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GMR and XBN magazines are no more

B

BreakyBoy

o_O @_@ O_o
I'd just like to offer my condolences to all those affected by the closing down of XBN and GMR. GMR was a mainstay as soon as I picked up the first issue at the local EB, fully expecing to point and laugh at the inevitably shameless promotional rag EB would put out... but I was wrong, and I picked up a discount card/GMR subscription right then and there.

Of course that 10% also came in handy when I spent a year filling out my backlog of N64/PS1 games, but I digress.

XBN on the other hand, I never really picked up until Wario posted a thread detailing a way to finagle a free subscription to it. On a whim I did so, and I've come to realize that I have appreciated the free sub to XBN moreso than any of the games I've picked up due to Wario's cheapo-games threads.

Both magazines were excellent in their own right. One provided me a monthly opportunity to back up my evangelizing of several niche games with lots of pretty pictures accompanied by a well-written feature article. The other provided a well-versed, broad, and honest view of a console that I owned, but wasn't a fan of. I must say, I am a fan of the Xbox now, and that's in no small part to the staff of XBN.

Both mags btw, offered reviews that I may not have always agreed with (in terms of the final score), but that I always respected as a solid opinion based on what was written in the actual review.

I did my own (admittedly small) stint in the world of (online) game journalism, and I can attest to the laziness inherent in just re-writing press releases, and mass-producing formulaic reviews, as I'd say a grand portion of my own material was just that. When I quit my job, I also quit both print and online gaming mags wholesale as I had grown sick of the whole thing. My only hope now is that XBN is reborn at some point and that ZD does make a proper successor to the GMR legacy. For now, I'll stick to the Game Developer mag and the GAF to keep up.

Final not-so-random thought: DFS, you did that Cho Aniki piece? Holy shit, I think I love you man! :lol
 
W

WarPig

Member
BreakyBoy said:
Final not-so-random thought: DFS, you did that Cho Aniki piece? Holy shit, I think I love you man! :lol
Click to expand...

I wrote it, but Mielke was the one said "we're putting something about Chou Aniki in this issue," so he deserves most of the credit.

Now that I think about it, he had me do some fucked-up shit for that International page. I think I did something about Pepsiman once.

Actually, now that I dredge up the memory, those might have been on the same page. I think I remember just about laughing my ass off at the maniacal notion of getting money for a page of Chou Aniki and Pepsiman. If it wasn't Chou Aniki and Pepsiman, it was some combination of out-there goofy shit. What a great magazine.

Okay, I looked it up in my invoice archives. It was indeed Chou Aniki and Pepsiman. GMR 09. Other cool shit I got to write for GMR: Burning Rangers retroview, Vagrant Story retroview, Deception III retroview, lotsa shit about Gradius V, a scathing report on the 2003 Tokyo Game Show, another scathing report on the N-Gage launch, an ass-kicking for Virtual-On Marz (I think it got a three), a Final Fantasy VII retroview that I'm moderately proud of, a bio piece on Osamu Tezuka, a PSO Episode III review that managed to hack Shane Bettenhausen off something awful, two pages on Nobuo Uematsu, the infamous four pages of Megami Tensei, a big-ass icepick to the brain for Seven Samurai 20XX, retroview love for Valkyrie Profile and Samba De Amigo, and a Klonoa 2 retroview I forgot I even wrote.

I reviewed Smackdown 5 for GMR, too, which wouldn't be any big deal except one of the Death Valley Driver Video Review guys told me he dug it. That was kinda cool.

Meanwhile, Gogg is my co-pilot.

DFS.
 
C

chespace

It's not actually trolling if you don't admit it
BreakyBoy said:
XBN on the other hand, I never really picked up until Wario posted a thread detailing a way to finagle a free subscription to it. On a whim I did so, and I've come to realize that I have appreciated the free sub to XBN moreso than any of the games I've picked up due to Wario's cheapo-games threads. The other provided a well-versed, broad, and honest view of a console that I owned, but wasn't a fan of. I must say, I am a fan of the Xbox now, and that's in no small part to the staff of XBN.
Click to expand...

Breakboy, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It fucking pays to know that somebody out there read our labor of love each month, even if a little portion of it was made in knowing concession to what we "ought" to be making, rather than what we really wanted to make.

We're all going to show up in different industry jobs, doing different shit, so you definitely haven't heard the last of XBN as a bunch of people who loved our jobs. As a collective, yeah, the dream is indeed over...
 
W

WarPig

Member
I just found a copy of GMR 09 and razored out that page. Hung it up on my cube here. It's too bad the PS2 Chou Aniki sucked so bad, because we got some good laughs out of it before it actually came out.

I also forgot that the deck on the Burning Rangers retroview reads "MAX POWER! BURNING RANGERS! WOW!"

This brings the total number of dead publications I've written for to...five, I guess, if you count Gamers.com, which I do. XBN, GMR, GameNow, Gamers, and Gamers' Republic. Anybody else have some numbers of their own? I'll bet Gaz leaves me in the shade.

DFS.
 
F

ferricide

Member
let's see.. anything i wrote at least one article for and got paid money:

hotgames.com
gamers.com
video game review (bastards stiffed me for $3500!)
gamenow
XBN
GMR

that it? hrmm. won't count the "DCM" ZD special, cos platform-dependent specials are inherently moribund.
 
P

Patrick Klepek

furiously molesting tim burton
only four here; let's count 'em up:

GMR
XBN
Video Game Underground (first strategy guide, last strategy guide)
Hotgames.com
 
J

john tv

Member
Ferr, you never did anything for IG? Was that before your time?

What about XG?

Speaking of Hotgames, whatever happaned to Scary Larry?
 
K

Kobun Heat

Member
Game On! USA (wrote for their sixth ish, seventh was the last one)
j-pop.com (Viz' ambitious, but failed, web 'zine)
Inside Games (The last gaming publication Arnie Katz edited. I'm proud of this credit.)

I get the feeling like there's got to be something else, but...
 
F

ferricide

Member
john tv said:
Ferr, you never did anything for IG? Was that before your time?
Click to expand...
a bit before. i was in #vidgames back then, but my pro debut was gamespot -- actually, it was a dreamcast game, believe it or not. i reviewed the import version of evolution.

What about XG?
Click to expand...
no, we talked about it back when you were in charge, but nothing ever happened.
 
P

Patrick Klepek

furiously molesting tim burton
RastaGundam said:
water for your crops, eXxy...

...and thanks for all your hard work.
Click to expand...

time is a face on the water, rasta. the passing of gmr and xbn? ka.

john tv said:
Haha. I just went to respond to your post but I see you've already edited it. :)
Click to expand...

yeah. i'm pretty much an idiot. :p
 
R

RastaGundam

Member
eXxy said:
time is a face on the water, rasta. the passing of gmr and xbn? ka.

what's strange to me is: that I've been following that beam since you were about...2...maybe 3?

chespace--glad to see you made it home safely
Click to expand...
 
M

mosaic

go eat paint
Woo hoo, are we doing a "list the dead mags you got published in" list? Yay!

Intelligent Gamer (Letters section--twice! Thanks John. Hahaha.)
Hotgames.com (my first paid work, whee!)
Realms Sci-Fi (PS2 feature, mag lasted like six issues)
Video Game Review (I got stiffed $1,500. Ferr, we got stiffed!)
Expert Gamer
Video Games Underground
GameNOW
 
M

MC Safety

Member
chespace said:
We're all going to show up in different industry jobs, doing different shit, so you definitely haven't heard the last of XBN as a bunch of people who loved our jobs. As a collective, yeah, the dream is indeed over...
Click to expand...


"I don't think I will ever return, again, my friend." -- Ween

Sigh.

Or maybe: "Goodnight, Springton! There will be no encores!"

Ah, who knows?
 
M

Matlock

Banned
Goddamnit, eXxy, you're making me feel bad. I've got years on you, and you've accomplished quadruple as much. At least.

Hell, I don't even have any former-workplaces that are dead other than Infantry-Sector and the Triskelion (Ultimates fansite).


edit: Looks like they got a workaround, so the site isn't really dead.
 
C

Chi-Town

Member
I always felt like I was the kiss of death for Atari publications...

Atari Explorer
STart(they ended up stiffing me on $150 for some reviews)
 
R

Revolver

Member
I read this at GameDaily and found it interesting...

Following the recent news concerning two of publisher Ziff Davis' gaming publications, GameDAILY BIZ briefly spoke with Dale Strang, CEO of the Game Group.

The most important thing to come out of the conversation is that Xbox Nation is NOT dead. While it's true that XBN is ceasing monthly publication, Strang assured us that the brand is still alive in both print and online. The magazine will have about four more issues during the 2005 transition year. Essentially, the decision was made because Ziff Davis believes it will be a fairly light year for Xbox releases as Microsoft prepares to launch its next-generation console in late 2005.

As for GMR, Strang confirmed to us that EB Games decided to pull support because the magazine subcription just doesn't fit into their business model anymore. We asked Strang what help Ziff might provide the former editors, and we were told that Ziff is actively trying to reassign many of its best. Not everyone will get a new position, so there will be net layoffs unfortunately. To those who are let go, GameDAILY BIZ offers you condolences and the best of luck for the future.
Click to expand...

So... is this story 100% Grade A bullplop? Is XBN going back to a bi-monthly schedule? What gives?
 
C

chespace

It's not actually trolling if you don't admit it
What ZD decides to do with XBN is completely out of our hands, and frankly, out of my domain of interest as well. I interpret Dale Strang's quote as basically saying they have the option of reviving the XBN brand once the market allows them to do so once more.

I mean, really... is there just enough room in the Xbox market for only ONE system-specific magazine? Sales numbers say yes.
 
A

AssMan

Banned
"His name is AssMan. Don't worry about it."



You ever read some of the shit that XBN says in their magazine when it comes to the console war? Hell. I get XBN for free and I still throw that shit in the garbage bin next to the mailbox.
 
I

Incognito

Troll
man, xbn is dead? what the fuck? i barely play videogames besides the blockbusters and never read the videogame rags yet i subscribed to xbn via a free forum link and i was pleasently surprised at how fun the magazine was to read.

it held good company, too. right up in with my stacks of "time", "the new republic", and "rolling stone".
 
R

Revolver

Member
GMR - The magazine shined because of its clean and cohesive design. The page layouts and story templates made for very readable articles and the design focused readers to the text while providing plenty of room for the writers to write... which was good, because the magazine was a solid read each issue. It kind of brought to mind the unabashed gamer mentality of magazines like GameFan and Ultra Gameplayers.
Click to expand...

Strange. I was just telling someone how much GMR reminded me of Ultra Game Players.
 
wipeout364

wipeout364

Member
WarPig said:
a PSO Episode III review that managed to hack Shane Bettenhausen off something awful,
DFS.
Click to expand...

I should have listened to you, the fu$cking loading times dorve me insane. Shane should be the first one against the wall at ZD and keep some of the GMR and XBN guys working.
 
W

WarPig

Member
wipeout364 said:
I should have listened to you, the fu$cking loading times dorve me insane. Shane should be the first one against the wall at ZD and keep some of the GMR and XBN guys working.
Click to expand...

Shane's a dear, actually, don't hold it against him. I think Sega pumped something fucked-up into the ventilation system at Gamers.com that gave all those guys the shiny pink PSO goggles.

Gamers' Republic was the mag that GMR reminded me of -- the good Gamers' Republic, before everyone quit. Enthusiastic, but smartly so.

DFS.
 
W

WarPig

Member
eXxy said:
GR, SegaNet. man, that was so long ago.
Click to expand...

It'll be six years ago next July that I sat down in Halverson's office and first tasted the Kool-Aid. Six years ago next spring that Gamers' Republic first started circling the bowl, when half the people with any talent bailed out ^_^

"Shit, we just lost Dave Hodgson, Ryan Lockhart, Dan Jevons, couple other guys...let's pick up this Smith kid, he'll patch the gap nicely."

DFS.
 
P

Patrick Klepek

furiously molesting tim burton
heh, i remember eating lunch in GR's booth at E3, wearing brady feitcher's spare e3 badge, and feeling terribly awkward as fernando talked with halverson about an acclaim appointment or some shit. i still don't know how i got myself in those fucked up situations at such a goofy age.
 
F

fausty

Member
WarPig said:
It'll be six years ago next July that I sat down in Halverson's office and first tasted the Kool-Aid. Six years ago next spring that Gamers' Republic first started circling the bowl, when half the people with any talent bailed out ^_^

"Shit, we just lost Dave Hodgson, Ryan Lockhart, Dan Jevons, couple other guys...let's pick up this Smith kid, he'll patch the gap nicely."

DFS.
Click to expand...
Wow, sorry to have left an opening for you... :D

How long did you last?

Back on topic, this just sucks. Not only did the magazines rock, but the editors were damn good people, many of which I consider friends. Sure, some magazines should fold, and I've been on more than one that has (cough, incite, hack), but at least that made sense. Because, you know, the mag sucked.

But XBN. GMR. Fuck, I actually bought those mags, for full price even!

If any of the editors have Los Angeles dreams (heh), and don't mind doing other things in the game industry, send along a PM. A few of us down here are keeping an eye out for various openings - can't promise anything, but we'll see what we can do...
 
W

WarPig

Member
fausty said:
Wow, sorry to have left an opening for you... :D

How long did you last?
Click to expand...
I was hired on at GR in July of 1999 and let go at the end of the next March. Terminated For Cause, even. I have my termination notice framed and displayed on my desk to this day (on that cool GR stationery that I think Greg Han designed).

"Millennium Publications is terminating your services for cause effective immediately [emphasis in original]. As you know from previous counseling sessions with management and among other previous re-occurring issues in regards to your employment, your interaction with other employees has went from being a form of harassment to the point of being abusive to our employees..."

eXxy said:
heh, i remember eating lunch in GR's booth at E3, wearing brady feitcher's spare e3 badge, and feeling terribly awkward as fernando talked with halverson about an acclaim appointment or some shit. i still don't know how i got myself in those fucked up situations at such a goofy age.
Click to expand...
I was at least as confused. "Who the fuck is this 14-year-old kid, and why are the Millennium dudes all on his jock?"

Whatever became of Ryan Lockhart? He was at EGM for a while, at the same time Mielke and Sam K were on board, but after that I never heard what happened.

DFS.
 
W

WarPig

Member
Drinky Crow said:
Wow, and it even has authentic Halverson-esque grammar abuse!
Click to expand...

Actually, I think it was composed by Barry Barone, the CEO of Millennium. Dave H. wanted me gone, but he didn't have the sack for a hands-on approach -- he didn't even say a word to me the day it went down. For a guy who's so bombastic on the page, he's surprisingly gutless in person.

DFS.
 
P

Patrick Klepek

furiously molesting tim burton
WarPig said:
I was at least as confused. "Who the fuck is this 14-year-old kid, and why are the Millennium dudes all on his jock?"
Click to expand...

that's not even the half of it. because of millennium's previous fuck ups on getting me an e3 badge, my dad and i had to track down an e3 guide, find the millennium publishing booth and i sent him into the show in search of fernando or someone who could help. i can't even imagine the ridiculous conversation my dad must have had; he barely knows what it is i do now, let alone back then.
 
W

WarPig

Member
eXxy said:
i can't even imagine the ridiculous conversation my dad must have had; he barely knows what it is i do now, let alone back then.
Click to expand...

Your dad seemed like a nice guy, yeah, but he also seemed just an eensy bit lost ^_^

DFS.
 
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