# Do you miss the old skoar?



## Desmond (Mar 2, 2012)

Skoar was the first true gaming magazine I read and had made up a reputation to be the gutsiest magazine around. Despite being on the wrong side of the politically correct spectrum, it had some pretty memorable reviews and articles. Alas, the original Skoar is dead and is now tamed to suit a more mainstream audience, but I will always remember the original Skoar as the harbinger of gaming in India.

What do you say?


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## tarey_g (Mar 2, 2012)

What Skoar ?


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## Desmond (Mar 2, 2012)

You joking right?


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## Sarath (Mar 2, 2012)

I just realised there was a mag called Skoar, bought it and it went out of production since then.


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## Desmond (Mar 2, 2012)

Sad....it was one of the ballsiest magazines I've known. Contained indiscriminate use of expletives, blatant racism and extreme political incorrectness. But the reviews were memorable. I vaguely remember a review of the first generation iphone, where in conclusion the writer wrote something like this:



> So, should you get an iPhone? The answer is no. But what if you see one lying on the road? Still its not worth it, it probably might not have survived the fall. It might actually be a bomb in disguise of an iPhone planted by Al-qaeda to rid the world of apple fanboys (a move I wholeheartedly support).


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## doomgiver (Mar 2, 2012)

i loved gangster granny.
and there was this review of some shitty overpriced speakers, which the writer noted that he'd rather get shafted with a iron rod with spikes rather than listen to the speakers again 

i'll give anyhtign to bring back the crazy magazine


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## Piyush (Mar 2, 2012)

I too miss Skoar too much
I always loved Letters from readers (most of them being funny ), red vs blue and similar comics strips, gangsta granny,....

I want them back


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## Desmond (Mar 2, 2012)

Yeah...even I liked gangsta granny and skoar comics.

I vaguely remember but there was an article about how video games don't cause violence and its stupidity that does by some guy named Nachiketa.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## doomgiver (Mar 3, 2012)

there was this spoof on punisher (i recall from memory)
there was once a guy
his parents were brutally pushed on a metro station
driven mad by vengeance, he vowed to push those who pushed his parents.
now he is back, and he is..... THE PUSHER!!!!


and one on splinter bell (oops, i mean cell :hehe: )
agent samantha jones is out on a mission of importance
the fate of the world depends upon it
will he succeed? will he ring the bell?


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## Desmond (Mar 3, 2012)

I also remember a kid friendly issue, which was completely censored. All gory and horrible scenes were replaced by funny pics and pics of puppies and gangsta granny was completely slacked and in good humour. They had reviewed Elder Scrolls Oblivion, Call of Cthulhu, Dead Rising, etc in that issue.
_Posted via Mobile Device_

Also, in one issue there was a drama consisting of video game characters, including Kratos, The Prince of persia, max payne, the g-man, Gordon Freeman, Master Chief, Sam Fischer, etc.
_Posted via Mobile Device_

I am sad that the new skoar is actually nothing more than an advertorial by Alienware. I want the old skoar back 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Piyush (Mar 3, 2012)

also..the letter of the month
the best I read was "I'm not a beggar"


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## RCuber (Mar 3, 2012)

I read that in one of the DVD's there was a pirated version of some game!! .. is it true?


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## Desmond (Mar 3, 2012)

Charan said:


> I read that in one of the DVD's there was a pirated version of some game!! .. is it true?



Sadly that's true. And not just one, in many.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## doomgiver (Mar 3, 2012)

lol, there was a letter by a guy booyah@yahoo.co.in, he was asking for cracks or pyrated gamez, the guy replying ripped him apart, xD

BRING THE MAG BACK HOME!!!


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## coderunknown (Mar 3, 2012)

Piyush said:


> I too miss Skoar too much
> I always loved Letters from readers (most of them being funny ), red vs blue and similar comics strips, gangsta granny,....
> 
> I want them back



this was my favorite part. letters. and the associated replies  

it once packed in some cracks (call of duty) in one of the DVDs


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## Alok (Mar 3, 2012)

I have some pdf files.....


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## theserpent (Mar 3, 2012)

^^ still today i just thought that skoar was supplementary of digit I never knew it was before a separate book


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## Desmond (Mar 3, 2012)

Kola2842 said:


> I have some pdf files.....



Could you share (don't know if it is legal to ask)



serpent16 said:


> ^^ still today i just thought that skoar was supplementary of digit I never knew it was before a separate book



You don't know what you missed buddy. The real skoar was awesome. The skoar you get now is nothing more than an advertorial for Alienware.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Alok (Mar 3, 2012)

DeSmOnD dAvId said:


> Could you share (don't know if it is legal to ask)



sure, first let some admin confirm if its legit. i'll pm you link after uploading.(on 6/7 march, i'm in collage currently)


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## theserpent (Mar 3, 2012)

DeSmOnD dAvId said:


> Could you share (don't know if it is legal to ask)
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Ohk,I Just started reading tech books in 2010...


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## Extreme Gamer (Mar 3, 2012)

> The skoar you get now is nothing more than an advertorial for Alienware.



I never read the original one, but to this point I'll agree.

A weird thing is that TD behaves like the original did not even exist


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## tkin (Mar 4, 2012)

I want skoar back, with the old writers.

I bought the first copy, lost it when shifting, any links to purchase it?


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## theserpent (Mar 4, 2012)

No wonder i saw best played in alienware....in Skoar.Some books say alienware is just a overpriced config


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## doomgiver (Mar 4, 2012)

it is overpriced. it has to be.
else the company would go bankrupt


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## tkin (Mar 4, 2012)

A MSI os ASUS laptop would blow any alienware out of the water in price vs performance.


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## tarey_g (Mar 4, 2012)

DeSmOnD dAvId said:


> You joking right?


No, the magazine was so sh1tty that no one remembers it, or wants to  . 
Articles had the quality enough to excite 4 year olds. Sorry, but true.


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## theserpent (Mar 4, 2012)

tkin said:


> A MSI os ASUS laptop would blow any alienware out of the water in price vs performance.



+1.Alienware is good if you want to show off,or your buying it for the looks.Nothing else


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## Desmond (Mar 5, 2012)

tarey_g said:


> No, the magazine was so sh1tty that no one remembers it, or wants to  .
> Articles had the quality enough to excite 4 year olds. Sorry, but true.



Looks like we have different tastes then. Too much order is not good for health....need a little chaos to even it out. Skoar was my chaos in the sea of order. For this it will always be in my memory.




Extreme Gamer said:


> I never read the original one, but to this point I'll agree.
> 
> A weird thing is that TD behaves like the original did not even exist



If you read the content of the magazine, you'd know why. Read this blah blah

There was a season of Angry Video Game Nerd in one of the DVD as well.


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## dashing.sujay (Mar 5, 2012)

There are some people nwho say that they won't even pee on Digit! I'm confused till today about their tastes & quality standards. 

btw IIRC I had bought the first issue of Skoar, as I was a regular reader of digit then. But it was available in small cities then, I just came across it in Delhi in 2007 or so I guess. I didn't know its stopped now.


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## Desmond (Mar 5, 2012)

I vaguely remember that there was a review of the first F.E.A.R. which showed a before and after pics of a scene in the game. The before scene was a normal scene and the after was completely chaotic with sparks/explosions everywhere. The caption read "Happy Diwali M***********s".
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## doomgiver (Mar 5, 2012)

^^ **** like this made my day.
i remember laughing my guts out after reading some 'reviews'


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## pramudit (Mar 6, 2012)

i heard about skoar that it was a separate magazine but never saw it...
i think digit should go for magazine+1/2dvd+ft+skoar for every month... i did read some articles of it.on net and they were pawsome....


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## Desmond (Mar 6, 2012)

I feel sad for all you new generation guys. Skoar was a Bi-monthly mag BTW and I used to eagerly wait for the next issue to come. More eagerly than Digit. The editorial staff used to be so bombarded with mails regarding when the next issue is coming that they made their tag line "When its done".

It was not just a gaming magazine IMHO, it was a total guys magazine.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## CarlonSamuels (Jan 9, 2013)

Had a copy lying around given to me by a friend never read it properly 
Just started reading tech mags last year


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## CommanderShawnzer (Jan 9, 2013)

anybody has pdf's on the old skoar? i want to read 
i dont like the alienware advetorial which comes with digit


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## Desmond (Jan 10, 2013)

CommanderShawnzer said:


> anybody has pdf's on the old skoar? i want to read
> i dont like the alienware advetorial which comes with digit



I am not sure but the older digit archives which we used to get as a CD during the early 2000s special issues might have them. I don't have those discs with me now, so I am not sure.

Edit : Does any of you guys have the old Digit archive CDs? Please check if you can find the PDFs for the old Skoars in it.


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## doomgiver (Jan 10, 2013)

let us find any and all copies of skoar that we can find, make a list of them, and upload to a secure location.

who shall volunteer?
i do!


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## Desmond (Jan 10, 2013)

doomgiver said:


> let us find any and all copies of skoar that we can find, make a list of them, and upload to a secure location.
> 
> who shall volunteer?
> i do!



Dude, you are our best hope. I have tons of Digit archive CDs, but I don't have them with me now. Will see when I go home.


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## axes2t2 (Jan 11, 2013)

I had every copy of Skoar and Thinkdigit (2001 - 2008) and IC-Chip (2002 - 2008)

Sold them to raddiwaala.


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## Desmond (Jan 11, 2013)

Do you have the archive CDs at least? You can try checking them out for pdfs of skoar.


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## Innocent Lies (Jan 21, 2014)

Well the old Skoar started after CGW was shut down in India way back when. It was piss poor compared to CGW when it started out but it got better and had a great charm of its own. It felt it was written by guys like you and me with a great sense of humour and some extra Indian tadka on top. The Skoar forums were pretty good too.


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## Piyush (Jan 21, 2014)

Even though I had only 3 issues, I still miss it. Esp that Vixens page


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## Desmond (Jan 21, 2014)

I think it was more than a gaming mag. It was also satirical. I remember reading the review of Dhoom 2 where the characters were rated on how gay they were. Uday Chopra was rated 1, Hrithik 2 and Abhishek Bachchan 3.

I wonder what Bad Jag and folks are up to these days.


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## Desmond (Jan 9, 2015)

An example of an article from the old skoar:

*web.archive.org/web/20080611184035/*www.skoar.com/Story.php?StoryTitle=GunZ&StoryId=1297&GroupId=3



> Most of us like the matrix-styled games, since we're all gullible enough to think that a man in a black suit is cool. And if you’re one of the One and also like online gameplay (read: terrible online gameplay) — Gunz is a game you shouldn’t miss. For the rest of you though, this is strictly optional.
> 
> 
> GunZ Ain't FunZ
> ...


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## axes2t2 (Jan 10, 2015)

The first 5-6 issues were superb after that well.....


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## powerhoney (Jan 10, 2015)

Plus, all the pirated games that they used to distribute illegally!!!  The irony!!!! Ha ha!!!

The jokes been on [MENTION=1]Raaabo[/MENTION] and Digit as a whole ever since!!! Talk about double standards!!!


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## Anorion (Jan 10, 2015)

^please try for constructive criticism. Oh wait, this is fight club. 
the picture you paint is far from the whole story, and just wrong


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## powerhoney (Jan 10, 2015)

^ I calls it as I sees it!!!  Moreover, it's Fight Club!!!


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## Anorion (Jan 10, 2015)

ah. Ok. If you research a bit, or ask around, Im sure you can dig up more about the issues, and you would not have posted all that. Somehow you have gotten the wrong picture, exactly the opposite. Some general facts.

1. Whatever criticisms readers might have had, rest assured that these discussions were obviously more acute internally within the organization.  
2. Skoar! was then not under the aegis of Digit, it had it's own Editor. 
3. At the end of 2007, Jasubhai Digital was acquired by 9.9 Interactive... the management has changed  

While you are free to have your opinions, at least refrain from attacking anyone personally. Can you post any proof of what you have "seen" and your accusations?


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## powerhoney (Jan 10, 2015)

Skoar wasn't under the Aegis of Digit??? Didn't know that!!!  I thought that both of them were sister publications under Jasubhai!!! 

And, anyway, from whichever angle you view the magazine, you can't deny that it was pathetic from the 5th or 6th issue onwards right until its end with Roman Numerals Numbering!!! And, I think some of the people that were working for Skoar were working for Digit too... The reviewers and such...


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## Desmond (Jan 10, 2015)

SKOAR was a separate bimonthly magazine dedicated only to gaming. Its editor was Badri 'BadJag' Narayanan. He made SKOAR into a politically correct man's nightmare. But I used to find them hilarious. 

Also Skoar's art styles were pretty unique. Like that issue that had a retro design and that one issue that was purposely censored to the point that all gore or menacing screenshots were covered with funny or cute pictures.


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## axes2t2 (Jan 10, 2015)

DeSmOnD dAvId said:


> SKOAR was a separate *bimonthly* magazine dedicated only to gaming.



You are being very generous


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## Desmond (Jan 11, 2015)

axes2t2 said:


> You are being very generous



Why do you say that? I know that it was bimonthly.


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## axes2t2 (Jan 11, 2015)

DeSmOnD dAvId said:


> Why do you say that? I know that it was bimonthly.



The issues used to come out more than 2 months apart.


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## Anorion (Jan 11, 2015)

*www.digit.in/forum/technology-news/52161-skoar-forums-hacked.html
enjoy


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## Desmond (Jan 11, 2015)

axes2t2 said:


> The issues used to come out more than 2 months apart.


That's why they ran the tag line "When it's done" because they used to delay sometimes. But officially it's bimonthly.


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## ico (Jan 11, 2015)

No, I don't.


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## $hadow (Jan 11, 2015)

Nope, I certainly not.


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## Raaabo (Feb 9, 2015)

Wait. What? I'm being accused of something? Just ask me stuff directly, I'll tell you what you want to know.


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## doomgiver (Feb 9, 2015)

I miss the old skoar.

it lambasted everything (remember the prince and the "handjob" letter?  )

it was crass, funny and actually useful. how many other "gaming" magazines manage to make you laugh, while actually providing good reevus? none, other than skoar!

bring it back!


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## Desmond (Feb 9, 2015)

Raaabo said:


> Wait. What? I'm being accused of something? Just ask me stuff directly, I'll tell you what you want to know.



I have not accused of anything sir.

But now that you are here, perhaps you could shed some light over what changed between the old politically incorrect Skoar and the new politically correct Skoar and what happened to the former's staff?

Was Badri Narayan fired or something? 

Why did it take so long for JDM/9.9 to take action over the warez on the Skoar discs and/or the magazine content?


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## tkin (Feb 9, 2015)

SKOAR? I vaguely remember something of this name. And a very interesting story in Digg.com (Archive.org is wonderful )

jk, we definitely need a dedicated gaming magazine.


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## Raaabo (Feb 10, 2015)

Not you desmond I saw someone say something earlier and point to a thread that was saying I hacked Skoar or something. 

All I know is many years ago Badjag went nuts and created a gaming mag that was nuts. It was rather childish in my opinion, and we didn't know about the piracy. 

There was no 9.9 involved then. It was JDM, and when the CEO found out about the piracy, it was stopped immediately. 

The children's issue with cartoons on the cover and no abuses was my idea, as a "go so far to the other side that people hate it" kind of idea. 

Skoar went too far, because you can't give kids a free reign to run a magazine, even if it's a gaming magazine. 

Badjag was controlled and told not to abuse and get serious, and he hated that control and left. No firing or anything. 

And as far as I remember, no we didn't hack our own forum, it was a disgruntled freelancer who did so because people were too lazy to patch known flaws or upgrade. That freelancer also reported the piracy to everyone and wikipedia etc, and that was what brought the piracy to the notice of the management. That's what I was told. I was just a Skoar forum user, not even an admin or mod. 

Any other questions? Please ask, don't assume.


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## doomgiver (Feb 10, 2015)

bring back Badjag, i preferred the insulting and childish version of skoar!

if you cant take a simple rape joke without getting your panties in a twist, you;re not man enough.

(all joking aside, how the hell would something like a skoar! joke go too far? were you politically/violently pressured to stop?)


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## Desmond (Feb 10, 2015)

I wonder what he is up to these days. His articles might be foul but they were honest.


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## bssunilreddy (Feb 10, 2015)

Yea I also missed the old SKOAR very much.


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## Raaabo (Feb 11, 2015)

So the current articles are not funny or honest? Does only filth go viral?


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## Desmond (Feb 11, 2015)

I don't know how to put it. But with the Alienware ads everywhere, the current Skoar looks more like a advertorial supplement than an actual mag.

It would probably be better as a standalone mag as before.

Skoar also had some nice columns like Gangsta granny and Skoar comics.


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