Mega (magazine)
Encyclopedia
MEGA, subtitled '100% pure Mega Drive' was a monthly magazine, published in the United Kingdom, aimed at users of the Sega Mega Drive and its additions, the Mega CD and 32X. During its time, as one of the main Mega Drive publications, Mega covered the golden age of the Sega Mega Drive; from 1992 to 1995. It went through many changes itself including a re-design in content and layout before being sold onto a rival publisher.
Neil West was given the position of launch Editor of the new Mega Drive magazine. Amanda Cook was drafted in from Amiga Power
to serve as Art Editor. Andy Dyer, who had worked on Nintendo
magazine Total!
, was appointed as Deputy Editor. Paul Mellerick, ex-Sega Force
writer, completed the four person editorial team as Staff Writer.
Thursday 17 September and issue 1 of Mega, cover dated October 1992, appeared on the newsagent stands priced £1.95. Printed on glossy super A4 and put together with a quality front cover and spine; the high production values of Mega were apparent from the start. The familiar format of Mega was evident even in the launch issue. Regular content included 'Mega City', Previews, Reviews, 'Mega Play', 'Arena', 'Mega Mouth' and the, always controversial, 'Top 100' games guide. Cover feature, NHLPA Hockey '93
, was given a huge six page review and gained a 92 percent rating.
By the end of 1993 Neil West had crossed the Atlantic to help launch the well respected US magazine Next Generation Magazine
, holding the title Chief-in-editor. Andy Dyer took over the editor's position and the magazine continued with success, showing a circulation of over 50,000 for the January – June period. However, for reasons unknown to its readers, Future Publishing decided to sell the magazine. The last Mega issue published under Future Publishing was issue 23, cover date August 1994. The event was listed, at a later date, on Future's website history pages.
In August 1994 Mega was now a Maverick Magazine and their first edition was the September 1994 issue, number 24. Already the publisher of rival Mega Drive title Mega Drive Advanced Gaming
, Maverick stated that they wanted to cover the "Mega Drive specific market", having already bought another Mega Drive magazine MegaTech
from EMAP
. The 'Maverick' Mega had the same style and layout as the Future Mega but because the whole staff had, obviously, changed, so had the magazine. The page count was dwindling down every month and it was not too long before the magazine closed.
's first name, Mega used this character to bust PR bluffs and blunders in the Mega Drive marketing world, with hilarious consequences. Busman's Holiday featured a Q&A style interview with people working in the video games industry like musician Rob Hubbard
, EA
Marketing Manager Simon Jeffrey, Games' Tester Danny Curley, GamesMaster
host Dominik Diamond
and a familiar games journalist called Andy Dyer.
, Robert Llewellyn
(Kryten from Red Dwarf
), Pat Sharp
, Andy Crane
and 'The man with the cyber-razor cut' Jimmy of Sega adverts. Discussions would usually involve what they were doing at the moment and occasionally even Sega related stuff. The Pat Sharp interview focused on the heading 'Is Sonic Killing Rock 'n' Roll?'.
and Sonic 2 were given massive six page coverage. Each review had an info panel to the right of the page which included all the game details and ratings. Ratings were given, out of ten, to graphics, sound, gameplay, game size and addiction. The overall score was given as a percentage. Sometimes a second, and third, member of staff would add their 'Not so fast...' box to the review, stating their opinion on the game. Also included in the reviews was a 'Then again..' box, which gave the reader a reminder of previously released games in the same genre.
would be listed lower than usual purely because there was another, better, game in that genre; John Madden Football. Through later issues classic mini reviews and reader's ads were added to the Top 100 section. In issue 23 the Top 100 was given an overhaul and was now just the Top 50 games, of which Sensible Soccer
was now at the top spot.
, Blue Peter
editor Lewis Bronze, Jason Donovan
, Sir Patrick Moore
, Magnus Magnusson
, Kenny Dalglish
and Lloyd Grossman. All correspondence replied back, politely, disagreeing with his views and stating their reasons. Once it was realised to Harold that his efforts were going unheeded he gave up. It was then revealed that Harold S. Bloxham didn't exist after all, it was Neil West and Andy Dyer playing devil's advocate on the game playing scene.
in 1990, becoming deputy editor. He also contributed to several other Future
titles like Commodore Format
, Amiga Format
and Amiga Power
It was during this time that he also appeared many times on games TV shows such as GamesMaster
, co-commentating with host Dominik Diamond on the latest games challenge. Also co-hosted, with Jane Goldman, the Games World
reviews show House of Games broadcast on satellite TV.
Andy Dyer – Deputy Editor (1992–1993); Editor (1993–1994) : Dyer's first break into games journalism came about when he applied for a Staff Writer position for Commodore Format
. His flat mate had noticed the advert for the launch of a new C64
magazine. He continued to work on CF until late 1991.
Paul Mellerick – Staff Writer : Mellerick started writing for Commodore 64
magazine Zzap!64
, but would later move over to newly launched sister title Sega Force
.
Amanda Cook (later Amanda Dyson) – Art Editor : Although her official position was Art Editor, Cook was also credited for the odd review. Started on Amiga Power
as Art Editor in November 1991. Left after July 1992 to help with the launch of Mega. Then left Mega to work on the TV show games magazine GamesMaster
.
Jon Smith – Staff Writer : Moved on from Mega to work on Total Film
. Later held the position of Head of External Development at Codemasters. He then moved to games developer TT Games as Development Director, where he was responsible for the production of LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game.
Josse Bilson – Staff Writer : A Staff Writer on the newly acquired Sega Zone
in 1993. When Future Publishing sold the magazine to Maverick Magazines in early 1994, Bilson moved over to Mega as Staff Writer. Has also appeared on GamesMaster
as a co-commentator during the fourth season. Appeared on GamesMaster in 1994 as co-commentator next to host Dominik Diamond. Later worked on PlayStation Power magazine.
Will Groves – Staff Writer : Groves joined Mega just before it was sold, so never got a real chance to contribute much to the magazine. He became editor of Future Publishing's game website 'gamesradar.com'. Later was promoted to Associate Producer of the CVG online network.
Contributors : Megas credits mast contributed many writers each month. These writers would often contribute uncredited articles and reviews. Through the years these writers included Stuart Campbell, Andy Hutchinson, James Leach, Adam Waring, Richard Longhurst, Trenton Webb, Jonathan Davies and Gary Penn.
History
During the summer of 1992, the then Deputy Editor of Sega PowerSega Power
Sega Power, initially known as S: The Sega Magazine, was a Future publication aimed at the Sega range of consoles, including the Master System, Mega Drive, Game Gear and later on the Mega CD, 32X and Saturn...
Neil West was given the position of launch Editor of the new Mega Drive magazine. Amanda Cook was drafted in from Amiga Power
Amiga Power
Amiga Power was a monthly magazine about Amiga computer games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and ran for 65 issues, from May 1991 to September 1996....
to serve as Art Editor. Andy Dyer, who had worked on Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
magazine Total!
Total!
Total! was a video game magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing. It was published monthly for 58 issues, beginning in December 1991 , with the last issue bearing the cover-date October 1996...
, was appointed as Deputy Editor. Paul Mellerick, ex-Sega Force
Sega Force
Sega Force was an early 1990s publication that covered the Sega console range .-History:...
writer, completed the four person editorial team as Staff Writer.
Thursday 17 September and issue 1 of Mega, cover dated October 1992, appeared on the newsagent stands priced £1.95. Printed on glossy super A4 and put together with a quality front cover and spine; the high production values of Mega were apparent from the start. The familiar format of Mega was evident even in the launch issue. Regular content included 'Mega City', Previews, Reviews, 'Mega Play', 'Arena', 'Mega Mouth' and the, always controversial, 'Top 100' games guide. Cover feature, NHLPA Hockey '93
NHLPA Hockey '93
NHLPA Hockey '93 is a SNES and Mega Drive/Genesis ice hockey game released in December 1992.-Features:Included is a single-game exhibition mode and a playoff mode with the winner of the playoff mode collecting a trophy similar to the Stanley Cup.The game had an NHLPA license but not an NHL license...
, was given a huge six page review and gained a 92 percent rating.
By the end of 1993 Neil West had crossed the Atlantic to help launch the well respected US magazine Next Generation Magazine
Next Generation Magazine
Next Generation Magazine was a video game magazine that was made by Imagine Media publishing company . It was affiliated to and shared editorial with the UK's Edge magazine. Next Generation ran from January 1995 until January 2002. It was published by Jonathan Simpson-Bint and edited by Neil West...
, holding the title Chief-in-editor. Andy Dyer took over the editor's position and the magazine continued with success, showing a circulation of over 50,000 for the January – June period. However, for reasons unknown to its readers, Future Publishing decided to sell the magazine. The last Mega issue published under Future Publishing was issue 23, cover date August 1994. The event was listed, at a later date, on Future's website history pages.
In August 1994 Mega was now a Maverick Magazine and their first edition was the September 1994 issue, number 24. Already the publisher of rival Mega Drive title Mega Drive Advanced Gaming
Mega Drive Advanced Gaming
Mega Drive Advanced Gaming was, as the name suggested, a magazine that focused on the Sega Mega Drive video game console, but would also cover the Mega CD and 32X...
, Maverick stated that they wanted to cover the "Mega Drive specific market", having already bought another Mega Drive magazine MegaTech
MegaTech
MegaTech was a publication from EMAP aimed specifically at the Sega Mega Drive gaming market. The launch editorial consisted of a small team including Paul Glancey and Mark Patterson ....
from EMAP
EMAP
Emap Limited is a British media company, specialising in the production of business-to-business magazines, and the organisation of business events and conferences...
. The 'Maverick' Mega had the same style and layout as the Future Mega but because the whole staff had, obviously, changed, so had the magazine. The page count was dwindling down every month and it was not too long before the magazine closed.
Mega City
Mega City was the games news section where all the Mega Drive news was announced. Also included in this section were features like the Editorial column, 'Q's In The News', 'Bull Durham's World Of PR' and 'Busman's Holiday'. Q's In The News was a list of questions that was printed in the News section. The Mega Drive related questions ranged from easy to hard. There were also five screen grabs from games, which were altered and skewered, from which you had to answer, or guess, what game the shot was from. Mainly because of Bull DurhamBull Durham
Bull Durham is a 1988 American romantic comedy baseball film. It is based upon the minor league experiences of writer/director Ron Shelton and depicts the players and fans of the Durham Bulls, a minor league baseball team in Durham, North Carolina....
's first name, Mega used this character to bust PR bluffs and blunders in the Mega Drive marketing world, with hilarious consequences. Busman's Holiday featured a Q&A style interview with people working in the video games industry like musician Rob Hubbard
Rob Hubbard
Rob Hubbard is a music composer best known for his composition of computer game theme music, especially for microcomputers of the 1980s such as the Commodore 64...
, EA
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
Marketing Manager Simon Jeffrey, Games' Tester Danny Curley, GamesMaster
GamesMaster
GamesMaster was a British television show, screened on Channel 4 from 1992 to 1998, and was the first ever UK television show dedicated to computer and video games.-Origins:...
host Dominik Diamond
Dominik Diamond
Paul Dominik Diamond is a Scottish television and radio presenter and newspaper columnist. He is best known as the original presenter of Channel 4's video gaming programme GamesMaster, as host of The Dominik Diamond Breakfast Show on Xfm Scotland and as a columnist for the Daily Star...
and a familiar games journalist called Andy Dyer.
Interviews
Mega would feature interviews with people who were involved in the video games scene. Celebrity interviews included Dominik DiamondDominik Diamond
Paul Dominik Diamond is a Scottish television and radio presenter and newspaper columnist. He is best known as the original presenter of Channel 4's video gaming programme GamesMaster, as host of The Dominik Diamond Breakfast Show on Xfm Scotland and as a columnist for the Daily Star...
, Robert Llewellyn
Robert Llewellyn
Robert Llewellyn is an English actor, presenter, and writer. He is best known as the mechanoid Kryten in the hit sitcom Red Dwarf, and for his role as presenter of Scrapheap Challenge.-Early career:...
(Kryten from Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
), Pat Sharp
Pat Sharp
Pat Sharp is a British radio and television presenter and disc jockey. In the UK, he is known mainly for his work on the children's television programme Fun House, his former mullet and his radio shows as well as his support of Arsenal...
, Andy Crane
Andy Crane
Howard Andrew 'Andy' Crane is an English television and radio presenter, best known for presenting Children's BBC , amongst many others.-Career:...
and 'The man with the cyber-razor cut' Jimmy of Sega adverts. Discussions would usually involve what they were doing at the moment and occasionally even Sega related stuff. The Pat Sharp interview focused on the heading 'Is Sonic Killing Rock 'n' Roll?'.
Previews and Reviews
Previews and reviews were informative and the layout was clear. Cover featured games like NHLPA Hockey '93NHLPA Hockey '93
NHLPA Hockey '93 is a SNES and Mega Drive/Genesis ice hockey game released in December 1992.-Features:Included is a single-game exhibition mode and a playoff mode with the winner of the playoff mode collecting a trophy similar to the Stanley Cup.The game had an NHLPA license but not an NHL license...
and Sonic 2 were given massive six page coverage. Each review had an info panel to the right of the page which included all the game details and ratings. Ratings were given, out of ten, to graphics, sound, gameplay, game size and addiction. The overall score was given as a percentage. Sometimes a second, and third, member of staff would add their 'Not so fast...' box to the review, stating their opinion on the game. Also included in the reviews was a 'Then again..' box, which gave the reader a reminder of previously released games in the same genre.
Mega Play
Megas tip section was very comprehensive; in total the Tips pages included 'Mega Play' (tips, cheats, codes and more), 'Mega Medic', where readers wrote in about their gaming problems and Mega replied with tips or solutions, and the 'Rip 'n' Tip' section featured in-depth complete guides to popular games.Top 100
The Top 100 was a buyer's guide to the best Mega Drive games. The Top 100 always caused controversy and confusion among many readers. The idea was to list the best games usually by genre, e.g. Joe Montana FootballJoe Montana Football
Joe Montana Football is an American football video game featuring Joe Montana, released in 1991. Since Sega did not secure the rights from the NFL, teams are generically named for US cities and the only non-fictional player in the game is Montana himself....
would be listed lower than usual purely because there was another, better, game in that genre; John Madden Football. Through later issues classic mini reviews and reader's ads were added to the Top 100 section. In issue 23 the Top 100 was given an overhaul and was now just the Top 50 games, of which Sensible Soccer
Sensible Soccer
Sensible Soccer, often affectionately known as Sensi, is an association football video game series which was highly popular in the early 1990s and which still retains a cult following...
was now at the top spot.
| First | Number | Final |
|---|---|---|
| John Madden Football 92 | 1 | Sensible Soccer Sensible Soccer Sensible Soccer, often affectionately known as Sensi, is an association football video game series which was highly popular in the early 1990s and which still retains a cult following... |
| EA Hockey | 2 | Super Street Fighter II Super Street Fighter II is a head-to-head fighting game produced by Capcom originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1993. It is the fourth game in the Street Fighter II sub-series of Street Fighter games, following Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting... |
| Sonic the Hedgehog | 3 | John Madden Football |
| Hellfire Hellfire (video game) is a horizontally scrolling shooter, developed by Toaplan and released by Seismic Software Inc. in 1989. It was released both as an arcade cabinet and as a cartridge for the Sega Genesis.-Story:... |
4 | Virtua Racing Virtua Racing Virtua Racing or V.R. for short, is a Formula One racing arcade game, developed by Sega-AM2 and released in October 1992. Virtua Racing was initially a proof-of-concept application for exercising a new 3D-graphics platform under development, the "Model 1". The results were so encouraging, that... |
| Super Monaco GP 2 | 5 | Sonic 3 |
| Streets of Rage Streets of Rage Streets of Rage, known in Japan as , is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released by Sega in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It is the first installment of the Streets of Rage series which was followed by Streets of Rage 2 and Streets of Rage 3. The game was also converted over to Sega's Game... |
6 | Landstalker Landstalker is an action-adventure video game that was developed by Climax Entertainment originally for the Mega Drive/Genesis. A follow up game called Lady Stalker: Challenge from the Past was released in Japan for the SNES in 1995. The Sega Saturn game Dark Savior is considered its spiritual successor... |
| Quackshot Quackshot QuackShot is a platformer released for the Sega Mega Drive on December 19, 1991. It stars Donald Duck and his three nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie, as treasure-hunters.... |
7 | NBA Jam NBA Jam NBA Jam is a basketball arcade game developed by Midway in 1993. It is the first entry in the NBA Jam series, and was written entirely in assembly language. The main designer and programmer for this game was Mark Turmell... |
| Road Rash Road Rash Road Rash is the name of a motorcycle-racing video game series by Electronic Arts, in which the player participates in violent illegal street races. The game was originally released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, but was ported to several other systems. Six different games were released from... |
8 | Flashback |
| Rainbow Islands Rainbow Islands is a 1987 arcade game developed and published by Taito. The game is subtitled "The Story of Bubble Bobble 2" and is the sequel to Taito's hit game Bubble Bobble from the previous year... |
9 | Mean Bean Machine |
| PGA Tour Golf | 10 | Micro Machines Micro Machines Micro Machines: The Original Scale Miniatures were a line of toys originally made by Galoob in the mid 1980s and throughout the 1990s. Galoob licensed the idea behind Micro Machines from Clem Heeden, a toy inventor from Wisconsin... |
| Sword of Vermillion | 11 | FIFA Soccer |
| Phantasy Star 3 | 12 | Aladdin Aladdin Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland .... |
| Aero Blasters | 13 | Jungle Strike Jungle Strike Jungle Strike is a video game developed and published by Electronic Arts in 1993. It was originally released for the Mega Drive, before being ported to several other systems including an upgraded version for the Amiga... |
| Golden Axe 2 | 14 | Toejam and earl 2 |
| Desert Strike Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf, commonly known as Desert Strike, is a shoot 'em up video game released by Electronic Arts in February 1992 for Sega's Mega Drive. The game was later released on several other formats, including a much upgraded version for the Amiga home computer... |
15 | Chaos Engine |
| Speedball 2 | 16 | Sub Terrania |
| Thunder Force 3 | 17 | F1 |
| Revenge of Shinobi | 18 | PGA Tour PGA Tour The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America... |
| Taz-Mania Taz-Mania Taz-Mania is a American cartoon sitcom produced by Warner Bros. Animation from 1991–1993, broadcast in the United States on Fox from 1991-1995... |
19 | Road Rash 2 |
| James Pond 2 James Pond 2 James Pond 2: Codename RoboCod, also known as Super James Pond, is a platform video game and sequel to James Pond. The game was developed by the same British video game developers as the original game... |
20 | NHL Hockey NHL Hockey NHL Hockey is an ice hockey game by EA Sports. Released in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, it is the first game in the NHL Hockey series.-Features:... |
Mega Mouth
'Mega Mouth' was the letters pages which featured letters from readers. The best letter of the month would be given a prize along with the title 'Mega Star' above their letter, whereas the letter that was deemed unintelligible would be titled with 'Mega Moron'. Also included in these pages were other columns such as 'Excerpts From The Diary Of A Stunt Mega Drive', 'Blagged' and 'The Curious Letters Of Harold S Bloxham', which followed the unsuccessful exploits of imaginary Harold S Bloxham and his crusade against video game nasties and the evil they inflict on our younger generation. His letters were sent out to various celebrities and politicians in the hope that they would agree with his views and join his cause. Letters and replies came back from the likes of Claire RaynerClaire Rayner
Claire Berenice Rayner OBE was an English nurse, journalist, broadcaster and novelist, best known for her role for many years as an agony aunt.-Early life:...
, Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
editor Lewis Bronze, Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...
, Sir Patrick Moore
Patrick Moore
Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS is a British amateur astronomer who has attained prominent status in astronomy as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter of the subject, and who is credited as having done more than any other person to raise the profile of...
, Magnus Magnusson
Magnus Magnusson
Magnus Magnusson KBE was a television presenter, journalist, translator and writer. He was born in Iceland but lived in Scotland for almost all of his life, although he never took British citizenship...
, Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
and Lloyd Grossman. All correspondence replied back, politely, disagreeing with his views and stating their reasons. Once it was realised to Harold that his efforts were going unheeded he gave up. It was then revealed that Harold S. Bloxham didn't exist after all, it was Neil West and Andy Dyer playing devil's advocate on the game playing scene.
Shutdown
Was the back page where the magazine previewed what was to come in the next issue. Also featured the A's in the Back Page, which was the answers to the Q's In The News.Staff
Neil West – Editor (1992–1993) : West worked on Sega PowerSega Power
Sega Power, initially known as S: The Sega Magazine, was a Future publication aimed at the Sega range of consoles, including the Master System, Mega Drive, Game Gear and later on the Mega CD, 32X and Saturn...
in 1990, becoming deputy editor. He also contributed to several other Future
Future Publishing
Future plc is a media company; in 2006, it was the sixth-largest in the United Kingdom. It publishes more than 150 magazines in fields such as video games, technology, automotive, cycling, films and photography. Future is the official magazine company of all three major games console manufacturers...
titles like Commodore Format
Commodore Format
Commodore Format was a British magazine for users of the Commodore 64 home computer. All sixty-one issues of the magazine were produced by Future Publishing. These came towards the end of the machine's commercial life - from October 1990 until October 1995....
, Amiga Format
Amiga Format
Amiga Format was a British computer magazine for Amiga computers, published by Future Publishing. The magazine lasted 136 issues from 1989 to 2000. The magazine was formed when, in the wake of selling ACE to EMAP, Future split the dual-format title ST/Amiga Format into two separate publications...
and Amiga Power
Amiga Power
Amiga Power was a monthly magazine about Amiga computer games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and ran for 65 issues, from May 1991 to September 1996....
It was during this time that he also appeared many times on games TV shows such as GamesMaster
GamesMaster
GamesMaster was a British television show, screened on Channel 4 from 1992 to 1998, and was the first ever UK television show dedicated to computer and video games.-Origins:...
, co-commentating with host Dominik Diamond on the latest games challenge. Also co-hosted, with Jane Goldman, the Games World
Games World
Games World was a British computer games-based television programme, made by Hewland International and broadcast on Sky One each weekday from 1993-98...
reviews show House of Games broadcast on satellite TV.
Andy Dyer – Deputy Editor (1992–1993); Editor (1993–1994) : Dyer's first break into games journalism came about when he applied for a Staff Writer position for Commodore Format
Commodore Format
Commodore Format was a British magazine for users of the Commodore 64 home computer. All sixty-one issues of the magazine were produced by Future Publishing. These came towards the end of the machine's commercial life - from October 1990 until October 1995....
. His flat mate had noticed the advert for the launch of a new C64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
magazine. He continued to work on CF until late 1991.
- Along with fellow Commodore Format editor Steve JarrattSteve JarrattSteve Jarratt is a long-time videogames journalist and magazine editor. He has launched a large number of magazines for Future Publishing, many of which are still published. Magazines he has worked for include:...
, he helped launch the independent NintendoNintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
magazine Total!Total!Total! was a video game magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing. It was published monthly for 58 issues, beginning in December 1991 , with the last issue bearing the cover-date October 1996...
; a video games magazine initially focusing on the current Nintendo consoles NESNintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
and Game BoyGame BoyThe , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, and later SNESSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
and Nintendo 64Nintendo 64The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
. In 1992 Andy, along with Steve Jarratt, produced a paperback book on Nintendo games titled Total 42 - Life, the Universe and Nintendo Games. - He left Total! in the summer of 1992 to become Deputy Editor of Mega. Became editor in late 1993 when Neil West went over to work in the United States.
Paul Mellerick – Staff Writer : Mellerick started writing for Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
magazine Zzap!64
Zzap!64
Zzap!64 was a computer games magazine covering games on the Commodore International series of computers, especially the Commodore 64 . It was published in the UK by Newsfield Publications Ltd and later by Europress Impact....
, but would later move over to newly launched sister title Sega Force
Sega Force
Sega Force was an early 1990s publication that covered the Sega console range .-History:...
.
- Joined Mega as staff writer for the launch issue in 1992 and continued to write for the magazine until its sale to Maverick Magazines in September 1994. He then moved over to work on Amiga PowerAmiga PowerAmiga Power was a monthly magazine about Amiga computer games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and ran for 65 issues, from May 1991 to September 1996....
as staff writer for the October 1994 issue. Mellerick later died of an undiagnosed heart condition at the age of 27.
Amanda Cook (later Amanda Dyson) – Art Editor : Although her official position was Art Editor, Cook was also credited for the odd review. Started on Amiga Power
Amiga Power
Amiga Power was a monthly magazine about Amiga computer games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and ran for 65 issues, from May 1991 to September 1996....
as Art Editor in November 1991. Left after July 1992 to help with the launch of Mega. Then left Mega to work on the TV show games magazine GamesMaster
GamesMaster (magazine)
GamesMaster is a monthly multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom.GamesMaster is the biggest selling multi-format video games magazine in the United Kingdom, outselling its sister publication Edge.-History:The magazine was launched in...
.
Jon Smith – Staff Writer : Moved on from Mega to work on Total Film
Total Film
Total Film is a British film magazine published 13 times a year by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features...
. Later held the position of Head of External Development at Codemasters. He then moved to games developer TT Games as Development Director, where he was responsible for the production of LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game.
Josse Bilson – Staff Writer : A Staff Writer on the newly acquired Sega Zone
Sega Zone
Sega Zone was a Sega orientated publication from Dennis Publishing in the early 1990s. Sega Zone had split from its former multiformat console title Game Zone. The Game Zone title would continue as a Nintendo magazine...
in 1993. When Future Publishing sold the magazine to Maverick Magazines in early 1994, Bilson moved over to Mega as Staff Writer. Has also appeared on GamesMaster
GamesMaster
GamesMaster was a British television show, screened on Channel 4 from 1992 to 1998, and was the first ever UK television show dedicated to computer and video games.-Origins:...
as a co-commentator during the fourth season. Appeared on GamesMaster in 1994 as co-commentator next to host Dominik Diamond. Later worked on PlayStation Power magazine.
Will Groves – Staff Writer : Groves joined Mega just before it was sold, so never got a real chance to contribute much to the magazine. He became editor of Future Publishing's game website 'gamesradar.com'. Later was promoted to Associate Producer of the CVG online network.
Contributors : Megas credits mast contributed many writers each month. These writers would often contribute uncredited articles and reviews. Through the years these writers included Stuart Campbell, Andy Hutchinson, James Leach, Adam Waring, Richard Longhurst, Trenton Webb, Jonathan Davies and Gary Penn.
See also
- Video game journalism
- MagazineMagazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
- Computer and video game industryComputer and video game industryThe video game industry is the economic sector involved with the development, marketing and sales of video games...
- Video game
External links
- Web site pages of Future Publishing
- World Of Stuart; Mega pages. (games journalist Stuart Campbell).