PC Gamer Magazine 10th Anniversary

[YoshiM]

It's either this month or last month's issue where it's PC Gamer's big 10th Anniversary issue. Whether you like it or not that's a pretty good run for a computer gaming magazine. Personally I haven't read PC Gamer in a really long time but I was a big reader of it years back mainly for the demos. As the number of demos on a CD got shorter and shorter my interest grew less and less (and add to the fact I was swinging back to console games at this time). This anniversary issue includes a copy of the first PCG issue on the disc, sandwiched between the two or three multi-megabyte demos that are on there.

Just wondering how many of you have read this magazine or are still current readers and what your thoughts were on the mag and the demos it served up?

[YoshiM]

I'll start.

For a gamer on a budget, I absolutely loved PC Gamer. Got to get a demo diskette inside and the content was pretty good. When it moved to CD I was floored at all the demo goodness that mag provided. The first CD had what, 10 or 12 demos/shareware games on it? This is where I got a taste of many games that became an addiction like X-Com: UFO Defense, Star Wars: Dark Forces, Stars! and gobs of Doom WADs. Many of these demos were practically games within themselves as you could go back and replay some of them and still have a good time.

The magazine itself was a fun read as well. Humorous writing along with the oddball jokes with their mascot the Coconut Monkey (I've yet to play his grand game Gravy Trader, I think they actually made it using Klick n' Play or something). Good informative reviews, tech info and overall a well rounded mag at the time.

However as time went on my PC couldn't play the latest games too well and when things required more power for 3D that was it. But at this time the N64 had my full attention so PC gaming just went to the wayside along with PC Gamer.

[scooterb23]

I still buy it every once in a while. If there is a Demo I want to play, I'll get that issue. For those of us that don't have broadband, it's a Godsend, for those that do...the mag may be unnecessary anymore.

It's a good mag, I've always liked it...but I tend to not subscribe to mags, and $8 a month is pretty high.

I may get this one...sounds good.

I also have an old disk that they put in an issue that had 12 full games on it... that one was really nice. If I can find the disc, I'll list the games that were on it...lots of good stuff.

[oesiii]

I got a couple of years of PC Gamer in the mid90's, enjoyed it for a bit but something about their writing made it boring to me. I can't remember exactly what it was and I haven't read an issue in five years.

I switched to Computer Games Strategy Plus, I think they go by Computer Games now. Their features and reviews were more up my alley and I subscribed for about 3 years before I got into retrogaming and only buy one or two PC games a year these days.

[brykasch]

I used to get it almost every month, but once game manufacturers stopped making demo's for the most part (and as fast as pc game prices drop) it just didn't make sense to buy it as the info was outdated before it came out thanks to the internet. But I got the issue in Nov I think that had sims online, ultima online, and one other mmorpg full versions plus midnight club and some others. At 7.99 it was worth it. Anyways they have their full review scores on this one (actually its a dvd) anyways from their begiing all the games they reviewed its pretty hand imho