GMR began as a secret project hidden inside the electronics store chain Electronics Boutique, emerging in February 2003 as a monthly publication that defied the standard rules of video game journalism. Unlike its competitors which focused on a single platform, this magazine covered both PC and console games under one roof, a rarity that set it apart from the multiconsole magazines of the era. The publication was funded entirely by Electronics Boutique, creating a unique relationship between the retailer and the content creators that would eventually dictate its lifespan. It was sold exclusively within the EB chain of video game stores, meaning that anyone who did not walk through the doors of an EB location could never hold a copy in their hands. The magazine lasted exactly two years, ending with the 25th and final issue in February 2005, which was distributed only to subscribers and never made available on newsstands. The final print run was so limited that even some subscribers never received the last edition, leaving the magazine's end as a quiet whisper rather than a loud announcement.
Minimalist Covers And Thematic Themes
Each monthly issue of GMR featured a minimalist cover art style that stood in stark contrast to the busy, action-packed covers of its contemporaries. The magazine assigned a specific thematic title to every issue, ranging from The Rainbow Issue to The Last Issue, creating a cohesive narrative arc across its short lifespan. The February 2003 launch featured Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball on the cover, marking The First Issue, while the March edition showcased Xenosaga as The Chewy Issue. As the magazine progressed, the themes became more specific and evocative, such as The Metal Issue for Zone of the Enders in April 2003 and The Speed Issue for Auto Modellista in May 2003. By the summer of 2003, the magazine had adopted a strategy of using multiple covers for a single issue, as seen in The Online World issue of August 2004 which featured Everquest 2, Monster Hunter, Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia, and The Matrix Online. The final edition in February 2005 featured Resident Evil 4 and was titled The Last Issue, serving as a somber conclusion to a publication that had once promised to be the future of gaming journalism.The Rating System And The Flame Scale
GMR introduced a unique rating system that challenged the traditional five-star or ten-point scales used by other publications. Reviewers rated games on a scale of 1 to 10, with scores of 9 or 10 considered excellent and 1 to 3 deemed bad. The magazine awarded the GMR Essential Selection logo to all games scoring 10 and some games scoring 9, a distinction that carried significant weight for developers and publishers. In a rare twist, the magazine awarded a score of 0 twice, specifically for Postal² and Ping Pals, signaling a complete rejection of those titles. Alongside the numerical score, reviewers provided a one- or two-word comment that often served as a pun on the game's title, followed by three lines of comparisons labeled Better Than, Not As Good As, and Wait For It. Previewers also utilized a flame scale from 1 to 5 to rate their excitement about upcoming games, though one-flame previews were absent and two-flame previews were rare, indicating that the magazine rarely held back its enthusiasm for the games it covered.