested Peace (resurrected video game franchises)
• (EGM #204, June 2006) - Bloody Revolution (Wii)

Note: When this strip was written, Nintendo's Wii was still being referred to by its official codename, the Revolution.

• (EGM #205, July 2006) - Scent of Fear! (World War II video games)
• (EGM #206, August 2006) - Expansion (luring non-gamers to play video games)
• (EGM #207, September 2006) - The Last Random Battle (turn-based RPGs vs. action RPGs)
• (EGM #208, October 2006) - Conned! (The death of E3)
• (EGM #209, November 2006) - Gear (Gears of War - Xbox 360)
• (EGM #210, December 2006) - Combat: Involved! (Halo: Combat Evolved - Xbox)
• (EGM #211, January 2007) - Parade of Disparagement (Console wars between PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360)

Note: Due to an EGM redesign this month, this is the first comic without the customary title panel.

• (EGM #212, February 2007) - Hai, Def (High-definition television in gaming)
• (EGM #213, March 2007) - Cupid, stupid (The boys are sued by Cupid)
• (EGM #214, April 2007) - Wretched and Cracked (Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction - PlayStation 3)
• (EGM #215, May 2007) - 3D (Stereoscopic gaming)
• (EGM #216, June 2007) - Armageddon Outta Here (Tom Clancy's EndWar - Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
• (EGM #217, July 2007) - Down Where It's Wetter (BioShock - Xbox 360)
• (EGM #218, August 2007) - Low Calibur (Soulcalibur IV - Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
• (EGM #219, September 2007) - Halo, How Are You? (Halo 3 - Xbox 360)
• (EGM #220, October 2007) - Freak Show (video game horror stories)
• (EGM #221, November 2007) - Cash Out (the rising cost of gaming)
• (EGM #222, December 2007) - Ninja Gaming Stigma (Ninja Gaiden II - Xbox 360, "hardcore" gamers)
• (EGM #223, Holiday 2007) - Hauling Jolly (digital distribution)
• (EGM #224, January 2008) - Punch Drunk (Street Fighter IV)
• (EGM #225, February 2008) - Prelude to a Brawl (Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Wii)
• (EGM #226, March 2008) - P.S.: III (PlayStation 3)
• (EGM #227, April 2008) - Hsu York (Grand Theft Auto IV - Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
• (EGM #228, May 2008) - So Conned (SOCOM: Confrontation - PlayStation 3)
• (EGM #229, June 2008) - Old is Gold (retro revival)
• (EGM #230, July 2008) - Tiny Stupid Cogs (Gears of War 2 - Xbox 360, YouTube)
• (EGM #231, August 2008) - Monochrome Your Wagon (Killzone 2 - PlayStation 3)
• (EGM #232, September 2008) - The Great Giant (Farewell comic)

Note: This is the final comic to appear in EGM. After this issue, Hsu and Chan will continue at 1UP.com.