Former EGM/EGM2/Expert Gamer writer and editor Andy "Cyber" Baran passed away yesterday, July 26, of pancreatic cancer. He was a staple on the Review Crew for many years and was one of the most hardcore gamers I've ever met.
We used to give each other a hard time, mainly because he was old-school EGM, and I was part of the new crowd (along with Crispin Boyer and Shawn Smith) who came on board in the mid-90s. Andy and I would fight about Castlevania, Loaded, each other's review scores, Q-Zar...but we always had a mutual respect for each other and stayed in touch long past our EGM days.
Andy was a special type of nerd that you don't run into every day (and I mean most positively), and we'll all miss him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his widow Tracy and their respective families.
UPDATE: Please check out the comments below. A lot of Andy's former co-workers have stopped by to pay respects and share memories.
UPDATE 2: We now have up Andy's previously unpublished articles that he was writing for Bitmob but never finished. Please see part one and part two.
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Comments (43)
Andy was a super nice guy who always brought friendly conversation to my visits to Lombard/Oakbrook during EGM deadlines. A fine young man who left us way too soon. RIP, Andy.
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July 27, 2009
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god... i remember reading some of his reviews in egm under his psuedonym. great reviewer, i'll miss him :-(
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July 27, 2009
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Andy could be a lot to handle sometimes, but he was a genuinely nice guy and a fixture at ZD. He was the first one to make me feel welcome at the company when I started working at Expert Gamer back in 1999. We were tag-teaming a Final Fantasy collection strategy guide, and he was more than willing to help me through my first assignment and get me up to speed on the inner workings of the company.
My family will keep him and his wife in our thoughts.
My family will keep him and his wife in our thoughts.
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July 27, 2009
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It's weird - I hadn't thought of this guy in years, but the second his name popped up, memories of old school EGM flooded back to mind.
Sad stuff - as someone who just lost a close family member to cancer last year, I feel for his family.
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July 27, 2009
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"A special type of nerd" is a good way to describe Andy -- and yes, meaning that only in the most positive way. I honestly don't know if I've ever met anyone else who was so unusual, and so comfortable with that. He was a genuine character. I will never forget the stories he told at work...and I'll never stop wondering whether they were true or not.
My thoughts are with Tracy and his family.
My thoughts are with Tracy and his family.
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July 27, 2009
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I've never worked with a guy who was so good at Q-Zar (he perfected "Cincinnati-style" lazer guerrilla warfare), imitating the Predator, or busting out impromptu kung fu (despite occasional coccyx bruising). And, like Shoe said, he was as hardcore as they come. I'll miss him.
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July 27, 2009
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I was just going through my friends list on 1up and wondered why he hadn't updated in awhile. My thoughts and prayers for his family.
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July 27, 2009
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Over the years, Andy Baran's name was thrown around a lot on a few of the podcasts I listen to. Those stories were always welcome to an EGM fan like myself. I look forward to hearing more.
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July 27, 2009
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A sad day to see a fellow veteran leave us. I still remember the giddy excitement he conveyed when he bought that Mitsubishi 300GT back in the Illi-noise. Kind thoughts to his family and he will be missed.
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July 27, 2009
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He hated being called Cyberboy... Andy had a unique way of being awkward, arrogant and awesome simultaneously. Still, he is one of the most memorable personalities of the old-school EGM crowd for me. His office antics left deep impressions on everyone, good and bad; from his brow-raising tales to the playful "harrl-harrl" growling in our ears, he will be missed.
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July 28, 2009
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I don't think he hated being called Cyber. Everyone had a nickname in those days and that was his...we all called him Cyber. I can't believe he's gone, he was our age but (maybe because of his antics or how he acted) I always sort of saw him as "the kid" on the team. He was definately the most memorable guy in the office though...perfectly said Ken--no one I have ever known could be so all knowing, arrogant, unassuming and nice at the same time. "Anubis Anubis! rrrrrrrrr!"
Sad day...
Sad day...
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July 28, 2009
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Hiya Mo! Actually, he told me flat-out he hated the nickname Cyberboy and that he preferred Anubis -- which is his handle just about everywhere in some form, like AnubisGoJ, his XBL tag. Do a search on AnubisGOJ, and you'll probably find his musings in strange corners of the interwebs. I can't think of him any other way though. Once you've been "tagged", it's hard to change it. I never considered the Cyberboy name as being derogatory. We ALL had nicknames.
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July 28, 2009
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It's fair to say Andy was the hardest of the hardcore players of the entire EGM staff, myself included. I don't anyone else with the eye of collecting swag and rare games to the point where he could look at the serial number on a game and tell you what rev and it's significance. I also don't anyone else with nearly 100,000 achievement points on XBL. I know Andy was one of a kind and I already miss him and his weekly "Whadja get at Fry's" phone calls.
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July 28, 2009
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Andy was always pretty friendly to me at the office. Then again, I never called him Cyber. I enjoyed playing Tekken with him. We both sucked so it was evenly matched. Soul Calibur was a whole 'nother story. I hope the guy is chillin' in the huge ol' arcade in the sky. RIP Andy -- you didn't deserve to have your passions cut short like this. See you in the next life.
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July 28, 2009
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Sad. My condolences to his friends and family, it's never easy to lose someone who you would think still has a long life ahead of them. We all lose loved ones though, and as sad and troubling as it can be, we have to live on and try to stay positive. Just remember, as long as you never forget him he'll never really be gone.
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July 28, 2009
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Wow I had no idea Andy was even sick! Condolences to all his friends and loved ones and RIP Andy!
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July 28, 2009
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Just in case anyone's interested - Player One Podcast is going to be doing a show with co-worker memories/stories/anecdotes of Andy this week. If you wanna share yours you can call the P1P voicemail line at 713-893-8069 or via Skype at screenname playeronepodcast.
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July 28, 2009
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One of the most unique individuals I've ever met — so soon to be taken from this earth. My condolences to his wife and family.
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July 28, 2009
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Back in my Acclaim days of the mid-90's, I hung out with Andy at the EGM booth (@E3) and he was one of the nicest writers that I had met. In fact, he was the first person that I'd look for when returning each subsequent year.
I haven't spoken to him in a number of years, however I wish his family my very best of sympathy.
I haven't spoken to him in a number of years, however I wish his family my very best of sympathy.
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July 28, 2009
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Since I worked on the other end of the floor than the EGM crew in the CGR office, I didn't know Andy well, but it's not like Sendai was a big company in those days, so everyone kind of goofed around. I remember Andy as probably the person you could point to that you could say found his dream job (well, maybe after Semrad was gone). Sad news indeed.
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July 29, 2009
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I remember reading in a blog by Chris Johnston about how Andy wrote most of Ed Semrad's reviews, looking back at some of my old EGMs it's quite obvious in retrospect. Andy was such a huge part of the Golden Age of EGM, and no one even got to know about it. I am sad that he can't be part of the new EGM, but far sadder for his wife and family (and all his old friends from Sendai/ZD). God's speed, old friend.
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July 29, 2009
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Andy was the first person I met when I started at EGM in 1992. Over the next seven years I had the pleasure of getting to know him both as a co-worker and as a friend. He was the gamer's gamer, truly skilled and passionate. Though he could occasionaly overwhelm those not ready for his enthusiasm there was no one nicer and less affected than he was. We've lost an original and an icon. Goodbye Andy, you'll be missed.
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July 29, 2009
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I'll never forget Andy Baran. He was a passionate writer, and I still admire his devotion to games and gaming. His love and enthusiasm for the subject was positively childlike and sincere, something his readers and fans recognized and respected. God bless, Andy. I'll miss you.
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July 29, 2009
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From talking about sinking lobster-traps in co-workers belly-buttons to yelling "HIPPO" from his cube when the office got too quiet, Andy was never a person to disappear in a crowd. To the untrained eye, he was a geek supreme who seldom could walk anywhere without his own self-made cybernetic soundtrack. -But today our lives are richer because of the jokes and laughter we shared with him. Andy, you will be missed.
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July 31, 2009
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I’ll forever remember Andy as he was in the early days of EGM. Strolling through the halls in his full length leather coat, greeting some people with nonsense noises, karate chopping guys he knew well, reluctantly grunting a hello to the suits (the few we had back then). His passion for games and gaming culture was obvious, and he couldn’t have found a better place to let his one-of-kind personality thrive. He’ll be missed. Rest in peace, Andy.
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July 31, 2009
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Do not forget his awesome laser disc collection and his ability to kick my butt at Super Street Fighter Puzzle consitently.
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August 01, 2009
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I apologize for my late arrival on here. I remember the days of the whole crew hanging out at EB where I worked. I remember him always being a kind soul and giving a good perspective on the games he enjoyed. I remember getting hired in the Lombard office and his cubicle with the Predator Mask. I think i actually have a pic of the cube. He will be missed.
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August 27, 2009
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