The fun factor on this post: 5.0.
LOL!
Wonder how many people will recognize that icon/scoring system.
I want to say EGM was kind of "the king" of gaming magazines for a while during the reign of the printed magazine era but I think Gamepro had a more broader appeal and us such catered more readily to the casual gaming market.
Took a trip back to my old dojo and found a few boxes of videogame magazines from back in the day.
It didn’t really dawn on me until I was taking out pile after pile of boxes that the sheer amount of big-name videogame magazine titles that were once staples of our gaming world are nowhere to be heard of in today’s common gaming vocabulary.
-You’re just realizing this now, Ninja?-
Titles like Electronic Gaming Monthly, Gamepro, and a myriad of others now seem like old relics of the past rather than the pillars of gaming notoriety each once stood for.
It goes without saying that the digital age is the reason for the now defunct and archaic world of print so it just made it all the more tantalizing as my eyes scanned over each glossy cover before diving in.
I know it sounds strange but there was something “powerful” about looking through those old images again. It wasn’t just the nostalgia playing up in my head but something more. A kind of connection, one that is in some ways lost today in the fast pace instantaneous world we live in today.
-Okay, Ninja. We get it. Today’s world sucks and everything in the past was better.-
Not at all.
Things are way better now when you think about it. Back then we had to wait 2 to 3 months for coverage on the latest news and gossip on our favorite developers and games; things that nowadays we get at the instant tap of our fingertips.
Today we know the second a developer unveils to the world their new wares (think E3.) at the same time everyone else in the world does (editors, gaming journalists, etc...). Back then such a world could only be dreamed up of in the most outlandish science fiction movies/novels. So, NO… things definitely weren’t better back then; at least not as it pertains to information, tech, etc…
But still, there was something amazing about fingering (-Ha! You said fingering, Ninja!-) through the various pages, advertisements and all, in an attempt to decipher and pick through information that screamed to readers about what new game or piece of hardware was the next big thing everyone would be talking about.
The other things that few people ever talk about was the unbelievable pieces of artwork that littered the covers and insides of these “out of date” pieces of gaming. While not every magazine used this as a selling point there were a notable groups of mags that seemed to pride themselves on stellar pieces of art that today just seems to be lost.
Gaming publications like GameFan and Gamer’s Republic were known for having “stop in your tracks” pieces of art that screamed at the hearts of young and impressionable gamers. Images that subconsciously demanded they pick that latest issue off that convenience store shelf and take it home. I can tell you personally that looking at certain covers for myself (now.) instantly brought with it a cascade of memories as well as a detailed recollection of just what exactly was behind each cover.
I know that a fair amount of what I’m talking about is pure nostalgia (-A fair amount, Ninja? How about… All!-) but for those of us out there that lived through this “prehistoric” time it was something special.
Giantbomb community, I know the pictures I’ve enclosed aren’t the best but how many of you actually remember some of the issues on display?
Are there any specific memories any of these covers bring back?
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