 Flawed, but still the best, 2002-12-07
Compared to the other gamming magazines I've read, (GamePro, OPM, PSM etcetera) EGM is the best, and it's especially better than those stupid "adult game mags" that try to look like Maxim magazine and FHM. When it comes to coverage of the videogame industry and magazine appearance EGM excels, however I think that they are a little inconsistent when it comes to the amount of time they put into the reviews of some games. What I mean is, it seems to me that really hyped games like say Grand Theft Auto get way more coverage and playing time put into them, where as other less talked about games get about three inches of review space-and some times a bad review. This problem isn't as bad in EGM as it is in other gamming mags (cough-GamePro-cough) but it is still at a level where it becomes unfair to those games that come from companies with less money than Rock Star or Square. Overall though, I think that the review system as well as the rest of the magazine is still top notch. I would also like to give props to EGM for their sense of humor, no other gamming mag is as funny as EGM, four stars!
6 of 10 customers found the following review helpful:
 Complete Waste of Money, 2002-11-01
Of all the mass-system magazines that were out there, EGM was my favorite. It was the most informative and it was entertaining to read. Nowadays, though, it's a struggle to read and entire issue. While it does still have information on games, the way it is presented is just unreadable. The writers try so hard to be witty and cutting edge, that they just come off as juvenille. And they have way too many people reviewing games. How is one supposed to keep track of which reviewers they share similar interests with?If you're one of those 13-year old boys who thinks GTA3 is the best game ever made, then maybe you'll find this magazine entertaining. Otherwise, AVOID.
2 of 7 customers found the following review helpful:
 Biased reviews and poor editorial content, 2002-10-24
.
At one time, EGM was the best game magazine around. The articles were fair, the reviews were top notch, and the writing was well presented and professional. Then something horrible happened. The editor of the magazine moved on, and the editor position has changed twice. The magazine has never been the same. Change is good, but in the case of EGM, the change has been terrible.The editorial staff is biased and lets this come through on the various articles that they write. If anything, they are very consistant about their inconsistancy regarding quality of reviews.
They consider themselves experts in the game industry and as a result, they are too wrapped up in comparing present games with previous games of the past, rather than taking each game upon its own merits. This is a jaded way of reviewing at best and totally misdirected at worst. A typical review will start out by saying, "Well, last year's game was terrific, but this year's game was not as good." Have the writer's considered that not everyone has played "last year's game" and would thoroughly enjoy the sequel. No. The editorial staff takes great joy in showing off their game knowledge, but spends so much time on bragging about their expertise, that the reviews, are for the most part, useless. The editorial staff, rather than coming to their own conclusions about each game, review the games together and influence each others opinions. Rather than getting objective information, the readers are getting a mob opinion of the game, even though the reviews are written my idividuals. The layout of the magazine is thought out well and the production value is high. What is not high is the content of the material. The idea of grading each game on a one to ten scale is good, as anyone can just look at the various numbers and get a quick and immediate sense of how the game rates. The fault is that the people reviewing the games are not objective enough and rely too heavily upon comparrisons of other similar games rather than concentrating on why the game they are reviewing is good or not, apart from comparing. Some comparing is necessary, but EGM is so one dimensional that this is the basis for most of their reviews. The one positive thing about this magazine is that it is all encompassing as far as coverage of the game industry. They cover all console games and give good info on what is happening on the development end of games. They present previews of what is coming up, etc. This may be their strong point. If accurate reviews and indepth reporting are your interest, stay away from EGM. The magazine has basically de-evolved into a kids cartoon book.
1 of 2 customers found the following review helpful:
 Not even subsribed, 2002-10-23
I'm not even subsribed to this magazine but I buy it off the news stand and it is great I have 6 issues. I really like how they have people send in letters but in Gamepro they only have a few letters. They also have lot's of reviews and previevws. They also get the inside scoop on upcoming video games before other magazines do (can you say Halo 2). Also lots of the things they write are funny. You can read the same issue over and over again and you could find out something that you might have missed. SUBSRIBE NOW!
For Buyers, 2002-10-22
If you are looking for a magazine to tell you what to buy, this is the one. This great magazine has multiple people review games, unlike other mags (Gamepro, everything else) so you know that you're not just getting one guy's biased opinion. This magazine is witty and a great read too. The only problem is there is a lot of space dedicated to ads, but each issue is so large, you'll still have plenty to read.
|
