Sean Ridgley over at Neoseeker seems to have a problem with the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine. Not surprising, considering the entire cover is little more than a full-blown advertisement for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (available now at all major retailers BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT and tell them Destructoid sent you). It can't even really be considered a magazine cover.
I have no problem with advertising of course, provided it doesn't encroach on the integrity of the editorial content (ie, reviewers and marketers not sleeping in the same dirty bed), but I must admit that the sheer obnoxious blatancy of this "cover" (complete with "advertisement" written at the top and bottom of the page) causes a raised eyebrow. At least they're being up front.
BUY TOM CLANCY'S RAINBOW SIX VEGAS 2 AVAILABLE ON XBOX 360 & PS3!
According to Insert Credit, the real cover is found underneath the advertisement by tearing along perforations, and reveals that the magazine's main focus is actually Fallout 3. It's not really a surprise that an official Xbox magazine, of all magazines, would be heavily advertising a videogame (and let's face it, we all have bills to pay), but to essentially obscure your magazine's entire cover in order to do it just strikes me as a little bit excessive.
What do you think? A bit too heavy on the marketing, or is it all fair game in the name of the almighty dollar? Also, how much do you think OXM got from Ubisoft?
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
3:34 PM on 04.16.2008
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i have no problems with it, and its a great way to stay in shape.
[/comment presented by Eidos]
Which I mentioned in the article.
To me, a magazine's cover is to tell you what is happening in the magazine. It's meant to sell the book, not someone else's game. I'm not offended by the ad, but I think it's silly.
There is your problem right there spacemonkey
Also if you're a subscriber this shouldn't be a problem since you already paid for the inside info anyway.
Like this clay crap?
If Microsoft wants to put ads as their covers, well then do it up. Granted, Id appreciate something a little less subtle, you know maybe some styalized art OF rainbow Six, but whatever..you know what your getting when you read an "official" magazine from anyone.
Too bad we can't tear out those stupid ads in the magazine, that try to look like a real article from it like we've never read the publication before. Those things are annoying, for whatever reason it is.
~ Capt. Louis Renault
Anyone that had a magazine subscription to any video game publication in years past had a little cardboard slipcover that would come with most bagged copies that would sometimes cover the actual cover of the magazine.
Jim, haven't you ever subscribed to an enthusiast print magazine before and seen this happen?
In the end if you don't like, don't buy it.,
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE LOOKS BABY.
With that said, it's still annoying not being able to see what the magazine actually features without having to peel the faux-cover back.
You just pull them off and throw them out, no big deal.
Like I said, we don't do this in England. You might be used to it but I was quite surprised. But again, please soldier on with presumption.
Not only did i not find the rainbow six cover that you could pull away but the latest issue has GTAIV on the cover.
am i just looking at the wrong OXM or do they package the magazines differently for mail orders verses store bought copies?
I'm looking at the April'08 (which came out in march of course) and its got the Fallout 3 cover but no Rainbow Six advertisement on the cover.
Now the January'08 has the rainbow cover.. but it wasnt a advertisement.
so seriously, apart from them labeling issues a month behind (Decembers issue labeled january, etc etc). What exactly am i missing here?
And why is the guy complaining about advertisements. Advertisements is how magazines are paid for since not enough people suscribe to magazines anymore.
But yeah, I'm not stupid enough to not know that the ad is not the real cover. There's no problem here.
first impressions are important. had i not known better, i would have thought the whole magazine was a paid advertisment.
oh, wait...
And since when were printed game magazines (natch - ALL magazines) anything but 50+% advertising content? Byline for an EGM cover in 1993: "75 Games your just GOTTA BUY this year!!!!!!!", adorning a cover featuring not much more than a giant picture of Zelda or some such thing.
If Ubisoft wants to pay a magazine the Big Bux to put a card stock ad inside or outside or folded up and humping the bloody magazine, that's their right.
There's really a story here? Call me once you can prove there's an editorial conflict of interest.
Because I suck cock, that's why. I suck massive amounts of cock and swallow the jizz that appears as a result of that cock being sucked by me.
Lol, Sterling loves the cock. He's English though, I don't think it's gay to put another man's penis in your mouth over there. You know, they're much more polite and shit.
I've had many OXM's with fake covers like that over the past few years. It's not surprising, it was obvious they were cashwhores when Fight Night Round 3 got a 10 out of 10 from them. I mean, that's not leaving much room for improvement with their rating scale. They hand out perfect 10's like they get paid to do it. Oh wait...