Perfect 10s
Sega Saturn Magazine
It is difficult to talk about gaming magazines or a childhood that was full of them without accidentally stepping into the nostalgia zone and, almost by default, implying that the current lead medium of games journalism, i.e. YouTube based video pieces, is substandard. However, that is not the intention of this piece. I think the availability of content and the lively nature of online discussion (where it doesn't descend into abuse) is very appealing. Despite my love of magazines I can't ignore the fact that the internet has removed the need for demo disks and VHS promotion videos and that this is a good thing. Gaming is a tech based industry and a love of retro need not mean exclusion of the new.
But I do love magazines. In gaming terms, Edge has been high quality for many years whereas Games TM is now sadly departed. I have a full collection of N64 magazines. I can say that CVG, GamesMaster, Nintendo and Playstation Official, and EGM from the USA have all impacted my gaming life at one time or another. But for me, only one magazine is worthy of a Perfect 10.
On the face of it, Sega Saturn Magazine (SSM) did nothing special. It was designated as the official magazine of the Saturn in the UK, it was perfect bound (nice) and contained the usual mix of news, reviews, letters and features. As was normal in the 90s it provided the odd demo disk, most significantly carrying Christmas Nights (December 1997) and disc one of Panzer Dragoon Saga (an incredible achievement for the May 1998 issue). But SSM did all these things with such care and attention. Every screenshot was handpicked and married to carefully constructed articles with a particular emphasis placed on in-depth features. The result was a beautiful magazine that truly showcases the purity of the Sega Saturn gaming experience.
The magazine also played a perilous game of fulfilling its 'official' status while delivering fiercely independent thought.
The first issue of SSM that I purchased was Issue 3 (pictured) at a time when the Saturn Big 3 (Sega Rally, Virtua Fighter 2 and Virtua Cop) were dropping. Incredibly, at this point in early 1996, SSM was already openly allowing for discussion of the poor commercial performance of the Saturn; reading the letters page of Issue 3 now, along with the put down of Daytona USA in the Sega Rally review, is quite a surprise. This attitude can be seen throughout the 37 issues under both editors (first Sam Hickman and from Issue 12 Rich Leadbetter).
SSM was quick to pull the trigger on Sega's own games when they disappointed, delivering criticism where it was due. "If Sega Touring Car Championship was on your list for Santa this Christmas, I'd cross it off post-haste" declares a review from Issue 26 of what should have been a big release for the system.
With the increasing absence of PAL releases to review, SSM went so far as to review import games and gave advice on how to operate in the import market. For an official magazine, this was unheard of and it's difficult to imagine Sega rejoicing in such consumer friendly pieces. The final five issues all sport the Dreamcast logo on the front cover with splashes inside - a very visible sign that the Saturn was on its way out.
This openness and willingness to treat the readership with respect led to SSM having a strong following. SSM led the gallows humour that pervaded the Saturn community as Sega's black box of tricks rumbled towards its end. The language of the magazine was persistently pithy, witty and tongue in cheek. There were regular put downs for the PlayStation and these were always self-aware; although often born from a genuine belief that Saturn's best trumped PlayStation's best, these were the put downs of not only the underdog but of the beaten party. These put downs have as much in common with Monty Python's Black Knight as anything else.
As the Saturn has become a sought after retro commodity, demand for SSM has never really diminished. As new people discover the Saturn, SSM is still a go to source for tips, cheats, guides and features on the making of cherished games (the Issue 3 Virtua Fighter 2 guide with moves lists is brilliant). There is not very much Saturn literature out there and so high quality scans of SSM do the rounds of the Saturn cultists.
We could talk about how SSM saw a number a great games journalists cross its pages, not least Rich Leadbetter now of Digital Foundry fame, and we could talk about individual issues but instead I prefer to think of the magazine as a whole, an almost biblical presence on the retro scene far greater than the sum of its considerable parts. This was a magazine that captured the spirit of a console and the spirit of a time as well as the community of games players who stuck with it to the end (and far beyond).
SSM is a Perfect 10 of a magazine, it is the greatest games magazine in creation and as long as magazines continue their slow decline, that is a position it will hold in perpetuity. And rightly so.
Sega Saturn Magazine: 10
Keep it perfect bound. Keep it OMG.
The magazine also played a perilous game of fulfilling its 'official' status while delivering fiercely independent thought.
The first issue of SSM that I purchased was Issue 3 (pictured) at a time when the Saturn Big 3 (Sega Rally, Virtua Fighter 2 and Virtua Cop) were dropping. Incredibly, at this point in early 1996, SSM was already openly allowing for discussion of the poor commercial performance of the Saturn; reading the letters page of Issue 3 now, along with the put down of Daytona USA in the Sega Rally review, is quite a surprise. This attitude can be seen throughout the 37 issues under both editors (first Sam Hickman and from Issue 12 Rich Leadbetter).
SSM was quick to pull the trigger on Sega's own games when they disappointed, delivering criticism where it was due. "If Sega Touring Car Championship was on your list for Santa this Christmas, I'd cross it off post-haste" declares a review from Issue 26 of what should have been a big release for the system.
With the increasing absence of PAL releases to review, SSM went so far as to review import games and gave advice on how to operate in the import market. For an official magazine, this was unheard of and it's difficult to imagine Sega rejoicing in such consumer friendly pieces. The final five issues all sport the Dreamcast logo on the front cover with splashes inside - a very visible sign that the Saturn was on its way out.
This openness and willingness to treat the readership with respect led to SSM having a strong following. SSM led the gallows humour that pervaded the Saturn community as Sega's black box of tricks rumbled towards its end. The language of the magazine was persistently pithy, witty and tongue in cheek. There were regular put downs for the PlayStation and these were always self-aware; although often born from a genuine belief that Saturn's best trumped PlayStation's best, these were the put downs of not only the underdog but of the beaten party. These put downs have as much in common with Monty Python's Black Knight as anything else.
As the Saturn has become a sought after retro commodity, demand for SSM has never really diminished. As new people discover the Saturn, SSM is still a go to source for tips, cheats, guides and features on the making of cherished games (the Issue 3 Virtua Fighter 2 guide with moves lists is brilliant). There is not very much Saturn literature out there and so high quality scans of SSM do the rounds of the Saturn cultists.
We could talk about how SSM saw a number a great games journalists cross its pages, not least Rich Leadbetter now of Digital Foundry fame, and we could talk about individual issues but instead I prefer to think of the magazine as a whole, an almost biblical presence on the retro scene far greater than the sum of its considerable parts. This was a magazine that captured the spirit of a console and the spirit of a time as well as the community of games players who stuck with it to the end (and far beyond).
SSM is a Perfect 10 of a magazine, it is the greatest games magazine in creation and as long as magazines continue their slow decline, that is a position it will hold in perpetuity. And rightly so.
Sega Saturn Magazine: 10
Keep it perfect bound. Keep it OMG.
