Off the Newsstand: Game Informer Issue 228

Two editions of Off the Newsstand in one week, well that is a first.  Got both issues of EGM and Game Informer on the same day so immediately after I breezed through EGM, I breezed through Game Informer.  The bad part of that breezing through both magazines was that I had nothing to read until this past Tuesday when I got my newest issues of both Nintendo Power and Game Informer.  After an underwhelming March issue of Game Informer, let us see if Game Informer can bounce back with a good April issue.

In short, Game Informer Issue 228 is a better than Issue 227.  It is not the best issue out there, but a solid nonetheless.  With Ubisoft's announcement of Assassin's Creed III releasing this coming October, Game Informer has new protagonist, Connor gracing the two special covers.  While the Assassin's Creed III cover story is a much more informative and a better read than The Last of Us cover story from the last issue, it did nothing to get me excited for the fourth Assassin's Creed game in four years.  Honestly, I was more excited for Assassin's Creed: Revelations after reading Game Informer's cover story back last June than for the newest entry in Ubisoft's cash cow.  Maybe it is franchise fatigue or Assassin's Creed may not  be my cup of tea.  If you are a fan of Assassin's Creed, you will definitely eat up everything that is reveled in Game Informer's good cover story.  If you are not a fan of Assassin's Creed, this issue of Game Informer is packed with good articles.  Some of the articles you can find in this issue are an interview with Mojang's Markus "Notch" Persson, the man responsible for a little indie game by the name of Minecraft, coverage of the D.I.C.E. summit in Las Vegas, a roundtable interview with Marvel Comics' top writers about video games, comics and Avengers vs. X-Men, a look at Zen Studios, makers of hit downloadable game Pinball FX 2 and a interview with the designer of the Flash game tribute to the 8-bit era, Abobo's Big Adventure, Roger Barr.  Those all come with another solid round-up of previews on upcoming games such as Hitman Absolution and Far Cry 3 and reviews on recently released games like SSX and Syndicate.  One article I could personally do without is Game Informer's annual April Fool's tradition, Game Infarcer, a fake magazine within Game Informer.  It will illicit a few laughs here and there, but there are much better ways to use those few pages on a stupid jokes about the gaming industry.  I will say it is funny watching somebody skim through Game Informer only to stumble upon the Game Infarcer article and believe everything on those few pages.

Overall, Issue 228 of Game Informer is a solid issue.  The cover story will only excite fans of the Assassin's Creed franchise, but it is still an enjoyable read.  If you do not enjoy the cover story, the other great articles will more than make up for it.  You will not be disappointed if you pick up Issue 228 of Game Informer at your local book store or library.