Easy Mode #26

[Matt]

Easy Mode #26 by Matt

PALGN Feature: Back to level the playing field.

[View Article]

[DancesInUnderwear]

Posting is almost as hard as writing in letters, you know.

Do you still reading gaming magazines?
About the only time I'll buy a gaming magazine is if I'm about to take a long trip or something, where I'd be bored and won't be able to access the internet. The only time I read them outside of that situation is when I'm on the crapper. No reason to read old news when I could be on the internet looking at new news.

Do you think it’s time magazines were taken off life support?
Uhh..... yes? I don't know, probably.

What can magazines do to differentiate what they offer?
I'm not sure, really - for every specialised magazine that will only last one issue because nobody cares enough about the subject to buy one, there can be a whole bunch of specialised websites which might not be read but can generally sit there taking up space for the rest of eternity, until more people eventually look at it.

What do you think websites could do to put the final nails in the magazines’ coffin?
Yep, and I'd say they are already doing so / have done so.

Post your answers in the forums.
No.

Good stuff once again, Matt.
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[Slasher]

Last mag I bought would have been Edge #something in 2004 i think
Mainly bought EDGE for the retro gear and the features/specials
Most if not all magazine reviews of current games can be found anywhere on the web for free and often written to a higher standard and less bias.
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Watching television is like taking black spray paint to your third eye
-Bill Hicks

[Slasher]

HIJINX
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Watching television is like taking black spray paint to your third eye
-Bill Hicks

[theory]

Do you still reading gaming magazines?

No. Do you still construct legible sentences?

Do you think it’s time magazines were taken off life support?

No.

What can magazines do to differentiate what they offer?

No. What? Errr... they're screwed any way you look at it since old news is not good news. Although free shit helps.

What do you think websites could do to put the final nails in the magazines’ coffin?

KILL...
KILL 'EM...
KILL 'EM ALL!
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[Matt]

Uh yeah, see, even websites have a little way to go...

*grabs axe off wall and head's to Jaztrab's house*

Nevertheless, this mistake (unintentionally) proves my point - if this were a print publication, that error would have been their for your kids to see, while on the web we can fix it up any time we like.

[Qbert]

The last gaming mag. I purchased was early on in 2003. The main features where Zelda WW and Metroid Prime reviews.
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[David]

[Chris-Leigh]

Pffffft! Sensible World of Soccer > all. Though I also recall Kick-Off 2 eating up a lot of my time.

[Infested Jibbs]

Yeah hyper soccer is good.Well, from the 20 mins or so that i've played of it, half-played/half-checked it worked after i bought it off ebay.

Hey, it's a lucky game, i've tons of games all over the place here whose carts and discs haven't seen the light of day *yes yes Riviera i'll play you tommorow, i promise*

It doesn't surprise me that the only mag going uphill out of those 4 was a pc mag, they're the only mags i buy every other day.Whether it be a long train ride or they've got an intertesting article splashed on the front, like video card round ups or something, i still find them relevant, even if the info is 'old'(hard to imagine i find old pc info relevant, given that pc's in general are outdated by the time you get from the shop counter--->the car boot).

The main reason is prolly cause they still come in handy a month or so after release as a way of working out a budget on a new computer your planning to buy or parts your planning to upgrade; the parts in the mag have prices, good lil reviews and comparisons between simliar models, and their portability makes em easy to take to various stores and price check and such.

But other than that, the only mags i used to buy regulary for the n64 gamer mags, man in hindsight those guys were a pack of tools, what was with the ring-a-ring-a-rosie of editors that mag had?Every month or so, BAM, new head editor, just generally made the mag feel like it didn't have any direction, not to mention it was based out of redfern.

But either way, i think mags are in it for the long haul.Market share wilh fall and dwindle but they wont dissapear, remember all these analysts were predicting a 'paperless' society by 20XX, what with the advent of digital media, and portable digital devices?

Well, they were wrong, to say the least.Something physical in your hands that you can alter, store, fold up, put in your pocket, read it in front of the heater while watching tele, etc etc just has a simplicity and ease of use that no difital medium can offer.

But that's all it has going for it.Stale news, ads, and the price of admission are here to stay.
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[armageddon12]

I read Edge, and should probably start reading Developer Magazine (no longer Game Developer Magazine). I can't remember the last time I read one of those awful Official Magazines.

I dare say they'll limp on, even if publisher's see the sense in stopping propping them up.

Console game demo's have started being delivered online, this of course will increase this gen and next, but it will be limited by the adoptance of high speed internet, and availability.

As far as the casual market goes, I think magazines will always have their relevance. They are a useful commodity for those out of the community loop.

I don't see how the majority of the magazines can survive though. There's only so much that can be done as far as change in content is concerned.

[NismoR34]

One of the main reasons Hyper declined in popularity is because Eliot Fish left the Editorial gig to pursue his musical interests. I still like the magazine despite it not being the same anymore but I don't read it for news. I haven't read it for news ever since I got the Internet. I read the magazine purely because of their reviews and previews and also because it is a habit of mine to read it. It would just feel... weird if I didn't have a magazine to read each month. So in answer to the question, yes I still read a magazine.
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Raptured Reality

[Jeremy]

[Bitchacho]

"PALGN gets more readers than 3 of those magazines"

Matt: is that by counting 'hits'? because i have PALGN set as my homepage, and you might get 30 hits a day from just me. I mean, theoretically there could be just the forumers who read the front page, and someone could be just clicking refresh all day or something. Are you counting unique IP's at least?

Also, I purchased a Hyper mag the other week, which is the first time in a long time I have bought a gaming mag (since i was like 12, the NMS). I was bitterly disappointed.

I mean, I bought it in early May. However, it's actually called the June edition. But then, the news is March/April news, allowing for writing stories and getting the magazine ready for print. I'd rather read the breaking news and developing stories when we hear them, online.

The main thing that I hate about magazines is that there can't be any neutral articles or reviews. EVERYONE tries to be quirky, funny, sarcastic, etc. I skip the tripe and look for the bits where they talk about the actual gameplay and bugs and stuff. Fucken shits me to tears.

[Matt]

[Bitchacho]

wtf so you know my IP? you're the one who is hacking me?!

[Nev]

I don't get it... Are you saying the Playstation 3 ISN'T a computer...? What about my GameCube and PS2? Those aren't computers either? If he's talking in terms of components as opposed to functionality (which he is), then yes, it's a computer. But then, he seems to be saying that in such a matter-of-fact way...

"Of COURSE you can upgrade the hard drive! It's a computer!"

"Oh, so I can upgrade the RAM too? Install a PPU? Replace the Blu-Ray drive with a HD-DVD-RW drive?"

"Uh.. well, er..."
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"There are always casualties in war, gentlemen. Otherwise it wouldn't be war. It'd just be a rather nasty argument with a lot of pushing and shoving."

[ZNMS]

The last magazine I happened to purchase was the first issue of JumpButton. Basically, the magazine focuses on the art and substance of videogame culture. Not bad, personally.
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[James]

[Bitchacho]

^yeah it was a joke

[James]

You need to include a or j/k then. I can't hear the tone of your voice over the internet

[deckard3]

[EvilHayama]

[Rob_Jedi]

I still get Hyper magazine, I guess it's just become a habit, I've been reading it since it started. It would be rather boring on the train without it and you wouldn't be able to show mates the latest article about something or other. I used to occasionally get OXBM as well but that was purely for the cover disc, with the 360 downloable demos and trailers has really taken away the necessity. I also get GamePro largely cause they had a subscription deal that threw in Serenity the movie which made it like getting a years worth of the mag for $3. Gamepro led me to PALGN though and daily updates which I must say are nice, the magazines still seam to do reviews of games are that are never mentioned here.

Reading magazines also leaves you slightly less pissed off at local release dates, ignorance is sometimes bliss. Waiting 8 months for Guitar Hero is much less fun.

[838 La]