| Would you like your videogame related fanzine reviewed here? E-mail the webmaster at gamemag@kcnet.com. |
Writing fanzines is a very unique hobby. Fanzine editors (usually called simply "faneds") write their fanzines for one primary reason: It's FUN! Writing and publishing fanzines is not a job (although most fanzine editors wish it was), and it's impossible to make any profit at doing so. The compensation faneds receive for subscriptions to their fanzines are used for none other than production costs, and in all reality, fanzines cost much less to subscribe to than real magazines, and they're usually much better reading material too. The editor of a fanzine can develop a personality for the publication and reach the reader in a completely different way than any magazine can. The fact is, however, that fanzines can't exist without reader support. If any of the following fanzines interest you at all, by all means, subscribe! I haven't really explained all that much about fanzines, so if you're still unclear about any of this nonsense, drop me a line at gamemag@kcnet.com. If you're interested in the paper version of Game Mag, you can visit the Paper Game Mag page. Enough with these insane ramblings! Onto the fanzine reviews!
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The Fan Scene Rating System |
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Five (Best): This rating is the best, and signifies that the fanzine is one of the best ever read by the reviewer.  |
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Four: This is a good rating for a fanzine. Usually a good fanzine is given this rating when it is engrossing but still doesn't supply that special something. |
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Three: This is an average fanzine. It's good, but faces a few problems. |
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Two: This rating is usually only given to those that are new to fanzines. This isn't meant to be an insult, but rather a rating that means the fanzine editor has a long way to go. |
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One (Worst): Do we really need to explain this one to you? |
| Splat! #19 | ||
Splat! Eric Longdin 65 Boxford Street Lawrence, MA 01843 Price: Two (2) 32¢ stamps per issue Added: 1/19/98 |
This issue of Splat! isn’t as thick as most issues that Eric has done, but at 24 pages, it’s still considered large for a fanzine. This issue has the usual fare: an introductory message from the editor, a letter section, music reviews, fanzine reviews, and, most importantly, articles. There aren’t as many articles as in past issues, but those that are there are definitely worth a read. The letter section was rather short this time around, mainly because no one wrote to Eric. You may remember that I had the same problem last issue. David Mitchum started writing for Splat! this issue, and his articles were definitely good. I especially took to his article titled "Summer Jobs: The Bane of All Teenagers", because I’ve experienced problems of a similar sort when I was looking for a job as I entered teenhood. Eric’s "Shattered Faith" article on religion was very good as well, although it could be offensive to some. A three page article on the new minidisc technology shows up too, but it’s more of an info article than a commentary, of sorts. I knew nothing of minidiscs, so this was quite informative and welcome. While, I don’t share Eric’s interest in music, it is nice to see a fanzine that has intelligent music reviews. Eric goes quite in-depth into the description of the music, which most faneds fail to do. His fanzine review section is huge this issue — seven pages! I don’t feel however, that it was necessary to be this long. Eric reviews two issues of Apple Brown Betty and three issues of Overkill. I felt that Eric should review only one issue of each, but he wants to review every issue of every fanzine he receives. Oh well. I’ll put up with it for all the other excellent reads in the issue. Splat! is a misczine, however, and contains nearly no videogame content, so keep this in mind when ordering for a videogame only ‘zine. For some of us, however, it’s nice to read something different now and then. |
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| Digital Storm #1 | ||
Digital Storm Cory You 3655 Sunset Blvd. #71 Rocklin, CA 95677 Price: $1.00 per issue Added: 1/19/98 |
Cory makes a return to the fandom scene with Digital Storm. Cory promised that the issue style would be totally different, but it seems to be more of the same. His overall direction has changed, however. You can tell this by the statements on the cover: "100% Cyberpunk" and "Hardcore Millennium Gaming". Cory’s ‘zine is no longer only videogames. It now includes anime, movies and music too, according to the cover. The main feature this issue is Mortal Kombat 4, which is no surprise. Fighters Megamix follows and some Wild Arms tips. Next we have some anime reviews and a humor section. The fanzine reviews are welcomed too (although I feel they could be longer), and I definitely enjoyed the music reviews (Cory shares similar music tastes with myself). Movie reviews of Men in Black, Spawn, Contact and Speed 2 follow. Digital Storm is good, but the writing just doesn't have the flair that makes it serious sometimes. Perhaps longer issues would make it more entertaining, or articles that let the reader get to know the editor more. Cory seems to try to be something he's not. Still, worth a look. Send for a copy. |
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| The Magik #12 | ||
The Magik Willy Kaye 1 South Stuyvesant Drive Wilmington, DE 19809 Price: Free Added: 1/19/98 |
The Magik: Unlimited Access keeps getting better each issue. Willy's writing is starting to pick up, and it reads much better than the previous issues of The Magik that I've read. This issue takes on a half-sized format, which makes for somewhat small (but readable) text. His printer seems to make some of the titles and text throughout the issue a little "jagged", but it's not a major problem. The Magik is really a misczine. We find all kinds of tidbits in here. Movie reviews, music reviews, game reviews, fanzine reviews, anime reviews, book reviews, and a few other miscellaneous things. It really is a jumble of topics. He reviews the movies "Scream" and "Spawn" and has a commentary on "Spawn" too. He prints some reviews for older games in the "Klassiks" section. Other game reviews include a large Final Fantasy VII review, and a review of Nintendo's Starfox 64. Willy definitely doesn't share the same tastes in music as I do — he reviews country. Ech (sorry, just a personal opinion)! A Star Trek book review also makes an appearance, which takes place after Star Trek Generations and before First Contact. This was an interesting piece, I felt, being somewhat of a Trekkie myself. Also included in this ish are the articles "How I Wasted My Summer" and "The Tamagotchi Syndrome". Both were interesting. I can't say that The Magik is one of the best fanzines out there, but it's definitely decent. Check it out. |
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| Game Star #6 | ||
Game Star Mike Burns 3021 Miller Heights Road Oakton, VA 22124 Price: ? Added: 1/19/98 |
Mike returns with Game Star! The first couple of issues of Game Star that I had received earlier in the year weren't that impressive at all, but Mike is understanding fanzines much better now. The use of grammar made a huge jump from the previous issue, and the layout and overall organization has improved too. I've seen some of his layout ideas here in Game Mag, actually. The reviews are written pretty well, especially compared to the previous issue's reviews, which were often very brief, to say the least. This issue, they're mostly a page long. I don't understand why Mike chose War Gods to be the cover feature and main review, but alas he did. He thought the game was pretty good, but I'd beg to differ. Also reviewed are Lufia II (for SNES), Timelapse (for Mac), Hexen (for N64) and Super Puzzle Fighter II (for N64). All of these reviews were pretty well-written. Next we have "The Shareware Corner", which wasn't much of an interest to me, although it could be to some. The fanzine reviews were done well, although there were only three of them. Mike also printed a couple of interviews with shareware authors, which was a nice addition to the issue, I felt. The piece on War Gods near the rear of the issue claims to be a "Strategy Guide", but it's definitely not. It comes across more as a presentation of the characters, with their backgrounds. Definitely a no-no in a fanzine. Overall, this issue of Game Star was much better than the previous issues, but it still lacks the content that can make it truly enjoyable. Don't give up Mike! |
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| Above & Beyond #7 | ||
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I was beginning to wonder what had happened to Tom’s Above & Beyond. This issue turns out to be a bit late. Wait,make that very late! The eight-month late issue more than makes up, though, with it’s excellent content. Throughout the pages you’ll find that Tom has a passion for fonts, as they’re everywhere (he has chosen his fonts wisely, I must admit). This causes his ‘zine to look very flashy, and the other neat-o design elements give Above & Beyond a visual balance that most ‘zines don’t have these days. Tom should beware, however, of his flair for graphics design. Other faneditors may criticize him for being "too-prozinish." I’ve been on the receiving end of this for some time now! Don’t let them discourage your natural abilities, Tom! As for the writing, it’s right up there with the best of them. Tom has an excellent command on the English language, and I find myself enjoying each issue of Above & Beyond even more the the previous. Content? There’s lots. "Envelope Radiation" comes first, with a plethora of letters from faneds, although not as many as the previous issue (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). Following along we find a well-done game review section, featuring none other than the best from the months since Above & Beyond’s last issue: Super Mario 64, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, Wave Race 64, WipeOut XL, Mario Kart 64, Tekken 2 and more. While the layout is top-notch in A&B, the screen-shots aren’t overabundant, like you’ll find here in the pages of Game Mag. Following this we have an interview with David Sheff, author of two gaming-oriented books, and "Fan-Scene", the fanzine section (that name sounds familiar...I was planning on using it...). Arnie Katz’s piece on fandom was a welcome way to begin the section, with news about fandom and faneds in a side column. Very cool, indeed. The next pages feature reviews of nearly every major videogaming ‘zine out there. "X-ing out the Competition" finishes off the issue nicely, and the humorous "Shut Up!" section on the back page is great. Tom’s Above & Beyond is a must-read for faneds and non-faneds alike (especially if they have an interest in videogaming). Pick one up for $2.00. Well worth it, and still more entertaining than those prorags. |
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| Thy Holy Handgrenade #1 | ||
Thy Holy Handgrenade Lester Welsh 4419 Carpenter Avenue Bronx, NY 10470-1417 Price: $3.00 per issue |
Lester definitely takes a different approach to writing a 'zine than most new 'zine editors do. While most try to be a real magazine (like I, in the beginning), it is quite clear that Lester has no such ambitions. Thy Holy Handgrenade is as far from being pro as a 'zine can be. The truth is, THH isn't a videogaming 'zine. I'm not even sure what it is, but it sure is fun to read! Thy Holy Handgrenade is hand-written, and, thankfully, Lester's hand-writing is easy to read and follow across the pages decorated with anime and various other cartoon-like images. While Thy Holy Handgrenade is entirely hand-made (no, really it is!), the writing is top-notch. Lester seems to try to stick to videogaming to some extent, but most of the content seems to be something that would fit into a "misczine." After we get through three introductions by Lester himself (all of which are quite humorous), we find a six page section on Voltron, which I have no interest in, and therefore cannot tell you much about. Remembering his childhood, Senzuri (who contributes) looks back at Scooby-Doo through the next piece, which takes up five pages of THH. It turns out to be an interesting article, even though, as a kid in the '80s, I never watched the particular 'toon much. Senzuri discusses his favorite television shows during the next few pages, with an article about women in videogames following along closely behind. A lengthy, thought-provoking videogame-related article follows. The remainder of Thy Holy Handgrenade is filled mostly with humorous miscellany. Overall, if you're looking to laugh, pickup a copy of THH. It's easily up there with other funny 'zines like Infestation and Video Zone. If you're a fanzine editor looking for new 'zines, be sure to send for a copy. I hear that Lester has recently gotten himself a new computer, so the next issue should look quite a bit different. Thy Holy Handgrenade is different than anything I've read in fandom, but it's definitely worth a look for faneds. |
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| Overkill #23 | ||
Overkill Rick Florey P.O. Box 2671 Bangor, ME 04402 Price: $2.00 per issue |
Overkill has always remained fairly consistant, and that’s a bad thing for some. With each issue having similar content and a nearly identical appearance, it can be a chore just to get yourself through an issue. Nonetheless, if you actually read it, you’ll find that the writing is quite good, although dry at times (something that I shouldn’t be mentioning, with my writing!).
This is one of the better issues of Overkill I’ve read, however. After a short introduction to the issue, Rick begins the “Overkill ‘Zine File”, the fanzine review section. Why a videogame ‘zine has the fanzine reviews before the game reviews, I don’t know, but perhaps it’s a tribute to fandom? Still, one of the sections that I enjoy the most. Each fanzine is given a summary, followed by what Rick liked most about the ‘zine and what he would to to make it even better. While each ‘zine review itself is short, Rick gets his point across very well, and doesn’t waste your time telling you whether he liked the ‘zine overall or not. "The Gamer’s Web" is next, summarizing a few Internet web sites that readers may find interesting, like movie cliches, Batman, Sonic the Hedgehog, or other videogame related sites. While I don’t particularly check these sites out, it’s nice to hear what Rick has to say about each. Next we have a piece by Shane Leonard about Magic: The Gathering. Then, finally, the game reviews! Mega Man 8 makes the cover for this issue of Overkill, and Mike Mignola’s review of the game is very well-written. That’s all though, except for "Rick’s Treasure Chest", which looks back at older games. X-Men: Children of the Atom is this month’s focus. Overkill also reviews movies, which include Batman & Robin, Men in Black, and Hercules this time around. It’s always nice to hear what others have to say about some of these movies. What is enjoyed in a movie is so different from person to person, too, so movie reviews are great. You never seem to read a duplicate opinion. "Lagi’s Lair" is next with such tiny text that you’d think this is the legal colophon page. What is that, six point text? How about running it for two pages to make it easier to read, Rick? "Thought Process" is always very good, with an intelligent look at fandom this time around. I wish there were more articles like this in ‘zines. The "How’re We Doing?" section gives Rick a chance to discuss how to improve Overkill, from other’s comments, but most of the time it ends up sounding more like he’s defending himself. I don’t feel that a faned should have to feel the need to defend himself from critism, like Rick seemed to do in this section, especially with Tom Donoho’s comments. Overall, Overkill is a decent read, but no where near being one of my favorites. It’s tough to tell one issue from the next, and trying to review each issue becomes a real beast-of-a-task. The main problems I found, were the excessive use of the Times typeface, which isn’t too bad normally, but Overkill’s poor print quality makes that font especially difficult to read at times. Also, the size of fonts are often too irregular. If a font ends up too small, perhaps the article should be continued on the next page to make it readible. If it’s too large, shrink it to fit on one page. One section had large text for two pages, and others had tiny text crammed into one page. Why must this be? Small irritations like these make me wish that Rick would look over each ish more before having them printed. It would definitely pay off. Still, Overkill is published regularly, so send for the next issue and form your own conclusions. |
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| Splat! #18 | ||
Splat! Eric Longdin 65 Boxford Street Lawrence, MA 01843 Price: Two (2) 32¢ stamps per issue |
Splat! is sort of an inspiration to me. Because of Eric’s misczine, I’ve decided to form my own in a similar style and fashion. Not Game Mag, but an entirely new fanzine. More on that later... That’s saying a lot though, because there isn’t much that can convince me to do such a thing so easily. In Splat!, the contributors and writers can speak what’s on their mind, and write whatever they want. That’s a very good approach I feel, and makes for a forum that gives Splat! a lot of personality, and keeps it enjoyable from cover to cover. At 32 pages, this issue of Splat! is thicker than most ‘zines out there, and this is probably the largest Splat! thus far, as well. The excellent seven page fandom section probably helps all of this, however, I fail to see Eric’s logic behind those that he interviewed. He interviewed me, Gille (of Gobbledegook misczine), Rick Florey (editor of the videogaming/pop culture ‘zine, Overkill), and Mike Pittaro (who publishes New World Enthusiast, professionally). Firstly, the section is titled "The Changing Face of Electronic Gaming Fandom". That I know of (maybe I’m wrong?), Gille of Gobbledegook isn’t a major part of EG fandom. I’ve seen no reviews of Gille’s ‘zine in other fanzines, so she can’t be trading with many ‘zines. Plus Gobbledegook is a misczine, not an electronic gaming fanzine, so I wouldn’t think that it would be included in a section about EG fandom. Also, Mike Pittaro doesn’t really communicate with anyone in fandom anymore, as he as other things he wishes to do with New World Enthusiast. He doesn’t seem fit for one of the interviewees either, I feel. Why not get some of the more participating people for the article? That’s not to say that any of this is a real problem, because the section was one of the most entertaining of its type that I’ve read in quite some time in a fanzine. Very good. It’s unfortunate that Arnie Katz didn’t respond to Eric’s e-mails about the section, having to be left out. The way Eric prepared this section was excellent, despite the somewhat superflous quibbles that I made above. It begins with a one page piece/comment on fandom, from Eric, followed by a summary of who was interviewed. Each interviewee was given the same questions, but each also had specific questions. The manner in which Eric blends in the specific questions with the general ones was great: he just shuffled them in here and there. Very good work. Other content of Splat! include Eric’s always-good "The Esophogaus Speaks", a great letters-to-the-editor section, a continuation of "Blood Tastes Sweet" and the new "Operation Mindcrime" story. Following this we have an article analyzing Ellen Degeneres’ "coming out" and a couple of other articles with similar subject matter. One article I especially enjoyed was the untitled essay, which was anonymous. I wonder who put that piece together? I wonder if the same individual wrote the poem "This Filth; Mankind" in the "Words of Wisdom" section? Who knows? Finishing up, near the rear of the issue we have reviews of various movies and music, and the always-expected fanzine reviews. Great work, indeed. Splat! is a great ‘zine, especially when you feel that you want to get away from all the gaming-related ones out there. Send Eric a couple of stamps for an issue. I think you’ll thank me. |
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| The Magik #11 | ||
The Magik Willy Kaye 1 South Stuyvesant Drive Wilmington, DE 19809 Price: $1.00 per issue |
The Magik is shaping up pretty well. While Willy’s previous issues were poorly written and designed, his latest, issue 11, is much better, and one of the ‘zines I enjoy reading when I receive a copy. After a new opening editorial format, we have "Random Junk", which complains about the Speed 2 movie and lists several humorous quotes from some of Willy’s favorite television shows. "The Junkpile" follows, being letters from The Magik’s readers. Reviews of a Street Fighter II anime and the movies Batman & Robin and The Lost World. A review of WipeOut XL for the PlayStation is next, and a two-pager on Wild Arms for the PlayStation as well. Some CD reviews are next (evidentally, Willy and I don’t share the same music tastes), and some short (and I mean SHORT!) ‘zine reviews. How about making them longer next ish, eh? I don’t agree with Willy’s "Future Imperfect" article. He debates that N64 games have poor endings. Well, perhaps so, but many PSX and Saturn games have similar endings I think. Besides I don’t play games to finish them, I play them to enjoy playing them. I try to avoid finishing them, actually. Perhaps you should try that, Willy. Maybe you’ll find youself having more fun playing those games! "Things to Come" is next where Willy takes an entire page to tell us what he’d like to do with his ‘zine in future issues. Well, stop talking and start doing! Make some of those goals a reality! The final section "Saban Sentral" is well, ech! Why would I want to read it?! The only things I can think of to improve The Magik, would be better planning. It seems that each issue is just thrown together in some fashion. The titles for the sections should be distinguished more, I feel. "Random Junk", "The Junk Pile", "CD Reviews" and "Short Stuff" just don’t do it for me. Also, I think that The Magik could benefit from a more planned-out visual design, with less hand-drawn art. Not a bad ‘zine, but not an excellent one. It’s kinda in the middle it seems, but I still find myself enjoying the issues. Willy has a nice laid-back writing style, too laid-back sometimes, I feel. The half-size format for this issue was a nice approach, and something that should be continued if it proves not to be too troublesome for Willy (I had some problems half-sizing Game Mag way back whenever). For $1, The Magik is a good ‘zine. Check into it. |
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| Above & Beyond #6 | ||
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From the first time I laid eyes on Above & Beyond, it's always been one of my favorites. Tom's witty, yet serious humor is the best in fandom, and he always manages to put together well-written, errorless issues. This issue presents a color cover, which, in all reality, isn't cheap for a faned to produce, especially considering fanzines are only a hobby. This is money out of Tom's pocket! The head story of Above & Beyond #6 is "Simplicity," a look at simple videogames and why gamers prefer them. This article was quite thought-provoking, and lengthy too. Fortunately, that's not all that Tom has to offer in this large fanzine. After an opening letter to readers, you'll find a five page letter section (with letters from just about every faned out there), an article discussing Tom's favorite places to visit on the Internet, and even a section discussing the difference between the "intelligent" Next-Generation and Intelligent Gamer. More? Well sure! Fanzine awards make an appearance (great scans!) along with fanzine reviews, a contribution from Eric Longdin, and an article titled "The Battle of the Prozines," discussing how each videogame-related prozine should improve (again, great scans!). Tom still manages to fit in a few game reviews, but not so many as to be repetitive. Anything else? Well yes, actually. Above & Beyond features probably the best layout I've seen --- it's wild, yet clean at the same time, and from what I hear it's strikingly similar to Sean Pettibone's In Between the Lines, which I, unfortunately, didn't have the honor of reading. If you're looking for a great 'zine, pick up Above & Beyond. I can find no problems with it! | |
| Game Star #5 | ||
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If I've ever seen some slick paper for a fanzine, it's that of Game Star. In order for the paper to match the layout, however, Editor Mike will need to brush up on his desktop publishing skills. The layout that's there isn't bad, it's just not incredible either. Ignoring layout, you'll find that Game Star is off to a great start, although several things could be improved to make it a more worthwhile read, most importantly, his grammatical usage. If Mike could just settle down and write intelligently, I think we would see a huge jump in quality. Game Star features the usual new faned characteristics, like lots of excitement and exclamation points along with multiple silly phrases. Also, Mike doesn't seem to know the difference between "there" and "their," or "then" and "than." Hopefully, he will work to alleviate these problems in future issues. Several reviews are presented to the reader, but they don't seem to be in any sort of logical order. Super Mario 64 is the final review, but it was given a high rating. I don't really understand the logic behind its placement at the end, but future issues could benefit from more organization. The reviews aren't very clear either. For instance, I didn't learn very much about the games that are reviewed, except for the fact that the reviewer either liked or disliked the game. Let's see more detail! Still, Mike is new to fandom, and hasn't learned the tricks of the trade. Support him by sending your fanzines! | |
| Splat! #15 | ||
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The layout change of issue 15 of Splat! is the largest change since the prior issue, and boy does it look slick. I mean, if you ever became tired of pictures hugging text and squashed headings then you'll definitely notice the difference. I'm not talking a "high-tech" layout like we try to give Game Mag, I'm talking clean and simple. I wonder who Eric's new layout artist is... After a splashy and humorous cover, we have "The Esophagus Speaks," taking place of the standard 'zines opening editorial. This is a full-pager, and all of what Eric discusses seem to be appropriate. Next is a nice letter section (just the right length) and then the articles. Oh boy, the articles... Let's cut to the chase, Splat! is a miscellaneous 'zine, meaning that there is no content for which isn't fit to print. The writers for this issue, which include Amy Federico, Lori Kraus, and Eric himself, all get pretty lively in the topics they discuss. Most seem to be rebuttals on today's society and what beliefs they have. All makes for entertaining reading, and if you can tear yourself from your Nintendo 64 for a minute you just may find yourself deeply immersed in their world of thought. I'm not really sure what all of this means, but I definitely enjoyed Splat!. After the articles are done and gone, we have write-ups on various pop-cultural topics, which include the likes of movies, videogames, music, concerts, fanzines, and poetry. I did mention videogames, and I must let you know that there is only one review, not a slew of them. This isn't a problem by any means --- I'm just pointing out that Splat! is, indeed, a "misczine." Eric's fanzine reviews are definitely some of the best I've read, and the poetry is definitely touching. There was only one problem I could find with Splat!, and that was Eric's ramblings, which often go off into long, confusing sentences. Eric definitely has writing talent, so I'm assuming these are done purposely. Still, Splat! is one of the better 'zines, and the price is definitely right. |
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| Overkill #17 | ||
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It's a bit hard to review issues of Overkill, because each one is very similar, format wise. Overkill is a "misczine" with an emphasis on videogaming. Full page well-written reviews are the standard stuff, and there's always "Rick's Treasure Chest," which looks back at older games. Beyond this there is a page dedicated to Doom and Doom clones (?) and the usual "Thought Process," which, because of the new colophon, I finally know who Mike (the writer of this article) is. About the colophon: Rick says that the last page is the colophon, but it just isn't so. Containing nothing more than the address (and e-mail address) and a few comments, it is the closest thing to a colophon, but fails to provide what most do. How about frequency, price, a list of the staff, and possibly the issue number all in one convenient column? This would make many of us happy. Forgiving this problem for now, we'll look at the remaining parts of the issue. Overkill seems to put stress on fanzine reviews, because they're always in the front of the issue. "The Gamer's Web" is next, which discusses the contents of sites he visits on the World Wide Web. Why are the game reviews after these? No one can argue that fanzine reviews aren't important, but I don't think they should be the first piece in each issue. For those interested, a section dedicated to "Magic: The Gathering" is included, and the reviewed videogames include the likes of Christmas NiGHTS, Fighting Vipers, Sonic 3D Blast, and Virtual On. Also included is "Death by Popcorn," a look a recently released movies, one hundred reasons why Kirk is a better captain than Picard (for Trekkies), a new section titled "How're We Doing?" This section is dedicated to defending himself from criticisms. Seriously, it's nice that Rick takes the time to listen to others' ideas. In concluding, let me make you aware that Overkill probably has one of the worst copy jobs in fandom, but Rick has already explained that he can't do anything about it. Despite these minor problems that Overkill faces, it's a worthwhile read for any serious videogamer, so send for a copy! | |
| Ultra Bit #29 | ||
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Looking for something different? Ultra Bit just may be the place to look. This monthly videogame fanzine is typewritten. The graphics are nice and clear, however, and comparable to those in some of the 'zines with better print quality. It's readable, it's videogame related, and it looks rather nice for being typewritten. The cover story deals with the latest installment in the Mortal Kombat series, Mortal Kombat Trilogy. Other coverage includes that of Street Fighter Alpha 2, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, King of Fighters '95, and the PlayStation version of MK Trilogy as well. Oh wait, there's more. Reviews of six more games plus five movie reviews and six fanzine reviews. Cory has a cool writing flair, and if he would only write longer reviews (or more himself) he would have a top-quality 'zine. As it is, Ultra Bit is thin, especially when compared to some of today's 'zines. There just aren't many 10 page fanzines anymore. How about going to a bimonthly schedule to allow for more information in each issue, or even half-sizing the issues? Both could be quite beneficial, and I doubt many would complain. Bottom line: If you're looking for a change of pace in the fanzines that you read, be sure to give Ultra Bit a try. | |
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