Off the Newsstand: Game Informer Issue 224

In this day and age when you can find any piece of information online, there is not much respect for the physical print media.  Before there was IGN, GameSpot and 1up for all your video game news, reviews, previews and features, many gamers bought magazines for all their gaming needs.  Only a few still loyal gamers still shell out the money to support these great sources of gaming knowledge.  Most people cannot shell out even 5 dollars for magazine that a group of editors put all their effort to make.  It is really sad how cheap people are these days.  So welcome to Off the Newsstand, my way of putting the spotlight on these great magazines that I read each and every month in a little review of sorts.  I have been reading gaming magazines ever since I picked up an issue of Nintendo Power just over 10 years ago.  So let us get started.

Game Informer has built a reputation over the past two years of being the place to find excellent debuts of great games on the horizon.  That reputation continues with this the December issue as Game Informer debuts Rainbow 6: Patriots.  After a three year absence, Team Rainbow is back to tackle a new homegrown threat as Ubisoft Montreal looks to push the envelope and make a military shooter that actually has a compelling and intelligent story.  Game Informer's cover story gives readers a great glimpse at one of the missions in the single-player campaign and also dives into the new homegrown American extremists known as the True Patriots.  Readers will get a little look at what Ubisoft Montreal hopes to do with the multi-player in Patriots.  The other big features in this issue explores the opening 20 levels a four different classes in the Sith faction in Star Wars: The Old Republic and runs down many of the games coming out for the Playstation Vita.  As with every December issue of any gaming magazine, there are an abundance of previews and reviews in this issue of Game Informer.  The most interesting previews belong to Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and the Gears of War 3 DLC known as RAAM's Shadow.  There are a whopping 30 reviews in this issue of Game Informer covering a good number of the games that were released these past two months from Battlefield 3 to Rayman Origins.  To end the magazine, there is a retrospective look at the development at the cult classic PC strategy game, X-Com and a brand new article, which I personally hope becomes a monthly article, called My First Game.  This month looks at the first game made by co-creative director of Dishonored, Harvey Smith's Technosaur.

Overall, the December issue of Game Informer is 136 pages well-written, informative and ultimately enjoyable reading that every serious gamer should read.  The cover story on Rainbow 6: Patriots is just amazing and got me excited to play a game that is close to two years away from release.  Game Informer is hands down the best gaming magazine that you can buy and it is only 6 dollars at your local EB Games.  If you do not want to pay for it, sign it out from your local library.  Just make sure you give Game Informer a chance or you will be missing out on a great magazine.