Video Game Magazines...yes they still exist!

[DixonGamer]

I really like this article on Game Magazines. Really really interesting read.

I pulled out some old copies of CVG and Dreamcast magazines the other night and remember reading them from cover to cover and I believe as magazines start to dwindle away we are loosing that magic of getting a magazine and reading about all the upcoming games etc.

http://www.game-modo.com/2011/11/video- ... still.html

What is everyone fave gaming magazine? and do you think its a bad thing they are starting to fade away?

 

[MattAY]

Well I was in UK, so may not be totally up to speed since all we really got was "Playstation Magazine". I got Nintendo Mag a couple of times too, but I never subscribed to any of them. I always just bought them on impulse.

I do think it's sad that they are dwindling away, but not necessarily bad. News and coverage is miles better, but at the same time you cant gather round with your friends and show off your mag at lunch break.

I suppose its the same situation as porn mags. Sure we miss sneaking off to the forest where we hid the stolen mag under the rock...but it is SO much more convenient to open the laptop and click away.

 

[StickyGreenGamer]

Pretty much what MattAY said. By the time most magazines hit the shelves nowadays, almost all the info contained inside is readily available on the internet, with no cost for a subscription or purchase either. I mean, short of a few niche spots, magazines aren't really useful anymore for anything other than a nostalgic moment.

Though I'm sure the next time I move I'll probably find a moment to glance at those mags hidden away under the bottom drawer of my dresser...

 

[danielrbischoff]

Japan is Mecca for game magazines, but I still think EDGE has the best design/art. Some of the industry trade magazines are nice. Develop is a decent rag with interesting articles but they have like absolutely 0 news so you really have to like discussing video games to enjoy it.

 

[Bretimus_v2]

I like magazines for two things: bathroom reading and plane rides.

 

[NecroWolf]

I hope they don't fade away, and honestly, I don't have a favorite. I suppose I read Game Informer more than anything else, due to the fact it's... there, when I go to buy a new game, sitting there, saying, 'I'm nothing more than a hype machine for GameStop to drum up sales for games that gave us kickbacks", but it is there, it has information on games (usually), so I get a subscription sometimes.

 

[DocMoc]

I got a free subscription to Nintendo Power when I was a kid. I had to collect the UPCs of 10 high-fructose breakfast cereals though.

Totally worth it.

 

[DixonGamer]

I loved the Dreamcast Magazine.... Its really good reading peoples experiences with game magazines I do think they will disappear soon. Not enough profit unfortunately.

 

[danielrbischoff]

I got a free subscription to Nintendo Power when I was a kid. I had to collect the UPCs of 10 high-fructose breakfast cereals though.

Best requirement ever....
http://jimmibannanas.files.wordpress.co ... al_box.jpg

 

[paddyuk]

Used to get Nintendo magazine when i was younger and used to rock my gameboy advance. When i got older i would buy Games TM, good looking magazine with fairly decent content. EDGE definitely is the best looking - cant say ive got one recently though. Just toooooo expensive

 

[tinymhg]

...cant say ive got one recently though. Just toooooo expensive

This.

 

[MarkyBee]

I used to buy Powerstation - a magazine devoted entirely to cheatcodes! And sometimes I'd read the wallkthroughs for games with pictures because it was kind of like an advanced review of the game... I bought a couple of games because I did this - it's pretty wierd thinking about it now.
Also, I won a competition from a magazine and got a racing wheel for a playstation before I even owned a playstation and had to go around my buddies house to play rage racer with it!

 

[DocMoc]

Best requirement ever....

Yes Daniel! I'm not the only one.

 

[FrozenBacon]

I used to subscribe to Nintendo Power and the Dreamcast magazine.

I remember when I was a kid I used to get my cheat codes from game magazines alone. Those were the days.

 

[Ashalar]

Here in the Netherlands I read Power Unlimited for almost 17 years now. I became a member in '94. It is the longest living game mag in the country.

I don't know why though, the quality of the mag has gone down hill. Staff Editorials, nonsensical articles fill up most of the magazine these days, a lot of speculations and previews with only a handful of actual reviews.

Those reviews that are posted are either fanboy-ish by nature and hardly dive into what makes the game worth buying. Crap games get reviewed for a cheap laught of just to have something to vent frustration on. Any game not in the mainstream actually worth playing has a big chance of being ignored. PC only games bear the worst of it. Hardly any mention of games like Sins of a Solar Empire, the very active modding community, etc.

Usually the magazine screams either ZELDA! GEARS OF WAR! GOD OF WAR! HALO! MARIO! CALL OF DUTY!
You know, the over hyped stuff. And then most of the information is just copy-paste work taken from the Internet information wise, interspersed with a lot of personal opinions.

Sure, as a reviewer you partly spout your own opinion, but you should also give us interesting facts, and it would be best if we can't read that on the official website ourselves.

At this point I'm content just to let my sub run out and forget about it. The amount of information the reviewers get wrong, some more frequent than others, is actually staggering. Especially when they think they can inform gamers about the plot or what is going on. I know reviewers can be under quite some pressure to get their articles out in time, but you can take this excuse only so far.

Aside from that, I used to read the Belgian PC Gameplay, which was pretty high quality stuff compared to the other PC only magazines. Alas, the mag is no more and has turned into a multiplatform afair, with a little too much focus on the PS3 for my taste. Still, their articles are usually well informed and well written, quality stuff. Still, I haven't picked up many of their issues since the switch from a pure PC focus to the broader approach.