The Official Xbox Magazine [1-year]

In a way the Official Xbox Magazine is representative of this confusion. While the coverage is good, writing tends to be lackluster. The layout is just busy enough to be distracting. And it's a tad on the thin side. Yet this is just about the only production Xbox magazine except for those that cover multiple platforms. One would think that the publishers would take advantage of this position, but they do not.

In direct contrast to this 'just enough' style of print publication, the accompanying DVD is the best I've seen. It has a few articles, downloads, saved games, trailers, and several playable demos on each DVD. This may sound trivial, but it is all so nicely packaged with a plastic case that was made for passing around or reuse. Unfortunately for magazine circulation, I can see a group of players getting together to buy the magazine and passing the DVD around. Hopefully, this is the intent. In any case, to get full value, you must by this with the demo disc. Anything else will be disappointing.

Frankly, you don't have much choice. As I've said, the effort is acceptable, just not brilliant. If you want a journal dedicated to developments for Xbox then this is what you get. If you are interested in a better grade of articles (and no DVD) then there are several multi-platform publications that I think you will find more useful.


No demo disc?   January 24, 2004
Average Joe (USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I wouldent reccomend buying this off Amazon because there is no demo disc. The deom disc is one of the best parts of the magazine and its not included here. There are new playable demos of the hottest new Xbox games on the disc, downloadable content and other cool stuff, yet you dont get it here. Anyway, the actual magazine info is good too. This is the offical source. The editors don't have really anything to do with Microsoft though. The features in this mag are the cover feature, reviews, previews,letters, Q&A, Xbox rumors, and maybe some other stuff too. The demo disc isnt the full part of the mag, and actual magazine is good. But you would want the demo. Who doesent want to play the games?


Great Magazine, but get the Disc Version   October 24, 2003
Aaron D. Weber (Rogers, MN United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Hey, this magazine is a must have if you own Xbox. I have read every magazine out there and this is hands down the best. Very well organized and it doesn't hurt to get inside tips from MS (being the "Official Xbox Magazine" and all). The magazine alone is worth the price, but the demo disc is why this is a MUST BUY. It is like getting 4-8 free rentals every month!! So BUY THE MAGAZINE WITH DEMO DISC!!


An Excellent Magazine With or/ Without The Disk...   October 19, 2003
obryanstars
11 out of 14 found this review helpful

The PS2 has sold over 30 million units (or so) as of late....

The XBOX has sold close to 11 million units as of late...

Q: Yet do you know which magazine (official PS2 or XBOX magazine) has more subscribers?

A: Official XBOX Magazine (OXM) does, with over 400,000 subscribers.

Q: Do you know why so many people subscribe to this magazine?

A: Because it has excellent reviews, great articles, fair- unbiased opinions about all systems, up-to-date news, and accurate rumors about what to expect in the near future...

Here's what I thought of OXM, the OFFICIAL XBOX Magazine, after a 12-week subscribtion....

1) The columns: First off, these magazines are PACKED with information about not only the XBOX (mostly), but just gaming in general... Interviews, reviews, previews, rumors, specials, tips, etc... Its all here, all about XBOX. We recently found out (officially) that Grand Theft Auto and GTA: Vice City are coming out for the XBOX...

If your read OXM a few months ago, GTA was reported to be coming to XBOX in a 2-game package...

Months before HALO 2 was announced for the XBOX, OXM predicted informed us of it in an earlier issue...

I was low on cash, and didn't have the money to rent a lot of games that "looked" good.

Weeks later, I noticed that the games that I bought and were reccomended by OXM were great, and the ones I tried that OXM dismissed...were average to bad games, and were not worth my cash...

My point in all this is that this magazine is full of people who know what they're talking about. Experienced gamers who have accurate sources, and get the info out to us, is what OXM is all about. They have accurate ratings on games, know their rumors, and really get you excited about not just XBOX, but gaming in general, as they tell you about some of the things they get to experience, sometiems YEARS before people like us will see them.

Creative, fun, and accurate (and with a good sense of humor), OXM is a great magazine, and definantly worth my fifteen dollars...

2) Reviews/Previews: This magazine reviews 30-40 games a week, and previews at least 10 games. ANd the reviews are for the most part accurate and well done. Most reviews have 7-8 articles of real info, real opinions, and real descriptions of the game. If you can't rent it, this is the next best thing. They gave HALO-Splinter Cell-DOA3 all 9.0-10 scores, and they were all fantastic games. Other games like NFL Blitz 2003, Obi-wan, and Crash Bandicoot, they gave lower scores of 6-8.5, which I agreed with as well.

These guys know what they're doing, and actually play these games thoroughly before writing the reviews.

As for the previews, we were hearing information about Splinter Cell, DOA: Xtreme Beach Volleyball, Amped 2, and Project Gotham Racing 2 months before they hit the shelves...

These guys (and girls) play these anticipated games, or at least early demos of the game, months before they're released, and get the information out so you can start saving up. An excellent magazine, OXM has prepared me and steered me away from a number of games, and just keeps on doing it...

3) Interviews: Almost every issue of this magazine has interesting interviews with makers of dozens of games. They talked with Ubi-Soft about Splinter Cell, RARE about being bought and joining the XBOX team, Bungie when they announced HALO 2, Microsoft XBOX employees about the future of XBOX and current plans... They got the scoop on XBOX Live almost immediatly after the XBOX was released...( months before it came out) These guys are weaved into the gaming world, and give people like me abd u a little bit of where gaming is headed, and of what's to come...

4) Hints and Tips: Another thing this magazine has is a ton of great hints and tips. Beleive it or not, the people who write about and give us the scoop on all these great games coming to XBOX, are also gamers themselves...and they are good ones too! And every issue, they give you step-by-step tips to dozens of great games. In the past, they've helped us with LOTR: Two Towers, Splinter Cell, HALO, BMX XXX, etc... When you hit a wall in a game, OXM just might be the ones to bring that wall down...

5) Opinions: This magazine, last but not least, is full of great opinions from not only xpert gamers and XBOX fans like these writers. But every issue has letters sent to OXM, with XBOX gamers asking questions or stating opinions, and OXM responding to them. Curious about what fellow XBOX gamers are thinking about? This magazine brings your dozens of opinions every week... Very interesting read!

Overall, this magazine is just incredible. When comparing it to other magazines, OXM just has a style to it that others lack. With it's accurate info, great articles, in depth hints, and just love of gaming, OXM is a winner, and for fifteen bucks, a must have for any XBOX gamer...

Oh, and if your wondering if I'll be renewing my subscribtion (mine ends next month), the answer is a definate yes.

Thx!

obryanstars*


Just an OK Magazine   September 3, 2003
Tristan Barrueco (New Jersey)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful

This magazine is a below average magazine. It seems to definately be geared towards the younger crowd because pictures constitute about 80% of it. Reviews can range from an OK length to a couple of paragraphs with 1 1/2 of those paragraphs babling about some random thing. While many magazines promise something in the next issue and actually deliver it, this magazine does not deliver it 95% of the time making them very unreliable. Their reviews are also very biased and nowhere near objective. If one game has X and then another game has all X has and a couple of more features, the second game can still get a worse review. Although it is a 'fun' magazine, it is poorly written and laid out.