Heaven @ $19.99 per year! (Gamer's Paradise W/O)

Gaming starts off with a console. You pay, you play, you're good to go. Others might differ in opinion. You've got your PC punks, and the arcade Arabians (I can't think of a better name). But what happens when all of these platforms come together in one solid literary magazine (except for PC)? Well, you've got Electronic Gaming Monthly, home to the many, not known to very few.

I used to be a very avid reader of the magazine back when I was young, and didn't have any money for games, but did have a few bucks for a magazine now and then to let my mind indulge. I can't remember exactly how the magazine used to be then (around a decade ago), but I can say that it wasn't bad at all. I've just recently gotten into the magazine again after winning the opportunity for a free year of the magazine (pre-order the PlayStation 2, and you get a free year). After a year of reading page after page of the latest news, reviews, and previews, I was hooked all over again.

What does the magazine have to offer for anyone? Well, let's just say that EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly) covers whatever you want to know about video games (note the fact that PC isn't a video game machine). If you're into the Dreamcast, they've got it. The PlayStation 2? They've got it. The Xbox? They've got it. The Nintendo 64? They've got it. The GameCube? They've got it. The PlayStation? They've got it. The arcade? They've got it. Even retro games you'll find that EGM takes notes on.

Some things that EGM goes by, and stands against strongly, is that they'll always get the news scooped first. No other magazine than them will get the latest info on whatever games you want to know about. For example in their May 2001 issue they had full coverage on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, where the companies behind the game (Activision and Neversoft) and even Tony Hawk himself got together for a giant behind the scenes look that no one else had at the time. Even games like Metal Gear Solid 2 are covered in advance (in increments) in a section called MGS2 Watch. Every month you'll get a little more info on the game. Did you know that the reason Revolver Ocelot has two hands again is because Liquid Snake's hand has been grafted onto his body? Or how about the unveiling of characters like Fortune and Solidus Snake? If you're looking for the news from any source first, the best (and official) place to get it is in Electronic Gaming Monthly!

EGM is also known to not review any game before they know that what they're playing is what we'll also be playing. By that, I mean the final version. Sometimes companies like to send them games that they'll title it as the final version, but then before release time they'll change one feature and a lot of critics will send in scrutinized mail. But EGM is always up for re-reviewing the game again just to make grumps happy. Their reviews usually range from 1-3 divergences in opinion. Maybe there's a certain editor you prefer to stick with. This option will allow you to see if they were the ones that reviewed the game. And if their wisdom matters the most out of the other two, then it'd be best to go with them, and only them on the subject.

Previews, as you can tell, have the latest info inside (they are the magazine that gets the data before anyone else). But the magazine also writes the most on the upcoming games. Some months ago, the Editor-In-Chief asked readers to submit their opinion about the magazine, asking you to let them have it with what YOU want them to change around. For instance, you could tell them that you'd like their previews longer, shorter, bulgier, foldger... I mean, never mind. Anyway, you had the ability to let your voice known. And, get this: you still can! All you've got to do is send them an e-mail (or snail mail, if you like it slow) telling them what you'd like to see in the magazine as a suggestion. If enough people want the same thing, soon enough you'll get your very own magazine the way you envision it.

Of course being the most popular magazine that they are, you can't expect them to have such a small staff on hand. There is about twenty writers to review, preview, and write up articles about the games you want to know about. Then there's a bunch of other people behind the scenes, doing the artwork for the pages, handling business transactions, barking at companies to fork over games or they won't have it in that month. You know, video game stuff. I should also note that the staff is one of the most easy going out of any magazine. They've got a lot of attitude and humor in their backbones, so it's all good.

Probably my favorite attraction in the magazine is their monthly Hsu and Chan comic. I've never heard of the comic before (but I'm sure it's out there). The guys who draw Hsu and Chan each month bring you these two irritated guys who are not only brothers, but also video game designers. And each month, whatever's going on in the world of gaming, the designers behind these two will venture into that part of the world. For example, around the time of E3 Hsu and Chan projected their time they had spent at E3. What's great about the one page of hilarity is that Hsu and Chan both are very exaggerating in their way of doing things. In the E3 comic, you'll notice how Hsu will be shouting at Bill Gates, calling him the devil in the background, and at the same time Chan will calmly be giving you the info on their upcoming game titles. As the comic progresses, all staff persona types of people who attend the show become tired. Their antics slow down, and by the end of the comic the two will become insane. And that's what's funny about it - they've got an intellectual sense of lunacy in them, resulting in comedy.

Other than all of this riffraff, there's also the fact that the magazine's got some cool contests to score on. The new EIC (Editor In Chief), Dan Hsu (who I like better than the last guy they had), has come up with this contest that's been going on all summer long, and still is today. Whatever the game of the month is, whether it be October's Madden 2002 or September's Gran Turismo 3, then you have the chance to win it! All you've got to do (and I find this to be a great idea) is discover anything that has been jotted down into the text of the magazine as a movie reference or something from The Simpsons TV show, and then send them the page number and where you found it. You may become one of the lucky ones to win the game! By reference, I mean a line that has come directly from one of the two places. A movie reference could be something like, "Lend me your ears..." from Robin Hood: Men in Tights. If you're not into films, then maybe you've watched The Simpsons a couple of billion times to remember such lines as "D'oh," or "Don't have a cow, man!" A few of the mag's other contests include Letter Art (draw a picture on an envelope and send it in to see if you've got the right stuff to win a prize), and even a mail entry contest (send in the Letter of the Month, the best one, and you'll win a controller of your choice).

So what do you say? Do you think this magazine sounds great? I like it enough to pay another two years of subscription ($27), as compared to a one-year subscription ($19). If you're interested in video games, from the stirring aspect of reading fan mail to laughing at Hsu and Chan's next adventure, or even checking the first news on the hottest games each month, then you're likely to want to want Electronic Gaming Monthly! Get it! Got it? GOOD!

This has been a ROCK_ON Write-Off! If not for this Write-Off, I wouldn't be writing this review. So, you have Rock_On to thank for that.