ctophil

That's good to know. Kinda late for a Buyer's Guide though, the holidays are pretty much over. Well, better late than never I suppose. Hopefully, we will start to receive our copies in the next few days.

Yeah, I don't have a problem with backwards compatibility. It's just another feature a modern console may have, similar to being able to watch TV and movies, surf the web, or post on facebook/twitter. I don't use any of those features on a video game console, including the backwards compatibility. I believe a game console was made to play games and that's it. And each console was made to play its own games, and backwards compatibility is for those who enjoy the convenience, cost-effectiveness, and saving space. As you know, I'm quite the hardcore gamer and a purist at heart. I enjoy each console in their own right and playing games on any console other than the one meant for it is not my cup of tea. If it requires the "hassle" of switching out consoles once in a while due to space constraints or dealing with a ton of wires in the back, I will happily do it--just another part of a hardcore gamer lifestyle.

Nope. I did saw the EGM Buyer's Guide at my local Wal-mart magazine stand. They only had two copies left. I resisted from buying a copy, since they cost $10.00 these days. My patience is running thin waiting for my copy. But I'll hang around a little longer.

I'm sure most of you guys play classic game consoles by default, since this is a retro magazine site. But my question is this...do you care about console backwards compatibility at all? I sure don't. But my ear is always on the ground listening to people talk about how they hate the current generation of systems (PS4 and Xbox One) don't have backwards compatibility at all. The Wii U, however, can play SOME Wii games. But Gamecube games are not compatible. Sony launched (although still in its infancy) their game streaming service (Netflix-style with games) call Playstation Now, which allows people to play older PS1, PS2, & PS3 games on their PS4. But Microsoft is pretty quiet about their future plans. They did mention that software emulation is in the works where you can download games from Xbox Live from the previous generation. That is not even something they really care about. As for myself, I could care less about backwards compatibility. The concept has been around since the Atari days where the Atari 7800 could play 2600 games. I always feel that each console should play their own games. That is why I have 2 TVs (with one spare) for classic consoles and 2 HD TVs for new-gen consoles. There is something else. I have a "strange" tradition of taking care of my consoles where I let the console rest every 2-3 hours of gameplay (and not play it for the rest of the day) and rotate them around so that each console has a rest period (like a few months). So, I believe that if you play say a PS1 on PS2, the PS2 would not have time to rest when you feel like playing another PS2 game next time. Get my point? It seems "strange" to regular gamers. But you know, my oldest console (The NES) bought back from 1988 still works like new. The up and down mechanism (where you put the game in) still works flawlessly where other people complain that the older NES models wear out quickly and the mechanism has to be replaced all the time. All of my other consoles also work like new. Anyways, Backwards Compatibility is a marketing thing for casual gamers in my opinion where they like to trade in their "old" consoles for the new ones. Therefore, they can no longer play older games if the desire to do so. Another thing is people complain about running out of room with so many consoles to manage. Really? If there is a will, there is a way. I've seen hardcore gamers' house where they have massive entertainment centers that cover the walls with classic consoles to modern ones. You can play anything you want--just pick up the controller. :-)

Cool, Kartracer3! Thanks for the update. I'm glad to see the buyer's guide issue came out to retail. This means that we will get that in the mail soon.

Just as I suspected...EGM Issue #265 was never printed. I've learn to not listen to general customer service for the past couple of years. Because what they say has never come true. Don't believe it when they say an issue was "sold out." As I said in a post above, if an issue did not arrive in your mailbox, it was not published. Just wait and if EGM is still in business, it will come eventually. I also know this because I was in customer service for many years off and on. When there is no answer, a Supervisor would tell me something that wasn't true, and I had to tell it to the person on the phone exactly as told, although I knew it was something to just "get them off the phone." It is not really their fault, however. It's that the customer service team may not have all the answers. But if we tell customers, "I don't know," the customer will get even more upset. We can't keep the customer on the phone too long because that will decrease production time. I know how it works. But thanks Spoonman for the update. As always, glad that EGM is still in business regardless of the situation.

Yeah, for some reason the Wii U I got had like Software Version 1 on there, and they are up to Version 5 now. So I had to update in order to do anything. I assume that Nintendo keeps the same protocols (such as software versions) when manufacturing new consoles since launch date. From what I understand, hardware manufacturers only change software versions when they do a revision of the console's hardware (like when introducing a new model #). I'm familiar with this due to repairing consoles for the past 15 years.

I resubscribed last November 2013 for another 12 issues or 2 years, according to the resubscription voucher. Apparently, EGM is still on a bi-monthly schedule, but obviously it's down to a quarterly system with 4 issues per year. So, I have plenty of time to hopefully see a resolution (either EGM shutting down or continuing) soon. I still have not received a response from customer service. It is now nearly 2 weeks.

I just got my Wii U the other day as a Birthday present. :-) I got the Black 32GB, Super Mario 3D World and Nintendo Land Bundle. Pretty sweet, those games are so much fun. Super Mario 3D World is like a combination of Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) and Super Mario World (SNES). Think I'll pick up The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD soon. I don't mind going online. It was a bummer downloading the big update when I first hooked up my system. But I need my game demos and Virtual Console games! My Nintendo Network ID is ctophil555.

Well, if they had publishing issues of any kind, EGM should of at least e-mailed their subscribers. I e-mailed Customer Service over a week ago, and they still have not responded. They used to at least responded within 24 hours. Thanks for the update, but I still don't believe it until an issue lands in my mailbox. I have been optimistic with EGM for a long time now ever since they re-launched. But it is indeed getting ridiculous.

After doing a few searches, I came across a message on Magazine Agent's web site (a magazine subscription site) with the cover of EGM #264 (Destiny Cover), which was the last known issue published, "We're sorry, but Electronic Gaming Monthly is unavailable because it has ceased publication." You can check it out for yourself here: http://www.magazine-agent.com/Electronic-Gaming-Monthly/Covers Take it any way you want but a subscription site would know if a magazine is still alive or not.

Another proof in the pudding is that it's not on Ebay either like Customer Service said. In the past, when an issue arrived, there would be a few sellers on Ebay that have the issue. So, my statement stands that EGM Fall 2014 or #265 was never made or at most incomplete. Perhaps we will get it when #265 is finished. In the meantime, I sent an e-mail to customer service. I'm pretty sure I will get a generic reply that my subscription will be extended and EGM Fall 2014 issue has been "sold out."

I have some more thoughts about this topic. Not only do modern games lack manuals and inserts to make them lighter and cheaper, but they are also made in China, Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia, or somewhere that has cheap labor to manufacture them. The same goes for game consoles, TVs, and other electronics. If it says, Sony or Toshiba, it's not really made in Japan. It's made in China. If you look at retro games for NES or SNES, they are all Made in Japan, including their respective consoles. I don't have to say much about Microsoft. It's already made in China, Indonesia, or Mexico by default, even the discs. lol. If you watch the Pawn Stars and American Pickers, products that were made back in the day were very high quality. It would probably last 100 - 200 years no problem. And everything were made in America or Japan, you know, within their respective countries. But the things we get today are so flimsy, cheap, and thin looking. I'd be surprised if they last 5 years. Hehe. I ask you, "So 20 years from now, will there be any classic antiques left in the world with the junk we're making to have an American Pickers or Pawn Stars show? Or will real Pawn and Thrift Shops just throw everything away and go out of business?" For example, let's say in the future you sell a "rare" RPG game that came out in 2014 on Ebay. You say in the description that it is complete and in good condition. With retro to semi-retro games, you have manuals, inserts, posters, maps, etc. It would look awesome in the Ebay picture spread out like that. But with a modern game, all you have is a cheap case with a disc. *Crickets chirping* Certainly, collectors like me would pay much less, since it's not really a "collector's item." To me and I'm sure many game collectors out there would agree that all those physical objects in a game box adds a ton of value to the whole package deal.

Hey Mike! Welcome to Retromags! Glad you could join us here. I've been a subscriber to RETRO since the beginning. I'm a hardcore video game magazine collector since the dawn of Nintendo Power. So, you know I'll be getting RETRO as long as you guys are still publishing it. :-) Great job on the magazine, I can't wait for the next issue to hit my mailbox. Good luck with the Year 2 Kickstarter. Looks like it has already surpassed the first goal, awesome!

Contrary to popular belief, time doesn't change people, it's the people that cater towards the general public and follow its "trends." I can't speak for other people. But I can speak for myself. As an adult, my tastes in gaming and how I perceive gaming have not changed. I still love the thinking-based games, such as RPGs, Adventure games (point & click type), and puzzles. If I buy the modern "collector's edition," I still make a ritual of going through all the manuals, inserts, and collectible goods. It's as much fun going through and reading that stuff as playing the game itself. Don't have time? So what? I will find time dedicated to gaming each week. When I was a kid, school kept me really busy all year long. The only time I had for gaming was on Sundays and maybe Saturday night. In fact, I have more time as an adult than as a kid! lol. Because I am better at time management and knowing my priorities. As opposed to the public where people's attention span has been deteriorating, my attention is a lot better than before. Therefore, I appreciate long, deep, and difficult games that make you think more than as a kid. As for offering the same huge manual on PDF, I definitely wouldn't read it. I despise digital things, especialy since you gotta sit in front of a glowing screen. For some reason, I love a physical manual/book in my hands to flip through the pages. This is probably why I like physical magazines the same way. I have a ton of books in my "research room." They are all physical. I don't own a single digital book.

Sure, I contemplated that a long time ago when EGM started to have delays every month. I was leery of re-subscribing to EGM last year because of the reduction of issues. The only reason why I even re-subscribed was to collect every known issue of EGM. But now it seems we are not even getting the magazine at all. When the EGM staffer came on here and said they are making improvements, I still didn't believe him. But I kept my optimism anyways. Now it's been a while, we haven't heard from him at all. So, my disbelief wasn't in vain after all. Why didn't I believe him? Because the same thing happened to Gamepro. In the letters section, there was a gamer who asked the Editors of Gamepro if they are going to shut down pretty soon. Gamepro said "We are not going anywhere. Gamepro is here to stay for a long time to come." Sure enough, Gamepro shut down soon after that.

I guess the majority of people don't see it the way I do. I see everything in style and art. I like my house in a certain way that is soothing and artistic to me. I like the beauty of architecture, as well as decorations such as statues & figurines, paintings, lighting, plants & flowers, and so forth. The same applies to video games. I like the game to be both artistic on the inside (what's on the TV screen) and on the outside just the same (packaging). I like to have something tangible in reality to put on a shelf to take pride and decorate the walls of something I enjoy having. What I don't want is a bland-looking box with no instructions, no inserts, no maps, no nothing. Might as well not release a game at all if I don't have nice packaging to go with the game. I don't want to print out an online instruction manual on standard paper. It's ugly and look like junk. Life is not all about the money, meaning how much more profit I can make today. The Internet is fine for fast information at your fingertips. But don't make it so important that we are deprived of our artistic nature with thoughtless packaging, whereby we download everything. Additional content: It seems video games are not the only problem we have in society these days. Everything seems cheaper. My local newspaper is a shocking 40% smaller than it used to be. They cut the newspaper so they use less paper. Even my bar of soap is smaller than before. You pay higher prices for something less.

Hi everyone, I talked about how publishers are gearing towards taking away instruction manuals from our game boxes these days. And then, I read an article on retrocollect.com about the same thing. Apparently, I'm not alone, but still in the tiny minority. I miss the days when you open up a brand new, shrink wrapped game, you have all these cool inserts and advertisements for upcoming games, soundtracks, prizes, and magazines. There were even beautiful posters and maps with incredible artwork. I make it a ritual to go through all of those things and soak in the great packaging. Then, I would read the manual from the beginning to end to get my feet wet with the game's fantasy world--all this before the game goes into the console. The recent game that I bought, Dark Souls II, only had a disc with a transparent box so you can see the Warranties and Warnings written on the backside of the box cover. I have to reiterate that it is cheaply made. They didn't even print a SEPARATE piece of paper for the Warranty information like in Mass Effect 3 (another game that didn't have a manual). But they made use of the BACK of the box cover insert to save paper. After reading the article below, I am further disgusted that Nintendo, of all people, didn't include an actual manual for the new Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. They are old-school publishers that are also getting away from their roots. I tell my gaming friends about these things. But they hear it and forget about it. If I don't bring this topic up, it seems nobody really cares about what they get in the game box anymore. It's all about download this, download that. Fill up the hard drive with digital stuff. It's "convenient, saves space, and I just want to play the game." What happened to the appreciation of beautiful artwork, enjoying the backstory of the characters and levels, maybe a map or walkthrough to get you started, and a poster to hang on your wall? Does a painting look better on a wall or as a wallpaper on your computer? Do they have museums for digital paintings worth millions of dollars? Here's the article about the same subject with a similar perspective: http://www.retrocollect.com/Articles/video-game-manuals-a-inserts-a-thing-of-the-past.html

Yep, RETRO is a great magazine for those who can't afford UK-based Retro Gamer. It doesn't have as much retro gaming coverage. But still, it's the only video game print magazine in the U.S. that has both retro and modern games. I'm subscribing to the 2nd year for sure! Guess I'll do the $30 deal for Print & Digital.

You know, I don't think they ever released EGM # 265. From my experience in the past, everytime when there is a long delay of the next issue, they would send me a duplicate of the previous issue after contacting customer service. And then, I wait a month later, the new issue pops up in sequence. I believe customer service "makes up" stuff when they say, "the issue was shipped out back in September." This is why you will not see Issue # 265, neither in your mailbox nor the news stand, until it actually is released. I'm still waiting for my new issue. So, who knows. Maybe we'll get two issues by Christmas to make up for it. Just being optimistic. :-)

I was never a big fan of the Smash Bros. series, probably because I didn't like fighting games too much. I have to admit Nintendo characters beating up each other is fun with multiplayer. But the Wii U itself is pretty enticing for me right now with the new Mario and Zelda games (especially the upcoming Legend of Zelda next year). Plus, that indie game, Shovel Knight, looks great. Also, Xenoblade Chronicles X seems to be the first true RPG for the system. I still can't find a single game I want to play on PS4 and Xbox One. lol. Maybe the new Final Fantasies coming out next year, but it's still a maybe.

I got my July/August 2014 RETRO issue the other day as well. I do remember getting an e-mail from RETRO, stating that they were behind on that issue due to the staff being at E3 this past summer. They should be back to normal publishing for the rest of the year. As for EGM, I'm still waiting, hopefully next week it'll be in my mailbox. :-)

So who is excited about the remake of Final Fantasy Type-0 coming out March 2015? Yeah, you have to buy a PS4 or Xbox One to play it. But I am hoping the new Final Fantasies will bring the series out of the dirt in a big way. There are also news that you get a demo of Final Fantasy XV if you buy Type-0 next year. Let me know what you guys think. I'm excited. Looks pretty cool so far. Final Fantasy Type-0 Trailer (TGS 2014) Final Fantasy XV Trailer (TGS 2014) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnDxg2afpCE

Um, I was wondering the same thing. It's about to hit October and no sign of the new EGM yet. But yeah, let us know if anybody got their Fall 2014 issue yet. RETRO Magazine is late too. I'm still waiting for my July/August issue. It's now the end of September. If it weren't for Game Informer and NF Magazine, I would be without video game literature for months on end. lol.

Eh, I think Nintendo is nuts with all those variations of 3DS. Let's see, you got the original Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, and now New 3DS. If I wasn't a hardcore gamer, I would be so confused. It's like trying to pick a cereal box at the grocery store. I honestly feel sorry for the folks who already bought a 3DS system; because they are going to be in the dark when they find out that some games will only work on the New 3DS. It just sounds like they are trying to target different types of consumers with the different models. Personally, I will buy the New 3DS because it's got the best of all the other models. I guess the positive side is Nintendo finally got it right with all their experiments. Good things come to those who wait. :-)