Outerlands: Season 1 - Short - Frank Cifaldi's Magazine Collection

BACK THE OUTERLANDS KICKSTARTER

Game preservationist Frank Cifaldi walks us through some highlights of his immense gaming magazine collection including a look at the only English-language review of Super Mario Bros. to run during the launch period of the Nintendo Entertainment System and the first gaming magazine ever printed.

Music: Jim Guthrie and Disasterpeace

Outerlands: Season 1 is a six-part documentary series on the people and culture of videogames. Features music by Jim Guthrie, Disasterpeace, and Virt. With art by Cory Schmitz, David Hellman, and Phil Fish.

From the creators of The 1UP Show, CO-OP, I Am Street Fighter, and GROUNDED: Making The Last of Us.

We want to tell the stories that can't be told anywhere else. Intimate, big, important, heartwarming, funny, and everything in between! Join us at:

@OuterlandsDoc

[Hrizzzz]

Always like it when Frank guests on podcasts. He has incredible knowledge of video game history. Now I see why!

[retrowaretv]

So well shot!  Funny that the new Video Game Years episode (1982 Pt 4) is uploading right now featuring Chris Kohler talking about Electronic Games Magazine

[RogueSahara]

Kay, that collection made my jaw drop. I adore retro game magazines because the reviews are so honest and have nothing else to go by, so they feel more genuine to me. Also, retro game ads make me happy :) 

[bunp]

what a great featurette
its so great to see how far the video game history foundation has come in the 10 years since this video
also the music in this is awesome

[Larry]

I'm kinda like this guy, buy with British gaming magazines.  

I just get a huge kick out everything they got wrong in hindsight.  Like a journo boasting you'd never see Street Fighter II on a Sega console Etc. and them thinking the Game Gear would accept Mega Drive carts.  Also loads of coverage on the much hyped successor to the Mega Drive,   the "Giga Drive".

But the screenshots of never released titles are also awesome.

[kinglonewolf]

I have a small collection of (UK) videogames magazines myself - Official Sega Megadrive mag, Sega Saturn mag, Nintendo Power, with some CV&G (computer and videogames), GamesMaster and others too.
I also have a US Gold gameslist I got directly from them in the early 90's when I was trying to buy some Spectrum games off of them. Those were the days...

Great documentary, can't wait to see the rest :)

[ArtieStrongManMusic]

this guy should start his own YouTube channel specifically doing videos like this. he's passionate and not annoying

[AylonH]

Really cool video! Nice to get a taste of the kind of stuff/quality backers can expect. Good luck with putting together the whole series! 

[peanutismint]

Frank Cifaldi you are one cool dude!! Like a less threatening, less creepy Dwight Schrute. Please don't take that the wrong way. I hope you find somewhere for your collection. Until then - keep up the good work!! 

[theredeye]

Hi it's me, the guy in the video.

[MoonMagicks]

Nice video! I just love the very early Nintendo Powers...those wacky covers are so awesome.

[JAFOpty]

I love these mag...still have my GamePro first issue... Is nice to go back to the day when you had to read these mags to know what was going on....

[dius]

Man I love it! The quality of this stuff is amazing. You guys are amazing.

[graemebuchan]

Great work guys!
I'm particularly proud of my complete EDGE magazine collection :)

[sketchsawyer]

I love Area5. Have for almost a decade now.

[klarthailerion]

Whatever I was able to contribute, if any of it was useable, looks way better and is way more useful in those shelves than in cardboard boxes sitting at the top of a closet.  Good job with that collection, Frank.

[SilentHillHistoricalSociety]

Dude I'm sure if other Bay Area girls are like me they would think that magazine room is fucking awesome. XD

[Weepninnybong]

Nice Frank.  With Mike right there, something tells me there's gonna be a visit to dungeon soon.

[Psmitty]

I love classic gaming magazines. I have a nearly complete collection of Game Fan. just missing the very first issue, but it goes for like $150, lol.   I've got a complete collection of Next-Generation magazine. I saw that in the video. I've got a ton of EGM's, and Game Players and Game Pro's, etc, etc.  I almost think that looking back at those classic mags, transports me back to the early 90's better than playing the actual games...  I know it sounds crazy, but those games will take you back to the time and place in which the games actually came out, and you can appreciate those classic games so much more if you're aware of the kind of games they were competing with at the time. The game might seem lame now, but it could have been a sensational game back in it's time.

[cstern]

"You like video game magazines, right?"