Abstract

Provides the latest news, reviews & tips on new games.
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Reviews (51)

Flawed, but still the best
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!

Best gaming magazine out there!
EGM is a wonderful magazine. They have great news stories, informative special features every month, a nice format for previews, cheat codes, and the reader feedback section, and HUGE contests (most recently, the massive console giveaway for their holiday contest). They also have the best review system of all the gaming magazines (well, maybe except for PC Gamer). Instead of just one biased five-star score or a bunch of ridiculous faces (coughGAMEPROcough), three different reviewers rate the game from 1-10 (in .5 increments). This gives you a well-rounded opinion on the game. And best of all, unlike the recently canned Next Generation (good riddance), EGM is (for the most part) unbiased. They don't automatically rave about Metal Gear Solid 2 as being the best game ever long before it's released, nor do they completely ignore Nintendo (NextGen refused to even review Pokemon games or most N64 games, and they had zero Game Boy coverage). Though they've made some hair-brained decisions, (like saying Xbox was better than Gamecube, which, as most serious gamers know by now, is not true), remember that nobody's perfect, and that their overall quality makes up for occasionally questionable decisions. If you own more than 1 current gaming console (and even if you only have 1), this is the magazine for you.

About as credible as a Saddam loyalist
EGM has about the average amount of content as any mag or site for videogames but it mixes it with it's sense of humor (that really depends on if you like geek humor) but worst of all it's biased biased opinions. EGM will trash great games or not give them enough credit, especially Gamecube (if you own a gamecube do not even look upon this magazine). It praises games like Madden and Need For Speed (I don't know why) and gives some reviews that seem completely bogus. They are a propaganda machine that will always take PS2 above others and care very little about what the reader is looking for. They are unsympathetic to the different types of gamers that don't care for sports games and like a good RPG. If EGM are the Nazis ( and trust me they are) Nintendo is the Jew and Sony is the aryan race. The only way to say it is they are not credible and are blind to what other people want (since a critic is to help a reader choose and not to force their views upon them) the people calling it the best are either reading an older copy or agree with them because that is how they feel too and not because they are right.

About as credible as a Saddam loyalist
I have heard that EGM used to be a good magazine, but I don't think it is. I got a free subsciption to this magazine and found it is inconsistient and is completely biased. What they hold against one game will magically become irrelivant for another. A 9 rated game can easily be worse than a 7 rated game because the reviewers are so opinonated and have no intrest in fairness or benefitting the readers. They will make pointless comparisons and take off big points for trivial things. They reviewed Tales of Symphonia, a 80 hour game, 2 weeks before it came out. They have definite vendettas and lack credibility. They are a magazine for the gamers that will buy every football game and racing game on the market and pass up great RPGs like Tales of Symphonia. Their reviews have zero credibility so I would not recommend making a buying decision based on what those gaming Nazis have to say. Previews have good information and they are good about not spoiling games (but you can't spoil a game with no story like Madden which they love and they don't spend enough time with good games to even know enough to spoil). If you can deal with their no facts opinions or agree with their silly viewpoints this is a mag for you. EGM has good information but presents it like Nazi propaganda. I can't stomach it.

On second thought...
They're not as bad as I said they were. Really, the only problems I have is the ink (which I said last time) and that's about it. The new format has grown on me, and I dont really have much problem with the reviews section. I actually like the 3 reviewers now taking full hold. The staff page in the front is always funny, and the letters are too. They have one of the best in terms of an EIC and even though his column seems to be shorter than it used to be in the old format, it's still great. Yes I cant complain, about what some have said about there being too much red ink, but say what u want, white text on red, makes it very easy to read and red on white is easy to read too, along with white on black and vice versa. I love the comic they have in the back of the mag, called Hsu and Chan, and Hsu probably has something to do with the EIc, cause his last name is Hsu. They have pretty good articles in Press Start sometimes. And I can truly say that this one of the game magazines that I really like when it gets here each month. I've never read Seanbaby's reviews. Only his column. Same with their tips and tricks editor. And their rumor mill guy, Quartermann, is cool too. Both the page of rumors and his columns. Well, as always, all I can say is to go buy a copy, but you will probably want to subscribe, cause then you wont have to deal with the bags on the issues and all the other junk inside the bag. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

This is THE PC Gamer magazine
If you're into PC gaming, not consoles, this is the magazine for you. It has reviews, previews and walk throughs of the latest PC games as well as hardware reviews and recommendations. You don't have to wade through endless pages about PS2 or X-Box games to find what you really want (like with other gaming magazines). This is PC gaming goodness at it's best.

Not As Great As They Think They Are
PC Gamer has been my magazine of choice when it comes to reliable game reviews. For the most part, they're been on the money. Their writing is concise and full of humor.

What drives me nuts is their arrogance. They definitely believe they're the best games magazine out there. There's nothing wrong with confidence, but it's the overconfidence and at many times, the tendency to dumb down the writing that is truly annoying...as are the constant Vederman jokes (He's the guy who writes their hardware column. His name and variations thereof are a tired, ongoing punchline). I'd also be happy with less pictures and more writing on the games. Screenshots do not mean as much to me as a comprehensive review does.

Computer Games Magazine is a better choice if you're looking for more in-depth, intelligent writing about games. Maybe at 31, I'm just getting old, but it takes more to impress me than what PC Gamer offers.

it WAS good......
i used to love this magazine, but people are right. the magazine is half the size it was, and the 10 year anniversary issue was the smallest issue yet. it's also behind the times - an E3 wrap-up in the AUGUST issue? E3 WAS IN MAY! the demo disk is useless - one demo per disk - they need to switch to dvd's or why pay extra when i can download demos? i'm done when my subscription runs out.

The Best PC gaming magazine out there
I have been a subscriber to PC Gamer for several, I think six years, and I can honestly say this is the best PC gaming magazine I have ever read, and I have tried all that I have come accross. They have several features (special stories) every month, whereas the majority of magazines barely have anything other than the previews/reviews/strategies/occasional special story. I read through every issue almost cover-to-cover devouring it's witty writing and great personality. I have agreeded on their review for every game I have played, as well.

This review is based on the subscription with CD, but the magazine is no different.

May be the best PC games magazine, but...
that isn't necessarily saying much. I've been a subscriber for several years, but lately have been disappointed. The magazine is getting noticeably thinner - the content watered down. The writing is becoming hackneyed - they overuse terms like "gaming goodness" or call a game "pants" without offering more substantive commentary. The Scoops feature gives you an early look at games in beta testing - which can be interesting. Their cover story is usually weak, but hey they need to put something on the cover. The reviews are inconsistent. Too often the reviews and the scores are incongruous, and they don't tell you a thing about how they determine a score - is 88 really different from 92? A 100 point scoring system is silly. The hardware features are good, except their hardware guy Vederman has a pointless column, that would be okay if it was funny, but it never is. The other columns are also inconsistent: those on mods, simulations, war games are fine, but they need to get rid of 2 columnists Whitta and Desslock - these are recent (re)additions to their staff and they are both - how should I say it - pants. With worthwhile content down, and ads up, I'm considering not renewing. I wish there was an alternative. ... Read more

Abstract

Covers the tradition & culture of computer gaming by providing reviews, previews & strategies for core gamers.
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Reviews (12)

It's now the best PC games magazine.
Well, imagine my surprise when I picked up the February 2004 issue, and found that things had drastically changed. Mainly in the Editor's letter. It used to be 1 page, now it's just a small little column now, that is exactly like other Ziff Davis game mags, Now the redesign isnt as bad as other ZD game mags, but the removal of the 1 page editor's letter, really steams me up. At least they didnt bother Executive Editor Robert Coffey's Scorched Earth column. It's still 1 page. It's on the last page usually. And yes the redesign is really bad in terms of readability. Most of the time they have a red or blue or yellow background, and it's really hard to read the text at times. Now at least their disc will auto-load, unlike PC Gamer. And what really pisses me off, is when a magazine has a Hot 100 section, or a best PC's or videocards, or peripherals section, and they hardly ever change the captions or descriptions come with it. I'm sorry if I got off track a lot, but I felt the need to. I hope this review helped you. EDIT: 5/8/2004 PC Gamer recently changed Editor's and the Editor-In-Chief was re-assigned to become the Editor-In-Chief of the Official Xbox Magazine. The new EIC of PCG is the former Executive Editor, and I hate him, so this is why I say CGW is now the best PC games magazine.

If you're only to get one, this is it
Computer Gaming World has the best reviews going. Unlike most anywhere else I can think of, its reviewers insist on games ... and grade accordingly. Occasionally they even correct lapses of judgment, as in the spectacular re-rating of Black & White. That the magazine is also less youngster-orientated in the writing is a welcome bonus: the writers occasionally stray outside the ten thousand most common words in the language. Oh, the shock!

Another nice feature is a print summary of predicted game release dates ... Every issue has a strategy section for one or more games. This content ranges from useless (occasionally it feels like someone copied down bits of the manual & on-screen unit descriptions) to very strong, with my favorite semi-regular feature being two guys playing head-to-head in all types of games (shooters, sims, rts, even the Sims[!]) with annotated turn by turn carping and analysis. Reminds me of The General magazine....

The downsides are all the common ones: even this magazine occasionally feels a bit like a junior high school bus trip, the magazine is short and getting shorter, way too much time spent on previews (though many like this).

Amazon Magazine Subscription Services are lacking in SERVICE
While the magazines are fine, the subscription services operate in the dark ages, which adds a middleman to the address change process. This caused errors in the delivery of my magazines and the company was unable (unwilling?) to send the missing issues.

After you subscribe to the magazine you may wish to submit an address change. Neither subscription service company used by Amazon has an online process. You either send an email or make a phone call.

In my case I sent an email to Magazine Express, Inc. and they erroneously changed the mailing address to the billing address which sent 3 months worth of magazines to the wrong address. After getting them to correct the mistake, they were unable to get Computer Gaming World to send the misdirected magazines to the correct address.

If the magazine subscription services had an online process for address changes, this would eliminate the middleman and reduce errors.

My future magazine purchases will be made through companies that offer a better online service.

Please open the cover and read
This is the best PC gaming magazine you'll find anywhere. It covers the lastest games and hardware. A bonus, the issue comes with a free demo disc every month. Although PC games are fading out of the picture, XBOX is a good way to keep them alive. This magazine covers everything you need to know. It's the best thing to do if you want the most out of your PC. A good choice to start with is this. Get this magazine, your won't regret it.

Best PC Gaming Mag period
Dont miss this one. This mag has a great reviewing staff that online gaming sites find tough to beat. This mag also has a top notch hardware section so don't miss out=) ... Read more

From Amazon.com

"Like Maxim, but about Xbox!" was clearly the mandate given to Mike Salmon, former editor-in-chief of PC Accelerator and current editor-in-chief of The Official Xbox Magazine. He got it half right: this gamer lifestyle magazine has the locker-room feel of Maxim but lacks Maxim's intelligent, tongue-in-cheek style. The result is something that looks like it was written by high-school sophomores. For example, a bio of Kasumi, a character in the game Dead or Alive 3, reads "A redhead with a difference--she can take on all comers. And if DoA 3 has the "[breast] bounce on/off" option, she'll definitely have a lot of comers." On the plus side, the game reviews and previews are informative and mostly free of bull.--Mike Fehlauer ... Read more

Reviews (69)

Uh, where's the disc? Pretty good magazine.
It's a great magazine, with the disc. You get reviews, previews, world exclusive articles, and so much more. Then, you (would) get the disc. Ahhh...the demo disc. I'd pay about $20 a year just for it alone. But, this stupid thing doesn't come with it. I would have given it about 3.5 stars if I could, but I figured that the magazine saves it (almost). But, let's talk about the actual magazine. It has truthful opinions from reviewers with an attitude, who know their stuff. It tells you what games you need to buy, what ones you could buy, and what games to stay away from. Also, you get to preview games that haven't been released yet, and will be released some time in the future. Then, you read their articles, which are fun. Although some are more entertaining than others, they're still good. The layout of the magazine is good, and the witty jokes at the bottom of the page are interesting and sometimes hillarious. Except, here, there's no disc. The disc gives you great demos that I've played for HOURS before. If I were you, I would get the magazine somewhere else, WITH the disc.

Grade:
With Disc: A
Without Disc: B (A low B)

Excellent magazine, but you'd be crazy not to get the disc
I am a true gamer, owning all major consoles and not being a fanboy about any of them. That said, this is by far the best console-specific game magazine available.

However, I can't see why anyone into gaming enough to get a game magazine wouldn't sport the extra($)for the Xbox magazine that comes WITH the demo discs. For an extra ($)/year you can demo a whole lot of games and it could pay for itself by saving you one bad purchase or turning you on to a good on you might not have otherwise considered. There's also video previews, some exclusive, which give you a good look at some anticipated titles.

As for the magazine itself, the reviews are good and surprisingly fair for an affiliated magazine. There's lots of good content too. So, ask yourself: is ($) more worth it for 12 demo disks loaded with extras?

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A good magazine.
I have been a subscriber since the premier issue, and will continue to be a subscriber, because I feel it's the best XBox magazine their. Yet, at times I get bored with it's writing style. They don't make it that fun to read, sometimes its too silly to read, at other times it's written with too much depth, to where it bores you. Plus, it doesn't have any good features (special stories) in it, they are all stupid or boring, with the only good one being in the first issue (the one about the perfect XBox setup, and the XBox set-up quiz).

Why two stars then? The reviews are actually well written, and are truthful, and I trust them. So, if all you want are interesting reviews, try this magazine, but if you want to know about other things without getting too bored, look elsewhere.

Lame!
The first rule I learned in Journalism 101 (shortly before dropping the class) was "Always remain objective". At OXM, editors and writers alike check thier objectivity at the door.

OXM is a nicely laid out magazine. Unfortunatley it's content is very weak. When I read a video game magazine I want it to first be informative. While OXM is "informative", it's the XBox "attitude" that gets in the way. The editorial and writing staff try so hard to be hip, cool and edgey that they come across as a joke. If you read in between the pot shots taken at Sony and the PS2 there is some relevant information. But it tends to get lost amidst the puns and attempts at being humorous.

The second thing I want from a magazine, are objective opinions. With OXM, objectivity goes out the window. Though most games that are reviewed are pretty informative, often times a mediocre game will score significantly higher than in other game magazines. Which makes me wonder exactly who is writing these reviews. Also, every issue is loaded with countless digs at Sony and Nintendo. After the first few pages it becomes childish and unamusing.

The saving grace of the magazine is the demo disc. On it you can get some downloads including bonus levels for some games. Unfortunatley it's not included here.

Considering the content of this magazine, I'd recomend picking it up on an issue by issue basis depending on what is included in the demo disc. For a better all around objectively written game magazine, I'd recomend Game Informer. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Just barely falls short of leading the game mag pack
As a die-hard advocate of the unofficial playstation magazine, I normally pass this by every month (no matter how hard it is to overlook the playable demo disks that my subscription to the unofficial PSM magazine doesn't offer). This month was different, as my urge to get my hands on a Splinter Cell demo was just too much to bear... Of course I read the magazine as well, especially having spent sooo much on it. It's one of the pricier game magazines out there (obviously because of the costs involved with the disks every month), so I don't get to read it too often.

I was somewhat pleased with what I read, but they still have a little ways to go if they plan on converting me anytime soon. While I can hardly call it a bad read, it just doesn't have the "personality" I'm looking for in a game mag. Sure, the reviews are on the mark for the most part, but somewhat dry in the process. The staff seems talented enough, yet they appear to "hold back" somewhat in terms of letting a little bit of that personality to shine through in their work. This is where their competitors (at the unofficial PSM magazine) manage to surpass them.

The reviews were plenty, and they made sure to include the newest games that were on everyone's mind (here they were right on the mark). They even included a section on new releases for the Playstation one, a step that my favorite magazine now has chosen to overlook for some strange reason (although they once included it). If there were really a specific weakness that I had to pinpoint when it comes to the Official Playstation Magazine, I would have to point with both hands at the first word in the title...Official.

I can't help but think that being an "official" magazine under the watchful eye of Sony would mean nothing less than the fact that the folks writing the articles are at a disadvantage to their counterparts in terms of what they can and cannot print. While I would like to think that they are impartial for the most part (and they do appear to be for all intended purposes), I can't shake the thoughts that they have more incentive to praise games under the Sony label. The other end of this argument is equally compelling though... Can an unofficial magazine really hope to get the newest information before these guys do? It's a hard call at the moment.

If you choose this magazine over the others, I cannot say you made a poor choice by any means... I'm just saying that I prefer the other. Either way, you are going to find what you are looking for (pages and pages of games galore). Can you really go wrong? If you really have the money to burn, I'd recommend them both. If you are limited in cash though, you would be wiser to pick up a subscription to the unofficial PSM.

"alankelly"

A very solid Playstation magazine.
Well, this is a really solid magazine. I'd say it's better than their competition, PSM, but they both have their strengths. They redesigned this magazine with the February 2003 issue, and it's pretty good. They use stars now instead of dots. Still a 5 star rating system, which is fine. I like the facts and little captions they usually have at the top of each page. Reviews are nice, the Editor-In-Chief can be pretty obnoxious sometimes, especially in this month's issue where he talks about how they are all about getting exclusives, like the cover story for Sly (Cooper) 2. (I put Cooper in parantheses, cause the title of the game is actually called Sly 2: Band of Thieves. So you can see they took away the Cooper. I just didnt want you to be confused). And finally the demo disc is usually pretty good. Some months are better than others. I like the Cool Moves section on the disc, where they show u where certain things might be or how to beat a certain area or boss or where shortcuts might be in a game. I hope they havent stopped permanently showing what will be in next month's disc, which is usually on the last page.

Worst magazine subscription
I love this magazine, but there are too many problems with ordering. First I sent my payment in January (beginning of January) and I did not receive my first issue until the end of May. I called Customer support and they lied saying they had sent it out. In total I had to call them 3 times just for them to start sending my magazines. The first issue was a way advance issue in July and it said my subscription would end in April. I called them again to see what was going on and they said they would extend my subscription by one issue. I looked on the next issue and they didn't even put when my subscripion ended. To this day I don't even know if I am going to get all of my issues since all they do is lie to you.
However, this is a great magazine and if you want to deal with Playstations stupid customer support and don't mind waiting over 3 months for your first issue then by all means go and get a subscription. When my subscription ends I will not renew it unless it's like $25. I can think of 40 things you can better spend $40 on. Good luck

A good read
OPM is almost the best Playstation 2 magazine. The staff is truly skilled in writing and organizing the magazine...sometimes. The pages can get a bit messy at times. With pictures all over the place with reviews squeezed in. It's not a pretty appearance all of the time.
I would give this mag 2 stars if it wasn't for the demo disc which is it's best attribute overall. The disc is always full of great demos to newer games and it's also crammed with other goodies such as "how tos" and videos.
I suggest PSM over OPM.

Great, reliable source w/ a demo disc!!!
I have been subscribed to this mag since before PS2 came out, and it has always proved to offer reliable, well explained and accurate reviews, as well as early previews and interesting articles. Not only is it good to read, but it comes with a demo disc, which is packed with demos, video previews, game files, and other helpful and interesting features. If you are trying to choose one mag to subscribe to, this is the one you want. ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Entertaining, accessible, and reliable
GamePro is very product-focused--you'll see the biggest coverage of most games just as they're about to hit stores, which makes sense (that's when they matter most to consumers, at the point of purchase). The reviews are detailed enough to justify the scores but not long-winded or self-indulgent the way many websites are. GamePro also features strategies (a dying breed) and plenty of codes each issue. They're also the only mag to do a consumer advocacy column (Buyers Beware), a semi-regular arcade report, and they've had an online gaming column for about five years--how's that for ahead of the curve?

One of the things I like best is that GamePro doesn't print rumors. I know that if I read it in GP, it's substantiated; I don't get that vibe from many of the other mags, who like to fill space with gossip coluns and pass it off as fact. Nor does GamePro cover non-game stuff (DVD reviews, new CD releases, pseudo-celebrity profiles) and call it content the way OPM, EGM, and just about all other mags seem to do lately. If it's in GamePro, it's because it has relevance to GAMES. As a result, I feel like I'm getting my money's worth as a gamer.

Some folks are turned off by GamePro's bright colors and use of cartoon characters for editors; I don't think it's a problem, because it's enterataining and nobody's hiding behind those animated faces. The GP editors are unusually accessible--they answer their email personally and show up on public websites/game servers all the time, and I've seen them discuss exactly how their magazine works on their website with their biggest fans and harshest critics alike. I don't know of any other game mag that does that, let alone one so successful. Never mind the animated faces--if you're looking for editorial accountability, you can't do better than that.

Bottom line, GamePro's earned my trust.

Great Magazine
An awesome mag which covers reviews,previews,codes, walkthroughs,news,letters from readers and helpfull info about games.great in many perspectives and quite cheap.
EGM is better for reviews,previews,news and letters.

Great information....and affordable.
One thing that I like about GamePro magazine is the un-bias reviews. They do not review a game such as Final Fantasy always with good reviews just because of the fan base. They are honest with their opinions and review each game singally for what it is and don't just call it "Good" just because the sequels or prequels are good.
Some may argue that it is not as good of a magazine because it talks about all the systems even ones you may not have. Well, I find that to be inspiring to buy new systems and it also shows that GamePro doesn't say the game is good, just based on the system.

I sometimes have problems with magazines such as Nintendo Power, Playstation, ect...not because they are bad magazines, but because their opinions seemed to be based on advertising. Of course Nintendo Power is going to say good things about a Nintendo game...that's what the magazine is about, and if Nintendo Power would say something bad about a Gamecube or GBA game, it definately would not be a good one to buy.
With GamePro on the other hand, you get real opinions. It is a magazine for all systems.
There are special sections for several types of games, RPG, sports, ect. They include Previews, Reviews, and a chart to show their ratings based on a 5 point review.
The artwork and color inside is great and shows good pictures from the games. Information is interesting, updated, and the reviewers are very good writers.

It's a truthfull magazine with great information, pictures, and definately affordable. I paid $19.95 for my first subscription and renewed it for $12.00, so that's a great deal!

Good only if you own all the systems
Gamepro is a good source if you own a PC, GBA, Gamecube, Xbox, and PS2, but if you own only one or 2 of those, then you would be better off subscribing to a more focused magazine, like OPM or PSM (for PS2). It is very broad, which makes sense because it covers 5 systems. I only own PS2 and PC (I have a GBA but only use it on car trips or on a plane), so it doesn't do much for me.

If I could give negative stars....
This magazine is just plain horrible. I have been receiving it for about 4 years now, and each year, Gamepro gets signifigantly worse. I subscribe to all major gaming mags (OPM, EGM, CGW) and this is the worst by far.

Visuals and Durability- It's horrible. The new "redesign" is an eyesore and it makes the mag almost impossible to look at. To make it worse, Gamepro is printed on really cheap paper that is flimsy and rips easy. It feels like fax paper! Every month, Gamepro comes to me with at least 5 rips in the pages or cover. The screenshots of games look to be of the lowest resolution possible. And, the mag is over 50% ads!! Not even good ones- crappy ones for crappy games that no one has even heard of.

Previews- Gives little information, and very poorly written. They fail to make the stories even remotely interesting or engaging. The other mags (OPM and EGM) have about twice as much info on games. The only preview I have found of any use in the past 2 years of Gamepro was about The Bard's Tale. Isn't 18 bucks a year expensive for 1 helpful preview?

Reviews- Utterly useless. These are a joke. I have been burned numerous times by buying crappy games that Gamepro rates good. It seems that every damn game gets a 4 out of 5, whether that game is ATV Offroad Fury (good) or Mickey's Crapstravaganza (hmm let's think about that one). I think I could send them an empty box that says "Gamepro Sucks" all over it, and they would rate it a 4 out of 5. The lame names of the reviewers don't help much either. Dan Elektro? Four Eyed Dragon? D-Pad Destroyer? What kind of sad crap is that?!?!?

Covers- Surprisingly, the cover art is generally good, probably to sucker people into buying a magazine that shouldn't even be used as a firestarter. Once you get past that pretty cover everything goes downhill. Fast.

Why anyone would like this magazine is beyond me. I have repeatedly tried to cancel my subscription, only to be greeted the next month with an unwelcome present. I would rather the mailman put dog crap through my mail slot than this "magazine".
There is one redeeming quality: If you really hate someone who plays a lot of games, you can give this to them as a present. Then you can watch them cry after they waste their money on some crap that Gamepro said was good. Otherwise, if you're looking at subscribing to a multiplatform gaming mag, get EGM. It's got good reviews, funny articles and sure as hell beats the crap out of this trash. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

BEWARE THE PAIZO PUBLISHING
I come from Europe. I learned that if you subscribe to Dungeon from Paizo, you take an extra adventure. Well, I have subscribed myself in August 2003, they charged my credit card $100 (thats what they charge the Europian readers) and they have send me nothing. I want to notice that I have subscribed to Paizo and not to Amazon.com. I have send many emails to them, but they don't reply at all. Then I have learned that they have done this to many other people around the world. So, I have lost my money, but at least I want to tell all of you to be careful, if you subscribe to Paizo's magazines.

Sorry, Dungeon
In the past, during second edition AD&D's publication or during the first year of third edition D&D, I would have given this product a solid five stars, never questioning if that was the right amount of stars or if it was too high. However, within the last year or so, Dungeon was sold by WoTC and bought by a company that appears determined to prevent the magazine from being useful. They have combined it with Polyhedron magazine which is either blatently useless to me, as a DM for third edition D&D, or appears to be a Dragon-lite.

They decided to go to a monthly publication, and once I would have celebrated over this; however, with their new publication schedule it appears that on their old bimonthly schedule they actually produced more adventures (and longer ones) than their combined two-month output nowadays. I bought one magazine, in the last year, which contained only one adventure. I was then informed inside the magazine that those who subscribed had gotten two adventures. Thanks for making sure those of us who choose to support our local gaming and comic book stores get punished, Dungeon.

I know that I am not the only dissatisfied customer as so many of their mail messages for a few months were from people who had the same complaints I do. They appear not to care about these complaints which were raised repeatedly. I have basically given up on this product, though I will occasionally give it a buy to determine if I should go back to picking it up regularly.

What is truly strange is that Dragon, alternatively, appears to have become a much better product within the last year. If you have the money to spare, I'd recommend picking up Dragon magazine rather than Dungeon.

Not Sure If Adventures Are Play Tested Before Publication
I used to get Dungeon mag, but found that many published adventures was either too easy or too advanced for suggested player charecter levels. Of course it is not hard to figure out what levels is more apprpriate for the adventure, but the publishers should require the material that they published to be play tested first and maybe pre-generated characters that was used for play testing (some games allow for alot of magic and magic items while others do not and that also determines the levels needed to play an adventure). I give 3 stars as this downfall can be worked around, but it is not worthy of me giving a full 5 stars to because of what I said above.

For every DM
Dungeon magazine is full of all kinds of usefull information and module ideas. Even if you don't end up using one of the published adventures word for word, it is still a useful resource for ideas. You can find all kinds of innovative traps and encounters within the pages that will challenge whatever level players you may toss them at. I highly recommend it!

Very Very Kewl
I am not a big fan of pre published adventures, however I have always picked up a copy once in awhile incase I have DM's block. Now I have especially gotten them because of the Polyhedron Mag on the flipside of Dungeon. Which have been really really kewl. To date my favorate have been a Pulp Heroes rules, the preview of D20 Modern Shadow Chasers, and Mecha Crusade. Basically Polyhedron every two months brings you a new d20 setting or mini-game of some sort, most of which have been fairly good. It really gives more bang for your Dungeon buck, because you can use the new rules for ideas for your D&D game, or a new campaign entirely. Kewl stuff. The adventures in Dungeon are top notch, and especially with the new 3rd Edition adventures all have been pretty good. To be honest, I personally would rather have a subscription to Dungeon, than Dragon magizine... but you can't do wrong with both! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

The only gaming mag for me
I've been an (on and off) reader of CGM since some of the early days, when they were still called "Computer Games Strategy Plus" and before 3D games really came abroad. And, stating that, I use CGM as the basis of comparison for all other gaming magazines. I've always been impressed by their open, honest opinion of games; not afraid to point out a stinker regardless of hype. Even if I don't agree with a particular review, I consider their point of view on the subject and still get something out of it. And I, at least, find their writing to be humourous and enjoyable. I could now talk about what it is I don't like about other magazines, but instead I shall say that CGM is by far my favourite. So if you're ready for something new, give it a shot. It's not the same old fodder.

Bad reviews
Their magazine tries to be funny - but it fails miserably so. Besides, they did not honor the 9.99 offer for the magazine. They charged me the full $19.99 - which I wouldnt mind paying as long as they write quality reviews. This magazine is pointless.

Solid magazine
I found this magazine in a subscription catalog years ago and have been subscribing to it ever since. The magazine is simple and covers all the latest games and major hardware in its previews, reviews, and hardware sections. The previews/reviews themselves are well-written and a good read; the regular editorials are usually funny/interesting. Cover stories and featured articles are very in-depth and have much to offer.

One minor gripe: Some game reviews appear later in CGM than other mags, but I believe I saw once in a previous issue's FAQ section that while other mags may use beta or incomplete versions of games for their reviews, CGM uses the final build of each game, therefore a reason for why they're later. Cannot verify this though..

Overall a very solid mag with an affordable price; worth a subscription.

EEehhh
I have to admit that I owned both PC Gamer and Computer Games Magazine. I would chose PC Gamer over it any day of the week. The reason? Well, their reviews are just pretty stupid. They aren't funny, to begin with, but they also really aren't as "professional" as PCG. They aren't funny at all, which is one of the reasons why I stick with PCG, but also, their reviews are unfair. I have seen two terrible things occur with CGM. To begin, they did a review on Civilization 3. It got five stars (which I think is a terrible way to rate games! Every POINT counts!), and the pros were everything, and the cons were nothing! I could say a lot of cons about Civ3. The large maps are too taxing on smaller systems, there is no multiplayer (unless you buy the expansion), etc. Just because there was a lot of hype about the game DOES NOT mean that you can give games PERFECT SCORES. NO GAME is perfect.

Lastly, I saw a game review (don't remember exactly what it was called) that bugged me. It was an online racing game. They said that the game was laggy and buggy, and also had only circular tracks. They were completely wrong. Firstly, PCG gave it a rating of 80, while CGM gave it two starts. Secondly, my best friend has the game and said it was completely false. I can prove this because when I played it I played a very complex track.

To conclude, this mag is dirt mixed in sugar water compared to PCG. This is almost worthless compared to the hailing king!

Pleasantly Surprising
I've found Computer Games Magazine to be a great alternative to other, bigger publications. PC Gamer is probably the hands-down big boy on the block. However, I've grown weary of the dumbed-down writing and inside jokes.

Computer Games Magazine offers a more intelligent alternative. The reviews and editorials are well-written and (I'm shocked to say this) thought-provoking. What it lacks in flashy graphics and sidebars it more than makes up for in content. Screenshots are not all that important to me. If they were so pertinent, I'd buy games based on the screenshots on the retail box! The writing is much more important to me.

The only real weakness I see with the magazine is that it gets the bigger reviews a little bit later than magazines like PC Gamer. The demos on the CD are not always all that great either. However, the reviews, I've found, are spot on. They don't appear to play favorites; when you're spending money on a game it's nice to know you've seen an honest review that leaves you informed as opposed to just dazzled. ... Read more