Sega Mania Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

That's right. Sega Mania is back! Our latest magazine, Issue 8 is currently on Kickstarter and has reached 90% of its target in just two days. Can you help it reach the goal?

In this short episode, Tim casts aside the doom and gloom from Episode 19 and explains how and why Sega Mania is making a return.

You can find the Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/757617414/sega-mania-magazine-issue-8

You can also join us on Discord here: https://discord.gg/kN5uSWbjUF

We're also back on Facebook and Twitter, just search Sega Mania!

The Sega Mania podcast is back for the first time in almost a year with this extra special episode.

Magazine creator Tim takes us on a journey through the history of the magazine. He details what went wrong, what went right, and explains why he disgracefully brought the whole thing crashing down in a ball of flames, only to then bring it back again 6 months later.

It's a wild, if somewhat monotone, exposé on the world's greatest modern retro Sega magazine.

Happy Friday, Maniacs (Sorry, Tim)! The Sega Mania Podcast is back with more of what you love from the guys you tolerate. Well, less of them this time as it's a five-man pod. It's just a little Steve and Sam-less, it's still good, it's still good! First up, we chat about the long-ago promised Game We Missed: M.U.S.H.A. This blistering vertical-scrolling shooter gets a proper going over by the lads, with a hefty inserted discussion on how expensive retro games are these days, and the most we've personally ever paid for one. The rankings return with easily the worst batch yet, as we crowbar the following stinkers in somewhere near the bottom (and move on, as Rob would say): Kid Chameleon, Klax, TaleSpin, Road Rash II, Bart vs. The Space Mutants, and WWF Super Wrestlemania. Ok, so Klax and Road Rash II are alright. Lastly, we have a listener question asking us what our favourite games ever are and why. If you want to ask us a question, please send them in to podcast@sega-mania.com. Don't forget we have a Patreon too, where you can support us for a whole heap of cool rewards and listen to an exclusive 'Meet the Maniac' episode all about our beloved Rob Kirkup. Here's the rankings list (pre-pod) that you can follow along with:Sonic the Hedgehog 2Streets of RageSonic the HedgehogRevenge of ShinobiQuackShot Starring Donald DuckToeJam & EarlCastle of Illusion Starring Mickey MouseThunder Force IVWorld of IllusionColumnsGolden AxeAlien StormSpider-Man vs The KingpinRoad RashStriderDungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal SunDick TracyWorld Cup Italia '90Ghouls 'n' GhostsOutRunAlien 3Atomic RunnerSuper Hang-onESWATThe TerminatorTaz-ManiaSpace Harrier IIGalaxy Force IIDecap AttackTurricanSplatterhouse 2BatmanSuper Thunder BladeAlex Kidd in the Enchanted CastleShadow of the BeastSteel Talons

We're all business this episode. Well... until the listener questions push us off the rails, but that's your fault. You did that.We dive straight into the rankings of six more games from Issue 3 (1992), running the rule over Steel Talons, Batman, Alien 3, Taz-Mania, Thunder Force IV and Splatterhouse 2.Once that's out of our system, we jump into a lovely listener question about what games we'd want to relive with our kiddywinks, and a four-year-old makes up some names for everyone. Also, Tim sees owls in the road. Sam doesn't. We have a Patreon now, by the way! If you want to get access to these episodes early, hear bonus special podcast episodes, join a hangout chat with us, snag free digital copies of the magazine, get a cool mug, and loads more, then check out: https://www.patreon.com/segamaniaHere's the state of the rankings (pre-recording) for you to follow along:Sonic the Hedgehog 2Streets of RageSonic the HedgehogRevenge of ShinobiQuackShot Starring Donald DuckToeJam & EarlCastle of Illusion Starring Mickey MouseWorld of IllusionColumnsGolden AxeAlien StormSpider-Man vs The KingpinRoad RashStriderDungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal SunDick TracyWorld Cup Italia '90Ghouls 'n' GhostsOutRunAtomic RunnerSuper Hang-onESWATThe TerminatorSpace Harrier IIGalaxy Force IIDecap AttackTurricanSuper Thunder BladeAlex Kidd in the Enchanted CastleShadow of the Beast

We're now a magnificent seven instead of a sinister six! Please welcome new staff member David to his maiden podcast recording! To go easy on him, we paused the rankings for a week and instead went back to a Game We Missed that we missed. Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster's Hidden Treasure is a game we didn't include in Issue 4, so we all had a go at it here. Some liked it, some hated it. What do you think? We then dive into a big chunk of listener questions (we're running out now, so get 'em in to podcast@sega-mania.com) where we chat about our best gaming bargains, hidden talents, and why we don't cover newer games in our 90's-themed magazine. Enjoy!

It's time, maniacs, for yet another episode of our glorious podcast. This time, rather than playing the promised 'game we missed' we have a big circle jerk over Issue 5 of the magazine, because it won't sell itself now will it? We've got behind the scenes insight into a variety of the upcoming reviews (including the game that broke Sam), Steve tells us all about his interview with the creator of ToeJam & Earl, Rob reveals the scoop on a certain popstar's connection to the music in Sonic 3, Alex wonders where the hell Michael Jordan is, and Tim tells us how tired it all made him. Worth it. Our rankings continue with the usual amount of controversy, bargaining, swearing, reminiscing, and holding Sam's old reviews to account. Getting ranked right in the you-know-what this time are six 1992 titles from Issue 3: Sonic 2, Galaxy Force II, Dungeons & Dragons, World of Illusion, Atomic Runner, and The Terminator. We end the show, as always, with another stonking listener question that has us all waxing lyrical about the local video game shops we used to frequent in happier times.  Don't forget to get your questions in to podcast@sega-mania.com and buy your copy of Issue 5 of Sega Mania Magazine at https://www.sega-mania.com/ now!

We're back once again for more Sega Mania Podcast madness! Apologies this is coming out a bit late, but our big mean overlord told us we had to finish off some poxy magazine so we crunched on that and Alex didn't have time to edit this absolute mammoth episode until now. We carry on the new tradition of covering a game we missed in the magazine with Robocop vs The Terminator, and it's an absolute banger. No more Alex the Kidd anger here, folks!Part 2 is the continuation of ranking every Mega Drive game featured in the mag thus far, and on the docket this time are the remaining titles from Issue 2. Shadow of the Beast, Streets of Rage, OutRun, Turrican, Road Rash, Alien Storm, and ToeJam & Earl get ranked good and proper - and we actually all played the games beforehand so no more abstaining! Part 3 is more of your wonderful listener questions, where we talk about our biggest gaming shames, Sega games with the best potential for a movie tie-in, and someone made Rob tell another ghost story. It's as awesome as usual. Get your questions in to podcast@sega-mania.com to join in. Thanks for listening, make sure you get your copy of Issue 5 over at www.sega-mania.com now it's gone to press, and pay attention for a promo code for 15% off Issues 1-4. Love you, bye!

This is definitely our most Sega episode yet of Sega Mania Podcast - only took us five episodes to keep (mostly) on topic! Beginning this episode is a new segment: Games We Missed. Every episode, we'll be picking a game not reviewed in the magazine (up to 1994) to play and discuss on the pod.  This episode, we randomly drew Alex THE Kidd in Miracle World for Master System. It's a game we'd all played before, and one that...well, it's not great. If you're a huge fan of the game, prepare your ears because it's getting roasted. We also return to ranking in this episode, and it's time to judge half the games covered in issue 2 of the mag (1991). Where do Sonic the Hedgehog, Castle of Illusion, Spider-Man vs The Kingpin, Dick Tracy, Quackshot and Decap Attack fit into our Sega Mania Official Rankings list? Will everyone fall out over Columns again?Lastly, there's a couple of cracking listener questions that let us reminisce about the glory of 90s gaming mags and why they inspired us to do all this nonsense.Enjoy, and don't forget to pre-order your copy of Sega Mania Magazine Issue 5 at www.sega-mania.com now!

You read that correctly, Maniacs, this episode of SMP is a special one as we got an actual real celebrity famous person rich man to join us and chat about Sega - former host of the 11 O'Clock Show, 3rd place-finisher in I'm A Celebrity, and big Sega fan Iain Lee! We answer some listener questions on games that disappointed us, games that weren't as good when we went back to them as adults to review them for the mag, Xbox vs PlayStation and more! Iain tells us about asking, and receiving, a free Dreamcast from Sega while he was host of the 11 O'Clock Show, being offered to host a GamesMaster reboot once upon a time, and lets us in on the issues he had while hosting gaming TV show Thumb Bandits for Channel 4 back in the early 2000s. Enjoy, and don't forget to hit up the website and get your sparkly fresh copy of Issue 4, or pre-order Issue 5, of Sega Mania Magazine now!

It's a spooky, ghostly episode of SMP this time around. Definitely, 100% always about ghosts. Nothing else. The reason for this is we hear another unfortunate tale from Rob 'The Unluckiest Writer in Literature' Kirkup, as his dream interview with Freddy Flintoff gets... well you'll have to listen to find out!We also discuss the games we've been playing recently before diving into a Know Your Enemy-style quiz based on 1994. Closet Nintendo fans rejoice, this one's for you! In the letters segment, we answer questions on our favourite 90s kids' shows and debate the Sega games that are amazing apart from one fatal flaw that ruins them.Enjoy, and don't forget to hit up the website and get your sparkly fresh copy of Issue 4 of Sega Mania Magazine now!