Super Play
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2018) |
ISSN 0966-6192 | | |
Super Play was a British Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) magazine which ran from 1 October 1992[3] to September 1996.
Overview
Super Play covered in great detail the role-playing video game genre. Many of these games were never released officially in the UK or European games market, and therefore the magazine concentrated much effort in covering aspects of the American, and moreover the Japanese games markets.
It also featured in-depth, intelligent and passionate coverage of all aspects of gaming. Given the close ties between the world of Japanese console RPGs and animation, the magazine also heavily featured information about
Logo
The logo for the magazine was designed by Jez Bridgeman in his first week on the magazine before the Art Editor arrived in the September before launch and at the last minute the 'PLAY' part of the logo was switched for a sans serif font and then stretched to fit the space.
Publication schedule and staff
The magazine was published monthly, and would regularly feature a monthly Fantasy Quest column about Japanese console RPGs in their native market. In the second half of the publication's life, there was a monthly Final Fantasy Forum dedicated to playing tips and secrets for Square games, even despite the fact that none of the Final Fantasy game series had been released in Europe at that point.
Some of the most recognisable names on the Super Play writing staff were Matt Bielby, Tony Mott (former editor of
The magazine was based in Bath, England and published by Future Publishing. Despite its fairly short run (47 issues, just short of 4 years, and a one-off "Gold" special in 1993), and many years since its demise, it still enjoys a fan following on the internet.
Closure
Its end came with the declining popularity of the SNES itself, both among games publishers and the game-buying public, as the
Revival
In September 2017, inspired by the announcement of a Super NES Classic Edition, original staff, including Jason Brookes, Jonathan Davies, Tony Mott and Zy Nicholson, along with seasoned Nintendo experts Nathan Brown, Keza MacDonald, Damien McFerran, Jeremy Parish and Chris Schilling, produced a one-off issue 48 of Super Play, which came bundled with Retro Gamer issue 172. Featuring all-new content it consists of the regular sections Super Express, Helen McCarthy's Anime World and a What Cart? guide. Also inside are new reviews of the games included on the SNES Classic, a Star Fox 2 preview and an interview with Dylan Cuthbert, one of the key developers behind the game. Cover art was created by Wil Overton, illustrator of all 48 Super Play covers, with the internal visual style resurrected by Future's senior art editor Warren Brown, who ensured the design will be immediately familiar to fans of the '90s magazine.[1][2]
References
- ^ a b c "Super Play returns with Retro Gamer 172". Retro Gamer. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ a b c "Beloved Magazine Super Play Is Being Revived For The SNES Classic Edition Launch". Nintendo Life. 1 September 2017. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ "Nintendo Gamer magazine to close". Nintendo Gamer. 20 August 2012. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
- ^ Simon Armstrong (5 September 2019). "Sonic, Street Fighter and the 'golden age' of gaming magazines". BBC News Online.
External links
- Feature: The Making of Super Play Magazine at Nintendo Life
- Archived Super Play Magazines on the Internet Archive