Forums > MobyGames > MobyRank 2009
Wizo (28759) on 12/24/2008 9:04 AM · Permalink · Report
The release date of the magazine? Major German magazines always come out on the last Wednesday of the month --> Issues 1/2009 came out 26.11.2008 --> 26.11.2008 is the date of the review. I guess your magazines release the same day every month so it's shouldn't be hard to use the exact release date or at least the original month.
Cantillon (76856) on 12/24/2008 9:24 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Wizo wrote--]The release date of the magazine? Major German magazines always come out on the last Wednesday of the month --> Issues 1/2009 came out 26.11.2008 --> 26.11.2008 is the date of the review. I guess your magazines release the same day every month so it's shouldn't be hard to use the exact release date or at least the original month. [/Q --end Wizo wrote--] OK. I'm afraid that might also require a lot of corrections. For example all PC Gameplay (Benelux) reviews, and not only the ones I've added, have a wrong date then.
vedder (70767) on 12/24/2008 12:54 PM · Permalink · Report
I actually would say that's better. It makes it easier to look up the review. It's obvious anyhow that the date isn't 100% accurate when the exact day of the month is missing. Those couple of days don't matter much. And PC-gameplay isn't released on a specific day of the week or month. The January 2009 issue is released today, but the februari 2009 issue is released 30/01/09 which is a friday. And when I miss an issue, there's no way for me to backtrack what day exactly the next issue was released, because I'd need the previous one (and also assume there weren't any delays in the release or anything). Just using the issue date is a much more robust system, which makes sure that all issues are contributed according to the same system, however incorrect that may be.
Wizo (28759) on 12/24/2008 1:43 PM · Permalink · Report
So a new issue is always relased at the end of the previous month (Issue 1/2009 at the end of December)? German magazines are two months ahead and there was a time when different magazines had different issue numbers but were released in the same month and some magazines released more than 12 issues a year. Though it might be easier to look up a review when the issue "date" is used the date of the review is still the date of the magazines release. If you want to add information as accurate as possible, then take the exact date. If you don't know the exact date, take the month the magazine was released in. So for the January Issue of PC Gameplay Dec 2008.
Another point slightly related to the topic: Don't use dates from GameRankings. They are often wrong and how do you think they get their dates when there is no date in the review itself?
vedder (70767) on 12/24/2008 2:13 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Wizo wrote--]So a new issue is always relased at the end of the previous month (Issue 1/2009 at the end of December)? [/Q --end Wizo wrote--]
Yes, for all Dutch/Belgian magazines I know that is the case. But I don't know of a specific date or day of the week. Never noticed such a thing in the 10 years I've had subscriptions, at least.
Also the first time I started entering mobyranks I read on the submission page: "For monthly periodicals, enter the year and month." So that is what I did for all 1725 mobyranks I entered into the database.
formercontrib (157510) on 12/26/2008 2:36 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Wizo: Define "major" magazines ?
I'm to lazy to walk into my cellar to check all my ASM's, Power Play's, Happy Computer's and and and ... but i will take the chance to say: This are popular ("major") german print magazines for me - and those were never released this way. I have a gut feeling that most of them were released at a day in the second week of the month, for the following month (fictive: 13th May 1992 - issue 06/1992).
The few i contributed so far, i did the same way like Lieven, and if you ask me - imho this is the better way, why?
1.) If someone searches the web on popular sites, i'm sure he will find the ISSUE/YEAR no., try this with an exat YY/MM/DD date
2.) I'm in the lucky situation, that i can walk into my cellar, there i find ALL (except special editions) Power Plays, all but a few (about 8-10) ASM's, ALL PC Players ... means: I can check this - imho me senseless information - how many contributors, or even approvers, or admins can say this about themselves ??? ...
(i could have another great scanning session, i think i will never do this because of time (and of the fact that i can read every article whenever i want), because of German copyright laws when making those scans public without permission etcpp., i created a own works-database sheet including all results for my personal needs without conclusions, i'll be able - but that does Moby not accept to send Moby score details for almost 13.000 ASM + Power Play scores minus the existing - without conclusions)
Wizo (28759) on 12/26/2008 1:43 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start joyvalley wrote--]Wizo: Define "major" magazines ?
I'm to lazy to walk into my cellar to check all my ASM's, Power Play's, Happy Computer's and and and ... but i will take the chance to say: This are popular ("major") german print magazines for me - and those were never released this way. [/Q --end joyvalley wrote--] I'm not talking about the good old days. Today PC Games & GameStar, which you could call as today's major magazines, release on the last Wednesday of the month, PC Action a week earlier and CBS a week later. A few years ago the "release date" was the first Wednesday of the month and then began the vicious circle and they tried to release earlier than the competitor and now they are two months ahead. If I remember correctly that applies to some or even most UK and US magazines, too.
Wizo (28759) on 12/26/2008 3:47 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
You do the math. Date of the review is 26.12.2008 --> January issue or February issue - depends on the magazine. But if you own magazines and want to look up reviews, then you probably know when their issue release and so you don't have to spend hours for a research like that. And after all the MobyRank section "is a statistically accurate metric of critical success for a game using a weighted average of normalized rankings from individual critics" and not the database for looking up reviews of your favourite magazine. Though I would like the implementation of some kind of overview for each MobyRank source with information about it, a browser for all their reviews on MobyGames etc.
Cantillon (76856) on 12/26/2008 4:31 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Wizo wrote--]And after all the MobyRank section "is a statistically accurate metric of critical success for a game using a weighted average of normalized rankings from individual critics" and not the database for looking up reviews of your favourite magazine. [/Q --end Wizo wrote--] Yes, you've got a point there. :)
Big John WV (26954) on 12/31/2008 7:43 PM · Permalink · Report
This confuses me a lot, I always thought you put the date printed on the magazine as a reference, especially if someone wants to look them up.
Corn Popper (69027) on 12/31/2008 8:08 PM · Permalink · Report
oh great here come more corrections
Big John WV (26954) on 12/31/2008 8:20 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Corn Popper wrote--]oh great here come more corrections [/Q --end Corn Popper wrote--]
I think I'm just gonna start just sticking to online only anymore, the magazine rankings are so damn confusing. You think you are doing something right and turns out you were doing it wrong the whole time.