Today in Joystiq: May 1, 2008

by Ross Miller { May 1st 2008 at 11:59PM }

Do you remember this cover? It was the premiere issue of Next Generation magazine from January 1995. Joystiq reader David has scanned in the cover art of every issue between then and January 2002 and thrown them on Flickr. He's also selling them, if you care to see what's on the second pages. Check out the highlights for today:

Joystiquery
Joyswag: Win Grand Theft Auto IV on your platform of choice
Off the Grid: The new roommates
X3F Week in Review: April 25, 2008 - May 1, 2008

News
PS3 Burnout Paradise gets cartography update
Hudson US president resigns post
Infogrames buying Atari outright for $11 million
Turbine secures $40 million investment
Activision CEO says US economy could cause console price drop
Capcom embraces Mega Man's 'milking,' asks for full Mega Man games list
Blizzard acquires Diablo3.com, nothing to see (yet)
Whip it real good, Lego Indiana Jones site now live
Clover staff credits cut from Okami Wii, original director 'shocked'
GTA IV could become Xbox Live's top game
BBFC defends against PEGI supporters
Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode One is gold, due out 'later this quarter' for $20
Tecmo Bowl Kickoff lands on DS this fall
Report: Only 11% of Wii games score above 80%
Qmotions to bring 'active gaming' controllers to Xbox 360
Rock Band creators make the 2008 Time 100 list
Playable MGS1 flashbacks in MGS4, teases trailer
PSN Thursday: Echochrome and Canadian equality
Activision not attending E3 2008
New Street Fighter IV screens punch out classic bosses
New Street Fighter IV screens punch out classic bosses

Rumors & Speculation
Rumor: Layoffs at THQ's Rainbow Studios and Sandblast Games

Culture & Community
R-Type Command to include R-9 collectible
Miyamoto voted 'Your' Time Person of the Year
Adam Sessler and Jack Thompson debate GTA on NPR

Tags: dailyrecap, magazine, next-gen, next-generation

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ May 2nd 2008 12:01AM

Oh god. I remember subscribing to Next Generation. I clearly remember being in the 4th grade and bringing a Next Generation mag to school with Link on the cover.

Good times...Good times.

D_Average @ May 2nd 2008 9:15AM

Best VG mag ever

konajinx @ May 2nd 2008 10:57AM

Heh...4th grade in 1995. Man, when I was in 4th grade, I was undoubtedly scoping Electronic Games magazine, checking out all the latest hot shit on Atari and Intellivision.

Yeah, I'm old.

Limezor @ May 2nd 2008 11:07AM

I still have an old Nintendo Power which says how great the graphics are in GoldenEye =)
Good times.

cold school @ May 2nd 2008 12:01PM

"Best VG mag ever"

truer words have never been spoken

343 Guilty Fart @ May 2nd 2008 12:32PM

I still have my Nintendo Fun Club mags with RC Pro-Am and Zelda on the covers.

sicsided @ May 2nd 2008 12:15AM

I like the May 1997 issue "Something is Wrong with Nintendo 64: There simply aren't enough quality games. But is there hope?"

reminds me of this generation. call it flame bait or whatever the hell you want, but you know its true.

Ken Seang @ May 2nd 2008 2:15AM

Hey history repeats itself...

BlaqueBeird @ May 3rd 2008 3:28AM

I still play my old N64. Mario Kart, Perfect Dark, NFL Blitz, and plenty of beer.

eldee @ May 2nd 2008 12:15AM

I bought this issue from a grocery store back in '94! I remember it well, because it was the first magazine I'd ever seen that used that really stiff matte cover stock.

Obie @ May 2nd 2008 12:40AM

Heh, I was about ready to say the same thing. Time flies...God knows what is in store 10 years from now.

ill trooper @ May 2nd 2008 2:21AM

I hate to admit I probably still have that issue back in my parent's house. NERRRRRRDS!

NoHitHair @ May 2nd 2008 2:51AM

It's good to hear that other people recognized that cover as well.

Good magazines like that simply don't exist anymore. That was very high quality publication.

matt @ May 2nd 2008 10:02AM

eldee, how did you buy it back in '94 when the premiere issue is January '95?

Curtis the Claw:XBL - supapaypamawio @ May 2nd 2008 10:26AM

Magazines come out a month ahead of the date on them...So he would have got it in December of 1994 along with everyone else.

Iridium @ May 2nd 2008 12:16AM

Wow I had that mag and a subscription for 5 years. They were on my desk shelf until I went off to college and my room was remodeled. If those are worth any money I can add it to the mom list. You threw out my GI Joes, Star Wars, and Transformers. Those could have paid for a year of college.

Jansperus @ May 2nd 2008 12:43AM

Wait, so the Jaguar, Saturn, and PS1 are considered next-gen? If that's the case, then I think all those haters who are saying that the Wii isn't next-gen need to shut their mouth, 'cause this magazine proves you wrong!

hvnlysoldr @ May 2nd 2008 12:43AM

IT"S CONSOLE WARS! May Day May Day!

BPM [SSBB: 5026 4120 1186] @ May 2nd 2008 2:22AM

3DO pwns you all!

joshua @ May 2nd 2008 1:11AM

Best game magazine, by far, though its kind of dated now (I have a couple back issues which I pull out every once in a while). That magazine did a lot for gaming here in this country - their mission was to convince gamers and everyone else that this hobby was more than just a passing fad or a child's way to waste time. And it was a success.

I realize it was mostly a transplant of EDGE, but compared to EGM and GamePro back in the day... wow.

WAP @ May 2nd 2008 8:31AM

Totally agree with you. Next Gen was the first video game rag I encountered that was written for an audience older than 14. Next Gen was also big into pushing video games as an art form, which I don't remember any other publication doing at the time.

Chase @ May 2nd 2008 1:16AM

Hey now, Next Generation printed on high-quality material. I have that issue somewhere. If I find it, I'll scan a few articles.

Kyle N. @ May 2nd 2008 1:17AM

*shrugs*

I've got all the issues too, but you don't see _me_ posting them on Flickr and gaining temporary Joystiq fame...

Gavin @ May 2nd 2008 1:32AM

Back then, most video game magazines were still written with kids in mind as the target audience. Next Generation was one of the publications that bucked that trend and featured intelligent, well thought out articles, and extremely fair reviews. I was sad to see it go when they cancelled it.

Tony Bowman @ May 2nd 2008 1:34AM

i, too, steadfastly hold on to that particular issue of Next Generation. easily the best gaming mag in it's hayday, at least in the U.S.

Orionsaint @ May 2nd 2008 1:42AM

We were so innocent then when it came to polygons

Mr. Bungle @ May 2nd 2008 2:16AM

oddly enough, I still have this issue still boxed away in my attic... even still has the sticker!

Ridgecity @ May 2nd 2008 4:01AM

I think I still have that one... thank god it a collector's item! or anyone could say I never throw out the trash...

Burnt Meatloaf @ May 2nd 2008 4:20AM

I loved that mag. I was also amazed at how thick they were in the early years.

sean @ May 2nd 2008 5:38AM

Lol, the October 1997 issue "Consoles Under Fire: Has the PC finally won the war?"

Eh....no.

NotorietyH @ May 2nd 2008 5:42AM

Lol the October 1997 cover "Consoles Under Fire: Has the PC finally won the war?"

Eh....no.

Clack @ May 2nd 2008 6:14AM

Meh, I have EGM issues 8-80 or so stacked in a closet.

PS - For those riveted by the cover story, the Jaguar loses.

Rususeruru @ May 2nd 2008 6:19AM

Stuff like this makes me feel old.

Nigeria @ May 2nd 2008 6:39AM

Virtua Fighter 2 is still the best 3D fighting game ever. Made during during a real high point for 3D fighters. If you were a Saturn fan you had an abundance of choice in this genre; Fighters Megamix, Last Bronx, Fighting Vipers.

But despite all this quality, Virtua Fighter 2 still managed top the bill, for me anyway. I don't think there has been another 3D fighting game, in the proceeding generations, that has even come close to matching Virtua fighter 2.

McWeen @ May 2nd 2008 8:16AM

Wow I remember that seeing that Final Fantasy VIII cover at the library back in the day.

TheHuntIsOn @ May 2nd 2008 8:19AM

Even back then I hated 3D. Still not sure 3D works on a lot of games. I'm too fussy about 3D unless it's done perfectly with some genius behind the art direction.

ThePremierAssassin @ May 2nd 2008 9:11AM

I remember that cover...

Hmm its been a while since a new article...slow news day?

samfish @ May 2nd 2008 9:26AM

I have that issue somewhere in my parents attic, I think.

I loved Next Generation. I remember I was geting EGM and GamePro at the time and after reading Next Gen, it made me realize just how #^@&!%& terrible and juvenile (and biased, in EGM's case) they were. NG was such a cut above.

It was also a beautiful magazine. It was always printed on high quality paper, usually had a real thick cover stock and the layouts were elegantly simple.

Shame it folded.

umm....hello??? @ May 2nd 2008 9:50AM

actually, the best videogaming magazine ever to hit the stands was called GameFan. unfortunately I guess they ran into financial problems. NextGeneration magazine came out soon afterwards I think....

Double J @ May 2nd 2008 10:08AM

I used to buy that magazine all the time. I only have two issues left though. I don't typically throw out old gaming magazines, so I really have no idea what happened to all of them. Like the Unreal issue. Gotta love the tagline (Yes, this is a actual PC game screenshot).

blakbuzzrd @ May 2nd 2008 10:52AM

Not only did I buy this off the shelf and subscribe, I actually bought its UK predecessor, Generation Next, when I was over there in 1993.

Toefur @ May 2nd 2008 10:52AM

I still consider NextGen as the best gaming magazine. I still have most of the issues. The new website version is Ok, but doesn't quite come close to the old mag.

PojoMofo @ May 2nd 2008 12:09PM

Good MAg, but its no GamePro :)

Kangstarr @ May 2nd 2008 12:29PM

Please tell me your joking? Your comparing Next-Gen, one of the most influential and mature gaming magazines in the 90s to that piece of shit kiddy fluff?

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ May 2nd 2008 12:44PM

Have to disagree with you there, I'm not going to say it's a terrible mag, but Gamepro isn't really that good compared to stuff like GI.

Malevolentburrito @ May 2nd 2008 9:59PM

I still have this issue of Next Gen.

valdemiro @ May 2nd 2008 1:25PM

Haha! I probably still have that issue in a box at home!

carg0 @ May 2nd 2008 1:33PM

nintendo power, gamepro, EGM, PSM...these are all nice mags, particularly if you like big and bold pictures with big letters that all scream "hey, look at me! buy me!"

NextGen was for the older crowd (we've been around since the early 70's) and relied on superior writing and a cleaner layout that didn't look like it was targeted for 12 year-old's.

it still lives on in Edge but that's in the UK, unfortunately. and now with the internet making things even harder for print, it's highly unlikely we'll ever see another VG mag period, let alone another NextGen. such is life, though.

MRBlue @ May 2nd 2008 3:24PM

I had EVERY issue of this magazine and loved it. They didn't censor or pull any punches when it came to reviews and interviews.

And someone else mentioned they had the best quality covers and guts of any magazine on the market. The only thing that compares today is UK published Edge magazine. Next Generation was also the first magazine to play (and beat) the MGS2 demo for PS2. They featured really high-res photos of all games and wasn't scared to zoom in and uncover all the pixels.

Great mag that deserves a Hall of Fame award as the best publication of the mid-90's to its early demise (was it '01 or '02?).

Indeed, very good times.