Seeing as though DC pointlessly and stupidly locked the other thread regarding magazine talk, I thought it was about time we had a thread to discuss our favourite magazines, of any sort.

RALPH & FHM

Now, I say this with this the utmost honesty, but I adore the writing in RALPH and FHM much more than I do the obligatory eye-candy. Sure, the included centre-folds are nice to stick on your wall as a way to quash any lingering gay rumours spreading like wildfire through your extended family, but at the end of the day, it's all pretty fake and superficial.

What provokes me to buy each magazine every month (I buy both of them, usually on the same day) is the utterly hilarious writing. Each issue you're guaranteed a good laugh, and in some cases lately, forced into hysterics. RALPH's recent '2004 Awards' were simply bloody spiffing and had me rolling on the floor, running out to my sister and reciting all the clever writing. Many people pass the magazines off as complete filth, but there really is some genuinely excellent journalism which is both witty, intelligent and very amusing. Often the editors will include a 'serious read' each month which is always fascinating and insightful. In FHM's latest issue they had an in-depth story on the infamous 'BTK Killings' which was an enthralling read.

If I had to choose, I'd probably say RALPH is a tiny bit better overall than FHM, but that's mostly down to the fact RALPH is an original Australian publication, while FHM pinches content from international versions of the magazine. Also, RALPH feels a bit more 'Aussie'.

Before you write these mags off because of the face value of them like that ignorant sod H&R has clearly done, give them a shot. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how genuinely entertaining and clever the magazines really are.

And that reminds me... only 3 days till the next RALPH. :thumbsup:

If you didn't understand what the previous thread was supposed to be about, it was concerning itself purely with the Hyper magazine and another Mod had already warned people to get back on-topic. Surely it didn't seem too hard to make another thread now did it? ;)

The only magazines I read regularly are Empire and previously Hyper. I already mentioned that I will not be purchasing Hyper in the future due to the recent decline in the quality of the reviews and articles but still enjoy reading Empire every month. While I can't say I agree with their reviews and scores quite a lot of the time I still enjoy their articles and sense of humour.

I picked up a couple of issues of FHM and Ralph a while back, and I've gotta say, while Ralph is a bit more seedy, FHM is the men's equivalent of Cleo or Cosmo. It's a magazine for men's interests, and actually contains very little eye candy.

I buy FHM and Ralph, but tend to get FHM more frequently. That is, FHM first and foremost, then Ralph if I need some more reading material.

I agree with both Moggo and Mykle, the writing is sharp and witty and the FHM sports diary is absolutely classic, I use it for school assessments and such. The BTK article was tops and provided me with some good information. Lately I've been skipping the centrefolds and shit (no I'm not gay) I just find the articles boring and repetitive with similar answers from the girls, however the rest of the magazine is tops and I swear by The Insider. It provides some top info for near-metrosexuals as myself. I always have a look at the new fashion and decide if I want something like that.

Unfortunately, both magazines are passed off as utter filth, when in reality, they are so much more then that. Mykle hits it in the head. FHM is the mens cosmo. Top stuff, quality magazine :thumbsup:

I've been buying gaming magazines for about 15 years now. Started out getting Zzap 64, CVG, Mean Machines and Sega Power. Then I moved onto Megazone and later Hyper and NMS, plus there was PCPowerplay and the Next Publishing Offical Playstation Mag which then became Australian Playstation, which then became Australian Station and then later died. I also got the occasional Offical PS2 Mag, collected N64 Gamer and later Nintendo Gamer, plus the odd PSW.

Nowadays I usually just buy Hyper, but I'm thinking of stopping that too.

I've probably wasted thousands of dollars on magazines, I have a giant chest filled with them, and several smaller boxes. One day I'll sort them out and put them on shelves, but for now I don't have the space.

The only magazine that I reguarly buy nowadays is Terrorizer. It has to be the best extreme music mag in the world. I rely on it for my metal news, it's almost always on the money when it comes to album reviews and every month it comes with a free cover disc packed with extreme tunes. Tis a first rate publication. Through it I've discovered countless rad bands.

I used to buy Hyper every month for about four years, but don't bother with it anymore. And if I can't find Terrorizer (WHich is quite hard to find), I'll go with Metal Hammer, which caters more to casual metal/punk fans and fans of less extreme music. But hey, it also comes with a free coverdisk, and sometimes two! :D

I don't read many magazines these days, but I do pick up EDGE when possible. Occassionally I pick up Wheels or Hot4s - if they have anything worthwhile in them.

Might look into getting either FHM or Ralph. All depending on who's the cover model. :P

National Geographic and Playboy.

(Conversely, I think FHM is quite filthy, and I'm by no means talking about the girls.)

My first ever magazine that I collected was NMS (Nintendo Magazine System). I thoroughly enjoyed it despite some of the magazine being crap. Les' mailbag anyone? Oh, and NMS was home to our very own MarkyMark's brilliant artwork. (Mark Withington for those who don't know)

After that died, I moved onto Hyper and shortly after Nintendo Gamer. I collected both until Nintendo Gamer died and then I just stuck with Hyper for my gaming magazine needs. I had always wanted to check out Edge while only reading the one magazine but unfortunately I could never find it. Luckily for me the Australian version came out and I now collect that along with Hyper every month.

I do agree with most people when it comes to Hyper, the overuse of their in-jokes and just the way the magazine has gone since Eliot left has been rather poor. I do however find that I still agree mostly with their reviews and I've always trusted their judgement so I'll continue purchasing the magazine. Hopefully the quality improves though otherwise Cam needs to give up his job...

As for Edge, well it's still in its early stages yet but from what I can gather, it is a decent magazine and I'll continue to buy it monthly. :)

Other than FHM & RALPH, I also pick up EMPIRE magazine monthly, aswell as EDGE.

EMPIRE

Fantastic magazine which contains everything you'll need to know about movies for the month in one neat little package. Always entertaining, and constantly has interesting features and interviews to justify its price tag.

I trust their reviews immensely and always take a look at what EMPIRE has to say before I go and see a movie. It's a pity they ceased the 'Legends of Cinema' series because that was incredibly insightful. Ah well. Great magazine that underlines and emphasises the crappiness of its lowly competitors, namely Region 4 and WHAT DVD.

EDGE

Goes without saying really. Heads and shoulders above any other multi-format gaming magazine. While the Aussie version is just starting out, the British version has been going strong for a decade and has never faltered. A gaming bible in every sense of the phrase. Such sexy covers too. :D

Eons ago, I collected Nintendo Gamer and loved it. Then, I grew up a bit and realised how bad it truly was. I own every edition of N64 Gamer magazine bar one. A bloke sold me all 40-odd magazines for 10 bucks. :D That magazine was quite excellent, and NMS had its moments, but had a lot of flaws too. I still remember it with fond memories though, and I wonder what Nat Silva is doing these days...

She went out with a bang in the last issue of Nintendo Gamer, she had 3 or 4 pictures in the magazine. I'm sure she's around somewhere.

I recently read through all the Nintendo Gamer magazines actually and well, I don't know why I liked it so much back then. The magazine is a piece of turd. :|

I don't have time for Magazines anymore. I have always bought gaming magazines, since I could remember, usually taking time out to read them, or reading them before I go to bed, but these days I just don't have the time. I started with NMS, always being a fan of MarkyMark's work, then moving onto Ninty gamer for a little while, then hitting up Hyper and PCPP for a while. I then found that i'd be buying these mags, and not reading them, so I pretty much stopped. Lately (past year or so), i've been getting FHM here and there, as a bog read kind of magazine, and I think it's great. The articles are funnyand interesting, the jokes are great and the chicks are pretty damn fine. I've never bothered with Ralph, as one magazine is more than enough to occupy my time with.

I've missed the last couple of FHM mags, maybe I should subscribe, and i've never understood how or why people hold those kind of mags in such a bad light. Cosmo, Cleo and the plethora of other similar shit is ok by women, but as soon as we get one similar, there's a friggen uproar about how it's sexist ect... CRAP!

Cosmo is more centered around fashion and stories etc, whereas FHM do have women posing in swimwear. So I see where those uptight mothers are coming from...

Really? I think their reviews are written well but I've found a lot of times they are off the mark with relation to how they assess films, I mean they recently gave Alexander four stars when it was absolutely deserving of the panning it recieved by 99% of critics.

Saying that, I throughly enjoy their interviews and special features. :)

I get:
Terrorizer
MetalHammer
Guitar World

Hyper (Sub)
Edge
OAXM (Only for the Demo CD)

You posted that on Wednesday the 2nd, and RALPH comes out on Monday the 7th...that's not three days. :P

Shush, you. :P I only realised that yesterday when looking through my old RALPH and wondering why it hadn't come out yet.

Oh well, tommorow is the day. :D

So I was bored, at K-Mart, and I noticed this EMPIRE magazine, I had a look at it, but it was sealed. I had a closer look and saw it had another magazine and a cd with it. For 7.95!

That's value, I'm yet to read either mag, in any depth though, but that's surprisingly good value, even if the bonus mag is last year sometime.

Darn, my local newsagency has the latest copy of EMPIRE however it doesn't come with any bonuses. :(

Today I checked the last issue of Edge to find out what the date is for the next issue and the date is the 14th of Feb. That's a Monday so I'm curious, is that a correct date or is it false?

The last 4 issues of Edge have released on Wednesdays after all...

EDGE is now bi-monthly, as last issue led me to believe. :(

EMPIRE is only sold through with the extra copy attached through the big supermarkets or retail chains, namely K-Mart and Target. If you buy it in the newsagent, you don't get the extra magazine.

FHM tommorow, with Rebecca Cartwright on the front. :D

But on the topic on what could be more "harmful" to their image, Cosmo would win hands down. It's tripe mags like that, which give kids inferiority complexes.

Touche.

So I was in the newsagency today buying the Herald Sun and I looked at some magazines. I figured I have no interest in games anymore, so I glossed over the games section and wound up in the music section, after some trials and tribulations I bought the Rolling Stones magazine. I'll give it a whirl to see if it's any good and if it is, I may subscribe...

Rolling Stone was great this year because it was a milestone year (25, 50 years?). They had lists of the best singers, the best albums, the best songs. It centres on a lot of shit music, it's not a cult magazine anymore, but if you can put up with that, there's a lot to like.

I usually get FHM the day it comes out, and RALPH about halfway through the month when I need some more to read.

I also get Hyper when it has a review of a game I'm considering buying, or a decent article, but that's not all that often anymore.

And I occasionally get Empire.

Rolling Stone's good. But, like Mykle said, it does sometimes focus on some really shit, think Britney Spears, type music. It's good, in particular, because some of the reviews/articles are written by the US Rolling Stones staff - high quality - and on a whole it contains plenty of decent interviews/articles.

I had quick browse through Rolling Stone today and thought their top 500 songs of all time was garbage but the interviews were pretty decent.

With something like that it's always going to vary from person to person. I personally think the idea is bullshit, how are they to know the best 500 songs of all time? How is ANYONE to know, there's just too much music out there, and it depends on what you view as a good song. This could be said for anything, but I believe music is the popular art that everyone interprets differently.

Agreed, although I felt that including a ton of songs from only around six/seven bands doesn't make a top five hundred.

Just read this PvP comic;



Instantly reminded me of what was said.

Yep, that's it I guess.