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.
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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?
