How a Game Magazine works

[stormy]

Matt, Are you still in touch with any of the mags out there, or people in the industry anymore? You never seem to say much about it, so i assume that portion of your life is behind you, but i was just curious what your current deal is.

[Shin Johnpv]

Originally posted by mattvanstone
I actually got into a talk about this the other day with someone from the mag, the failing it seems, is that both of us would have done PSO for DC in 1-2 days, and given it a score of 80.

Knowing now, that after playing it for months solid, I would have given it a 95 at least, but, that's the double edged DB Saber (hah!) of time based work.

when you were at GF was any thought given to inclusing i dont know what you would call it but

something like Is it still good and say 3 - 4 months after a game comes out the review who reviewed it gives their quick opinon on if it still holds up or if its gotten better?

[MVS]

In touch with? Yeah.

I mean, from GF, I talk to Eggo, ECM, The Judge (might hit his wedding in NC in March, but I dunno). A few others have moved and I lost contact with, which is unfortunate, but happens.

Other mags? I was never that chummy with people from there, and, that's fine, so, not much there. That's not to say that I didn't like some of them, or seeing them at a press event Anatole and Ara from TNT and SS and Jay Boor (midway), as well as the cool PR people like Hugo at Namco, Matt at Capcom and Jeff at Rockstar were all good, but there was never really a reason to talk to them when the game was over, so to speak.

I don't talk about it, like you say, it's over and never coming back and it's only nights like these, where I feel like remenising or something that I think about it. Months will go buy without anything, and then something reminds me of it.

It's literally at the point where when I play CounterStrike and use my name (I always put Kodomo out of habit), that I never even think of GF when I see "Kodomo HS's Llama".

I suppose it's something that I think people don't really know as much about as they think they do, so it's cool to kind of talk about it once in a great while.

Originally posted by Shin Johnpv
when you were at GF was any thought given to inclusing i dont know what you would call it but

something like Is it still good and say 3 - 4 months after a game comes out the review who reviewed it gives their quick opinon on if it still holds up or if its gotten better?

Nah, there were a lot of things that we considered implementing, that, for one reason or another got axed.

At one point, we were going to put me in Japan..sucks that failed , but it's cool. Other things like giving no coverage to a shitty game at all, putting more reader input into the mag (beyond art and letters) and more features (like a page done by 1 editor a month) were all discussed.

If GF would have survived, it would have undergone more changes, and become more of a 'hardcore' (for lack of a better word) and less of a mainstream magazine.

[Omni]

Originally posted by thray-walsh
Hell, I even fell asleep at 2 am while playing Devil May Cry 2! Seriously though, it's all worth it.

*LOL* I hope not because the game was bad.

Originally posted by thray-walsh
and my Xmas break was more like a Xenosaga break.

Can't wait to hear impressions. You wouldn't make me wait till the review hits, right?

*prays that it's good*

[Master]

Didn't you post this, or something similar before? I appreciate the information, but I seem to remember you posting this before...

On the Gamego boards maybe? Hmmmm...

PS: Thanks for the post anyway. Good info.

[Shin Johnpv]

tis a shame it didnt

it was all i read for years

when it got axed i had to read the other mags

[Ex Ranza]

I really enjoyed the magazines you guys did back in 1999-2000, Matt.

Some of the best issues came out right before the magazine ended, ironically enough.

[MVS]

Originally posted by Master
Didn't you post this, or something similar before? I appreciate the information, but I seem to remember you posting this before...

On the Gamego boards maybe? Hmmmm...

PS: Thanks for the post anyway. Good info.

Yes, there are only a finite amount of things I know and can talk about with 1st hand experience.

Now, unless you want to hear about Driving a forklift, smoking, Sex or Soccer, this is as good as it gets.

Originally posted by Ex Ranza
I really enjoyed the magazines you guys did back in 1999-2000, Matt.

Some of the best issues came out right before the magazine ended, ironically enough.

My only regret, is not taking that damn January 2001 Issue with me. It was burned and ready to print, and went MIA. Sucks, that would have at least been a nice way to end it, by putting that on the net.

[MVS]

Sorry dude.

Like I say, wish I ganked that final issue, would have been a hell of a goodbye. Such is life, and good times were still good times.

[thray-walsh]

Yep, Matt's impressions of the job are still pretty damn accurate, and it's cool to share with those who are curious or considering a move into the field...it always makes me angry when people on other boards, etc. assume that we're maliciously reviewing unfinished software, or that these jobs don't entail a colossal amount of work.

And since we have the March issue in our hands, I'll tell ya Omni-- DMC2 is a might disappointing. Not bad really, but not on par with the first one.

Oh, and I really enjoyed Xenosaga.. especially after the slow-ish first 8 or so hours were out the way. The pace really picks up for the rest of the game!