Game Informer

Game Informer

The July 2011 issue cover
Editor-in-Chief Andy McNamara
Categories Video game
Frequency Monthly (12 per year)
Publisher GameStop
Total circulation
(2014)
6,723,581[1]
First issue August 1991
Country United States
Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Language English
Website www.gameinformer.com
ISSN 1067-6392

Game Informer (GI) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. As of December 2014, over 6.7 million copies are sold each month, making it the fourth-largest magazine in the United States by circulation.[1] Game Informer debuted in August 1991[2] when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine.[3] It is owned, and published by GameStop Corp., the parent company of the video game retailer of the same name, who bought FuncoLand in 2000. Due to this, a large amount of promotion is done in-store.[4] Purchasing a subscription to the magazine also gets the subscriber access to special content on the official website.

History

Magazine

Game Informer covers circa 2005

Game Informer debuted in August 1991 as a six-page magazine. It was published every two months until November 1994, when the magazine began to be released monthly.[5]

In April each year, Game Informer includes Game Infarcer, an annual spin-off of the normal magazine, as an April Fool's joke.

Game Informer has included three "Sacred Cow Barbecues". Similar in style to a celebrity roast, the occasion is meant to "knock some of gaming's most revered icons off their high and mighty pedestals."[6]

Website

Game Informer Online was originally launched in August 1996, and featured daily news updates as well as articles. Justin Leeper and Matthew Kato were hired on in November 1999 as full-time web editors. As part of the GameStop purchase of the magazine, the site was closed around January 2001.[7] Both Leeper and Kato were eventually placed on the editorial staff of the magazine.

GI Online was revived in September 2003, with a full redesign and many additional features, such as a review database, frequent news updates, and exclusive "Unlimited" content for subscribers. It was managed by Billy Berghammer, creator of PlanetGameCube.com (now known as NintendoWorldReport.com).[8] Berghammer is currently the editor in chief of the EGM Media group [9]

On March 2009, the online staff began creating the code for what would be the latest redesign to date. The redesign was to release hand-in-hand with the magazine's own redesign. On October 1, 2009, the newly redesigned website was live, with a welcome message from Editor-In-Chief Andy McNamara. Many new features were introduced, including a rebuilt media player, a feed highlighting the site activity of the website's users, and the ability to create user reviews.[10]

In February (sometimes January), Game Informer's editors round up to count and judge the "Top 50 Games of last year". The games are sorted in order of release date. They do not have rankings, but they do commemorate special games with awards like Game of the Year and other examples. They also have mini top 10 charts of differing categories, both in the Top 50 games section of the website and in the regular magazine.

In August each year, Game Informer includes a "E3 Hot 50", a special section that reviews the year's E3 and most to all of its games, which also temporarily replaces the "previews" section.

Australian edition

In November 2009, Game Informer was launched in Australia by former Australian GamePro, Gameplayer and Official PlayStation Magazine editor Chris Stead.[11] By June 2010, Game Informer Australia had become the first local games publication to pass 10,000 subscribers. By August 18, 2010, it had become Australia's biggest selling video games publication.[12]

Game Informer Australia has picked up three Australian Magazine Awards for best in category, multiple nominations in the Lizzie awards and the 2013 MCV award for Print Publication of the Year. Chris Stead also received the 2013 Journalist of the Year gong at the MCV awards.[13]

Reviews

Game Informer currently reviews games on the Wii, Wii U, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita consoles. Older games, three per issue, were given brief reviews in the magazine's Classic GI section (compared with the game's original review score, if one exists). This was discontinued in 2009, months before the redesign of the magazine. The magazine's staff rate games on a scale of 1 to 10 with quarter point intervals. A score of 1 is considered worse than terrible; 10 is a rare, "outstanding", nearly perfect game; and 7 is "average", a decently playable (but flawed) game. A running gag in every issue is that in the review table (where the magazine defines what each score means), the 1 score is always changed to a different joke.

To this date, 26 games have received a perfect "10":

Game Informer game reviews with a perfect "10" rating
Title Issue Notes
Super Mario World 2000 October Classic GI review
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 2000 November
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty 2001 December
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 2002 November
Metroid Fusion 2003 January
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 2003 April
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal 2004 November
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 2004 December
Halo 2 2004 December
Resident Evil 4 2005 March for GameCube
Resident Evil 4 2005 November for PS2
God of War 2005 April
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess 2007 January
BioShock 2007 September
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 2007 December
Grand Theft Auto IV 2008 April
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots 2008 July
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves 2009 November
God of War III 2010 April
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty 2010 October
Batman: Arkham City 2011 November
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword 2011 December
Mass Effect 3 2012 April
BioShock Infinite 2013 May
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds 2013 December
The Last of Us Remastered 2014 September The magazine gave the original PS3 game a score of 9.5.

Some games have even received scores of 1 or below by Game Informer: Batman: Dark Tomorrow received a 0.75,[14] Shrek: Fairy Tale Freakdown for Game Boy Color got a 0.5,[15] and the Xbox fighting game Kabuki Warriors scored a 0.5.[16] In the latter review, editor-in-chief Andy McNamara stated that "I literally won a match just by bashing the controller against my ass. I wish I was joking, but the score is seriously Kabuki Warriors zero, my ass one." This was confirmed by his fellow editors. Another game reviewed for Classic GI Marky Mark: Make My Video for Sega CD – was given a 0, making it the lowest-rated game by Game Informer. A score of 1 was handed out to the Kinect game Hulk Hogan's Main Event in the December 2011 issue. A score of 1 was handed to Postal III, which was cited for its glitches and bad gameplay. In 2009, editor Bryan Vore handed a score of 1 to the Wii game Ready 2 Rumble: Revolution, calling it "Terrible in Every Conceivable Way". A score of 1 was given to Fighter Within.

Awards

1992[17]
Award Winner
Best Game of the Year Street Fighter II
Best Playabilility in a Video Game Street Fighter II
Best 8-Bit Game The Empire Strikes Back
Best Hand Held Video Game Faceball 2000
Best Sports Game NHLPA Hockey '93
Best Puzzle/Strategy Game Lemmings
Best Concept in a Video Game Bart's Nightmare
Best Action/Adventure Game Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Best Game Translated from Computer Out of this World
Best Graphics in a Video Game Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Best Role-Playing Game Dragon Warrior IV
Best Simulation Game Super Battletank
Best Sound in a Video Game Cobra Command
Best Shooter Game Axelay
Best Peripheral of the Year Sega CD
1996
1997
1998[18]
Games of the Year
Award Winner Honorable Mentions
Nintendo 64 Game of the Year The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Banjo-Kazooie
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
PlayStation Game of the Year Resident Evil 2 Metal Gear Solid
Crash Bandicoot: Warped
Gran Turismo
Saturn Game of the Year Panzer Dragoon Saga Shining Force III
Arcade Game of the Year Marvel vs. Capcom Gauntlet Legends
PC Game of the Year Half-Life StarCraft
Thief: The Dark Project
Game Boy Game of the Year Pokémon James Bond 007
Technical Excellence Awards
Award Winner Honorable Mentions
Best Graphics in a Video Game Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (Nintendo 64) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Resident Evil 2
Crash Bandicoot: Warped
Best Playability in a Video Game Crash Bandicoot: Warped (PlayStation) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Best Sound in a Video Game Spyro the Dragon (PlayStation) Tenchu
Best Developer of the Year H2O / Neversoft
Best Video Game Accessory of the Year Expansion Pak (Nintendo 64) Game Boy Camera (Game Boy)
Style Awards
Award Winner Honorable Mentions
Best Action Game of the Year Tenchu (PlayStation) Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
Rogue Trip
Best Sports Game of the Year Hot Shots Golf (PlayStation) Football - NFL Blitz
Baseball - MLB 99
Hockey - NHL 99
Soccer - International Superstar Soccer 98
Best Action/Platform Game of the Year Crash Bandicoot: Warped (PlayStation) Spyro the Dragoon
Banjo-Kazooie
Best Action/Adventure Game of the Year The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64) Resident Evil 2
Metal Gear Solid
Best Racing Game of the Year Gran Turismo (PlayStation) 1080° Snowboarding
Best Strategy Game of the Year Final Fantasy Tactics (PlayStation) Shining Force III
Best Shooter Game of the Year Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (Nintendo 64) Colony Wars: Vengeance
Einhänder
Best Fighting Game of the Year Tekken 3 (PlayStation) X-Men vs. Street Fighter
WCW/nWo Revenge
Best Role-Playing Game of the Year Xenogears (PlayStation) Pokémon
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Final Fantasy VIII Demo
Best Puzzle Game of the Year Devil Dice (PlayStation) Tetris DX
Who's Hot
Award Character Game
Best Hero of the Year Solid Snake Metal Gear Solid
Best Villain of the Year The Evil Pigs! Tomba!
Best New Character of the Year Rikimaru Tenchu
Best Inspiring Performance by a Video Game Character Squirtle Pokémon
Best Memorable Moment of the Year Psycho Mantis Metal Gear Solid
1999
2001[19]
2005
2006

Staff

Current

  • Andy McNamara – Editor-in-Chief: 1991[20]
  • Andrew Reiner – Executive Editor: 1994[21]
  • Matthew Kato – Senior Editor: 2001[22]
  • Joe Juba – Reviews Editor: 2003[23]
  • Matt Miller – Previews Editor: 2004[24]
  • Matt Bertz – Managing Editor: 2006[25]
  • Ben Reeves – Senior Editor: 2006[26]
  • Jeff Cork – Senior Editor: 2007[27]
  • Tim Turi – Senior Associate Editor: 2009[28]
  • Jeff Marchiafava – Senior Associate Editor: 2009[28]
  • Ben Hanson – Video Producer: 2010[28]
  • Kyle Hilliard – Associate Editor: 2011[28]
  • Kimberley Wallace – Associate Editor: 2012
  • Mike Futter – News Editor: 2013
  • Daniel Tack – PC Editor: 2014
  • Wade Wojcik – Video Editor: 2014
  • Brian Shea – Associate Editor: 2015
  • Javy Gwaltney — Associate Editor: 2015

Former

  • Paul Anderson – (The Pro Player, Game Professor): 1992–2001 (died 2007;[29] a message that reads "In Memory of Paul Anderson" appears in the Staff section of all current issues)
  • Elizabeth Olson: – 1991–94
  • Rick Petzoldt – (The Video Ranger): 1991–95
  • Marianne Morgan – (The Game Master): 1991
  • Ed Martínez – (The Video Wizard): 1991
  • Erik Reppen – (The PC Jedi): 1996–97, 1999–2001
  • Ross van der Schaegen – (The Rebel Gamer): 1991–95
  • David "Vinnie" Vinyon – (The Video Vigilante): 1994–96
  • Ryan McDonald – (The Arcade Alchemist): 1995–97
  • Jon Storm – (The Greedy Gamer): 1996–99
  • Robert Stoute – (The Game Cassanova): 1997–99
  • Paul Bergren – (The Game Burrito): 1997–99
  • Lisa Mason – (La Game Nikita): 2002–06[30]
  • Beaux Hawkins – (The Arcade Assassin): 1998–99
  • The Vidiot – (Minister of Destruction): 2000–01
  • Jay Fitzloff – (The Gonzo Gamer): 1999–02
  • Justin Leeper – (The Digital Deviant): 2001–04
  • Chet Barber – (The Joystick Jockey, The Chronic Gamer): 2002–03
  • Jeremy Zoss – (Gamezilla): 2003–06[31]
  • Kristian Brogger – (The Game Dawg, The Video Viking): 2000–03
  • Nick Ahrens – Media Editor: 2005–10
  • Meagan Marie (formerly VanBurkleo) – Associate Editor: 2008–11[32]
  • Annette González – Associate Editor: 2009–11
  • Matt Helgeson – Senior Features Editor: 1999-2015 [33]
  • Phil Kollar – Associate Editor: 2009–12
  • Jim Reilly – News Editor: 2011–12
  • Adam Biessener – PC Editor: 2003–13[34]
  • Dan Ryckert – Senior Associate Editor: 2009-2014[28]
  • Jason Oestreicher – Video Editor: 2011-2014
  • Bryan Vore – Digital Editor: 2007-2015[35]

References

  1. 1 2 "eCirc for Consumer Magazines". Audit Bureau of Circulations. December 31, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  2. "Top 100 U.S. Magazines by Circulation" (PDF). PSA Research Center. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  3. "10 Years of Game Informer" (August 2001). Game Informer, p. 42. "In August 1991, FuncoLand began publishing a six-page circular to be handed out free in all of its retail locations."
  4. Vargas, Jose Antonio (April 2005). "A Magazine Whose Lineup Is Always in Play". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
  5. "GameInformer". Gameinformer.com. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  6. Game Informer Issue 183 inFamous
  7. "On the Web" (August 2001). Game Informer, p. 49. "Sadly, this ill-fated site was to last little more that [sic] a year, as gameinformer.com would fall prey to the massive meltdown of the Internet economy in February [of 2001]."
  8. Archived May 3, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  9. "EGM Now hires industry vet Billy Berghammer as group EIC". Joystiq. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  10. "Welcome To The New GameInformer.com". www.GameInformer.com. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  11. Wildgoose, David. "Game Informer Magazine Launches Aussie Edition". Kotaku. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
  12. "Game Informer Officially Australia's #1 Games Magazine". EB Games. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  13. "MCV Pacific Awards: Winners Announced". MCV Pacific. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  14. "Batman: Rize of Sin Tzu review". GameInformer.com. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  15. "Shrek Fairy Tale Freakdown". GameInformer.com. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  16. "Kabuki Warriors review". GameInformer.com. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  17. Game Informer, issue 8 (January-February 1993), page 34
  18. Game Informer, issue 70 (February 1999), page 22-25
  19. "Games of 2001", Game Informer, January 2002, page 52
  20. Archived June 21, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  21. Archived April 27, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  22. Archived June 5, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  23. Archived April 27, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  24. Archived April 28, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  25. Archived June 6, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  26. Archived May 16, 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 "Game Informer – Staff Bios". Gameinformer.com. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  28. Archived May 15, 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  29. "Internet Archives – Game Informer Online.com – Staff – Lisa Mason". Web.archive.org. 2005-11-04. Archived from [gameinformer.com/Magazine/Staff/lisa.htm the original] Check |url= value (help) on November 4, 2005. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  30. "Internet Archives – Game Informer Online.com – Staff – Jeremy Zoss". Web.archive.org. November 4, 2005. Archived from [gameinformer.com/Magazine/Staff/Jeremy+Zoss.htm the original] Check |url= value (help) on November 4, 2005. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  31. Archived June 16, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  32. Archived June 15, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  33. Archived April 27, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  34. Archived June 21, 2009 at the Wayback Machine

External links

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