TheRedEye

2013 does exist in print form, I just confirmed it, but it doesn't look like it was ever distributed digitally for whatever reason. Poking around as best I can to see if the PDF still exists. (I'm ex-UBM and still friends with everyone involved with GCG)

Nintendo Power didn't publish ads, so it's not Nintendo Power. If it's a video game magazine I suspect GamePro, EGM, Game Player's, and VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, in that order.

Typically I just get them if I happen to see them cheaply but I am now ravenous about this stupid Bugs Bunny cover I didn't know existed until 30 seconds ago.

Hello, This publication went under a ton of titles, the earliest one I have is v1 #2 from 1988 called "The Game Player's Guide to MS-DOS Computer Games." Much like their Nintendo publication it changed a lot, and has titles like "Game Player's PC Strategy Guide" and "Game Player's PC Buyers Guide" too.

I think you guys are making this more complicated than it needs to be. We're talking about two separate publications here: Game Player's was a multiplatform magazine from Signal Research that ran from 1988 to 1991. It has a clear beginning and end. Game Player's Nintendo Guide was a Nintendo-only magazine. After it was acquired by Future, the magazine became multiplatform as of issue 6-6, dropping Nintendo Guide from its title. Ultra Game Players is the same magazine, same numbering scheme, same focus, but with a title change. Game Buyer immediately follows Ultra Game Players, but has its own numbering scheme. If it's important to separate these magazines, I suggest the following: Game Player's (the original Signal Research magazine, stands on its own) Game Player's Nintendo Guide (covering 1-1 through 6-5) becomes: Game Players (starting with 6-5), becomes: Ultra Game Players Game Buyer is then its own separate publication. Whichever way this database handles the change from EGM2 to Expert Gamer/Electronic Games to Computer Entertainment/Electronic Fun to Computer Fun/VG&CE to Video Games should be the same way it handles Game Player's Nintendo Guide to Game Players and Game Players to Ultra Game Players - same publication and numbering scheme, but a title change. Whichever way we handle Electronic Games (90s) to Fusion to Intelligent Gamer should be the way we handle Ultra Game Players to Game Buyer - continuity of publishing schedule/staff, but new numbering scheme.

That's just the first one. In addition to having a confusing numbering scheme. Game Players also reprinted the same content sometimes with different covers.

Title changed name a few times, as I'm sure you know. The first issue to merge Nintendo Guide and Sega Guide into a multiplatform magazine was 6-6, June 1993, which says "Game Players Nintendo Sega" on the cover, but is referred to as the premiere issue of Game Players in the editorial. The redesign for issue 72 drops systems from the title completely.

So the numbering adds up (mostly) in my collection. Here's how the Game Player's Nintendo Guides numbers break down: The first four confusing issues (4) 2-3 to 2-6 (4) 3-1 to 3-7 (7) 4-1 to 4-13 (13) 5-1 to 5-13 (13) 6-1 to 6-12 (12) 7-1 to 7-12 (12) 8-1 to 8-5 (5) Which totals 70 issues. Then 8-6 is numbered 72, so either I'm missing one (maybe volume 3 had a holiday special like 4 and 5 that I've never seen?), they miscounted, or there's some other weird special they're counting...I've got one CES exhibitor guide handout special, but I've seen at least two others, so I don't think that's the one. And yes, Game Players became Ultra Game Players became Game Buyer became out of business.

Nope, that's maybe 2/3 of them, not complete. I've got a busy night but I'll try to sort this out for you.

I also recommend that, I'm just not 100% clear on the numbering. But yes, I am staunchly of the belief that original Game Player's is a separate publication from the later Game Players. I think this numbering scheme is legacy from the old Magweasel site.

...I'm starting to confuse myself. I have all of them, let me go home and literally start counting spines and trying to figure out where their numbering scheme came from.

This is the final issue of the original multiplatform Game Player's which, ironically, dropped the apostrophe that month as part of a redesign that lasted exactly one issue: http://www.retromags.com/magazines/category/usa/game-players/game-players-issue-28#.VnNB9BUrJaQ Game Players Nintendo Guide and Game Players Sega Guide continued on from there as their own separate publications, but then merged together into one unified Game Players magazine in June 1993, which continues (I believe) the numbering system from Game Players Nintendo Guide.

I believe this is because the database considers Game Players to be a continuation of Game Player's (note the apostrophe), which is not true. Game Players is a numbered continuation of what started life as Game Player's Strategy Guide to Nintendo Games, which standard vanilla Game Player's folded into.

Somewhere I actually do have one, but it's not the American edition...I think it was EGM Brasil? Kind of a neat curiosity to have. I think it's a printer proof, but I do believe it was released.

I don't think this is up to RM quality standards, and I don't have my raw scans anymore, but here's the issue I scanned: https://www.dropbox.com/s/tgwo6kf8hra36dd/top%20score%20nov_dec%201987.zip?dl=0 There might be a sixth issue too, I'll update if I can confirm.