Our neighborhood supervisor, Stevie Ward, has been going by way of her assortment of PC Gamer’s print version and requested what everybody thought was the journal’s finest cowl of all time. “I’ve to say, it truly tends to be video games I do not play”, Stevie stated. She helpfully linked to a gallery of recent issues (opens in new tab), and you can even have a look at our candy subscriber covers on Twitter (opens in new tab), which current a guff-less model of the journal, gentle on textual content.
What’s your favourite PC Gamer journal cowl?
Listed below are our solutions, plus some from our forum.
Evan Lahti, World Editor-in-Chief: I haven’t got a lot affection for Duke, however the “Come Get Some!” November ’97 situation is the one I most intently affiliate with my time as a PC Gamer reader, although it featured an notorious sport: Duke Nukem Without end. I like the splashy characteristic opener within the picture under. I nonetheless bear in mind particular person boxouts and advertisements from this situation, just like the absurdly text-heavy “The way to a man’s heart is through his sternum (opens in new tab)” advert for Half-Life that has completely nothing to do with the sport.
This was a second in PC Gamer’s historical past when our web page rely was at its peak (a bricklike 448 pages on this case), and the difficulty stays a time capsule from an attention-grabbing second in PC gaming historical past—post-Doom, post-Quake, however pre-EverQuest and Unreal Event, a second when everybody was excited by the probabilities of on-line gaming, but additionally a time when these imaginations have been outpacing what was playable.
Robin Valentine, Print Editor: Not solely am I going to choose one in every of my very own covers, I’ll cheat and select a split-run. We put collectively the ‘Escape Your World’ situation at some extent the place lockdown was actually sporting us all down. I needed to make a difficulty that mirrored that feeling, however in a optimistic approach—at a time if you could not discover or journey in the true world, we embraced the escapism inherent to video games.
It took plenty of work to discover a option to visualise that. Normally we might all the time try to keep away from a design that did not have a robust central character, however on this case I actually needed the panorama itself to be the main focus—superb digital horizons stretching out earlier than you. And simply to make our lives as tough as potential, we additionally determined it needed to be a cut up run, exhibiting off these 4 totally different worlds.
Big credit score to my artwork editor John Strike for his design work on these—seeing them once more now they really feel like a little bit of a magic trick, to me. It is pretty to have the ability to look again on one thing from that fairly depressing level of the pandemic and really feel happy with what we made occur.
Now, if the remainder of you do not select points I edited too, I am by no means going to speak to you ever once more.
Jacob Ridley, Senior {Hardware} Editor: Flicking again by way of the library of previous PC Gamer covers brings again so many reminiscences of studying gaming mags within the college yard whereas I used to be somewhat child, pondering at some point I would be so fortunate to play video games for work.
That stated, I am truly going to have to choose the December 2020 situation (#350) as my favorite. That was my first cowl story; I even have it framed hanging on the wall in my home. I feel youthful me can be fairly happy with that.
Mollie Taylor, Information Author: I’ve a little bit of a gentle spot for the May 2021 issue, because it’s the primary situation the place I acquired to jot down one thing! It additionally occurs to be the difficulty that has Genshin Influence on the quilt, fairly probably one of many least PC Gamer covers I’ve ever seen. As an anime and Genshin Influence lover although, it is very Mollie.
The workforce is all the time harping on in regards to the Planet Zoo cowl as properly, which I am positive will find yourself making an look in somebody’s reply. It is rather cool, one other one which feels rather less on-brand. Any covers that subvert the stereotypical PC Gamer aesthetic I am completely right here for.
Phil Savage, Editor-in-Chief, UK: Situation 310 was my first full situation as journal editor—my first situation deciding the sport that might grace the quilt. I needed to make use of the journal as a automobile to rejoice the breadth of the PC as a platform, and so I made a decision to take an opportunity. My first cowl sport was going to be a mod.
The factor about mods is they do not essentially have slick idea artwork to make use of. Fortunately, Black Mesa was a remake of Half-Life, a sport with a number of the most recognisable iconography in PC gaming. John Strike, our artwork editor and the key hero of PC Gamer journal, created the superbly textured background, and we spent somewhat additional to pay for a fluorescent Pantone for the lambda image. Nearly as good because it seems to be on display, the bodily copy is a lot extra vibrant.
We paired the Black Mesa characteristic with an enormous, multi-part retrospective on Half-Life 2—celebrating the truth that the difficulty got here out in the course of the tenth anniversary of Episode 2. The entire thing got here collectively brilliantly, each artistically and conceptually. It stays probably the greatest points I’ve labored on.
Ted Litchfield, Affiliate Editor: I’ll must go along with the Sport Gods, November 2000, although possibly not for the cowl itself, however what it represents. I used to be about 5 years outdated when this situation got here out, and I am unsure if it ever handed by way of my arms through my older brother. It crops up on Twitter right here and there and I all the time smile after I see it.
That is such a beautiful piece of turn-of-the-millennium enjoyable, from the outfits on show to the titular “Sport Gods” themselves and the initiatives they labored on. Alice, Daikatana, Sigma, and Unreal Event are such an ideal sampling of gaming 22 years in the past, not essentially by way of high quality in Daikatana’s case, nevertheless it positively brings the vibes. The quilt as an entire represents a time in PC gaming I by no means truly skilled for myself, but largely informs my style to at the present time.
Morgan Park, Workers Author: I wasn’t a lot of {a magazine} reader rising up, however I knew I would discover a winner if I appeared for magazines older than me. My vote is March 1995, situation 16.
It is onerous to beat a canopy that enthusiastically tells readers to “GET HIGH!” earlier than introducing a assessment for a flight sim. The pink aircraft in opposition to the blue sea is placing and virtually distracts from the awkward “It is showtime” textual content over a wavy American flag. To not point out the banger of a demo disc included right here: an early slice of Full Throttle and Mortal Kombat 2? Sick.
Andy Chalk, NA Information Lead: I’ve to go along with situation 186 of PC Gamer’s US version, April 2009, that includes FEAR 2: Mission Origin, and extra to the purpose a big, stark picture of an oddly enticing (and completely unclothed) Alma. This isn’t in any respect what you’d name an correct illustration of the character, and but any person determined that the factor to do can be to take this insane, murderous, completely terrifying lady—an embodiment of supernatural horror, actually—and make her scorching. Actually scorching. And in addition bare. After which use strains like “Alma needs you (to die)” and “Every little thing is uncovered in our ultimate verdict!”
I imply, what have been they pondering right here? FEAR 2 is a really totally different form of shooter than its predecessor (and never practically in the identical league) however there’s completely nothing about it that makes me suppose, “Yeah child, it is attractive Alma time!” It is such a weird selection, I can not assist however discover it intriguing. Or possibly baffling is a greater phrase for it. Both approach, that is a hell of a canopy.
Oh, and by the best way, Metacritic says we “uncovered” FEAR 2 as a 72% shooter: “FEAR 2 fails to innovate, which might make it merely a good however forgettable shooter if not for some good scares.” I would say that is just about spot-on.
Stevie Ward, Neighborhood Supervisor: It is wonderful how the covers actually do seize a time in gaming… going again into the archive and I can actually really feel the way it felt typically, a few of them simply kickstart a bunch of reminiscences of occasions and releases round that point.
It is like… outdated household pictures however for players… does that make sense?
I am additionally biased however as a result of I used to be the neighborhood supervisor for this, it all the time provides me the feels:
mainer: I envy you that you simply nonetheless have room to maintain your PCG Journal assortment. Again within the ’90s I used to save lots of all my month-to-month copies (they usually had many extra pages again them), in addition to these of Pc Gaming World & Pc Video games & Technique Plus. However I finally ran out of room to retailer them, someplace within the center 2010’s (I feel). So, I took all of them to my native Salvation Military Retailer (they really took them again then). I nonetheless want I had them.
I can not bear in mind any of the photographs, however from those in your link (opens in new tab), it must be the June 2011 situation, with Commander Shepard on the quilt for Mass Impact 3. I’ve spent actually tons of of hours within the ME video games through the years, and I used to be so excited for ME3. There have been plenty of PCG articles after that due to the controversial ending, nevertheless it was nonetheless an important sport.
Frindis: I acquired some prints water-sealed and saved in a protected safe location to make use of somewhat James Pond jargon. Diablo 2, Quake, and System Shock 2 are a few of my favourite editions. Why? Properly, not juuust due to the video games, however as a result of they have been just a few of the magazines I used to learn every time I took a prepare from my hometown to the capital of Norway: Oslo. The experience took about two hours or so, so I simply had sufficient time to learn by way of the entire journal, to not point out the return ticket to get enthusiastic about taking part in the demo discs.
Volley: It was the June 1996 Cowl that acquired me my first PC gamer journal buy, nonetheless my favourite.
Mknott: That is actually the identical or a minimum of similar to one I used to be pondering of, I performed a lot X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter again within the day and was taking part in Jedi Knight just a few weeks again multiplayer in 2022.
Brian Boru: Probably the most iconic of these is undoubtedly 2011-09.
The remainder are largely forgettable in a mass of comparable covers on any newsagent journal racks. I assume there are a great deal of gross sales knowledge to help cramming as a lot ‘content material’ as potential onto a canopy, cos that appears to be the overwhelming design selection throughout all kinds of mags.
Honorable mentions: 2011-03 Complete Struggle Shogun 2, 2017-11 Half Life, 2013-09 The Indie situation, 2018-10 Metro Exodus, 2012-12 The Way forward for Minecraft, 2018-05 Jurassic World.
theMediaman: As a ’90s gamer, I am a fan of the early points.
