Game Informer Hates Nintendo, Pretends it is out of Respect

Filed in archive Features on September 19, 2008

Game Informer Editor Andy McNamara

Most of us get our gaming news from the internet, I assume that is why you are reading this site, among others. But print mags are still a fun read. After all, we need something to do when we're, um, sitting on the can.

But don't read Game Informer if you want news about Nintendo, as it seems in the past year or two the magazine has taken a pronounced anti-Nintendo stance. From comments comparing Wii Sports (the seminal game of this console generation, without question, or at least a darn good time) to a coaster to the simple fact that every single game in the Wii catalogue gets low-balled in the review section, you just can't trust Game Informer to give fair, unbiased reviews about Nintendo products.

The E3 coverage was laughable. Ok, Wii Music (yes, it always comes back to Wii Music...) might not be any good. But don't just tell us it isn't and then make no attempt to tell us why: it got no coverage other than to say they hated it! Also, the way the magazine openly mocks Nintendo in what is supposed to pass as objective coverage is painful. They joked that they'd rather play frisbee with the Wii Sports Resort (the sequel to Wii Sports coming in early 09) disc than play the frisbee game that's included.

This month, editor Andy McNamara decided to defend himself and his magazine in his editor's column. Pompously titled "Nobody's Perfect," Andy says that the dissing of the Big N is out of respect. Oh, OK, got it. So the last year or so of near wall to wall negative coverage, low review scores, non-coverage in general (Wii games just don't get reviewed in some cases) is just because of tough love! Ah! Right on!

Funny thing is that Mr. McNamara states that he gets letters every day complaining about Nintendo's treatment in the magazine. Of course he dismisses this as fanboy fluff. To me, though, those daily letters should be telling him something. Like, you know, maybe they are being unfair?

At the very least, Game Informer needs to expand its Nintendo coverage- after all, Nintendo has a huge fanbase that reads the magazine and it is ill-served by the current meager offerings. Second, it needs to maybe hire on a writer that actually likes what Nintendo brings to the table, while not being a sycophant for the company. This is what makes Electronic Gaming Monthly readable: Jeremy Parish is an intellectually honest writer who genuinely "gets" what Nintendo is doing this time around, without being a pure yes-man.