I want to be honest. I didn't subscribe for this magazine, but whenever a new issue comes out, I'll dish out six bucks for it and read it only--and you got me right--for the humor factor. Like certain reviewers have said, it's a love or hate relationship with the humor they provide into their articles, whether it be making fun of certain fans, actors, gamers, publishers, or the creators of the games themselves.

But there are some drawbacks.

Unlike other magazines like GameInformer, EGM doesn't get very detailed in the hot games coming out next month, or much into PC games. And if they do, most of it is contained in less than 3 pages, the rest of it pictures adding good filler as though making the articles seem bigger. Plus, the magazines are pretty slim, and not packed with a lot of detail. The reviews are a good plus, with three people sharing their thoughts on a game, rather than just one person. As you can see, in most scores, it varies, so you're not really sure if the game is good or not, guaranteeing you to go play it for yourself and letting you be the judge. The one part I have a problem with EGM besides the slim articles is that sometimes they can be too obnoxiously stupid in their jokes, overusing a few, and sometimes being more than a little too cruel with their readers who submit their letters. Sometimes, they can be very immature, and it shows in their snappy 'comebacks'.

Other than that, if you really want a few good laughs, come read EGM, but I warn you, you won't get more than that.

Iv'e seen all of the other reviews for this particular magazine, and a lot of people have actually hit it right on the nose. EGM IS overly critical a lot of times on games. If you pay close attention, you'll see that they have a knack for creating humor out of "bullying" game publishers and console platforms. It really comes down to who YOU are as the reader. Some may appreciate the twist and view it as "enjoyable reading". Other's may find it a bit degrading. I for one take them as they are. I understand that writers have their styles, and that while a bit curt sometimes, the reviews are all meant to give you the truth without the candy coating. I can tell you that EGM if anything offers all of the information about the games you might find of interest, if you'll "grin and bear it". I would suggest that the readers who dislike this frank approach,take a look at both EGM and another multiplatform gaming magazine. A mag like Game Informer would do well to counter balance EGM. Think of them as a kind of Yin and Yang if you will. Now why would I suggest both? Because I think that EGM is a good mag with a lot of unique content to offer. And because if you do, (and pay close attention) you'll see the beauty of a little harmless critisism now and then.

Good magazine. if you like video games, this is an unbiased, very informative magazine with great reviews.

this is the only vg magazine i've ever truly enjoyed. the articles and reviews are unbiased and funny, and the Game of the Month goes to the game taht actually deserves it, not just the 'cool' game for that month. theres so much more to the magazine than just previews and reviews. they have articles relating to everything videogame related, like a monthly article about different jobs in the video game industry. but amazon really has to update the description.

Talk about a hella sweeet magazine! I love this magazine, and have been subscribing since I was a little kid of 35 years of age. Bangin' reviews, bangin' cover stories. I like it tons more than other competition, such as GamePro. I highly recommend it!

In a way, this magazine actually reminds me a lot of GamePro. The formatting is almost the same. But the article writing is 10 times better than anything out of GamePro, over the last 2 or 3 years. I can't quite put my finger on what differentiates EGM from GamePro, but its noticeable, and much more refreshing than GamePro. Sorry to compare it so much, but they are virtually the same, but EGM is better. It just is.

MC White said: Check it out!

This magazine is pompous, overtly critical, and had far too little coverage of this years E3. Issues have become really thin and every issue is really hit or miss. Why then would I recommend this magazine? They are unbiased and will criticize each console and they are rightly justified to do so. I find their reviews to be frustrating since it just seems like they rarely if ever enjoy playing anything at all. Its not the best magazine but its probably the most truthful. It'll help keep any gamer balanced and their coverage of the top three consoles is consistent.

Yes, the magazine is great... but up to 1/3 of the pages are ads. They will shamelessly load you up with renewal letters. And occasionally, you get a big stinky AOL disk in with your issue. Kinda like someone dooking in your cheerios. Welcome to the mainstream media.

This magazine includes lots of information and great
reviews. i would recommend this for anyone who enjoys
reviews on the newest games.

This magazine is... well... sweet. I love it. I picked up a subscription in January and i think it's great. They get previews on a ton of games, even those that aren't that gossiped about. They bring a vieraty in opinions when it comes to there reviews. They get a scoped up article on new games very fast. They're not centered on only the good games, but they also include a "shame of the month" (lowest scoring game of the month) award. They include three scores from a scale of 1-10 and the reviewers simply put out the truth and down right say that a game sucks. They have full coverage on new platforms and games. They also include posters and stragety guides with some of their issuses. This magazine is alot better than the Dragonball Z obssessed, GamePro. Its fast and relibel. Definetly a great buy.

I've had a subscription to this magazine for three years and gave never had a problem with the magazine. I love this magazine, it gives good reviews of games with objective point of views. The editorials and articles are humorous and factual.

Many gaming magazines suffer from spam.Each page is littered with junky ads.Although EGM doesn't have the constant spam,or atleast as bad as some magazines.EGM is possibly the most informative gaming magazine available.Very affordable for a 12 month plan.Some issues have cool stickers or posters and little nice additions.The magazine isn't nerdafied where a non-gamer could pick it up and comprehend it for the most part.Whats nice about EGM is the rating done to each game.Some games that are hyped automatically get good ratings EGM doesn't let the hype get to them they treat it like any other game.

The fan art is colorful the screenshots for each game gives you a good idea what to expect from each game.They have little Q&A areas and issues answered about some games and junk.Upcomming titles are previewed and glorified,so you can almost see the future of gaming.The get the hands on for some upcomming title and even give you the heads up.The reviewers seem in their right groove and not lacking a one sided touch.

The price is nice each issue is packed with information,every thing down to the last page is gamer worthy.Buy atleast one issue to help you determin if you like it or not before making a such a commitment.

When I was in 8th Grade, my Honors English teacher kept a stack of magazines in the back of the classroom. Among the "People" and "Star" issues, I found 2 issues of EGM from years gone by. Since I was (and still am) an avid video-gamer, I was instantly hooked, since I knew that this magazine could keep me up to date with everything that was happening in the digital world. The fact that the writing was very witty and EXTREMELY addictive only made this fact better. This was God in magazine form.

Flash forward several years later, and my thoughts about EGM have definitely changed. It's still very informative, but the flaws are much more noticable: I'm not sure whether this is a result of the industry becoming somewhat stale and stagnated, or videogames becoming far more mainstream than they used to be, but several aspects of the magazine seem very MTV-ified, from the "awesome" new format that they began using in June 2003, to the interviews with "celebrity gamers", to the ads for Jamster Ringtones that appear occasionally...what the hell is this?! I want my geeks-only magazine, not some asinine prep fuel!

The reviews aren't quite as fun to read as they used to be, either, although they handle this category FAR better than any of Gay Informer's miserable attempts. Most of the best reviewers (such as Chris Johnston) are long gone, and the highest reviews are given to the most stereotypical games around (oooh! Halo 2 and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas got perfect 10's? What a surprise!). I do like the high reviews they give niche games, but that's practically a gimme.

I will say one thing, though: Many of my real-life friends have commented on my writing abilities, and I seriously doubt I would have developed them were it not for constantly flipping through pages of EGM to see what score they gave [insert game here], so I guess I owe them that much.

If I wrote this review 3 years ago, this would've been an obvious 5-star. But the times, they have a change...ed.

The previous "essay" reviewing Electronic Gaming Monthly was comical and enjoyable to read. The hilarity of an educated person reviewing such a broad age range magazine was kind of odd though. The previous reviewer hit points on the magazines "retardedness" which is untrue and kind of offensive to the funny writer "Seanbaby." The magazine is NOT a Time or Newsweek so don't expect it to be. As a loyal subscriber for almost 8 years, their appreciated knowledge is respected in the gaming community. The magazine gets the best interviews while trying to have a sense of humor and appeal to their HUGE fan base (Male and Female 8-30). Ouch: "Lastly, there's the worst inhuman piece of garbage in the pretentious jerk-off called "Seanbaby," a developmentally retarded adult who squanders his days by reviewing games the adult-video-gaming-community of geeks considers "dorky." This disgrace struggles at humor while reviewing that his planned quips of "witty" put-downs actually impersonate awkward unintelligibility!!!!" Most people love "Seanbaby" and his hilarious reviews. Subscribe to EGM if you love videogames and love to be well informed on the video game industry. The monthly magazine is a fun read.

I hope that someone else has noticed the trend that this magazine has. They are what I have dubbed systemists, or those that favor one system over another. They really seem to favor the Playstation franchise. I'll be honest, but I own an Xbox so this review must be a little slated. When ever I read the review section in the magazine they have many, many more Playstation 2 reviews than anything else. Plus they often thank the help they get from the people at the Official Playstation Magazine. Conspiracy! Plus in the one of the more recent issues they had a huge section of the Xbox 360. They have several sections on the Xbox 360 including a lot of things that you shouldn't do with the system. Then in their next issue they launch a huge article looking at the Playstation 3 and all the cool stuff that it will feature. In fact the very end of the coming next issue part they say they will have the first Xbox 360 game reviews. They can not give anything their full attention without saying something about the Playsation to try and grab your attention. The magazine is evil too! I have never recieved an issue on time since I subscribed to it. I think that they are trying to spite me. I always recieve my magazine 2 weeks late at the least. I can't tell if it's the Post man stealing my mail or if that they mail it to me late just because they hate people who own an Xbox. Either way I smell a conspiracy. But any way, other than the entire magazine being slated, It is a good magazine, and I enjoy reading it. I may not own a Playstation but I have a great respect for the system and Sony. Any way I enjoy the magazine, but its many faults just overshadow what it does well.

i bought this 1 month ago and i still haven't even gotten one single issue yet!!!

This game is pretty fun if you have some time to burn and the fact that its free is nice too, but if you like morpgs then this is not the game for you because when you play all the other online players are only in the towns and not any other places on the outside map unless you form a group in the towns.

This magazine has great reviews, previews, and coverage of all games and systems. The review system is one of the best and most objective.

I grew up with this magazine, and it was definitely one of the first out there covering the 8-bit hobby that was gaming--it was also the best. I've read this magazine on and off since 1990, and up until around 2000-2001 it was all great. The magazine did a great job in its coverage of our fair video gaming, so I decided to finally take a subscription in the Fall of 2001. I have come to realize it was a big mistake.More and more, I noticed that the magazine was being stuffed with too many bad things. Large spreads on already hyped games, like Halo 2, being hyped games, like as Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, and kids playing old games seemed to fill the pages. Along with what to let your girlfriend play, because, you know, there is no such thing as the female gamer. How about articles on lesser hyped games? Or how about more about the industry, developers etc.? Not to say they didn't have good, but short (one page), articles once in a while, such as where our $50 goes to every time we buy a game, how to get bargains at game shops, and "Afterthoughts" with some developers; however, those were few and far between. As were non-irritating reviews. If you like 2-D graphics, colorful games, or Nintendo beware: Your mind will be likened to a child for doing so. "Kiddie" and "Baby Game(r)" seem to be their biased, preferred choice of insult. One reviewer said he could do without the animals in Star Fox: Assault. Hello?! Animals have been in Star Fox since...'93--the beginning. And the title is, um, Star FOX! Another called Mario Party 6 a "kid's game." They also put Kirby in the Baby Gamer section one issue.I have no problems with preference, but why the insults? Why must every game be expected to be so called "mature"--have blood splattering? They don't knock those games for being so. I guess some need to feel macho about their gaming choices. Sad, and pathetic, really. And what is up with calling certain games rehashes, such as the Mega Man X series, then praising Madden every year? The reviewers also tend to share their reviews with each other, which means you'll likely get "Don't listen to him/her!" from one reviewer in reference to another. The reasons vary from being a flat-out fanboy, to not knowing what the other reviewer is talking about. Sound professional? I can get that kind of crap on message boards...or here. And because they share reviews, one reviewer can be the sole focus of something like controls. Meaning, the other two will glide over the subject if another merely mentions it. Where are my 3 seperate opinions?! Add to all this: horrible letters from stupid people (How many pieces of pale, spotted flesh with video game characters tattoed on it do we need to see?), selected "previews" that are minimal, and poor coverage of the industry itself (see EGM's 2005 E3 coverage compared to Play magazine's 2005 E3 coverage--wow, just...pathetic) were the final straws in me wanting out. The only thing I will miss will be Seanbaby's hilarious slamming of all things awful, but I can still find that online.Thanks to others I did check out Play magazine, and what a difference it is. Play is upbeat and critical without sounding jaded and juvenile all the time. If your looking for a change, or want to see better coverage and not have your intelligence insulted, check out Play. Especially if you were once a fan of GameFan, and Next Generation magazine; Play feels like their spiritual successor. Sad, but this is how I feel for the current EGM. I am hoping with new blood, and, hopefully, in a number of years the mag will change for the better (as in having more depth and being fair to all games). For now, 2 stars is enough for the mag I once enjoyed so much--in this, its worst period so far.

I bought a copy of this magazine for the Zelda coverage. After reading the wonderful Zelda article, I decided to explore the rest of the mag. What I discovered was a mixed bag. I'm a longtime subscriber to Game Informer, so most of my opinions are based on comparisons to that...

EGM had many articles of the kind that you wouldn't find in GI. GI focuses almost exclusively on the games themselves; EGM has more features on stuff like game-shopping venues, game development, etc. It was those parts that I enjoyed the most.

Unforgivably, EGM has no "preview" section. Unless they are doing a feature on a game, they barely touch on it, whereas GI gives extensive coverage on practically everything coming up.

The reviews...utterly confusing. I had to look all over the page just to find the freakin' scores. And yes, there are 3 scores for each game. This makes each review feel broken up, and in many cases, repetitive...

The "humor", however, was the deal-breaker. I like how GI keeps the jokes to snide industry commentary, with a touch of potty humor when it's unavoidable. This magazine seems to revel in being as filthy and nasty as possible. Throughout the magazine, I found so many references to various sexual things that it became impossible to count them all.

Overall, EGM is not as professional, well-formatted, or informative as GI. I would reccomend that magazine instead.

I've basically tried every other mag on the market and this is the most honest and consistantly amusing. The articles may not be Shakespeare, but boy are they entertaining. I first started receiving this magazine when I was around 12 and have been an on-and-off again subscriber, though this is my fault because of my varying degrees of interest in gaming over the years. I still pick it up at newstands when in the airport and haven't been disappointed with it for as long as I can remember. Don't listen to the low reviews, this is a good magazine and it's frusterating to see people call its reviews biased when there are three reviewers for each game in order to limit inaccurate reviews.

When I first began recieving EGM (I got it for free for three years, because they're incapable of selling this crap), it was an okay magazine.

It's done nothing but go downhill from there. First of all, the ONLY time there is an article longer than a single page (if you could call two paragraphs with a couple of screenshots a page) is if the game is Halo, Half-Life, Doom, or something similiar. Any game that doesn't have a lot of guns and a lot of mainstream hype is apparently not worthy of EGM's mention. There are plenty of ads, but hardly any content on games. And what content there is on games is never on the unique stuff gamers really want to hear about. It isn't difficult to get Halo information...give us something else, please!!!

Second, they're irresponsible. Last year they began a contest that required readers to send in a video tape and two reviews they had written. These were rules that could be found on their website, IF you could navigate the poorly designed thing. Midway, they changed these rules, negating the video tape rule. For about a week these rules were changed on the website, then went back to the old rules. However, nothing was ever mentioned anywhere on whether or not this was correct. Many people were confused. And only people who had sent in video tapes were considered for the contest, meaning EGM refused to take responsibilty for a mess on their poorly maintained website. Maybe if they'd used their MAGAZINE to keep people updated...but no, they did not.

Third, you would think that a magazine with a woman on the staff wouldn't be so sexist. Not so of EGM. Their comments in the vein of "Even your girlfriend will like (insert title of cute, family friendly game here)" drove me mad! What, girls can't play games with guns? Pfft! That sexist attitude reached such disgusting heights that I throw away my copy of EGM whenever I recieve it and eagerly await the end of my subscription.

Don't pay money for this trash. Don't even accept it if they offer it for free, it isn't worth it. Try Game Informer, a far superior magazine, instead.

I love this mag but I dont understnad why the product overview says "of male interest"! I'm a GIRL and i can like video games! i love this magazine but the review is PREJUDESED!

My son loves this magazine and it has been the inspiration for him to become a writer. Only problem-the magazine came for 3 months (2 year subscription) and then nothing!!! Canada Post says that it is not making it into their main centre and the magazine claims that it is being mailed. Where did 6 issues go? Is there somone at the border or US Postal who waits for it? No one will take responsibility!!

i currently own a gamecube and a ds, and my brother gets a subscription to NP. for a while i have just been borrowing NP when he's done, but a few days ago i decided to try EGM. i was very impressed and thinking about getting a subscription. here is EGM vs. Nintendo Power:

Reviews:
EGM: Pros: 3 reviewers for each game, 1-10 point system, games are reviewed on many different factors, if it's bad they come straight out and tell you.
Cons: the tiniest bit biased towards PS2, sometimes compare games to overly hyped games (well, halo 2 was better because...)
NP: Pros: 5 reviewers to a game, tons of games reviewed in each issue.
Cons: only 1-5 point system, always gives nintendo published games higher scores than third-party games, reviews are short (like 1/4-1/2 a page long).

Previews
EGM: Pros:lots of screenshots.
Cons:not very many per issue.
NP: Pros: an entire section devoted to previews as well as bigger previews spread throughout the issue, big game previews come with a poster of that game.
Cons: sometimes too long to hold your intrest.

Game Stratagies and Walk-throughs
EGM: Pros: always has a big list of cheats in the back.
Cons: walkthroughs are very short.
NP: Pros: very in-depth walkthroughs, section for cheats and hints.
Cons: walkthroughs take up way too much of the magazine (like a 15 page walkthrough for each game), sometimes the cheats section focuses just on one game.

Extras
EGM: Pros: rumors section, lots of unique and interesting stories (like a band that makes music out of old GameBoys), every once and a while it comes with a demo disk.
Cons: the Japanese Imports section is just a waste for people like me who wait and buy games when they arrive in the States.
NP: Pros: a contest in every issue (usually with a pretty cool prize).
Cons: not much to read unless you have every game that they give walkthroughs for.

Overall
EGM-for people who have multiple systems, this is the best magazine out there, or, if you only have one system, this is still very good because they give you honest reviews and they do comparisons (like xbox against gamecube)
NP-for people who only have nintendo systems, this is great. it has the most comprehensive coverage out there of nintendo games.

i was looking for a game magazine to subscribe to, so i picked up a copy of the January 2005 issue at kroger. i was very impressed with the layout, and how the reviewers seem to know what they're talking about. my only complaint is that the reviewers seem to be a little more biased towards sony and microsoft rather than nintendo, but these days who isnt except for nintendo power. this seems like a very good magazine and i will subscribe.

O_o I trust the editors of this magazine. I have in the past who gave such games as Perfect Dark and Mario 64 Platinum scores(the highest). The editors that have come into the mix as of late are carefully mixed into the reviews. They learn the art of Reviewing and sooner or later they are given the full spread to work with, expressing themselves entirely. The colomns are energetic, they supply me with the zestfull Need to know articles of fact I deserve. What every gamer deserves. A nice addition to the crisp and colorful pages are full page spreads of the most popular and adored games. Such as Halo 2, supplying its greedy fans with many high pixel full page pics from the game. Since the magazine has been around for so long, it has connections and poll that give it exclusive coverage of tasty news. Some of the more important events inclue E3, an electronic boutique with foresight into the gaming industries future products. WCG, the world cyber games, More notable in Korean than here in the states. The magazine comes always with a protective plastic wrapping, and sometimes a special DVD. The last DVD I remember had a preview of Halo 2 and the newest GTA. I believe their readers to be some of the most enlightened. Just read for yourself in the Letters column. They supply it's readers the chance to let off some steam, or else just shout out to their brethren of the Techno world.-jeff

I love Electronic Gaming Monthly but I find it unfair how they review now these days. Now I'm going to make this review short and swee tsince this is pretty much only complaining about there last issue which was also known as there "BEST REVIEW ISSUE EVER"

I must say I totally agree with the previous reviewer saying that they hype some games to death especially Halo 2. That's pretty much the game they hyped for the most and I must say I find it B.S. They hype the game for years and they all some how give it 10,10,10!!! Same with San Andreas which has the same rehashed level desighn and everything(I'm not trying to hate on it but I must say the way they review is a lil overrated)..

I mean two games they've bin hyping for ages, Halo 2 and GTA SA, and they both get all 10's!!! But games like Metal Gear Solid 3 and Metroid Prime 2 didn't get too much hype so they gave those games 9's and 10's.. I'm not saying they give it good review for hype I just find it unfair that they always blab about the game they're dying for but ultimatley gets a 10.

I thought Metroid Prime 2 should have atleast gotten a 9.5,10,10 Not a 9.0, 9.0 and if it hadn't of bin for Halo2's Multiplayer and Live it would have atleast gotten a 9 or 8...

They should buck up and learn how to do better reviewing instead of overhyping something(and for the love of god who ever reviews this the next time they see it don't wyn and bash on me just cause I'm giving my opinion)

4 out of 5

I've been a subscriber for a few years now and have always had the same 2 complaints. WAY too many ads and they over-cover the big games.

I've routinely found more than 50% of the pages in the magazine have advertisements on them and 95% of that 50% are full page ads. This is ridiculous. If I am PAYING for the magazine it shouldn't be 60 pages of ads and 40 pages of content. Why not just give out the magazine for free because thye must be making a fortune off of the advertising. Anyone who pays the 5 dollar cover charge for this mag is a fool.

Also, these cats over hype games to death. How many times can you have 8 pages of pictures of Halo 2 in a 2 year period? God, that game must have had 70-100 pages of EGM dedicated to it in the year before release. Same goes for GTA:SA. "OOOHHH we have 4 exclusive pictures from Halo 2 of MCs boot. Lets blow each of them up and give them each their own full page!!"

SHEESH!!!

I have been subscribed to EGM for years and I can sincerely tell you it IS the best game magazine money can buy.

The articles and interviews are great. The staff has an excellent sense of humor. The best part is that they are never biased and will tell you if a game or system sucks or not. It has cost them in the past since some companies have removed their advertisements from the magazine because the reviewers told the truth about their badly made games. Everything from the letters from readers, game gossip, previews, review, archives, cheat codes and the last word sections are great.

Yes, the magazine has changed over the years and the EGM guys have become a little bit lazier... I mean years ago there were four reviewers per game, then three and now if a game comes in multiple systems they will give you only one review of the game for all. But still you will not find a better, most honest game magazine, period. And for the parents out there, the EGM staff WILL warn you if they believe a particular game will be offensive or inappropriate for the more conservative people out there. Enjoy your reading, I know I will. My subscription is paid till 2008, OUCH!

They're not as bad as I said they were. Really, the only problems I have is the ink (which I said last time) and that's about it. The new format has grown on me, and I dont really have much problem with the reviews section. I actually like the 3 reviewers now taking full hold. The staff page in the front is always funny, and the letters are too. They have one of the best in terms of an EIC and even though his column seems to be shorter than it used to be in the old format, it's still great. Yes I cant complain, about what some have said about there being too much red ink, but say what u want, white text on red, makes it very easy to read and red on white is easy to read too, along with white on black and vice versa. I love the comic they have in the back of the mag, called Hsu and Chan, and Hsu probably has something to do with the EIc, cause his last name is Hsu. They have pretty good articles in Press Start sometimes. And I can truly say that this one of the game magazines that I really like when it gets here each month. I've never read Seanbaby's reviews. Only his column. Same with their tips and tricks editor. And their rumor mill guy, Quartermann, is cool too. Both the page of rumors and his columns. Well, as always, all I can say is to go buy a copy, but you will probably want to subscribe, cause then you wont have to deal with the bags on the issues and all the other junk inside the bag.

The question on most gamers (who read mags) mind is what happend to EGM? We may never know. They use to be the best video game magazine there was. Yet over the past couple of years their rep has gone down hill. where once was well written articles is now just thrown togather by what seems to be children. I use to count on EGM for their review ,but now they only give the big name titles good reviews. Obviously they are getting paid of by big name industry. I refuse to believe that they are actually liking some of the crap that got high marks. And there reviews of games no one else would review is an insult to gaming. This entire mag has become an insult to gaming. I know i am not alone when i ask "what happend?". I guess we may never know, but i advise anyone and everyone to cancle there sub today and put your money where the quality is. Which would'nt be here. If i could have this magazine would have gotten no stars. It is'nt even worth the one i gave it.

If you're looking into a video game magazine that covers all 4 systems, then this is probably your best bet. What does it have? Well, for one thing the issues are each quite large (by way of standard vid. game magazines) at over 200 pages. They contain very descriptive reviews of new games, previews of games not yet released, and countless interesting, full-length stories.

However...I have noticed in a couple of reviews already written (by parents) saying that this magazine is not approriate for children. I have to agree in saying that this magazine is probably PG-13, and not always appropriate for younger children (due to violent images and minor sexual references in advertisments). Nonetheless, this is a wonderful and very informative magazine.

EGM a couple years back was probably my favorite thing to read, now with an almost entirely new crew it's half as good as it used to be. A lot of their game reviews for one game are so varied you don't know whether they liked the game or not. You can average the reviewers scores but still, it's only 3 people reviewing the game and each one is not even close to the other guys' score.
So if you're looking for a game mag that gives good reviews, I recommend any game mag but this.

Electronic Gaming Monthly is no overnight success story, they came onto the scene at a time that proved to be one of the most turbulent periods for game magazines. Competition was very fierce, and there were many good and bad choices in the mid to late 80's...

Electronic Gaming Monthly is a testament to the durability of both Videogames, and well written content. They stand at the head of the major Gaming publications of Parent Company Ziff-Davis. The evolution of the Brand into Sister Magazines has allowed EGM to narrow their focus significantly.

As it stands today, EGM is the Champion of the "Grown-up gamer" people who cut their teeth back on Nintendo, and even as early as the Atari VCS and Odyssey. Here you will find articles not only on content, but on the history of the medium, the various social aspects of the game, and a wry sense of humor that is apparent, but certainly not heavy handed.

The Editors themselves will make personalities of themselves, and encourage readers to empathise with one or more. I often find that the Recommendations of their Editor-in-Chief Dan "Shoe" Hsu, among specific others, will often carry more weight that other editors.

Their Reviews are often handled by three editors, for the same reason I spoke above. Having the resident Fighting Game Fanatic rate a game higher than his compatriots will often tell me more than enough about whether I will by a game or not.

Among some of the more Creative articles found in EGM:

- Retired Mob-informant Henry Hill gives his blunt opinion of Grand Theft Auto and other Crime Drama videogames, Eventually deciding that he prefers the token wildcard, Nintendo's "Animal Crossing", to the protests of his 11 year old Son.

- Humor/Satirist Seanbaby of www.seanbaby.com lends his stinging wit to rate the 20 worst videogames of all time alongside the editor's choice of 100 best, leading to him becoming a regular contributor, giving the best of the worst every month in reviews.

- Creating a section for good games you might have missed, or let fall through the cracks... It is never too late to snag the last Copy of Car Battler Joe or Gitaroo man in the store.

Special note...

Related to EGM is Gamenow, a more Family oriented of EGM and GMR a more digestable version benefitting those who recieve a Gamers Edge card at Electronic's Boutique, and probably made in response to Gamestop's "Game Informer" I personally find GMR more informative of the two. Computer Gaming Monthly is the long running answer to those who wonder why EGM does not cover PC Games, And Expert Gamer is the Evolution of EGM2, a code and strategy intensive version of EGM from the past.

I got a 2 year subscription for my 9 year old son a couple of years ago. It's got a lot of good information regarding the games, however it shows pictures throughout the magazine that are unsuitable for kids (or adults for that matter). In fact, the September 2003 issue has a picture of a girl with no shirt on that's posing as if in an advertisement for adult entertainment. I wouldn't suggest this magazine! We now get Nintendo Power which is much more suitable for our needs.