Class types are all over the world for us to see. From the clothes people wear to the newspapers they read it seems everything we buy or own gives people hints at what we are like. Gaming also has its hierarchy, we have the people who only dip into games rarely, ‘casual’ gamers who seem to just live on a diet of PS2 and EA games and ‘hardcore’ gamers who will own the big three consoles and seek out those little known Japanese games to show off to their mates. It’s not just the games people like to play that might lump them into a category but magazines they read which vary in perceived quality. The Official PlayStation 2 magazine may be a million seller but it isn’t really known for its fair reviews (9/10 for Driver 3, anyone?) and Games-Master may be multiformat but it isn’t exactly full of the stuff you want. ‘Adult’ (not dirty, think ‘mature’) multiformat magazines have come and gone, Arcade tried and failed as well as Total Control both trying to add something different, only Edge has remained in the market with a loyal following of gamers.

The content of the magazine is made of the usual news stories, previews and reviews found in every gaming magazine. News stories mainly focus on the industry as opposed to focusing on any games and a lead story will start off the section, which can range from coverage of game shows to new console development. The news section, while not extensive, is still worthy of a read and adheres to the expectation that many of its readers will seek news out on the Internet seeing as printed news in magazines these days will be a month old by the time it reaches the hands of the consumers. Previews are your regular affair, ranging from double, single and half page spreads that cover a nice variety of games. While Edge gives all the latest detail it also strives to take on critical analysis and will point out any shortcomings rather than ‘bigging’ a game up prior to its release.

As well as those three staples Edge runs a few features in each magazine. The magazine has four regular columnists, Red Eye (who likes to rant about all matter of things which seem off topic but bizarrely linked to gaming), Steven Poole (looking at technology and other aspects of gaming), Toshihiro Nagoshi (the general manager of Sega’s Creative Center Division giving nice insights into the production side of gaming and his liking of alcohol) and the words of Mr Biffo who wrote for the now dead Digitiser on Channel 4s teletext service. Obviously whatever is on the front cover will have a good chunk of the magazine devoted to it. This game be upcoming games (recent examples are Metroid Prime 2 and Halo 2), or reports such as the mod scene or a look into mainstream gaming. Topics are varied and, to its credit, Edge tries to avoid just showcasing one game as the main focus of the magazine and tends to lean towards factual reports. As well as the front cover story there are other reports and features dotted around the magazine. From a look inside developers studios to looking at new consoles and technology in more detail than the news section will allow. This is coupled with a glance back at Edge magazines of the past, an occasional retro review and letters page.

At a price point of £4 per issue and a page total of 130 it can be argued that Edge is on the expensive side. Some issues do have supplements in them and an E3 DVD is bundled in with the magazine but most of the time you will pay for just the magazine. However the quality of the magazine, from the design, content and even the paper it is produced on is worthy of the price tag. Advertisements are also fairly minimal although quite a few pages at the back add as a job paper to industry jobs it manages to sustain Edge’s production costs as the circulation of little over 20,000 does little to buoy the expenses. Content is also usually of a high standard with enough to interest everyone, however, like most game magazines it can suffer the ‘gaming drought’ that happens every summer when E3 has passed until October when the market gears towards Christmas but even then Edge tries to pick out interesting features to write about to make up for lack of reviews or new previews.