Several times over, I have tried and tried to put together a read-a-long that achieves the success that our very own Fourhman does with his Nintendo Power articles.  With issue 200 of Game Informer arriving in my mailbox earlier this week, I decided to put together a new read-a-long series focused on the Game Informer magazine I receive every month.  So without further adieu, let’s get on with the show.

The main focus of this Game Informer is hitting issue 200, a major milestone for any magazine.  Looking back at their bicentennial, Game Informer has all the editors chipping in to select the top 200 games of all time.  Some of the selections are obvious, like Doom and a few Zeldas, but there are a few surprises, like Beyond Good and Evil sneaking in, and Okami making an appearance at #83.  Who makes number one.  Well I can say that I have routinely made fun of the series on several occasions on the podcast, so see what you can guess from that clue.

Along with the 200 games, we also have a huge selection of quotables that can be good or bad depending on who you were.  Some of the great ones include the following:

“What Xbox needs is a slew of high-profile games that console gamers will die for, since I don’t think Dead or Alive 3 or Halo (those amazing titles) will be enough” – Andy, Letter from the Editor, September 2001

“It seems likely that Enter the Matrix will eclipse the success of the motion picture universe it extends from.” – Enter the Matrix cover story, December 2002

“We don’t expect Activision to nickel and dime you for new levels and clothing [in Tony Hawk]” – Microsoft’s J. Allard, September 2002

“I got to see and touch the PSP – I want to rub my balls on it.” – Epic Games Cliff Bleszinski, July 2004

Also, included in the quotes are some of the great quips from some of the worst reviewed games in the 200 issues of Game Informer.  I thought about putting some in here, but they are too good to be spoiled.  There are also a ton of statistics on the breakdowns of the covers from all 200 issues.  Just know that Activision is the most featured publisher, while a solo female on the cover only happened 1.7% of the issues.

Features:

Return of the VGA’s – Bryan Vore takes a look at the evolution of the Spike Video Game Awards, and how they went from being a sham of an awards ceremony, to where they are today.  It was interesting to see how Spike has tried to integrate itself into the gaming community, by creating feature programming like GameTrailers TV and more.  Dollhouse fans will note that there is a nice picture of Eliza Dushku in the article.

Top Ten Games That Almost Were - This months top ten list looks at games that looked like they would be great hits, only to die a quiet death in development hell.  Some of the titles in the list include Thrill Kill, Starcraft: Ghost and Star Fox 2.

Impulse – As always, we get a look at some of the smaller, independent developers that have titles hitting download services, or store shelves.  This month, choices include Joe Danger and Excitebike: World Rally.

Massive – With the release of Aion, the Massive column looks at the ups, downs and uglies that people will find with NCSoft’s new release.  Written by Adam Biessner

All Ages – Foul language plays into this month’s article, where Jeff Cork talks about some of the recent titles that add features to make a violent game a little more playable when it comes to youngsters.  Some titles featured are Brutal Legend and Gears of War 2.

Afterwords – Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 graces this feature, with Vicarious Visions president and co-founder, Guha Bala answering the questions from the Game Informer staff.  They ask about the lack of more alternate costumes, the deviation from the Civil War comic series and more.

Also, there is a feature on Christmas shopping for certain kinds of geeks, with each featuring several items.  My personal favorite was the Sci-fi one that had the Taunton Sleeping back, complete with lightsaber zipper.

Interviews:

Pennn Jillette talks about his recent show that dealt with the controversy surrounding video games.  They also talk about the charity event that is centered around playing their gaming title, Desert Bus.

Danny Bilson is interviewed as he enters his new position and director of core developement at THQ.  Of note is the several mentions of Saints Row 3 development and how well it is going.  Also, is some joking about the is it/is it not in development surrounding a Red Faction sequel.

Previews (highlights):

Bioshock 2 – Talks about the game moving to a period in the early 1970′s.  Also mentions that your character from the first title, Jack, would not survive the Rapture that is seen in the sequel.  – by Annette Gonzales

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks – Features several screenshots from the game, as well as a description of the setup for the title.  – by Dan Ryckert

Gran Turismo 5 – The long awaited title gets a two page preview, with a lot of screenshots.  The talk about the signing of the NASCAR and World Rally Championship, as well as the damage implementation.  Of note is the inclusion of electric vehicles in the title.  Prius + Nuremburg = weird. – by Nick Ahrens

Reviews (highlights):

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 -  9.75 (PS3, 360)
Borderlands – 9.25 (PS3, 360)
Dragon Age: Origins – 8 (PS3, 360)
Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues  – 6.5 (PS3, 360, Wii, PC)

Overall, the review scores were fairly high, but this may have something to do with the number of A Level titles that were reviewed this month.

There you have it, my first attempt at a Read-a-long.  If you like the magazine this month, make sure to head over to www.gameinformer.com and pick up a subscription or of course, you can get it free by entering a Gamestop and signing up for a discount card.  Either way, it was a rather entertaining issue.  I just wish I had the ability to get all of the covers that were used for this issue, as there is a Doom varient, along with two others.

Let me know in the comments what you like and dislike.  And yes, the column will get more refined as I get comfortable with a layout.