Sega Mania Podcast Sega Mania Magazine

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.

Sega Mania Magazine brings you your slightly unusual dose of madness as we press on in our new four-man podcast format. Alex, Rob, Steve and Simon won't let you down though, it's still nearly two hours of chuffin' nonsense.
The Mega Drive rankings enter the year of 1994, covered by Issue 5 of our wonderful magazine, and we begin with Sonic 3, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Pete Sampras Tennis, and ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron. Will Sonic 3 top our list? Will it even be the top Sonic game? You know what to do. 
We have some more questions that cover everything from our biggest Sega Mania regret to whether we like dark nights. It's the typical cornucopia of craziness from you lovely lot. Don't forget (and, seriously, don't forget because we've basically run out now) to get your questions in to podcast@sega-mania.com to immortalise yourself in podcast format.
As always, here's the pre-pod list of games to follow along:
Streets of Rage II
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Streets of Rage
Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition
Gunstar Heroes
Rocket Knight Adventures
Sonic the Hedgehog
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Revenge of Shinobi
TMHT: The Hyperstone Heist
Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe
QuackShot Starring Donald Duck
ToeJam & Earl
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
Shining Force
Thunder Force IV
Sonic Spinball
World of Illusion
Sensible Soccer
Columns
Golden Axe
Alien Storm
Aladdin
Mortal Kombat
Spider-Man vs The Kingpin
Road Rash II
Zombies
Road Rash
Strider
Micro Machines
NHL '94
Wonder Boy in Monster World
Jungle Strike
Flashback
Landstalker
Cool Spot
Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun
Klax
Dick Tracy
FIFA International Soccer
World Cup Italia '90
Ghouls 'n' Ghosts
OutRun
Alien 3
Home Alone
Desert Strike
Atomic Runner
Super Hang-on
ESWAT
The Terminator
Taz-Mania
Space Harrier II
Zero Wing
Galaxy Force II
Decap Attack
Kid Chameleon
Turrican
Splatterhouse 2
Jurassic Park
WWF Royal Rumble
Madden NFL '94
WWF Super Wrestlemania
Batman
Super Thunder Blade
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Bubsy In: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind
LHX Attack Chopper
TaleSpin
Bart vs. The Space Mutants
Shadow of the Beast
Steel Talons

Steve's back! In fact, everybody's back for this likely final seven-man episode of the pod. We'll be switching to a rotating foursome moving forward, so drink in the madness of too many cooks while it lasts! 
There's a discussion about naughty words and how they affect a film's ranking for reasons I've already forgotten and can't be bothered to check, but it's all a weird segue into a big chat about our time in Blackpool for Play Expo 2022. 
The Mega Drive game rankings then resume, as we finally tick off Issue 4's lot. Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Aladdin, Madden NFL '94, NHL '94 and Flashback join the hallowed ranks to make a total of 71 games at this point. 
Don't forget to get your questions in to podcast@sega-mania.com and here's the pre-recording list of ranked games for you to follow:
Streets of Rage II
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Streets of Rage
Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition
Gunstar Heroes
Rocket Knight Adventures
Sonic the Hedgehog
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Revenge of Shinobi
TMHT: The Hyperstone Heist
Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe
QuackShot Starring Donald Duck
ToeJam & Earl
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
Shining Force
Thunder Force IV
Sonic Spinball
World of Illusion
Sensible Soccer
Columns
Golden Axe
Alien Storm
Mortal Kombat
Spider-Man vs The Kingpin
Road Rash II
Road Rash
Strider
Micro Machines
Wonder Boy in Monster World
Jungle Strike
Landstalker
Cool Spot
Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun
Klax
Dick Tracy
FIFA International Soccer
World Cup Italia '90
Ghouls 'n' Ghosts
OutRun
Alien 3
Home Alone
Desert Strike
Atomic Runner
Super Hang-on
ESWAT
The Terminator
Taz-Mania
Space Harrier II
Zero Wing
Galaxy Force II
Decap Attack
Kid Chameleon
Turrican
Splatterhouse 2
Jurassic Park
WWF Royal Rumble
WWF Super Wrestlemania
Batman
Super Thunder Blade
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Bubsy In: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind
LHX Attack Chopper
TaleSpin
Bart vs. The Space Mutants
Shadow of the Beast
Steel Talons

We've got a special focus for this episode, where we talk about a game soon to feature on the back cover of Sega Mania Magazine issue 7 - Sonic Triple Trouble 16-bit from @NoahNCopeland 
We wax lyrical on just how impressive and 90s Sega-reminiscent it is, marvel at how well it runs, and implore you to keep your eyes peeled for more info in the upcoming magazine. You can grab a copy of the game here: https://gamejolt.com/games/sonictripletrouble16bit/322794
We had a very special listener question that asked us to rank the main Sega consoles, so that's exactly what we did. How do we rank Master System, Game Gear, Mega Drive, Saturn and Dreamcast? Listen on to find out, and let us know how you would rank them by emailing podcast@sega-mania.com

It seems the fallout from The Streets of Rage 2 Incident has given rise to a short hiatus for the Mega Drive rankings, and what better way to plug that gap than by answering questions from you lovely lot! 
We smashed through our backlog of listener emails, answering questions about our first gaming memories, most recent games we bought, our preferences for movie watching, games we want to see remade, and loads more. It's basically a two-hour long tangent. 
We'll have a very special ranking next time around, as well as a game we missed, so if you maniacs want to get involved next episode then please contact us at podcast@sega-mania.com. Oh, and don't forget to watch out for us at Play Expo in Blackpool - less than a month to go now!

We introduce our newest member of the Sega Mania mag/pod crew this episode, as Tom joins in the madness that is quickly becoming the messiest ranking of Mega Drive games in existence (as well as the best).
We're still going through Issue 4's games (from 1993), laying down judgement almighty upon Jungle Strike, FIFA International Soccer, Sensible Soccer, TMHT: The Hyperstone Heist, Bubsy In: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind, and Shining Force. 
We have a letter from a weasel that asks us about games we've recently completed, movies we've watched, and more! Don't forget to send your questions to podcast@sega-mania.com if you want to get involved and be our mate. 
Here's the ranking list pre-recording so you can (try to) follow along:
Streets of Rage II
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Streets of Rage
Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition
Gunstar Heroes
Rocket Knight Adventures
Sonic the Hedgehog
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Revenge of Shinobi
Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe
QuackShot Starring Donald Duck
ToeJam & Earl
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
Thunder Force IV
Sonic Spinball
World of Illusion
Columns
Golden Axe
Alien Storm
Mortal Kombat
Spider-Man vs The Kingpin
Road Rash II
Road Rash
Strider
Micro Machines
Wonder Boy in Monster World
Landstalker
Cool Spot
Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun
Klax
Dick Tracy
World Cup Italia '90
Ghouls 'n' Ghosts
OutRun
Alien 3
Home Alone
Desert Strike
Atomic Runner
Super Hang-on
ESWAT
The Terminator
Taz-Mania
Space Harrier II
Zero Wing
Galaxy Force II
Decap Attack
Kid Chameleon
Turrican
Splatterhouse 2
Jurassic Park
WWF Royal Rumble
WWF Super Wrestlemania
Batman
Super Thunder Blade
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
LHX Attack Chopper
TaleSpin
Bart vs. The Space Mutants
Shadow of the Beast
Steel Talons