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[GigaDrive]

I do not read EGM anymore, except once in awhile. I havent really even read the 2 mags i got for free. its that bad.

For those of you that still read EGM and have been reading since their inception
(1988-1989), through the Sendai Publication era,up until 1995, do you think, or *does*
the magazine retain any of the things that made EGM, EGM?

Even though some things like, Q-man are still there, EGM doesn't seem anything like the old Gaming Gossip, remember when it was a full page? remember when Quarterman had things to say that you did NOT already know? the internet has helped make Gaming Gossip irrelivant too.

does even ONE single memeber of the old EGM crew ( i dont mean review crew) remain?
i mean, someone who was there in 1989-1994, is one of them still there.

you know what the first thing is i look for when I do happen to thumb through an EGM?
to see if Steve Harris's name is still there.

 

[Dead]

wha happened to sushi x

 

[mattx5]

I'm pretty sure that Dan Hsu and Crispin Boyer are still there, they're the 'oldest' of the current staff members.

The only thing that's still EGM about EGM is some of the personalities. But it's become too mainstream IMO. There's not even a section on Japan or arcade games anymore.

Edit- And what DID happen to Sushi X? And who was he? I'm pretty sure I remember someone saying that over the years, the person who filled his role was always changing.

 

[Soul4ger]

Dan left for a while, too. Joe Funk was editor-in-chief for a while, before Dan came back and took the position. God bless his soul. Crispin has been there through it all!

The near utter lack of previews is discouraging in my opinion. It's nice that they're trying to do features and things, but I'd much rather read more about upcoming games than see another goddamn celebrity interview thing. I can only read rappers say they like a certain "joint" so many times before I want to hang myself. There's not a single interesting thing about that section. And most of the features aren't even really that unique. One month, both GMR and EGM, ZD publications, had a movie/game thing. Was that really necessary?

 

[Culex]

I remember there used to be "Sushi-X sitings" in EGM for a few months. No clear answer as to what happened to that character. EGM is still decent, but it's a shell of a once great magazine. Gone are the days of 200+ pages and 300+ christmas editions. No more cool stuff bundled in them. I still have all my EGM's from 1994 on, and I weep everytime I go through them.

 

[Soul4ger]

Edit- And what DID happen to Sushi X? And who was he? I'm pretty sure I remember someone saying that over the years, the person who filled his role was always changing.

Tim Rogers wrote an article on Insert Credit about some of his E3 experiences, and he said he was positive that Hsu was Sushi-X. But Tim is a self-proclaimed pathological liar, so...

 

[SA-X]

Yeah, EGM is nothing compared to what it used to be. Still the best US gaming mag, though thats not really saying much.

 

[GigaDrive]

see, I hardly even know of Crispin Boyer. I know he's been with EGM for a long time, but he is still "alien" to me, as he is not one of the original EGM people as far as I know.

Dan Hsu might be an original oldie though, but I'm not even sure of that. he sounds like he is, or maybe I am confusing him with Terry Aki.

 

[belgurdo]

Yeah, EGM is nothing compared to what it used to be. Still the best US gaming mag, though thats not really saying much.

XBN and GMR want to have some words with you

 

[novery]

Tim Rogers wrote an article on Insert Credit about some of his E3 experiences, and he said he was positive that Hsu was Sushi-X. But Tim is a self-proclaimed pathological liar, so...

Let this be the last anybody ever mentions that psycho's name.

 

[Belfast]

Hsu isn't THAT old. Pretty old, but I don't think he was from the original days.

I agree, though, maybe its in part due to the internet, or maybe because they wanted to cut costs on paper usage, but I kind of miss those 300+ page issues that they used to come out with in the old days. They were just packed so full of STUFF and reminded me of Japanese counterparts. Nowadays it would take 3-4 issues stacked in order to reach the size of an old issue. Likewise, I miss a lot of the Japanese gaming previews/articles. You used to get the idea that you were really exploring the ENTIRE world of gaming and now, yeah, its just more about the mainstream titles and so on, with only an occassional glimpse into the industry at large.

 

[SD-Ness]

wha happened to sushi x

I remember there used to be "Sushi-X sitings" in EGM for a few months. No clear answer as to what happened to that character.

Edit- And what DID happen to Sushi X? And who was he? I'm pretty sure I remember someone saying that over the years, the person who filled his role was always changing.

Sushi-X began writing for the magazine GameNOW, but was on and off in terms of appearing in every issue. GameNOW was published by Ziff Davis too, but it was cancelled around December 2003, I think. They always said [in GameNOW] that Sushi-X was in Japan and was distracted by other things or something...I dunno where he is currently though.

There's not even a section on Japan or arcade games anymore.

Actually, I think they do have one page devoted to this now. It's called "EGM International." It used to be much better though, I remember back in the day.

I still have all my EGM's from 1994 on, and I weep everytime I go through them.

I still flip through my old ones; they're so much better.


Shoe and Crispin are still there. Overall, I really am disappointed with EGM. It's the only game magazine that I pay for and really the only one I like. I'm the most familiar with it. It's quality has really decreased. I wish the reviews were longer and contained more interesting information on the games...industry, playing, etc. Currently, there is wayyyy to much filler - some sections I totally skip. I also don't like the changes to the layout of the magazine that happened about a year ago. I always enjoy reading Hsu and Chan though...heh.

 

[Belfast]

Let this be the last anybody ever mentions that psycho's name.

I'll one-up it.

Eric Mylonas (Mynolas?)

 

[TekunoRobby]

Let this be the last anybody ever mentions that psycho's name.

Please, even reading his name irritates me. I hate self delusional egoists.

 

[SD-Ness]

XBN and GMR want to have some words with you

XBN I heard is worthwhile, but I've never touched GMR. How does it compare to EGM?

 

[Alcibiades]

well, they announced Smash Brothers for Cube as a rehash of the N64 version and said XBox had 2 killer apps (Halo plus OddWorld) while only one for Cube (Rogue Leader, being that Smash Brothers wasn't a "killer app") and therefore gladly professed to the world XBox > GCN before they were even released and before they had a chance to review Smash Brothers...

yeah, I'd say for the past several years there has been problems at the mag...

 

[belgurdo]

well, they announced Smash Brothers for Cube as a rehash of the N64 version and said XBox had 2 killer apps (Halo plus OddWorld) while only one for Cube (Rogue Leader, being that Smash Brothers wasn't a "killer app") and therefore gladly professed to the world XBox > GCN before they were even released and before they had a chance to review Smash Brothers...

yeah, I'd say for the past several years there has been problems at the mag...

And when both released, they'd hype GCN titles to high hell and trash XB games over the littlest things. Didn't they do this a lot too when DC vs. PS2 was the going argument?

 

[Alcibiades]

And when both released, they'd hype GCN titles to high hell and trash XB games over the littlest things. Didn't they do this a lot too when DC vs. PS2 was the going argument?

not true, deserving games like Panzar Dragoon Orta and Splinter Cell got their due...

truth is they should have waited for the systems to be released before declaring one better than the other...

 

[Vargas]

Gone are the days of 200+ pages and 300+ christmas editions.

The December 2003 issue was 254 pages, December 2002 was 295, December 2001 was 289. The last couple of issues that I remember that were 300+ are November 1994 and December 1996.

 

[SuperPac]

For anyone interested in some old EGM history-type stuff, I've just started up a blog which will reveal a lot about the old days as I get around to typing things in. Right now it mainly centers on my experience when I first got hired... but I'm working on something about Sushi-X right now, and there's much more to come. Oh yes... *much* more.

-CJ

 

[disabledHeliocentric]

At this point I think most of the video game mags suck about equally.
I always appreciated articles that showed some insight and had some thoughtful editorial commentary but those have always been rare in game mags.

 

[Nintendo Ate My Children]

Gone are the days of 200+ pages and 300+ christmas editions.

Thank God. Those 300 and 400 page monsters were mostly ads and badly written filler material. I for one think EGM is just as good as it was in the glory days, and better than they were in the (roughly) '93-'97 era.

 

[White Man]

I don't think gaming magazine quality has gone down at all. It's just difficult for people to judge the quality of a magazine when 95% of the news that would be shocking is revealed weeks before via the internet.

The game has changed. I think this is why mags like EGM don't focus on previews unless the game is an imminent release. EGM is and always has been my favorite, too.

Who does the letters now, btw? I'd check, but I forgot to fill out a change of address card and I don't have any mags with me.

k-

 

[MC Safety]

Sushi X is currently wandering America. A cryptic e-mail sent to the Ziff-Davis editorial staff mentions only a cheeseburger on the grave of the King of Rock and Roll and an eventual return.

 

[mattx5]

Fear the mullet.

I didn't start my collection till around 97', so I can't say I know much about the old days.

To me, the veterans are people like CJ (Superpac), Crispin Boyer, Dan Hsu, Dean Hagar, Shawn Smith, John Ricciardi (Johntv), The Trickman Terry Minnich and Sushi X.


Chris, a slightly more personal question-

How do you feel about the direction the mag is taking? How about the other staff members? Do you foresee a change in the near future, taking the mag back to it's roots? Or is it all downhill?

 

[Soul4ger]

XBN I heard is worthwhile, but I've never touched GMR. How does it compare to EGM?

MUCH larger focus on previews, and there's a nice retro section, too. Reviews are about a page or a half-a-page each, but there's typically only one person covering them. You get some short second impressions on certain games, kinda like UGP used to do. It's a pretty decent magazine - easy to read, and a lot of content even though it only runs just over a hundred pages, typically.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Issue 90 is the best ever.

 

[NMan]

For anyone interested in some old EGM history-type stuff, I've just started up a blog which will reveal a lot about the old days as I get around to typing things in. Right now it mainly centers on my experience when I first got hired... but I'm working on something about Sushi-X right now, and there's much more to come. Oh yes... *much* more.

-CJ

Wow that was a very good read. I can't wait for the next update!

 

[Pachinko]

The thing I recall though, is that those huge issues of yore were always filled with ads. Although even the current small issues are 50% ads... so yeah...

 

[etiolate]

All it has is the name. Everything else is tarnished.

 

[Andy787]

I can only read rappers say they like a certain "joint" so many times before I want to hang myself.

:lol

 

[Great Wasabi Man]

EGM like many game mags started biting off other mags "gimicks". It's obvious that EGM editors are big fans of Maxim

 

[SuperPac]

How do you feel about the direction the mag is taking? How about the other staff members? Do you foresee a change in the near future, taking the mag back to it's roots? Or is it all downhill?

Well, when I got the PSP vs. DS issue in the mail I poured through it cover to cover and really enjoyed it. I still believe it to be the best and most well-written games mag in the U.S. (even though Game Informer gets a lot of great exclusives). What I think of its direction outside of that is irrelevant.

 

[God's Hand]

Well, when I got the PSP vs. DS issue in the mail I poured through it cover to cover and really enjoyed it. I still believe it to be the best and most well-written games mag in the U.S. (even though Game Informer gets a lot of great exclusives). What I think of its direction outside of that is irrelevant.

CJ, fucking awesome writeup on your blog. I can't wait for more. Hope you give us some dirt on EGM. How about this: were any of the staffers bribed for reviews?

 

[SuperPac]

CJ, fucking awesome writeup on your blog. I can't wait for more. Hope you give us some dirt on EGM. How about this: were any of the staffers bribed for reviews?

Ooh, that's a good entry topic. I'll do that sometime next week. But you probably won't find the answer too interesting.

 

[Belfast]

Oh, make no mistake, EGM is still probably the best gaming mag in the US. However, the old ones will remain forever in the realm of dead magazines like UltraGamePlayers and GAMEFAN.

 

[binary]

I like the old days of EGM better also. The magazine seems to be trying to hard to satisfy the needs of mainstream gamers. EGM is now full of useless, little, aside articles and jokes that are worthless to me. I liked the feeling I got back in the day reading it where I felt like I was reading something that I couldn't get anywhere else. Most of the opinonated stuff is gone too. No more Last Words in the back of the magazine where the crew debates a current hot topic. I used to read each EGM for as many as two weeks just so I could digest every morsel of info but now I skim through it in an hour and never touch it again. I realize EGM lost some of its' luster with the dawn of the internet, but even back around 1998/1999 when the internet was around and growing I found EGM to be a superior magazine.

 

[God's Hand]

I think EGM, like most magazines, seem to think we'd rather read long previews on the internet. That's not true. I want long, well-written and thorough previews and a handful of shots. I'd pay more for the magazine if that meant raising the price. Having paper copies of the history of gaming is like people who save newspapers or Rolling Stones. You can't do that with the internet, it's just not the same.

 

[Belfast]

Wow, CJ, I never realized Semrad was such a bitch. I mean, all editors need to be tough on those who work under them, but there's no need for the seething hatred he seemed to have for you. I guess it just comes as a bit of a shock seeing as how a lot of people seemed to like Ed back in the day.

 

[SuperPac]

Hell, as a longtime EGM reader I had nothing but respect for Ed before I started working there. And this is just the beginning of many other Ed Semrad stories that will come later...

 

[mattx5]

I like the old days of EGM better also. The magazine seems to be trying to hard to satisfy the needs of mainstream gamers. EGM is now full of useless, little, aside articles and jokes that are worthless to me. I liked the feeling I got back in the day reading it where I felt like I was reading something that I couldn't get anywhere else. Most of the opinonated stuff is gone too. No more Last Words in the back of the magazine where the crew debates a current hot topic. I used to read each EGM for as many as two weeks just so I could digest every morsel of info but now I skim through it in an hour and never touch it again. I realize EGM lost some of its' luster with the dawn of the internet, but even back around 1998/1999 when the internet was around and growing I found EGM to be a superior magazine.

I think EGM, like most magazines, seem to think we'd rather read long previews on the internet. That's not true. I want long, well-written and thorough previews and a handful of shots. I'd pay more for the magazine if that meant raising the price. Having paper copies of the history of gaming is like people who save newspapers or Rolling Stones. You can't do that with the internet, it's just not the same.

I couldn't have put it better myself. I miss the long previews, the obscure information, the humor, the Last Words.

Man, reading all this makes me wanna buy some back issues. Anyone have a rough estimate on how much it would cost to buy all the issues from say..... 1994 to 1997?

Edit - Just checked Ebay. Once I get some stuff out of the way that I need to purchase first, I'd definitely have no problems with putting down 100$ for 20 or 30 old issues of EGM. I never did get to experience it during the SNES vs Genesis days....

 

[Insertia]

Yeah, EGM's new format is made that way because they figure we've already read previews 2 months ago.

I nearly forgot that their preview section was missing.

Can't say I miss it, I've already read the previews on the 'net.

 

[mattx5]

Man, I can't believe I forgot to mention John Davison. That guy was cool too.

 

[Seth C]

The mantle of Sushi X has been passed to several over the years. The original Sushi, as I understand it, was Dave Halverson. This was told to me by several who worked with him, around the time Gamer's Republic launched. I do believe the most recent Sushi-X was Hsu, but I h ave no proof. You'd have to ask him, and he probably wouldn't admit it somewhere this public.

 

[Prince of Space]

Yeah, EGM's taken a bit of a dip in quality since the redesign, but it's still one of the better mags out there. I do miss their previews though...

 

[fennec fox]

There's not even a section on Japan

Look harder..........

 

[MC Safety]

The mantle of Sushi X has been passed to several over the years. The original Sushi, as I understand it, was Dave Halverson. This was told to me by several who worked with him, around the time Gamer's Republic launched. I do believe the most recent Sushi-X was Hsu, but I h ave no proof. You'd have to ask him, and he probably wouldn't admit it somewhere this public.

Lies.

 

[GigaDrive]

my gaaaawd, SuperPac, that is some shit.... working for EGM.... having a bad time with Ed SEMRAD..... I used to think he was Jesus Christ (with Steve being GOD ALMIGHTY Himself)... but it sounds like Jesus made you want to cry and leave heaven. not good. .... damn.

 

[bjork]

I've liked EGM ever since they gave Pocky + Rocky game of the month. That was issue 48 or 49, not sure which. I've got from 22-current, save the multiple covers for LotR and Shiva.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Look harder..........