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Games for Windows: The Official Magazine

Games for Windows: The Official Magazine

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Publisher: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company
Category: Magazine

List Price: $59.88
Buy New: $19.97
You Save: $39.91 (67%)



Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars 23 reviews
Sales Rank: 315

Format: Magazine Subscription
Type: Consumer magazine
Subscription Issues: 12
Subscription Length: 12 Months
Issues Per Year: 12
First Issue Lead Time: 6-10 Weeks

ASIN: B00005N7PE

Release Date: November 23, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1 to 3 months

Similar Items:

  • PC Gamer (1-year)
  • Maximum PC (1-year)
  • Electronic Gaming Monthly
  • Wired (1-year)
  • The Official Xbox Magazine [1-year]

Editorial Reviews:

Abstract

Covers the tradition & culture of computer gaming by providing reviews, previews & strategies for core gamers.



Customer Reviews:   Read 18 more reviews...

1 out of 5 stars Title has been Discontinued   June 2, 2008
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Don't bother subscribing to this one. Their last issue was Issue 17, April/May 2008.


3 out of 5 stars Don't Order -- the magazine is now defunct   April 16, 2008
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Amazon is being a little slow. The print magazine went defunct about a week ago (April 7th -ish?).


1 out of 5 stars Once Great   December 15, 2007
 2 out of 4 found this review helpful

Now but a former shadow of itself. This publication has lost all its original identity and all of its integrity.

Little more than a front for the gaming industry and Microsoft, the information presented is no longer to be trusted, what little there is of it.

Pass this one by, it is no longer worth the paper it is printed upon.

RIP Computer Gaming World, we will miss you.



5 out of 5 stars Excellent   December 6, 2007
 1 out of 3 found this review helpful

This is one of the best PC gaming mags out there. PC Gamer has sinked so low that I'm amazed the thing is still being published.

I usually enjoy reading general articles on the gaming industry more so than reviews. And GFW offers such articles for my reading pleasure on every issue. Reviews are not usually biased, and they are constructive. Sure, there is the occasional "odd" verdict (i.e. they (Sean) gave Bioshock 10/10 which is stupid), but what magazine doesn't have them? But the actual review is more important than the verdict, anyway, and they are nicely written (I just wish they compared the game being reviewed with similar previously released games a bit more often).

Also, the GFW editors are awesome (their GFW Podcast is THE best PC gaming podcast on the net.)

If you are a true PC gamer, then this mag is for you.



2 out of 5 stars Once great mag is now limping badly   August 14, 2007
 15 out of 16 found this review helpful

Games for Windows took the place of Computer Gaming World (CGW), which was a respected magazine for many years. Unfortunately, the final year under the CGW banner was marked by such missteps as deciding to no longer review games, but rather summarize reviews that had already been posted on the Internet by others. The magazine also declined to put out any awards for 2006 games as they said others had already done so. At the same time, they began covering bizarre topics of little interest to most that had nothing to do with computer games. It was literally as though the staff was embarrassed to cover computer games and wanted to move on to other things... completely ignoring the fact that readers weren't looking for socio-political and religious commentary but news and views on games played on the computer.

After a good deal of reader complaints, the magazine shifted gears once again and also re-launched under the name "Games for Windows: The Official Magazine." Why the editors saw fit to compromise the perception of integrity for the right to be Microsoft's house organ is not much of a mystery (sponsorship dollars) but it is an unfortunate choice. The only positive is that they used the re-launch to once again write actual game reviews and most of the nonsense articles have gone away. The content is still not as strong as it used to be. One example is the Tom vs. Bruce column, which humorously depicts two gamers playing head-to-head in an RTS or other competitive game, usually without reading the rules or preparing. In the last few months the column has been used once as little more than an ad for World of Warcraft and once as an ad for casual games like Peggle. Uggh. Tom vs. Bruce has long been my favorite part of the magazine (and one of the few really distinctive aspects of any gaming magazine) and now even it has been largely ruined.

In summary, Games for Windows has improved some since the lowest point at the end of the CGW run. It still suffers from editorial direction that seems determined to "fix" what wasn't broken in the first place. PC Gamer [1-year] has been more consistent and solid for the past two years and is probably more deserving of your subscription dollars.


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