Games mag

Tusky

just bought a newish (5 issues old) games magazine called "GAMES TM , its multy format and i have to say i was VERY impressed !its v.large and covers all new games and previews most aswell,It is aimed at an adult audience obviously as the articles are well written and quite indebt,Has a MASSIVE news section also...

each month it also focus's on a game development company, interviewing the staff etc (v.interesting) It also had some really good articles - one about "are games good for you" the positive and negative effects on brain etc,

Had a LARGE section on "pro gamers" including interviews and details about the life they lead / diferences between public attitude in Europe/Japan to pro gamers...

Also has a "retro gaming" and a history of nintendo thingy....one of my fav things is throughout the mag they have these double page screenshots from classic "retro" games with a funny caption,

Ohh AND they have guys in the states and japan who each month write and article about...well the state of gaming in the country etc...

plz note i dont work for this mag - i was just really impressed and will be buying it from now on !!!

KdjaCL

I always have the same problem with mags is that how can they review a game they have full page ads for.
Same with websites like Gamespy and IGN i take their reviews with a pinch of salt.

Tho havent seena good games mag in years was one good N64 one cant remember name. May try it out.

kdjac

Retr0gamer

It sounds like any other rip off magazine.

Although I hate to admit it you get the same info from Eurogamer. It's also cheaper, being as it is, free.

Tusky

Can you read Eurogamer on the bus ? Does a magazine give u bad eyesight ? and i have been buying games magazines and this one is deffo v.original ...read it in easons and youl know what I mean ... I know what you mean about the adds but thats how they make the money, and in alot of cases u will see an add for a game and then a bad review...surely thats a sign they arent cheating bastards

KdjaCL

Sadly it depends on who makes the game, if an EA games game is advertised then it sure as hell wont get a low score.

I like mags i used to buy them but now im a PC gamer the choice is shockingly bad ,they are all cack mags.

kdjac

Repli

Sounds really good.. I'll be sure to check it out

super_furry

I agree with Tusky. Games TM is probably the best games mag I've read since Arcade folded. It's like a less pretentious version of Edge and the Retro section of it is always quality.

repoman_666

Best thing about Games TM is the retro section. This month it's about all thing Zelda.

The best multi-format mag around is Edge. Nine times out of ten the reviews are spot on. Some great features too.

Rnger

I would usually get edge. Then a friend suggested i get Games™ saying ill love the retro section, also yourself too. My local dosent stock it. CAn you get it in game in town or in HMV or where?

Sounds great.:ninja:

Captain Trips

It is a pretty good mag. Great covers as well - really stands out c/t every other mag, except Edge.

I hope it doesn't get that sort of arrogant attitude Edge developed though. Very different style in Edge (more honest and no bull****?) if you read a couple of the early ones. Of course, they did have eh, Megarace and Rise of The Robots as cover games in the early days.

Games TM has a *lot* of reading in it, which IMHO stands out. They have kept it up for 5 issues now and still have plenty of good reading material.

The bits about what's happening in Japan/US is great. They seem to have amalgamated the style and content of the (great) mag from yore ACE magazine and the other multiformat mags, and have good writers.

I think they may have targetted the right market by being more mature. The PC mag scene is bad these days. I might pick up PC Zone but they're all gone to hell really.

Corben Dallas

i think its a good mag, theres tons of info/articles in it and good as Edge is, they arent as uber elite as Egde has become.

I think Egde should just come out say that theyre anti PS2 cause its the the No1 Monster System in the console wars.

Most of the newsagents have it , Reads of Nassau St eg and they have 10% off all mags

Venom

I dont buy em, dont read em and sure as hell dont trust em.

BLITZ_Molloy

GamesTM was a bit messy and unfocussed at first but its beginning to get quite good.

I just love Edge though. The quality of the writing in the articles is exceptional. The columns every month (especially by Toshihiro Nagoshi) are a very interesting read.

Reviews are just opinions. I can read them and not really care if they coincide with my view or not. Some people get angry that everybody doesn't think the same as them but I grew out of that when I was seven.

I don't see Edge as being that arrogant. At least when I look back to issue 25 I don't see them as being any more so than they were. They can be a bit pretentious now and then but I think thats just part of their sense of humour. You shouldn't read everything at face value.

The whole anti-format bias is all bull****. They released a big PS2 special this month called Equip and its full of praise for the console.

PC Zone seems to be going the way of Sega Saturn Magazine. It was a fantastic read but there's little interesting being released for the PC format anymore.

Shinji

Pretty impressed with GamesTM at the moment - it's really well written and the guys working on it obviously love games, which makes a nice change from the cynical jaded claptrap Edge peddles every month.

That said, Edge has gone past the stage of annoying me and now just amuses me. Tecmo developer of the year? Nintendo publisher of the year? Pull the other one lads. The only annoying thing really is that people are being paid to write this rubbish, when there are any number of talented, enthusiastic and knowledgeable people out there who'd give their right leg for the kind of opportunity that the bitter sods working on Edge have.

Oh by the way....

Can you read Eurogamer on the bus ?

www.wapgamer.net

ObeyGiant

GamesTM and Edge are about the only two games magazines I can bring myself to read. I guess that says a lot more about me than I'd probably like it to.

Regarding Edge - personally, I like their slightly blase, cynical style of writing. It's what sets it apart from most of the hyper-enthusiastic magazines aimed solely at teenagers - that and their elegant style (no matter how much you dislike the substance of the magazine, there is little argument that it is very nicely designed - almost a lifestyle magazine for geeks).

I also like the fact that they have intelligent, eloquent people writing for them. Reviews are less a summary of the good and bad points of a particular game, and more of a poem about it.. Dylan Thomas does video game reviews. I can see why that would annoy a lot of people, but personally, I find it incredibly readable, but only because their writers are eloquent and articulate enough to pull it off well.

I don't read any on-line games sites regularly, although I've tried. I just use them to get news early, and Edge to get the news better.

GamesTM is very skilfully managing to walk the midpoint between the slightly-pretentious high-brow style of Edge, and the simple, "this game is stonking!" (I'm going to have a heartattack because of my hatred of that word) crap of pretty much every other games magazine out there. And yes, the "Retro" section does rule with fists.

Anyone get the Edge Retro special? That also ruled.

monument

Originally posted by Shinji
The only annoying thing really is that people are being paid to write this rubbish, when there are any number of talented, enthusiastic and knowledgeable people out there who'd give their right leg for the kind of opportunity that the bitter sods working on Edge have.

You mean to say some people get paid for writing about games? Then again, some people wouldn’t count what I do as writing.

Any how, where do I send my right leg to? It's going to be hard to walk now.

Retr0gamer

God I hate Edge with a passion. They love themselves and take everything too seriously. Whatever happened to magazines that were humourous like Superplay or Sega Power. Bring back the Sega Power chimp count I say. The closest magazine to the style of these classic mags is bloody Empire and thats about movies.

Earthhorse

I have to say I loved TOTAL! in it's hey day. Under the editorship of Steve Jarrett it was well written, humourous and, more than any other mag I've read, gave a really accurate impression of what playing the game concerned was like.

It was even partly responsible for rekindling my interest in reading and helping me with my English at Leaving Cert! How's that for odd?

repoman_666

Does anyone remember a magaine Arcade. Ran for 24 isssues a couple of yeares ago. It's probably the best example of good multi-format magazine. Shame it got canned. Electronic Gaming Monthly is a pretty good mag but it's American. So the we have to wait ages before the games come out...if at all..........Animal Crossing..........Cubivore..........etc! X-box and PS2 owners can put their own titles here.:)

Dont be at yourself

Yeah, Arcade was a fantastic magazine and it's a great shame that it's not around anymore. Gamestm is quite a good mag though, certainly better than EDGE, which is so far up its own ass it's practically coming out the other side.

superconor

the best magazines i read where a PC magazine called PC Gaming World. Excellently written, written for adults and good articles, interviews with developers, how certain game parts are made etc. i got it between1997 and 1999 i think, then it just dissapeared (i had subscription from my uncle - birthday present).
any ideas?

anyone remember Mean Machines Sega? brother had a big stack of them, from early 90's 92-94ish and it was EXCELLENT!
funny as hell, good reviews, making up words themselves, brilliant!

Tusky

I really dislike Edge and b4 now it was the only real games magazine imo....with proper articles etc ... gonna buy GAMEStm from now on - great read and some good ideas...

does any else love the spreadsheet screen shots of the retro gamse throughout the mag ? hehe

and as for you shinji try reading a game review on a 3 inch phone screen bleh !

Shinji

The closest magazine to the style of these classic mags is bloody Empire and thats about movies.

Empire is the best magazine in the UK right now (of the media coverage variety anyway) - it urinates on every other film, game and music magazine from a height. There's absolutely no reason why there can't be a games mag that good, except that whenever games mags try to be "mature" they seem to end up being "cynical" instead. GamesTM is the closest thing we have.

Arcade was a great magazine - it was a travesty that it got canned.


PC Gaming World was bought by Computec and became "PC Gameplay", but it wasn't the same magazine at all - they ditched all the editorial staff. Needless to say it lost all its fanbase very quickly.

TOTAL! is obviously no more, and I can't for the life of me remember where Steve Jarrett has ended up offhand - I know he worked at Future fairly recently, but a little bell in the back of my head tells me that he's gone into PR. Like so many good journalists of that era actually - Richard Eddy and Ciaran Brennan (both ex-editors of ZZAP!) spring to mind.

I note that Kieron Gillen has just left PC Gamer, too - wonder how that'll affect their sales? I know a lot of people only bought it to read his stuff...

and as for you shinji try reading a game review on a 3 inch phone screen bleh !

Haha - well, you could try buying a Sony Ericsson P800, we just optimised the new site to work on Opera running on that and it looks luverly

Sloth

I love both Edge and GamesTM although if I had to pick one I'd pick Edge because it's features are always a really interesting read. I've been buying GamesTM since issue one but it's hard to find, anyone know where I can find a copy of issue 5?

Tusky

easons - o connol street have tonnes of games tm issue 5

Sloth

Ah thanks, it's a good magazine but I'm not sure if I'm bothered going all the way into town to buy it

BLITZ_Molloy

The writing in Empire has been getting more laddish in recent issues. The new top 10's and DVD review listings are a waste of space too. That a minor complaint though. It's still miles ahead of everything else for movies.

I really like Q for music. The articles and interviews tend to be good.

Nemesis

New magazine I've just ordered called PC gamer.net deals with online PC gaming .
First issue launched April 17th but there have been 3 unofficial issues.
I'm a newsagent so I read 'em all..PC format and Gamer my Fav's at the moment.
Nemesis.

Wolf

Does any one remember CGA I think it was call computer games and acades or something like that it was one cool mag.

Although atm I think edge is one of the much better ones.

Quigs Snr

Funny, I have every issue of Arcade (First released Nov 98). And now I somehow find myself getting Games TM every month without hearing anything about it from anyone.

Remember Arcade 2 years in they said they were skipping a month for a re-design and that was the end of them. Tried CVG for about 2 minutes before the childish style put me off.

I have been getting PCZone for the past 30 issues or so also. It's a good mag, by and large I agree with the reviews and scores, however lately, I have noticed a few abberations, I love FPS games, and I love Unreal, Unreal 2 was great, but it wasn't 94% great. More like 80% I felt, and it's not just that, these days I disagree with more and more of their reviews. Either they've changed or I have.

BLITZ_Molloy

PC Zone go nuts on the scores every now and then: Black and White, Dungeon Keeper 2 etc. come to mind. It's not a common problem though.

Dont be at yourself

Rule of thumb: Don't trust the review of a game if it appears on the cover of the magazine with WORLD EXCLUSIVE!!!! written beside it in big yellow letters

monument

Originally posted by NekkidBibleMan
Rule of thumb: Don't trust the review of a game if it appears on the cover of the magazine with WORLD EXCLUSIVE!!!! written beside it in big yellow letters

As I said on the halflife2 thread... "I never liked the idea of “mag exclusives”. To me they seem to lose their journalistic feel and become a commercial thing just to sell magazines."

In other words, they are a big load of BS. You should be able to trust the writers. The reviews, news etc should be only a commercial thing because they are well written, truthful, accurate and published ASAP.

It sad we live in the real world. WORLD "EXCLUSIVES" SELL!!!!