GMR (magazine)
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| GMR | |
|---|---|
 GMR Issue 25 - February 2005 |
|
| Editor | |
| Categories | Console gaming, Computer gaming |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| First Issue | February 2003 |
| Company | Ziff Davis |
| Country | United States, Canada |
| Language | English |
| Website | GMR on the 1UP Network |
| ISSN | 1544-6816 |
GMR was a monthly magazine on video games that was published out by Ziff-Davis—the publisher of such magazines as PC Magazine, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and Computer Gaming World. GMR was launched in February 2003, being sold in only the Electronics Boutique chain of video game stores. The magazine was fairly unique among multiconsole magazines in that it covered PC as well as console games. It lasted exactly two years, as the 25th and last issue (which was only sent to subscribers) was February 2005 (though prints were limited and not all subscribers received the final issue).
Contents |
[edit] Magazine Covers
Each month had a title, e.g. "The Rainbow Issue", "The First Issue". These are listed where known.
- February 2003: Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball
- March 2003: Xenosaga - "The Chewy issue"
- April 2003: Zone of the Enders - "The Metal issue"
- May 2003: Auto Modelista - "The Speed issue"
- June 2003: World of Warcraft, Star Wars Galaxies - "The Wired issue"
- July 2003: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - "The Jungle issue"
- August 2003: Ninja Gaiden - "The masked issue"
- September 2003: Soul Calibur II - "The Kick A** Issue"
- October 2003: F-Zero GX - "The Future Issue"
- November 2003: SSX 3 - "The Frosted Issue"
- December 2003: Tony Hawk's Underground - "The Flipped Issue"
- January 2004: Rainbow Six 3, Ninja Gaiden - "The Creepy Issue"
- February 2004: Darkwatch
- March 2004: Star Wars: Republic Commando
- April 2004: Astro Boy
- May 2004: Nina: Death By Degrees - "the women issue"
- June 2004: Onimusha 3
- July 2004: Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories - "The magic issue"
- August 2004: Everquest 2, Monster Hunter, Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia, The Matrix Online
- September 2004: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- October 2004: Fable, Dead or Alive: Ultimate
- November 2004: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - "the it's a-me issue"
- December 2004: Need For Speed Underground 2, - "The nitro issue"
- January 2005: Halo 2
- February 2005: Resident Evil 4 - "The last issue"
[edit] Rating system
When games were reviewed, they were rated on a scale of 1 to 10. (A score of 0 was twice used, for Postal² and Ping Pals.) A score of 9 or 10 was considered excellent, 7 or 8 good, 4 to 6 mediocre, and 1 to 3 bad. As well, the GMR Essential Selection logo would be awarded to all games scoring 10 and some games scoring 9. With the rating would come a one- or two-word comment, often a pun on the game's title, and three lines of comparisons (usually "Better Than:/Not As Good As:/Wait For It:").
Previewers would rate their excitement about an upcoming game on a scale of 1 to 5 flames, although one-flame previews were absent and two-flame previews rare.
[edit] Game Geezer
One of the most popular sections of the magazine was an editorial that appeared in the final pages of most every issue called Game Geezer. The editorial was written as though it were being dictated by an excessively cranky old man in a humorous tone and was well-regarded by readers for its concise opinions and arguments regarding the video game industry and player community.
[edit] Ninja Gaiden controversy
GMR suffered a black eye to its reputation with the publication of the August 2003 issue, which featured what was billed as the exclusive first review for the then highly-anticipated Xbox action game Ninja Gaiden. The game was featured on the cover and given an excellent review, but at about the same time, the game's developer made the decision to continue tweaking the game, delaying its release until early 2004. Thus, the GMR review was rendered invalid due to the fact that it was based on a prerelease development version of the game.
