Our group supervisor, Stevie Ward, has been going by her assortment of PC Gamer’s print version and requested what everybody thought was the journal’s greatest cowl of all time. “I’ve to say, it really tends to be video games I do not play”, Stevie stated. She helpfully linked to a gallery of latest points (opens in new tab), and it’s also possible to take a look at our candy subscriber covers on Twitter (opens in new tab), which current a guff-less model of the journal, mild on textual content.
What’s your favourite PC Gamer journal cowl?
Listed below are our solutions, plus some from our discussion board.
Evan Lahti, International Editor-in-Chief: I haven’t got a lot affection for Duke, however the “Come Get Some!” November ’97 concern is the one I most intently affiliate with my time as a PC Gamer reader, though it featured an notorious sport: Duke Nukem Endlessly. I like the splashy function opener within the picture beneath. I nonetheless bear in mind particular person boxouts and advertisements from this concern, just like the absurdly text-heavy “The way in which to a person’s coronary heart is thru 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 depend was at its peak (a bricklike 448 pages on this case), and the problem stays a time capsule from an fascinating second in PC gaming historical past—post-Doom, post-Quake, however pre-EverQuest and Unreal Event, a second when everybody was excited by the chances 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 certainly one of my very own covers, I’ll cheat and select a split-run. We put collectively the ‘Escape Your World’ concern at a degree the place lockdown was actually sporting us all down. I needed to make a difficulty that mirrored that feeling, however in a constructive method—at a time while you could not discover or journey in the true world, we embraced the escapism inherent to video games.
It took a variety of work to discover a option to visualise that. Often we’d 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 target—wonderful 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, displaying off these 4 completely 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 pleased 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 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, considering someday I would be so fortunate to play video games for work.
That stated, I am really going to have to choose the December 2020 concern (#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 could be fairly pleased with that.
Mollie Taylor, Information Author: I’ve a little bit of a tender spot for the Might 2021 concern, because it’s the primary concern the place I acquired to put in writing one thing! It additionally occurs to be the problem that has Genshin Impression on the quilt, fairly probably one of many least PC Gamer covers I’ve ever seen. As an anime and Genshin Impression lover although, it is very Mollie.
The staff is all the time harping on in regards to the Planet Zoo cowl as effectively, which I am certain 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: Difficulty 310 was my first full concern as journal editor—my first concern deciding the sport that may grace the quilt. I needed to make use of the journal as a automobile to have a good time 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 few 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. Pretty much as good because it seems on display screen, the bodily copy is a lot extra vibrant.
We paired the Black Mesa function with an enormous, multi-part retrospective on Half-Life 2—celebrating the truth that the problem got here out throughout the tenth anniversary of Episode 2. The entire thing got here collectively brilliantly, each artistically and conceptually. It stays among the best points I’ve labored on.
Ted Litchfield, Affiliate Editor: I’ll should go together with the Recreation Gods, November 2000, although possibly not for the cowl itself, however what it represents. I used to be about 5 years previous when this concern got here out, and I am unsure if it ever handed by my palms through my older brother. It crops up on Twitter right here and there and I all the time smile once I see it.
That is such a beautiful piece of turn-of-the-millennium enjoyable, from the outfits on show to the titular “Recreation Gods” themselves and the tasks they labored on. Alice, Daikatana, Sigma, and Unreal Event are such an ideal sampling of gaming 22 years in the past, not essentially when it comes to high quality in Daikatana’s case, but it surely undoubtedly brings the vibes. The duvet as an entire represents a time in PC gaming I by no means really skilled for myself, but largely informs my style to today.
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 seemed for magazines older than me. My vote is March 1995, concern 16.
It is exhausting to beat a canopy that enthusiastically tells readers to “GET HIGH!” earlier than introducing a assessment for a flight sim. The pink airplane in opposition to the blue sea is hanging and nearly 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 together with concern 186 of PC Gamer’s US version, April 2009, that includes FEAR 2: Challenge Origin, and extra to the purpose a big, stark picture of an oddly engaging (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 could be to take this insane, murderous, completely terrifying lady—an embodiment of supernatural horror, actually—and make her sizzling. Actually sizzling. And in addition bare. After which use traces like “Alma desires you (to die)” and “Every thing is uncovered in our closing verdict!”
I imply, what have been they considering right here? FEAR 2 is a really completely different kind of shooter than its predecessor (and never almost in the identical league) however there’s completely nothing about it that makes me assume, “Yeah child, it is attractive Alma time!” It is such a weird selection, I am unable to assist however discover it intriguing. Or possibly baffling is a greater phrase for it. Both method, that is a hell of a canopy.
Oh, and by the way in which, Metacritic says we “uncovered” FEAR 2 as a 72% shooter: “FEAR 2 fails to innovate, which might make it merely a decent however forgettable shooter if not for some good scares.” I would say that is just about spot-on.
Stevie Ward, Neighborhood Supervisor: It is superb 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… previous household pictures however for avid gamers… does that make sense?
I am additionally biased however as a result of I used to be the group supervisor for this, it all the time offers me the feels:
mainer: I envy you that you just 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 Laptop Gaming World & Laptop Video games & Technique Plus. However I ultimately 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 am unable to bear in mind any of the photographs, however from those in your hyperlink (opens in new tab), it must be the June 2011 concern, 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 a variety of PCG articles after that due to the controversial ending, but it surely was nonetheless a fantastic 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? Nicely, not juuust due to the video games, however as a result of they have been a couple of of the magazines I used to learn at any time when I took a practice from my hometown to the capital of Norway: Oslo. The trip took about two hours or so, so I simply had sufficient time to learn by the entire journal, to not point out the return ticket to get enthusiastic about enjoying 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 at the least similar to one I used to be considering of, I performed a lot X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter again within the day and was enjoying Jedi Knight a couple of weeks again multiplayer in 2022.
Brian Boru: Essentially the most iconic of these is undoubtedly 2011-09.
The remaining 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 types of mags.
Honorable mentions: 2011-03 Whole Warfare Shogun 2, 2017-11 Half Life, 2013-09 The Indie concern, 2018-10 Metro Exodus, 2012-12 The Way forward for Minecraft, 2018-05 Jurassic World.
theMediaman: As a ’90s gamer, I am keen on the early points.
