RIP - EGM Magazine (1989-2009)

First and foremost, a happy and healthy 2009 to everyone! Hope you guys didn't get too stuffed from the overload of food and the extended vacation!

But of course, things aren't as clear and bright as the sky, for the beginning of 2009 marked an end of an era in the eyes of a generation of gamers. Really, who would have known?

http://www.gamespot.com/news/blogs/sidebar/909182374/26738230/electronic-gaming-monthly-shutting-down.html?part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6202775 (this one's pretty direct to the point)

The closure of EGM is a shame for many different reasons. When I was but a little kid who wanted to get the "latest cheat codes" (since they were the in thing back then) and want to know everything ahead of the rest, I took the liberty to purchase copies of EGM (along with GamePRO) every month. Most of you readers would have a good idea on the sections they have offered over the years, especially (my personal favorite) the April Fool's specials (Sheng Long, IMO, is true!). I have so many fond memories with EGM (and EGM2) over the years, and it's a moment of melancholy for a long-time powerhouse to close down just like that. Imagine, they could have been celebrating 20 years of EGM in a few months, but January 2009 has become their one final hurrah.

Of course, people can argue as to why it has happened to an institution like EGM. And it's a mix of different factors, really (internally and externally). But in my view, much of it is contributed to what's happening in the world right now. In a world full of free information from various sources (PSN, X-Box Live, IGN, etc), this is of no surprise. But there is one thing for sure; I wholeheartedly and undoubtedly agree with my friends at GAME! Magazine and PlayGround Magazine that nothing beats the top-notch quality that magazines offer to the consumers, like it or not. Magazines and newspapers are fathers (or even grandfathers) to today's online media. Though the online generation is kicking up a notch, magazines can conjure up more than just delivering information. Talk about cliche (super cliche, to boot), but in terms of heart, magazines are the proverbial Rocky Balboa.



To this day, this is still my favorite cover, bar none.