Video Game Collector Mag??? [Archive] - Retrogaming Roundtable

Spartacus

05-26-2007, 05:25 AM

I emailed them as well to ask if my subscription needed renewing. No response either. I see they have a picture on thier website of a newer issue than the last one I received. Been meaning to check some bookstores to see if they had it. My last isssue is worn frazzled from carrying around in my back pocket for months. I'm REALLY going to miss it if they've gone kaput!

zdan80

05-26-2007, 12:28 PM

I buy games now and then from someone affiliated with the VGC here in St. Louis, they are not gone just a little behind it sounds like. I just got an email this morning saying it was at the printer and should be out soon.

Flack

05-26-2007, 02:05 PM

I got an e-mail on May 13th from Shawn stating that they were putting "the final touches" on the issue, so I'd expect to see it out shortly.

It does seem like the release dates are growing further apart. Issue #5 (Dragon's Lair Cover) was "Spring/06", Issue #6 (Bonk Cover) was "Summer/06", Issue #7 (Mario Cover) was "Winter/06", and Issue #8 hasn't been released yet. Regardless of when they're released, I always look forward to reading (and contributing to) the magazine.

KREATIVEassassin

05-26-2007, 04:04 PM

I really enjoy the magazine. They always have some pretty good articles in there and the price guide is fun to look at, too. It's good toilet material.

I am disappointed that it takes them so long to get each issue out, though.

studvicious

05-28-2007, 04:00 PM

It looks like their site is back up now.

Anthony1

05-28-2007, 04:08 PM

Somebody should scan in page 3 of issue #4, you'll see my ugly mug there at the bottom. Zach had me write up a little article on page 14 (alot of the info in that article is actually outdated now, but was kinda true at the time, lol).

studvicious

05-28-2007, 06:55 PM

Haha. I remember reading that article and thinking, "This HAS to be Anthony1".

Steve W

05-28-2007, 07:50 PM

I've never seen a copy of the magazine anywhere other than at a classic game convention. Since I won't be going to one this year (no OVGE this year, unfortunately), looks like I'm out of luck. I go to bookstores all the freakin' time looking for the latest issues of Retro Gamer (which seems to be fairly sporadically stocked at most Barnes & Noble stores), and I have never come across a copy of Videogame Collector's magazine.

RPG_Fanatic

05-28-2007, 09:17 PM

I have all seven issues and i hope number eight comes out soon.

YoshiM

05-28-2007, 10:29 PM

Steve W

05-28-2007, 11:17 PM

I haven't gone to a Blockbuster in an incredibly long time. I guess I now have a reason to stick my head in the door, if they carry VGC Magazine.

jeffg

05-28-2007, 11:18 PM

Steve,
quite a few of the blockbusters here in the DFW metroplex have video game collector

RPG_Fanatic

05-29-2007, 08:30 PM

Hey what ever happened to Zach Meston? He was editor-in-chief of VGC for the first 4 issues then he's just gone i liked what he wrote about like in the strategy guides he did for Working Designs.

bangtango

05-29-2007, 08:49 PM

Hey what ever happened to Zach Meston? He was editor-in-chief of VGC for the first 4 issues then he's just gone i liked what he wrote about like in the strategy guides he did for Working Designs.

After hanging around on this forum for awhile, he was eventually banned from posting here.

TheRedEye

05-30-2007, 11:03 AM

Hey what ever happened to Zach Meston? He was editor-in-chief of VGC for the first 4 issues then he's just gone i liked what he wrote about like in the strategy guides he did for Working Designs.

He was the head of PR at Atlus for a while, and then he left Atlus and...I lost track of him!

Trade-N-Games

05-30-2007, 07:26 PM

HI everyone I work with alot of the prices in the mag and help Shawn as much as I can with it. Thats my crazy picture holding the extra large gameboy system! My ad for Trade-N-Games was turned in a few weeks ago and I had lunch with Shawn last week and it was in the works at the printer and I would guess it would take a few week to get sent out.
Video Game collector is selling great. I get a ton of web hits from my ad from all over the country. Blockbuster has it when it first come out at almost all the stores in the US. As for the time frame I dont know whats up with that, it does take alot of $$$ to print.
Jason

bangtango

06-13-2007, 10:58 PM

Bumped because somebody just started a 2nd thread about this magazine.

MachineGex

06-13-2007, 11:02 PM

Thanks, I couldn't find this thread for some reason. I hope they get on the ball and release their Spring issue before Summer is over.

bangtango

06-13-2007, 11:11 PM

Thanks, I couldn't find this thread for some reason. I hope they get on the ball and release their Spring issue before Summer is over.

Yup.

I've never read this magazine but I assume it is more of a niche magazine than some other gaming mags out there. The idea of paying for a subscription and not receiving the magazine is pretty lame on their part.

People like to run Gamepro or Nintendo Power through the mud for a bunch of reasons but at least they are professional enough to get a magazine (even a mediocre issue) out on a regular basis and have it finished on time.

Maybe I am being harsh and I'm not even a subscriber but I guess I can't understand VGC getting so far behind when they are sitting on subscriber money, newsstand sales and expected advertising money which ought to be enough to pay for printing a new issue and to pay people who write for the magazine.

MachineGex

06-14-2007, 02:04 PM

^I dont think your being harsh. FACT: quite a few gaming magazines have folded and that makes me a little nervious. If your starting a NEW magazine, make sure it comes out on time. AT VERY LEAST...update the website. Tell subscribers what is going on.

Aussie2B

06-14-2007, 04:24 PM

Well, from what I know about the content, I can tell you guys one thing - Issue #8 will be well worth the wait. :) I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on a copy and seeing how it all turned out.

Michael Thomasson

06-22-2007, 09:47 AM

Hi Guys,

We sent payment for issue #8 last week, and have been informed that issue #8 is already in transit. So, if you need the new issue, or any past issues, we got 'em all.

Also, we publish a French European magazine called ReVival which only features classic games - mostly the homebrew scene. Our edition is translated from French to English so you can actually read it.

You can check out more here:
http://www.gooddealgames.com/Publishing_Books.html

Best,
Michael of GDG
www.GoodDealGames.com

RPG_Fanatic

06-22-2007, 09:28 PM

Great i can't wait for the new issue!!!!

ianoid

06-25-2007, 09:51 AM

I really like this mag. Way more than any other classic gaming rag. Maybe aside from the DP fanzine. Which I write for.

Anyway, I really like the departments, esp. the Japanese coverage. The price lists are fantastic, given that no price list can be perfect.

I'm waiting for the next issue. I hope they notify me if my subscription starts to run out.

KREATIVEassassin

07-25-2007, 08:15 PM

Well, I just got the new issue this afternoon, and I am extremely disappointed in the price guide. I don't think they added a single game to it since the last issue. Just from quickly browsing the guide, I noticed Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, Elite Beat Agents, Elebits, and Sonic and the Secret Rings all weren't listed, and those games came out around last Christmas. They altered the prices of a lot of games, but the lack of new additions to the guide is very disheartening, especially considering how long it took them to release this issue.

RPG_Fanatic

07-25-2007, 08:38 PM

what's featured in the mag? Like last issue it featured all the nes games released.

KREATIVEassassin

07-25-2007, 10:25 PM

I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but here's what's in it.

Let's see. It has a three page article on video game toys. There's a four page history of Mega Man article in it. An Atari 5200 and 7800 photo checklist. An Atari A-Z article, like the NES one in the last issue. "Ask a 16-bit Boss," which looks like a throwaway piece. A "Made in Japan" article about Mega Man stuff. A four page article about games pushing their consoles hardware (that sounds dirty). Reviews of God of War 2, Hotel Dusk: Room 215, Dead Rising, Dragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed King (little late for this review, I think), Sega Genesis Collection, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Meteorites, and Tank Command. Then there's an article about collecting game promotional items on the last page.

The rest of the magazine is the seemingly un-altered price guide.

RPG_Fanatic

07-25-2007, 10:29 PM

Hope mine comes this week, they take forever to come out with new issues. How long do you think this mag will last?

willowmoon93

07-25-2007, 10:42 PM

Got mine this afternoon (finally!), starting to wonder if future issues will come out semi-annually rather than quarterly at this rate. I do like the articles though and the price guide is pretty decent too. However the "Market Watch" section was curiously omitted in this issue.

deaditeash2

07-26-2007, 10:21 AM

Got my issue on Tuesday. Does anyone know what pictorial guides were in issues 1-3 if any? When I saw this issues cover I was a bit dissapointed to discover the guide was only for 5200 and 7800 not 2600 box art. Maybe I missed the 2600 if they've even done it - with the higher number of games..? I do like the magazine quite a bit but it just seems to be a bit unstable business wise. Hopefully they can hold to a set distribution period with quality features and current content...

MachineGex

07-26-2007, 11:20 AM

This issue is about a dozen pages smaller than the last issue. The magazine should really try and put issues out on time. I am thinking I may never see the rest of the issues I pre-paid for.

My favorite part of this issue was the "Pushing Consoles-Harder!" article. It talked about how some games(a lot of games) squeezed out better graphics by creative programming. They covered games for systems like, Spike for Vectrex, Pitfall 2 for 2600, DKC for SNES and a ton more. I just hope they can continue to BUILD this magazine and get it out on time.

The retro-review section got a lot smaller. This is one of my favorite parts and I think it shrank down to 2-3 reviews. I also don't remember reading any homebrew stuff. I think they had a small section on that in previous issues. I was hoping it would be a regular section. I remember reading about Beggar Prince in one of the issues and then buying it.

I was hoping this issue would be bigger & better because of the wait. Didn't seem to work out that way. At best it was a fair issue in my opinion. Oh well, I am hoping they get back on track with the "Summer issue" and ship it before Thanksgiving. :)

RCM

07-26-2007, 05:09 PM

As far as I know this mag is pushing is on and issue 9 will be interesting. I'm looking forward to it.

MF_Luder

07-30-2007, 04:32 PM

The retro-review section got a lot smaller. This is one of my favorite parts and I think it shrank down to 2-3 reviews.

I just subscribed to the mag and received the latest 2 issues. Overall, for $15 I'm very pleased-- seeing as how there really aren't many other choices. But I agree with what you're saying about the review section. They had like 5-7 reviews, but only 2 were for retro games. I don't read VGC to get a 6 month late review of God of War II and Dead Rising-- I already have a subscription to EGM and Game Informer for those. I think they need to concentrate on their niche-- which is classic games-- rather than offering more current-gen reviews than classic reviews. I was pretty disappointed in that.

Barbarianoutkast85

07-30-2007, 07:47 PM

Personally I would love to have a video game collector magazine. I'm a professional sports writer for a newspaper so I have the knowledge. Although the time and money are an issue.

MachineGex

10-22-2007, 12:42 AM

Video Game Collector magazine is really starting to annoy me. Anyone know what is going on with them.....again? I sent a couple of emails asking when the next issue ships, but I never got a reply. I am guessing the summer issue of this magazine will not get here by X-mas. Sad.
Too bad, they had a good idea and I use to love getting the magazine.

Vectorman0

10-22-2007, 12:54 AM

I'm another unhappy customer. I ordered the full set with a full subscription a very long time ago, and have had nothing shipped to me, nor had any luck making it happen. I've sent multiple emails to a couple people, talked to someone at CGE who I though could help, but I still have yet to receive anything for the $50 I paid. I know Flack and Aussie2B both wrote, or still write for the magazine. I'll probably PM one of them in hopes they might be able to help me get my stuff, or a refund.

MachineGex

10-22-2007, 11:01 AM

Wow...Vectorman...I at least have gotten half of the year I paid for. That is a nice chuck of change, I hope you get it back. I have recommended this mag to over a dozen people(mainly from issue 2-4), but now I would never buy a subscription.

Phosphor Dot Fossils

10-22-2007, 11:41 AM

I've written one article for them, and I can tell you that it won't do you any good to bug the writers about getting your money back - trust me, we don't have it.

Vectorman0

10-22-2007, 01:15 PM

I've written one article for them, and I can tell you that it won't do you any good to bug the writers about getting your money back - trust me, we don't have it.

I know that, and I would never bother anyone with more than one PM asking for a favor. But assuming that the writers most likely have an email address some higher-up will respond to (or an email from their email address which won't get ignored), I thought I might have a chance at making some progress. Are you saying I won't have any luck with that either?

slapdash

11-04-2007, 01:05 AM

Vectorman0

11-04-2007, 01:10 AM

So, what was the most recent issue sent out? I've had troubles getting issues in the past, and though the problem appeared to be fixed, you guys have got me worried again, since I too haven't seen an issue in a while (last was #7).

The latest issue is #8, though though I wouldn't be surprised if it hasn't been sent out to everyone. First I saw it was at CGE three months ago.

:roll:

slapdash

11-04-2007, 01:34 AM

Argh... Anyone have a good email address to use to contact them? I'm guessing not... But if so, please PM me with it.

Flack

11-04-2007, 01:20 PM

The only e-mail address I have for Shawn is vgcmagazine@aol.com, which is the same one listed on the front page of the website.

And Vectorman0, I think what PDF was alluding to was the fact that neither of us have ever been paid the money we were promised either.

csampson

11-04-2007, 03:13 PM

I had purchased the past issues set along with a subscription at the beginning of the year. I received Issue #7 at that time but nothing since. After I saw the new issue on their site I had sent a follow-up e-mail to the aol address that you listed inquiring about the status of my Issue #8 several weeks ago but I have yet to receive a response (or copy of Issue #8 in the mail).

xplics

11-04-2007, 05:43 PM

I am almost ashamed to say I have never heard of them and I am a big fan of gaming magazines. Will have to check em out.

boatofcar

11-04-2007, 07:40 PM

Personally, I think Retro Gamer and the Retro section of GamesTM puts VGC to shame. You get what you pay for though.

Spartacus

11-05-2007, 04:15 PM

I just thought someone might like to know that I had renewed my subscription October 20th and received issue #8 in the mail today.

vgc

11-06-2007, 10:17 AM

I bought a New Subscription on October 10th because I never received Issue #8 on my 1st Subscription and have not heard anything from them. I also had to e-mail them to get my issue #7. I sent an e-mail, tried calling their # listed with paypal and am contesting my paypal before it goes past the 30 days. They need alot of work if they are to survive. I hope they do as I like their mag but customer service sucks ( not acceptable ). Mike : )

Spartacus

11-06-2007, 04:14 PM

I took a chance on renewing even though they had never responded to my email several months ago inquiring if my subscription had run out. I figured if I didn't get anything from them, I'd file a Pay Pal claim also. I agree that their customer service doesn't warrant my business, but the updated checklist's are just so convenient to have. Frankly, I don't understand their indifference to people's complaints. I can't imagine they have THAT many customers that they can afford alienate or lose any. I'll take the mag as long as I can get it, but I couldn't recommend it to anyone in good faith anymore.

vgc

11-06-2007, 10:46 PM

Hello, just received this e-mail back today. Hopefully this is a sign that thing will improve with them :

Greetings Mike,

Thanks for writing and I am so sorry about your missing issues. I am not sure what happened to your copies but I will look into it when I am back in the office tomorrow. I am really sorry you didn't receive a response sooner. Thank you for including your paypal details that will make it much easier to look up.

Sometimes when we do large mailing copies are lost in the process. Unfortunately, it sounds like you have had problems receiving your issues in the past so that is probably not the case. I will send your copies at no charge so you they will not count against your subscription. I do appreciate your past recommendations and I am sorry we didn't live up to them this time. I am trying to bring on more staff to help with design and customer service so hopefully we can get things back on track and earn your recommendation again in the future.

Thanks again for writing and sorry again for the missing issues. I hope you enjoy the new issue when it arrives.

Sincerely,

Shawn Paul Jones, Publisher

Mike : )

csampson

11-07-2007, 11:58 PM

I have sent another follow-up e-mail to the vgcollector e-mail address about my missing issue and have included my PayPal info as it seems that I may have a better chance of success with this approach. I will post info about any resulting success/failure here.

csampson

11-08-2007, 09:54 PM

I got a quick response after my e-mail today. Hopefully they are moving in the right direction now to address the customer service issues. It seems that sending an e-mail with your PayPal receipt will get a response now....

Greetings Carl,

Thanks for writing and I am so sorry about the missing issue! I will send you a replacement copy out today at no charge and I will update your subscription so it does not count against any remaining issues.

I am sorry about the delay in getting back with you. I was just alerted to the forums posts by one of our editors and I certainly understand the frustration. I am not in the office at the moment, but I will look into your subscription and try to find out exactly what happened. As our mailings grow we find more and more occurences of issues lost in the mail. Sometimes it is just delayed by the post office but it sounds like yours was lost.

I am trying to bring on more staff to help with customer service. Issue 9 is shaping up to be a great issue with a focus on the Sega Saturn and an interview with legendary game designer Garry Kitchen.

Sorry again for the missing issue and the delay in getting back with you. I hope you enjoy your new issue when it arrives!

Sincerely,

Shawn Paul Jones, Publisher
Video Game Collector
PO Box 127
St. Charles, MO 63302-0127
www.vgcollector.com

vgc

11-09-2007, 11:08 PM

Hello, let me start with WOW!. They have more than taken care of me. Priority shipped me the 2 Issue #8's with extras. If any DP Forum Members would like one, stop by my store and I would be happy to give them out for free ( 1 per person while supplies last ). They also gave me some copies of issue #0 that can be had free to anyone who stops in and asks. Thank you Video Game Collector for Taking care of this matter so quickly and so well. Mike : )

slapdash

11-10-2007, 05:33 PM

Yeah, I got a response too, which is cool. Haven't seen the issue yet, but if others are getting them, I suppose mine is on its way too.

Vectorman0

11-10-2007, 08:26 PM

In follow up to my original complaint, I am now a satisfied customer and forgive VGC for the long delay in getting me the magazines. I received them today after talking with Shawn, the publisher, through email over the past week. It looks like VGC is setting everyone straight now, so it's nice to know that I can recommend the magazine again.

I'm another unhappy customer. I ordered the full set with a full subscription a very long time ago, and have had nothing shipped to me, nor had any luck making it happen. I've sent multiple emails to a couple people, talked to someone at CGE who I though could help, but I still have yet to receive anything for the $50 I paid. I know Flack and Aussie2B both wrote, or still write for the magazine. I'll probably PM one of them in hopes they might be able to help me get my stuff, or a refund.

MachineGex

11-11-2007, 12:08 PM

I am glad you finally got a response. I have not been that lucky.
I have sent them a several emails over the last few months(one within the last week or so) and have never once heard back from them. Until they start releasing the mag on time and update their site, I have a very guarded view of them and their product.

What I don't understand is why they don't just publish twice a year instead of saying they come out 4/years? If putting out a mag 4 times a year is too difficult to do, don't continue to make the same mistake every quarter. Hire more people or what ever your need to do, but fix it by now and let the customers know what you are doing. Customers and even advertisers can't count on them to get their product out in a reasonable time(a timeline they set). Seems like a very poor way to start a new magazine. This isn't just a one time problem, their mags have been late(very late) for over a year. When your summer issue comes out around X-mas, you got a big problem. What is going to happen to the fall & winter issues? They are basically two issues behind.

As you can see, I am pissed. I have spent too much time trying to give them my money and they have yet to respond to one of my emails. I use to order this magazine in quantity for a store I use to work at, but when they stopped answering our emails we dropped them. We got tired of our customers asking for the new issue and we had no idea what to tell them. I wish I would thought twice about renewing my personal subscription.

How about this; release the magazine on time, update your website, and respond to customer service questions. That simple.

slapdash

12-20-2007, 10:29 PM

Well, I got a response, but no mag yet. :-{

MachineGex

12-21-2007, 01:16 PM

I have completely given up on this magazine. I have emailed them no less than 3 times over the last 3 months and have yet to hear back once. Definately do not pay for it ahead of time. This is sad because I really thought this magazine had a chance, but they really have lost their way the last 2 years(or 3 issues).