EGM2 Issue 01 (July 1994)

own this issue.

Electronic Gaming Monthly launched a spin-off magazine called EGM² in July 1994. There were no reviews, and the coverage leaned more toward codes and strategy guides, though there were sections that covered other aspects. This magazine would change names twice, and completely swap out its staff around once (though two writers would stay) before it was all said and done about 10 years later. The month this magazine was to hit issue number 50, in August 1998, they rebranded EGM² and became Expert Gamer, but continued the same numbering system. Issue #88 was their last, but then the staff renamed the magazine once again to GameNOW, and while they still would have strategy guides and codes, they focused more on news, reviews and previews. GameFAQs was growing big time, not to mention the internet in general, and I remember never needing to really buy strategy guides as we moved into PS2, GameCube, and Xbox games because you had passionate gamers making them for free on websites.

It might seem like they were now just a copy of the original EGM, with the same focus, but they actually had a slightly younger audience that carried over from Expert Gamer. It was more 10-16 year olds, whereas EGM was mostly 15+. The staff had a great personality, and they brought some fun ideas to the mag to keep it going, like a HOT or NOT section. By November 2002 (issue #13) the GameNOW staff was almost completely replaced when Ziff-Davis moved its video game magazines from Chicago to California. Only two writers from the original staff moved to California. The mag had a complete redesign shortly after, which is expected since you now had new staff and new artists taking over. The magazine lasted until January 2004. Print magazines were hit hard as the early 2000s continued, with many of the big names ceasing production by 2009-2011 (like the original EGM and GamePro). GameNOW published 27 issues total. I've gone through a lot of videogame magazines, and I have always like the designs and fonts from EGM2, Expert Gamer, and GameNOW. Nice colorful page layouts with easy-to-read text and easy to understand sections. So many mags can use fonts and colors that hurt the eyes sometimes, or page layouts that look more plain and colorless like TIME or People Magazine than a reflection of a younger generation. For many, the Fan Club (or Letters) section in GameNOW was a highlight for regular readers, with new changes often and funny responses. You might like checking out all three magazines if you've only seen one of them.