Electronic Gaming Monthly's 200th Issue

[Neil Koch]

I just got the issue and it is pretty underwhelming.

I think it would have been more interesting to do a more in-depth history of the mag, where the industry's gone since they started publishing, interviews with designers, etc. instead of yet another "best games of all time" list -- which every mag seems to do once a year anyway.

It seems like way more space was devoted to Xbox360/PS3 previews (which are old news by this time) than any anniversarty stuff.

Also, the little bit in their letters section where they posted some responses from their message board as to what game was better between Space Invaders and Asteroids reminded me of why I avoid their boards like the plague...

[Bloodreign]

I've heard people say that the mag really went downhill when Dan Hsu became the head guy for the mag, personally I used to buy EGM every month just to see what was coming out, now with the internet, I don't resort to Gamepro or EGM for gaming news anymore.

A couple years back I found a link through a Gamespy forum for a free year of EGM. Me thinking it was just something to pull people's leg, laughed it off and went through with the link. Turns out I got a free year of EGM, but was amazingly underwhelmed with the mag, there was either too much Halo stuff, or GTA. They gave Gradius V a tiny little review space, but amazingly a good score.

[GrayFox]

Well, I don't agree with Grand Theft Auto 3 already being in that Top 10 at all, BUT Halo is not there, therefore I'm happy.

I really dont understand this thought. Sure, I know a lot of people dont like it, but you simply cannot deny the fact that it is a great game, and it did change gaming as we know it. If you like that change or not is obviously up to you.

Wow. If I've ever seen an example of putting words into someone's mouth, heh, this would be it :P

I never said it was a bad game did I?

*reads over again and again*

Nope, never did say that, just said I don't agree with a Top 10 for GTA3.

[poloplayr]

Well, I don't agree with Grand Theft Auto 3 already being in that Top 10 at all, BUT Halo is not there, therefore I'm happy.

I really dont understand this thought. Sure, I know a lot of people dont like it, but you simply cannot deny the fact that it is a great game, and it did change gaming as we know it. If you like that change or not is obviously up to you.

What did Halo change with gaming as we know it?!?!? Get it stuck even more in a rut?

[fishsandwich]

Have you seen this month's issue of PLAY? Pathetically thin. I thnk it's going under, personally. Don't go starting rumors, though. That's just my silly uninformed opinion.

I remember when EGM was really thick, too. Those were the days.

[diskoboy]

I haven't bought an EGM since the SNES days. But I still happen to have kept most of my old issues. The ones shown are the ones I have left where pages haven't fallen out. And yes, that's a #2 and #4.


In issue 2, Mega Man 2 got all 8's!

[Rogmeister]

Actually, there was a separate thread about that. One possibility is that they just didn't have much to write about that particular month. After the fall releases, Christmastime is sometimes a slow month for new games.

[Bloodreign]

Wow I like that Ghouls N Ghosts EGM cover, too bad I didn't know about EGM back then (found out not much longer afterwards), as that magazine looks like a ton of fun.

[diskoboy]

Wow I like that Ghouls N Ghosts EGM cover, too bad I didn't know about EGM back then (found out not much longer afterwards), as that magazine looks like a ton of fun.

They've obviously grown alot since their humble beginnings. The first 10 issues (or whenver they changed the font of the magazines name on the cover) looked like they were done by total amateurs. And the front page of issue 2 is a 2-page add for Tengen (including Tetris). But just for fun, here were the reviews in issues #2 & 4 -

Geurilla War (NES) - 7,7,6,7
Wizards & Warriors 2: IronSword (NES) - 6,8,7,7
Festers Quest (NES) - 5,5,5,5
Mega Man 2 (NES)- 8,8,8,8
3 Stooges (NES)- 6,8,6,7
Adv. of Lolo (NES) - 7,8,8,7
Operation Wolf (NES) - 6,7,6,6
Q*Bert (NES) 7,3,4,4
MappyLand (NES) 7,4,6,6
Flying Dragon (NES) - 4,5,4,5
Hylide (NES) - 5,6,6,5
Alex Kidd in High Tech World (SMS) - 5,7,7,7
Reggie Jackson Baseball (SMS) - 7,7,7,6
Galaxy Force (SMS) - 6,7,5,5

And Issue 4:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES) - 6,7,6,4
Bad Dudes (NES) - 6,5,5,4
Sky Shark (NES) - 6,6,5,5
Defender of the Crown (NES) - 4,3,7,7
Strider (NES) - 7,8,7,7
Spellcaster (SMS) - 7,6,6,5
Victory Run (TG16) - 6,8,7,8
Dungeon Explorer (TG16) - 7,7,7,7
Last Battle (Genesis) - 6,7,6,5
T. Lasorda Baseball (Genesis) - 8,8,7,7
Thunder Force 2 (Genesis) 8,8,7,8

I think to myself... Most of these games are nowadays considered classics. And there wasn't a single 9 in the bunch. Especially Mega Man. And the horrid reviews on Fester's Quest?? What's with that? FQ was a great game!

[Bloodreign]

I've checked Ebay on issue #1, there was one for .99 cents (but reserve wasn't met, blah, plus 7 bucks shipping), but I kinda like how they started, was an entertaining magazine.

[Kid Ice]

The thing I find most striking about the new top 10 is the inclusion of classic games. The 100th issue list (1997) did not include any Atari titles or classic arcade games. The mainstream acceptance of classic gaming in the last ten years is really kinda amazing. Robotron on the 360? Geez.

OK, I have issue 100 in my hands now and here are some of the games that made the list:

MLB 98
Decathlete
Blast Corps
Jumping Flash 2
Sega Rally
Virtua Fighter 2
Megaman X4
Worldwide Soccer 97
WaveRace 64
Twisted Metal 2
Tekken 2
StarFox 64
SFA2 (Saturn)
NBA Live 97 (#33, good Lord)
Gameday 98
International Superstar Soccer 64 (#24)
Madden 98 (#19)

So having not seen the list (except the top 10 of course) I have to wonder...did a single one of these games make the new list? I mean here's a list with International Superstar Soccer 64 (at #24!) and no Pac Man, Adventure, Robotron, Space Invaders, etc. I'd have to say based on the top 10 that the new list is a big improvement, even if I felt the magazine was better then than now.

[attilathehun]

I just got EGM #200 in the mail today...and my first thought is this thing sure is thin. I remember when they were regularly over 200 pages long and I seem to even recall a few times they his 300 pages...this one is 124 pages counting the covers. Their key feature for this special issue is, you guessed it, a Top 200 countdown. Specifically they're calling it The Greatest 200 Games of Their Time. I won't list all 200 games, of course, but here's their final top ten...

10. Pong
9. Grand Theft Auto III
8. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
7. Space Invaders
6. Super Mario 64
5. The Legend of Zelda (NES)
4. Tetris
3. Street Fighter II
2. Pac-Man
1. Super Mario Bros.

Yes, there are Atari 2600 games on the list. One of my personal favorites, Super Metroid, came in at #23 with the original Metroid coming in at #1. I won't reveal more...go check it out for yourself.

Looking at the reviews, I see MVP Baseball actually lives on but has now been turned into a college version as MVP 06 NCAA Baseball. The scores are mixed on that one.

Pong was a great game back in colonial times it was sad to play the ps port, cause pong can only played with dails.

SFII is awsome.

Hated Mario until Mario 64 and the snes mario kart.

Hated Zelda NES. They should put snes zelda at number 5 instead a much better game.

Thank god they put down gta III, the first two total rubbish. Back in the day gta I & II were a very popular shitty game, cause it was on the mega selling ps and you could steal cars and kill people.

[Neil Koch]

I mean here's a list with International Superstar Soccer 64 (at #24!)

I wouldn't rank it that high on an all-time list, but ISS was a great game for the time and it was the first soccer game to get widespread appeal in the States.

[gepeto]

I haven't bought an EGM since the SNES days. But I still happen to have kept most of my old issues. The ones shown are the ones I have left where pages haven't fallen out. And yes, that's a #2 and #4.


In issue 2, Mega Man 2 got all 8's!

Them magazines bring back great memories I think one of them was the one I was taliking about a feature on the genesis with altered beast.

It is funny i remember seeing the tubographic 16 and the genesis sitting sit by side on the shelf both price at maybe 200 or 249 apeice. The genesis box art color just looked awsome. I was a tough decision because the turbo had vigilante which looked awfully close to the arcade. It was a tough choice the mag helped. I remembered that gouls and ghost mag.

At the time there were a few games released I was watching and waiting for every new release. I wasted my money on the last battle game which was too repetitive and the store mgr let me exchange it for the ghouls and ghost.
What memories.

[rbudrick]

They've obviously grown alot since their humble beginnings. The first 10 issues (or whenver they changed the font of the magazines name on the cover) looked like they were done by total amateurs.

Well basically, they were.

Some may even say the more that things change, the more they stay the same...

Man, I really regret throwing away my old EGMs years ago. I've had every issue. I'd like to get the first 20-30 issues again.

The first one is hopelessly difficult to find now, though I remember seeing it everywhere when it came out. It seems EGM issues are almost never on Ebay, just subscriptions.

-Rob

[segagamer4life]

They've obviously grown alot since their humble beginnings. The first 10 issues (or whenver they changed the font of the magazines name on the cover) looked like they were done by total amateurs.

Well basically, they were.

Some may even say the more that things change, the more they stay the same...

Man, I really regret throwing away my old EGMs years ago. I've had every issue. I'd like to get the first 20-30 issues again.

The first one is hopelessly difficult to find now, though I remember seeing it everywhere when it came out. It seems EGM issues are almost never on Ebay, just subscriptions.

-Rob

yeah, everytime I look for EGM on ebay, its almost always a dead end, like someone posted up top, there is an auction right now for issue #1, but he has a reserve and I am sure that will fetch over 50 bucks... too pricey for me, but I had all these mag's back in the day as well, luckily, I got some of the older issues back, but not the low numbers, from 1-20 or 30, I still need, but can't find anywhere.. oh well... its still fun to reminisce.

[segagamer4life]

speaking of hard to find magazines, try finding any copies of Diehard gamefan magazine, I used to enjoy this magazine, emensly, I had quite a few, but had to chuck them, for various reasons, as a kid. I have seen a slim few of these mag's ever at any given time on ebay... anyone else remember this mag?

[poopnes]

I've heard people say that the mag really went downhill when Dan Hsu became the head guy for the mag, personally I used to buy EGM every month just to see what was coming out, now with the internet, I don't resort to Gamepro or EGM for gaming news anymore.

It did. That's when I stopped reading EGM. Well actually I stopped reading EGM with the last redesign. After they screwed up the Review Crew they lost the last bit that made EGM, well, EGM.

I was hoping they were going to to a "Top" list, but I don't like how they covered games older than the NES. That's just not EGM. The last two lists covered NES and later era, I don't know why they didn't do the same here.

*SHRUG* Oh well.

[EricRyan34]

Besides the top 200 countdown, this issue was easily the most boring one I have read in a long time

[Bloodreign]

Makes you wish Steve (his last name escapes me yet he was a founder) and Ed Harris were back, as well as Danyon Carpenter, now those were much better reviewers, they didn't pull punches, and very few games ever got 10's, especially ones that didn't deserve it. I also remember when a British fella by the name of John whatshis face was the head guy, the mag was still decent, but rough times were ahead.

Gamepro is another mag that hasn't stood the test of time, I haven't seen an issue in a long time, but I heard it's not nearly as good as it once was. I also find Nintendo Power lost their magic somewhere around the N64 era, once the NES and SNES well dried up, I quit my subscritpion to NP.