Short answers, pulled from the story.
Electronic Gaming Monthly published a hoax about a secret character named Sheng Long in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior. The article claimed players could unlock the character by performing a specific sequence of moves. This prank became the most famous hoax in video game history.
Martin Alessi was the editor of Electronic Gaming Monthly at the time the Sheng Long hoax was published. He wrote the detailed article claiming the secret character existed in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior. The hoax established EGM's reputation for irreverence.
Electronic Gaming Monthly introduced a unique letter grade system in the April 2008 issue. This change replaced the traditional 0 to 10 numerical scale used previously. The new system used grades like Silver, Gold, and Platinum to recognize game quality.
The Platinum Award is the highest honor in Electronic Gaming Monthly reviews. It requires three perfect 10 ratings from the Review Crew. Before 1998, no game had received four 10 ratings, making the award extremely exclusive.
The Review Crew structure in Electronic Gaming Monthly evolved from teams of four to teams of three. Eventually the magazine moved to using single reviewers for most games. This shift coincided with the transition from numerical to letter grades in 2008.