The first-ever issue of Games for Windows: The Official Magazine (formerly Computer Gaming World) hit newsstands Friday. Weighing in at 134 pages, the magazine's new focus on games for Windows allows the editorial staff to focus on the PC as a platform to rival consoles "minus the annoying Linux and Mac noise" according to the magazine's editor.
A few highlights from issue 01:
- Nice, light design. Most game magazines have a heavy, dark feel to them. GFW's art and layout are lighter and easier on the eyes, though almost all of the advertising is still annoyingly black.
- GFW's editor (Jeff Green) promises that Microsoft has no say in anything that his staff prints between the covers of the magazine. It's still an independent editorial venture, "despite that big honkin' Windows logo on the front cover." That's important.
- If you didn't care for the magazine before, it's unlikely that the renaming and new design will change your mind. The magazine's contents are still the same because it's still staffed by the same staff sitting in the same seats at the same desks covering the same games. This is the same book with a different cover.
- The most exciting change is GFW's new scoring system. In a ballsy move, GFW has recalibrated their score system: a score of 5 out of 10 is "average." Anything above a five is "above average" and anything below five is "below average." Games that previously might have earned 8 or 9 might now be earning scores of 6 or 7! Let's see how long they'll stick to their guns on this one, as they're sure to catch a lot of heat from game publishers. Stay strong, guys! You're on the side of the gamer with this change.
