Expert Gamer
by
Sendai Publishing
&
Ziff Davis 

Always fun to peruse through, Expert Gamer focused more on tutorials and codes and less (or not at all) on reviews and articles. It didn’t last too long in publication and could be hard to find at times but still made its way into my pile on occasion typically when it happened to coincide with covering a specific game that I was struggling with (I remember using one for help in Metal Gear Solid on the original PlayStation for example). Basically, the sister magazine to its “meatier” big brother, Expert Gamer provided a more streamlined experience than Electronic Gaming Monthly and felt closer to a strategy guide than a gamer mag.

PSM (100% Independent PlayStation Magazine)
by
Imagine Media
&
Future US

With a bright and distinctive art style and tons of exclusive coverage, PSM was my go to for PlayStation news and reviews while also delivering some of the most interesting covers of any video game magazine at the time. Lasting in publication for an impressive 15 years, PSM would later be redesigned into PlayStation: The Official Magazine but it never felt quite the same to me with a toned-down look and feel unbefitting of the pastel original. Still, the first-party support was as good here as any other periodical at the time and there was no better place to go for exclusivity in the Sony scene. Plus, those memory card and tray lid stickers were pretty sweet!

Tips & Tricks
by
Larry Flynt Publications 

Tips & Tricks may not have ever been the thickest of magazines at the time (focusing solely on strategy and cheats) but it contained a highly valuable “tips” section which presented a glossary of codes for random games in each issue. I swear, there were many times that I would grab this first off a newsstand just to quickly rummage through to the back to see what valuable information I could parse from its juicy innards even without purchasing (not every time). Whether it listed a code to unlock a new piece of gear or infinite health so you could finally get through a tough game that had been driving you nuts, the cheats listed were priceless and a real help without having to slog through any long and unwanted articles.

Sega Visions
by
Sega Of America 

A true blast from the past, Sega Visions looks and feels as early 90’s as any magazine during the tubular ‘tude era and delivered tons of cool looking covers, reviews and interesting articles all centered around mega rad Sega consoles and their peripherals. Basically, the Blast Processing alternative to Nintendo’s in-house exclusive Nintendo Power, Sega Visions offered a pretty righteous read (especially for a Nintendo kid like me who didn’t own a Sega system but wanted to) that did ole’ Sonic and co. proud. Living a short (but sweet) life, Sega Visions sped off into the Green Hill Zone pastures after 5 years of publication, existing mainly now in the hearts of nostalgic nerds and Sega fanboys alike (either of which applying to moi).

PC Gamer
by
Future Publishing 

PC Gamer contains cool articles and great pictures but the first memory that comes to mind when thinking of this computer gaming magazine is the bodacious demo discs from back in the day which always provided some kind of fun new game to try on my Mom’s PC as a kid. Man, how good a deal was it that you not only got to read an informative mag full of reviews/previews but you also got a killer new group of games to try out after your done? I can recall for the first time playing many awesome titles from these discs (like Warcraft II, Full Throttle and MechWarrior) which was especially nice considering I had less knowledge of the PC world and probably wouldn’t have tried many of these obscure (to me at least) games otherwise. Still going strong today (as of 2019), PC Gamer appears to have the journalistic side of computer gaming sewn up tight with as strong a foothold in the realm as any other respected publication bar none.

GameFan
by
DieHard Gamers Club
&
Metropolis Media 

Hell yeah! GameFan is an awesome mag full of style and I absolutely love the amount of screenshots that they put in each issue which always made it extremely easy to pick up and dive in right away. As soon as you open the first page, your eyes are bombarded by a menagerie of gloriously enlarged pixelated sprites and a beyond-mesmerizing color scheme which displays like a video game centerfold and immersed you visually closer to anything other than actually playing. I know that there were reviews, comics (centered around the publications mascot Monitaur) and other articles related to different entertainment stuff but my memory can’t get past those beautiful pages full of giant in-game captures printed on that glossy paper that I love so much. Lame pun but a fact nonetheless – I’m a fan of GameFan!

GamePro
by
IDG
&
GamePro Media 

The first magazine subscription I ever owned, GamePro was/is always a joy to read starting with the time-capsule worthy covers all the way through to the “hot rentals” section and it will remain as much a bastion to video games as anything else for me without question. While full of different articles all related to the world of gaming, the real “meat” for me was its fun and accessible review section providing an easy-to-understand scoring system ( who doesn’t love these guys?) with solid writing to deliver an excellent source for rental/buying information. Not to mention, it was the first mag I knew about which covered all platforms instead of just one which was kind of mind blowing for my poor little naive brain, increasing the value of every issue I could get my grubby little mutts on ten-fold. Annoying my Mom constantly with questions after school of “Did my mag come today or what?!”… GamePro will always be remembered fondly and is as nostalgic to me in gaming as any other magazine in the ‘tude era without question.

Game Players
by
GP Publications
&
Imagine Publishing 

Wow, did I have a good time with Game Players! While the art direction was certainly funny looking at times, the coverage was always top-notch and I loved how much personality they gave to the review crew which helped make them stand out from each other and raised my reader comprehension. While it wasn’t the first time I had seen a magazine incorporate comedy into its foray, there was just something about Game Players delivery to me that set it apart (at least in this area) from its contemporaries. I can recall bringing a stack of these (like 5 or so) on a road trip and laughing out loud on several occasions (a monumental feat for me during the pre-internet days) which wasn’t something that happened often reading from the other choices on this list. Pair that with all of the articles, reviews and previews of your typical high-end gaming publication and you’ve got a recipe for hootin’ and/or hollerin’ in addition to soaking up a bunch of badass and worthwhile gamer information.

Nintendo Power
by
Nintendo Of America
&
Future U.S. Publishing 

Nintendo Power is the first gamer mag that I ever opened and I still love everything about it to this day. While it wasn’t the thickest, its content felt totally authentic to Nintendo and delivered super cool posters, strategy sections with maps and much more all while maintaining a simple art direction that still just feels perfectly appropriate in every way. Paired with this in your inventory, seemingly impossible NES challenges from before became much more achievable as a broader picture was presented to you in the form of a “sort-of” tutorial complete with screenshots to help show you what to do which was much more articulating than basic text. It was like a literal “power-up” which enhanced your abilities, inspiring the magazine to use the now famous “get the power” tagline which was (and still is) one of Nintendo’s most effective advertising slogans. Easily, one of the greatest and most highly-respected video game magazine ever conceived, Nintendo Power quite literally wrote the book on how to create the best kind of exclusive publication to stoke the hype fire for your product and remains a rad read no matter where or when you find one.

Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM)
by
Sendai Publishing
&
Ziff Davis 

My personal favorite video game magazine of all time, EGM never disappointed me with super thick issues covering all aspects of gaming, a sleek art style that never felt out of place and an easy to comprehend review system which constantly kept me engaged. I remember my Dad bringing home an issue once that had over 300 pages! It felt like a freakin’ phonebook which was impressive enough in its own right but even more so once I flipped through and realized that most all of them were filled with quality articles (in the form of reviews and previews) which became a staple of the magazine’s overall standard. I was in LOVE and sponged as much as I could from every single precious page! Similar to Game Players, GamePro and GameFan (in contrast to Nintendo Power, Sega Visions and PSM for example), Electronic Gaming Monthly covered all platforms which meant that not only could I read about games that were relevant to the systems that I had, but I could also dive into more exciting information about foreign stuff that I might not ever get the chance to play. Like those other magazines mentioned, this raised the value a little over exclusive periodicals to me since I liked the versatility of having both forms of information however EGM executed this a little better than the rest (in my opinion) with tons of great and accessible coverage spread across a super high page count which really felt like you got more bang for your buck (usually around the same price as its competitors while almost doubling the amount of content). Without a doubt, I loved absolutely everything about the layout and design as well (some of my favorite covers ever) while the superb writing was both entertaining and disarming to any notions that might exist about their authenticity towards gaming. Quite frankly, you just can’t deliver a better cross-platform publication and I’ll always run straight to any copy that I see and start reading should I stumble across any more in this journey through life. Shout out to Sushi-X! 

Game Informer
A staple in the video game world, Game Informer has been around forever and always supplies a high-end, “cognitive-approach” publication.

NEXT Generation, Xbox World, Gamer’s Republic, Official PlayStation Magazine, Computer and Video Games, Games for Windows: The Official Magazine, Game Developer and the super sick Retro Gamer .