PC Games Mags

PHB · 19-02-2001 1:33am #1

I up to 2day have bought PC Zone, every month, for the last 2 years, used to buy computer shopper but then they lost all there demos, and until 2day i was in the view that it was a good magazine which had a good opinon on games and the reviews were genrally excellently written.

I have been slagged off about this by a lot of ppl, noticable shinji who seemed to be offended when i said pc zone 0wnz pc gamer sucks. in the write in section 2day this guy made a comment on how they constintally use the pharse "it is turn based but dont let that put you off" or "The graphics are'nt great but dint let that put you off". they defended it very well by saying as a magazine that constintally say CM3 is great i dont see where your coming from

they just lost practically half there readers from that comment alone, so i would like to know what mags u all read? or is PC Gamer the only choice(£7 God)

Lenny · 19-02-2001 1:43am

How much is PC Zone and is it Irish ?
I think I am getting it mixed up with some other mag ..

PHB · 19-02-2001 1:45am

mixed up. tis english and if u look around u can get it for £4

Shinji · 19-02-2001 1:54am

Zone DOES suck, the guys who write for it are genuinely clueless. Disclaimer: I've never worked for Gamer *or* Zone, I have no particular love of Future (especially since they just ditched a number of my mates in the mag closures, bah) or anything, but Gamer is the only good consumer-oriented games mag out there. PCGW used to be good, but it's been killed off and replaced by "PC Gameplay", which UTTERLY sucks. PC Format is aimed at 12 year olds, they still think saying "willy" is hilarious.

EDGE have gone downhill, but they're still quite good if you want an inside track and can put up with their blatantly inaccurate reviews and arrogant, overbearing tone.

Otherwise, erm, just read Eurogamer or something

tHE vAGGABOND · 19-02-2001 10:04am

not that your biased in any way at all

Listen, its simple, read what you enjoy FFS! If you enjoy and trust reading the games reviews in Womans Weekly then buy womans weekly. Dont buy something because some hack you have never met says one is better than another.

I have herd this **** that Edge is the be all and end all of games mags for years, and that it is the actual cutting enge, but in my opinion, no matter how other may judge my opinion, I hate their games reviews. On the other hand I read PC Zone for the first 2 yers it was out and used to buy games based on what they said. Now I did buy some crap (Tornado for the 386 being one I could have done without!) but that happens!

TBH tho games mags tend to be expensive and a bit behind these days when you have almost hundreds of web sites reviewing hardware and software these days as they come out, and the mags review it 2 months later. They have 'Exclusive' demos on thier disks that everyone has downloaded ages ago, again they are a month behind. Thats why I dont buy them.

[This message has been edited by tHE vAGGABOND (edited 19-02-2001).]

WhiteWashMan · 19-02-2001 10:20am

i read pc gamer as its genuinely entertaining.
and it has that nice dvd on the front with lots of patches so i dont have to waste half my life downloading them.
im not interested in the latest demo or whatever, but the articales are interesting, and its not all fps or rts stuff.
and i also think kieron the guy that gets slagged of every month, really knows what hes talking about. comes across as a bit of a know it all, but actually has something to say for himself. reminds me of shinji in the pub after a few really...

LegacyUser · 19-02-2001 11:07am

I Read pc gamer a lot I would prefare it to most others but not like shinji after the pub more like before the pub (joke)

www.nethousegames.com

Kali · 19-02-2001 11:23am

haha i remember Pc Zones review of Tornado

I Think Simon The Sorcerer was in the same issue...

tHE vAGGABOND · 19-02-2001 11:59am

If I remember correct the demo disk that issue was Simon..

Shinji · 19-02-2001 12:56pm

reminds me of shinji in the pub after a few really...

I'd be horribly insulted if this wasn't obliquely comparing me to one of the best games journalists in Europe

Thanks... er... I think...

Jelvon · 19-02-2001 7:27pm

wots so funny about pc zone's review of tornado? if I remember roght they gave it a good mark , as for the demo floppy I was most disappointed with it , simon just simply refused to run on my 386..

ThunderingMike · 19-02-2001 8:36pm

In all fairness, Zone does not have half the pretention of Gamer. I prefer Gamer ultimately, but it falls down by being a maybe a little too consumer orientated. Plus Zone score big for reviewing Black and White first. And lets not have any of that 'not even the final version' prodding that even Gamer layed on Zone. The game is as good as finished and some of their reviews have been bang on the mark (the Half-Life review stands out in ones mind).

Still though, it is hard not to be amused by the annoyingly old Kieron Gillen pokes and nearing directionless paragraphs at the start of every review.

I've seen some ****ed up **** in my time here:

ThunderingMike

Shinji · 19-02-2001 8:38pm

Plus Zone score big for reviewing Black and White first.

Yes, reviewing a very incomplete beta against the express wishes of Peter Molyneux and Lionhead Studios. They certainly score big on the w4nker scale for that one alright.

PHB · 19-02-2001 8:40pm

Speaking of good ol simon, ne1 got his new game, i heard it was beyond crap, ne1 get it?

ThunderingMike · 19-02-2001 8:51pm

Originally posted by Shinji:
reviewing a very incomplete beta

I think the word very is kind of inapproproate but you are right. It may have been unethical to review the beta but A) We cannot all afford 8 or 9 quid for Gamer,

that review is going to sell many Zone magazines regardless of whether or not the game is fully completed and C) there is enough content in the magazine to warrant buying it. Again, not as much as gamer but it can hold its own.

I've seen some ****ed up **** in my time here:

ThunderingMike

Lex_Diamonds · 19-02-2001 9:09pm

Why buy magazines when you have the net? You can get all the news you want for a fraction of the cost.

The only reason I still buy mags is if there is a particularily good demo.

Jimi-Spandex · 19-02-2001 11:04pm

Well, I have been reading PCG for a good number of years, since issue 25, twas one with Duke Nukem 3d on the cover, holy sh!t thats over 5 years, well i guessed you already know which I prefer, I have read PCZone (Alright) and PCFormat (Not too bad) and ocasionally Edge (Seem to be on the inside track but seem too Sony orientated for my liking).
Well there's my 2 cents.

Max : There's nothing here! I want my money back!
Sam : We didn't pay anything...
Max : Well, someone'd better give me some money...

Mills · 20-02-2001 12:39am

I used to read Gamer a lot, had a subscription for 2 years or so but when I got a pc of my own it became a lot more cost-effective to read reviews/previews/articles online, £7 a month is pretty hefty.

Oh by the way, I had an e-mail published in the "In short" section of the letters about 2 years ago, "Kieron Gillen scares me, I think I've seen him on crimewatch" or something to that affect

Hobbes · 20-02-2001 12:15pm

PC Zone have a website.

Here is the B+W review

Venom · 20-02-2001 4:56pm

PC Gamer is soooo much a better mag than PC zone which is as much use as sh!te on a stick for info on the quality of a game.

As for the Black and White review I would have though after all the grief they got over the years for claiming to review the full version of a game only to later claim is was an almost finished beta they would have learned there lession.

They got caught big time on both Elite Frontier II (last Elite game mad) and Ultima 9 amoung others over the years.And will claim anything to get a few saps to buy there rag.

Panda · 20-02-2001 5:54pm

I've always read and liked PCZONE but thats because i've always bought it.

I doubt i have one copy of PC Gamer.
Zone nearly always have good demos and in depth 'exclusive' reviews.

The last issue was good with lots of add-ons for CS and good demos.

Fidelis · 22-02-2001 5:03pm

PC ZONE is quite good, no in fact, it's very good, miles better than PC GAMER, I bought PCG first, then moved to PCZ when I realised how mundane, immature and expensive PCG was.

As for Shinji, he has to say good things for PCG or they'll never let him write for them

Nil Desperandum

Monty - the one and only · 22-02-2001 9:24pm

What I would gladly give to be able to get pczone or the (uk)PC gamer....The american version of the mag is $12-13 after tax. its half the size if its uk counterpart and every second page is an advertisement...
Out of 123 pages 69 pages are adds which to put it mildly is down right pathetic...

Shinji · 22-02-2001 10:04pm

Fidelis, I've never worked for Gamer and, er, can't, because my contract prevents me from working for consumer mags

Zone is written by a pack of amateurish children; they don't have any real interest in or love for games, and you get utter twonks like that Steve Hill w*anker set loose to talk sh|te about stuff he knows nothing about. Gamer can be a bit holier than thou, but at least they usually know exactly what they're on about.

bugler · 22-02-2001 10:40pm

gamer is better, and dearer.cover disks seem to be better too. PC zone crew did seem to be w@nkers,im not basing this on the writing, when i used to play CS on their servers way back in april/may(when i was a newbie) some of them who were apparently members of the crew used to come on and were not very nice.big bástards.

Belisarius · 22-02-2001 11:19pm

PCG owns PCZ , hands down , Its got far Superior coverdisks content and genuine humour !... What I mean to say is , I read PCG for the Editors notes than for the fairy soft reviews , I mean NOLF aint that good

, They have excellent cover disks ...They had that brilliant Sev Demo before PCZ had even mentioned the game

Time waits for No man ...except Bob MaClean the Sex Machine

PiE · 23-02-2001 8:47pm

Personally I think Digitiser on Channel4 Teletext Page 480 is the best. They give honest reviews because they don't rely on advertisements from the people who's games they are reviewing. As such they are not afraid to slate a game if it's bad.