I've seen this magazine a few times in passing at various newsstands and have always been really impressed with its covers, layout, amount of content, etc. One day I bought one just on a whim, and I gotta say, I really like this rag. I get EGM every month, and once I'm done reading it, I generally trash it, but Play is such an all around aesthetically beautiful magazine that I want to throw it in an acid-free plastic sleeve and preserve it in my Batcave Archives. Well, ok, I want to put it on a shelf in month-to-month order at least. Whoever they have on their layout and design team is brilliant, and while the reviews aren't the greatest I've read, they do tend to be pretty through and the other articles and previews seem good. It's great that every page seems to be of very high quality ink and is glossy. I also like how they cover anime in addition to gaming. (Oh, and the Jessica Boone voice actress gal they interviewed in this month's issue is CUTE.) So I made the jump, hunted down the cheapest subscription rate I could find, and subscribed. My only fear is that my bitter mail lady will be sure to cram the issues in my mailbox in as awkward a manner as possible just to spite me. I know this magazine isn't typically praised in alot of gaming circles. Anyone else a fan?
I think I like 'Play' magazine. Am I a bad person...or just shallow?
- Thread starter tedtropy
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Jimmy Carter
Member
I used to read it regularly, but not anymore. Dave is TOO positive about everything. The only time I've seen him rip into a game recently, was when he ripped into the developers saying, I paraphrase, "I hope the publisher chokes off the developer." That pissed me off to the point of never reading the mag again.
Their art and layout are damned near perfect, and Brady is a fantastic writer.
Their art and layout are damned near perfect, and Brady is a fantastic writer.
Jimmy Carter said:
I guess that's what I dig about it...it almost seems like a classy gaming mag. EGM reads more and more like an issue of Maxim lately. "Oh look, we're talking about boobies AND games." And I can't say I care too much for their newer review format. What happened to the EGM of my youth? I used to remember absolute 300 page or so behemoth issues and interesting reviews. Not so these days...
Myoclonic Jerk
Member
I like the Anime section .. I buy it from time to time 
Agent Icebeezy
Welcome beautful toddler, Madison Elizabeth, to the horde!
I don't like Play due to it's painfully obvious bias to everything Sega
Yeah, I'm not crazy about Play's reviews, but they have a nice format... I still think oldskool gamefan was the best (lots of pretty screenshots, lots of hardcore game coverage)... More "mainstream" mags piss me off, EGM went from an enthusiast mag to something to appeal to your 14 year old game players and PSM I stopped reading after they put out that Swimsuit issue 
djtiesto said:Yeah, I'm not crazy about Play's reviews, but they have a nice format... I still think oldskool gamefan was the best (lots of pretty screenshots, lots of hardcore game coverage)... More "mainstream" mags piss me off, EGM went from an enthusiast mag to something to appeal to your 14 year old game players and PSM I stopped reading after they put out that Swimsuit issue
PSM made for a better artbook than a vidgame mag (seeing as most of the PSM was made of ex-Game Player's magazine guys, which got pretty infantile itself towards the end.) And I also miss the days when EGM actually gave a shit about games and had 400-page long issues and strat guides for fighting games and such
It's gotten difficult to find a decent gaming rag these days. It seems as gaming started getting a wider audience, magazines changed to accomidate it, and in turn wound up being mostly IQ-reducing titty and fart jokes mixed with gaming reviews. I've heard that XBN is a really great independent magazine. May be another one I'll have to look into. Shame about it not having demo discs though...
Jimmy Carter said:
Hah, yeah, in Dave's preview of RE4 he went on and on kissing the game's ass, and I quote "I honestly feel is should cost more than other games to signify just how superior it is" and "if it was the only game available for the console it would be reason alone to buy it". Sadly, I don't think he was spewing hyperbole either.
Agent Icebeezy
Welcome beautful toddler, Madison Elizabeth, to the horde!
I'm at a loss for how GI is still in business(Gamestop, I know) but Next Generation is no more. That was my bible growing up
tedtropy said:
Same here. I just can't bring myself to spend that much money for a magazine subscription no matter how good it is.
I read Play. It's a great looking mag with some good articles and interviews. I don't trust the reviews though. I like XBN too. It's well written and actually seems to assume it's readers have a modicum of intelligence. I sure miss Next Generation though. It's a cruel world that allows NG to go under and GamePro live on.
Pedigree Chum
Banned
The most stylish VG mag ever. The content leaves a lot to be desired though...sad though, cause the graphics team is fantastic.