Excite-tastic!

Editors Letter
No one should let these guys sound off…
Official Xbox Magazine is my favorite gaming magazine. Partly because I only have an Xbox and it’s depressing to hear about cool games I can’t play, and partly because I like spending an ungodly amount of other people’s money buying it. But mostly, I like it because it’s funny. I mean, laugh out loud, annoy others by quoting it funny. And that’s not all. No, my friend, it’s not. There's tons of info packed into this thin stack of dead trees. If you don’t believe me, take a look.

First Look
Absolute is a subjective word
The First Look section is exactly that, a quick look at a new game. I would have to stress quick because it’s usually no more than half a page of actual information and a page and a half of screen shots. Of course, everyone loves screen shots so it’s okay. I have to admit it doesn’t have much in the way of exclusive info, even though it says "absolute exclusive." You might see something in this section a month before other magazines get a hold of it—maybe.

All Access
News-tastic!
Slightly less than ten pages—minus ads—of "Xbox news from the source," All Access is where the official comes in. There are interviews with the head honchos of big companies, rumors that are almost always true, updates from Xbox Japan (and they don’t even try to act as if it’s all fun and games over there), a calendar with release dates and other…umm…interesting things. And last but not least, the Game Watch. Game Watch takes six upcoming games and tells you the good and the bad about them. It’s one of the better ideas for the mag, it definitely adds a bit more new game info.

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Features
2-4-1
What would Features be? Why, the cover stories of course! They seem to use two, the game that’s on the cover (picture-wise), and then some story they decided was big. Features are usually quite long—albeit spilt up by ads—and well laid out. They are also about the games you are actually looking forward to. Take these last couple months for example: Ninja Gaiden, Splinter Cell, DOA Beach Volleyball, and Project Gotham Racing 2, just to name a few. Besides being long and informative, the features are also entertaining--it’s quite the package deal.

Previews
Watch the suck-o-meter in action
The previews in Official Xbox Magazine are a great one to two pages long. There’s nothing I hate more than a short preview. There are also quite a few in each magazine, although most gaming mags have lots of previews.

The only thing is that all the previews act like the game is going to be good, or at least decent, when in fact it’s going to suck. Although, again, a lot of mags do that. There is a Game Potential meter that gives you the down low on what looks good, what needs work, and their final thoughts. This must be closely monitored because it’s the only thing that hints at a game’s suck factor, the actual preview does not.

Reviews
The definitive source for Xbox reviews
The reviews section is a bit tricky. While some might say that this official magazine is biased, I think it could be a lot worse. There are eleven games rated under 5.0, which is their average. It’s really not enough, because we all know Xbox has some sucky games. However, there are some pretty low rated games, such as the 3.0 given to Bruce Lee: Quest of the Dragon. There are also twenty-three games rated over 9.0, which means it is a gotta-have-it game. Other than Wreckless, I don’t think any of these are very over-rated. Games such as Halo, Dead or Alive 3, Jet Set Radio Future, Project Gotham Racing, Sega GT, and Splinter Cell deserve those ratings. Also, Official Xbox Magazine does not rate games highly just because they said it was good in a preview or used it in a promotion. In fact, they had a contest to win Sea Blade and the very next month gave it a 4.5.

As for the reviews themselves, they are great. If the game is bad, it’s picked apart. If the game is good, there is usually some quip about the one feature that went wrong. Overall, the reviews are funny and informative, even if you don’t quite trust the writer’s judgment.

Extended Play
Not exactly extended, but there is more
Here is where all the extra things are placed, such as strategies, letters to the editor, and cheats.

The mini strategy guide(s)—how many depends on how much information is given—are cool, and help out quite a bit. They are also brought to you by Blockbuster so you get a rent one, get one free coupon in every magazine. There are also cheats along the sides of the guides, but there aren’t very many and I haven’t used any of them.

Oh yes, there are also challenges in every issue. If you send them proof that you have completed a challenge, you will get a few thousand Elite Points. In every issue they list the top thirty challengers, I will never be one of them so I just ignore this section.

And now, for the crowning glory of the Official Xbox Magazine… The demo disc. Within Extended Play they tell you exactly what is on the demo disc and what is coming for the next two months. All my Xbox games are in demo form, and I have this mag to thank for that. If it weren’t for them, I would only have Hunter: The Reckoning, and that is just torture.

Therefore:

Dear Review Reader:
Please check out this magazine. You won’t be disappointed.

Thanks,
~inde