Seeing this thread instantly made me think of the complete guide to console magazines, so I went for a search and found online pdf's. Man, what a trip down memory lane that's been, I spent endless hours with those mags and I could still remember every single thing about them. The internet has ruined gaming compared to how it was back then.
This. These were passed around my friends so much. Warming our gaming wants in the build up to Christmases.
I still have all 4 and a spare 4th edition
Maximum, also from the CVG and MM stable was decent. Especially in its 32 bit gen arcade conversion coverage. SF Zero, Tekken, etc.
It was a good time, all of us on here who experienced it were very lucky. It was golden.
On a side note, someone boasted earlier so I will, I got star Xmas day letter on Teletext Gamecentral back in 2003, it is pretty much my only claim to fame and it means nothing.
I think I got about 19 or 20 letters ‘printed’ (broadcast) on Digitiser, Games Central’s predecessor. Had photographs of most of them, taken by pointing a camera at the TV. However, I ended up throwing them out in a file with my published magazine letters and fanzine articles. Which I regret a bit.
First games mag I really got into was Ace magazine.
It was a multi format magazine which mainly covered home computers but started to inlcude the new consoles from Nintendo (NES) and Sega (MS) as they hit the UK market. Plenty of import coverage too. And it was reading Ace made my want to buy a Neo-Geo even though it would be a long time before I could afford one. It was pretty wide ranging in its scope for a games magazine arguably more of a multimedia magazine.
Looks like most of the issues are available here to read:
Their game reviews had a predicted interest curve element which is something I think present day reviews should bring back.
After Ace folded I had an Edge sub and a regular order for Diehard Gamefan and EGM at the local newsagents. I used to pick up MegaTech and Mean Machines Sega too. Arcade was a really good magazine too. Shame Edge become a Sony shill then went a bit pretentious.
It was never my fave mag, its writing and layout were a bit beige, a bit serious, but I bought the first few issues, iirc Issue 1 came with a tape featuring Speccy 'Gift From The Gods' on one side and C64 'Blue Max' on the other (I could be wrong about the latter, we're talking 30+yrs back here!) I think ish one also had a really good Bubble Bobble review.
Not a *bad* mag, I just never really re-read it, it was a tad Ken Barlow.
Gamefan was a beautiful mag BTW, once bought two carriers full of em from a car boot in the mid 90s, the only US mag I ever liked and what screenshots!
Used to have loads and I really regret throwing them out.
Included
Your Sinclair
Crash
Amiga power
Amiga Format
Ace
CVG (my fav era was the High Five Era)
Mean Machines
Official Sega saturn and Official Playstation
Games Master
Gamefan was a beautiful mag BTW, once bought two carriers full of em from a car boot in the mid 90s, the only US mag I ever liked and what screenshots!
Gamefan was printed on that lovely glossy paper and saturated with colour. Made it feel a bit upmarket. The US mags shone with enthusiasm for the games although some of the previews were somewhat effusive.
Quarteman rumours were always worth a laugh too.
EDGE is so damn boring. I bought a stack for 20p a pop from a chazza shop last year, I keep a few in the bathroom for when on teh throne, it's soooooo dull, so much text that isn't worth reading, it all seems to be for 'industry types'...it is no fun at all. And it's terrible throne material, you won't wanna look again once you've had a skeg.
Jeez, I remember the launch, with its sealed bag and premium price. Yeah, I bought a copy. I just thought it was up its own anus since day one. But damn it felt great to hold and the paper smelt lush.
Amstrad Action to begin with. Loved typing the programs in the back.
Dad bought Mean Machines and Sega Power when he got our Megadrive. Mum banned Mean Machines after spotting the letters page: there was a photo of someone making a durrrr face with the caption "I'm Mark Elgar* and I'm a spaz!"
Occasionally bought Gamesmaster and CVG.
I got into Edge during my uni days after buying the special edition issues devoted to single consoles(PS2, GC, Xbox) but stopped after a while as I was mainly just reading the guest columns in the back. Bought a few issues of GamesTM but I was too self-conscious reading it on the train.
* name might have been different
Mean Machines screenshots were the best, (and always loads of them with reviews) always taken from the standard CRT they were playing on at the time giving the pics that soft look.
i remember when i first saw preview shots of Axelay in that mag!
I started with Your Sinclair, then went to Crash. I was also getting C&VG at same time, but ended up going solely CVG ad then just got a couple of other mags that came out of that stable i.e. namely Mean Machines and Maximum. Did try a few others along the way, but I never really strayed too far away.
I did get EDGE on occasion just to make me feel thick.
Comment