Questions about EGM

[fennec fox]

A slight repeat from Buying and Selling, but I think it's OK since this is a question more than a WTB post.

I want to confirm the numberings of the early issues of Electronic Gaming Monthly, to wit:

5 (a.k.a. the 1990 Buyer's Guide)
7 (a.k.a. Top Score)
15 (a.k.a. 1991 Buyer's Guide)

Is this right? Wikipedia and Russ Perry's list says that EGM #15 is the 1991 Buyer's Guide, but I don't see any indication of that on my 1991 Buyer's Guide. Anyone have further confirmation? Issue 16 mentions the 1991 Buyer's Guide as a thing of the past, but that issue is November '90, and it's kind of early for a 1991 Buyer's Guide to be published in October 1990, isn't it?

I just want to ensure that I'm not missing anything, as if this numbering is right, I just need 5 and 7 to finish the collection. (I'm sure EGM included a poster of every cover up to that point in one issue or another, but I can't remember which one it was now...)

[Push Upstairs]

All my sources have said #15 is the 1991 Buyers Guide and i've never seen an actual seperate "1991 Buyers Guide" either.

I know the 1989 Buyers Guide is a seperate issue but then it picks up being a seperate issue again in 1992.

I think "Top Score" was an EGM offshoot as well, similar to "Megaplay".

But all this talk of EGM has me wondering, you got any extra copies? :D

[Amos]

I dunno if this helps, but the two-digit number in the upper right corner of the UPC box seems to indicate some kind of order:

14302-74874-12 = 1989 Buyer’s Guide (“Display until March 31, 1989”
14302-74874-05 = May, 1989 (“1989 Preview Guide”, supposedly Number 1)
14302-74874-06 = Top Score! (“Display until August 31, 1989”)
14302-74874-07 = Volume 1, Number 2 (“Display until August 31, 1989”)
14302-74874-08 = Number 3 (“Display until September 31, 1989”)
14302-74874-11 = Number 4 (“Display until November 30, 1989”)
14302-76861-95 = The 1990 Video Game Buyer’s Guide (supposedly Number 5)
14302-74874-02 = Number 6 (“Display until January 31, 1990)
14302-74874-03 = Top Score!/Issue 7
14302-74874-04 = Number 8
14302-74874-05 = Number 9
14302-74874-06 = Number 10
14302-74874-07 = Number 11
14302-74874-08 = Number 12
14302-74874-09 = Number 13
14302-74874-10 = Number 14
14302-74874-11 = The 1991 Video Game Buyer’s Guide
14302-74874-12 = Number 16
14302-74874-13 = Number 17

They were obviously not too careful about these things, though; they even forgot to put a price on the cover of Number 4.

[fennec fox]

Aw, yeah, I forgot about the first Top Score. Ah well.

I guess the commonly accepted order will be good enough to satisfy me. Thanks for your help.

I do have some extra EGMs. For now I'm mostly interested in trading, as I'd like to get 5, 7, the first Top Score, and whatever other specials I am missing (maybe 2 or 3).

Here's how the collection looks right now
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/1289/dscf25225gd.th.jpg (http://img85.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf25225gd.jpg)

[NE146]

How come Electronic Game Player is never in those lists. That magazine was every bit EGM.. dunno why they like to deny it. :?

[Anthony1]

So can somebody actually list the order of every issue of the first 20, and what was on the cover. I think I have the 1991 buyers guide, but I never considered that an actual regular issue of EGM.

[NE146]

So can somebody actually list the order of every issue of the first 20, and what was on the cover. I think I have the 1991 buyers guide, but I never considered that an actual regular issue of EGM.

Normally I would but a. I dont have all my issues here (although I have pretty much every single issue from 1989 on at my mom's house). And even if I did a couple of my covers are torn off so I still wouldn't be able to tell you :P


it's kind of early for a 1991 Buyer's Guide to be published in October 1990, isn't it?

Well.. it kind of brings to mind something in the 1990 Buyers guide.. ever notice that it says 1990 Buyers Guide in the issue and cover, but in the table of contents it says "The 1989 Videogame Buyers Guide Directory"? Go figure.

[fennec fox]

How come Electronic Game Player is never in those lists. That magazine was every bit EGM.. dunno why they like to deny it. :?

Well, that one I can answer -- it's because EGP was published and distributed by different companies, and there was a large gap between EGP's closure and EGM's launch. So technically they are two different titles.

There's also the fact I have only one EGP. %) if anyone has any besides issue 2 and wants to trade/sell it, please let me know.


So can somebody actually list the order of every issue of the first 20, and what was on the cover.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_Issue_History

[Push Upstairs]

I do have some extra EGMs. For now I'm mostly interested in trading, as I'd like to get 5, 7, the first Top Score, and whatever other specials I am missing (maybe 2 or 3).

Well, even I don't have #5 or #7. I have some somewhat later issues i could use (one in the teens, one in the twenties, and a few in the 40's). But early stuff has been a bitch to find.

And i should correct myself. I should have said i never saw a Issue 15 by itself.

You guys might also check this site out:

http://www.magweasel.com/wiki/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly

[NE146]

Well, that one I can answer -- it's because EGP was published and distributed by different companies, and there was a large gap between EGP's closure and EGM's launch. So technically they are two different titles.

Yeah the EGM I have is Sendai, and the EGP was Sorjana. The time difference doesn't seem exactly too large as EGP is marked Sept/Oct 1988, and the first EGM I got has a copyright date inside of 1988 but says to display until March 31, 1989. So I guess as far as publishing that's maybe about 5 or 6 months or so. Which really isn't all that different from the 89 buyers guide to the Megaman 2 issue. And as a matter of fact I dont really recall them being all that far from each other. Because I bought the EGP, the 89 buyers guide, and the Megaman 2 issues all from the same bookstore back in college. And I remember they were each pretty much one after the other (as much as they could be) :P

But yeah.. definitely different publishers. But really that's about the only difference as the content, layouts, & everything is pretty much the same. Everything. I still maintain the opinion that EGP...IS the black sheep forgotten EGM :P

Hmmm I think I'll scan them. :hmm:

[Anthony1]

Here's a list of the first 40 issues (or 41 if you want to get technical)

First 40 issues of EGM


1. February 1989 - Egm's 1989 buyers guide
1a. May 1989 - Mega Man 2
2. July 1989 - 16 bit gaming explodes
3. September 1989 - Ironsword: Wizards and Warriors 2
4. November 1989 - Ghouls N Ghosts
5. December 1989 - 1990 Buyer's Guide
6. January 1990 - Batman
7. February 1990 - Egm presents "Top Score" - Alien Syndrome cover
8. March 1990 - Turbografx-16 vs. Genesis
9. April 1990 - Castlevania III
10. May 1990 - Super C
11. June 1990 - Golgo 13: The Mafat Conspiracy
12. July 1990 - Ninja Gaiden II
13. August 1990 - Strider
14. September 1990 - Mega Man 3
15. October 1990 - 1991 Buyer's Guide
16. November 1990 - Super Mario World
17. December 1990 - The Simpsons
18. January 1991 - G.I. Joe
19. February 1991 - Bonk's Revenge
20. March 1991 - Battletoads
21. April 1991 - Cyberball
22. May 1991 - Sonic the Hedgehog
23. June 1991 - Hudson Hawk
24. July 1991 - Terminator 2: Judgement Day
25. August 1991 - Super NES buyers guide
26. September 1991 - Genesis CD preview
27. October 1991 - Super Mario World
28. November 1991 - TMNT III
29. December 1991 - Legend of Zelda 3: A Link to the Past
30. January 1992 - Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
31. February 1992 - Street Fighter II
32. March 1992 - 1992 Preview issue
33. April 1992 - Street Fighter II
34. May 1992 - Super Double Dragon
35. June 1992 - TMNT 4
36. July 1992 - Batman Returns
37. August 1992 - Sonic 2
38. September 1992 - Fall 92 Preview Issue
39. October 1992 - TMNT4 & John Madden
40. November 1992 - Super Star Wars



The good news, is that with issues 20 thru 40, I'm only missing issue 25, the Super NES Buyer's Guide issue. The bad news is that issues 1 thru 19, I only have #4 and #12, so I still need to get 17 of the first 19 issues.