DS Daily: Gaming zines

by Candace Savino { Jul 26th 2008 at 10:30AM }

Obviously all you computer savvy folks like to check out gaming blogs and sites to get your fill of gaming news (you're reading this right now, after all), but do you subscribe to magazines as well? If so, which ones (Nintendo Power, perhaps)?

More importantly, how do you feel about game magazines? Do you think print journalism still has a place in the video game industry? (Note: We do.)

Tags: magazine, magazines

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Zack @ Jul 26th 2008 10:58AM

I read Play magazine. It's great! It covers video games, anime, and tech, my three favorites. I also love the layout of it, especially when there's concept art shown for each game covered.

I definitely believe there's a future, since it doesn't really seem that digital magazines aren't that popular just yet. Perhaps in the future, when you subscribe to a magazine, you'll get an eBook edition of each issue as well. Then the transition may be easier.

Demotruk @ Jul 26th 2008 11:00AM

Once upon a time, but not any more. The internet just seems to get the information much faster(who'da thunkit?)

Lord Bowser @ Jul 26th 2008 11:01AM

Dear god, Nights sucked.

Taedirk @ Jul 26th 2008 11:03AM

I've got a "free" subscription to Game Informer through GameStop (most of the games I buy are used) and I've just started to throw them out after the past two months. Half of it is outdated information that I've already read online through sites like Joystiq and Kotaku or seen full discussions on aggregate sites. The rest of it is out-of-the-park awful. You see Chocobo's Dungeon given a 5.5 and FF4ds rated the same as the ripoff that's Rock Band Wii. Everything's stuck between too many ads and cluttered layouts with the sole exception of the main article.

tl;dr: Online sites do it harder, better, faster, stronger; monthly gaming zines are on the way to anachronisms faster than newspapers and 3.5" floppy drives.

Kimiko @ Jul 26th 2008 11:29AM

Ah yes, forgot about that. Adblock doesn't work offline.

Kimiko @ Jul 26th 2008 11:27AM

No, I don't read paper mags. They're too slow in writing about the latest exciting things. And you can't comment directly.
Also, to be viable, a paper mag has to cover a wide range. I'm not interested in Wii, PS3, PSP, Xbox, PC, etc. news, so 90% would be useless to me anyway.

aj @ Jul 26th 2008 3:07PM

You can comment directly, actually, just send a letter to the editor. The only difference is that magazines select a handful of letters to print that reflect what everyone was saying, where websites just print anything that anyone says, even if it is just nonsense, or something about how to make BIG MONEY AT HOME, PLEASURE YOUR LOVER, GET FREE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.

Arjan @ Jul 26th 2008 11:48AM

Most definitly, I subscribed to the Dutch Nintendo Mag: NGamer, sometimes I import foreign mags like EDGE.
The pile of game-mags is growing fast.

mrtee073 @ Jul 26th 2008 12:00PM

I love Nintendo Power! It's great to read for insight into new and upcoming games... I do enjoy online sites and blogs quite a bit, but Nintendo Power goes into great depth and holds it's weight with the online resources, quite well! :-)

idget777 @ Jul 26th 2008 12:01PM

I get EGM, and I find it quite informative. Blogs and message boards are nice for the very latest rumors, tidbits, and their confirmations, but I enjoy reading larger articles. I would never bother reading Playstation Magazine or Nintendo Power, because those are obviously biased to some extent and don't really give you full coverage of the gaming world.

bluezy @ Jul 26th 2008 12:13PM

I've been a Ninty Power subscriber for the last two years. It's nice to read the featured articles, and i actually think it's decent as an info source.

Matthew @ Jul 26th 2008 12:15PM

I used to get Nintendo Power but I got tired of paying 30$ a year to get magazines with information that's already outdated by the time it gets to me. I check the internet too frequently for it to be beneficial. I suppose the occasional interview and exclusive content was interesting.

Covarr @ Jul 26th 2008 12:26PM

I like gaming mags, but I don't like spending money on them. Though, now that I have a well-paying job, it doesn't seem so bad.

Zealot @ Jul 26th 2008 1:32PM

I read EGM as a teenager. My high school library had a subscription to it, so I would thumb through the pages to keep up with what the other kids were playing so I could at least pretend to know what I was talking about if a gaming conversation came out of nowhere (all I had was a Gamecube, and this in a sea of children who played nothing but FPS.)

Now that I have the internet, actually subscribing to a game magazine has become all but pointless. I've toyed with the thought of subscribing to Nintendo Power, but I hear from other people that its glory days are long past and, furthermore, even within a magazine devoted to two consoles they have to divide their space evenly among most upcoming games. Paying a subscription fee for information that's mostly irrelevant to me isn't exactly appealing, so I've stuck to the internet. I think its advantages have been summed up nicely by the people above me, so I'll avoid redundancy here.

Danny F. @ Jul 26th 2008 1:57PM

I use to be a looong time Nintendo Power Subscriber. That was back when the Nes just came out, I was subscribed all the way to the N64 era. But when the 64 came you then had playstation and the soon to come Dreamcast in the future.

It was getting to be a hassle to have one magazine geared towards one system only. I still have about 60+ of ooold magazines in storagethat I haven't thrown out yet.

aj @ Jul 26th 2008 2:07PM

I like magazines, but I think they are getting lazy. At some point they just decided the internet was the wave of the future, and started giving reader's about 1/3 of the pages and twice the advertising, while still charging more and more (in fact, Nintendo Power doesn't print the US price on it's Canadian editions so that magazine and book shops can't charge the US price for it like they do now since the loonie and the dollar hit parity. Which is....evil? Yes, evil).

I actually hate reading gaming news and the like online. I hate the immediacy of it, the signal to noise ratio is such that there are more stories about rumours and things that might maybe happen in Japan than there are about actual things that are happening or coming out. I want my magazines back! I want those old issues of GamePro with 300 pages in them, Nintendo Power that I don't have to pay 13$ for just to read 2 pages of reviews!

Symytry @ Jul 26th 2008 2:17PM

I used to subscripe to NP and EGM, but the mags are stacked with so much advertising these days that 50% of the pages are just that.

Plus there is also the issue of how to deal with getting rid of the stacks and stacks of mags that are more or less useless after you're done reading them.

I haven't subscribed for years now, and I doubt that I ever will again. Save some trees, get your info on the net :)

chibi_wings @ Jul 26th 2008 2:51PM

I have a subscription to Nintendo Power that I got for pretty cheap through my little brother's school, otherwise I wouldn't bother because it's not worth the money like aj said.
I usually read everything, except anything that has to do with sports games (I hate this genre with a passion!!) Lately it seems like NP has been giving more coverage to the Wii then the DS. (why is the console always viewed as superior to the handheld?!) I prefer my DS to my Wii, so I'm getting a little annoyed.

LocalToast @ Jul 26th 2008 3:28PM

I don't bother paying for something that I can get for free. (Sort of
like G4)

The internets is a much better resource, but there are obviously
people that don't have access or don't know where to look. I think
gaming magazines can attract to them. Other times it's just
preference; they'd rather read it when they want where they want
instead of sitting in a chair staring at a screen.

I used to get Nintendo Power (stopped because it's just bad) and Game
Informer (eh, mostly stuff I already heard about) but I never
resubscribed, and don't plan on it.

I just regularly check Joystiq, (System) Fanboy, Engadget, Kotaku,
Digg, G4... it's just more convenient for me to do than getting
magazines

Sevla @ Jul 26th 2008 4:03PM

Printed for games? Really, no.

It's a real waste of money, ok some sites are totally fake in his reviews (like gametrailers) because of the ads and microsoft.

Anyway, if I want to know about a game I can go in the official website and read some info in the internet, I don't need magazines.

Adam Dolph @ Jul 26th 2008 4:18PM

I subscribe to Nintendo Power. I like it. Even though it has been going down hill since they were bought out. I think that video game mags still should exists, but not if they gonna say the same things you can find on the web for free... but I know that's really hard not to do.

Brittany @ Jul 26th 2008 4:50PM

I suscribe to NP, EGM, and my boyfriend get Game Informer...

I'm a joystiq-a-holic (and the fanboy's of course) but I love getting magazines in the mail :) I actually usually enjoy the ads because they are game related most of the time and I like being able to see the screenshots and such of the games in the ads...

also, I love the letters to the editor :)

aj @ Jul 26th 2008 7:04PM

Actually, the ads can be really nice. Who else here has that great ad for Final Fantasy IV cut out and saved?

It's just that the ads can also be really terrible, especially in magazines that have a pretty wide "target audience", that's when you start seeing semi-nude women trying to sell horny 16 year olds a certain brand of body wash, and none of that has anything to do with games, or playing games, or anything.

Brittany @ Jul 26th 2008 7:43PM

NP doesn't tend to do that at least :)

ERacer22 @ Jul 26th 2008 7:37PM

I subscribe to NP, EGM (initially because OPM went under), and Game Informer. I just let my Official XBOX mag expire as I really never cared much for it. I liked the demo disk (takes waaay too long to download demos IMO) but there really isn't enough type of content on the 360 that I'm interested in to justify a magazine subscription. Also, with only a single console (no handheld) it too exclusive for me.

I do like NP and I agree with another poster who was of the opinion that its coverage may be biased. I would have thought with the sale that it would have dropped being as biased. I'm not sure that's happened. I like the magazine the best when it covered all four consoles for a brief period ... that's when I really felt I was getting my $$ worth.

I like EGM, though its a bit juvenile at times. The multiple format review was nice ... but they are moving away from it for some reviews.

GI I get mostly because of my GS value card. Its a slick publication (just like the others) but my opinion is based a lot on the games being reviewed more than anything else.

I do like the gaming ads though. I really don't pay much attention to online ads ... they just get in the way ... whereas with a print mag they really do seem to offer more value ... at least for me.

I'm old school enough that I like a paper magazine. I almost never go and view old content online (unless I'm looking for a used game and want to see old reviews). But I'll frequently pick up an old copy of a magazine and read the articles and reviews ... mostly to find games I may have missed or forgot about getting ... too many games not enough money.

Also, until the Amazon Kindle starts doing the mags I want, I'm not dragging my laptop to the can to read.

I dsfanboy offered a print mag, I would subscribe to it in a heartbeat. I'm really impressed with the content ... though sometimes disappointed with the coverage of Japanese only games ... only cause I'm jealous I'll never see most of them.

John B. @ Jul 26th 2008 9:46PM

I never took out a subscription, but I would buy EGM every month from the ages of 13-16 or so. Printed magazines still offer a lot that online blogs don't/can't - demo discs (OXM let me try out nearly every mainstream Xbox game before I bought it), posters (I still have a gigantic stack of centerfold posters from EGM), a dedicated, and well informed review team that wrote in depth reviews (no offense, guys - you write great reviews, but I still prefer the word of Shoe Hsu and pals).

Does Shoe even work for EGM anymore? It's been years.

kittykatlaura123 @ Jul 26th 2008 11:42PM

I don't subscribe to any gaming magazines but I work at Gamestop where I enjoy cutting up pictures in our old magazines and taping them to my nametag. ^^ That, in my opinion, is pretty much the best thing about any magazine, the artwork.

Deozaan @ Jul 27th 2008 2:52AM

I had been a Nintendo Power subscriber since issue 57.

A couple months ago I realized it was no longer coming. My subscription expired and FutureUS didn't even warn me or tell me or anything.

I was pretty much only a subscriber for the bonuses and things, which haven't been very good for the past year or two. Then when FutureUS took it over, the whole thing just went to pot.

I also don't understand the dating scheme with magazines. For example, an issue comes in August, but it's the September issue, but it has "news" that I heard about online in July? What the heck is that all about?

Zis @ Jul 27th 2008 8:17AM

To all German DSFanboy readers, I highly recommend GEE Mag.

It's a great magazine with classy artwork, good reviews, interviews with people working in the industry and news that are confirmed (and by that old of course).
'Though the news are never new to me because I keep coming here everyday and I read about all that stuff at least a month ago I can understand that the mags aren't that fast and that they can only cover the confirmed stuff. Gee Mag only comes out ten times a year and the pages are limited.

Funny thing is that I only own a DS and I still enjoy reading every single page of the mag to keep up with the whole gaming industry. I like to know what's going on, but I don't visit blogs on consoles I don't own so this is the best way to learn stuff about games I'll likely never get to play.

Gee Mag features info about the early beginnings of video games and about everything video game related, too.
They have articles about the Atari and stuff like that, they have two pages dedicated to early video game sprites (they are always so nicely chosen that I thought about cutting them out and put them up my walls),
they cover books and documentaries about video games, a little bit about music, some pages about new gadgets.
Sometimes they feature articles about the violent-videogames discussion that's going on here in Germany ("Killerspiele"...), about girls playing games like Counterstrike, about E-Sports and how architects plan arenas for video gamers, about how the idea of casual games invaded and changed the market.

I wish it came out more often, because it's great.
If some of you happen to speak German, too, you can check out some of their stuff featured in previous issues here (and have a look at the nice covers, of course):
http://www.geemag.de/relaunch_stories.php

Now I'll go and check out the mags you all suggested. ;-)

Reeve @ Jul 27th 2008 9:43AM

I have a subscription to Edge. It's pricey, but it's the best damn game magazine out there. If you're sick of tons of ads (Edge has ads of course, but the bulk of them are from studios looking to hire people, and confined to one section in the back) and the juvenile writing that's in other mags, it's worth a look.

Reeve @ Jul 27th 2008 9:45AM

Oh, and it's also incredibly well designed. Edge does put a lot of their articles online a couple weeks or so after each new issue comes out, but it's worth getting the magazine for the beautiful layouts and overall presentation.

Teal'c @ Jul 27th 2008 10:44PM

I have no need for gaming magazines.

divinenanny @ Jul 28th 2008 7:19AM

I subscribe to the UK NGamer. The Dutch NGamer (not related) is once in two months, then the news is really too old.

Yes, most items in the mag are old news by the time I get my mag. But I like the fact that the information is nice and condensed in one article instead of 20 rumor posts, that I can read it on the go, and the most important thing I like is the fact that it is in paper. I save old mags and reread them to see which games I might like now, when my mood or gaming style has changed. When I finally got a Wii I was happy to reread all the Nintendo mags I bought because I had a DS. Also, it took me a while to realize I really like RPGs, but when I found out, I reread all old mags to see which other games I might enjoy.

As to why NGamer UK? Several reasons actually. I like the humor that is found in the magazine, I find that the reviews they print generally fit my likes and dislikes, so I know I can trust them, and they have nice items. The subscription price is really reasonable, given that I am in the Netherlands and the copy must be shipped from the UK. I'll keep subscribing for a long while, and read all mags cover to cover.

Lianne @ Jul 28th 2008 3:04PM

I subscribe to Nintendo Power....mainly cuz I just loooove getting stuff in the mail. :)

One perk of the magazine is that, since I'm paying for it, I at least *skim* every article. I'm found out about a few new games that I wouldn't have thought to look into otherwise.

Abbii @ Jul 29th 2008 5:54PM

I subscribe to Nintendo Power and Play magazine which are by far my favorites. When I'm in a bookstore, I'll skim through the other mags. I like Edge a lot as well but it's expensive.

For me, Magazines offer their own unique type of reading.
I find their articles to be more thorough and polished than typical up-to-the minute resources online. Magazines have that luxury/necessity since they only print once a month and have limited space. Their reviews are possibly the one exception. They aren't really unique compared to the internet and they are usually very delayed. I guess they show that the people who write the magazine are up to date with what they're playing at least. And, individual opinions are always interesting when I'm on the fence.

Adam Hunt @ Jul 30th 2008 1:19PM

I used to pick up PSM all the time, but when they shifted focus to the PS3 and PSP (neither of which I own), I lost interest. I got GI at GameStop one day, and it's pretty meh. I am interested in picking up NP now that Chris Slate and a couple of the old PSM guys are working on it.