WIDE 4Dalmak's Review of 4diskmags These diskmags are single-handed reviewed by me, Dalmak, and I tell in these following pages my images about these mags... I concentrate mainly on the articles which are without a doubt the main part of a mag. Please do notice that these are MY opinions, you may disagree but please do not argue. I love when someone critises about what you think about something... These are most of the mags released from 3February '941 until today... The points for the mags are represented by the stars. 2 Mystic SCENE TALK Issue 61 3 *1 Well, here we have a ugly mag... :) I don't like Scene Talk at all, they make too much basic mistakes. For example the font, it is just hardly readable. The best part of this mag is the loading picture... Hmm... Should I calm down? First what you can find after the editorials is charts. Without a doubt I can say that this is interesting - and horrible. This is the opinion of modemscene. As they say, 5 or was is 10 voters by mail. I'd say that no-one want's to support this chart, they say that mailscene is dead. The charts are diffrent, meaning the results, then all others. There are diffrences between modem and demo scenes, this is a good provement of it. Atleast I wouldn't put any value on this chart. Made to fill empty pages? Then are the articles, many corners, not too much articles. Technical facts, just few ones about the scene. Personally I find the scene ones most interesting and therefore I find this mag kind of boring. A lot to improve but this mag has it's audience. I'm not part of them... 3 Bronx CEMETARY NEWS Issue 3 2 * * *1 Once there were Eternal. Then it seperated and the results are Cemetary News and Eternal. Two turkish mags, maybe too much...? Cemetary News is a good mag. It is a normal, regular, good mag. It has articles about everything but something, maybe bit more freshness would be needed. Mainly Cemetary News broughs my mind the old Freedom Crack - always around, not on the top. There is nothing wrong with the outlook, it's ok, cliparts are nice. The same routine as Eternal uses so these two turkish mags have more common then just the country. Cemetary News is a mag. It doesn't belong to top but is surely on top 10. Keep going, we also need this kind of mags. May to future be bright. Some of the interviews are pretty neat. 2 Alcatraz COMPASS Issue 1 3 * * * *1 Another proof of how much we need new mags. Maybe just one newcomer out of four will reach this quality but we surely need that one to keep diskmagscene alive. Anyway, Compass is a Alcatraz diskmag. Once they made the McDisk, then rumours said that they make the Disc. Then one day 4t Thieves said that they are making a NEW mag. Well, I laughed... But luckily I was wrong, they really did a new mag, and a good mag too. Compass is a diskmag in the basic meaning of the word. Outlook is very normal, calm blue, and the tune is a normal magsong. Everything looks like a diskmag. But the articles, they are good, which isn't regular. Eventhought the group is same the editors have partly changed, eventhought some of the men behind were also around the McDisk days... Compass mainly lies on Disney's and Mop's shoulders. They have together wrote most of the scene related articles as Macno has done most of the non-scene ones. They have articles about everything, they limit out nothing, but yet the scene ones steal most of the manupanel and that's good. They have some idea and that is new. The writers have some vision about the scene. Especially Mop loves to draw lines between the "real" world and the scene (Groups Images...Advertising...). Analysing and a bit philosophical. Hmm... Is this mag as good as I make it sounds like? Anyway, Upstream, RAW, Sledge, Propa, you have a new possible playmate. A new mag. A good mag. But their amount of writers isn't too big and, as they say, they also try to keep it low. I just hope that their few writers will have the energy to go on because they do have to quality. And hope that it woundn't strike back on limited visions which follows often when few rule the kingdom. And that history wouldn't repeat itself (McDisk...!). Also population behind this seems to be getting out of Alcatraz and this product... (Hi Mop :) 3 Static Bytes EUROCHARTS Issue 24 2 * * * 1The second issue with the new design is clearly much betterlooking than the first one. Also the reason is pretty simple, Facet draw it. Eurocharts has the strongest history of these charts of ours. Static Bytes continued the work of Crusaders and on that they have succeeded. But but, atleast in my opinion The Charts have taken the first position just because of their activity and strong magsection. On one thing no-one beats the Eurocharts - the gallery! The quality of their pictures is very high. Only bad thing is that there are about 5 danes starring on every picture, but who cares - a great gallery. Surely best around. Eurocharts amount of voters is somewhere around 150-200. It is ok, in the same level with The Charts. Their Euronews doesn't have the same credibility as the Crusaders one had. Euronews could be a bit more wide. Some more interviews, maybe Estrups & Co's opinions and few thoughts and not just the same regular competitions and news... Next issue is said to be very diffrent. We shall see. But what I surely hope is that the result are published in txt form just to keep us A500s informed. You could do that, could you...? Nice one. Maybe a bit stagnant. Would have use for some new ideas. But good. 2 Cadaver AGGRESSION Issue 1 3 * * 1A positive surprise. This mag is nothing special. A new one, maybe tomorrows star. Or maybe dead before next month. But they do seem to have the attitude. Not too pretty graphics nor the musics. Routine is normal for a diskmag. Nothing special on the system side. In a way they have a kind of philosofical attitude - "media in the scene" etc. And very much articles about things that have nothing to do with the scene. Don't say too much about them as I don't have too much interest on them. The scene articles are nice. In open letter some really foolish persons talking about swappers and Auswitch (what else... those too really belong together :). Can develope. I hope they shall. A good basis. 3 Balance UPSTREAM Issue 8 2 * * * * 1"The king is dead. Hooray the new queen!" Hmm, I wonder why there is so strong need to put mags into strict list, best first, worst last. Why there has to be number one and the ones that try to be number one? I remember the days when everyone argued which is the best mag around, RAW or Zine. I found that very childish as two of those were never released at the same time. Tell me, is Bill Clinton greater leader that Cesar (ok, that's easy)... Anyway, I hope you got the idea. Two things never seen at the same time can't be compared. Well, that one has nothing to do with anything. At the moment people argue which one is best, RAW of Upstream. Again I ask why. There is enough room for both of them. Eventhought all diskmags are released for the same audience it is very hard to compare those together. Even more stupid I find the need to say point out others weaknesses and therefore trying to get higher. Even that had nothing to do with anything. I suppose we all know the outlook of Upstream. It's ok, not the best but good enough so it doesn't matter. They could anyway make a new one... The articles are, as so often in Upstream, nice. They have as most of the others articles about anything. Wolfman and Cesium have done their jos well. Scenearticles are good. Also their new type of interview, which they carry to the professional magazine type as the interviewer writes most of the staff, works. I just wish that they'd have the energy to do that with more people then just two or tree per issue. Strongest point of Upstream must be the scene ones. They have a huge bunch of scenearticles which mainly are good. As in most of other mags, they have a lot of other articles too. Maybe best. Or second. Upstream has been released quite regulary for ages. 2 Ram Jam THE CHARTS Issue 11 3 * * * 1I still remember the first issues of this chartproduct of Ram Jam. Then everything was horrible, ugly and discusting. But now, just in short period of a year, they have grown up to challenge the Eurocharts for the position one in chartsscene. Well, the startpicture isn't too good neither are the other graphics. Musics are pretty ok. All 3 sections, mag, charts and scenediary are seperated. Afterall the ourlook of this mag isn't good. Picsels don't fit into their places and the neoncolors are anemic. What I do love in The Charts is the magsection. It's way better then the the ones of Eurocharts and European Top 20's (rip). The editors "have a heart" for the scene. They review most of the releases very shortly and give their rewards. I can doubt the right reservers of these awards but mainly they go to the ones who deserve them. Diary is a mixup of news and advertisements and I wouldn't say that it works too well. Nice idea it is, to put news and adverts together, but just doesn't work. Atleast I don't find it interesting to see the adverts while I would like to read news... Or other way around. And the mainpart - the charts. They release this monthly and succeed in that as often as the other ones manage to release every 2nd month. The Charts reactes to changes fast. The amount of voters lies around 150-200, which is about the same amount as Eurocharts have... And that is not too good for the EC. TC could give the possibility to vote for Best 5 so that there wouldn't be so much draws and showing how many point the group/person got would make this much more valuable. Finally they are getting rid of best tools & co - whose atleast I found their biggest mistake throught this year. Very interesting chartmag which has developed a lot from the first issue's. This months one isn't as good as last ones but that is simply because of the scene - releasing monthly gets automaticly influenced by the months sceneactivities. They are ready to do work for this and while continuing the same way the others might get into big problems... 2 Talent 42 Issue 1 3 * * 1As it seems there are yet again quite a lot of new mags pulling up. That is very much indeed positive as most of the old mags seem to be running out of the business or atleast delay a lot. Talent is norweigian and I could say that "poor mans copy of RAW". The outlook is very similar then the bigbrothers one. Without even mentationong the system side... :) They have some really stupid articles about the scene (example: swappertypes) but on the other side for example concentration on Andromeda and interviews have been done well. Only few mags can shake the scene with the first issue. 42 can't, but maybe later, eh? Closing titles... Well well, here we have one mans opinions about most of mags from February to the start of April. On last December we had a climax, if I can use the verb, a lot of mags released just in a short period of two weeks. Now those days are gone but luckily there are mags coming nearly regulary and the diskmagscene, no matter what some claim, is feeling well... What more to say. Support new mags! That is the true... Some say that there are too many new mags. For those persons I can just advice to take a look at March '91, '92 or even '93 Eurocharts on best diskmag. What you can find is names of dead magazines, names from the past. New mags are needed just because the old ones die away sooner or later and someone has to fill the empty places. I remember the first issue of RAW, I remember the first issue of Upstream (or Magbox if you wish to call it so...). Then some talked about overflow on mags as some talk now too. But the leading mags were once newcomers and if there ain't new ones then who is the leader when todays leaders lie down? So, please do support new mags if they seem to deserve it and please do support old mags if they still deserve it... So, support mags, they're needed. ... Dalmak of Stellar ... Espoo, Finland, 11th of April, 1994