1-Up Magazine

[lordcookie]

Anyone got a copy of issue 3 at all?

My copy dropped through the letter box today but I cant make out if it is good or rather average. The art work is excellent as is the quality of the binding and paper. It puts a lot of mass produced magazines to shame and it even includes an 'imaginary Street Fighter trading card'. The actual content is not up to the same standards though. I realise it is only a fanzine but whilst there is passion in many of the pieces, they just are not very interesting barring about 3 articles.

On the whole probably not worth the ?9+ I paid for it, what does everyone else think?

[mrsambarlow]

Mine arrived today. I ordered it after seeing the Edge mention.

Hmm, I'm a bit underwhelmed. Looks very nice, as you say. There's a few typos that jarred and the articles seem a little short & light; I'd rather more articles with more depth than the lots of little bite-size articles.

Perhaps a little too retro minded and not enough content about games, rather than "the gamer lifestyle" which accounts for 90% of the content. Lots of articles about being a kid growing up in the 80s and playing arcades with your pocket money.

My ideal "underground gamer fanzine" would have more critical writing about games--not reviews, but decent essays about games. The kind of stuff that's not available anywhere else.

Very nice to leaf through, though.

[lordcookie]

Yeah I agree it was rather light on any real content and the spelling mistakes were not really acceptable.

I think I will have to give Blessed another try as I enjoyed the free trial but forgot to subscribe >_<

[twigboy]

My copy arrived yesterday - I agree, its beautifully designed and printed but the content is decidedly shakey. I've read about three articles and wasn't particularly engaged by any. The Animal Crossing piece didn't really say anything particularly new and I've found myself today just flicking through, enjoying the tactile and visual experience but not actually able to bring myself to read it. Not really sure about the whole games as lifestyle thing: it made it seemingly all to do with rose-tinted retro memories. More on contemporary games would have made it all a bit more immediate.

[Blessed Boy]

I think I will have to give Blessed another try as I enjoyed the free trial but forgot to subscribe >_<

Tut tut.

I'm still waiting on my copy of issue three - it took something like over a year to appear, but for, as twigboy calls, the tactile experience it's probably worth the wait. As for the editorial, I know I haven't read it, but the thing is that it's very difficult to find a footing in the void away from the really samey specialist press pattern - even in the US, where 1-Up hails from. Finding a place away from the done it before PR-driven territory that multiformats like GamesTM and even Edge occupy - and do that without any major support from advertisers - is a challenge that everyone faces, even the likes of Blessed ([plug]www.blessedmagazine.com[/plug]). Any kind of independent editorial should be applauded, IMO, whether its overly personal or pretentiously written or not (although it has to be good and not another list of moans about European gamers being 'mistreated').

[lordcookie]

Any kind of independent editorial should be applauded, IMO, whether its overly personal or pretentiously written or not

I agree but at nearly ?10 an issue it isnt for me.

Oh and you will be happy to know I have subscribed to Blessed.

[Wil]

I got a copy a few weeks ago now and have to say it's great. I throughly enjoyed the articles and thought the whole thing exuded a great passion for games and gaming. It's just a great package. I also got Blessed and thought the exact opposite.

Wil

[chevkoch]

What can one expect in volume, how many pages are there to 1-UP and Blessed?

[lordcookie]

I dont have my copy of 1-up anymore but I think it was about 78 pages which is a fair bit more than Blessed but Blessed is a lot cheaper.

[chevkoch]

Thanks. 1-UP might be a bit more than I want to spend per issue. The downloadable samples on the Blessed site are about to win me over, particularly the comics.

[bignige]

Anybody care to post links to said magazines? Thank you please

[bignige]

Anybody care to post links to said magazines? Thank you please

[lordcookie]

https://www.1up-zine.com

https://www.blessedmagazine.com

1up is American based and depending on the exhange rate will cost nearly ?10. They come out very rarely but it is printed on high quality paper and has good art work. Personally I found the content too light to warrant the price.

Blessed Magazine is a UK based publication and costs ?7 for 4 issues. I havent read it for several issues but I used to enjoy it. It has good articles, and whilst it is less pages than 1up, imo it offers greater value for money.

[twigboy]

I've had a change of mind on 1-up - I got round to a proper read through it this morning and think it's great. It feels light but I think actually it makes some really nice points about the experience of playing games and how they integrate into your life. I suppose actually the word that describes it is delicate rather than light. I don't think it matters that it isn't analytical and full of detail - I can get that elsewhere. The only thing I'm still hesitant about is that I think there's a little too much reminiscing about the good old days and childhood memories. If games are so important, surely today's experiences are valid to write about more widely than they are. Oh, and here and there the writing loses some focus, but all in all, I totally recommend it if you can afford it. And it looks lovely.[/i]