Editor | Tony Mott |
---|---|
Deputy editor | Chris Schilling |
Art director | Warren Brown |
Operations editor | Miriam McDonald |
Categories | Computer and video games |
Frequency | Monthly |
Circulation | Unavailable from 2015 [1] 18,082 (Jan – Dec 2014) [2] 20,485 (Jan – Dec 2013) [3] 25,571 (Jan – Dec 2012) [4] |
Publisher | Future Publishing |
First issue | October 1993 |
Company | Future plc |
Country | United Kingdom |
Based in | Bath, UK |
Language | English |
Website | www |
ISSN | 1350-1593 |
Edge is a multi-format video game magazine published by Future plc. It is a UK-based magazine and publishes 13 issues annually. The magazine was launched by Steve Jarratt. It has also released foreign editions in Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
The magazine was launched in October 1993 by Steve Jarratt, a long-time video games journalist who has launched several other magazines for Future.
The artwork for the cover of the magazine's 100th issue was specially provided by Shigeru Miyamoto. The 200th issue was released in March 2009 with 200 different covers, each commemorating a single game; 199 variants were in general circulation, and one was exclusive to subscribers. [5] Only 200 magazines were printed with each cover, sufficient to more than satisfy Edge's circulation of 28,898. [6]
In October 2003, the then-editor of Edge, João Diniz-Sanches, left the magazine along with deputy editor David McCarthy and other staff writers. [7] After the walkout, the editorship of Edge passed back to Tony Mott, who had been editor prior to Diniz-Sanches. The only team member to remain was Margaret Robertson, who in 2006 replaced Mott as editor. [8] In May 2007, Robertson stepped down as editor and was replaced by Tony Mott, taking over as editor for the third time. [9] Alex Wiltshire was the magazine's editor from May 2012 to March 2013, [10] [11] followed by Nathan Brown. Jen Simpkins took over the editor's role from Nathan Brown in April 2020. [12]
Between 1995 and 2002, some of the content from the UK edition of Edge was published in the United States as Next Generation . In 2007, Future's US subsidiary, Future US began re-publishing selected recent Edge features on the Next Generation website; [13] [14] the Edge website and blog were subsequently incorporated into the NextGen site. [15] In July 2008, the whole site was rebranded under the Edge title, as that was the senior of the two brands. [16] [17] In May 2014 it was reported that Future intended to close the websites of Edge, Computer and Video Games and their other videogame publications; [18] in December 2014, it was confirmed that the C&VG website would close and its content would instead be published at GamesRadar, [19] and in January 2015, it was announced that the same would happen to the Edge website. [20] Between 2015 and 2018, Edge articles were occasionally republished on Kotaku UK . [21] [22]
Edge has been redesigned three times since the magazine launched. The first redesign occurred in 1999; the second in 2004; and the third in 2011. The first redesign altered the magazine's dimensions to be wider than the original shape. The latest design changes the magazine's physical dimensions for the second time, and introduces a higher quality of paper stock than was previously used.
Each issue includes a "Making-of" article on a particular game, usually including an interview with one of the original developers. [23] Issue 143 introduced the "Time Extend" series of retrospective articles. Like the "making-of" series, each focuses on a single game and, with the benefit of hindsight, gives an in-depth examination of its most interesting or innovative attributes. [24]
"Codeshop" examines more technical subjects such as 3D modelling programs or physics middleware, while "Studio Profile" and "University Profile" are single-page summaries ("like Top Trumps, but for game dev") of particular developers or publishers, and game-related courses at higher education institutions.
Although an overall list of contributors is printed in each issue's indicia, the magazine typically has not used bylines to credit individual writers to specific reviews and articles, instead only referring to the anonymous Edge as a whole. Since 2014, some contributed features are credited with a byline. The magazine's regular columnists have been consistently credited throughout the magazine's run. The current columnists are James Leach, Clint Hocking and Tadhg Kelly. In addition, several columnists appear toward the beginning of the magazine to talk about the game industry as a whole, rather than focusing on specific game design topics. They are Trigger Happy author Steven Poole, [25] Leigh Alexander, and Brian Howe, whose parody article section "You're Playing It Wrong" began with the new redesign.
Previous columnists have included Paul Rose ("Mr Biffo", the founder of Digitiser ), Toshihiro Nagoshi of Sega's Amusement Vision, author Tim Guest (whose column on MMOs preceded the publication of his book Second Lives), N'Gai Croal, and game developer Jeff Minter. In addition, numerous columns were published anonymously under the pseudonym "RedEye", and several Japanese writers contributed to a regular feature called "Something About Japan".
James Hutchinson's comic strip Crashlander was featured in Edge between issues 143 and 193. [26]
Edge scores games on a ten-point scale, from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 10, with five as ostensibly the average rating. For much of the magazine's run, the magazine's review policy stated that the scores broadly correspond to one of the following "sentiments":
However, with issue 143 the scoring system was changed to a simple list of "10 = ten, 9 = nine..." and so on, a tongue-in-cheek reference to people who read too much into review scores. [27] It was almost three years before Edge gave a game a rating of ten out of ten, and to date the score has been given to twenty-seven games:
Rank | Series | Number of 10/10 scores | Developer(s) | Timescale |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Super Mario | 4 | Nintendo EAD/EPD | 1996–2017 |
The Legend of Zelda | 1998–2023 | |||
2 | Bayonetta | 2 | PlatinumGames | 2009–2014 |
Grand Theft Auto | Rockstar North | 2008–2013 | ||
Half-Life (inc. The Orange Box ) | Valve | 2004–2007 | ||
Halo | Bungie | 2001–2007 |
In contrast, only two titles have received a one-out-of-ten rating, Kabuki Warriors [48] and FlatOut 3: Chaos & Destruction . [49]
In a December 2002 retro gaming special, Edge retrospectively awarded ten-out-of-ten ratings to two titles released before the magazine's launch:
Edge also awarded a 10/10 score in one of the regular retrospective reviews in the magazine's normal run:
In Edge's 10th anniversary issue in 2003, GoldenEye 007 (1997) was included as one of the magazine's top ten shooters, along with a note that it was perhaps "the only other game" that should have received a ten out of ten rating. The game had originally been awarded a nine out of ten, with the magazine later stating that "a ten was considered, but eventually rejected".
Resident Evil 4 , which came second in Edge Presents The 100 Best Videogames, originally obtained a nine, but according to the 100 Best Videogames issue, it came "as near as dammit to the sixth (at the time) Edge ten".
The 20th anniversary issue (E258) published in August 2013 carried a feature called "The Ten Amendments", in which the following seven games' scores were retrospectively adjusted to ten-out-of-ten. A rationale was provided for each.
A number of Edge special editions were published in the UK. These included:
An Edge Special Edition - "the 30th anniversary special edition" - 100 greatest games of Edge's lifetime (2023) [57]
An Australian edition was briefly published in early 2004, for less than six months. The Australian edition consisted mostly of content from the UK edition, along with news on the local games industry.
The Brazilian edition was launched in Brazil in May 2009. It includes articles translated from the UK magazine alongside original local content. [58] The magazine was cancelled in November 2010, with 18 issues. [59]
A translated selection of articles are published with the French magazine Joypad . In 2017, La Financière de Loisirs licensed the title for France, starting with a 200 pages special issue about popular games that changed the gaming industry, as well AAA as indies.
In November 2005, a German translation was launched by the publishing house Computec Media AG. The German edition was thinner than the English original, the covers were slightly changed and the ratings raised. In January 2007 it was changed to a bi-monthly schedule and in July 2007 it was finally shut down.
In October 2004, an Italian localised edition was launched under the name Videogiochi and published by Future Italy. In December 2006, Future Italy was sold to Sprea Editori which renamed it Game Pro in May 2007. Last issue: September 2009.
A localised edition of Edge was launched in Spain on 15 April 2006 by publisher Globus, which shares some staff from the On/Off editorial, [60] a Globus magazine about DVD video and consumer technology, not in any way related to video games. [61] It lacks some articles contained in the UK edition, such as the Virtua Fighter 5 story which was omitted from the corresponding Spanish edition. [62]
At the end of May 2009, a post in the official Edge Spanish forums [63] made by the main administrator, stated that Globus was about to close its video game division, which meant the closure of the Spanish edition of Edge and NGamer.
In October 2017, a new official Edge Spanish edition is released. A new number comes every two months.
Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer, producer and game director at Nintendo, where he serves as one of its representative directors as an executive since 2002. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential designers in video games, he is the creator of some of the most acclaimed and best-selling game franchises of all time, including Mario,The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Star Fox and Pikmin. More than 1 billion copies of games featuring franchises created by Miyamoto have been sold.
Super Mario Bros. 3 is a 1988 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was released for home consoles in Japan on October 23, 1988, in North America on February 12, 1990, and in Europe on August 29, 1991. It was developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development, led by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka.
Super Mario World, known in Japan as Super Mario World: Super Mario Bros. 4, is a 1990 platform game developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The player controls Mario on his quest to save Princess Peach and Dinosaur Land from the series' antagonist Bowser and the Koopalings. The gameplay is similar to that of earlier Super Mario games; players control Mario through a series of levels in which the goal is to reach the goalpost at the end. Super Mario World introduces Yoshi, a ridable dinosaur who can eat enemies.
Super Mario Bros. 2 is a 1988 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a 1998 action-adventure game by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan and North America in November 1998 and in PAL regions the following month. The game is the first in The Legend of Zelda series with 3D graphics.
The Legend of Zelda, originally released in Japan as The Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda no Densetsu, is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo. The first game of The Legend of Zelda series, it is set in the fantasy land of Hyrule and centers on an elf-like boy named Link, who aims to collect the eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom in order to rescue Princess Zelda from Ganon. The player controls Link from a top-down perspective and navigates throughout the overworld and dungeons, collecting weapons, defeating enemies and uncovering secrets along the way.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the third game in The Legend of Zelda series and was released in 1991 in Japan and 1992 in North America and Europe.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. An installment in The Legend of Zelda series, it was released in Japan on December 13, 2002, in North America on March 24, 2003, and in Europe on May 2, 2003.
Nintendo Power is a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Nintendo of America, then independently, and in December 2007 contracted to Future US, the American subsidiary of British publisher Future plc. Its 24-year production run is one of the longest of all video game magazines in the United States and Canada.
1988 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Dragon Quest III, Super Contra, Super Mario Bros. 2, Mega Man 2, Double Dragon II: The Revenge, and Super Mario Bros. 3, along with new titles such as Assault, Altered Beast, Capcom Bowling, Ninja Gaiden, RoboCop, Winning Run and Chase H.Q.
Computer and Video Games was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website was launched in 1999 and closed in February 2015. CVG was the longest-running video game media brand in the world. Several CVG writers led the creation of Video Games Chronicle in 2019.
California Games is a sports video game released by Epyx for the Apple II and Commodore 64 in 1987. Branching from their Summer Games and Winter Games series, this game is a collection of outdoor sports purportedly popular in California. It ported to other home computers and video game consoles and was the pack-in game for the Atari Lynx when that system launched in 1989. The game was successful and spawned a sequel, California Games II.
Official Xbox Magazine (OXM) was a British monthly video game magazine which started in November 2001 around the launch of the original Xbox. A preview issue was released at E3 2001, with another preview issue in November 2001. The magazine was bundled with a disc that included game demos, preview videos and trailers, and other content, such as game or Xbox updates and free gamerpics. The discs also provided the software for the Xbox 360 for backward compatibility of original Xbox games for those without broadband and Xbox Live access. From January 2012, OXM no longer included a demo disc. In mid-2014, the U.S. version was merged into the UK version on the website, which lasted only a few months until Future plc announced that it was closing its website along with all the other websites that Future has published, including Edge and Computer and Video Games. In February 2015, OXM and all of Future's video game websites were redirected into GamesRadar.
GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff being merged with the similar aggregator Metacritic.
Official Nintendo Magazine, or ONM, was a British video game magazine that ran from 2006 to 2014 that covered the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and Wii U video game consoles released by Nintendo.
Steve Jarratt is a long-time videogames journalist and magazine editor. He has launched a large number of magazines for Future Publishing, many of which are still published. Magazines he has worked for include:
Nintendo Gamer was a magazine published in the United Kingdom which mainly covered Nintendo video game consoles and software. It was the successor publication to N64 Magazine, later renamed NGC Magazine (1997–2006), and Super Play (1992–1996), continuing the unique style of those magazines. The publication was originally known as NGamer, with the first issue being released on 13 July 2006. From issue 71 onward, released on 5 January 2012, the magazine was renamed Nintendo Gamer and was significantly reformatted. On 30 August 2012, it was announced that issue 80 was to be the magazine's final issue.
PlayStation Official Magazine – UK, generally abbreviated as OPM, was a magazine based in the United Kingdom that covered PlayStation news created in 2006. Although the first issue was distributed in three-month intervals, from Issue 2 onward, it became a monthly segment. From Issue 7 to Issue 84, the magazine came with a playable Blu-ray disc; it primarily covered PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, PlayStation VR and PlayStation 5 games and material. It also covered PlayStation Vita material. The magazine covered PlayStation, as well as all aspects of HD media in lesser detail.
Metroid is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo. The first installment in the Metroid series, it was originally released in Japan for the Family Computer Disk System in August 1986. North America received a release in August 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System in the Game Pak ROM cartridge format, with the European release following in January 1988. Set on the planet Zebes, the story follows Samus Aran as she attempts to retrieve the parasitic Metroid organisms that were stolen by Space Pirates, who plan to replicate the Metroids by exposing them to beta rays and then use them as biological weapons to destroy Samus and all who oppose them.
In late February, Edge is moving to GamesRadar+. We'll be joining CVG, Official PlayStation Magazine, Official Xbox Magazine and GamesMaster to create the most comprehensive gaming website in the world.
Articles from the Edge archive will be available alongside new interviews, opinion and features and the best content from the website will be migrated over to our new GR+ homepage. Our print and digital editions will remain unchanged, as will our Facebook, Twitter and Google+ pages.
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