Kross

So its SSX minus the snow?

I have read a little bit about the game. They say outright the game is quite violent. Its almost a marketing tool to show that this isn't your daddy's "The Bible Game."

In junior high, my global studies teacher had us do weekly reports on articles out of newspapers. We weren't allowed to use the internet. The reasoning was that if we used the internet we'd simply go straight for whatever article we wanted and that would be the end of it, while if we were using a print paper we may browse it and find something else that catches our eyes and sounds interesting.

That's why I still enjoy video game magazines. I don't have the time or feel the need to read every article that makes it way onto the net every day. Generally I just look through headlines for particular articles that are about games I'm already interested in, or companies that that have put out games I've enjoyed in the past.

With a video game magazine, it’s much easier to simply browse and notice games that may have flown under my radar otherwise. Yes, "PICS PICS PICS," as someone pointed out earlier, play into this quite a bit since print magazines usually have better quality shots, all spread out over a page or two, and you don't have to click on the thumbnail of every individual shot to see it in full size. There have been several games, Disgaea being the first that comes to mind, that would have completely passed me by because they didn't get a feature spot on a gaming sites main page (or they couldn't afford to buy a good spot on their main page, not that all game magazines are innocent of such behavior) if I hadn't first noticed some attractive screenshots, character art, and/or brief but intriguing write up in a game magazine.

This isn't to say that game magazines don't need to change. I used to buy at least one gaming magazine every month, while now I only pick them up if the cover story is interesting because I have a tight budget and don't want to spend money on a magazine that may have nothing to offer at me at all. They do need to stop trying to get scoops and news bits, the internet is much better equipped for that. However, put a small amount of previews and reviews in a magazine, and let the rest of it be The Escapist, and I'm sold every single month. I love the Escapist, but I don't read it as much as I would like because trying to read in-depth article while sitting at my computer, or even on my laptop, simply becomes uncomfortable and hard on the eyes after a while. I want to be able to lie in bed or, yes, sit on the toilet and enjoy such great articles on gaming as a culture rather than a sensationalism machine.

Gaming magazines and magazines in general still have a purpose, despite what some techno-elitists and news junkies may say. They just need to evolve to make their purpose more evident and more worth the monetary investment.