I think I'll be sad when my GamePro subscription runs out, for I'll have less to read (though not much less.. is there a page minimum that must be achieved to officially be a magazine and not a pamphlet?) and definitely less to gripe about here. I think my last issue will be the May 2008 one, but with the renewal notices that have been bombarding me, you'd think it was much closer. I fear for my mailbox when the real end is near.
So, in the Jan 2008 issue (Do they need to date periodicals so far in advance these days? I'm sure the post-dating had something to do with slower delivery times of the past. Nowadays, it makes magazines look even worse because it's already older than info online the date it hits the stands.) GamePro gives their top rating of 5-out-of-5 to several games, such as Call of Duty 4 and Super Mario Galaxy... how to break this tie to choose their game of the month award? By giving it to a game they only rate 4.75, of course!
Mass Effect wins Game Of The Month in GamePro, despite them complaints from the review about the terrible A.I. problems. And they don't even mention the frequent loading and sparse interactivity that has brought down the enjoyment for me. Not to mention it's seems like "just another" one of Bioware's RPG titles. Sure, it is a great game, with a huge amount of things to do... but in light of other games out there: not GOTM material. Especially since the reviewer of Call Of Duty 4 literally writes, "There is really nothing bad I can say about this game."
Someone explain this to me?
Showing posts with label GamePro Magazine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GamePro Magazine. Show all posts
Monday, December 10, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Sincerest Form of Skimming Ideas
As it may seem like I only read magazines that I don't really like... well, they pass the time anyway.
I have a subscription to GamePro magazine. I had heard they had coupons for Best Buy, so I found a good deal and subscribed. I thought I saw a coupon in the first issue, but when it came time to use it, I could not find it again. And there has not been any since.
I've not liked GamePro too much from the get-go. They fill space with giant pictures, random blurbs and other odds and ends, and yet they are light on the page count.
Until recently, all the writers performed under gamertag pen-names. They now go by real names, but as far as anyone knows they could be pseudonyms as well... They hid behind anonymity so long, the trust of honesty is gone.
That last point may seem a bit hypocritical for someone calling himself "meager"... but I am internet exclusive. Using your real name online gives off a sense of egotism, as if people should know you because you put your name in the headline at the top of your page. Using a pseudonym usually (and in my case) is just there to help tie together work from different sites and forums.
My biggest criticism with GamePro: It's not better than Game Informer, which I get free with my Gamestop discount card.
Anyhoo, the point I want to make has nothing to do with GamePro directly. It just happens to be an article in the December issue of said magazine.
Page 34: The Best Game You Never Heard Of: Prototype. Prototype is an upcoming game about a transforming killing machine. The article says "Mercer can morph his body into a weapon, such as massive claws..." and "With every life he takes, Mercer consumes their abilities, even physical appearance, becoming more powerful with each intellectual being he devours."
Readers of the superb long-time webcomic Sluggy Freelance may recognize this description as fitting a character known as Dr Crabtree... except the gender. A similar creation is not unheard of, but combined with the design of Heavenly Sword's main protagonist closely mirroring another Sluggy character, Oasis... it seems as if video game companies are fishing through creator Pete Abrams' archives.
Not a pleasant possibility. But perhaps it could lead to some game company actually approaching Pete directly to infuse some of his great ideas into a decent video game. Here's hoping.
I have a subscription to GamePro magazine. I had heard they had coupons for Best Buy, so I found a good deal and subscribed. I thought I saw a coupon in the first issue, but when it came time to use it, I could not find it again. And there has not been any since.
I've not liked GamePro too much from the get-go. They fill space with giant pictures, random blurbs and other odds and ends, and yet they are light on the page count.
Until recently, all the writers performed under gamertag pen-names. They now go by real names, but as far as anyone knows they could be pseudonyms as well... They hid behind anonymity so long, the trust of honesty is gone.
That last point may seem a bit hypocritical for someone calling himself "meager"... but I am internet exclusive. Using your real name online gives off a sense of egotism, as if people should know you because you put your name in the headline at the top of your page. Using a pseudonym usually (and in my case) is just there to help tie together work from different sites and forums.
My biggest criticism with GamePro: It's not better than Game Informer, which I get free with my Gamestop discount card.
Anyhoo, the point I want to make has nothing to do with GamePro directly. It just happens to be an article in the December issue of said magazine.
Page 34: The Best Game You Never Heard Of: Prototype. Prototype is an upcoming game about a transforming killing machine. The article says "Mercer can morph his body into a weapon, such as massive claws..." and "With every life he takes, Mercer consumes their abilities, even physical appearance, becoming more powerful with each intellectual being he devours."
Readers of the superb long-time webcomic Sluggy Freelance may recognize this description as fitting a character known as Dr Crabtree... except the gender. A similar creation is not unheard of, but combined with the design of Heavenly Sword's main protagonist closely mirroring another Sluggy character, Oasis... it seems as if video game companies are fishing through creator Pete Abrams' archives.
Not a pleasant possibility. But perhaps it could lead to some game company actually approaching Pete directly to infuse some of his great ideas into a decent video game. Here's hoping.
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