Forgotten Worlds is an independent games fanzine that puts its focus specifically on the world of printed publications about retro video games. With its sixth issue it has decided to put the spotlight on SEGA, and across its 94 pages it takes a closer look at several nineties SEGA-centric magazines. It’s an interesting concept that has the potential to yield some fascinating stories and insight into the making of games magazines in a pre-internet world, but largely seems more concerned with the demise of SEGA instead of celebrating the brilliant writers and artists that helped promote the company.

This issue is spear-headed by writer Mikolai Napieralski who puts together nine features that largely touch on different SEGA-related publications, with some occasional forays into different territory like the opening two features. These features discuss the negative Western reception aimed at shoot-em-ups, as well as the North American SEGA Seal of Quality that was ‘awarded’ to games published by several third parties that had agreed to become SEGA licensees. These two features show an early indication that this issue of Forgotten Worlds has a bizarrely cynical approach towards its chosen subject matter. It seems far more concerned with highlighting the period’s failings and push for more advertising space than it does with celebrating the wonderful writing and graphic design work from the era.

Each feature about a specific SEGA magazine seems to largely centre on the fact that SEGA burned brightly for a short period of time when they were supporting the Mega Drive, and then quickly lost all its good will by trying to artificially extend the life of the system before completely botching the launch of the SEGA Saturn. It doesn’t matter whether the feature is about Mean Machines SEGA, MegaTech, SEGA Power or SEGA Saturn Magazine; every piece on every magazine in this issue seems to come to the same conclusion, while largely highlighting the magazine’s mismanagement by its senior staff. I appreciate the honesty and insight into the cutthroat industry of nineties games media, but these are not the sort of stories that inspire you to engage with the industry. The whole issue feels like a warning; a cautionary tale about why you shouldn’t get into games writing. This seems like a strange angle to take for a games magazine about games magazines.

The only moment of celebration comes with an interview with UK:Resistance co-founder and SEGA Saturn Magazine writer Gary Cutlack. He laments his time at SEGA Saturn Magazine; trying to stay enthusiastic about a console that couldn’t find a foothold in the West, while trying to beef up the publication with numerous previews of Japanese imports that would never receive a PAL release. In the closing moments of his interview he is asked what SEGA could have done to course-correct, and he’s the only person in this entire magazine to talk enthusiastically about a SEGA product. Cutlack mentions that SEGA made the Dreamcast and delivered one of the most brilliant game consoles ever, but the wider gaming audience just didn’t care in favour of playing grey shooters forever. This one question sparks the only positive opinion on SEGA in the entire issue, and I just couldn’t help but think, “why isn’t there more of this?” Why aren’t we celebrating the writers who contributed to these publications? Why aren’t we discussing the gorgeous artwork and graphic design? Why aren’t we looking back more fondly on a time when someone other than Atari or Nintendo was dominating the market? Why are there no Dreamcast magazines featured?

Forgotten Worlds issue 6 limps to a conclusion with 2 features. It starts with an interview with Al Nilsen – SEGA’s former Group Director at their global marketing team. This entire feature is basically an excuse for Nilsen to recite his résumé and celebrate his successes, when it’s the only time the magazine should’ve been asking the difficult questions about how SEGA mismanaged the releases of the Mega-CD, 32X and SEGA Saturn. For all the discussion about corporate failing and using magazines as advertising space, this is the only interview where they could’ve actually grilled a SEGA senior staffer and instead decided to massage his ego.

Finally, Forgotten Worlds puts the focus on the sole Japanese publication in the issue – Beep! Mega Drive. While it initially praises the publication for adorning its covers with original artwork that does more to create an atmosphere rather than promote specific games, the whole feature just sort of abruptly jumps to a defeatist tone as they can’t discover more about the publication and who worked on it. We get some example images of the magazine and that’s your lot – seemingly saying to the reader, “I didn’t really try and now I can’t muster any enthusiasm.” As a journalist I’d expect you to at least attempt to discover more than what can be found after a quick Google search, but if there really wasn’t that much English information about Beep! Mega Drive available to you then why choose to highlight it at all?

I absolutely hate to be negative about independent games writing by other outlets, especially as Forgotten Worlds have spent a lot of time and effort with their own publication’s presentation. This issue has a particularly striking, minimalist design that really helps showcase the artwork and magazine excerpts that they’ve chosen to highlight across the issue. It also has a really eye-catching die-cut cover that lets you display one of several postcard images that are included with the issue through a hole shaped like a SEGA logo. The magazine is also held together with perfect binding and it feels substantial in your hands. It’s just a massive shame that the overall publication feels like it’s commiserating the SEGA landscape of the nineties instead of celebrating it. I’m not saying that they should’ve avoided the topics of mismanagement and failings by senior staff working at SEGA or the magazines that promoted their games, but that shouldn’t have been the prevailing message from a magazine that is centred on the art of making a games magazine. This is a strangely morose read that doesn’t inspire any creativity. You won’t want to start reviewing games or getting into graphic design after reading it, which feels like the sort of thing a publication like this one should be influencing.

Written by Lewis “Sonic Yoda” Clark 9/9/2025
Forgotten Worlds issue 6 can be purchased online from the magazine’s official online store.