Talk:Electronic Gaming Monthly/Archive 1

The Issue history
I moved it to a seperate article since it was becoming very large and taking up most of the article --Kyle G 16:20, 7 December 2005 (UTC)
 * Yeah, it was probably a good idea to do so. Thunderbrand 21:48, 7 December 2005 (UTC)

Sushi-X, Quartermann, etc.
According to former long-time News Editor and Review Crew editor Chris Johnson (http://homepage.mac.com/chris_johnston/index.html), both Sushi-X and the Quartermann are indeed pseudonyms, or at least have been for years. In his semi-recent EGM blogging(see: http://homepage.mac.com/chris_johnston/C1662594604/index.html), Mr. Johnson reveals that Sushi-X was originally former editor Ken Williams. After Williams left EGM, the magazine continued to use the character as a pseudonym with various editors filling in content for his character. As for Quartermann, Johnson also reveals a similar case for Sushi. He was originally apart of the EGM team, but after he left, EGM team members continued using his character with random editors doing his articles.

If there arn't any good objections to adding this information, I would like to include it. --anon (1-8-06)


 * Just FYI, I started a Sushi-X article. If anyone's willing to clean it up and bit and scrounge through old EGMs for choice quotes or interesting information (particularly stuff that we could use to define each "voice" of Sushi-X since his tastes are signifigantly different depending on the time period) please do so. --Senseiireland 23:41, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

"Overseas" expansion
Hi. I'm not a regular editor of this page (in fact, I've never edited it before), but I've looked at it a few times. I just now renamed your Overseas expansion section to "International expansion." Neither Brazil nor Mexico are exactly overseas. Only the Phillipines are. Ryu Kaze 20:35, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

The Platinum awards...
I'm pretty EGM-savvy but I don't have EVERY issue so could someone help me out and try to put the Platinum games in order that they appeared in EGM and list the issue number where the award was given next to each. I could probably help quite a bit but I don't know some of them (like Soul Calibur). Right now I just have them grouped by series and wrote them down as I remembered them without any semblance of order in mind. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by SuperSonicTH (talk • contribs) 13:56, 12 December 2006 (UTC).

Contents of the article
The vast majority of the content of this article is listings of games they rated/gave awards to, and their April Fools' Day jokes. I think that we really shouldn't just include the list of the 200 best games without comment. If it's important enough to list, we should be able to say something about it other than just what it contains. See Person of the Year which does include the list, but also a fair amount of commentary. We should probably have something similar for the top 200 list, if it is indeed worth including. --Sopoforic 02:15, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:EGM cover.jpg
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Lair 5.5 thing?
I forgot what web site it was, but people were making it kind of a meme to post 5.5 over and over because "EGM gave Lair for the PS3 a score of 5.5" or something like that. I haven't heard it mentioned anywhere else though. So is this true? 65.54.154.114 05:48, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes, Lair received three scores in the "Average" region. This was due to the controls being shaky and the plot being flaky. The graphics are nice, though...

Cleanup & references
Article should be looked at concerning subjective wording like "Notable writers for the magazine...", "Memorable personalities include..." "Perhaps the most infamous name is...", "although rumor has it..." and especially the 'Controversy' section. They should be verified by relevant sources or re-written. Nreive 15:37, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

I agree. There is far too many subjective statements in this article. This isn't a fan page. This is supposed to be an objective encyclopedia entry. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 170.211.116.125 (talk) 16:40, 6 November 2007 (UTC)

Conflict with publishers
Should this be added to the controversy section here? EGM is not going to cover Mortal Kombat, ubisoft games, or sony's sports division. Dan Hsu, the head of EGM, states that it is due to bad previews and reviews(coming from EGM) for the games made by those companies. This can be found in his editorial in the February 2008 issue of EGM.168.102.16.177 (talk) 13:05, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

Article revision is in order...
In the very least, EGM has dropped its 0-10 rating scale in favor of a letter-based scale. This should be taken into account.SuperSonicTH (talk) 03:31, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Pbth
Deleted this stupid POV paragraph from the controversies section:

"EGM has also been criticized for its editorial tone, which some see as too harsh and "anti-game" generally. Those critics feel that EGM portrays an attitude of "hating" almost all games, and point to the condescending captions and review tone for "non-hip" games like wrestling or NASCAR titles as evidence."

If somebody wants to rewrite this to reflect the criticism that EGM doesn't give certain games a chance (or ignores them entirely), they are more than welcome, but calling a gaming magazine "anti-game" seems like more than a bit of a stretch.67.177.48.86 (talk) 22:13, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

About The Sushi X thing.

I updated the article with info that Sushi X will be returning when the magazine launches in the fall. I got this info from Steve Haris's EGMNOW Twitter account. Although I assume Wikipedia looks down on Twitter as a source, it is the twitter acount linked too by EGM's official website, so I thought it'd be legitimate. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.117.241.51 (talk) 08:23, 12 June 2009 (UTC)

Platinum Awards
Hey does anyone know all of the perfect 10 platinum awards that EGM has given out? It would be great to have them as well as games that came very close (10,10,9.5). Here's some I know of:
 * The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
 * Halo
 * Halo2
 * Metroid Prime
 * Gran Turismo 3

--JayMatsby 1-16-2006


 * Halo didn't recieve platinum
 * Halo 2 didn't recieve platinum
 * Metroid Prime didn't recieve platinum
 * I know these for a fact --Trick man01 05:11, 18 January 2006 (UTC)


 * Your facts are unfortunately incorrect. I have all the EGM issues where Metal Gear Solid for PS1 got EGM's first straight 10 platinum award (Chrono Trigger for SNES technically got the first platinum before EGM changed their requirements for a platinum score. Here is a list of pure platinum from what I can remember:

1. Metal Gear Solid (PS1) 2. Grand Turismo 2 (PS1) 2. LOZ: Ocarana of Time (N64) 3. LOZ: Majora's Mask (N64) 4. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (various) 5. Soul Calibur (DC) 6. Gran Turismo 3 (PS2) 7. Halo (xbox) 8. Metroid Prime (GC) 9. Halo 2 (xbox)


 * Plenty of plat. awards way before Chrono Trigger ever came out. Samurai Shodown II and Street Fighter II were two that stands out in memory. Coffee4binky (talk) 12:11, 13 July 2009 (UTC)

Bias?
Is it me, or does EGM have some kind of bias against Nintendo when they launched the Wii and DS (eg. saying that the ps3 had better launch titles, when other reviewers such as X-play would dissagree)

Wrong they said the PS3 had about one game worth playing while the Wii had 2 they said but they had more love for the 360 that issue Gears got a 10,9.5,9 while Fall of Man had 9,s but Zelda had 10


 * The above statements are unsourced. Furthermore, EGM has been called since at least Jan. 1998 Sony Gaming Monthly amongst gamers in the Las Vegas, NV, area. Since I grew up around these people, I know what we've all be calling it. Go to any game store that it neutral on the fanboyism (or religious worship of console companies) and say Sony Gaming Monthly. Coffee4binky (talk) 12:15, 13 July 2009 (UTC)

CBS Viacom's CNET GameSpot
Nobody has noted or cited that GameSpot was originally started as EGM's www.videogames.com and any 1995 issue has an promo ad for the launch of site. Also, just go to the Wayback Machine to find old webpages saved from 1996 or so, I think. Coffee4binky (talk) 12:20, 13 July 2009 (UTC)

Maxim Fulfillment
Would it be worth mentioning the fact that they completed "remaining subscriptions" with issues of Maxim? Apparently, the typical person who loves to complain, brought up a stink about it because they said their wives/girlfriends would see issues of Maxim in the mail. Yeah, sure, forget the fact that there was a huge note on the cover explaining why you were receiving it.

Anyway, I thought it was an odd thing for EGM to do... assume their target audience would like to have Maxim magazine to fulfill the rest of their subscription. Gpia7r (talk) 14:10, 23 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Citation needed, lol. I had two subscriptions to EGM, and after it folded then never sent me anything, not Maxim, not anything. 19:19, 12 September 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.226.126.76 (talk)

I found it odd that me, a straight female gamer, was receiving Maxim. I would have taken a check instead. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.56.64.138 (talk) 14:42, 27 November 2009 (UTC)

Removing "December 2009" Cover
December 2009 has come and gone, and Steve Harris hasn't released the reborn magazine in any form, anywhere. It's still in production, and many fans on Facebook and Twitter a few months ago blacklashed against Steve Harris for hiring what's called the ZD Disease.

http://www.egmnow.com/press/time-warner-retail-egm.html

Anyways, there's the latest press release. Coffee5binky (talk) 06:02, 31 December 2009 (UTC)
 * magazine is planned to be released in time for april (but weve heard this before havent we?......) I would agree with removal of the 2009 december cover from the header, is there any older images available on wiki? Ottawa4ever (talk) 20:00, 2 January 2010 (UTC)

Publishing history
Someone should add some info about the magazine pre-Ziff Davis. IIRC, it was originally published by Sendai. I don't have enough info (such as what years or why they were sold or whatever) so I will not add it, but someone with that info should.
 * That's an idea I've had for a bit -- I'll start working on that in a few days. You're correct that it was originally published by Sendai, a company started by the magazine's founder Steven Harris (who needs more than just a brief mention in this article).--Senseiireland 14:43, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Sendai Publishing LLC, hired Warner Distribution to sell the magazine. Buy a large collection pre-1995 EGMs and you can see all the info needed in the copyright pages.

Coffee4binky (talk) 12:13, 13 July 2009 (UTC)

The history of EGM under Sendai would fall under the "controversy" section for sure. As I understand it Steve Harris, as a partner, basically stole the magazine from founding partner Jeff Peters. I think maybe it was EGP and just changed to EGM. The company had been operating across the street from the Peters family household in Etiwanda, CA, in the house of Peters' deceased grandmother I believe. One night Steve Harris took everything of value and drove it off to Chicago basically screwing out Jeff Peters. Ask Harris about it... it would be interesting to hear his side of the story. Jeff Peters has gone on to a successful career in game production but was definitely, um, "not happy" about it.

I had worked at a video arcade with Jeff Peters which is how I knew of and only visited their "offices" once or twice. Jeff did not like to talk about it as I think he had put huge amounts of work into the startup. I think basically he told me that he had the option of suing but didn't think it would work out (because of the name change -?). It would be nice to hear both sides clearly because after hearing about how Peters lost his investment I always got the impression Harris was a real jerk. If not true I'd like to hear the other side.

Here's a good quote an link: http://spyhunter007.com/us_national_video_game_team.htm : "In the early 1980's Jeff Peters was a founder of the U.S. National Video Game Team and has organized the international video game contests and promotions on its behalf. He further went on to co-found a  publishing company, and help to create "Electronic Game Player; 1988" and "(EGM) Electronic Gaming Monthly  magazine; in 1989."  There are also some great old photos on that site of Peters and Harris as the 1985 U.S. National Video Game Team.

More relevant history links: "After co-producing a national video game championship the following year, Harris upgraded Top Score to a full-fledged color magazine called Electronic Game Player, which was perhaps just a little ahead of its time -- the NES hadn't hit it really big yet in 1987, and as a result, Harris failed to find any national distributor interested in the mag and was forced to shut it down after four issues. It wasn't until a small-time distributor named Harvey Wasserman floated Harris $70,000 to restart EGP, renaming it Electronic Gaming Monthly in the process." http://www.games.net/article/feature/117181/game-magazines-then-and-now/

But again, because, at least IMO, there is controversy here, not just attributable "facts", several sources would have to be checked. It would be very easy to present something as fact if in fact some theft had occurred because the same story would have been told by Harris for many years.

Dcsutherland (talk) 04:37, 21 August 2010 (UTC)

"ZD" Disease?
What's the "ZD Disease"? I've seen this term come up on Steve Harris' Facebook and Twitter feeds (though not recently). I hear it at videogame stores as well, and amongst gamers on forums. Is this something that can be cited, or what? Does it refer to the disdain that readers have in regards to the ZD takeover and employees that were running the magazine 'til it's cancellation? Just wondering. Apple8800 (talk) 03:59, 24 November 2010 (UTC)

Does it have any controversy?
I know EGM has alot of swear words in their mag, but why doesn't the article mention anything about it? I see only one swear in the article and it's only for the name of the magazine's section. --The Tornado 12:27, 26 January 2007 (UTC)12:23, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

Isn't it funny that EGM's target audience is supposed to be 12-year-old boys? When I wrote a letter in 1999 about the quality of the magazine sucking and too many -ass suffixes used, Dan Hsu told me, in an e-mail, to stop reading "his" magazine and "to go fuck myself". Nice way to treat a formerly loyal reader since 1990. Coffee4binky (talk) 12:16, 13 July 2009 (UTC)


 * Unless you kept the e-mail with headers, I highly doubt an Editor would send an e-mail like that. Coolgamer (talk) 20:56, 23 February 2010 (UTC)


 * You are a [censored]. Dan Hsu is a very hated person, but this article, and you being a [censored], isn't something worth talking about on this article's talk page. Okay, seriously, you seem to have a religious devotion to the comment made. Any reason why? Also, if you can't take a joke response to your joke of a response, you have a personal problems beyond measure. 70.180.188.238 (talk) 16:00, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

The controversy section should mention EGM's lack of respect for their readers & especially subscribers. When I subscribed to this magazine in 1990-1991 they would often skip or forget to send issues. Sometimes issues would arrive 3 months late or not at all. They were a terrible publisher. They had to extend my one year subscription to two because I never got 12 issues in one year. Also, when readers sent in cheats or tips they discovered, EGM would publish them under false names, never giving credit to the person who submitted the tip. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 140.139.35.250 (talk) 15:43, 22 July 2009 (UTC)


 * No, I don't think so. I subscribed to EGM from 1990 to 2004, and I never had a problem any anytime of missing issues. Also, can you CITE where Trickman Terry was changing the names for the tricks, because I have won a pair of joysticks from EGM for trick that didn't even get published regarding Lethal Enforcers on the Genesis. Coffee5binky (talk) 06:16, 3 December 2009 (UTC)

Founded Mistake?
Maybe I am wrong, but if EGM was founded in the Summer of 1989, How is it that issue 1 was published in May 1989, You can check out the first issues cover here http://www.retromags.com/wiki/index.php?title=EGM_001_-_may_1989_%28USA%29, Also previous to that issue EGM also released out the 1989 Buyers Guide (in March or April I believe) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.55.45.19 (talk) 13:22, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Changing a sentence
"The November 2007 firing of Jeff Gerstmann from Gamespot which is rumored to be because of a poor review for the game Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, that advertised heavily on the site has resulted in many people looking at Hsu's editorial and noting that Gamespot is not one of the sites mentioned at the bottom as not taking money for reviews."

What? There's a double negative in here, and it's also three lines long. I'd cut it down, but it's not even relevant to anything. This also sounds like original research. So, yeah, it's gone. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.165.55.63 (talk) 00:40, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

digital archive?
Am I remembering incorrectly, or didn't EGM release a free digital archive of their magazines at one point to celebrate an anniversary or number of issues? I remember having it downloaded for a while, but lost it in a hard drive crash. Seems it would be a notable fact for the article as I've yet to see any other magazine do the same. Also would be interested if anyone still has the PDF's. Coolgamer (talk) 03:50, 14 December 2014 (UTC)