Tips & Tricks
Encyclopedia
Tips & Tricks is an American
video game magazine published by Larry Flynt Publications
(LFP). For most of its existence, the publication was devoted almost exclusively to strategies
and codes for popular video games. However, in late 2006 veteran game journalist/designer Bill "The Game Doctor" Kunkel
was hired as a consultant meant to help revitalize the magazine, and served as Editor in Chief for the last nine issues. Kunkel introduced feature articles, got the magazine an e-mail address, MySpace page and an official Web site while continuing to expand the monthly "lifestyle" features on video game-related anime
, comics
, toys, music
and movies
in an effort to shake the stigma of being a magazine only known for cheats and strategy guides.
Following the publication of the August 2007 issue, the magazine was canceled in the wake of discouraging sales and ad support, despite the attempts to revive the franchise. The Codebooks, however, are presently scheduled to continue on a bi-monthly schedule.
A code archive for each current system was featured in the back of each issue. There were also strategy guides/walkthroughs for recent popular games at the beginning of the issue. Tips & Tricks never reviewed games, but did feature a preview section. They were also one of the only video game magazines to publish full release schedules for each current system, in addition to their per-game preview articles. These release lists usually displayed the next year's upcoming games, sorted by month.
Tips and Tricks began as a spin off from VideoGames magazine, which in itself morphed out of VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, a popular multi-platform magazine of the late 1980s/early '90s. VG&CE and VideoGames like Tips & Tricks, were published by LFP following the purchase of A.N.A.L.O.G., ST-LOG and other computer magazines from Lee Pappas in the late '80s.
In June 2007, the entire editorial staff of Tips & Tricks was laid off. All further publications under the Tips & Tricks name will be Codebooks containing strategy guides, features, previews, codes and Pencil Puzzles.
As of August 2009, Tips & Tricks is on newsstands 8 times a year as a Codebook containing strategy guides, features, previews, codes and pencil puzzles.
; 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.
, who was the Executive Editor of the classic Electronic Games
magazine in the early 1980s and was Associate Editor of "VG&CE", and Editor Chris Bieniek, who worked on every issue and continues to serve as Editor in Chief for the bi-monthly Tips & Tricks Codebook. Bieniek was formerly with T&T's now-defunct sister publication VideoGames Magazine (and its previous incarnation VG&CE).
Contributor Andy Eddy
(who wrote the Gaming 2 Go column), was formerly the Executive Editor at VG&CE magazine.
Others who worked for the magazine include Art Directors Lisa Beattie and Ione Jefferies; Executive Editors Charlotte Chen (who wrote the "Pokémon Report" and "Final Fantasy World" columns), Anatole Brown (who wrote the "Japan Report" section and later became a Contributing Editor), Jim Loftus and Wataru Maruyama; Senior Editors Tyrone Rodriguez, Geoff Arnold (who wrote the "Twisting Nether" column), Ara Shirinian (who went on to work at Rainbow Studios), Jason Wilson (who wrote the "Tournament Report" column); and Entertainment Editor Abigail "Abbie" Heppe (who usually wrote the "Games on Film" section) and who is now Games Editorial Manager for X-Play
on G4
.
Contributing Editors Anatole Brown and Patrick Reynolds each wrote one strategy guide each month, in addition to their work on the "Japan Report" and "Download Den" columns, respectively. Patrick also wrote columns about Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Mega Man and Armored Core.
Former T&T Associate Editor Betty Hallock currently 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
, who is now cohost of the show X-Play. 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". http://webpages.charter.net/mneko13/bieniek.htm
After Tips & Tricks
Now in each issue, there would be from 2 to 4 puzzles a month that featured grids of blocks with a key on the side telling you which blocks to shade in.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
video game magazine published by Larry Flynt Publications
Larry Flynt Publications
Larry Flynt Publications, or LFP, Inc., runs the adult entertainment empire founded by Larry Flynt. Founded in 1976, two years after Flynt began publishing Hustler magazine, LFP was originally to serve as the parent company of this magazine....
(LFP). For most of its existence, the publication was devoted almost exclusively to strategies
Strategy guide
Strategy guides are instruction books that contain hints or complete solutions to specific video games. The line between strategy guides and walkthroughs is somewhat blurred, with the former often containing or being written around the latter. Strategy guides are often published in print, both in...
and codes for popular video games. However, in late 2006 veteran game journalist/designer Bill "The Game Doctor" Kunkel
Bill Kunkel (gaming)
Bill Kunkel was the executive editor of Electronic Games Magazine in the early 1980s. More recently, Kunkel was editor-in-chief of Tips & Tricks magazine from January 2007 until August 2007 when it ceased publication...
was hired as a consultant meant to help revitalize the magazine, and served as Editor in Chief for the last nine issues. Kunkel introduced feature articles, got the magazine an e-mail address, MySpace page and an official Web site while continuing to expand the monthly "lifestyle" features on video game-related anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
, comics
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
, toys, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and movies
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
in an effort to shake the stigma of being a magazine only known for cheats and strategy guides.
Following the publication of the August 2007 issue, the magazine was canceled in the wake of discouraging sales and ad support, despite the attempts to revive the franchise. The Codebooks, however, are presently scheduled to continue on a bi-monthly schedule.
A code archive for each current system was featured in the back of each issue. There were also strategy guides/walkthroughs for recent popular games at the beginning of the issue. Tips & Tricks never reviewed games, but did feature a preview section. They were also one of the only video game magazines to publish full release schedules for each current system, in addition to their per-game preview articles. These release lists usually displayed the next year's upcoming games, sorted by month.
Tips and Tricks began as a spin off from VideoGames magazine, which in itself morphed out of VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, a popular multi-platform magazine of the late 1980s/early '90s. VG&CE and VideoGames like Tips & Tricks, were published by LFP following the purchase of A.N.A.L.O.G., ST-LOG and other computer magazines from Lee Pappas in the late '80s.
In June 2007, the entire editorial staff of Tips & Tricks was laid off. All further publications under the Tips & Tricks name will be Codebooks containing strategy guides, features, previews, codes and Pencil Puzzles.
As of August 2009, Tips & Tricks is on newsstands 8 times a year as a Codebook containing strategy guides, features, previews, codes and pencil puzzles.
Strategy Guides
Features several different strategy guides each month for current games on all console and portable systemsVideo game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
; 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.
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 cartoonCartoonA cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
s, as well as video games based on anime. - Mega Mania – A monthly feature on the Mega ManMega Man (series)Mega Man is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the eponymous character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. The series is well-known and comprises well over fifty releases, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately...
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 peripheralPeripheralA peripheral is a device attached to a host computer, but not part of it, and is more or less dependent on the host. It expands the host's capabilities, but does not form part of the core computer architecture....
s. - 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 JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
related games and toys. - Final Fantasy World – Information on the Final FantasyFinal Fantasyis a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
series. - Halo Insider – Information on the HaloHalo (series)Halo is a multi-million dollar science fiction video game franchise created by Bungie and now managed by 343 Industries and owned by Microsoft Studios. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of aliens known as the Covenant...
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.
- The Twisting Nether – News about WoW (World of WarcraftWorld of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
) and tips and tricks relating to the game.
Staff
Among the notables who've worked for T&T were its last Editor in Chief Bill KunkelBill Kunkel (gaming)
Bill Kunkel was the executive editor of Electronic Games Magazine in the early 1980s. More recently, Kunkel was editor-in-chief of Tips & Tricks magazine from January 2007 until August 2007 when it ceased publication...
, who was the Executive Editor of the classic Electronic Games
Electronic Games
Electronic Games was the first video game magazine published in the United States and ran from 1981 to 1994. It was co-founded by Arnie Katz and Bill Kunkel, and is unrelated to the subsequent Electronic Gaming Monthly.-External links:* *...
magazine in the early 1980s and was Associate Editor of "VG&CE", and Editor Chris Bieniek, who worked on every issue and continues to serve as Editor in Chief for the bi-monthly Tips & Tricks Codebook. Bieniek was formerly with T&T's now-defunct sister publication VideoGames Magazine (and its previous incarnation VG&CE).
Contributor Andy Eddy
Andy Eddy
Andy Eddy is an American video game journalist and critic. He currently resides in Redwood City, California.- Biography :Eddy was the executive editor of VideoGames & Computer Entertainment in the late 80s and early 90s, followed by tenure as a senior editor at GamePro magazine...
(who wrote the Gaming 2 Go column), was formerly the Executive Editor at VG&CE magazine.
Others who worked for the magazine include Art Directors Lisa Beattie and Ione Jefferies; Executive Editors Charlotte Chen (who wrote the "Pokémon Report" and "Final Fantasy World" columns), Anatole Brown (who wrote the "Japan Report" section and later became a Contributing Editor), Jim Loftus and Wataru Maruyama; Senior Editors Tyrone Rodriguez, Geoff Arnold (who wrote the "Twisting Nether" column), Ara Shirinian (who went on to work at Rainbow Studios), Jason Wilson (who wrote the "Tournament Report" column); and Entertainment Editor Abigail "Abbie" Heppe (who usually wrote the "Games on Film" section) and who is now Games Editorial Manager for X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
on G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
.
Contributing Editors Anatole Brown and Patrick Reynolds each wrote one strategy guide each month, in addition to their work on the "Japan Report" and "Download Den" columns, respectively. Patrick also wrote columns about Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Mega Man and Armored Core.
Former T&T Associate Editor Betty Hallock currently writes for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
. 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
Morgan Webb
Morgan Ailis Webb is a co-host and senior segment producer of the G4 show X-Play, and host of the show G4 Underground...
, who is now cohost of the show X-Play. 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". http://webpages.charter.net/mneko13/bieniek.htm
After Tips & Tricks
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. The pages between the Previews section and the Codes section contained a month-by-month schedule of releases for the current systems for the next year or so (varied).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.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.Now in each issue, there would be from 2 to 4 puzzles a month that featured grids of blocks with a key on the side telling you which blocks to shade in.