What were the secret ingredients.....(is that an English word?)

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  What were the secret ingredients.....(is that an English word?)

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Author Topic:   What were the secret ingredients.....(is that an English word?)

BIGGEST JIM posted 18-08-2001 12:29 PM GMT
...that made the Zzap-formula so special to all of you (ex-)readers/zzap-aficionados?
On itself, and/or in comparison to the likes of (for example) CU,C+VG,Your 64 etc.?
(I'll mix with the discussion as soon as it starts)
See ya!
ROB
CraigG posted 18-08-2001 01:04 PM GMT
The magazine has a personality *and* was personable. CU was pretty uptight all the way through. C+VG was the same until Rignall edited it.
Andy1 posted 19-08-2001 01:24 AM GMT
So many different 'ingredients' made Zzap what it was. The sense of humour, the honesty - if a game was crap, they TOLD you it was crap and weren't afraid of awarding a game 3% if it deserved it. The relationship between the reviewers (particularly Penn and Rignall), the Oli Frey artwork, even the margins in Zzap were great (I used to love the Rockford/Thingy stuff). There will never be another Zzap.
Bazza posted 19-08-2001 09:45 AM GMT
The magazine's idea of a good game pretty much matched mine throughout the first 60 issues. Thats basically why I kept buying it. I can't remember being dissapointed by following Zzap reviewer advice. The presentation was unique. The covers were fantastic. I never found anything to match it at the time or since (in fact the trash you get nowadays is a joke). I remeber once such piece of naff journalism when a mag (PC one, not sure which) was previewing GP2. They were telling us how smooth the game ran and just how marvellous it looked using the latest 3D Glint accelerator technology and that the Lan multiplayer was amazing. What a load of bollocks. Half the previews you see nowadays make you wnder if they've even seen the product.
leet posted 19-08-2001 01:40 PM GMT
First of all, ZZAP! was made in a time of
releative innocence in the gaming world...
Before a lot of the PR BS was introduced. Also, ZZAP! wasnt published by a big company
like C&VG was, so it had that slightly
amateurish feel ( I don't mean in a bad way!)
Interesting fact: After the first issue of
CRASH was published, EMAP sent Newsfield a
'Congratulations' slip, as if they had published a fanzine...If only they hadnt been
so complacent!
Interesting fact No2: EMAP sold C&VG a few months ago, to Dennis Publishing, so they
no longer deal in gaming titles...C&VG is now 20!
Anyway back to the question....Also programmers like Tony Crowther, Jeff Minter et al were treat like popstars by the C64 fans.....Everything was more innocent then..
and better??!!
CraigG posted 19-08-2001 02:52 PM GMT
'Arcade' was a good recent magazine, almost Zzap-like at times, with enthusiastic editorial staff whose knowledge went back further than Quake III. (In fact, they even mentioned Zzap!64 a few times.) Of course, being a decent magazine, it's now dead...
MtlDty posted 19-08-2001 08:58 PM GMT
Damn I wondered why I hadnt seen Arcade around.. that was a good mag.
Mayhem posted 20-08-2001 12:34 AM GMT
EMAP no longer doing gaming titles? I'll have to go check my issues of NMS (Nintendo Magazine System) to see if that's changed hands cos the last I knew, that was still EMAP based...
leet posted 20-08-2001 08:38 AM GMT
Yeah it was a pity about ARCADE mag....The last issue promised a 'new look' but it never actually returned....However a mag called VIDEO GAMER was launched a couple of months later, and some of the editorial team of ARCADE were there....However VIDEO GAMER only lasted a couple of issues!

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Author	Topic: What were the secret ingredients.....(is that an English word?)
BIGGEST JIM	posted 18-08-2001 12:29 PM GMT ...that made the Zzap-formula so special to all of you (ex-)readers/zzap-aficionados? On itself, and/or in comparison to the likes of (for example) CU,C+VG,Your 64 etc.? (I'll mix with the discussion as soon as it starts) See ya! ROB
CraigG	posted 18-08-2001 01:04 PM GMT The magazine has a personality and was personable. CU was pretty uptight all the way through. C+VG was the same until Rignall edited it.
Andy1	posted 19-08-2001 01:24 AM GMT So many different 'ingredients' made Zzap what it was. The sense of humour, the honesty - if a game was crap, they TOLD you it was crap and weren't afraid of awarding a game 3% if it deserved it. The relationship between the reviewers (particularly Penn and Rignall), the Oli Frey artwork, even the margins in Zzap were great (I used to love the Rockford/Thingy stuff). There will never be another Zzap.
Bazza	posted 19-08-2001 09:45 AM GMT The magazine's idea of a good game pretty much matched mine throughout the first 60 issues. Thats basically why I kept buying it. I can't remember being dissapointed by following Zzap reviewer advice. The presentation was unique. The covers were fantastic. I never found anything to match it at the time or since (in fact the trash you get nowadays is a joke). I remeber once such piece of naff journalism when a mag (PC one, not sure which) was previewing GP2. They were telling us how smooth the game ran and just how marvellous it looked using the latest 3D Glint accelerator technology and that the Lan multiplayer was amazing. What a load of bollocks. Half the previews you see nowadays make you wnder if they've even seen the product.
leet	posted 19-08-2001 01:40 PM GMT First of all, ZZAP! was made in a time of releative innocence in the gaming world... Before a lot of the PR BS was introduced. Also, ZZAP! wasnt published by a big company like C&VG was, so it had that slightly amateurish feel ( I don't mean in a bad way!) Interesting fact: After the first issue of CRASH was published, EMAP sent Newsfield a 'Congratulations' slip, as if they had published a fanzine...If only they hadnt been so complacent! Interesting fact No2: EMAP sold C&VG a few months ago, to Dennis Publishing, so they no longer deal in gaming titles...C&VG is now 20! Anyway back to the question....Also programmers like Tony Crowther, Jeff Minter et al were treat like popstars by the C64 fans.....Everything was more innocent then.. and better??!!
CraigG	posted 19-08-2001 02:52 PM GMT 'Arcade' was a good recent magazine, almost Zzap-like at times, with enthusiastic editorial staff whose knowledge went back further than Quake III. (In fact, they even mentioned Zzap!64 a few times.) Of course, being a decent magazine, it's now dead...
MtlDty	posted 19-08-2001 08:58 PM GMT Damn I wondered why I hadnt seen Arcade around.. that was a good mag.
Mayhem	posted 20-08-2001 12:34 AM GMT EMAP no longer doing gaming titles? I'll have to go check my issues of NMS (Nintendo Magazine System) to see if that's changed hands cos the last I knew, that was still EMAP based...
leet	posted 20-08-2001 08:38 AM GMT Yeah it was a pity about ARCADE mag....The last issue promised a 'new look' but it never actually returned....However a mag called VIDEO GAMER was launched a couple of months later, and some of the editorial team of ARCADE were there....However VIDEO GAMER only lasted a couple of issues!