It's now official - Gaming Mag Covers Can Now Be Purchased

[ManciGames]

And it's EGM of all people. Ziff-Davis is making me sick...

The latest issue of EGM (#187) has an ad attached to the cover that effectively replaces the "real" cover.

The top of it says "Advertisement," but everything else looks just like a regular cover. Then when you turn the page, the "real" cover is underneath. I've seen similar stuff before, but this is the first time I've seen the wrap-around ad look exactly like the cover (EGM logo, monikers, etc.)

Anyone know if the copies on the newsstand look like this too?

Anyone have a scan they can share? I'm too lazy to scan it after playing football all day...

[Half Japanese]

Nothing new really. Z-grade rag GamePRO has been doing this for a while now. I don't like it, but I don't pay for the magazine either. The day Play starts doing this trash is when I get concerned. I trust Halverson and co. have more integrity and pride in their work than that.

[mr_jiggles_13]

mine has a call of duty FH advertisement, and the cover under that has samus, MC, CJ, and solid snake and says SPECIAL FEATURE on it


now people wont know whats in the damn mag!!!

[JJNova]

EGM is turning to trash anyway.

: :cheers:

[max 330 mega]

i got a letter in the mail informing me i need to pay again to keep my subscription coming, needless to say EGM sucked ass this year and I will not be renewing. They have taken a turn for the worse.

[RCM]

The day Play starts doing this trash is when I get concerned. I trust Halverson and co. have more integrity and pride in their work than that.

Instead of doing double covers they do the Girls of Gaming. This is Halverson's 3rd mag, im sure he will do just about anything he can to keep it afloat. Maybe even triple covers!

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

[RCM]

needless to say EGM sucked ass this year and I will not be renewing. They have taken a turn for the worse.

They took a turn for the worst 10 years ago!

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

[ManciGames]

needless to say EGM sucked ass this year and I will not be renewing. They have taken a turn for the worse.

They took a turn for the worst 10 years ago!

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

So, who exactly is good? You don't like EGM. Do you like Play? I assume not, but you never know. Is GamePro good? What about GMR?

By the way, what do you guys have against Halverson anyway? Was it because he was an "outsider" who tried to start up a gaming mag?

[Sylentwulf]

needless to say EGM sucked ass this year and I will not be renewing. They have taken a turn for the worse.

They took a turn for the worst 10 years ago!


Yeah, I actually noticed the other day that I don't receive this any more. First time I actually said "Wow, this new layout and review system sucks" and let my sub run out and didn't miss it in the least.

I get Play, but it's way too expensive for the length, letting that run out as well. They could easily cut costs in half by not printing on the poster-quality paper they use. That's just a waste.

[zmweasel]

So, who exactly is good? You don't like EGM. Do you like Play? I assume not, but you never know. Is GamePro good? What about GMR?

GMR is dead. Xbox Nation and GameStar, too.

-- Z.

[fennec fox]

If it's any consolation, the editorial staff hate it too -- and they usually find out about it the same time the paying subscribers do.

[RCM]

So, who exactly is good? You don't like EGM. Do you like Play? I assume not, but you never know. Is GamePro good? What about GMR?

By the way, what do you guys have against Halverson anyway? Was it because he was an "outsider" who tried to start up a gaming mag?

I have a problem with everything that's out there. PLAY is the only passable mag around though.

I personally have nothing against Dave. He's always been cool to me.

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

[maxlords]

I literally don't bother to read mags anymore. I haven't found a mag I liked since Gamer's Republic and Next Gen went under. I've lost virtually all respect for the magazine industry (no offence Joe and Zach).

[dvdguy]

GMR is dead. Xbox Nation and GameStar, too.

When did GMR die?

[zmweasel]

GMR is dead. Xbox Nation and GameStar, too.

When did GMR die?

http://biz.gamedaily.com/features.asp?article_id=8539

-- Z.

[Crush Crawfish]

blargh. The only magazine worth reading anymore is play. Though I kinda like Game informer as well, if only for their entirely positive review of Megaman X8. :D

[charitycasegreg]

EGM is turning to trash anyway.

: :cheers:

you got the best signiture pic ever...

[ManciGames]

GMR is dead. Xbox Nation and GameStar, too.

When did GMR die?

http://biz.gamedaily.com/features.asp?article_id=8539

-- Z.

That's a damn shame... That was my current favorite mag. It's weird too, because I think they had quite a few subscribers (500,000 +). Oh well...

What is it with Ziff anyway? A couple years back, they turned EGM into the "Stuff Magazine" of videogames, launched the "kiddie version" of a game mag with "Game Now," while at the same time launching the "mature version" of a game mag with GMR. And then they axe the two new ones in under 2 years...

Hopefully, this means that EGM will edge back towards it's relatively more mature style.

[Half Japanese]

What is it with Ziff anyway? A couple years back, they turned EGM into the "Stuff Magazine" of videogames, launched the "kiddie version" of a game mag with "Game Now," while at the same time launching the "mature version" of a game mag with GMR. And then they axe the two new ones in under 2 years...

Hopefully, this means that EGM will edge back towards it's relatively more mature style.


I'm not quite sure what I'm reading here:

- GMR as a "mature mag?"

Huh? GMR was little more than a ripoff of Game Informer so EB could have their little 'buy our discount card and get this free mag' program like Gamestop's been doing for years. Not saying it was equivelant or worse than GI, just that it was at it's core little more than EB's retaliation. Mature? Please.

- EGM as "mature?" I hope you mean "mature" in the way that the Leisure Suit Larry games earn that rating. Not for the misconception that it's full of intelligent and competently written articles, but because of the lame T&A and dick n' fart jokes. That's the shame with magazines. No one wants to comprehend that their sense of humor might not be all that great and everyone just pretends they're a pro at it. EGM is full of jokes (mostly misses) and editors that try to appear 'holier-than-thou-art.' I'd say that Play and a few others (mostly dead) are far more 'mature' as far as being good reads than EGM has been in a long time.

I'm not saying that all mags should be uptight and keep babbling pretentious talk of how such and such obscure import is the best game ever and everyone who hasn't played it is an uncivilized hick. I'm just saying that well-written articles, fair reviews and equal coverage for games whose publishers didn't buy the back page ad for the last eight months go a long way with me, and hopefully others.

[NintendoMan]

i got a letter in the mail informing me i need to pay again to keep my subscription coming, needless to say EGM sucked ass this year and I will not be renewing. They have taken a turn for the worse.

i actually just renewed my sub. to EGM, I love that mag. Now on the other hand, I just renewed my Gamepro sub., but really don't like that mag.

The whole advertisement on the cover thing, I could really care less. At least you can take the thing off, and still have the mag in perfect shape.

[Griking]

I despise the idea of putting an ad over the cover of the magazine. To me that just tells me that the magazine is only second rate to the advertisement. But the thing that bothers me the most about it is that it's not a regular ad. Its designed to look like a legitimate cover, complete with EGM's name and everything. It's mean to look like a real cover which makes it purposely misleading. What's next, the game companies submitting their own reviews?

[ManciGames]

I'm not quite sure what I'm reading here:

- GMR as a "mature mag?"


Compared to EGM and Game Now? Certainly.



- EGM as "mature?"


Well, I didn't call EGM "mature". I said it had become "the Stuff Magazine of videogames." Now maybe Stuff is "mature" to you, but it isn't to me.

No biggie. I just think in your racing heart's pitter-patter to flame, you just didn't read the entire post before replying. I've been there before too.

[slip81]

i got a letter in the mail informing me i need to pay again to keep my subscription coming, needless to say EGM sucked ass this year and I will not be renewing. They have taken a turn for the worse.

I feel the same way. The only new thing I like about EGM is the little one page features they do on things like collecting, game music, arcade sticks etc. and one good page a month isn't enough to warrent a subscript. I also hate the new way they do previews.

[Kepone]

EGM and Gamepro are trash.

I like Retro Gamer. I bought issue 9 yesterday and it's very well written.

[RCM]

To me that just tells me that the magazine is only second rate to the advertisement.

Bingo. THe suits that run the mags feel that way. They care about money. They could give a fuck about gaming. The internet is killing periodicals. Newspaper sales are down, videogame mag sales are down. Official PS and Xbox magazines do ok b/c of the demo discs included each month. Game Informer is the largest magazine b/c it is given away. I've never been to a Gamestop that hasn't had rows of GI magazines that are untouched. It's sad, I like the idea of print mags. The problem is that the current crop of mags aren't very good.

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

[boatofcar]

I plan on subscribing to Retro Gamer as well. Is GameStar really dead? I liked that one too, even though it covered more than just games.

[brykasch]

God I hope that GameStar is dead. I got the first 3 issues free, the demo discs were mediocre at best, and they mag was utter crap. Tried to be the stuff of gaming, and failed miserably.

Reading the article about xbn, and gmr closing... cant believe the guy from 1up.com had the gall to compare GMR to Gamefan. That is sacrilige!

Only two game mags I pay for. GamesTM, and OXM (only because of the demos). I get Gamepro, and EGM, but they ar ebtoh free subscriptions. I usually, just browse through them, then save the ads I want to scan, and toss em.

But if you want a good mag that covers current and retro GamesTM is it. It isn't cheap if you live in the us, but its worth it.

[RCM]

cant believe the guy from 1up.com had the gall to compare GMR to Gamefan. That is sacrilige!

I agree. Have a link to that?

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

[Ed Oscuro]

Hmm, I completely missed this topic first time around.

Well, one thing's clear: More of the responsibility - voice even - belongs to gamers now. It's too bad that the people on the inside aren't doing what we'd like, and certainly no matter how much countless blogs, webcomics, and forumers want to provide the content they usually can't (seeing how access to prerelease materials is a bit limited). That said, I would be rather surprised to see companies buying reviews - but all the same I've started to mistrust reviews unless they've an overwhelmingly negative tone to them.

[rbudrick]

EGM as "mature?" I hope you mean "mature" in the way that the Leisure Suit Larry games earn that rating. Not for the misconception that it's full of intelligent and competently written articles, but because of the lame T&A and dick n' fart jokes. That's the shame with magazines. No one wants to comprehend that their sense of humor might not be all that great and everyone just pretends they're a pro at it. EGM is full of jokes (mostly misses) and editors that try to appear 'holier-than-thou-art.' I'd say that Play and a few others (mostly dead) are far more 'mature' as far as being good reads than EGM has been in a long time.

I couldn't have said it better. I think EGM started going downhill when Ed Semrad left. Sure, they were budget and crappy with misprints a plenty, but it was a mag with heart. However, they were still pretty damn good for 3 or so years after Ed left. Their best, most humorous writers have all left and their new staff is weak as hell.

Their move to San Fran has practically ruined the mag. I still subscribe to it, but I'm really not sure why.

They try to be more mature, but they just come off being like a teenager who thinks he's cool and mature, but is really just apunk with a bad attitude. Throw Seanbaby in there , and it just proves my point. Seanbaby is a whole other rant though.

-Rob

[izret101]

I notice very few people talk about Tips & Tricks. If they start doing crazy stuff like that i will stop getting their mag.
I never really liked the format or info of any other mags.