The latest edition of HardCore Gamer is out and the arcade entry this month is America’s Army. Of course it has plenty of other excellent console related reviews which are good as well but it’s always good to point out where arcades get recognition. Next month expect to see a NASCAR review. Also mentioned in this issue is the arcade version of Time Crisis 4 which you may have heard is headed to the PS3. What would you like to see in a future issue of HGM?
BTW I caught a mention of arcades in the latest issue of Gameinformer (the one with Ghostbusters on the cover) and as usual they did little research on the subject so it ends up being something negative – to the point of making it sound as though arcades are totally dead and that there are no new releases coming out. Funny, I imagine that all the people that recently attended IAAPA may have something to say about that. But maybe I’m expecting too much from a ‘big’ magazine like GI, I mean it’s just so darned hard to research what’s going on in arcades when you’ve got plenty overhyped console games to write reviews about that your advertisers are paying for.
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Have not read the GameInformer yet, but heard that they slated the arcade scene, and have reported to the team no mention of the market any more.
Same seems to go for some other magazines. I don’t know if this is a back lash to the EDGE coverage?
Just wonder if it’s time for a public arcade mag – like has been done for the Retro scene?
I am thinking of sending them a message about it. Since I have a subscription (through those Gamestop card deals – I didn’t really contact them to get it but I still get it) I can complain about their incorrect and negative coverage.
I’d like to see a consumer magazine on arcade gaming, and would certainly offer any assistance I could in running it. It’s a particularly interesting scene offering unique experiences, and one that I’m enthusiastic about.
That said, I’m wondering how possible it would be to get such a magazine off the ground. While the barriers of entry to arcade gaming are theoretically low – anyone with a coin can play – the reality is that many players won’t be able to find the new machines covered, or in extreme cases any machines. Compare and contrast to the retro scene, where old consoles and games turn up in a variety of locations – charity shops, boot sales, online auctions and (shh!) in emulated form.
Obviously, arcade gaming won’t become more prevalent in the public mind without some form of publicity, but I’m curious as to the ability of a magazine to perform that task. Perhaps someone with more knowledge can enlighten me here?
As has been seen in the popularity of The Stinger Report, there is an interest from trade and public sector for information.
To answer your question, a arcade consumer mag would inform the players on were they can play (location), what is out there (releases) and the mechanics of the market (development). It would be international and supported by a web forum which would steer the coverage.
The issue would be as soon as this mag hit the streets it would be attacked by the consumer sector – either in emulation, or in shelf squeeze. It would be incredibly difficult for a number of editors / publishers to see a mag of this type succeeding. It would mean sackings as many editorial writers have peddled a line that “arcade is dead” as a reason to remove coin-op from their mast head.