PC game mags

M

Mister Natural

2[H]4U
Joined
Oct 10, 2002
Messages
3,441
#1.) Has anyone actually received a refund for remaining issues of GFW magazine? I called them about 3 or 4 weeks ago and it appeared there would not be a problem getting a refund, but still awaiting that check. I know it may take the peverbial "4 - 6 weeks", but just wondering.

#2). I still like getting a mag to read once a month. Is PC Gamer the only option now?
 
I've been getting PC Gamer for years. I love the mag and I trust their reviews.
 
I miss coconut monkey. I still have the poster of him from all those game screen shots from long long ago.

Haven't read PC Gamer in years though.
 
I thought the subscription was going to be transfered to EGM but I haven't gotten an issue yet. I miss comparing PC Gamer reviews to GFW. They were usually pretty close though so sticking with PCG only isn't that bad.
 
I'm surprised people think so highly of PC Gamer... I think it's complete crap and wish I never subscribed. If you like your magazines littered with full page ads that often span two or more pages, mobile phone game coverage and even more advertising in the form of fake covers, I'd say go for it. Otherwise, there really isn't much content, and each issue I've received this year has been thinner than the last. It's mostly fluff.

If you're just looking for toilet material / eye candy or you own a console / handheld, try Game Informer. Decent PC coverage and way more professional with a shitload more content.
 
I agree that there is a lot of fluff in PCG and it has gone down hill since the days of 600 page goliath issues like there were in 1998 (Still got my Duke Forever issue somewhere)

I've been getting it for the past 10 years now and it's had it's ups and downs but I think it's on the incline again. The Vede should not have been Editor in Chief that much I can tell you.
 
PC Gamer is the only one I read..yes its had its ups and downs but its still the best gamer mag out there.
 
stereoD said:
I'm surprised people think so highly of PC Gamer... I think it's complete crap and wish I never subscribed. If you like your magazines littered with full page ads that often span two or more pages, mobile phone game coverage and even more advertising in the form of fake covers, I'd say go for it. Otherwise, there really isn't much content, and each issue I've received this year has been thinner than the last. It's mostly fluff.

If you're just looking for toilet material / eye candy or you own a console / handheld, try Game Informer. Decent PC coverage and way more professional with a shitload more content.
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Editors have no control over ad space.
 
You can still get your GFW on through their weekly podcast, which IMHO is just about the best podcast on the web right now. Definitely the best games-related podcast. Shawn Elliot is my hero.
 
I feel disgusted with myself after reading PC Gamer; it's very trailer-trashy. Their reviews are good though and I read it in the toilet.
 
I stopped reading PC Gamer when that guy known as "The Vede" started to get more coverage. Still not sure why I didn't like Vederman but I still don't. I think he's the Editor in Chief now for the mag so it's a definite no go for me now.
 
PC Gamer is so juvenile and really caters to the teen crowd. I'm really going to miss GFW.
 
melkore said:
I thought the subscription was going to be transfered to EGM but I haven't gotten an issue yet. I miss comparing PC Gamer reviews to GFW. They were usually pretty close though so sticking with PCG only isn't that bad.
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Yea, I had a GFW subscription and I got a nice postcard last year, saying that they were adding my Computer Games subscription with GFW, so I had to 2011. So now what?

I'm waiting for the EGM postcard so I can cancel. I didn't sign up for EGM and will request a refund through proper channels.
 
No mag came close to PC Accelerator back in the day. Nearly nude chicks and computer games and tech aglore :-p I loved when they give a cd with pics of the ladies on it hehe
 
Has anyone read Total PC Gamer? I've read all the magazines that have been listed here and TPG is my favorite. If you're in Barnes and Noble (or other similiar places) find it on the shelf and take a look.
 
Now that GFW is gone I will just get all my info off the net. I liked it because it was only 5 bucks. These $10 magazines are trash.
 
phobic said:
I stopped reading PC Gamer when that guy known as "The Vede" started to get more coverage. Still not sure why I didn't like Vederman but I still don't. I think he's the Editor in Chief now for the mag so it's a definite no go for me now.
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The Vede is long gone now, his stint at EiC didn't last a year. There is a new EiC now but I forget her name. It's actually improving now. Pick one up and see if it's gotten any better for you.
 
phobic said:
I stopped reading PC Gamer when that guy known as "The Vede" started to get more coverage. Still not sure why I didn't like Vederman but I still don't. I think he's the Editor in Chief now for the mag so it's a definite no go for me now.
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So I guess I stopped reading it about the same time you did. It was bad enough having him do the hardware section. His computer builds were a joke, spending more on the sound card than the video card. He was crazy, or just Creative's bitch.
 
In all honesty, magazines are not worth subscribing too. The majority of the info you get in a magazine you can pull up for free and in a timelier manner. Game magazines used to be massive; not so much anymore. It was a great time back in the day reading up on gaming because at that point in time the magazines hadn't fully migrated to the web...
 
Kristen Salvatore is the new editors name and she is one helluva lot better then vederman ever was. I do think they have way too damn much advertising space. But their game reviews are usually spot on.
 
Kangg said:
Kristen Salvatore is the new editors name and she is one helluva lot better then vederman ever was. I do think they have way too damn much advertising space. But their game reviews are usually spot on.
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I agree completely. Kristen has done an excellent job. As far as the advertising goes, I think that's just something we'll just have to deal with. I'm sure more folks get reviews online, which means less magazine subscriptions. I honestly like being able to read a preview/review in hand as well as look online.
 
Whatever you do stay away from EGM, its utter crap.
Poor screenshots, and more reviews of anime style games that you would never even have heard of unless you opened the pages of that stupid mag
 
I was sad when GFW went under. I had lost faith in PC Gamer a long time ago, and while I still read it, it's just for pure entertainment. Their hardware guys always seemed to talk out their ass, and their exclusive reviews? Hm... What did Hellgate London get, a 6 page review and an 88% or something? Yeah...

So, I'm going to pimp GFW online. Shawn Elliot is a riot. Sean Malloy however is gone. :( But between Shawn and Jeff, they run a great podcast. It's my favorite one to listen to. Even if I didn't care for the reviews that month, I really enjoyed the articles. Tom vs Bruce was always worth a laugh.

My absolute favorite magazine for computer stuff though, was Computer Games. It felt very adult and I remember really liking the reviews.

And as far as EGM goes? They need to get Shane Bettenhausen out. He's the biggest Japanese fanboy who, when he talks, you can hear the fanboy blinders in his voice. He speaks like a giant Sony fanboy and when he talks about other systems, he does so condescendingly. I could be mistaken, but I recall him gloating over the closing of GFW, calling the death of PC gaming. If I didn't have free subscriptions to EGM for like... life, I wouldn't pay for it. Not unless they put the GFW staff on it in a PC gaming section.

So... pretty please, throw http://www.1up.com/do/pubs?did=4 GFW Online some traffic love? I don't want their podcast to go bye bye. I want to hear more stories of Shawn Elliot's meth head brother. Oh! And more stories of Shawn Elliot's online antics in Second Life.
 
if "the vede" still is is any part of pc gamer then i want no part of it.. he's always been obnoxious and annoying.. i pretty much stopped resubscribing to all my mags.. i used to be a proponent but i dont feel like spending the extra cash and if i have any free time i'll just go online..
 
I read PC Gamer.. but it's the UK version. I've bought the US version on a couple of occasions and I prefer the UK one (it seems that sometimes, the UK articles are syndicated to the US, although I've not seen it happen in reverse). I could get reviews online, but I like their writing style and they have some articles which go beyond reviews which I enjoy, like new perspectives on old games, mod/indie features and, for example, an article in the latest issue in which the author was challenged to "find love" in MMORPGs.
 
Luthair said:
No mag came close to PC Accelerator back in the day. Nearly nude chicks and computer games and tech aglore :-p I loved when they give a cd with pics of the ladies on it hehe
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You brought back some great memories of magazines for me. I still have a bunch of old PC Accelerators including the last one with the black cover. I thought it was a joke that they were pulling; as they did so often. I was extremely dissappointed when they went under and handed me over to PC Gamer. That ad laden garbage was just annoying. I thought it wouldn't be too bad because I used to buy them when I was around 15 -around the time of FFVII's release- and they weren't too bad. After that disaster I basically gave up on magazines.
 
An interesting follow up on the GFW refund. Around the middle of April I went to the 1UP web site and requested a refund online. A week or 2 went by and I never heard back from them so I called them and it was at that time when I talked over the phone that they told me they would send a refund and would take 4 - 6 weeks. At that point I forgot all about the online contact at the web site. This past Friday 6/13 I just received an email confirming my original online request. So this will be interesting. I wonder if they'll send me 2 checks? :p
 
Got my refund check in the mail today. Not sure if it was from the original phone call in April or the email from June.
 
I still go for edge, they got some of th best cover arts and they cover consoles and PC
 
Hmm...I actually liked the Vede. He works for HP last I heard. There is a lady EIC at PC Gamer not. Kristen Salvatore? I like her reviews and think she's doing a fine job.
I missed Computer Gaming World of old. Remember Johnny? Those were the days :)
I also used to like an Amiga magazine (ok, so I'm old) called .INFO. Great magazine. Glossy ads, reviews, pictures.
Getting back on topic - I think PC Gamer is pretty good. I like the editorials in the back of the magazine. Desslock, etc have pretty good articles (IMHO).

It was a sad day when CGW became GFW. I knew it was bad. I also wasn't surprised when the magazine stopped. Sigh. I miss Jeff Green - he was a reliable person to read prose from while on the can :)
 
I used to really enjoy PC Gamer, but ever since they added the cell phone section and got more fluff and less games, it got worse. I eventually let my subscription expire. I also enjoy having a magazine or two to read at various times, so now I'm subscribing to PC Magazine. Not gaming, but still interesting.
 
Luthair said:
No mag came close to PC Accelerator back in the day. Nearly nude chicks and computer games and tech aglore :-p I loved when they give a cd with pics of the ladies on it hehe
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bboynitrous said:
You brought back some great memories of magazines for me. I still have a bunch of old PC Accelerators including the last one with the black cover. I thought it was a joke that they were pulling; as they did so often. I was extremely dissappointed when they went under and handed me over to PC Gamer. That ad laden garbage was just annoying. I thought it wouldn't be too bad because I used to buy them when I was around 15 -around the time of FFVII's release- and they weren't too bad. After that disaster I basically gave up on magazines.
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RIP

mag12.gif
 
Next Generation - RIP

That magazine was basically an acknowledgment that gaming had "arrived". A very adult centric and thick tome of what was really going on with nearly no hype bs.

When they conglomirated/were bought by... ?GamePro? or some magazine like that, quality content took a nosedive and it ended up closing down a year later. The remainder of my subscription came from PC Gamer, I believe.

I picked my son up a Nintendo Power on Saturday and was shocked to realize that Nintendo didn't own it anymore. Instead, it is published by EDGE Media and has ads and talks about other systems in their reviews. Plus, the usually ton of self created content is gone and it seems more of an Outsider magazine than an Insider.

The only game magazine subscriptions I have now is Game Informer since it came with the GameStop card and Game Developer.
 
Master Blaster said:
In all honesty, magazines are not worth subscribing too. The majority of the info you get in a magazine you can pull up for free and in a timelier manner. Game magazines used to be massive; not so much anymore. It was a great time back in the day reading up on gaming because at that point in time the magazines hadn't fully migrated to the web...
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Yup...I dont know why anyone would subscribe to a paper based magazine anymore, with access to the internet you can get all the news up to date on the hour with RSS feeds, multiple free reviews, diverse opinion, even get multimedia such as demos and trailers.

Hurrah for high speed broadband.
 
Frostex said:
...with access to the internet you can get all the news up to date on the hour with RSS feeds, multiple free reviews, diverse opinion, even get multimedia such as demos and trailers.
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Yup. I'm pulling in feeds from Shacknews, Kotaku and others into Google Reader and hitting them up on my phone every now and then. So, I'm never more than a few hours behind what's going on in the industry, and I can get my fix any place I can get a couple bars (which is actually proving to be more difficult than I had hoped).

But, I still like the mags. Staring at LCDs all day will eventually drive you batshit. PC Gamer's gone downhill if you ask me, but it's still worth the read if not exactly worth the price.
 
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