Off the Newsstand: Game Informer Issue 227

Between all the games coming out, the Vita launch, the normal weekly posts like On the Download and Bit by Bit and reviews, there has not been many times when yours truly has time to give his insight on the magazines he is reading.  Since the last Off the Newsstand, I have read issue 235 of Electronic Gaming Monthly (the only supposedly monthly magazine that is bi-monthly) and issue 226 of Game Informer.  So I have been busily reading away don't you worry.

While the last Game Informer I analyzed on Off the Newsstand I did not think highly of, Game Informer bounced back with a surprisingly pleasing February issue that had XCOM: Enemy Unknown as the cover story.  So I was interested to see if the March issue would be just as pleasing when I heard that Naughty Dog's newest IP, The Last of Us would be gracing the cover.  Other than the interesting VGA trailer, Naughty Dog has been tight-lipped on The Last of Us.  I thought this cover story would do what the VGA trailer failed to do, get me at least interested in The Last of Us.  Long story short, Game Informer's cover story failed.  Do not get me wrong if you love anything Naughty Dog touches or are already excited for The Last of Us, this cover story will wet your appetite for a bit.  If you did not care beforehand, this cover story will not give you anything to get excited for.  I was more interested in the sidebar about how Naughty Dog was so close to working on a new Jak & Daxter before The Last of Us or the fact that after Uncharted 2, Naughty Dog split into two separate teams (the Uncharted team and the now Last of Us team) than anything about The Last of Us.  I learned more about Darksiders II's gameplay, mechanics and other features in Game Informer's four-page preview than I did about The Last of Us in the ten-page cover story. At least The Last of Us cover story was better than the South Park RPG cover story.  While The Last of Us cover story might have been a little lacklustre, there were plenty of great articles in this issue of Game Informer from the article on the Interactive Achievement Awards (an awards show that actually honours video games unlike a specific Spike-produced awards show) to the return of My First Game this time with Naughty Dog co-founder Evan Wells.

Overall, the March issue of Game Informer is more or less your average issue.  Much like the January issue, the cover story brought could have been a stellar issue down a notch.  Those interested in The Last of Us, this issue is six dollars well spent.  For those not interested, this issue will not convert you into a Last of Us fan, but does warrant at least a read either by signing out of from your local library or reading it at your local Chapters.