New Release: Play Online No.3 (August 1998)

[kitsunebi]

Retromags Presents!

Play Online No.3

August 1998

Database Entry

Download Here!

[Areala]

Thank you so much! I'm not familiar with this magazine. I must explore...

*huggles*
Areala

[kitsunebi]

It's pretty different from most Japanese mags.  Not an anime girl in sight.  Kind of refreshing.

Of course, since it covers non-VN PC games (and ones that can be played online at that), that disqualifies almost all Japanese games, so the mag has a decidedly Western feel and covers mostly Western games.  It seems like it's readers are probably very serious gamers who are forced to seek out games from outside of Japan.  Some of the games covered aren't even localized and they have to try to muddle through in English.  There's an interesting article/lesson on how to game-chat in English, since most of their online competition is bound to come from outside of Japan (in 1998, Japan had very little online presence, as ISPs were still charging by the minute AFAIK.)

I feel that Japanese readers of this mag are equivalent to American gamers in the early-mid 90s who had an interest in JRPGs.  You knew that games that appealed to you were out there, they just weren't being released in your country.