Become a Sega Master Force master

If you spent a lot of pocket money on video game magazines back in the ‘0s, then the story of how Mean Machines magazine was divided to become Mean Machines Sega and Nintendo Magazine System should be familiar. It’s not quite so common knowledge however that Impact’s Sega Force Magazine also eventually split into two different …

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The dream team of Dreamcast magazines

EMAP’s Official SEGA Saturn Magazine ceased publication in November 1998, with the last few issues featuring the likes of Godzilla Generations, Sonic Adventure, and other early Dreamcast titles on the cover. It spelled the end of SEGA’s relationship with EMAP – who also held the official Nintendo license at the time – and with SEGA …

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CVG #191 – A Cloud with a silver lining

Computer and Video Games magazine went through several revamps during its 23 year reign. We’d wager that every reader has their own most cherished design, be it from the days when the pages were filled with DIY coding instructions, or when the cassette based formats were slowly dying out, paving the way for the likes …

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Arcade – the “semi-lifestyle” games magazine

I have very fond memories of Arcade magazine, but looking over the 24 issues now, it was a curious beast. As launch editor Matt Bielby put it in his first editorial: “there are two ways of looking at this magazine.” Those were “the culmination of years of videogame mags,” or “the first games magazine to …

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Look and Find Street Fighter II

You can thank the helpful old dears at the charity shop in town for this article – if they hadn’t put this book in their shop window then we wouldn’t have popped in and bought it. Ostensibly ‘Where’s Wally?’ with the Street Fighter II crew, this hardback from 1994 has to be the oddest piece …

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Pubes on a bar of soap: how Microsoft launched the Xbox

With the third Xbox being unveiled this evening, it seems like a good time to look back at how Microsoft approached launching the first – over a decade ago now. The tagline ‘Play More’ is well-remembered, mainly thanks to the Champagne TV ad. The print campaign was just as unusual, but has been largely forgotten. …

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DC-UK: part of Future’s unofficial past

It’s time for another of our regular look backs at a video game magazine of old. This time our incessant rummaging around the attic has unearthed Future Publishing’s unofficial Dreamcast magazine, DC-UK. Word – by which I mean Wikipedia – has it that Sony Computer Entertainment Europe stopped Future Publishing from pitching for the official …

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Become a GamePro pro

GamePro has been in the news recently. Sadly, it hasn’t been for the best of reasons – both the website and magazine were closed down in December. When visiting the GamePro.com now, those expecting gaming news and reviews are instead redirected to the PC World magazine website. The magazine had been struggling for a while …

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The history of Official Nintendo? Go!

Every month Matt pulls a magazine out for under his bed and gives it a fine going over. Stop giggling at the back there – we’re talking about video game magazines. This month: issue 64 of EMAP’s Nintendo Official Magazine from January 1998. The history of the Official Nintendo magazine license has a curious history …

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Video Gamer

Every month Matt pulls a magazine out for under his bed and gives it a fine going over. Stop giggling at the back there – we’re talking about video game magazines. This month: issue 3 of Future’s Video Gamer from January 2001. Video Gamer must have been a huge risk for Future Publishing. Retailing at …

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