Game Magazines

[Garrett]

Electronic Games Monthly. Game Informer. GamePro. PC Gamer. Are they ever going away? Or is the best bathroom reading available for us gamers here to stay?

I'm curious as to who reads what here, but more so to know if you really think it's even important to have magazines anymore. The fact is, you can get almost any game news from any good game related site, including here in GP. You get it right away, usually within a day of the event.

But with game mags, you get exclusives, interviews not found anywhere else, and best of all, you get to take it to the crapper. And how about those sexy ads?

[steelcobra]

EGM, Game Informer, Play, and PSM if it has good features. I need to get subs, since they're cheaper...

[TheNova]

Seeing as how I subscribe to EGM, OXM and Game Informer (only got it for the discount on used games >.>)

I think that they should stick around just for the sole fact that...You can take it to the bathroom.

[BaronJuJu]

I read PC gamer mostly, but I pick up others from time to time if I see an interesting article. I think they will stick around for now, but they seriously need to drop the price for picking one off the stands. PC Gamer is $9 an issue if you don't have a subscription which is nothing short of highway robbery.

[Garrett]

I read PC gamer mostly, but I pick up others from time to time if I see an interesting article. I think they will stick around for now, but they seriously need to drop the price for picking one off the stands. PC Gamer is $9 an issue if you don't have a subscription which is nothing short of highway robbery.

PC Gamer is one of few game mags that comes with a disc. I can assume it costs them a buck to make and increases profit. It's hard to shake the fact that just about anything you get on this CD can be made available for free on the net. But I suppose there is a market of people out there that have 56-384k downloads that still want to play a demo but don't want to spend an entire afternoon downloading a 400mb file.

The subscription is $20 bones a year, or less with specials, so it's not bad. (It's about twice as much for international subscriptions)

[Waylon]

I subscribe to Nintendo Power, just for the free poster in each issue.

[BaronJuJu]

PC Gamer is one of few game mags that comes with a disc. I can assume it costs them a buck to make and increases profit. It's hard to shake the fact that just about anything you get on this CD can be made available for free on the net. But I suppose there is a market of people out there that have 56-384k downloads that still want to play a demo but don't want to spend an entire afternoon downloading a 400mb file.

The subscription is $20 bones a year, or less with specials, so it's not bad. (It's about twice as much for international subscriptions)

Yeah, subscriptions for PC Gamer are definitely worth it. I travel and can't always be home to get the most current issue so, in those cases I grab it where I can. That price still makes me stop and flip through it quickly to see if it will be worth for that month.

PC Gamer also can be bought without the disc....but its still the same price:mad:

[BaronJuJu]

Dang double post

[Thefremen]

Sure, you can read gaming sites while on the crapper, but it just isn't the same. Sometimes the content is superior, as well as the layouts. Not to mention sweet sweet demo disks. I remember playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater demo for a month or so.

[georox]

Game Informer can rot in hell, only reason I've ever got it is for the card, the magazine itself is a waste of paper. EGM is kinda meh, but I can generally keep a free sub going. Nintendo Power is Nintendo's self-promotion tool we pay for, but I like it sadly, something that stuck with me from being a kid. My one magazine I would honestly pay full for is Hardcore Gamer, http://www.hardcoregamer.com/ Definitely check it out guys, PDFs of the magazine are available (Free and Legally!) on their site, so check it out, if ya like it subscribe. *cough* Note - I don't work for them.

[steelcobra]

Game Informer can rot in hell, only reason I've ever got it is for the card, the magazine itself is a waste of paper. EGM is kinda meh, but I can generally keep a free sub going. Nintendo Power is Nintendo's self-promotion tool we pay for, but I like it sadly, something that stuck with me from being a kid. My one magazine I would honestly pay full for is Hardcore Gamer, http://www.hardcoregamer.com/ Definitely check it out guys, PDFs of the magazine are available (Free and Legally!) on their site, so check it out, if ya like it subscribe. *cough* Note - I don't work for them.

GI is a great mag, and they get some pretty damn good exclusive stories. You should check out Play. It's pretty damn good.

[georox]

I've read Play, its alright, prefer HGM though. In all honesty, Game Informer stands for everything I'm against, and thats GameStop.

[steelcobra]

I've read Play, its alright, prefer HGM though. In all honesty, Game Informer stands for everything I'm against, and thats GameStop.

GI is a good magazine based out of Minneapolis. Its relationship with Gamestop is purely business, and has nothing to do with how they write or publish the magazine.

[Thefremen]

I've read Play, its alright, prefer HGM though. In all honesty, Game Informer stands for everything I'm against, and thats GameStop.

I've worked at Gamestop, and the relationship did nothing to change editorial content. I remember one time when Corporate really wanted to push the newest Hitman game, and then GI reviewed it with (i believe) a 5 or something. It was one of these things where reps had to suggest the game and then be liek: "oh nono, no need to look at those game informer magazines....".

Also, I've said it before and I've said it again: Play has the best art department of any gaming magazine out there, and is actually one of the best looking magazines overall. High Fashion magazines could learn from Play.

[beemoh]

I subscribe to NGamer (although that's mostly because my subscription from back when Banjo-Kazooie came out hasn't expired. That said, it's still a decent magazine now), and buy Edge every month, which might have to fight Play for best designed.

Any chance somebody can link some pages from Play? There's a PS2 magazine over here called Play as well and I'll probably just wind up googling that instead.

[steelcobra]

I subscribe to NGamer (although that's mostly because my subscription from back when Banjo-Kazooie came out hasn't expired. That said, it's still a decent magazine now), and buy Edge every month, which might have to fight Play for best designed.

Any chance somebody can link some pages from Play? There's a PS2 magazine over here called Play as well and I'll probably just wind up googling that instead.

http://www.playmagazine.com/

[KN]

None of you know the mag I am subscribed to, but know that it would be rated AO if it was available in the US.

[steelcobra]

None of you know the mag I am subscribed to, but know that it would be rated AO if it was available in the US.

Well, they do sell magazines with full-nude models on the cover, with no cover wrap, on newstands in europe.

[Ranger_vega87]

While I don't suscribe to any I do read EGM and Game Informer whenever I get a chance. Well I don't think game magazines are going anywhere soon, who know what the future holds.

[beemoh]

http://www.playmagazine.com/

Aha. Thanks!

[V-22 Osprey]

I used to love PC Gamer. I was a subscriber from the February 2000 issue to February 2007. The constantly shrinking reviews forced me to finally cancel. It's a shame, they used to have fouir page reviews, with little postage-stamped sized opposing views from other editors on the side. Now the reviews for a major game are the size of the old opposing views. :(

PC Gamer also came up with the most brilliant copy-protection scheme ever. If it was implented by the industry, StarForce and other programs would die overnight, and gaming piracy would be a thing of the past...

[TrentHowell]

I'm mostly a reader of GI, but PC Gamer was a fav of mine also in the past. But the only real reason why i keep up with the game mags is really for the exclusives and differing opinions of reviews, thats about it. The internet really fills the gaps for most gaming news.......without a subscription.

[Garrett]

I've read Play, its alright, prefer HGM though. In all honesty, Game Informer stands for everything I'm against, and thats GameStop.

This... is good. Download the PDF's and print out just what I want to read, I guess, if I want to take it to the brown throne.

I'm going to keep reading this. If it's this good so far, I'm canceling Game Informer. And that Game Stop Card.

[steelcobra]

Figured I'd post this here, as this is currently where anti-gamestop ranting is prevalent:
28 Confessions of a Gamestop Shift Supervisor (http://consumerist.com/consumer/retail/28-confessions-of-a-gamestop-shift-supervisor-319436.php)

[georox]

This... is good. Download the PDF's and print out just what I want to read, I guess, if I want to take it to the brown throne.

I'm going to keep reading this. If it's this good so far, I'm canceling Game Informer. And that Game Stop Card.
Do remember if you join the ECA you get a discount on a membership for the hardcopy of the magazine, think its like $13 a year then or so, don't quite remember but I know it was cheaper.

Edit - Definitely check the site from time to time, they have some cool giveaways and contests, and a semi-active forum that tends to get hints for some of the contests.

[BlackIce, British Commie]

I read Gamestm Magazine more than anything really, it's good having a British Gamers Magazine.