| Product: |
Official PlayStation 2 Magazine |
| Date: |
12/09/01 (470 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Great playable demo disc, Decent features, Good writers
Disadvantages: A little pricey, Only two or three demos
There are very few reasons why you really NEED to buy a magazine nowadays. Right now you’re reading this so you must be online in which case there are a mass of sites out there that are more up to date than just about any magazine. As soon as any mag hits the shops it’s out of date – it just may be the first time that you’ve happened across the information contained therein.
If you’re now thinking “here he goes, he’s going to tear the mag apart”, you’re actually wrong.
When I purchased my PC a couple of years ago the first thing I bought was a copy of PC Zone to go with it. There was a cover disc containing playable demos and the mag was full of things that I otherwise would never have known about. Two years later and I have a lovely PS2 sat in my house. Despite having internet access though I buy the Official Playstation 2 Magazine EVERY month without fail.
It’s not wasting money, it’s not utter madness, it’s £4.99 of sensible investment and I’m going to tell you why (not being the sort of person who expects you to believe everything I say!).
The Mag:
It’s published monthly by Future Publishing, costs £4.99, is a glossy quality mag and comes with a demo DVD (in proper DVD case). At the beginning you will find all the usual boring stuff such as contact information, writer/editor info and of course the more useful index.
On the DVD:
Probably the biggest single reason for buying this mag is the DVD. Every month the disc contains two or three PLAYABLE demos (something that isn’t available on other mags) as well as video footage (something that other mags still call Demos – probably to mislead you) and the occasional extra.
The featured aspects are all broken down here and things such as controller function etc are explained.
Preview:
Nothing clever about the title – this is where you will find all o
f those preview stories about games that are on the way but not yet at review stage.
The previews are generally packed with information and screenshots and they’re usually good enough to give you a solid idea of whether you’re going to be parting with your cash or whether you’ll be spending it on sweets instead. I can’t of course recommend that you spend £40 on sweets, just think of the consequences!
Spy:
A little bit more sinister sounding than it really is, the Spy section is basically the hot off the press info. Desperate journos may well have died in action trying to bring you this info although it’s much more likely that they’ve blagged a few days away in Japan under the guise of ‘investigative journalism’. The result is in our favour though as we’re treated with some really good and fresh news. The Japanese info is usually of special interest (to me anyway) as that’s usually where the new elements emerge.
Features:
Not really a necessary part of the mag to be honest but a worthwhile one nonetheless. It’s of course games related and usually revolves around interviews and behind the scenes stuff from your favourite games creators. Last month (in fact, it’s still this months one) they ran a feature on Fifa which compared it to ISS, discussed the new Fifa 2002 and had some screens of the new title.
I can imagine that this part of the mag is directed more at the older readers as opposed to those who are looking for reviews and cheats.
Reviews:
Excellent, early and thorough. There’s nothing worse than being presented with a review for a game that you’ve just bought only to find out that it’s been rated as a complete pile of pap. Reviews are designed to be available before a game is out – that way you can buy with confidence or choose to steer clear. Even I get the occasional title to review and they’re usually avai
lable some time before hitting the shops. Latest example is MX2002 – I should have a copy for review soon and the release date isn’t until next Friday. In theory then I can get stuck in to it immediately and have it ready and reviewed a day or two later – then you can go and buy it. I’m not a national magazine and my experience is nowhere near as vast as these guys so if you can just imagine a better and more polished version of what I write (yes I know, just try hard! ;) ) and you’re there.
You may not always agree with them of course but usually they’re bang on with their verdict and I’ve been quite spooked at times that they’ve praised and criticised EXACTLY the same things as I have.
The End:
At the tail end of the magazine you will find other related snippets such as DVD reviews, Cheats and a comprehensive catalogue of previews game ratings – this in particular can be invaluable if you’re looking for a quick thumbs up (or down).
Last but not least – the DVD:
The disc is a key factor when deciding to purchase this mag. One thing you can’t get online is a playable demo of any PS2 game so if you see a game on the disc then that’s the only way you’re going to get to play some of it without renting or buying it.
The demos are usually quite good although of course you’re limited quite heavily as to what you can access. With racing games it's usually one or two cars on one track (couple of laps), others may have a five minute time limit (such as the recent Snooker title).
Buy it or bin it?
Buy it, with confidence. At £4.99 it is a pound or two more than others on the shelf but for that extra money you do get playable demos and considering that it’s the same price as the old PSone Mag it’s really not a bad deal. If you’re buying it every month it is probably worth taking a subscription out – the
saving isn’t huge (only 50p per issue) but if you’re buying it you may as well save something.
UK residents can subscribe by Direct Debit for £26.95 per six issues – saving 10% on the cover price.
Summary:
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