Source: Maximum – Issue Number 4 – 1996

You can think of Maximum as Next Generation’s sister magazine in the U.K. Much of the content of Next Generation came from Maximum and the magazines were very similar. Next Generation was one of my favorite magazines though I wasn’t really aware of Maximum until much later and being in the U.S., I was unlikely to ever see it anyway. Maximum targeted an older demographic than GamePro or even EGM. Issue Number 4 of Maximum from 1996 includes:

Maxiumum Extended Play

• Soul Edge – The cover game of Maximum issue #4 is a true showcase of arcade fighting titles, based on the PlayStation technology System 11 board. Soul Edge is graphically breathtaking, and features a technical level to the gameplay that’s quite outstanding.
• Space Hulk – A firm hit on the 3DO, Electronic Arts have been busy bringing their top-rated game onto the PC CD-ROM, Saturn and PlayStation systems. In this triple-format Extended Play, Maximum brings forth huge amounts of info on this involving game.
• Heretic – The first third party game to use the Doom engine was Raven’s Heretic, which has since been superseded by the excellent Hexen. However, the first game never received a general review and the boys at GT Interactive have just put out the latest version with extra levels. Maximum investigates..
• Real Bout Fatal Fury – Some have been saying that the latest Fatal Furty is (get this) better than Street Fighter Alpha! Is this true, or is Real Bout just another outing for Geese Howard and a pair of outrageous trousers? Perhaps both, maybe neither. Full details later on.
• Guardian Heroes – When Treasure produce a new video game, true game fanatics tend to sit up and take notice – especially when the game is on as powerful a system as Sega Saturn. True to form, Treasure have performed miracles with this game.
• Street Fighter Alpha – First revealed in Maxiumum issue #3, Capcom have handed in a truly arcade-perfect conversion of their monster arcade game which Virgin are handling in Europe. We’eve already covered the coin-op, so this Extended Play covers the art of Street Fighting, from throwing your very first punch to pulling off incredible 19 hit Super Combo finishes.
• Magic Carpet – Bullfrog scored a bit of an own-goal with their last action game translation to the super consoles. Yes, although Hi-Octane was a bit poor, the conversions of Magic Carpet are absolutely spot-on, and for any Saturn or PlayStation owner, it should be considered an essential purchase.
• Virtua Fighter 2 – The final part of our unrivaled Virtua Fighter 2 coverage gives our valued readership an in-depth examination of the combination system in the game. Hugely damaging multi-hit strikes are revealed, along with basic techniques on improving your play.

Maximum Close Up

• Virtua Cop – Now that the game is a couple of months old, Maximum is pleased to announce the full range of hidden options found in this excellent blasting game.
• X-Men: Children of the Atom – Well, many apologies for the lack of Magneto action, but this single page of mutant mayhem should clue you in to the true power of the unstoppable Juggernaut!
• Battle Arena Toshinden 2 – Well, to be frank we think this game is pretty bad – however, it seems to have attracted its own legion of fans on PlayStation and in the arcades, so we reveal all of the boss-related secrets.
• Doom – The third and final installment of Maximum’s coverage reveals the five secret levels in Doom, including the celebrated “Club Doom”.

Maximum Regulars

• New Games…Places…Events… – Well, Maximum’s coverage of the places and events is probably a bit lacking this month, since we’eve been enslaved to Lord EMAP and super-glued to our desks to meet an impossible deadline. Again. Still, the coverage of hot games remains pretty decent regardless, with Saturn WipeOut, Formula One and of course PlayStation Tekken 2 taking pride of place in the Maximum line-up. Also worth checking out are the first pictures of Street Fighter Alpha 2 along with Virtua Fighter Kids and more on the Sonic Fighting Game.
• Maximum Response – After finally being swayed by popular opinion, Maximum unveils its first letters page. For intelligent debate on gaming in general plus a slagging off for Killer Instinct 2, look no further.
• Reviews – Despite the lean times in terms of software, Maximum retains its enormous 23 page reviewing section where we tell you in plain English whether selected software is worth buying or not. No useless “ratings” and suchlike here – just our informed opinions on the latest wares.
• Next Edition – For full details on the forthcoming Namco Special Edition of Maximum, it could well be worth your while checking out this page. It’s going to be big…

…and more!