'EGM' How a gaming magazine SHOULD BE!

To me video game magazines are everywhere. The top 5 would be GamePro, Game Informer, Playstation mag, PSM, and Xbox magazine. Oh wait. Electronic Gaming Monthly. I really wish I had found this magazine sooner. Once I picked up a copy at the store I couldn't resist subscribing. My other subscriptions have pretty much been handed to me via birthday and GameStop. EGM is a mag you'll want to own if you're the gamer type. EGM has personality, originality, and content to keep you reading for hours.

At its heart EGM is a video game mag and nothing more. Just what you'd want from a mag with this title. The front cover of EGM is chosen more wisely than most. Usually they put something on the cover that people want to read about. Unlike Game Informer EGM will show pictures of consoles on the front page, main image if I might add. Kind of daring but they let you know what's being covered right from the get go. Just to inform you EGM covers all the current consoles, handhelds, and PC games.

Now for the inside, which is where, EGM truly sells (like a magazine should). The editors all use real names although shortened for simplicity. There are about 10-15 guys and maybe a girl. EGM like most magazines has letters in the very front. They do a good job of bashing what the people say but I guess it's more entertaining that way, unless you're being bashed. Moving on there is the game previews. Just about every competitor has this, obviously, and EGM does a good job of presenting a telling it like it is. One thing I really like is how they aren't afraid to let you know ahead of time if the game is going to be a stinker. They did a good job of this in their E3 issue. (Electronic Entertainment Expo). Plus there isn't too much biased thoughts going around. EGM says what's on their mind like it or not.

My favorite part of this magazine is the unique content that's added in. Odd articles about comparing customer service in game stores, testing how well those internet give aways are, stuff like that gives this magazine what the others don't. Originality. They also have extensive coverage of lots of games that aren't out and they have done a great job of covering the next generation consoles (PS3, Xbox 360, Revolution).

On to the most important aspect of a game magazine, the reviewing procedure. From the start they give a page or two explaining what they do and how they rate. Three people at a time give their score and a couple paragraphs of the good and bad. This scoring does a much better job of giving a good idea about the game. Similar scores are common. But every once in a while the three may disagree slightly. In my opinion more than one view gives you a better look at the product. It's almost like a mini epinions.com. Ok very, very, mini. Anyway the reviewers do a good job in their writing. One thing I love is how they never slack off reviewing. Every game is treated fairly with the three scores and every game gets it's fair share of page space. Something Game Informer could do more often.

For me Electronic Gaming Monthly is the best gaming mag on the market. It's loaded with tons of stuff you'll actually want to read. Plus the guys running it are not biased jerks. The format and presentation is not the flashiest but it's more laid back. The overall length is great too. They pack as much content into every issue as much as they can. A few strategy guides would be nice but you can't have everything. Looking for gaming info then your only a postage stamp away.