From Gamers Magazine - Review

Regular readers will know that I am a sucker for a physically printed publication. As various mainstream magazines have declined and shut down over the last few years, there has been a rise in the popularity of bespoke publications. Be it long term niche periodicals like Archive Magazine, Amiga Future and SAM Revival or newcomers like Amiga Addict and E1M1, there remains a demand for magazines that you can hold in your hand. This continues with the latest entry to the video games market: From Gamers Magazine.

Now that is n eye-catching cover!

Funded by a Kickstarter that raised $6,000 from a $5,000 goal in April this year, From Gamers aimed to produce two issues with that initial round of fund raising. The first issue was released into the wild a couple of weeks ago when backers were given a download link and, at the same time, they started posting out the physical copies. Given it was coming from the US, receiving my copy a couple of days ago didn't feel like too much of a wait and it was with some anticipation that I opened the well padded envelope to see what my pledge had paid for. 

First impressions and the cover is really nice. Heavy duty, you can feel the quality, and there is no skimping here. Same with the binding, which feels solid and there is little fear of pages falling out. There is definitely a professional feel to the mag. The pages themselves, 52 in all, are full colour on high quality stock. Each page is well laid out and there isn't a propensity for "white" space, something that is definitely becoming a thing, especially in UK published mainstream magazines. Included in the magazine were a pair or cover art post cards, a note about promoting the magazine on Twitter to enter a competition to win a $10 Amazon voucher, and a lovely (and totally unexpected) handwritten note. It's the little things in life, it really is, but that was a nice touch.

Content wise and we have a full page dedicated to the staff behind the magazine (there are quite a few contributors), as well as a list of the Kickstarter Team (yours truly is on that). A nice editorial and a well designed contents page come next, followed by a cracking opinion piece on the rise of cinematic gaming, using Miles Morales on the PlayStation 5 as the crux of its argument. I have to admit, I am with the author on this one.

There is some cool art work inside the magazine as well as on the cover.

A piece on franchises that should return comes next and, again, I agree with the selection of titles included, especially Alpha Protocol. The rest are worthy but it's that under-appreciated RPG that really needs a continuation. A focus on three concept artists who worked on The Last of Us II is a wonderful look at how concept art is used to define a world prior to actual game creation and just how close the initial artwork can be to the final product. 

Two developer interviews follow. Jorge Garcia, co-director and producer of Tunche, a 2D beat 'em up and Andrew Willans, Game Director at Sumo Digital's Newcastle team. Both good reads and nice to see an interview with a local developer (Newcastle is ten miles from home as the crow flies). Deathloop gets a great introduction and how developer Arkane's past has defined its latest title, whilst Halo warrants three pages on how the series could return to its glory days. The Far Cry franchise gets a four page history guide and a look at what is coming next, and Far Cry 6 is also covered in the Previews section, alongside Little Devil Inside, Back 4 Blood, and the latest Ratchet and Clank release, Rift Apart. A nice touch for each of these is the inclusion of a printed QR code to view the latest trailer.

Five games are reviewed, as well as a book. Persona 5 Strikers, Bravely Default II, It Takes Two, Monster Hunter Rise and Outriders are the games covered, each getting two pages. There are plenty of screenshots and they provide an "out of ten" scoring system. The book review is of journalist Jason Schreier's latest tome, Press Reset, which details the physical and mental cost of working in the games industry. I enjoyed the review and the book was already on my Wishlist so I'll be buying it on it's UK release date tomorrow.

There are just a few ads in the magazine, but not so many as to take away from the content and it was also nice to see a list of Kickstarter supporters included as well (and yes, I'm on that too).

From Gamers Magazine, then, has had a fantastic first issue. The quality of the writing is high, topics are varied and it's a great start. The second issue is due out around September and they are asking for pitches from would-be contributors up until the end of June. You can find out more here, as well as buy the first issue and pre-order the second here. I know I'm looking forward to the second issue and, seeing where they go from here, supporting future issues as well, be it from a subscriber drive or another Kickstarter. Well done to all concerned.