JHD

Library and Archives Canada holds the following issues. Holdings are obviously not complete, but we can at least confirm that these issues were published: 2002:Apr 2002:Jul 2002:Oct 2002: Autumn 2003:Jan 2003:Apr 2003:Sep 2003:Nov 2003:Dec 2004:Feb 2004:Jul 2004:Sep 2004:Oct 2004:Nov 2004:Dec 2005:Jan

The feature article on video games reads very much like advertising copy -- just pick any system, they're all excellent -- but it was interesting to see the original prices for this stuff. There is a Parker Brother's advertisement that shows "The Incredible Hulk" game as forthcoming in July (1983). I was surprised how very many advertisements there were for various brands of cigarettes. Thank-you, @Phillyman and @E-Day for making this magazine available.

This addition to the database deserves a like just on general principles!

Thank-you for scanning this issue! While most issues of EGM are widely available, the last two years (or so) are not well represented online. Every bit to fill that gap is appreciated.

I have been to Ottawa many times, but I was last in the Main Library around 2000. I have just checked the online library database, and it looks like these printed catalogues are no longer available. I was hoping that they would have continued to grow the collection to cover the debut of the 2600, Intellivision, etc.

They cannot be disbound or scanning, but the Ottawa Public Library has bound copies of Eaton's catalogues from the 1970s onwards. When I was last there (quite some time ago), the collection did not extend into the 1980s -- so no video game listings -- but this is something else to be aware of. (And I use the 's intentionally even though the firm itself later abandoned it to better appeal to the Francophone market.)

Was this the last one published? I do not recall having seen a Sears catalogue after about the 1980s. My Grandparents and Mother really loved them, but not my generation.

On Saturday, I bought a handheld Famiclone, complete with a ridiculous number of built-in games (many with nonsense Engrish titles and limited playability). I found it in the Christmas gifts section of a local discount store for Cdn$22. I have several Famiclone systems already; I cannot pass up a unique model if it is sufficiently cheap.

Where did you find FF 3 in English? I understood that it was only translated for a re-release on the DS (or a similarly modern console).

I bought an NES Classic several years ago when they were new, but for various reasons it was in storage until just a few months ago. It is now setup in my living room, and I have been playing the original Final Fantasy. Since I did not have an NES when they were new (indeed, I was in University when FF first reached North America), this has no nostalgia for me, but I am still really enjoying this game. I played it before (on an emulator), but I did not get very far.

These types of corporate magazines are especially interesting since they were internal publications that did not receive widespread public distribution. Thanks for sharing this!

If you cannot find anyone here to take them, Out of Print Archive is doing something similar, albeit with an exclusive focus on British magazines: http://www.outofprintarchive.com/FAQ.html

It has been a while since there was a "new" issue of EGM released. There are some significant gaps for 2001, so I am especially happy to see this issue. Thanks for posting it!

That cover image is so very awesome! It is definitely art.

I am still trying to get a handle on the geographic distribution of this magazine. In the earliest available issues (2001, 2002) there was a contact for Advertising Sales with a Calgary telephone number. By 2003, this was gone and the only advertising contact listed was in Toronto. Almost all of the advertising was for new game releases (Ubisoft had multiple ads in every issue) and Blockbuster -- apparently the distribution partner. There was nothing for local/regional businesses, with the exception of a single ad for Microplay (which has only a very limited retail presence outside of Ontario). Obviously this does not answer the question about how widely this title was distributed, but it supports the idea that it was largely limited to Ontario. An article referenced in the first post states that: Well, that effectively answers my distribution question. As noted, Microplay did not have a presence in Alberta, and EB Games did not open its first store in Edmonton until about 2004*. I never went to Blockbuster, so that would explain why I never saw this magazine BITD. *They took over the space from a different video game retailer. My friends and I joked about the very long time that it took to convert the premises from a video game store to a different video game store.