The UK Sega Saturn Magazine
David Dorn
This, IMHO, is one fine publication. I don't think anyone has mentioned
it here. Why? You might think, cause it's SS dedicated, that their
reviews suck your bobo by delivering glossy fare but they don't. Plus
the info on future games and codes are indispensable. Sure, I get this
stuff off the net but when my desk looks like a detonated paper bomb,
I need something to help me organize the SS stuff --SS Mag - clean,
neat, and easy to store.
opinions welcome
peace
worf
P.S. Do they have a website? I couldn't find one.
Gordon Jackson
In article <5fm1qu$2r...@mars.online.uleth.ca>,
dor...@hg.uleth.ca (David Dorn) wrote:
>This, IMHO, is one fine publication. I don't think anyone has mentioned
>it here. Why? You might think, cause it's SS dedicated, that their
>reviews suck your bobo by delivering glossy fare but they don't. Plus
>the info on future games and codes are indispensable. Sure, I get this
>stuff off the net but when my desk looks like a detonated paper bomb,
>I need something to help me organize the SS stuff --SS Mag - clean,
>neat, and easy to store.
>
>opinions welcome
>
about, it's just that when I see the word "Official" I tend to get a bit wary,
the news sections are good, but how many showcase's can one game get? I
remember Sega Rally had about 3 before the review turns up, generally I like
the mag but I buy it rather sporadically (Victoria to Brighton train journey
tonight, so I'll probably pick up a copy)
Is it just me or does every machine specific magazine find the need to slag
off rival platforms? This is one of reasons I liked MAXIMUM when it was around
jack...@nca.bbc.co.uk The view expressed above are not
necessarily those of the BBC
Richard Leadbetter
> This, IMHO, is one fine publication. I don't think anyone has mentioned
> it here. Why? You might think, cause it's SS dedicated, that their
> reviews suck your bobo by delivering glossy fare but they don't. Plus
> the info on future games and codes are indispensable. Sure, I get this
> stuff off the net but when my desk looks like a detonated paper bomb,
> I need something to help me organize the SS stuff --SS Mag - clean,
> neat, and easy to store.
>
> opinions welcome
>
> peace
>
> worf
>
> P.S. Do they have a website? I couldn't find one.
I'm afraid we don't have a website, but we could well be working on it. We
have been working especially hard to improve the mag since about September
last year and sales have increased.
Yeah we hear all of the "official means it's biased" crap, but you're
right, it isn't true. I know that some Internet stuff can occasionally
beat us to the punch, but to be honest 90% comes from mag journalists with
big mouths. Still, next issue has an interview with Lobotomy detailing
Duke Nukem on Saturn and the issue we're working on now trumps even that!
Glad you like the mag - we're working to improve it still.
Richard Leadbetter,
Editor,
Sega Saturn magazine
David Henderson
David Dorn (dor...@hg.uleth.ca) wrote:
: This, IMHO, is one fine publication. I don't think anyone has mentioned
: it here. Why? You might think, cause it's SS dedicated, that their
: reviews suck your bobo by delivering glossy fare but they don't. Plus
: the info on future games and codes are indispensable. Sure, I get this
: stuff off the net but when my desk looks like a detonated paper bomb,
: I need something to help me organize the SS stuff --SS Mag - clean,
: neat, and easy to store.
yeah Sega Saturn Magazine is good, but i do have a few gripes with it
still. first of all the reviews are a little on the short side and not so
specific (as some good reviews that i have read on the web), and secondly
it would be 100% better if they could have a cover disk of new games like
all the official PSX mags from the UK! Total Saturn UK comes with a demo
disk every issue, but the magazine itself is so mediocre that it is hard
to justify the purchase price..
[fLK]
Richard Leadbetter
In article <5g1gso$m...@reader1.reader.news.ozemail.net>,
fr...@shell02.ozemail.com.au (David Henderson) wrote:
Reviews works like this. I work on the principle that good games deserve
more space than the crap ones. Two pages is enough to tell you if a game
is good or bad. Good games get showcase features which explore the better
games in more detail.
We are going to improve the frequency of cover CDs, starting with the next
issue. And we have something really, really cool lined up for the summer.
Total Saturn might appear with a disc every issue but they aren't monthly,
appearing when they have a CD. Sourcing monthly CDs is a tough prob, but
we're working on it.
Richard Leadbetter,
Editor,
Sega Saturn Magazine
jon m
David Henderson (fr...@shell02.ozemail.com.au) wrote:
: yeah Sega Saturn Magazine is good, but i do have a few gripes with it
: still. first of all the reviews are a little on the short side and not so
: specific (as some good reviews that i have read on the web), and secondly
: it would be 100% better if they could have a cover disk of new games like
: all the official PSX mags from the UK! Total Saturn UK comes with a demo
: disk every issue, but the magazine itself is so mediocre that it is hard
: to justify the purchase price..
Plus the fact that the coverdisk usually only has one or two worthless
game demos on it.
[ukr:jon]
http://www.jona.demon.co.uk/ukresist.htm
UK:Resistance Saturn site
Mark Tomlinson
David Dorn wrote:
>
> This, IMHO, is one fine publication. I don't think anyone has mentioned
> it here. Why? You might think, cause it's SS dedicated, that their
> reviews suck your bobo by delivering glossy fare but they don't. Plus
> the info on future games and codes are indispensable. Sure, I get this
> stuff off the net but when my desk looks like a detonated paper bomb,
> I need something to help me organize the SS stuff --SS Mag - clean,
> neat, and easy to store.
>
>
> peace
>
> worf
>
> P.S. Do they have a website? I couldn't find one.
Yep. I have to agree. SSM is one of only two magazines I buy each month
now (the other is Loaded ;) - probably doesn't mean much to people
outside the UK though!), and I have bought every issue since I first had
my saturn over a year ago.
I was initially concerned as to how much influence Sega had over the
content and review of the material (I'm pretty sure there are references
to them in the front of the mag), especially since AM team games always
get a big build up, a big review and almost always the highest scores.
However, I've now come to the conclusion that the reason for this is
that the AM games are, in the main, the best games for the system.
The occasional addition of the Sega Flash CDs was a nice touch too - I
know they are quite infrequent, but I would rather this happen than the
situation dropped to the level of the magazines for the other consoles
with demos low in quantity and quality.
One thing I was annoyed by was the fact that Christmas NiGHTS didn't get
distributed in the UK in the same way as it did in the rest of the
world. By the time they announced the offer to get it free (hmm!) when
you bought a couple of games off a qualifying list, I'd actually bought
three of them already (VCop 2, V-On and vanilla NiGHTS), and after an
argument with Sega Europe they refused to accept my receipts as
evidence. It really should have been on Sega Flash vol 3.
I've often been surprised when full articles with screenshots appear in
the magazine before the games even getting mentioned on either this
newsgroup or the likes of Dustins web pages.
I used to occasionally read Edge (Next Gen in the US?), but found the
Saturn coverage disapointing and certainly won't miss Mean Machines if
the rumour that it is stopping publication is true - I found it a bit
immature for my tastes. Not exactly spoilt for choice are we?
As for the website, I think they should continue to concentrate all
their efforts in producing their magazine, and not letting the high
standards drop.
Sorry about the lengthly response, just had to get it all of my chest ;)
Mark
jon m
Mark Tomlinson (mark_to...@uk.ibm.com) wrote:
: One thing I was annoyed by was the fact that Christmas NiGHTS didn't get
: distributed in the UK in the same way as it did in the rest of the
: world. By the time they announced the offer to get it free (hmm!) when
: you bought a couple of games off a qualifying list, I'd actually bought
: three of them already (VCop 2, V-On and vanilla NiGHTS), and after an
: argument with Sega Europe they refused to accept my receipts as
: evidence. It really should have been on Sega Flash vol 3.
Actually, that would be a nice idea, I don't see why it couldn't be put
on a future Sega Flash. Although that may make my promo copy less valuable!
: I've often been surprised when full articles with screenshots appear in
: the magazine before the games even getting mentioned on either this
: newsgroup or the likes of Dustins web pages.
British mags are loads better than American ones.
: I used to occasionally read Edge (Next Gen in the US?), but found the
: Saturn coverage disapointing and certainly won't miss Mean Machines if
: the rumour that it is stopping publication is true - I found it a bit
: immature for my tastes. Not exactly spoilt for choice are we?
MMS is gone, although the new Sega Power will provide a bit of healthy
competition to keep Rich on his toes.
Federico Brigatti
ri...@satmag.u-net.com (Richard Leadbetter) writes:
>In article <5g1gso$m...@reader1.reader.news.ozemail.net>,
>fr...@shell02.ozemail.com.au (David Henderson) wrote:
>> David Dorn (dor...@hg.uleth.ca) wrote:
>> : This, IMHO, is one fine publication. I don't think anyone has mentioned
>> : it here. Why? You might think, cause it's SS dedicated, that their
>> : reviews suck your bobo by delivering glossy fare but they don't. Plus
>> : the info on future games and codes are indispensable. Sure, I get this
>> : stuff off the net but when my desk looks like a detonated paper bomb,
>> : I need something to help me organize the SS stuff --SS Mag - clean,
>> : neat, and easy to store.
>>
>> yeah Sega Saturn Magazine is good, but i do have a few gripes with it
>> still. first of all the reviews are a little on the short side and not so
>> specific (as some good reviews that i have read on the web), and secondly
>> it would be 100% better if they could have a cover disk of new games like
>> all the official PSX mags from the UK! Total Saturn UK comes with a demo
>> disk every issue, but the magazine itself is so mediocre that it is hard
>> to justify the purchase price..
>>
i am also a regular reader of SSM and think that with CVG it is one of the
best console mags around in the UK. i disagree with the monthly cd policy
and think a demo cd, packed with stuff, coming out every 2-3 issues is a
better idea. i would not pay 5 to 6 ukp a month for a demo disk w/ only
a game on it worth playing. their current policy is the best, even though
frequency should be upped to a cd every 2 issues. it should contain 4
playble demos of big games and 5-6 movies of other interesting games. my
gripe w/ the cds which have appeared up to now is that some of the stuff
appears on more than one disk. each disk should have completely new content
from the previous. one final gripe is the preview, showcase, 2nd shocase,
review, and walkthrough some of the bigger games go through. shorter prevs,
longer revs, and occasional showcase for the best games should be the most
a game gets. i hate reading 2-3 times about a game i couln't give a toss
about to begin with, and even if i'm interested in the game, 2 article on it
are good enough for me...
anyway, good job SSM
Richard Leadbetter
jon m <jona...@jona.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>Mark Tomlinson (mark_to...@uk.ibm.com) wrote:
>
>
>: One thing I was annoyed by was the fact that Christmas NiGHTS didn't get
>: distributed in the UK in the same way as it did in the rest of the
>: world. By the time they announced the offer to get it free (hmm!) when
>: you bought a couple of games off a qualifying list, I'd actually bought
>: three of them already (VCop 2, V-On and vanilla NiGHTS), and after an
>: argument with Sega Europe they refused to accept my receipts as
>: evidence. It really should have been on Sega Flash vol 3.
>
>
>Actually, that would be a nice idea, I don't see why it couldn't be put
>on a future Sega Flash. Although that may make my promo copy less valuable!
It all comes down to royalties. Despite the disc being free, Sega
Europe still have to buy them from Sega of Japan. Instead of giving it
away they had to get some return from their investment.
>
>: I've often been surprised when full articles with screenshots appear in
>: the magazine before the games even getting mentioned on either this
>: newsgroup or the likes of Dustins web pages.
>
>British mags are loads better than American ones.
Yeah but Edge isn't as good as Next Gen. I suppose that's the
exception that proves the rule.
>MMS is gone, although the new Sega Power will provide a bit of healthy
>competition to keep Rich on his toes.
>
>
Yeah I'm looking forward to it too actually. Dean and his brethren are
apparently putting their all into the new look, so I am expecting
great things (well, better things at least). They've got their work
cut out, certainly, being that SSM outsells Power almost 3:1 these
days. Still good luck to them that's what I say.
There will be no resting on laurels at SSM though. We've got some
brilliant stuff lined up that could well be beyond your wildest dreams
(provided your dreams have Saturns in there somewhere).
Richard Leadbetter,
Sega Saturn Magazine, UK.
jon m
Richard Leadbetter (ri...@satmag.u-net.com) wrote:
: >MMS is gone, although the new Sega Power will provide a bit of healthy
: >competition to keep Rich on his toes.
: >
: >
: Yeah I'm looking forward to it too actually. Dean and his brethren are
: apparently putting their all into the new look, so I am expecting
: great things (well, better things at least). They've got their work
: cut out, certainly, being that SSM outsells Power almost 3:1 these
: days. Still good luck to them that's what I say.
: There will be no resting on laurels at SSM though. We've got some
: brilliant stuff lined up that could well be beyond your wildest dreams
: (provided your dreams have Saturns in there somewhere).
: Richard Leadbetter,
: Sega Saturn Magazine, UK.
Well, I've heard they're going to be using 'nice paper'.
Filling a coverdisk each month will be tricky, and it's going to be the
same price as 'Official Playstation mag' i.e 4.95
Should be interesting though.
'Spoons' Reader
Richard Leadbetter <ri...@satmag.u-net.com> wrote in article
<332c16d7...@news.u-net.com>...
>
> Yeah I'm looking forward to it too actually. Dean and his brethren are
> apparently putting their all into the new look, so I am expecting
> great things (well, better things at least). They've got their work
> cut out, certainly, being that SSM outsells Power almost 3:1 these
> days. Still good luck to them that's what I say.
> There will be no resting on laurels at SSM though. We've got some
> brilliant stuff lined up that could well be beyond your wildest dreams
> (provided your dreams have Saturns in there somewhere).
>
> Richard Leadbetter,
> Sega Saturn Magazine, UK.
>
Hmmm, let me see. Hints about something special in the summer, stuff lined up
beyond our wildest dreams... My god Rich - Your going to be giving away the
VF3 upgrade cart as a covermount! Yes?
Pink Floyd
No, Rich is giving away a CD full of images of men.
THE PINK FLOYD
Richard Leadbetter
Pink Floyd <Pin...@aol.com> wrote:
Hmmm that would certainly make your day, wouldn't it Ed? But seeing as
both the Saturn and PS can read PC format CDs the ideal place for your
wonderful idea would have to be... Computer and Video Games of course!
Rich