Well, ordered this a few weeks back and was expecting it to arrive in March. To my surprise, it arrived almost a whole month earlier! Talk about great service. The magazine is awesomely written and even includes a demo disc with each issue! Instead of paying over $10.00 per magazine at a news stand, this costs only $25.00 for an entire year!

The mag is pretty good, although I think they rate games too high. My real complaint is that the magazine is always late!

Here's the deal, I purchased this subscription thinking "[PRINT + DVD]" was actually TRUE. My first issue just came with NO DEMO DISC, and after calling Future (the subscription service provider) I was informed that the only way to get the Demo Disc is to either pay an extra dollar per issue over the phone, or have my amazon subscription canceled, and a new one started directly through them. Of course you have to pay again, and wait 4-6 weeks for a refund check for the original subscription.

In summary:

1 year subscription of magazine from Amazon = $24.95

1 year subscription of magazine AND DEMO DISC from Official Xbox Magizine website = $24.95

You fail Amazon

For $10 more you get the 12 demo disks also which is the way I would go.

I am writing simply for the magazine. The disc doesn't matter to me. Usually this magazine is so awesome, I can't stop reading it. Other times, I have to withstand waiting a whole month for my next one because I finished after reading for a minute. Take my advice, and read it at the store before buying. You'll be glad you did.

Even though I own an Xbox, I haven't gotten a subscription to this magazine because I find that, for the most part, GameInformer (which I do have a subscription to) tends to have much better reviews for Xbox games than the so-called "official Xbox magazine". That being said, I do occasionally pick up an Xbox magazine from a local newsstand just to catch up on the world of Xbox mania, and I do admit that their coverage of the newly released Xbox 360 is quite exemplary. However, I don't recommend you get this magazine if you are looking for the Xbox demo discs. Why? BECAUSE THIS MAGAZINE DOESN'T HAVE THEM (another reason for the 3-star rating).

Signing off,
Andy Olson

I'm sorry if I come on strong, but as a grown man who has ran
many companies, an avid techie/audiophile with a great sense of
electronic taste, I felt compelled to write.
First, it is true the the Xbox magazine is biased- it says it right in the name. I don't read the magazine to hear good reviews
of games for other platforms.
This magazine started a long time ago, and I think I was there
when it all began. I have seen the mag grow and try to do bigger
and better. One of those ways is the demo disc. You cannot call
yourself an Xbox fan and not receive it also. Sometimes, the demo alone proves to be entertaining enough that my fix is cured and no money was laid for a game I would have barely played. Plus, the images onscreen are much nicer to look at for upcoming games
than in print alone.
In regards to another reviewers comment- yes, the magazine could be thicker and it will when the 360 arrives. Two platforms
will add a few pages more and remember, this is not a multi mag.
If you have an Xbox and no subscription, you need to step away
from the computer right now, grab one of the mags' mailers or subscribe online. You won't be disappointed and no I'm not affiliated with the mag.

First off, we never received the magazine until 5 months after ordered!!! We have only received one or two issues. Extremely Poor Service, and why get the magazine with out the disc??? I wanted to get my husband a present for Christmas, not expecting something so poor to be offered through Amazon!!!!

Very displeased in PA!!

I've been getting this magazine for a few months now I have to say it is simply average. The main turn off for me is how biased the writing is. I just don't feel the reviews are objective and the constant jokes about other systems are just bad humor. You can't argue with the price though it is a very inexpensive subscription. I have a feeling it would have earned another star if it included the demo disk. The magazine offers an upgrade to include the disks for an extra $10 but why not offer it right off the bat?

They should call this magazine "Offical Xbox @$$ Kissing Magazine." Definately biased. They always hype everything up, no matter what it is. If you want an objective view of Xbox stuff, this isn't the place to go. Reviews are often after the games are released. The writing is poor and seems like it id there just to fill the pages. I have subscibed from the begining and it has gotten better since they lost a lot of the original staff. The game disk is ok. Sometimes there is downloadable content, which is cool. They hide demos as "Easter Eggs" which may be fun for people who like to press a lot of buttons and waste time not playing games, but I don't like it. Overall, the only reason I still subscibe is for the disk.

I have been a subscriber since the premier issue, and will continue to be a subscriber, because I feel it's the best XBox magazine their. Yet, at times I get bored with it's writing style. They don't make it that fun to read, sometimes its too silly to read, at other times it's written with too much depth, to where it bores you. Plus, it doesn't have any good features (special stories) in it, they are all stupid or boring, with the only good one being in the first issue (the one about the perfect XBox setup, and the XBox set-up quiz).

Why two stars then? The reviews are actually well written, and are truthful, and I trust them. So, if all you want are interesting reviews, try this magazine, but if you want to know about other things without getting too bored, look elsewhere.

It's a great magazine, with the disc. You get reviews, previews, world exclusive articles, and so much more. Then, you (would) get the disc. Ahhh...the demo disc. I'd pay about $20 a year just for it alone. But, this stupid thing doesn't come with it. I would have given it about 3.5 stars if I could, but I figured that the magazine saves it (almost). But, let's talk about the actual magazine. It has truthful opinions from reviewers with an attitude, who know their stuff. It tells you what games you need to buy, what ones you could buy, and what games to stay away from. Also, you get to preview games that haven't been released yet, and will be released some time in the future. Then, you read their articles, which are fun. Although some are more entertaining than others, they're still good. The layout of the magazine is good, and the witty jokes at the bottom of the page are interesting and sometimes hillarious. Except, here, there's no disc. The disc gives you great demos that I've played for HOURS before. If I were you, I would get the magazine somewhere else, WITH the disc.

Grade:
With Disc: A
Without Disc: B (A low B)

The first rule I learned in Journalism 101 (shortly before dropping the class) was "Always remain objective". At OXM, editors and writers alike check thier objectivity at the door.

OXM is a nicely laid out magazine. Unfortunatley it's content is very weak. When I read a video game magazine I want it to first be informative. While OXM is "informative", it's the XBox "attitude" that gets in the way. The editorial and writing staff try so hard to be hip, cool and edgey that they come across as a joke. If you read in between the pot shots taken at Sony and the PS2 there is some relevant information. But it tends to get lost amidst the puns and attempts at being humorous.

The second thing I want from a magazine, are objective opinions. With OXM, objectivity goes out the window. Though most games that are reviewed are pretty informative, often times a mediocre game will score significantly higher than in other game magazines. Which makes me wonder exactly who is writing these reviews. Also, every issue is loaded with countless digs at Sony and Nintendo. After the first few pages it becomes childish and unamusing.

The saving grace of the magazine is the demo disc. On it you can get some downloads including bonus levels for some games. Unfortunatley it's not included here.

Considering the content of this magazine, I'd recomend picking it up on an issue by issue basis depending on what is included in the demo disc. For a better all around objectively written game magazine, I'd recomend Game Informer.

One of the best magazines I've ever read. A good mixture of humor and content.

Well, it sucks to get your subscription off of here or anywhere else that has it with no disc, cause discs are the essence of any magazine that has them. And they seem to have demos (for multi-system or just PS2 and Xbox) faster than OPM. Recently they underwent a re-design for the disc (per se) and they added a download section that lets you save game saves to your system and use them in that game. I never thought I'd say this about anything, but the credits on the disc are just as fun as the rest of the disc. Anyway, this is just a really great Xbox mag. The text is always easy to read, because they hardly ever do any background colors besides green and white. They have nice little factoids at the bottom of each page. Now of course they're 100% biased, but it doesnt really bother me. Except there's a certain editor on there, and it sure didnt take him long (after starting to work there) to become so cocky. He could almost be the EIC as obnoxious as he is. Other than this, it's a great mag, but kind of dissapointing that they took out the Queue (sp?) section in the back. Ah to heck with it: Pretty much the whole staff is pompous.

I subcribed to the magazinge, and it is filled with information that any Xbox gamer would want. It is worth it to get the game demo discs, they have some great games that you will want to play.

I can't say I really like OXM or look forward to it's arrival every month. The writing is rather bland and boring, despite their attempts at humor. (Editor-in-Chief is Mike Salmon, former editor of the late great PCXL magazine, but his insanity has been tamed for this mass-marget publication.) I like reading trying to pick out the actual facts from the fluff in their previews - it's pretty thin! You'll find juicy info on Microsoft games and close allies like Ubisoft, but otherwise there's not much goodness here. The screenshots are usually so-so and low in number, and the copy is printed in such large size I feel like I'm reading a kid's book. The magazine is thin enough as it is.

The demo disk is the main draw of the magazine, and since the Xbox still isn't as big as PS2, there are a few months when the demos are rather sparce. To be fair, though, sometimes the offical PS magazine has a lame demo disk, too. They make good use of the Xbox hard drive, though, with plenty of great downloads each month - maps, missions, uber-saves, cheats, etc. One major rip-off is that they don't give subscribers the plastic thinpack DVD covers, but instead a boring old cardboard cover. You have to pay $20 extra to get the plastic covers, driving the cost to almost $40! Don't get this mag without the demo disk. Check out XBox Nation instead.

The Xbox world continues to perplex me. While it is clearly the best game console from the viewpoint of its capabilities, only a small group of developers really push the envelope and produce truly memorable graphics. Several genre of games, such as RPGs, are rarities on this platform. Other genre, such as sports, are almost over represented. Part of this is due to the newness of the Xbox, which is only now entering into general acceptance. But most of the blame for this quirkiness is due to Microsoft's lack of a pervasive vision. Compare instead Sony's commitment to the PS2.

In a way the Official Xbox Magazine is representative of this confusion. While the coverage is good, writing tends to be lackluster. The layout is just busy enough to be distracting. And it's a tad on the thin side. Yet this is just about the only production Xbox magazine except for those that cover multiple platforms. One would think that the publishers would take advantage of this position, but they do not.

In direct contrast to this 'just enough' style of print publication, the accompanying DVD is the best I've seen. It has a few articles, downloads, saved games, trailers, and several playable demos on each DVD. This may sound trivial, but it is all so nicely packaged with a plastic case that was made for passing around or reuse. Unfortunately for magazine circulation, I can see a group of players getting together to buy the magazine and passing the DVD around. Hopefully, this is the intent. In any case, to get full value, you must by this with the demo disc. Anything else will be disappointing.

Frankly, you don't have much choice. As I've said, the effort is acceptable, just not brilliant. If you want a journal dedicated to developments for Xbox then this is what you get. If you are interested in a better grade of articles (and no DVD) then there are several multi-platform publications that I think you will find more useful.

I wouldent reccomend buying this off Amazon because there is no demo disc. The deom disc is one of the best parts of the magazine and its not included here. There are new playable demos of the hottest new Xbox games on the disc, downloadable content and other cool stuff, yet you dont get it here. Anyway, the actual magazine info is good too. This is the offical source. The editors don't have really anything to do with Microsoft though. The features in this mag are the cover feature, reviews, previews,letters, Q&A, Xbox rumors, and maybe some other stuff too. The demo disc isnt the full part of the mag, and actual magazine is good. But you would want the demo. Who doesent want to play the games?

Hey, this magazine is a must have if you own Xbox. I have read every magazine out there and this is hands down the best. Very well organized and it doesn't hurt to get inside tips from MS (being the "Official Xbox Magazine" and all). The magazine alone is worth the price, but the demo disc is why this is a MUST BUY. It is like getting 4-8 free rentals every month!! So BUY THE MAGAZINE WITH DEMO DISC!!

The PS2 has sold over 30 million units (or so) as of late....

The XBOX has sold close to 11 million units as of late...

Q: Yet do you know which magazine (official PS2 or XBOX magazine) has more subscribers?

A: Official XBOX Magazine (OXM) does, with over 400,000 subscribers.

Q: Do you know why so many people subscribe to this magazine?

A: Because it has excellent reviews, great articles, fair- unbiased opinions about all systems, up-to-date news, and accurate rumors about what to expect in the near future...

Here's what I thought of OXM, the OFFICIAL XBOX Magazine, after a 12-week subscribtion....

1) The columns: First off, these magazines are PACKED with information about not only the XBOX (mostly), but just gaming in general... Interviews, reviews, previews, rumors, specials, tips, etc... Its all here, all about XBOX. We recently found out (officially) that Grand Theft Auto and GTA: Vice City are coming out for the XBOX...

If your read OXM a few months ago, GTA was reported to be coming to XBOX in a 2-game package...

Months before HALO 2 was announced for the XBOX, OXM predicted informed us of it in an earlier issue...

I was low on cash, and didn't have the money to rent a lot of games that "looked" good.

Weeks later, I noticed that the games that I bought and were reccomended by OXM were great, and the ones I tried that OXM dismissed...were average to bad games, and were not worth my cash...

My point in all this is that this magazine is full of people who know what they're talking about. Experienced gamers who have accurate sources, and get the info out to us, is what OXM is all about. They have accurate ratings on games, know their rumors, and really get you excited about not just XBOX, but gaming in general, as they tell you about some of the things they get to experience, sometiems YEARS before people like us will see them.

Creative, fun, and accurate (and with a good sense of humor), OXM is a great magazine, and definantly worth my fifteen dollars...

2) Reviews/Previews: This magazine reviews 30-40 games a week, and previews at least 10 games. ANd the reviews are for the most part accurate and well done. Most reviews have 7-8 articles of real info, real opinions, and real descriptions of the game. If you can't rent it, this is the next best thing. They gave HALO-Splinter Cell-DOA3 all 9.0-10 scores, and they were all fantastic games. Other games like NFL Blitz 2003, Obi-wan, and Crash Bandicoot, they gave lower scores of 6-8.5, which I agreed with as well.

These guys know what they're doing, and actually play these games thoroughly before writing the reviews.

As for the previews, we were hearing information about Splinter Cell, DOA: Xtreme Beach Volleyball, Amped 2, and Project Gotham Racing 2 months before they hit the shelves...

These guys (and girls) play these anticipated games, or at least early demos of the game, months before they're released, and get the information out so you can start saving up. An excellent magazine, OXM has prepared me and steered me away from a number of games, and just keeps on doing it...

3) Interviews: Almost every issue of this magazine has interesting interviews with makers of dozens of games. They talked with Ubi-Soft about Splinter Cell, RARE about being bought and joining the XBOX team, Bungie when they announced HALO 2, Microsoft XBOX employees about the future of XBOX and current plans... They got the scoop on XBOX Live almost immediatly after the XBOX was released...( months before it came out) These guys are weaved into the gaming world, and give people like me abd u a little bit of where gaming is headed, and of what's to come...

4) Hints and Tips: Another thing this magazine has is a ton of great hints and tips. Beleive it or not, the people who write about and give us the scoop on all these great games coming to XBOX, are also gamers themselves...and they are good ones too! And every issue, they give you step-by-step tips to dozens of great games. In the past, they've helped us with LOTR: Two Towers, Splinter Cell, HALO, BMX XXX, etc... When you hit a wall in a game, OXM just might be the ones to bring that wall down...

5) Opinions: This magazine, last but not least, is full of great opinions from not only xpert gamers and XBOX fans like these writers. But every issue has letters sent to OXM, with XBOX gamers asking questions or stating opinions, and OXM responding to them. Curious about what fellow XBOX gamers are thinking about? This magazine brings your dozens of opinions every week... Very interesting read!

Overall, this magazine is just incredible. When comparing it to other magazines, OXM just has a style to it that others lack. With it's accurate info, great articles, in depth hints, and just love of gaming, OXM is a winner, and for fifteen bucks, a must have for any XBOX gamer...

Oh, and if your wondering if I'll be renewing my subscribtion (mine ends next month), the answer is a definate yes.

Thx!

obryanstars*

This magazine is a below average magazine. It seems to definately be geared towards the younger crowd because pictures constitute about 80% of it. Reviews can range from an OK length to a couple of paragraphs with 1 1/2 of those paragraphs babling about some random thing. While many magazines promise something in the next issue and actually deliver it, this magazine does not deliver it 95% of the time making them very unreliable. Their reviews are also very biased and nowhere near objective. If one game has X and then another game has all X has and a couple of more features, the second game can still get a worse review. Although it is a 'fun' magazine, it is poorly written and laid out.

This Xbox Magazine, is very informative, has lots of information for the players, and what is in the makings, as well as game hints. I really like to read this magazine to find out what is new, the hints, and what other readers have said about the Xbox games. Also I like the fact that I got this subcription, without having to get the one with the playable disc.

Graphics on the pictures are great as well as the contains of the games, now out and the ones in the future.

This Magazine is not like the others, it is for all ages to read, not like some of the others which I think {aren't}.

First of all, I am going to review this mag. as if it had the demo disc included, so I won't dock Amazon for not offering it...

OXM is a solid magazine that is just a LITTLE to thin in the content department. The demo disc and challenges easily cover for that. The demo discs sometimes have bugs, and this can be frustrating, but on the other hand, for [money] a pop they're a steal. (I am referring to the fact that you can buy a ... subscription directly from OXM w/the demo discs.)

The reviews are decent, but sometimes it feels as if they are just trying to think what YOU would think about it, and never include anything like "You would like this game if you were...", so I personally do not trust them and/or their rating.

Literature-wise, the mag. is decent, and the footnotes are always interesting. The comedy, as it is with most gaming mags., is successful at making you laugh.

All in all, I would suggest this mag., but only if you'll pay ... for the full subscription.

I can't believe that a magazine like "XBOX Official XBOX Magazine" does not come with its disk. It's like buy a game without a manual. How can you test the games appearing on the magazine without its disk that it should came with it? Ask and pray, because if you buy this magazine it's because you really like Reading instead of playing XBOX games.

this has great previews for upcoming games, lots of pictures, tons of cheats, and it has nothing but xbox, what more could you ask for

DO NOT subscribe to this magazine!! You WILL NOT recive the vaunted game demo discs...it is totally assinine since they have no problem enclosing 'AOL 8.0' demo discs, but not the demos that everyone wants....What a crock......pus their info is way off in many cases, for example in this months letters section a reader asks abou the chances of a certain game being released on XBOX, and their reply was basically 'no way in hell.'

If you've got a 'BOX (and why would you be subscribing to this mag if you didn't?) DON'T get the subscription without the disc. somebody got me the subscription from here as a gift, and i have to occaisionaly go out and buy a second copy of the mag just so i can get the disc! (hello, splinter cell demo!)

The magazine itself is a wicked great read; all of the editors have distinctly cool personalities and game preferences. In the year that i've been reading, i've gotten to know all of their gaming preferences and feel i can trust their reviews of the games i'm looking for advice on.

to sum up my feelings on the magazine: i'm always excited when i get a new one, i always read it from cover to cover, i'm always sad when i finish the last page, i'm always waiting for the next one, and i've never been disappointed.

.
What's next, a car without an engine? Nice to look at but... 8P
.

This is a great magazine, and well worth the money. It has great articles and reviews.

HOWEVER, why would any sane person subscribe to this with out the disk? The extra few bucks are worth having the demo disk every month. Don't waste your time with out the disk, go to the horse's mouth, spend the extra few bucks, and get it with the demo disk!

As the other reviewers have noted, the real value of this magazine is the disk. There have been many games I thought I wanted to buy, only to be severely disappointed by the demo. The money you shell out for the disk will pay for itself in games you don't buy after playing the demos. As for the magazine itself, it is useful and entertaining. You have to read through the bias though. Remember, they work for Microsoft.

Half of the reason to get the Official Xbox Magazine is because of the demo disc. Unlike the Official PS Magazine or Nintendo Power (Official magazines for their respective consoles), the official Xbox magazine provides very little in terms of magazine content. Just one or two short articles, some previews and reviews. So what is the magazines saving grace? The demo disc. So when you subscribe, find an offer so that you get the disc.

Ok look this Mag is great but the problem is that without the disk u miss out i mean they have contest and stuff that u cn only win if u have the disc they relate back and forth to the disc so if u dont care and want to save 10 bucks and get a ussles peice of paper then ok fine !! But don't come crying to me when can't do anything but read the disk!! besides if you have 25 then Go and get a subscribtion dercitly! THE MAGAZINE AND DISK LOVE EACH OTHER!

I currently subscribe to the official X-Box magazine and couldn't be happier with it. They have a lot of exclusive features and stuff that the other magazines can't offer. The screenshots are of the highest quality and the articles are well written and informative. However, what makes this magazine SOO great is the demo disc you get each month. Go out and buy a copy of this magazine. You'll get a subscription card and you can subscribe to a year of the magazine for only 25 bucks including the discs. Thats a great deal.

The only reason I recived this magazine was because of the free trial issue after that came with my xbox. The magazing is completely inacurate and poorly written. They were 110% positive that the Grand Theft Auto Series was comming to Xbox. They even said that it was confermed by Rockstar. But everyone knows that it is PS2 exculsive. Stick to EGM and Xbox Nation (XBN).