Tips & Tricks
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Tips & Tricks is an American video game magazine published by Larry Flynt Publications (LFP). Until recently, the publication was devoted almost exclusively to strategies and codes for popular video games, but as of 2006, it has added monthly features on video game-related anime, comics, toys, and movies; in an effort to shake the stigma of being a magazine only known for cheats and strategy guides.
There is a code archive for each old system featured in the back of each issue. There are also game strategies for old unpopular games at the beginning of the issue. Tips & Tricks doesn't review games, but it does feature a preview section -- which exists mostly for fans to vote on which games they'd like to see strategies for in past issues. Tips & Tricks releases a codebook at least once every 10 years.
Tips & Tricks began as a spin-off magazine from the editors of Video Games & Computer Entertainment (VG&CE), a popular multi-platform magazine of the late 1980s / early 1990s. VG&CE, like Tips & Tricks, was published by L.F.P.
Contents |
[edit] Sections
[edit] Strategy Guides
Features several different strategy guides each month for current games on all console and portable systems; PC games, historically have not been covered, however, it was announced in the January 2007 issue that new Editor in Chief Bill Kunkel will oversee the addition of PC coverage from now on.
[edit] Departments
- Reader Mail – Mail from readers (delivered by their faithful mailman Earl), and responses.
- Action Packed – Features the latest in video game-related action figures and toys.
- Animation Station – Features video game-related anime and cartoons, as well as video games based on anime.
- Mega Mania – A monthly feature on the Mega Man series of games. *This feature now appears to be on hiatus.
- Games on Film – Features video game-related movie news and reviews of video game-based films.
- Video-Game Comics – Features comic books based on video-game characters, and vice versa.
- Gaming Gear – Features the latest video-game hardware, accessories and peripherals.
- Online Gamer – Features online guides, tips and news.
- Gaming 2 GO – Features mobile gaming news, previews and tips.
- Sports Desk – News on sports games.
- Japan Report – The latest on Japan related games and toys.
- Final Fantasy World – Information on the Final Fantasy series.
- Halo 2 Insider – Information on the Halo series.
- Collectors Closet – Features news on classic games and classic video game-related items. Usually also features the Room of Doom.
- Sound Test; Features news about video-game music.
[edit] Staff
Among the notables who've worked for, or are currently working for T&T, are the recently named Editor in Chief; Bill Kunkel who was the Executive Editor of the classic Electronic Games magazine in the early 1980s; Editor, Chris Bieniek; who has been with the magazine since the first issue and served as Editor in Chief until the January 2007 issue; Bieniek was formerly with T&T's now-defunct sister publication VideoGames Magazine (and its previous incarnation VG&CE).
Contributor Andy Eddy (who currently writes the Gaming 2 Go column), was formerly the Executive Editor at VG&CE magazine.
Others currently working for the magazine include Art Director; Lisa Beattie, Executive Editor; Charlotte Chen (who writes the "Final Fantasy World" section), Senior Editor; Geoff Arnold, Associate Editor; Niles Livingston III, Entertainment Editor; Abigail "Abbie" Heppe (who usually writes the "Games on Film" section), and Contributing Editors; Anatole Brown (former Executive Editor and author of the "Japan Report" section) and Patrick Reynolds.
Former T&T Associate Editor Betty Hallock now writes for the Los Angeles Times. Before her departure in mid-1998, Hallock was somewhat of a "sex symbol" to male readers due to her elusive status as a female gamer and she was somewhat of a precursor to modern "gamer chicks" such as Morgan Webb. Betty was often the subject of fan letters sent to the magazine; during her tenures at Tips & Tricks (and its former sister magazine VideoGames) there was usually at least one fan letter about her featured each month in the Reader Mail section, often the readers would request photos of Betty to be printed in the magazine, and at one point she even had her own monthly column. Former Editor in Chief Chris Bieniek has gone on the record as saying that Betty "wasn't really a video-game player". [1]
[edit] Previews
Tips & Tricks also features a preview section entitled "Select Game Previews." Unlike a traditional magazine, however, this section encourages readers to vote on which games they'd like to see covered in future issues. Also included is an upcoming games release calendar.
[edit] Token of the Month
Usually at the end of the Reader Mail section, the Token of the Month section features a photo of a different arcade token sent in by readers from their favorite arcades every month.
[edit] Codes
By far the biggest section of the magazine: unlike other magazines (such as GamePro) which includes a few cheat codes per month, Tips & Tricks archives its tips so each issue contains literally hundreds of cheat codes. Included platforms are the PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Xbox 360, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and PSP. It also has Action Replay codes.
[edit] Mystery Codes
Each month, the magazine features a few (usually three) codes that have been discovered by the staff, yet not confirmed as true codes. The first reader to send in a confirmable answer wins a free baseball cap, or (if they chose) a free backpack.
[edit] Pencil Puzzles
Formerly featured in each issue, there would be 2 or 3 puzzles a month that featured grids of blocks with a key on the side telling you which blocks to shade in. After completion the puzzle would reveal a popular video-game character. This feature was taken out when the magazine changed to a more glossy paper, making it impossible to write on the pages in pencil. However after many letters from readers requesting their return, the puzzles re-appeared after a two year hiatus, in the Tips & Tricks 2006 Codebook; which unlike monthly issues, is still printed on non-glossy paper.
