OurColony.net

A very high quality magazine

Customer Rating:
I've been reading Electronic Gaming Monthly for several years, and it is truly one of the best gaming mags out there. The writing is phenomenal; the writer's manage to put humor and detailed information into their articles.

Many other magazines have sold out in recent years, giving better reviews to game's whose publishers pay more for advertising and such, but not EGM.

If you want a high quality magazine about video gaming and all of its attachments, buy this one.

How the mighty have fallen

Customer Rating:
Back in the late 80s/early 90s, this mag used to rock, and I would read it religiously. I kind of lost interest in it once I got internet access in the mid-90s. However, they were recently doing some sort of promotion where they would send you like 12 issues for free, so I said what the heck. Once the issues started rolling in, I quickly realized that even for the price of free, this mag is hardly worth the paper it's printed on. The issues are like 1/4 the size that they used to be back in the magazine's glory days. And with the advent of the internet, it is a wonder how printed magazines like this stay afloat. By the time a new issue is released with a big preview, most of the info has been on the web for several weeks and is already old news. Plus, there are a million different sites/podcasts where you can read reviews, plus see videos of gameplay footage - something that magazines like this just can't/won't offer. Oh well.. I guess some people still need something to read while on the crapper. As for me, I wish there was a way I could stop this mag from showing up in my mailbox. Even for a price tag of nothing, it is a waste of my time.

Pictures are better than words

Customer Rating:
I bought the magazine and it comes in time.The problem is that it has no heart.Previews are way to long and It gets hard to read it.It has great info but its all big.The reviews are sometimes off since one person gives a C and another gives a A.I am tired and bored of there magazine and skipped to read one.Its goog info but to long.Better of looking in the Internet than getting unreadable stuff.

Eh. I don't see why this sells so much.

Customer Rating:
I had a subscription to EGM about a year ago and cancelled it before the year was up. This magazine seems to consist of a slew of angry, frustrated middle-aged men who have become bitter about gaming in general. They constantly give low scores and answer fan-mail very satirically. What better way to get over with people than insult your very demographic? Don't get me wrong now. I have a sense of humor and find insults to geek funny when done right and in somewhat good taste. EGM writers don't care and just say whatever they want without thinking if it'll be offensive or funny.

The layout and length of the magazine is also an issue. The layout is bland with small pictures, extreme close ups with text plastered over it, and an overall boring design. The issue is over before you know it. Like most average readers, i'll only read the top stories, some features and the reviews that interest me. So an average skim through the first time may take about 30 min. After that I may go back to read a couple stories or reviews, but thats usually it. I've skimmed through some other magazines for an hour the first time. EGM just isn't lengthy or interesting enough.

To be fair EGM does get some exclusive coverage like Street Fighter 4 and so forth. There are some stand out things like the infamous interview with Peter Moore. Personally, I thought it was just Hsu being a jerk and trying to get some attention which he achieved. Some editorials are decent even though they are nothing more than bitter gamers complaining about petty things most gamers wouldn't care about.

So to end this, I have to say that I never laughed at the satirical humor, didn't agree with some of the reviews, was never wowed by the exclusive coverage and thought the overall design of the magazine was bland. I haven't subscribed to another mag since and have stuck to online news. I had GI for a few years which in my opinion was much better. More exclusive coverage, full page in-game pictures, fair reviews, fun features and respect to the reader. I don't know how the mag is now, but if it remains the same, then i'd recommend GI instead.

Insults its own audience

Customer Rating:
I bought a few issues of EGM off the shelf, but I won't buy any more. The writers frequently insult gamers (their own customers!) and make rude jokes based on old stereotypes. Jokes that are aimed at 15 year-olds. Reading this magazine I get the feeling that the writers either hate their jobs, hate their audience, or hate themselves. Possibly all three. It's not pleasant to read, and it's not worth your attention.

If you can afford it, I recommend you read either Edge or games(TM) magazine. Both are printed in England, so they are pricier than American magazines. But both are much more intelligently written and have longer, more in-depth articles.

If their price is more than you want to spend on a magazine, you could also try GameInformer. GameInformer is a bit thinner but still provides good interviews and decent reviews, with a lot of smaller capsule reviews. I appreciate that they print two opinions on every review, since obviously everyone has different tastes.

Either way, Edge, games(TM), and GameInformer are magazines that respect their audience. EGM does not.