Video Game Magazines: Which ones did you almost always pick-up every month?

[Max P.]

He was a superb actor - loved him in Auf Wiedersehen Pet too.

[Colin]

The original post here sent me down an absolute rabbit hole on the Way Back Machine, especially going through all the Complete Guide To Consoles mags again. Maybe not for the reasons you'd expect though, but more for all the ads by the various import shops, every single one of which seemed burnt in to my memory as I scrutinised them so much back in the day for what to buy next, and where best to buy it for the better price. Absolute golden days.

[egparadigm]

Back when I was a kid we’d occasionally pick up copies of Amiga Power or Amiga Format, although that was mainly for the demo discs. The ketchup-shooting game and HMV-dog platformer come to mind.

I was heavily into N64 magazine, so much better than the official one, with a great sense of humour and memorable art work. I pitied my ONM-reading friend.

Igot my first issue of EDGE when I was at art college in 2003, which was the Metroid Prime / Fusion review issue. I was hooked for many years thereafter, subscribing for maybe a decade. I still occasionally pick up an issue although it’s got a very different feel these days and in any case modern games rarely pique my interest. Recently re-reading old issues, particularly those from before I knew of it, I particularly enjoy thr “Out There” feature and would like to see a comeback of that. Featuring all sorts of oddities, like the man who bought every copy of a Famicom baseball game and took self portraits of himself bathing in, building with them and all sorts.

Retro Gamer is also great, I pick up a copy semi-regularly, usually when it features something of interest. Need to get the current GBA issue!

I have the RG first 50 issues on DVD and have in recent times been known to download old issues of EDGE / N64. However it’s a much inferior way of flicking through, hence my recent interest in picking up physical copies. I look forward to a future when screen based devices can be better replicate this experience.

[Junko]

Started off with mean machines in the 16bit days and then edge and gamesTM . I particularly remember one letter to edge from a lady wanting to buy an SGI workstation for her son as he was keen to learn , I sometimes wonder what happened to the son

[MartyG]

Crash!, Zapp 64 and ST Format are the ones I bought every month.

I still have my Crash and Zapp 64 magazines, I couldn't bring myself to throw them away, even now everything is archived online. They genuinely were written differently back then, each having its own flavour and approach to things, compared to republishing the press releases done today.

[prinnysquad]

- Commodore Format, from issue 6 to the bitter end.
- Mean Machines - first one I bought had F1 cars on the cover.
- Mean Machines Sega.
- Official PlayStation Magazine.
- Edge (I stopped getting this a few years ago. I’d go to the reviews and then not pick it up again. Just too set time for me.)
- GamesTM - the best magazine of the 2000s for me.
- Retro Gamer - still highly enjoyable. Subscriber.

I’ve dipped into tonnes of others, but they were the regulars.

[Nu-Eclipse]

I recently found a pile of Jason Moore's Retro Games fanzines, from back when the online store was actually a physical store in north London. No idea on value mind you.

Jason's Retrogames Store (in Hendon) and the magazine were fantastic. Travelled up there a lot back in the day and met him a few times! The Nintendo edition of the mag is a classic!

He got sick and tired of commuting from Milton Keynes everyday and made Retrogames mail-order/online-only. He did actually hold on to the shop as a classic vinyl record store (retrobloke) until he finally sold it in 2013.

[fuse]

Feels like this was the most active topic on here just a minute ago but I had to come searching for it on page 3!

Anyway, came to share this: https://www.theguardian.com/games/ar...es-of-all-time

[hudson]

Oh I see. Someone hear works for thy Guardian?

I can't have Edge at number 1. Great mag, but CVG was the best for me. A mag of the people.

EDIT: And that's why I don't work for the Guardian ("hear")

[wakka]

Feels like this was the most active topic on here just a minute ago but I had to come searching for it on page 3!

Anyway, came to share this: https://www.theguardian.com/games/ar...es-of-all-time

Sounds like he's hit a lot of the key ones that people often mention on here.

Whatever's picked for number one will always be debatable, but I can't argue at all with his assertion that EDGE is 'an absolute institution'. It really is. Everyone knows the magazine, everyone is familiar with its particular idiosyncratic style (even if they hate it!), and it's been unswerving in what it does for 30 years. Even the cover hasn't changed. For me, you really have to admire that. There isn't anything else quite like it.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Sounds like he's hit a lot of the key ones that people often mention on here.

Whatever's picked for number one will always be debatable, but I can't argue at all with his assertion that EDGE is 'an absolute institution'. It really is. Everyone knows the magazine, everyone is familiar with its particular idiosyncratic style (even if they hate it!), and it's been unswerving in what it does for 30 years. Even the cover hasn't changed. For me, you really have to admire that. There isn't anything else quite like it.

Strong agree about EDGE.

Three decades deep in the game and still going strong when videogame journalism print media is basically dead to all intents and purposes. That has to count for something even if it is generally considered to not be as good as it was at its peak.

[egparadigm]

EDIT: And that's why I don't work for the Guardian ("hear")

Isn’t that typo sufficient qualification for the Grauniad? 😉😉