Source: Official Sega Saturn Magazine – Issue Number 35 – September 1998

This was the U.K.’s official Sega Saturn magazine. The Saturn didn’t have a very long commercial life and so there weren’t many magazines dedicated to it that lasted very long. At about 3 years this is probably one of the longest lived. The September 1998 issue, which was one of the last and already including Dreamcast coverage, includes:

Features

• SNK Special Report – An interview with SNK’s Norimasa Hirano. Topics covered include the upcoming Neo Geo Pocket and future arcade plans including moving from 16-bit to 64-bit. Not much about the Saturn though…

• The AM2 Inquisition – An interview with Sega’s Makoto Osaki. Makoto Osaki wokred in the AM2 division and was the director of Daytona USA 2 and this interview is mostly about the design and development of that game.

• The Capcom Generation – A retrospective of Capcom and its games including a complete list of all of Capcom’s arcade games and focusing on some of the best. Also covered are Capcom’s home games including their recent collections Capcom Generations #1 through #5. The time period covered spans from Capcom’s first games in 1984 until 1998 (which included the release of Resident Evil 2).

• Radiant Silvergun – A detailed look at this vergical shooter that the magazine called the world’s best. Unfortunately, it could be played as an import only as there were no plans to bring it to the U.K.

• Deep Fear – A detailed look at one of Sega’s last projects for the Saturn. This is a survival horror game that takes place on a nuclear submarine.

Previews

• Sol Divide – Another import only game, this is an impressive looking 2D beat-em-up by Psikyo/Atlus.

• Galaxy Force 2 – An arcade conversion of an older Sega game. Perhaps an arcade perfect conversion but of a game that was around 10 years old at the time. Something to enjoy if you remember and love the arcade original.

Reviews

• Radiant Silvergun – A continuation of the feature look at this 2d vertical shooter by Treasure. An import only game for the U.K. as are all of the games reviewed in this issue.

• Pocket Fighters – Another excellent 2D fighting game by Capcom featuring a ton of super deformed characters.

• Grandia Digital Museum – Lots of stuff to look at but also an RPG that continues the series.

Regulars

• News – Godzilla comes to the Dreamcast; detailed looks at some upcoming games from NEC, including The Warring States of Turb, the first Dreamcast RPG from NEC and Seventh Cross; Actua Soccer coming to the Dreamcast plus more 3rd party Dreamcast coverage; a look at D2 for the Dreamcast.

• Virtua Writer – Letters from readers with comments and questions about Sega’s failures, World League Soccer ’98, Dreamcast vs. PlayStation 2, a modem for the Dreamcast, buying games from the U.S., Dead or Alive, Virtua Fighter 3, Star Wars games on the Dreamcast, and more.

• Q+A – Questions from readers (and answers) about Tomb Raider 3, the Sega Nomad, the Nintendo 64, and more.

• Coin-Operated – A look at some arcade games including Spikeout, a new arcacde 3D fighter from Sega’s AM2 team; Asura Blade: Sword of Dynasty, a 2D fighter by Fuuki; plus an interview with Virtua Striker 2′ Kentaro Fujita and Satoshi Mifune.

• Up the Back End – A random assortment of oddities including the mags favorite sad internet sites, an internet addiction quiz, girlfriend game pics, Japanese advertisement of the month, and more.

• And Finally… – A focus on Virtua Fighter’s Pai Chan.

Playing Tips

• “Small” Tips – Tips and tricks for Silhouette Mirage, Loaded, Manx TT, Die Hard Arcade, Doom, and more.

• Castlevania X, Part One – The first part of a strategy guide for this 2D platform classic.

• Shining Force III, Part Two – The second and final part of a strategy guide for Shining Force III, including a look at the remaining characters.

• Riven, Part Two – The second and final part of a detailed strategy guide for this difficult Myst sequel.

…and more!

Source: Official Sega Saturn Magazine – Issue Number 30 – April 1998

The Sega Saturn may not have been the most popular console but it still sold over 9 million units in its lifetime and had a dedicated following, including some great magazines. This is the Official Sega Saturn Magazine of the U.K. and the April 1998 issue includes:

Features

• Chill – Silicon Dreams’ snowboarding effort is analyzed in marvellous detail as only SSM can! Oh yes.
• House of the Dead – A near-complete version is in our hands. Is it a top blast of epic proportions or just plain rot?
• Burning Rangers – Sonic Team are back with a game that screams “buy me”. Burning Rangers kicks ass on a grand scale!

Previews

• Z
• Atari Classics
• Power Drift
• Gun Griffon 2

Reviews

• X-Men Vs. Street Fighter
• Chill
• Panzer Dragoon Saga
• Grandia
• Dead or Alive
• Metal Slug
• All Japan Pro-Wrestling
• Thunderforce V
• MegaMan X4

Regulars

• News
• Virtua Writer
• Q+A
• Coin-Operated
• And Finally

Playing Tips

• Small Tips
• Grandia, Part One
• Croc, Part Two
• Quake, Part Four

…and more!