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[Bullet Club]

Ahhh video game magazines. The smell of the paper. The great cover art. The 3 month old news. The floppy discs/cassettes/CDs/DVDs. The tips and cheats. The posters. The ads.

In the pre-internet era, the only thing almost as good as playing games was reading about them. Some of them were big and flashy and expensive, some of them were dirt cheap and looked like they were printed on recycled telephone book paper. But they all contained exciting and precious tidbits of information on the big upcoming games on your system of choice as well as reviews of the latest release blockbusters.

Before phones, these were the things you read on the toilet.

And there were hundreds, maybe even thousands of them, in lots of different languages all around the world. No matter what system you were into, there was usually a bunch of different magazines dedicated to it.

So as you would have gathered by now, this thread is for the discussion of all the great video game and computer magazines from the past. You can share your thoughts and memories on your favourite magazines, memorable articles, the best reviewers and crazy letters pages.

The 1980s

The 1990s

The 2000s

 

[Alexios]

I like GAMEFAN for its illustrated covers and decent enough writing which didn't show biases too often as far as I then understood it.

 

[Bullet Club]

I like GAMEFAN for its illustrated covers and decent enough writing which didn't show biases too often as far as I then understood it.

Gamefan did have great covers. I was going to add one to the OP but the ones I found were low quality scans.

 

[Musky_Cheese]

Nintendo Power was everything when I was a kid. I didn't have internet. Other than the Arcades, I had no inside into video games except for these magazines until I was a teenager.

 

[BusierDonkey]

As kids in the 80s, we would walk down to the stationery store in the mall every week to see if the newest EGM was in stock. Eventually we got a subscription and then it was a race home to see if the mailman had destroyed it by cramming it into the mailbox.

I like GAMEFAN for its illustrated covers and decent enough writing which didn't show biases too often as far as I then understood it.

Gamefan was awesome, they really loved games, in fact they loved games so much that I believe the average review in that magazine was around 98, lol. I still remember Final Fantasy 7 and the 100+/100+/100 review.

 

[Dr. Claus]

I absolutely loved video game magazines back in the day. The internet wasn't as accessible in the early 90s, so much of the news I got came from these guys and gals. No political bullshit, just people who seemingly loved games, talking about games, and getting hyped on games. This was also before gaming became "mainstream". I got excited when I saw anything that showcased videogames, whether it was on TV (through shows like X-Play and Judgement Day) or through films like The Wizard. I kinda miss those days, to be honest. Having fun conversations on gaming without someone piping in with cries about "representation" or "60 FPS". We just cared about sharing our experiences, learning about new titles, and whether the games were inherently fun or not.

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

I always liked Retro Gamer as it would always have articles about the behind the scenes. We do get a lot of documentaries nowadays through YT but a lot of it isnt covered as well as these magazines do. Maybe because its easier to get a response through an email interview than a live one.

Also back in the day I would rip out a Mortal Kombat move list in the bookstore because my parents never wanted to buy me anything gaming related, especially something as bloody as MK There was no internet, you either guessed the moves and fatalities or you would do some trade in school with another kid...say 5 marbles for Scorpions 2 fatalities. Anyone remember the talks of a never existing Sonya Blade "sexuality"?

 

[LegendOfKage]

Back in the day, I had subscriptions to Nintendo Power, EGM, PC Gamer, Official PlayStation Magazine, and Next Generation. I also had several store-bought copies of Game Pro, and some other magazines. If you'd like to spend an hour or so in nostalgia land, I suggest these videos from one of my favorite retro gaming you tube channels.

 

[Bullet Club]

I always liked Retro Gamer as it would always have articles about the behind the scenes. We do get a lot of documentaries nowadays through YT but a lot of it isnt covered as well as these magazines do. Maybe because its easier to get a response through an email interview than a live one.

Back in the day, I had subscriptions to Nintendo Power, EGM, PC Gamer, Official PlayStation Magazine, and Next Generation. I also had several store-bought copies of Game Pro, and some other magazines. If you'd like to spend an hour or so in nostalgia land, I suggest these videos from one of my favorite retro gaming you tube channels.

It's funny you guys should mention YT gaming videos, because my next thread is going to be about stuff like Game Sack, Game Chasers, Kim Justice etc., a general thread for posting interesting gaming videos & docos.

I know some of them had their own threads here in the past but thoise haven't been posted in for awhile.

 

[LegendOfKage]

It's funny you guys should mention YT gaming videos, because my next thread is going to be about stuff like Game Sack, Game Chasers, Kim Justice etc., a general thread for posting interesting gaming videos & docos.

I know some of them had their own threads here in the past but those haven't been posted in for awhile.

And it's funny you mention that, because I posted a thread the other day about the other type of you tuber gaming content, asking for all time favorite let's plays. I think it was around the time of all the Game Awards news, so it just fell off the page before getting much attention. If you have a favorite let's play, feel free to bump it.

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/what...m-a-you-tuber-that-you-enjoy-and-why.1469171/

 

[dorkimoe]

I miss going to the grocery store and getting an old magazine with a demo disc

 

[Bullet Club]

One thing I plan on doing in this thread is spotlights on different mags. Info about them, print run, a few scans etc.

Also I still own most of my old 90s mags. They are out in the garage in a very well read condition. Most are in big boxes but I do have some EGMs out.

And it's funny you mention that, because I posted a thread the other day about the other type of you tuber gaming content, asking for all time favorite let's plays. I think it was around the time of all the Game Awards news, so it just fell off the page before getting much attention. If you have a favorite let's play, feel free to bump it.

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/what...m-a-you-tuber-that-you-enjoy-and-why.1469171/

Cool. I'll bump that later.

 

[brap]

I miss em so bad brehs...
PSM always had the best covers
I remember OPM had features like every retro consoles, every x-men game, etc and that's how I found out about a lot of old shit.

 

[Kazza]

Gaming magazines were fantastic! My local newsagents didn't have so many magazines, so to buy one usually involved taking a bus to the high street and paying a visit to WH Smiths (a magazine/stationary retailer in the UK). You never knew exactly when the latest editions would be out, so there was always a rush of excitement as you eagerly approached the magazine shelves. You couldn't afford to buy all the ones you wanted of course, so there would always be a small crowd of people in the shop reading them for free.

That was one of the things I miss. The fact that you had a 4 week news blackout every month, followed by a day when your favourite mag would finally come out and you could devour a whole month's worth of news and reviews. That feast/famine cycle was really something else! I sometimes toy with the idea of emulating that feeling today by only logging onto youtube/gaming forums for the first weekend of every month, but I don't think I have the discipline to resist checking on the news throughout the rest of the month

 

[Kazza]

I really loved those special editions which came with VHS tapes. In the days before youtube, it was the only way you could see what the games actually ran like. Apart from that, you only had the words of the reviewers and a few blurry pictures to judge a game from.


I'm pretty sure these are the videos of the two:





Man, I dread to think how many times I watched both of those! Over and over and over again.

 

[Kazza]

Nintendo Power was everything when I was a kid. I didn't have internet. Other than the Arcades, I had no inside into video games except for these magazines until I was a teenager.

Classic Gaming Quarterly did a nice video leafing through that issue. I usually find those kind of youtube magazine episodes boring, but watching CGQ do them is always a relaxing and enjoyable time.

 

[Kazza]

Although I loved Mean Machines Sega, I think it was a shame that they moved away from the multi-platform format (i.e. just Mean Machines, covering both Nintendo, Sega and others all in one magazine)

DF Retro did a nice interview with their very own Rich Leadbetter, who worked at Mean Machines back in the day:

 

[Kazza]

Speaking of Richard Leadbetter, my favourite ever magazine was the one he later edited, The Official Sega Saturn magazine. Despite being the official one, they did a great job staying objective. It was a lonely experience being a UK Saturn owner back then, but they proved a great companion. The magazine itself had a super glossy cover and used good quality paper. Being Sega's official magazine, they also got lots of demos from Sega, including part one of Panzer Dragoon Saga. Without their recommendation, I would probably have never purchased Exhumed (which ended up being one of my favourite games on the system).

 

[Bullet Club]

I really loved those special editions which came with VHS tapes. In the days before youtube, it was the only way you could see what the games actually ran like. Apart from that, you only had the words of the reviewers and a few blurry pictures to judge a game from.


I'm pretty sure these are the videos of the two:





Man, I dread to think how many times I watched both of those! Over and over and over again.

I've still got the second one of those tapes. The Mega CD one.

I also have a Street Fighter 2 one which might have been from Mean Machines or CVG. Jaz Rignall is on it.

 

[El_Belmondo]

Oh man, i just nostialgia'd hard. I miss so much going to the store and getting the last issue of Mega64 (And the ocassional magazine with an interesting cover)

It was a ritual of my teen years that i sorely miss.

 

[Bullet Club]

Rich Leadbetter, who worked at Mean Machines back in the day

 

[Orta]

Speaking of Richard Leadbetter, my favourite ever magazine was the one he later edited, The Official Sega Saturn magazine. Despite being the official one, they did a great job staying objective. It was a lonely experience being a UK Saturn owner back then, but they proved a great companion. The magazine itself had a super glossy cover and used good quality paper. Being Sega's official magazine, they also got lots of demos from Sega, including part one of Panzer Dragoon Saga. Without their recommendation, I would probably have never purchased Exhumed (which ended up being one of my favourite games on the system).

I wish they had gotten the official license to produce a Dreamcast mag. The one we ended up getting was pretty sterile.

DC-UK was, at least initially the best DC mag around. Nothing will top SSM though, as you said, they had our backs when the Playstation knobheads were taking the piss from their pages every month.

 

[Fuz]

Zzap! <3

 

[SirTerry-T]

C&VG was a pretty special Mag, especially during its early to mid-80's run when it was still covering the 8 bit machines, all these amazing looking arcade machines and had the type in programmes. Fantastic games magazine.
Lucky for us. the internet agrees...
C&VG PDF archive

 

[SirTerry-T]

C&VG was a pretty special Mag, especially during its early to mid-80's run when it was still covering the 8 bit machines, all these amazing looking arcade machines and had the type in programmes. Fantastic games magazine.
Lucky for us. the internet agrees...
C&VG PDF archive

Doh! For some daft reason my mobile didn't copy the correct link and anyone clicking that will get a random tune from Gintama for their troubles.

This one works!

Computer and Video Games archives

 

[Dazrael]

I could never get into Mean Machines Sega, it was all about the original Mean Machines for me. I still look back fondly on their Street Fighter II review, those RGB screenshots were amazing.

 

[LegendOfKage]

What great timing for The Happy Console Gamer to release this video:



Man, this really brings back the feeling of reading about new video game tech, and fantasizing about the games those consoles would be able to play. I remember seeing screen shots from Neo Geo games, and knowing I'd never want to spend that much money on a console, but at the same time wanting to read all about them.

 

[Breakage]

Those mid '90s to early 2000s minimalist EDGE covers were so good.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Love reading old 80s and 90s mags (console, PC and mixed).

Looking back, the content compared to internet coverage is laughable tiny, but that's all you had at the time. Rumours, upcoming games, import games, and reviews where editors actually gave scores like 3/10 or 20%/100%.

And the back of the mag with those mail in stores which might be your only recourse to buy games. In Canada, our selection wasn't as good so my bros and I would chip in and do some mail order games from the US and back then it took around 6 weeks to get the package!

I remember some 80s mags giving games D+ and F- kind of scores.

 

[Grinchy]

I had a subscription to Game Players Magazine when I was a kid:

I loved this magazine. I think I ended up getting it back when those book fairs would come to your elementary school and I saw that I could get a videogame magazine every month as an option. I used to have a stack of like 2 years worth of these somewhere but I must have thrown them out. It was fun going back through them years later.

 

[RAIDEN1]

For me Amiga Power was THE go to magazine probably the first computer based magazine I ever brought and I would regularly buy the issues (as an Amiga owner) subsequently I would eventually buy GamesMaster magazine which is surprisingly still publishing to this day, and Edge in the nineties, I only recently brought a copy of Edge magazine again in years (The Edge Annual) as it had some great features in it, which I still haven't got around to reading yet..

 

[HeresJohnny]

I remember reading Electronic Games every time I'd go with my mom to the grocery store. Loved that rag, man.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

We had some these mags. Googling it, I didn't know it was an obscure magazine. We had 3-4 of these, and I'm pretty sure these were the mags that would give games an F if it really stunk.

 

[Mr Hyde]

In Sweden, the biggest gaming magazine in the 90s and early 2000 was named Super Play. It looked like this.

I subscribed (as I think every other gaming interested Swedish teen did) and I loved getting that mag in the mailbox every month. It was news, reviews, previews, demos and all sorts of good stuff, long before Internet came and ruined everything. It was run by a couple of industry vets, the editor in chief is probably the most famous gamer in Sweden. When Super Play faced a reconstruction and was threatened to close in mid 2000 the guys and gals behind it decided to bail and form their own independent magazine which was called Reset. It later changed name to Level. And then it looked like this.

It was also very good, with some serious talent behind the articles. The writers often found interesting angles on their topics when they covered certain games. It wasn´t as lighthearted as Super Play though, it was more serious in tone, since the staff wanted to establish video games as serious business, abandoning the more "geeky" aspect of it.

Nevertheless, it was very good and reeked of quality. However, I stopped subscribing after a couple of years, I don´t really know why, but I kinda got tired of the writers, and the Internet made searching for news more accessible. It was also more fun to interact with other gamers on forum and such. I don´t know how things are going for the Level-staff, I think the magazine is about to close, last time I checked they only gave out at a couple of numbers per year. The editor in chief and a couple of his buddies are actually doing a game now instead which he funded through Kickstarter. Maybe game developing is the next step, I don´t know.

 

[LegendOfKage]

I had a subscription to Game Players Magazine when I was a kid:

I loved this magazine. I think I ended up getting it back when those book fairs would come to your elementary school and I saw that I could get a videogame magazine every month as an option. I used to have a stack of like 2 years worth of these somewhere but I must have thrown them out. It was fun going back through them years later.

I want to meet the editor who looked at Cammy's face on that magazine and said "yeah, that looks fine."

 

[Grinchy]

I want to meet the editor who looked at Cammy's face on that magazine and said "yeah, that looks fine."

lol yeah one of the things that make it fun to look back through these things is how insane the art can be. That face looks like Jesse Spano after a night of caffeine pills.

 

[Dr. Claus]

Curious, what would you say is a fantastic, non political Gaming Magazine that is currently ongoing?

 

[Bullet Club]

Retro Magazine Spotlight #1

Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM)

First Issue: March 31, 1989

The magazine was founded in 1988 as U.S. National Video Game Team's Electronic Gaming Monthly under Sendai Publications. In 1994, EGM spun off EGM², which focused on expanded cheats and tricks (i.e., with maps and guides). It eventually became Expert Gamer and finally the defunct GameNOW. After 83 issues (up to June 1996), EGM switched from Sendai Publishing to Ziff Davis publisher. Until January 2009, EGM only covered gaming on console hardware and software.

In 2002, the magazine's subscription increased by more than 25 percent.

The magazine was discontinued by Ziff Davis in January 2009, following the sale of 1UP.com to UGO Networks. The magazine's February 2009 issue was already completed, but was not published.

In May 2009, EGM founder Steve Harris purchased the magazine and its assets from Ziff Davis. The magazine was relaunched in April 2010 by Harris' new company EGM Media, LLC, widening its coverage to the PC and mobile gaming markets.

Notable contributors to Electronic Gaming Monthly have included Martin Alessi, Ken Williams (as Sushi-X), "Trickman" Terry Minnich, Andrew "Cyber-Boy" Baran, Danyon Carpenter, Marc Camron (later Director of Operations), Mark "Candyman" LeFebvre, Todd Rogers, Mike Weigand a.k.a. Major Mike (now Managing Editor at GamePro Magazine), Al Manuel, Howard Grossman, Arcade Editor Mark "Mo" Hain, Mike "Virus" Vallas, Jason Streetz, Ken Badziak, Scott Augustyn, Chris Johnston, Che Chou, Dave Ruchala, Crispin Boyer, Greg Sewart, Jeanne Trais, Jennifer Tsao, artist Jeremy Norm Scott, Shawn "Shawnimal" Smith, West Coast Editor Kelly Rickards, Kraig Kujawa, Dean Hager, Jeremy Parish, and Mark Macdonald (who later went on to become director of Gamevideos.com before leaving Ziff-Davis). Writers who also served stints as editor-in chief include Ed Semrad, Joe Funk, John Davison, James Mielke, artist Jeremy "Norm" Scott, and Seanbaby. In addition, writers of EGM's various sister publications – including GameNow, Computer Gaming World/Games for Windows: The Official Magazine, Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine – would regularly contribute to EGM, and vice versa.

The magazine is known for making April Fools jokes. Its April 1992 issue was the source of the Sheng Long hoax in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior.

 

[Kazza]

From the 2nd page:

instead of competing directly with Sega, Nintendo now hopes to battle out the next generation of gaming on their own terms

It's funny that even back then Nintendo was already setting themselves apart from the competition and claiming not to be in direct competition.

I like those 4 person reviews. I don't understand why the bigger gaming websites don't use their larger number of staff to their advantage and do this as well.

 

[ROMhack]

Whoever was writing those magazines was having a LOT of fun. I love the idea of having multiple reviews from different people - even snippets.

Good OP.

 

[Bullet Club]

Retro Magazine Spotlight #2

Nintendo Power

Nintendo Power was founded by Nintendo of America marketing manager Gail Tilden in 1988. Predating Nintendo Power is the several-page long Nintendo Fun Club News, which was sent to club members for free. However, in mid-1988 Nintendo Fun Club News was discontinued after seven issues in favor of Nintendo Power. The first issue, dated July/August 1988, spotlighted the NES game Super Mario Bros. 2. Of this issue, 3.6 million copies were published, with every member of the Nintendo Fun Club receiving a free one.

From the beginning, Nintendo Power focused heavily on providing game strategy, tips and tricks, reviews, and previews of upcoming games. In mid-1998, Nintendo Power first allowed outside advertising in the magazine, formerly reserved for Nintendo-based products only. In its early years, ads only appeared in the first and last few pages of the magazine, leaving no ads to break up the magazine's editorial content.

As of July 2005, Nintendo Power had a new design to appeal to a limited gaming audience, including a new logo and article format. Along with the cosmetic overhaul came a greater focus on Nintendo fans, staff reviews, rumor-milling, and fan service including an expanded and enhanced reader mail segment (known as "Pulse") and a revamped "Community" section. Nintendo introduced a new incentive promotional offer that involved the registration of three Nintendo (or Nintendo affiliated) products through Nintendo.com to receive a free three issue trial subscription to Nintendo Power. Later, the magazine changed its focus from game strategies and cheat codes to mainly news, previews, and articles on upcoming games.

On August 21, 2012, Nintendo announced that it would not be renewing its licensing agreement with Future Publishing, and that Nintendo Power would cease publication in December. The final issue, volume 285, was released on December 11, 2012. Nintendo Power officially returned on December 20, 2017, as a podcast.

 

[Bullet Club]

 

[MightySquirrel]

Brings back memories, this thread.

 

[Cattlyst]

Amstrad Action was the magazine that got me into games magazines and wanting to write for magazines/newspapers. It took a while but I eventually did, and I owe it all to Amstrad Action!

 

[Tarin02543]

Here in Belgium I read a magazine from the Netherlands called Power Unlimited.

I remember seeing the first screenshot from SM64 in it, I went wild. I must have read that article a 100 times, I was so excited.

 

[iconmaster]

Nintendo Power was everything when I was a kid.

I still have all of my issues of Nintendo Power.

 

[Thanati]

Man, these take me back! I used to get Crash and Sinclair user for the 8bit days, then Amiga Format (After it split from ST Amiga Format). Such a good time sitting down and just reading cover to cover.

Thanks OP for creating this thread!

 

[TheSadRanger]

I don't know if I still have it anymore but back when FFX was released EGM got Yoshitaka Amano to do a cover of the magazine with his take on Tidus and Yuna. Arguably one of the best covers EGM ever had.

 

[MC Safety]

Does anyone have a complete run of Xbox Nations they'd be willing to part with for an insanely high price?

Let me know.

P.S.: Sushi X was used as a byline by multiple writers.

 

[CrustyBritches]

I subbed to EGM as a kid in the 90s it was pretty fucking badass. I felt like I fit in with the writers and game culture back then. I feel like journos now hate games culture and people like me.