"Do Any Of You Buy Video Game Mags?" or ""Printed Media Dying Out?"

[Seil]

So a few days ago, I bought a copy of EGM - the November version, what with a cover pic giving space to Dead Space 2, but let's not hold the fact that they pay attention to Dead Space against them. Any video game magazine that recommends Dostoyevsky books is alright with me.

Now, at work, me boss has a rack set up near the till for magazines like "Us," or "Star" or whatever. I read them, and they're... well, they're pretty much what you think they are. Half the magazines contradict what the others say, they've got little bits where they rag on someone because of how they dress - in whatever setting, the person could be doing a weird TV show thing or promoting something and having to wear a costume, and they'll still rag on them. That wouldn't bother me so much, save for the fact that once you're rag on the appearance of Victoria Secret models, (http://www.adrants.com/images/ariana_lima_victorias_secret_2m.jpg) you're doing something wrong. They're all full of people you've never heard of doing things you don't care about, and siding with people in issues that are really none of their business.

Video game magazines, however, have none of this. Sure, EGM had a couple of bits dedicated to their new, shiny (Personal note: I hate you, Shiney. You've got me putting typos in everything because... You know what? Screw it. I'm spelling your name wrong forever now.) ...New, shiny iPad... e-mag... things.

But what is there is pretty cool - they've got a "Letters" section, they've got articles on indie developers - a few articles I like include "Medal Of Dishonour," where they talk about people protesting that Medal Of Honour games will let you play as the Taliban, while soldiers are supporting the game. They've got an article called "First Person Stupid," where they discuss the psychology of creating a playable character, a line being

"In a few seconds, Levine described one of the innate problems with video game story telling. In creating a character that would believably commit the crimes of aggression you'll act out in a game, there's little choice but to imagine a louse, an empty vessel, or a moral idiot. And it's these hollow-eyed murderers that we need to deflect blame from our own guilty consciousness and the secret delight we take in behaving badly."

They have articles about a reviewer allowed to work with developers, to show how "easy" it is to make a game, they've got one praising the Scott Pilgrim movie for the gamer-nerd moments that allows non-gamer nerds to smile, bridging the gap atwixt the two. They've got an interview with Ted Price and Ken Levine.

So in short, they've got pretty much all the stuff you could find on the internet any time you're online. Or, if you're so inclined, their virtual magazine. So why even buy the magazine? Well, aside from all the great stuff I mentioned being in one spot, it doesn't even need electricity to run! No batteries included!

...Yeah, I got nothing. Here I was slandering several magazines in my first few paragraphs, and praising another, so I guess it all boils down to personal choice. You can buy a magazine if you want to, choose to spend money on Nintendo Power, Playstation Monthly, EGM, PCGame, or you can chose to spend it on Hello! Today. ...Hell, there's even magazines aimed at knitters. There's a big demographic. But I want to know - do you guys go for magazines or welcome the digital era and grab an iPad? Either/or, what will you be reading? Would you pick up - or if you already do, do you appreciate the content in magazines? (Gaming mags in particular?)

[Azisien]

If I may try to be brief: fuck physical media.

[DFM]

I think the only physical media that isn't going to die out are books.

[Token]

For a second I misread that as "boobs," and entirely agreed. I have issues.

[McTahr]

I think the only physical media that isn't going to die out are books.

Barnes and Noble wouldn't have you believe this.

Motherfuckers are pushing the Nook like it's nobody's business because once they get that first push to sell you the thing out of the way, it's all sweet, sweet profit. Paper costs, publishers, store rent, employee pay, all of it's done up and gone.

And you know what? As a Barnes and Noble employee? I'm okay with it. Because for reading, the Nook is pretty much awesome. I can pick up things for half the price of printed media, even assuming my employee discount, saving myself the drive time or forced public interaction. (Not that it's a bad thing, but some people are against other people in general. Kurt Vonnegut put it best, we're just here to fart around.) And I can do this at 4am in my underwear.

Last time I went to a store in my underwear at 4am I...well, that's another story.

That said, you guys shouldn't buy them so that I still have a job. Yeah. Go go printed media. Eat that shit up?

[Magus]

Well, I get my books used from Better World Books (http://www.betterworldbooks.com/) because as long as the book is about at least a year old you can usually find a hardcover copy of it in pretty nice condition (as long as you only get ones that are listed as "very good" condition and are non-library because libraries tend to stick nine-hundred stickers on them, but that's not too big of a problem if you're really looking for a rare book) for only 3.98 with free shipping.

So...I guess I am actually helping to ruin the print media industry every time I read a book.

Not that it hasn't had it coming for a long time. They hiked the price of paperbacks again this holiday season. Now they are ten fucking dollars. And hardcover prices have been astronomical for a long time.

As for gaming mags, I don't really see the need for them what with the existence of the internet. And as for those stupid tabloids you were talking about (what's up with you even bothering to flip through them, let alone read them, Seil, it takes some big balls to admit that, lemme tell you), the sooner those companies go out of businesses or strictly electronic the better.

I mean, printing publishers are doing everything they can to shoot themselves in the foot. They overprice paperbacks (I know they have to cost way less to make than they are charging because you can buy like, one dollar crime novels at the dollar store and the average one has like 300 pages, and somehow Hard Case Crime is making a profit so...), they put out crap that you aren't willing to buy, they push the paperback copy of books back a year in a pointless attempt to get you to pay 30 dollars for a hardcover book, etc.

Besides which instead of buying the latest fantasy or science fiction anthology you can get the same sort of thing every week on Strange Horizons, Apex and Abyss, or Beneath Ceaseless Skies for free on the internet, or buy the ebook at a massively reduced price. I'm sure there are sites for crime stories or romance stories or whatever kind of story you wanna read, many peer reviewed and so on (all the sites I listed are paying online ezines that peer review the stories and have a strong editing team). I'm not a big fan of ebooks, I like the physical copy, but if I just HAD to have a book day one instead of a year or two later, I'd get the ebook because it's easily 50% cheaper if not more.

[Donomni]

The only tabloids worth reading are the absolutely insane ones, like Weekly World News(I think that was the one with Batboy?).

Regarding gaming mags, the only subscription I have had recently was Game Informer, and even that was just because I got the Gamestop discount card, and that was based entirely if I thought I'd buy a lot of games used.

[Aerozord]

wait wait wait wait wait


A few days ago you bought an EGM? The stopped printing those years ago, you mean they started it back up?

[Magus]

Yeah, according to Wikipedia it's being relaunched. They also have an online version.

EGM used to be so popular they had a sister magazine called...EGM2. Talk about creative naming!

The only part of EGM I liked was the comic strip with Dan and Shoe. Plus wasn't Seanbaby doing "The Rest of the Crap" in the back? That was a great section. Actually I'd like to ask Seil: does it have Seanbaby or do they mention hiring him again? Surely he could handle doing his Cracked column and EGM.

[Marc v4.0]

So a few days ago, I bought a copy of EGM - the November version, what with a cover pic giving space to Dead Space 2, but let's not hold the fact that they pay attention to Dead Space against them.

what

No, really, I didn't read the rest of this post yet. Explain This.

(Game magazines are still my prefered method of getting game information cause I like having a physical copy of things around)

[Kim]

Seil doesn't like Dead Space because he's a terrible person. Or he's a terrible person because he doesn't like Dead Space. Chicken/Egg

[Yrcrazypa]

I used to buy PC Gamer a lot, but then I started noticing that the reviewers had completely different tastes than me. What with giving the PC version of Modern Warfare 2 a ludicrously high score, despite being a shoddy port of an overrated game. Not to mention it being too expensive, I'd rather just get my reviews online, at least then I can find reviewers I trust.

[DFM]

what

No, really, I didn't read the rest of this post yet. Explain This.

Dead Space was awful, Dead Space 2 will likely be awful. There you go.



Also I used subscribe to PCGamer but the magazine seemed to go gradually downhill in terms of review quality (Hellgate London got like an 88% WTF) on top of being a good month or two behind the internet with any of their stories.

Don't blame them though PC is a dead platform hurfa durf.

[Seil]

what

No, really, I didn't read the rest of this post yet. Explain This.

(Game magazines are still my prefered method of getting game information cause I like having a physical copy of things around)

DFM got it. Dead Space was pretty terrible.

Anyway, yes EGM is still around - Seanbaby's bit in the back was about killoing his virtual babies. I don't usually agree with everything that's in them, but I like to read something at work that's less about celebrities and more about, well... video games and video game celebrities.

[Aerozord]

well if EGM is what it used to be I will pick it up without a second thought. Wonder if they got Hsu n Chan back too.

[edit] oh and I like magazines because it gives me information in digestable chunks. Internet has alot of information, but thats exactly the problem. To find out about a game, you first need to know it exists. But the review sites primarily focus on the big games. While information on other ones is there, its alot easier leafing through a few pages to skim whats coming out that month then sifting through a series of links which normally only tell you the games name.

[synkr0nized]

Since this has been in my head for the past few days, I'll just post it.

Seil, with your "first thing" or "second thing" thread titles, I am beginning to wonder if you wrote for Rocky and Bullwinkle. However you are lacking puns.

[Viridis]

Hm. Is Game Informer still good?

[DFM]

I think my favorite part of Rocky and Bullwinkle was one episode where they're surrounded by the army/a bunch of landmines and the announcer cuts off for his usual "Tune in next time" bit and says "Will our heroes escape Boris' fiendish double cross?" and then there's a heartbeat pause as a tank blows up the house and he goes "No!"

Then the show went on for a few more minutes before doing the actual "Tune in next time" bit and I don't know I wanted to share that because I thought it was really funny when I watched it thanks everyone.

[Nique]

Seanbaby is back in the latest EGM doing 'The Rest of the Crap', so it's still a'ight. No more comic though (Hsu and Chan IIRC?)

[Marc v4.0]

DFM got it. Dead Space was pretty terrible.

Uh huh, I'm calling bull on both of you.

[DFM]

Uh, alrighty?

[Seil]

Sure thing, champ.

[Doc ock rokc]

Marc, I understand what you mean Dead space was kinda good, well thought out and is getting a sequel so It had to sell. But it wasn't in many ways a great game like bioshock (1) (personally I don't like the zombies but in space deal and thought the monsters where too "jump out into the middle of the screen and go boo before attacking" and its controls a tad on the clunky side). however that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it (I loved the No hud concept and the Zero grav spots)

It was shooting for Silent hill and hit somewhere near L4D.

[Kim]

Actually it was shooting for Event Horizon: The Video Game and hit the mark pretty aces. I mean, I'm not going to argue that it's the bestest best horror game in all of bestness, but it controls well, has cool weapons, is very immersive, and is ultimately a very good action-horror experience, vastly superior to Resident Evil 4 or RE5, both of which have somewhat similar gameplay mechanics and fall into what I'd consider the same horror sub-genre.

[DFM]

I like the hud stuff and the mechanics seemed fine, but I'd rather play RE4 or 5.

[bluestarultor]

Gaming mags are nice because they tell you about stuff you wouldn't otherwise hear about. Apparently nobody reads them anymore because Nier slipped under the radar despite having been featured in Game Informer. As in a big article.

I can't say I've ever read anything but GI, so I really don't know what the market's like, though. When it comes to reviews, I go online, since it's easier to aggregate data and form my own opinion.

[Kim]

I like the hud stuff and the mechanics seemed fine, but I'd rather play RE4 or 5.

I'm generally partial to sci-fi horror over regular horror, so that probably plays a role in my preferences.

[DFM]

Yeah I think it's setting more than anything for me. Dead Space got a balls superior movement system I'll give you that.

[Marc v4.0]

Actually it was shooting for Event Horizon: The Video Game and hit the mark pretty aces. I mean, I'm not going to argue that it's the bestest best horror game in all of bestness, but it controls well, has cool weapons, is very immersive, and is ultimately a very good action-horror experience, vastly superior to Resident Evil 4 or RE5, both of which have somewhat similar gameplay mechanics and fall into what I'd consider the same horror sub-genre.

This was the basis for my reaction to "Dead Space was Awful". It wasn't. It just wasn't an awful game, even if it wasn't the best of it's genre or the best thing ever. Bad controls, shitty premise and poor execution make a game awful.

I can see it not being your cup of tea if you're not really into the genre, but that doesn't make it an awful game.

Also, RE5 seemed so far out of the Horror genre and way too in to Action, but that's a different conversation

[greed]

The big issue with game mags is, why pay $4 for something you can get better for free and legally on the internet? Following a robust games forum or news site gets you all the news on games faster than a magazine will, and there's no shortage of reviewers online both professional and really just paying attention to word of mouth is pretty effective.

Marc, I understand what you mean Dead space was kinda good, well thought out and is getting a sequel so It had to sell. But it wasn't in many ways a great game like bioshock (1) (personally I don't like the zombies but in space deal and thought the monsters where too "jump out into the middle of the screen and go boo before attacking" and its controls a tad on the clunky side). however that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it (I loved the No hud concept and the Zero grav spots)

It was shooting for Silent hill and hit somewhere near L4D.

Wait what? Bioshock great? What are you smoking Doc Ock. Not arguing that Dead Space was great (I liked it, more than RE5 but less than RE4 whihc I do think is great), but Bioshock was definitely pretty mediocre.

[Kim]

Bioshock had a great world, a fantastic twist that was also very immersive in its execution, and decent gameplay. The main thing it suffers from is many aspects of it being "System Shock 2 only not half as good."

[Marc v4.0]

Which really isn't much of a factor if you never played System Shock 2 until AFTER you had played Bioshock.

Same thing can almost work for Fallout 3, too

[greed]

Actually barely played System Shock. I just think Bioshock's a clunky dumbed down FPS with shitty boring enemies and half assed RPG elements crudely shoved in.

Good setting and story though admittedly, but not enough to save it in my opinion.

[DFM]

This was the basis for my reaction to "Dead Space was Awful". It wasn't. It just wasn't an awful game, even if it wasn't the best of it's genre or the best thing ever. Bad controls, shitty premise and poor execution make a game awful.

I can see it not being your cup of tea if you're not really into the genre, but that doesn't make it an awful game.

Also, RE5 seemed so far out of the Horror genre and way too in to Action, but that's a different conversation

Oh you're with the hyperbole police I see.


Actually barely played System Shock. I just think Bioshock's a clunky dumbed down FPS with shitty boring enemies and half assed RPG elements crudely shoved in.

Good setting and story though admittedly, but not enough to save it in my opinion.

Most of my ire at Bioshock comes from, like NonCon said, expecting System Shock 2 and getting something not remotely as good and only vaguely similar. Taking out things I expected and didn't get, main problems with Bioshock are:

1. Boring enemies, minus the big daddies. The big daddy fights weren't quite what was promised but considering how they talked about a whole "AI Ecology" of Splicers, Big Daddies and others all living out their violent lives in Rapture, the fights we got aren't bad.

2. Morality system was, without hyperbole, awful. Literally kill a little girl or save her. Save her and you'll get an even bigger reward only slightly later, in a game where you're never hard pressed for Adam anyway. There's no reason to ever make their horrible choice because it doesn't even affect the end of the game, just which video plays when you're done.

3. Speaking of that, the ending. Oh my god everything after Ryan was so terrible I don't even know. The writing was bad, the gameplay was bad, there was SO MUCH wasted potential with the big daddy stuff and being locked out of the vita chambers and I don't even know. It was only a step above KotoR II's ending and it only got that because it was technically an ending.

The twist was pretty good and the scene in Ryan's office, I think it was definitely in the top ten "Amazing/Powerful PC Gaming scenes".

[Marc v4.0]

Oh you're with the hyperbole police I see.

Dammit, they sent me a badge and a gun for a reason!

[Archbio]

Dammit, they sent me a badge and a gun for a reason!

Aren't the hyperbole police's standard issue gun and badge actually a print-out of a rude cartoon and a nametag sticker?

[Magus]

Calling them the hyperbole police is pushing it a bit, too, they are really nothing more than overstatement deputies at the end of the day.

(I mean they're still in their probationary period it's kind of pathetic really)

[Seil]

I prefer the Vegan Police (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7qDBCDMSo8) myself.