Gaming magazines I've read evaluated

I've read a lot of gaming magazines.
I've detailed how to create the ideal video game magazine.
Now to evaluate them the ones I've read.

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Arcade

Pros:
* good covers
* decent contents section
* decent layout and design
* good features
* amusing writing, if uninformative at times
* DVD, books, music, and gadget reviews
* competitions
* retro section

Cons:
* too much whitespace
* dumb titles for reviews

Verdict:
A great magazine that was taken from us too soon.
A short and sweet mag that flew too close to the sun.

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Australian Station

Pros:
* good covers
* free CD with demos and trailers per issue
* staff listing
* good design; coloured boxes for separate news items
* competitions
* good features
* separation of previews and reviews
* good buyers guide at the end

Cons:
* lackluster contents section
* too much whitespace
* too many imported games previewed
* reviews have too much text and not enough images
* confusing magazine layout: previews, reviews, then more previews?

Verdict:
Perhaps the best Aussie PlayStation mag.
A shame this didn't last very long: just 19 issues!

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Checkpoint

Pros:
* decent covers

* free

Cons:
* nothing but opinion pieces and essays

* no previews

* no reviews

* no staff listing

* the kids version is even worse

* words words words words

* not enough images

Verdict:
The worst gaming magazine I've ever read. It makes Edge look good.

It's free but you feel ripped off. Utter garbage. Irredeemable shit. Et cetera.

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Computer and Video Games

Pros:
* good covers
* staff listing, though it does become drawn Groillaz style in the early 2000s
* decent layout and design
* good features
* great reviews; lots of images and no walls of text

Cons:
* dumb titles for previews
* confusing order of sections
* not particularly funny/entertaining writing

Verdict:
A great magazine that proved why it lasted as long as it did.
It's left some mighty big shoes to fill.

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Console Plus

Pros:
* fairly decent contents page

* humorous comics, as in images of the staff with speech bubbles

* anime section (includes manga)

* good use of whitespace and coloured backgrounds

* heavy focus on Japanese import games (maybe a tad too much focus)

Cons:
* confusing mish-mash covers

* bizarre ordering: previews, tips, anime, then reviews 

* not enough games previewed per issue

* some previewed games use the game's logo (no consistency

Verdict:
A pretty good French magazine.

It lasted for a long time for a good reason: c'est bien!

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Edge

Pros:
* nice logo
* good range of previews
* consistency (though that's not a good thing considering the cons)
* Making Of sections

Cons:
* too much whitespace
* not enough images
* not enough reviews
* review scores are too harsh

* no writers credited for reviews, no accountability
* long boring walls of text
* snooty pretentious tone, no fun at all

* too political, particularly left-wing ideologies

Verdict:

One of the worst gaming magazines. How this drivel still gets readership is beyond me.
1994-2010 Edge > 2011-present Edge.

More ranting:

Edge magazine is so stupid.

They gave Horizon Forbidden West a 7/10 for repetitive gameplay and disappointing story.

Then they gave OlliOlli World a 9/10 even though it is more repetitive with a worse story.

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Electronic Gaming Monthly

Pros:
* staff photos and bios that change monthly
* good range of previews
* lots of reviews
* editor Dan Hsu is the most honest transparent editor I've seen for a gaming mag
* Seanbaby!
* other good features too
* Hsu and Chan comic (though it is very walls of text)

Cons:
* messy covers
* too many ads
* too many opinion pieces
* too much whitespace
* April Fools hoaxes

Verdict:
One of the best video game magazines during its run.
It was so good that it still lives in web form.

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Extreme PlayStation

Pros:

* lots of images
* humorous writing
* lots of previews and reviews

Cons:
* boring covers
* boring contents section
* too much whitespace
* no border lines to separate news items
* no clear separation of previews and reviews

Verdict:
An extremely mediocre magazine.
Went for substance but not style. Hire a better designer!

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Flux

Pros:
* radical design

* covers music and comics as well as games

* the "Don't Ever Do This" section had good pranking advice

Cons:

* the design can make things hard to read at times
* not enough coverage of games

* writing can be a bit much at times

Verdict:
A totally radical 90s magazine for the male demographic.

You probably wouldn't be able to get away with this these days. A great time capsule.

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Fun Generation

Pros:
* wide coverage of games previewed and reviewed
* bee mascot; weird but it's a mascot
* comic: Wonz, a teenage gamer who is rude, crude, and as dumb as your average gamer
* nice big images for previews and reviews
* lots of reviews per issue

Cons:
* messy covers
* bare basics contents page
* too much whitespace
* no borders separating news items and previews
* not enough whitespace for reviews
* had an entertainment section, reviewing movies and music, and then stopped immediately

Verdict:
A pretty good German multiformat magazine.
Had promise but wasn't the ubermensche it could've been.

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Game Informer

Pros:
* reader-submitted artwork
* not much whitespace; pages are busy with colour and images
* includes Gameshark codes in the cheats section

Cons:
* messy contents page
* confusing magazine layout; a review and walkthrough right after the letters section?
* mixes previews and reviews

Verdict:
A decent magazine but very messy and a pain to read.
Had these pages and sections been cleaned up this could have been a winner.

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GameFan

Pros:
* handdrawn cover artwork
* handdrawn unique artwork for the staff
* anime section
* imported games reviews
* reviews have multiple reviewers giving their own scores
* reader-submitted artwork
* comic strip, The Adventures of Monitaur, is a joy to read

Cons:
* messy covers
* sloppy pages with not enough whitespace
* mixes previews and reviews
* confusing layout; why put the news section at the end of the mag?

Verdict:

A good but very messy magazine. Were the designers on drugs?
It has its charms but its flaws lead to its eventual demise.

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GameFan reboot

Pros:

* busy pages full of images and colour

* emphasis on indie games

* anime section

* good separation of previews and reviews

* averaged score system

Cons:

* shitty contents page

* too many sections of content tilted at an angle

* lines separating content are too long

* game review scores are too generous

Verdict:

A very good rebirth but unfortunately it wasn't to last.

It's very messy and makes my eyes hurt but it is quality.

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GameNOW

Pros:
* good logo

* contents section is basic but it works

* staff listing

* good use of columns and coloured boxes

* good coverage of games, both consoles and computers

* hilarious sense of humour, especially the editor's comments

* previews and reviews have pros and cons

* separation of preview section and review section

* coloured boxes in review section colour-coded by console

* good cheats section, especially the walkthroughs and Action Replay codes

* Fan Club section, with neat features like fan art, lists, comics, and more

Cons:
* bland busy covers

* too much whitespace

* not enough industry news

* letter grades for review scores

* overly-generous reviews scores

* A bit too similar to Electronic Gaming Monthly (Sushi-X? Seriously?)

Verdict:
A great multi-format gaming mag that didn't last long.

It had much potential to be much better.

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GameOn

Pros:
* good covers
* formatted for optimum viewing (great on tablet)
* nicely designed; nice big pictures, good word flow
* good features, some of which are surprisingly based
* lots of previews and reviews

Cons:
* no contents section
* no separation of sections
* too much focus on indie games
* no proper end of each issue, it just ends

Verdict:
Probably the best gaming magazine these days.
If there's any contemporary magazine on this list I recommend, it's this and Retro Gamer.

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Game Players

Pros:
* pretty good contents page
* staff listing with humorous monthly bios
* lots of previews, including Japanese imports
* lots of reviews, including arcade games
* clear separation of previews and reviews
* very big cheats section

Cons:
* messy covers
* not enough whitespace
* too many ads
* messy reviews pages

Verdict:
A great magazine that is fun to read and probably as much fun to make.
As hilarious as it is to read, the schizophrenic design makes the eyes water.

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GamePro

Pros:
* an alright contents page (the Game Finder list is helpful)
* staff personas, while anonymous, makes for entertaining writing
* a comic strip in its early years
* covers lots of games
* quite expansive cheats and walkthroughs section

Cons:
* way too many ads
* not enough whitespace
* too many sections; one for sport games, one for RPGs...
* mixes up previews and reviews
* LamePro, a section I've never found amusing
* skipped numbering issues 81-90 to reach 100 issue before EGM and Nintendo Power

Verdict:
A pretty good magazine that boggles the mind on how it lasted as long as it did.
One of the biggest mags and for a good reason. One to check out.

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Gamers Republic

Pros:
* good covers
* good design with concern to image use and lack of whitespace
* hand drawn art
* good feature sections
* imports news and reviews
* anime news and reviews

Cons:
* piss poor contents page
* too many ads
* no clear separation of previews section and reviews section
* letter grade review scores

Verdict:
A great magazine that stood head and shoulders amongst others.
It was succeeded by Play (US).

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GamesMaster

Pros:
* good contents section, albeit messy
* staff listing with bios that update monthly
* great previews section; lots of images and no walls of text, as God intended!
* great reviews section; lots of images and no walls of text, as God intended!
* posters
* separation of previews and reviews (cheats section notwithstanding)
* gear, gadgets, and kit section
* reader-submitted ads for games sales (back before eBay took off)

Cons:
* messy covers
* confusing structure: reviews, cheats + walkthroughs, THEN previews?
* odd review scores at time

Verdict:
One of the best gaming magazines ever. No wonder it lasted 300+ issues.
If you were to launch your own gaming magazine, take notes from this master (heh).

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GamesTM

Pros:
* good covers
* an alright contents page
* pretty good page layout design
* decent features
* lots of images
* actual separation of previews and reviews
* retro games section
* big two-paged ingame image from a classic game

Cons:
* no date on the cover; the date is on the contents page
* the retro games section goes on for too long

Verdict:
A great magazine. Easy to see why it lasted over 15 years.
Another magazine to take notes from.

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GMR

Pros:
* good covers
* staff listing
* colour schemes for each section (news, previews, reviews, all different colours used)
* good previews and reviews with lots of images
* good balance of whitespace to colour
* good sense of humour
* retro section

Cons:
* sloppy contents section
* messy recommended games list
* the colours used, especially yellow, is harsh on the eyes

Verdict:
An excellent magazine that was too good for this world.
Only 25 issues! Thankfully they are fairly easy to find online.

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Hardcore Gamer

Pros:
* Lovely hand drawn cover art

* staff listing, though with avatars with art straight out of DeviantArt

* pretty good contents section, game index is a plus

* great page design, with plenty of images and use of background art

* interesting features

* retro section

* contents page for review section, with bonus drawn art

* use of the game's logo in reviews

* second opinion from another writer in reviews

* lots of reviews, especially mini-reviews ('Stubbies')

* otaku section: Japan happenings, anime reviews, cosplay, fan art

* bonus comic strips at the end of every issue

Cons:
* not enough whitespace

* console logo in reviews section is too small

* a bit short in length per issue

Verdict:
An amazing magazine, a beast, one of the best.

If it weren't for the internet it'll still be going. The website is also good too.

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Hardcore Gamers

Pros:
* good covers
* lots of images for previews
* good design and not so much whitespace
* reviews are from multiple people and the score averaged just like EGM

Cons:
* piss-poor contents section
* too much focus on fighting games
* reviews section is sloppily designed

Verdict:
A pretty mediocre niche gaming magazine.
Not very hardcore at all.

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Hyper

Pros:
* reviewed quite a lot of games per issue
* focused on local gaming businesses
* reviewed DVDs and anime (though not every issue did)

Cons:
* messy covers (until the final years)
* shitty political takes, such as anti-Gamergate
* too many opinion pieces
* too much whitespace
* too many themed issues in their twilight years

Verdict:
An excellent magazine that stood shoulder-to-shoulder among the greats.
Hyper did get pretty shit towards the end, where they did themes but no reviews.

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Joystick

Pros:
* pretty good covers

* free CD every issue with demos and other goodies

* lots of little 1-panel comics

* reviews have a pros and cons section

* reviews have little panels for more info or trivia or humour

Cons:
* boring contents page, yet efficient

* too much whitspace

* too much text, not enough text

* bizarre ordering: news, then reviews, then tips, then previews

* inconsistent page count

Verdict:
A great French gaming magazine that lasted a long time for being good.

It did have its problems but they were fixed over the years... mostly.

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Joypad

Pros:
* good covers

* demo disc

* tons of coverage of Japan stuff (games, anime, manga)

* busy pages full of content

* willingness to cover smaller obscure games

* good humour

* creative use of whitespace

Cons:
* dropped the demo disc to keep the price per issue low

* previews and reviews all over the place

* full-page ads every few pages

* very short cheats section

Verdict:
A great French gaming, simply one of the best of its era.

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Level

Pros:

* great covers

* CDs with lots of content 
* lots of news

* tends to cover more obscure games (good for my cancelled games research)

* lots of big pictures

Cons:
* no separation of sections

* the parts in English seem to be copied from other sources

* not enough previews (the amount of previews dropped in later issues)

Verdict:
A pretty good magazine that had a good run for a good reason.

It still lives on in web form.

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MAN!AC

Pros:
* decent contents page
* wide coverage of previewed games
* coverage of many gaming expos (not just E3)
* anime coverage

Cons:
* too much whitespace
* typos

* crammed reviews pages

Verdict:
A great German gaming magazine.
It's no wonder the magazine is still going to this day.

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Mean Machines

Pros:
* decent covers
* pretty good page layout design
* interesting reviews layout; messy but fun

Cons:
* piss poor contents section 
* no separation of previews and reviews
* issues don't have a proper ending, they just stop

Verdict:

A good Sega magazine, flawed but fun.
As to which version of Mean Machines is best, that's a debate for another day.

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N64 Gamer

Pros:
* good covers
* lots of images
* separation of previews and reviews
* neat features
* personal ads at the back (before eBay, of course)

Cons:
* obnoxious contents page
* pages clash, contrasting too much whitespace with not enough

Verdict:
Australia's top N64 magazine. 
Fun to read but the bright colours will melt your eyeballs.

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N64 Magazine

Pros:
* good covers
* cute mascot; an anthropomorphic Earth with anime eyes? Weird but cute
* good contents section
* good design and use of whitespace
* Japan section for games and anime
* great reviews with lots of images
* interesting feature sections, such as showcasing Japanese N64 magazines
* good ending, with next issue preview and a contents page for that issue

Cons:
* stupid titles for previews
* too immature at times

Verdict:
One of the best N64 magazines.
This was then succeeded by NGC.

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N64 Pro

Pros:
* colourful busy pages
* detailed reviews with other reviewers' opinions
* some issues had free goodies, like Starburst candy
* reader-submitted reviews
* reader-submitted ads for buying/selling games (eBay wasn't big yet)
* hefty recommended games section

Cons:
* anonymous cartoon staff listing
* dumb speech bubbles with cringe humour

Verdict:
An excellent magazine with style and pizzazz for days.
Funny how a magazine aimed at kids is better than some 'serious' magazines.

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NAG

Pros:
* pretty alright covers
* CD with every issue for a time
* anime section
* separation of previews and reviews
* reviews have pros and cons
* tech and computer parts reviews

Cons:
* bare basics contents page
* way too much text per page/section
* too much whitespace
* review section images are too small

* panel reviews

Verdict:
NAG aka New Age Gaming Magazine is the jewel of South Africa's gaming magazines.
That might be a superlative though. Still, a valiant effort.

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Neo

Pros:
* good covers
* good boxed design, little whitespace
* lots of reviewed games per issue
* posters

Cons:
* bad contents section
* hardly any special features sections

Verdict:
A pretty good magazine with both style and substance.
Another magazine with a short run: only 23 issues!

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Neo Plus

Pros:
* pretty good contents section
* nice box design
* good use of whitespace (or lack thereof)
* videos tapes of E3 and other events for purchase
* good layout for reviews (apart from the columned ones)
* posters
* reader-submitted artwork

Cons:
* messy covers
* no staff listing
* not enough images for the walkthroughs, cheats, hints, and tips section

Verdict:
A great video game magazine, hitting the high notes of the ideal gaming magazine.
One of the best from Poland.

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New Age Gaming (NAG)

Pros:
* Pretty plain covers that are simple but effective

* Free CD

* Good contents section

* Anime section (until they removed it)

* Hardware section

* Previewed games tend to cover obscure games (at first)

* Lots of reviewed games per issues

* DVD review section

Cons:
* Too much text with small text in multiple columns

* Too much whitespace

* Comic strip but it's infrequent and not in a consistent place

* No border lines to separate sections

* No separation of previews and reviews

Verdict:

A pretty good multiformat magazine/

The best South African gaming magazine; a superlative since there's hardly any.

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Next Generation

Pros:
* good covers
* pretty good contents section
* focuses on the gaming industry as a whole
* nice big screenshots in the preview section
* good use of whitespace
* retro section

Cons:
* messy design with no borders between news items
* messy reviews page, with goddamn column reviews

Verdict:
A great magazine that is much better than it's British counterpart Edge.
All 85 issues are easily found online, so give it a read.

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Next Level

Pros:
* good use of boxed design and colour
* anime and manga section
* movies and gadgets/toys section

Cons:
* messy covers
* bad contents section
* poor reviews; all columns! (no full pages or even half page reviews)

Verdict:
A pretty good magazine.
Fix up the questionable design choices and this could be a winner.

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NGC

Pros:
* good covers
* great contents section
* nice use of whitespace
* lots of screenshots and images for previews
* staff listing in the separation of previews and reviews (2 for 1 pros!)
* lots of screenshots and images for reviews, and no walls of text!
* had a GBA section, plus imports
* reader-submitted high scores competitions
* Making Of section
* fun features, especially the ones at the end of each issue

Cons:
* no borders between news items
* sometimes the staff listing has anonymous images

Verdict:
One of the best GameCube magazines.
Very fun to read. The gold standard of 2000s gaming magazines.

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Nintendo Gamer (Next Publishing)

Pros:
* decent contents page
* pretty humorous writing
* posters
* staff listing in the separation of previews and reviews (another 2 for 1 pros!)
* entertainment section: anime, music, sports, movies, and television
* Bad Ass is a badass cheat mascot

Cons:
* basic covers with typically a solid colour background
* too much whitespace
* not many games previewed and reviewed per issue

Verdict:
A great Aussie gaming magazine.
It unfortunately had a short lifespan: 23 issues! Short but sweet.

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Nintendo Magazine System

Pros:
* decent contents page
* coloured segments to separate news items
* lots of images
* quite good walkthroughs with images and maps
* entertainment: anime and movies
* good features, some of which aren't Nintendo related
* reader-submitted art, especially for the Skull's Graveyard segment
* classified ads in the back for game swapping

Cons:
* basic covers
* writing is a bit boring.
* too much whitespace for news items, not enough whitespace for everything else
* no separation of previews and reviews

Verdict:
A pretty good magazine that has fun visuals.
A shame it ended so suddenly.

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Nintendo Official Magazine

Pros:
* staff listing
* good contents section
* good use of whitespace
* great review style; lots of images, boxes of info, and not too much text
* big section of every game they've reviewed
* Wario as the cheats section mascot makes it entertaining
* Club Mario; reader-submitted art, letters, reader's rooms, and more

Cons:
* messy covers
* confusing structure: reviews, then cheats + guides, then news and previews?
* too many ads

Verdict:
A fun magazine and worthy of the 'Official' moniker.
Of course one ponders how much weight Nintendo put to bias the scores.

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Nintendo Power

Pros:
* fun illustrations
* comics, especially Howard & Nester
* posters and other goodies
* interesting competitions
* sent out VHS promo tapes showcasing games
* a great final farewell issue

Cons:
* felt like a Nintendo catalogue at times
* some ads are disgusting or confusing.

Verdict:
The ultimate Nintendo magazine. A classic that evokes nostalgia par none.
Had a long run and it was a blast the whole ride through.

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Nintendo World

Pros:
* lots of images
* good use of columns
* posters
* competitions
* gaming challenges for readers to extend game replayability

Cons:
* messy covers
* not enough whitespace
* cringey writing
* no separation of previews and reviews

Verdict:
A chaotic magazine that seems to be designed by kids (and written by kids).
Fair effort but does little to shake the 'Nintendo is for kids' mentality.

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Official Aus/NZ PlayStation Magazine (original)

Pros:
* excellent design and presentation
* staff photos, both the intro section and previews page
* great features, such as drinking beer while racing GT2, or taste testing pizza
* comic strip, The Joypad. Generic, sure, but a hoot
* competitions

Cons:
* poor review layout
* recycled content from the UK version almost word-for-word
* most celebrity interviews were with literal-whos and fictional characters
* stupid titles for sections
* previews had weird cut-outs that were very distracting (only for the 20s issues)

Verdict: 
An excellent magazine that beautifies the UK magazine's content.
It ends at issue #47 (September 2001) which is just as well.

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Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine

Pros:
* good covers
* good contents page
* free disc with games every issue
* staff listing
* good use of whitespace and coloured boxes for item separation
* gadgets, gear, and goodies segment
* lots of images
* competitions

Cons:
* too many ads
* dumb reviews layout; columns, three-quarter pages, some even in a tiny panel!
* pretty boring writing

Verdict:
A good magazine and a blessing for Dreamcast fans.
The design is a bit all over the place and the writing could be punchier.

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Official UK PlayStation Magazine (original)

Pros:
* excellent design and presentation
* game logos for previews (they were bad when they didn't say the game's name)
* better free game selection when you sign up for a subscription than the AUS/NZ version
* better recommended games section than the AUS/NZ version
* themed issues in their waning years
* Cheats Daddy! The best reoccurring character in any games mag
* the team destroys a bad game a month in the waning years

Cons:
* mediocre contents section
* no staff photos
* too much whitespace
* too many ads

Verdict:
A classic magazine that went on for too long. A PS1 magazine in 2004!
The quality didn't slip when the PS2 came out; it actually got better.

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Official UK PlayStation Magazine / PLAY (present day)

Pros:
* good covers
* staff listing
* lots of previews and reviews
* gear, collectables, and kit advertised
* free subscriber bonus, like a controller
* retro games section

Cons:
* changed their name to PLAY (their rivals) but did not change the design
* bare basics contents section
* too much whitespace
* too many opinion pieces

* cringey writing (stop with the puns and 'jokes', you're not funny or clever)

Verdict:
A great magazine that proves why it is still going to this day.
A shame it shares the same flaws as other contemporary magazines.

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Official UK PlayStation2 Magazine

Pros:
* decent covers
* blue colour theme, as was the trend for PS2 mags
* staff listing
* free demo disc with every issue
* good interviews
* decent feature sections
* separation of previews and reviews
* reviews have lots of images and columns of info
* media reviews: movies, DVDs, music, websites, other magazines

Cons:
* barebones contents section
* too much whitespace
* pretty bland writing

Verdict:
A great magazine that stands tall and proud with a legacy.
The design and writing could have been way better though.

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Official US PlayStation Magazine

Pros:
* free demo disc per issue
* decent covers
* reader-submitted art
* decent features
* staff listing in separation of previews and reviews
* helpful walkthroughs with maps

Cons:
* way too many ads
* boring contents section
* boring reviews layout; it's copy+pasted each page!
* very few reviews per issue

Verdict:
A pretty shitty gaming magazine that is bare minimum with its merits.
I suspect if it weren't for the demo disk the magazine would have folded early.

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Official UK Xbox Magazine

Pros:
* green colour theme
* free demo disc with every issue
* pretty good contents page
* nice big images
* good titles for previews: the game's name!
* entertainment reviews: movies, DVDs, anime, music, gadgets, websites, photoshops
* staff listing
* separation of previews and reviews
* reviews for online-based games and multiplayer modes

Cons:
* messy covers
* too many ads
* too much whitespace
* not enough borders to separate news items

Verdict:
A great magazine and top of the line for Xbox mags.
Everytime I think of this magazine I envision green and boxes. It's nice.

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P.S.X.

Pros:
* lots of nice big images
* each game review gets its own page; no column or panel reviews
* walkthrough is a literal walkthrough with tons of screenshots leading you the way

Cons:
* messy covers
* barebones contents page
* too many ads
* confusing structure: letters, news, reviews, then previews?
* pretty boring writing
* no sendoff, every issue just ends abruptly

Verdict:
A pretty crappy magazine.
One of the first PS1 mags and died fairly quickly: just 17 issues!

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P2

Pros:
* staff listing
* free Action Replay cheats CD with each issue
* lovely box design for news items
* nice use of whitespace
* lots of reviews per issue
* multiple reviews per game, with an averaged score given overall
* pretty humorous writing
* good games directory with neat columns of info/trivia

Cons:
* messy covers
* no issue number or date on the cover
* messy contents page
* too many ads

Verdict:
One of the better PS2 magazines.
Certainly one to keep an eye out of for, and for scanners to upload.

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PC Accelerator

Pros:
* great covers, simple and some have buxom babes on them
* good sectioned news/previews within borders
* nice featured sections
* focus on PC building and kit
* separation of previews and reviews
* previews and reviews have big images and good use of columns
* very humorous writing
* reviews have pros and cons (not enough mags do this)
* the X-tra section, with miscellaneous items all wittily written

Cons:
* too many ads
* too much brown
* a bit too much whitespace

Verdict:
An excellent gaming magazine. Top of the line. A shame it was short-lived.
This is definitely written for the chads and lads demographic.

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PC Gamer / PC PowerPlay

Pros:
* good covers

* good contents page

* lots of content covered

* older games covered

* mods showcase

* hardware reviews and recommendations

Cons:

* too much whitespace
* too many opinion pieces; stop doing whole-page essays!

* too many features of game/genre history

* reviews are column of tiny text and not enough pictures

* too much bias at times

Verdict:
A great PC magazine that stands the test of time all these decades.

It unfortunately suffers the same flaws as other magazines: minimalism.

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PC Games

Pros:
* good covers

* good contents page

* good use of columns

* sense of humour

* previewed games are expansive and well detailed

* separation of previews and reviews

* reviews have pros and cons along with the score

* lots of reviewed games per issue

Cons:

* Messy news section (too much text, needs more bordering)

* Imp opinion column with the worst takes (probably intentionally)

* not enough previewed games per issue

* reviews have bad takes (e.g. Doom II has no longevity)

* not enough hardware reviews for a PC gaming magazine

Verdict:
A pretty great magazine that was ahead of its time (1994-1995).

Sadly this magazine came to a screeching halt at only 13 issues.

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PC Zone

Pros:
* staff photos and bios that change monthly
* great previews and reviews with lots of pictures
* good sense of humour
* hardware guide
* PC help and tutorials
* free CD/DVD per issue with games, trailers, screenshots, and other goodies
* the Jackass segments were fun

Cons:
* too many opinion pieces
* left-wing bias at times

Verdict:
The ultimate PC gaming magazine. Funny, witty, and a pleasure to read.
Unfortunately that crown got too big for their head at times, leading to shitty takes.

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Planet PlayStation

Pros:
* quite funny writing
* interesting feature sections
* covers quite gruesome games for a kids-focused gaming magazine
* lots of big images
* reviews divide the graphics, gameplay, sound, and lastability into different scored sections
* competitions
* posters, and lots of them per issue

Cons:
* messy covers
* messy contents section
* bad usage of whitespace
* review section and then preview section, the opposite of what it should be
* the review sections are skewed at angles (annoying)

Verdict:
Quite a good PS1 magazine that's fun to read but not quite fun to look at.
It is aimed at the younger demographic, so it helps if you are in it.

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PLAY (UK)

Pros:
* pretty good covers
* great contents section; big pictures, colour-coded sections, bright and readable
* coloured boxes to separate news items
* columns used properly (import news, rumours, and not opinion pieces)
* humorous writing
* wide range of previews and reviews, from AAA to obscure to imports
* trivia boxes and little graphs in reviews make it entertaining
* great cheats section, which has Xplorer codes for game hacking
* excellent buyer's guide, with nice columns and boxes
* DVD with trailers and other videos in later issues

Cons:
* dumb titles for news items
* too many ads
* bizarre review scores at times
* no separation of previews and reviews (they put that patch at the beginning)
* previews at the end (more bizarre structure)

Verdict:
A great magazine that truly stood the test of time due to unparalleled quality.
Although defunct, Official UK PlayStation Magazine now uses the name PLAY. It lives!

Fun fact:
The Wikipedia page for this magazine has an external link to archived PLAY magazines.
The problem is these are PLAY (US) issues, the wrong magazine!

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PLAY (US)

Pros:
* cool covers, handdrawn and memorable
* good range of games covered, from AAA to obscure to imports
* lots of reviews, though the bulk are panel-sized
* PC and mobile games covered too
* big anime section
* gear, toys, and kit

Cons:
* bare basics contents section
* celebrities gaming... who cares
* too much whitespace
* too many ads
* no separation of previews and reviews
* review score is in tiny font at the end of the review's text
* panel-sized reviews

Verdict:
A pretty good magazine that touches the corners of gaming most mainstream mags don't.
Wikipedia calls this an anime magazine. Pffft, no, but it is a time capsule of 2000s anime.

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PlayStation Plus

Pros:
* free goodies like fridge magnets
* pretty good contents section
* competitions
* good sense of humour, funny writing
* great previews and reviews; big images, funny captions, not much text
* great walkthroughs section thanks to the aforementioned many images
* excellent recommended games section

Cons:
* boring covers
* issue number not always on the cover
* way too much text in the earlier issues
* reviews section before previews section
* too much whitespace
* not enough whitespace in the earlier issues
* dumb titles for previewed games

Verdict:
An amazing magazine that has style and substance.
This only applies to the second half of its lifespan; the earlier issues had neither.

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PlayStation Power

Pros:
* good contents section
* excellent panel design with coloured backgrounds
* good use of columns
* humorous writing
* interesting feature sections
* separation of previews and reviews
* good cheats and walkthroughs section
* great recommended games section

Cons:
* lame covers in earlier issues, messy covers in later issues
* too much whitespace at times
* review score is in the top right of the page

Verdict:
An excellent gaming magazine, one of the best PS1 magazines there ever was.
It picks up in quality when the mag is renamed to Power in 2000.

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PlayStation Pro

Pros:
* pretty good contents section
* humorous writing
* nice big pictures
* good use of whitespace
* preview section titles use the name of the game
* staff listing
* the In a Nutshell graph in the review section is funny
* staff's thoughts on the reviewed games section
* hot attractive woman cheats sections mascot, Miss B

* pretty good recommended games section

Cons:
* messy covers occasionally
* the featured game is reviewed before the news section
* odd review scores at times
* too many ads towards the end

Verdict:
A very good PS1 magazine that deserves the Pro moniker.
A shame it folded before it can really focus on the PS2. 

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PS Max

Pros:
* hand drawn cover art
* hand drawn staff listing
* comic strip
* excellent page design with colour and busy with images (drawn and screenshots)
* tons of cheats given per issue

Cons:
* anonymous staff; there's a robot, a monster, and a goddamn monkey
* boring contents page
* confusing layout: reviews right after the contents section?
* bizarre review scores
* dumb speech bubbles with cringe humour
* that stupid dog mascot character that farts

Verdict:
A great magazine. This is like the PlayStation counterpart to N64 Pro though more childish.
This can be a chore to get through if you're an adult though.

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PS Extreme

Pros:
* good covers
* lots of images
* pretty good writing

Cons:
* poor staff listing
* sloppy contents page
* not enough whitespace
* messy preview and review pages that hurts your eyes

* severe lack of proofreading (tons of typos)
* overly generous review scores
* no features

Verdict:
A bad gaming magazines. An extreme piece of crap.
A perfect example of 'too much of a good thing'.

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PSi2

Pros:

* free CD every issue with Action Replay codes and game saves
* pretty good contents section, all separated by categories with pictures

* good layout, with coloured boxes and use of asset art

* good coverage of games, including more obscure games

* reviews has good layout, with lots of pictures and no walls of text

* writing is pretty alright, not amazing but to the point with no lame jokes

* previews and reviews have pros and cons section

* contents page for reviews section, including explanation of scoring system

* coloured boxes for info boxes in reviews section

* lots of games reviewed per issue

* a retro section, albeit small

* good company spotlight section, fun to read

* occasional coverage of homebrew gaming

Cons:
* messy covers

* pretty dumb titles for news items

* a tad too much whitespace

* text size for the pros+cons section and verdict text is too small

* reviews are a bit small

* a few too many adverts for cheating software and hardware

Verdict:

A good PlayStation magazine that is big on graphics, layout, and content.

This is one of the better gaming magazines of the 2000s.

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PSM

Pros:
* hand drawn cover art (until its later years)
* hand drawn images, including swimsuit artwork
* good sense of humour
* pretty good contents section
* staff list with bios that change monthly
* busy pages with good mix of whitespace to text to images
* fun little staff images and captions in the letters section
* the 800lb gorilla section for Bill Donohue's snarky answers to dumb questions

Cons:
* dumb speech bubbles with cringe humour
* too many ads

Verdict:

An excellent magazine and a golden standard of PlayStation based magazines.
Like a fine wine it got better with age... until it went sour like all wines.

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PSM2

Pros:
* good covers, appropriate use of columns
* neat preview pages, with colour theme per game
* staff listing
* separation of previews and reviews 
* reviews have nice big pictures
* little trivia boxes in the reviews
* pretty good writing
* DVD movies reviews
* good recommended games section

Cons:
* bland contents page
* too much whitespace

Verdict:
A pretty good PS2 magazine that had more substance than style.
It had a lot of potential but it lasted pretty well, ending in 2012 as PSM3.

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PSX Pro

Pros:
* CD with demos with each issue
* reviews have a second opinion from another reviewer
* good range of previews
* manga and anime giveaways

Cons:
* confusing layout: reviews, then features, then previews, then news?
* too much whitespace
* page layout has poor flow
* stupid titles for previews

Verdict:
A mediocre magazine with a distinctly 90s flavour.
Despite being designed by a schizo, it had potential.

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PSW

Pros:
* free DVD with trailers with every issue
* wide coverage of games
* lots of images for previews
* reviews have humorous columns sections
* reviews have pros and cons part
* DVD movie/shows reviews

Cons:
* boring covers
* boring contents section
* copied Official UK PlayStation Magazine's style
* too much whitespace
* no separation of previews and reviews
* boring walkthrough section

Verdict:
A boring magazine that tried too hard to be like its competition.
Beyond the bland presentation it's an alright magazine.

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Pure

Pros:
* online 'disc' of game footage and trailers for download on their website

* good news section with coloured boxes and columns

* contents page for previews and reviews

* nice use of alternating black and white backgrounds

* interesting sections like Mystery Shopper

* pros and cons for reviews

* multimedia section: hardware, DVDs, music, and websites

Cons:
* boring uninspired covers, too messy

* contents page has no borders

* no staff listing or any showing of them whatsoever

* not enough pictures and bit too much text

* text is a bit boring but at least its to the point

* not many games reviewed per issue (around 10~)

* sex hotline ads 

Verdict:

A pretty good PlayStation magazine worthy of your time.

It doesn't do anything interesting but it has the fundamentals mastered.

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SuperGame Power

Pros:
* hand drawn cover artwork, memorable

* staff listing albeit fictional avatars like GamePro

* game index in contents section

* fan art

* good use of coloured backgrounds (colour choice is off-putting though)

* walkthroughs are quite helpful with tons of game screenshots

* retro section

Cons:

* no set release schedule after its 100th issue

* messy contents section

* images tend to be on angles in the previews section

* no separation of previews and reviews

* cheats section mixed with the reviews section

* not many games previewed and reviewed per issue

* content sometimes just translated content from GamePro

* review scores change format at times, like from 1-10 to 1-5

* odd review scores at times (Daikatana a 9.0?)

Verdict:
A pretty good Brazilian multiformat magazine.

It had fun and flair, with enough heart to make one look past its shortcomings.

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Switch Player

Pros:
* Lovely drawn covers

* staff listing

* great drawn artwork

* good use of coloured panels for info

* lots of games reviewed per issue

* good review score system

* consistent page layout for reviews

* hints and tips section, a welcome for modern mags

* sort-of comic: Gaming Ruminations

Cons:
* contents section is too simplistic

* too much whitespace

* not enough previews

* too many retrospectives

* weird ordering: reviews and then features

Verdict:
A great magazine and top of the pack in terms of modern magazines.

I'll come right out and say it: this is the best modern Nintendo magazine, period.

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Total 64

Pros:
* pretty good new section
* staff listing
* hand drawn artwork of the staff litter the review section
* good list of games previously reviewed
* Cheat Monkey cheats section mascot; why is it always monkeys?
* reader-submitted artwork, for prizes no less

* posters

Cons:
* boring covers
* messy contents section
* not enough whitespace for previews

Verdict:
A pretty good N64 magazine.
Not as fun or engaging as other N64 mags but it gets the job done.

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Total Advance

Pros:
* great covers, proper use of columns and rows
* pretty good contents section
* good news sections design; coloured sections and good columns
* good reviews section design; column for evaluation and boxed trivia parts
* interesting features section
* lots of reviews
* good recommended games section
* reader-submitted artwork
* comic: Osmondle the Frog, who satirises video game tropes

Cons:
* informative yet bland writing
* no staff listing 

* no proper separation of previews and reviews

Verdict:
An amazing magazine. Brimming with greatness, it is brilliant.
One of the best GBA magazines of all time, hell one of the best games mags of all time.

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Total Control

Pros:
* sort-of good contents page
* staff listing
* lots of previews and reviews
* little reviews for crap games written humorously

Cons:
* poor covers
* good design for news, previews, and reviews
* too much whitespace
* confusing layout; news, previews, reviews, then foreign news and reviews?
* very odd review scores at times

Verdict:
A great magazine that burned out too quickly; 11 issues!
It's a shame almost all the backgrounds are pure white; I was blinded reading it.

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Total GameBoy

Pros:
* staff listing, albeit photoshopped to look like mutants
* reviews have a second opinion from another staff member
* posters
* reader-submitted artwork

Cons:
* messy covers
* messy contents section, though fun and not bland
* not enough whitespace
* reviews section before previews section
* pretty boring writing

Verdict:
A great GameBoy magazine. Fun to look at but not so fun to read to be honest.
Honestly the magazine gets better with its sequel, Total Advance.

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Total Station

Pros:
* pretty good covers

* good contents pages, with pictures and divided into sections

* great news section, divided into boxes that have coloured backgrounds

* good use of whitespace

* good column usage

* no opinion pieces

* lots of reviews

* imported games are reviewed

* reviews are great with lots of pictures and info boxes

* score has pros, cons, and a second opinion panel by another writer

* big tips, cheats, and walkthrough section

* large directory of all games reviewed

* media reviews, namely DVD movies and music CDs

* tons of competitions

Cons:
* starts off with a review for the cover game

* the media reviews are stuffed randomly in the review directory

* average writing that can be witty but mostly becomes cringe with forced humour.

Verdict:
A great magazine that has a mix of quality of style and quantity of substance.

This is a textbook example of a magazine that has soul.

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Ultimate Future Game

Pros:
* staff listing
* pretty good contents section
* wide coverage of games
* wide range of consoles covered (PS1, N64, Saturn, 32X, Neo Geo, CDi, 3DO, CD32, etc)
* movie reviews
* interesting features sections, like gory games, porn games, and more
* posters
* separation of previews and reviews

Cons:
* messy covers
* not enough whitespace
* the movie reviews are mixed with the gaming content
* too many ads
* panel reviews
* messy review pages, with screenshots inside jagged boxes

Verdict:
A radical tubular 90s magazine that's insane and wacky.
It's pretty good for information and entertainment but it makes my eyes hurt.

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Ultimate Game Players

Pros:
* pretty good covers
* staff listing
* great sense of humour, witting writing
* lots of games previewed per issue
* lots of games reviewed per issue
* good ratio of text to images for the previews section
* competitions
* some issues came with a CD full of demos and trailers
* Fan Sites of the Month, mid-late 90s internets at its finest

Cons:
* basic contents section
* too many ads
* too much text and not enough images for the news section
* preview titles are not fully in bold (very distracting)

Verdict:
A great gaming magazine that sadly did not live to the 2000s and beyond.
This is time capsule of the 90s. Beside the games released in the 90s, of course.

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Ultimate Gamer

Pros:
* extensive console coverage (3DO, Neo Geo, Jaguar, even arcade games)
* lots of images
* reviews are nothing but images and captions; no walls of text!

Cons:
* messy covers
* bare basics contents section
* too much whitespace
* yellow background for previews section blinds your eyes

Verdict:
A decent magazine that took a risk its presentation.
Did it pay off? Probably not considering this was a very short lived mag.

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Video Games: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine

Pros:
* pretty good contents page
* reader-submitted artwork
* posters
* lots of images and not too much text

Cons:
* bad covers
* not enough whitespace
* no separation of previews and reviews
* messy review pages

Verdict:
A pretty good magazine. 'Ultimate' is too much, but it is worthy of a look.
It's a shame the magazine was ended without so much as a farewell issue.

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Walmart Gamecenter

Pros:

* Free, both in-store and online
* Good eye-catching covers, though maybe too simple

* Simple yet effective contents page

* Big pictures and no walls of text

* Lots of interviews and quotes from gamedevs

* Good use of backgrounds, no excessive whitesapce

Cons:
* Hardly any reviews per issue

* No separation of previews and reviews

* Reads like a shopping catalog for Walmart (but that's expected)

Verdict:
A good magazine and almost feels like one from the glory days of gaming mags.

Funny how one of the better modern gaming mags is free from Walmart.

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Xbox Nation

Pros:
* good covers
* staff listing
* green colour theme, appropriate as it is an Xbox mag
* lots of previews
* interesting features
* separation of previews and reviews
* entertainment section: music... that's about it

Cons:
* too many ads
* basic contents section
* too much whitespace for the news and previews section
* not enough whitespace for the big previews section
* reviews section is boring to look at
* panel reviews
* scores are given as words, not numbers

Verdict:
A pretty good gaming magazine but suffered greatly from design flaws.
So much potential... I still want to read all of them though.

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XB Magazine

Pros:

* Good covers

* staff listing

* good use of colour

* use of the colour green, the colour of Xbox

* score is divided by graphics, sound, gameplay, and longetivity

* lots of images, especially full-page images

* covers more obscure games than the bigger mags

* not afraid to show risque content, like E3 booth babes

Cons:

* not-so-good contents page, doesn't cover games covered in news section

* no separation of previews and reviews

* dumb titles for news segments

* excessive whitespace in later issues

* uses a comma rather than a decimal for their scoring system

Verdict:

A great Xbox magazine and one of the best from Spain.

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XBM

Pros:

* great covers, with columns and headers and footers

* great layout

* not much whitespace, good use of backgrounds to relax the eyes

* list of games featured in issue in the contents section

* copious use of green, the colour of Xbox

* lots of pictures

* good review score system, with pros and cons and recommendations

* big detailed walkthroughs

Cons:

* no separation of previews and reviews

* cheats section not big enough

* previews come after reviews

Verdict:

A great magazine, possibly the best Xbox magazine there ever was.

A shame it died before the Xbox 360 took off.

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Xbox World

Pros:
* pretty good covers
* free DVD full of trailers and news every issue
* staff listing
* green colour scheme (because Xbox)
* an alright contents section
* coloured boxes separating news items
* proper use of column
* good use of whitespace
* great reviews; a column of info and lots of screenshots
* separation of previews and reviews
* reviews have pros and cons

Cons:
* most of the ads are very sexual and risque

Verdict:
A great magazine that punches well above its weight.
This was definitely aimed at an older audience if those sexual ads are to go by.

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