ctophil

Hi, Matt You're the first person I've ever met online or offline whom have decided to quit playing video games and drop off from the gaming community. We all know that video games is a great leisure activity--stress relieving, a way to leave "reality" for a short while, nostalgia from childhood (if you grew up with video games), keeps relationships going strong, good eye-hand coordination, stimulates the mind (depends on what games you play though), keeps you out of trouble (compared to societal influences, drugs, alcohol), builds patience, can be inspiring, admiration for a form of art & literature (like music, movies, paintings, books, etc.), and can be spiritually uplifting in times of need. The list could go on. But you see my point. I can't say that stop playing video games, reading, watching, or talking about it is "moving on" like it's an addiction to alcohol or a bad relationship. LOL. Seriously though, I see video games as a great addition to my life, and nothing has been negative about it throughout my 29 years of gaming. In fact, it built a foundation for me and created a lifetime of accomplishments. Because of video games, I went to school for Computer Science (to make games) and Business Administration (to run a games business). I launched a career in making and publishing video games. I opened 2 game stores. I've made some great friends throughout the years, both professionally and just to play games together. Finally, video games also launched my spiritual, philosophical, and religious background. I'm currently a spiritual teacher because I interacted with so many people through my game stores and realized life is much, much more. I know that not everybody's gaming career is as inspirational and impactful as mine. But it's a fantastic hobby that no one should miss.

Oh yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed EGM's advertisements back in the day too. I even had a habit of looking over those ads many times just to hype me up for certain games/systems. Magazines like EGM, Nintendo Power, and GameFan were like "gaming bibles" to me. I read them from cover-to-cover probably 5-6 times a piece. They were filled with humor, creative articles, and there had a lot of "fun factor" in everything that they wrote back in the 1990s. Game Informer is not bad at all. It does capture some of the excitement and gaming enthusiasm of yesteryear. I have some additional respect for Game Informer over the past few years, since they are still around when almost everybody else are completely dead. Though it has Gamestop bias present within the articles, I'm still okay with it. Game Informer is a different entity to me, and I enjoy every bit of it. As for RETRO, they have been struggling greatly, even to the point of using their own money to keep the magazine afloat. I'm happy that they are still around by using Patreon. I am ready to re-subscribe as soon as I get my latest issue in the mail for my subscription to switch over without issues. But overall, it is a good magazine and quite well written. I really enjoy the retro games they randomly choose to be in each issue.

Yeah, I would pay up to $10.00 for a newsstand magazine if it's high quality like Retro Gamer and the old-school EGM back in the day. I was a kid when EGM was thick like the Sears catalog. It had so many reviews and previews in those issues that covered not just American releases but overseas as well. It was so cool to read about the Japanese games to anticipate what games will make it to the west. Remember when EGM covered the Super Famicom before images of the American Super NES were even released? I would pay more than $10 per issue if EGM was even close to the way it was. But my Wal-Mart idea also includes subscriptions like Game Informer. So if you think the newsstand mags are expensive, you can always subscribe with the in-mag vouchers.

Yeah well, I assume Wal-Mart is paying EGM a lot of money to put out that magazine. So Game Center is well supported financially. While the regular EGM relies on in-mag advertisements and subscriptions, both are not anywhere close to supporting the magazine to stay afloat. Similar to most businesses, why would they transfer money to a dead division? If they were smart, EGM should of just create a smaller, free version of Electronic Gaming Monthly for Wal-Mart while subscribers and bookstores get the larger, paid version. That way, EGM will get the exposure of Wal-Mart to enhance its name so that it will increase subscriptions and popularity. Most people will recognize the name when they visit a local grocery or book store because they saw it at Wal-Mart. But they will enjoy the in-depth coverage and may even subscribe to the paid version. So you can look at the Wal-Mart edition as a demo of the real thing, similar to the gaming industry.

No, the Spring 2016 issue of EGM does not exist. The last issue that I know of is the one you're showing (Fall 2015 Buyer's Guide) with the Assassin's Creed cover. It's different from your cover but the same, nevertheless. Customer service has never been very helpful. They always apologize and then say the issue has been sold out. Guys, it's not "sold out." The issue was not made yet. They are just feeding us lines to buy some time for the next issue. But that's in the past. These days I believe the physical magazine itself is shut down. It doesn't matter anyways, since by the time EGM releases an issue, it's already like a year outdated. These issues are now for collectible purposes and perhaps an article here or there that has historic value.

I haven't heard anything either. I have pretty much given up on EGM since the last issue. There's no point in finding out if they are sending another issue or not. If they have an issue, it'll come to our mailboxes eventually. I used to e-mail customer service all the time even if an issue was a week or two late. But now it's way beyond late. RETRO magazine has been acting like EGM lately as well. They keep delaying the current issue for months already. On Facebook, they are saying it will hit the printers by the end of November. But they have been saying that for the past few months. Really, the only print game magazines in the U.S. that are active are Game Informer and NF Magazine.

Well, technically, I play more video games than I did as a kid. Looking back, I played only on weekends (Sat and Sun), since I had school and a job. Summer time was different though. My time off from school allowed me 5-6 days of gaming a week. :-) These days, I spend about 5 days a week (3 hours a day) playing video games. However, 90% of my gaming sessions are co-operative with my online buddy, while back in the day, I mostly did single player games. My increase in gaming today has a lot to do with my full retirement from working. I sound like an old geezer, but really I turn 40 in a week or so.

I don't like the connecting and disconnecting portions, since I dispise things wearing out quickly. But with that viewpoint, Nintendo is trying to make it more portable due to the incredible popularity and combining of mobile devices and gaming. They are catering to the majority. As for me, I don't even take my portable game consoles with me during travels anyway. So, with the Switch, I'll leave it at home 100% of the time, no wear and tear there. I am quite interested in the Switch, although the name can use another brainstorming session. With the huge 3rd party support, I believe Nintendo is going places with this console. Ubisoft, EA, and number of large publishers are very excited and believe Nintendo has done a good job this time. As I always say, yes, the Switch is a pretty "gimmicky" console. But let's face it, Nintendo likes to try new things. All I want to see are really cool games on this console, especially JRPGs. Something else I like about the Nintendo Switch is how small the system really is. It's like the size of a large tablet. The portable screen is the console itself. Nintendo always seems to pull off console sizes smaller than the competition. The Xbox One and PS4 are enormous comparably. It doesn't have any moving parts either (like a disc drive), so you can surely put it on the side, unlike the PS4 and Xbox One. It will definitely save a lot of space. I like the SD Card-style games. I'm sure loading times will be instantaneous, and you don't have to worry about scratching any kind of discs. The game boxes will be smaller as well, similar to Nintendo DS and 3DS games.

Nintendo has finally unveiled their new console. It is called the Nintendo Switch. Apparently, it's an extremely portable unit. You plug it up to the TV at home, bring it with you, and the console even has its own screen that can stand on a table. The controllers are actually plugged onto a separate platform and can be unplugged to plug back onto the portable screen. The best part is you can plug in a normal controller (Switch Controller Pro) if you so desire. Here is the list of developers and publishers currently signed up to support the Switch. Seems to be the largest support I've seen since the SNES era. Even Skyrim is in the trailer as well. Elder Scrolls has never been on a Nintendo console. Best wishes to Nintendo for a successful next generation. Oh, it's still coming out March 2017. Read all about the Nintendo Switch here: http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-switch-reveal-trailer-and-all-the-new-det/1100-6444626/ 505 Games Activision Publishing, Inc. ARC SYSTEM WORKS Co., Ltd. ATLUS CO., LTD. Audiokinetic Inc. Autodesk, Inc. BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. Bethesda CAPCOM CO., LTD. Codemasters® CRI Middleware Co., Ltd. DeNA Co., Ltd. Electronic Arts Epic Games Inc. Firelight Technologies FromSoftware, Inc. Frozenbyte GameTrust GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE INC． Gungho Online Entertainment, Inc. HAMSTER Corporation Havok INTI CREATES CO., LTD. KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. LEVEL-5 Inc. Marvelous Inc. Maximum Games, LLC Nippon Ichi Software, Inc. Parity Bit Inc. PlatinumGames Inc. RAD Game Tools, Inc. RecoChoku Co., Ltd. SEGA Games Co., Ltd. Silicon Studio Corporation Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. Starbreeze Studios Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Telltale Games THQ Nordic Tokyo RPG Factory Co., Ltd. TT Games UBISOFT Ubitus Inc. Unity Technologies, Inc. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Web Technology Corp

Let's hope they don't convert our subscription to Maxim magazine again. lol. Seriously though, the polite thing to do is at least make a special announcement on their web site, egmnow.com, and try to send a postcard to all subscribers that the print division is shutting down. That's better than making subscribers wait month after month with nothing to look forward to, not even a blip.

Eh, I like how the mini NES looks, but I already own the original NES I bought back in 1988. I also have hundreds of games for the system. It would be a waste of money buying the mini NES unless it's for collectible purposes only. I don't like the fact that you can't play cartridges on it or at least a way to expand from the initial 30 games. I also own the Retron 5 that can play carts from a bunch of consoles all in their HD glory, such as the NES, Famicom, SNES, Super Famicom, Sega Genesis, Mega Drive, Sega Master System, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance. Perhaps mainstream gamers who want to try out retro Nintendo games, the NES Classic Edition would be a good buy. But for guys like me, I would rather spend $60.00 on a nice condition complete-in-box copy of Super Mario Bros 3 or Metroid.

As a kid, most of the video games I played were rentals. I could only afford to buy a video game once or twice a year. But once I grew older, I stopped renting games since 1998. The last game I rented was for the Sega Saturn. Even during the era of Saturn, N64, and Playstation, I bought about 70% of my games, probably due to having a job. Of course, these days, you can't rent games anymore unless it's online via Gamefly or from Redbox at the kiosks. I don't support rentals anymore because it does hurt the game industry. I can always play the demo if I want to try out the game. Plus, I love collecting video games as you all know. As a side note, I don't rent movies either. Although, I do watch them on streaming. However, I still buy the physical copy if I really like it. As a spiritual person, I support all industries (industries that don't hurt, steal, lie, or promote bad health/behavior for people), and I will purchase their products. If I can't afford it, I'll just won't buy it. There is no point in renting in my opinion.

Here is a complete Wiki on current Nintendo NX rumors: http://www.ign.com/wikis/nintendo-nx/NX_Rumors It seems Nintendo is going to push more games to come out in the next generation. So, the Nintendo NX library won't be as sparse as the Wii U. Though Nintendo hasn't been successful with their main hardware business in the past generation, they have a huge amount of cash reserves and some very talented developers working for them. Unlike Sega, Nintendo has been around for over a 100 years and got some experience under their belts. Therefore, they won't come crashing down anytime soon.

Hey Guys, Although Nintendo hasn't released a console I really liked since the SNES, I still continue to support them. Sure, the Nintendo Wii sold more consoles than the NES, but that's because the game industry has gained a larger audience since then, and it was a console geared towards the mainstream. The Wii generation felt very similar to the Gamecube and N64. There were only a few games that stood out, since Nintendo developed them. Third-party support were slim and of low quality for the past 4 generations of consoles. Fast forward to the present and future. Their next generation console, Nintendo NX, will launch March 2017. You would think with that kind of an announcement, they would unveil some details this E3. But that won't be the case. I assume Nintendo is doing this to keep the Wii U and 3DS from dying a quick death. The other big rumor going around is that the Nintendo NX will be a cartridge-based console. You heard it right. Nintendo's Chinese manufacturer of carts for their portable systems have briefly stated that they just got a large influx of orders for carts for Nintendo's new console. Could this be true? If so, it would certainly be a good thing, since you don't have to install games onto the hard drive like the current generation consoles. Carts load games extremely fast, and it could be a way for Nintendo to combat complaints of waiting for games to install. Read the article here: http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/05/05/rumour-nintendo-nx-to-drop-discs-for-cartridges Another weird thing going on is that Nintendo said the new Legend of Zelda coming to Wii U and NX will be the ONLY game at this E3. They are already abandoning the Wii U before the NX comes out. You can feel the desperation at Nintendo. I only wish them the best with the NX. What do you guys think?

Congratulations to her Majesty, Areala! May your reign of terror benevolence reach far and wide throughout the world. Every loyal subject in this Kingdom of Retromags must ::bow:: before her Highness everytime you speak in her presence. Long live the Queen of Retromags! Long live The Queen! All Hail to the Queen! All Hail to the Queen! P.S. Sarcasm aside--congrats, Areala. Just remember, "With great power there must also come--great responsiblity."