I don't remember if I've mentioned this before but I've had a long standing relationship with the post office based on pure animosity. We hate each other, like the mongoose and the cobra, we circle in the dusty desert sun neither foe prepared to strike in the knowledge a fatal strike dealt is a fatal strike received in return. The eternal stalemate of natures enemies. But with my recent status elevated from forum twat to blog and review contributing twat for none other than the illustrious Mick and Derek at That Aussie Game Site I find myself almost skipping to the mail box in the late afternoon to scoop up a review game or code for some latest release title. Last Friday's delivery was a surprising (because I'd completely forgotten I subscribed for it) but wholly welcome copy of the World of Warcraft official magazine.

As I said before the jump, it's pretty good.

It's hefty as well, easily the size of a Cleo or Cosmopolitan, but those gal rags are 80% advertisement pages, thick with cloying perfume sample's and various examples of how to torture yourself with hair removal products. The WoW mag is 100% percent WoW on every page without a single ad any where. Not even an add for another blizzard product or even an add, at least an explicit one, for WoW itself. It would be easy to write off the magazine as a big fat marketing brochure if the article content itself wasn't so meaty.

There's heaps of information on the most recent patches and recently opened content like Icecrown Citadel and the final battle between the Lich King and Sylvanas the banshee, detailed in the wraparound cover image below (which is inserted in the magazine as a poster as well. three or four page articles on arbitrary Warcraft elements like pets and achievements, mid level content covering skills and professions and high level content and strategies for end game raiders and active Arena and Battlegrounds competitors. Even the fluffier pieces like interviews with Blizzard execs and professional gamers are decent slices of journalism good for a read on the bus or bathroom throne. The magazine doesn't try and make a vain attempt to replace the function of websites like Wowwiki or thotbot either and thats a good thing. It's strategy content is mostly made up of suggestions and tactics from people who've run the dungeons and raids rather than blow by blow accounts of what happens. As a magazine for warcraft fans its a pitch perfect tome that has something of appeal to players who've just started or diehards who've been on the wow band wagon for years.

The fact it's really not a marketing booklet and really a fan driven magazine shines through in the fact that anyone who isn't immersed in the sensory deprivation tank of warcraft all ready isn't going to get much out of it. It's not designed to sell you on the game, it doesn't mention once from front cover to back cover that there's a ten day free trial available for the game. It's written for people like me, crazy eyed fans of the game who pine for the day they can roll as a Pandaren Brewmaster, and in that regard the mag is a raging success. The fact it's taken so damn long to come out is troubling, it was supposed to be out for November 2009, lets hope the second issue, which technically should all ready be out, arrives by its promised two months due date.

Check out this for a magazine cover too! When we put out the TAGS print magazine this guy is going to do the art, featuring me in a leather thong and red cape, riding a flying unicorn and wielding a mini gun. You can get a full size image of the cover here if you want it.