Looks like Highbury (published of Games TM) may be about to follow Live down the pan:

http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/article/1512..._highbury_house

Too many mags probably caused this. It was getting to the stage that Highbury would clone pretty much every Future mag on the shelves, rather than try something new itself. (The absolute nadir are Digital Creative Arts and its "specials" offshoot—more or less direct copies of Computer Arts and Computer Arts Projects.) It had some decent mags, but Future grabbed many of them months back, leaving Highbury's portfolio rather barren. The one I shall miss to some extent is games™, but it wouldn't surprise me to see that end up at Imagine, Retro Gamer's current home.

Let's hope so. GamesTM is a cracking mag and doesn't deserve to end this way.

The Golden Age of magazines really is over, isn't it? Long gone are the days when you could choose from numerous titles for a single format or several from a genre. Or even buy a weekly for goodness sakes!

I remember when I used to buy 6 or 7 Amga mags a month (idiot!). Only the PC can still sustain that kind of momentum now but even the PC mags are vulnerable.

And it's this thing that ruined it, isn't it? That and stopping selling Pacers. Goodness knows how many of our modern ills are down to that...

Mags have always come and gone, but not like now. We seem to be heading towards having a a handful of invulnerable publishers publishing everything on the news-stands. Like so many other industries now.

And that kills new ideas because the big publishers are too busy copying each other to get more sales. That's not just in games and computers, look at car mags or any other sector and you'll see very similar titles all head to head.

It took a small independant like Live to come up with an original format like RG, but they don't have the clout to survive in the market.

The latest issue of GamesTM is supposedly on sale today (I couldn't find it in WH Smith or Game). Has anyone received/bought a copy and read the first part of the top 100 retro games?

Could be, I mean I do look up a lot of stuff on the internet these days and even regularly read/re-read stuff there.

Seems as if I am eternaly a niche market demographic! :unsure:

I mean I remember Fanzines of the old role playing games scene, these often handwritten and photocopied rags made of a few reams of a4 folded in half and stapled in the middle. they were everywhere! The independent games shops used to swap them between each other, so you could deliver a print run of 100 to your local shop, and within a few weeks they would be all over the country. There were good professional ones, I could rattle the names off but I won't, these were well laid out, typeset, original quality art, only the occational bummer of an article, hell they even were proofread and spell checked! at least 3 of these went on to become small publishing companies! You don't get that any more, 1) the cheep distribution network has gone (independent games shops are a rarity these days since the rise of GW and Virgin and Virgin Games Stores later fall). 2) we expect better, honestly the production levels on these rags was often appaling! 3) you can now reach a wider audience by publishing on the net!

With the lack of a cheep distibution network, (most of our retailers are not bircks and mortar shops, and computer clubs are something that is not actualy that common!) and a high demand of standards, If you want to produce an interest community magazine you not only have to be professional, you have to go glossy and high prodcution values (expensive) and distribute via newsagent chains. I suppose production and distribution costs are so high these days that and shelf space so precious to retailers that you need to have to have a sure fire hit to reach the survivability critical mass of shelf distribution.

Any news on Gamestm yet? Still not for sale as far as I can tell. Can't get on the website either for some reason.

Been here before haven't we?

Just put that point about games tm here.

http://forum.retrosurvival.co.uk/index.php...1668&st=0&#last

From Martin Mathers, editor of GamesTM: "I'm here, at work, right now, wondering where the last issue of our magazine is while we rush to finish the next one in less than a week's time. Joy."

So in his eyes, he's still got a job and he's rushing to finish issue #41...

Sounds sadly familiar.

Might not be as bad as that out-of-context quote from Mathers suggests, but it's not for me to speculate. I hope someone can clear up the rumours though.

Regards,

Shaun.

So... thanks for talking about us. Appreciate it. I'd rather have my ears burning than nothing at all. :D

But yes - we're still alive. Any rumours suggesting our demise (especially quotes taken slightly out of context...) are greatly exaggerated. I'm not privy to the reason as to why issue 40 hasn't appeared yet, but I'm assuming it's to do with arguments between the printers and the keepers of the purse - that's supposedly all been sorted now, so I'd imagine the mag will appear soon. It had better to; the cover's lovely.

And then issue 41's just being finished - it's the first issue with the 100 Greatest Games in it (well, the first half, anyway), so hopefully you'll all enjoy that. I hope.

Chin-chin

Mart

Do we get an article on The Retro Ball in this issue Mart?

B)

Nah... no-one would want to read about that. :P

Will we have to read through 50,000 threads moaning about lost subscriptions again. :angry:

I'd like to see the end of all computer mags. The internet is much better, and generally free.

Until the Government issues us all with wifi notebook computers to use (and track us ;) ) then a printed magazine is still better for reading in the, er, smallest room of the house.


Right now I'm crossing all my fingers and toes (which will make typing and walking difficult) that issue 40 appears soon...

Thanks for clearing that up martTM. Can't say yet another Top 100 list is really something to look forward to tbh - they always strike me as an easy space filler when there's not much else to put in the mag. I'm more curious about what's happening with RetroTM now Strider's jumped ship, I hope this Top 100 isn't indicative of future content...

Good point, next time any company takes my money and then disappears i dont think any of us have a right to moan about it !! Specially in a few threads on a forum !! ;)

Honestly what were these people moaning about ! Losing money to a company which goes kapput ? People will be moaning next when someone breaks into their house and nicks things !

The Top 100 was on the cards way before Darran left - if he was still here, we'd still be doing it. Rest assured, I'm not looking to change the way the section's heading any time soon; if anything, it'll have more in it, with additional features being added along the way.

Of course, I just need to get someone full time to edit the damn thing...

I'm a great editor! :lol: :lol: :lol: of posts at least LMAO

*cough*...... :o B)

You better not had changed the number one, I still remember what it was ;)

cheeky :lol:

Yeah, it's... er... Frak! Yeah, Frak. That was it.

Or maybe Dig Dug. I can't decide.

:lol:

The number one game should either be Airwolf or Double Dragon - two absolute C64 classics and make no mistake.

Regards,

Shaun.

Well, then you're all going to be mightly pissed off when you see it. In fact, I doubt the top ten will go down very well at all. But then, that's what you get when the hardcore retro don't bother voting... :D

And no, it isn't full of PS2 games. Promise. :P

Ocarina of Time usually tops these things. God knows why.

If its nt that, then it'll be Elite or Manic Miner. Or possibly Sonic?Mario...

Those are the main contenders for the first 3 generations.

All wrong...

(Strider, and some others - you need to upload your avatar again, due to the forum problems...)

Twinky Goes Hiking? :D

No, no... it's Top 100 Retro Games - not Top 100 Gay Porn movies.

Is it a 'Voted' top 100 or is it in 'in house' top 100??

I reckon number one will be Pacman or Civilization.

You mean you've never had the "pleasure" of playing Twinky Goes Hiking, Martin?

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: @ 'twinky'

highly amusing

http://www.mcvuk.com/newsitem.php?id=688

depends who ends up owing the mag I suppose as to who is number one ---


http://www.mcvuk.com/newsitem.php?id=688


it is turning into a magazine version of Highlander , last man standing with their head attached....

Bit more info from the financial newswires: http://www.newratings.com/analyst_news/article_1172080.html it seems the company is likely to be broken up.

So - we will not be seeing this top 100 mag then?

I'm glad Future can't buy the magazine. They'd probably incorporate it into Gamesmaster and announce Gran Turismo is the best game of all time.