Glutton for punishment, and all that other crap: yes, I am reading the print version of PC Gamer again for lack of anything better in the PC-only category. Any help on finding something better would be appreciated. Really, this is incredibly demoralizing.

I picked up the Holiday 2008 issue for the reviews of Fallout 3, Far Cry 2, Dead Space and Warhammer Online, which were predictably full of the facetious praise you’d expect for these blockbuster releases. The review of Dead Space was especially puzzling, as it told me next to nothing about what it was like to play the game, except perhaps its aborted attempt at a closing paragraph with some comments on the controls. But hey, I can agree with Dan Stapleton’s sentiments – they sure do suck.

Though what I found most interesting was the rather optimistic retrospective from the new editor-in-chief Kristen Salvatore, on the magazine’s upcoming 15-year anniversary:

I love that we’re old. I love working for a publication that’s established…that has worked to grow and change along with its readers, and that’s shown its commitment, standards and professionalism far surpass [sic] so many of the fly-by-night outlets that the internet has given birth to…We do a better job than many bloggers. We are better respected among publishers and developers…we take well-written, well-crafted writing very seriously. We use fart jokes sparingly.

It sure makes a fine summary of PC Gamer’s current position on journalistic integrity and takes a dig at game webloggers too! I’d almost take offense, except for Tim Edwards’ review of Far Cry 2:

[Your buddy] gives you a weapon and informs you that the United Front for Liberation and Labor (UFLL) are holding another foreign mercenary hostage to the South. You go and rescue the mercenary: Nasreen Davar, a hottie.

Obviously not the same commentary that can only be developed with age and experience. And I’m not even going to touch the closing paragraph, that’s full of so many adjectives I can’t figure out if he is recommending the game or trying to beat me over the head with a thesaurus.

Granted this is one review, but in the face of Salvatore’s editorial I can’t help but think her comments are trying to prop up the magazine against the overwhelming tide of professional and amateur games writing that is now so prevalent on the Internet. And some of it is actually worth reading. I read the magazine for six years (1998 – 2004), quitting shortly before editor Rob Smith left when the magazine had taken a serious nosedive in quality. At one point during my years reading the magazine I had convinced myself it was one of the pillars of modern game journalism. I even wanted to work there. But things have changed in the print game journalism landscape. Computer Games Magazine, a place where quailty writing was never in short supply, died far too young. Massive, a magazine dedicated to the fast paced world of MMOGs printed three issues. Computer Gaming World was rebranded Games for Windows and halted publication after only a year of operation, its success likely hindered by the poor support of retailers who fail to highlight the Games for Windows “platform”. I’d like to think that there is still a need for a print publication dedicated to PC gaming, but perhaps I’m just being nostalgic. PC Gamer is the last one standing, and has the opportunity to become that bastion of solid games journalism we like to talk about but never seems to materialize. The magazine has certainly changed over the years, but not for the better and certainly not to adapt to the needs of the audience that helped establish the magazine in the first place. This can easily be corrected with their financial resources and standing in the industry – and I hope that Ms. Salvatore is finally the one to take on that responsibility.

In this same issue, Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway received its delayed final score of 93%.

I was going to play it anyway.