I feel awful right now. Earlier this week I posted a feature calledThe Most Embarrassing Game Magazine Coversthat did very well for GR. However, I was incredibly disheartened by the negativity of certain comments, with some of you dickscalling these old print institutions “horrible,” “shitty,” and deserving of death. That’s missing the point entirely
Above: Theseare the EXCEPTIONS, people!
Those were the EMBARRASSING COVERS to mags within the context of gaming today, what we know now, and most importantly, the otherwise fantastic legacy of the magazines. I know this to be true because I read, subscribed, and even still own many of the publications on the list. Being humiliatingly outdated is just the nature of the business. (If you don't believe me, feel free to go back and look at our Too Human coverage and early Wii game reviews.) I figured it was only fair to showcase some beautiful covers from the very mags we ridiculed, because after all, this is how they truly deserve to be remembered...
Above: If this were a poster, I’d hang it on the inside of my coffin lid
Above: Nintendo Power takes a lot of crap for their early custom covers, but I can’t imagine any magazinemaking something so abstractly beautiful today. And for Tetris, no less!
Above: Say what you will about the rather dismal showing of the console, Turbo Play got at least one gorgeous cover out before it died
Above: If you don’t think this FFVII cover is badass, then you don’t deserve eyeballs
Above: I gave the Gamefan mascot a lot of shit, but hey, it’s not like people who chastised me could even remember his name! That said, my love for this cover has nothing to do with his transparency, nor his clock getting cleaned. This is the only Super Punch-Out!! Cover I can recollect and Super Macho Man’s iconic pose still makes the heart melt
Above: The very first issue of Sega Visions is one of the most beautiful time capsules a Sega fan could ever hope to see
Above: Everything on display here issimultaneously outdated and timeless. (With the possible exception of Crash Team Racing)
Above: The Official Dreamcast Magazine kicked off with all the promise of the console
Above: While most mags today rely on Nintendo to providecover art for them, Game Informer went ahead and captured the essence of a specific stage from one of the greatest games ever made. There really isn’t enough lava on magazines
Above: Out of EGM’s many, many, MANY Street Fighter covers this’ll always be my favorite
