May was a good month for publication deliveries, what with the (slightly) delayed third issue of From Gamers Magazine and the third volume of the increasingly successful [Lock-on] journals from the team at Lost in Cult. Let's start with the former, shall we?
From Gamers Magazine has developed quite nicely since its first issue back in June 2021. Issue three expands the content from the initial issue's 52 pages to a whopping 92, excluding the covers. Print and stock quality remains as superb as ever and the editorial and content team has now expanded to thirty people - you can see why when read through the magazine.
We begin with a guide to the best Indie titles of 2021, 19 of which get write ups and 6 more get honourable mentions. I've only played three of the nineteen (Genesis Noir, Overboard and The Forgotten City), but based on the mini-reviews here, I'll be checking out some of the others as and when time permits. This is followed by an interesting piece on the use of 3D audio in Returnal, a game that has interested me but I don't have a PS5 yet. The Sonic the Hedgehog movie gets four pages, with a cracking opinion piece on Sony's attitude to the console market and its competition. It's definitely not fanboy clickbait and should provoke some thoughtful discussion, especially as all three major players have different approaches to the current console generation. And, just so you know, I am platform neutral and have always tried to own each format in the different generations. I'll get round to a PS5 at some point but there are more pressing needs than video gaming for my hard earned cash at the moment.
Horizon Dawn: Forbidden West gets fourteen pages split between three articles. The first covers the open world nature of the title, the second looks at the way environmental concerns in the game mirror the real world, whilst the third questions the nature of photography in the title.
The Art Corner takes up sixteen pages and provides some lovely two page spreads of art from titles such as Saints Row, Elden Ring and Oxenfree II. The topic of multiplayer stealth games gets a good airing, followed by a character guide to the main characters from Saints Row.
The subject of sensitive topics in videogames is covered with extreme care with a six page piece that will definitely get you thinking about the questions and viewpoints raised here. Then come the reviews.
These are always subjective but, having played the likes of Halo Infinite, The Artful Escape (brilliant, by the way, you have to give it a go!) and CrossfireX, I have to say that the reviews here are well put together and will be useful to the reader if you haven't already played the titles covered in this section. And no, I did not pay for the second campaign in CrossfireX - dodged that bullet! The issue ends with a section on the best pixel art in games, highlighting just how good that particular art form in gaming can look.
On to [Lock-on] and this was a bit of a change for me. I'd purchased the hardcover editions of the first two volumes, but this time decided to see what the softcover one was like.
As with my review of Volume 002, I've included a picture of the contents page as there truly is a huge amount of content here. There is very much a Dreamcast and Sega theme to this edition, covering everything from the hardware to accessories, online connectivity to some of the more unique titles, and a good focus on the NAOMI arcade hardware that really should get a bit more love - which it does here.
It's not all Dreamcast though, as Genesis Noir, Broken Sword and Project Zero (as well as many others) get articles that take a different view on such well-received titles. Each piece gets unique artwork as well, perfect in tone and style to the writing. The volume ends with eight pieces written by Kickstarter backers, and I know I am going to have to replay Catherine: Full Body again following that write up.
You might think I am short changing [Lock-on] here, with it a handful of paragraphs compared to From Gamers Mag, but what I really want to avoid is spoiling your experience with this volume. You need to read it, from cover to cover, to truly understand what this publication is all about. The combination of new and established writers and artists, the unique perspectives they bring to their respective topics, and the care and attention lavished on the presentation make [Lock-on] truly something you have to enjoy yourself to understand, and I heartily recommend you do.
So there you have two of the latest editions of two worthwhile publications. From Gamers is planning a fourth issue, which is already listed as pre-launch on Kickstarter, and I know I shall definitely be supporting that when it goes live. As for [Lock-on], well, their fourth volume is also approaching and it shouldn't be long before they too hit the start button on funding for that, and yes, I'll be picking up a copy. Check out From Gamers website here, as well as follow them on Twitter here. [Lock-on] can be found on the Lost in Cult website, along with their other projects and products. They are also on Twitter here.
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