Mega Play (magazine)

Mega Play
File:MegaPlay US 01.pdf
Publisher: Sendai
Country of origin: United States
Backed systems: Sega Mega Drive, related consoles
First issue date:
Last issue date:
Number of issues: 28
Frequency: bi-monthly
ISSN: 1058-9171

Mega Play was a bimonthly US magazine devoted to Sega video games, particularly the Sega Mega Drive. It "debuted" inside an issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly before going out on its own in 1990, almost simultaneously with Game Player's Sega Genesis Strategy Guide.

History

By and large, Mega Play was created mainly to create more product for Sendai to sell. Each issue (nearly all of them 52 pages long) had roughly the same content as would be in a normal issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly. Extras included longer strategy guides, more previews, and a different Review Crew taking on new games each month.

In 1991, Sendai announced that Mega Play had been picked up by Warner Publisher Services, the same distributor handling Electronic Gaming Monthly at the time. With this improved distribution, Sendai revealed plans to make the magazine monthly and increase its distribution to over 200,000 copies a month. For whatever reason, though, Mega Play didn't go monthly—in fact, it had trouble keeping a bimonthly schedule in the following years, occasionally skipping a month or putting out two issues in consecutive months.

Despite the lack of original content, the documented devotion of Sega fans allowed Mega Play to survive for over five years before petering out in the summer of 1995, just as Sega's Saturn was debuting in the US.

Back issues

#0: "Premiere Issue"
(1990-xx-xx, $1.99)

#1: "November/December 1990"
(1990-xx-xx, $2.95)
(014302779014-02)

#2: "February 1991"
(199x-xx-xx, $3.50)
(014302779014-02)

#3: "March/April 1991"
(1991-04-xx, $3.50)
(014302779014-04)

#4: "May/June 1991"
(1991-0x-xx, $3.50)
(014302779014-06)

#5: "July/August 1991"
(1991-0x-xx, $3.50)
(014302779014-08)

#6: "September/October 1991"
(1991-0x-xx, $3.50)
(014302779014-10)

#7: "November/December 1991"
(1991-xx-xx, $3.50)
(014302779014-12)

#8: "January/February 1992"
(199x-xx-xx, $3.50)

#9: "March/April 1992"
(1992-0x-xx, $3.95)

#0303: "June 1992"
(1992-0x-xx, $3.95)
(014302779014-06)

#0304: "August 1992"
(1992-0x-xx, $3.95)
(014302779014-08)

#0305: "October 1992"
(1992-09-08, $3.95)
(014302779014-10)

#0306: "January 1993"
(199x-xx-xx, $3.95)
(070989373723-01)

#0401: "February 1993"
(1993-0x-xx, $3.95)
(070989373723-03)

#0402: "April 1993"
(1993-0x-xx, $3.95)
(070989373723-05)

#0403: "June 1993"
(1993-0x-xx, $3.95)
(070989373723-07)

#0404: "August 1993"
(1993-0x-xx, $3.95)

#0405: "October 1993"
(1993-xx-xx, $3.95)
(014302779014-11)

#0406: "December 1993"
(1993-1x-xx, $3.95)

#0501: "February 1994"
(199x-xx-xx, $3.95)
(014302779014-03)

#0502: "April 1994"
(1994-0x-xx, $?)

#0503: "July 1994"
(1994-0x-xx, $?)
(070989373723-07)

#0504: "August 1994"
(1994-0x-xx, $?)
(070989373723-09)

#0505: "October/November 1994"
(1994-xx-xx, $3.99)
(070992373727-11)

#0506: "December/January 1994/1995"
(1994-xx-xx, $3.99)
(070992373727-01)

#0601: "February/March 1995"
(1995-0x-xx, $3.99)
(070992373727-03)

#0602: "April/May 1995"
(1995-0x-xx, $3.99)

#0603: "June/July 1995"
(1995-0x-xx, $3.99)
(070992373727-07)

References

Sega-related magazines published in the United States
Sega Visions (1990-1995) Game Players Sega Guide! (1990-1993) \| Mega Play (1990-1995) \| Official Dreamcast Magazine (1999-2001) \| DCM (1999-2000)

Mega Play (magazine)

From Sega Retro

History

Back issues

References