Beep! Mega Drive magazine
For a brief period in the early 90s, Beep! Mega Drive was home to some of the best magazine cover art you’re likely to come across. A technicolour fever dream of jazz-era influences and abstraction.
Sega Blue Skies
All you really need to know is that the final version of the magazine comes with a series of Sega Blue Skies inspired postcards, which you can use to create your own front cover.
The Al Nilsen interview. Marketing Sega in 90s…
Al Nilsen joined Sega of America in 1989 and was responsible for some of the 16bit era's most memorable campaigns including Sonic 2sday and the iconic Genesis does… what Nintendon’t.
Chris Bieniek interview. From VG&CE to Tips & Tricks
“I can tell you a funny story, though. This was when I really knew our days were numbered..."
A huge thank you to Chris Bieniek - former editor art VG&CE, VideoGames, and Tips & Tricks - for his time and generosity with this interview.
Video Game ads
“That's something that's never brought up in discussions about old video-game magazines. Having a good ad salesperson directly impacted the appeal of your magazine at the newsstand.”
Chris Bieniek from VG&CE magazine on publishing video game magazines in the 90s…
Blue slimes and zines
Maybe my brain is broken, but I think of social media, content and publishing in JRPG terms. In other words, each activity has an associated number of experience points attributed to it. These add up, and in the process they level up this Forgotten Worlds shtick.
Weekly Famitsu. One magazine to rule them all.
For kids growing up in the boondocks, Famitsu was a concept more than it was a physical magazine. It symbolised Japan and the sudden rush of technology that was barreling down the pipeline as the new millennium approached.
Edge magazine. Video game art and design in print.
Edge magazine has been at the forefront of video game magazine layout and design for over 30 years. I spoke to the magazine’s former art director, Andrew Hind.
Every physical PS4 shmup reviewed and rated
The PS4 is home to a huge number of shmups / shooters / STG titles. I decided to rate and review every physical shooter I owned for the system. Because reasons…
A very short history of video game magazines…
Forgotten Worlds issue 4 looks back at a bunch of classic video game magazines, including EGM, CVG, Mean Machines, Super Play, GamePro + more. Here's the abridged history, as told by the people who were there.
Renting (bad) Sega Genesis games back, back in the day
The early days of the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive are littered with the corpses of publishers who put out one of two questionable games and disappeared without a trace.
PlayStation Aesthetic
There’s a very specific 1990s PlayStation aesthetic that’s been lost to history. Let’s call it PlayStation Weird and figure out what happened.
Street Fighter 2 in the suburbs
To grow up in the 90s was to have Street Fighter 2 arcade cabinets scattered across the suburban landscape.
Quality Paper
The weight and quality of a magazine’s paper stock isn’t insignificant. It can impact both the look and feel of a publication, and the reading experience. Let’s take a closer look.
Vaporwave and video games
Vaporwave is our collective hallucination. An idealised version of Japan at a very specific moment in time. It’s the Far East filtered through old video games, anime, manga and magazines.
Cold war kids
The collaboration between the US government and the games industry has been referred to as the ‘military entertainment complex’, and when the Soviet Union disappeared so too did the funding…
The Wil Overton (Super Play) interview
“On the whole Super Play and N64 Magazine were left alone by the suits at Future so we did, pretty much, what we wanted.” Wil Overton talks about his time at Super Play magazine and Future Publishing.
Steve Merrett. The Mean Machines Sega interview
Steve Merrett would go on to edit Mean Machines Sega for several years until its eventual closure in 1997. Which means he has a unique, inside view of Sega’s struggles, EMAP’s operations, and how it all came to a head in the pages of Mean Machines Sega.
Neo Geo - Bigger, Badder, Better
“I am the Game Lord and one of my specialities is to say things that cause havoc, debates, and arguments...” A look back at the Neo Geo Bigger, Badder, Better supplement.
Swords and (review) scales
Guest contributor Darren Hupke looks back at the various reviews scores and scales magazines used back in the day, and drama that ensued.