Your MegaZone Magazine Rack

Blake00 · 31 December 2019, 11:57

I noticed you're one of the very few websites preserving old copies of MegaZone magazine here:
http://amr.abime.net/issues_44

Am curious to know if any of the people who helped set that up are still here? And if you're interested in adding more content? (I'm guessing you're only interested in the early multi format era that covered Amiga and not the later Sega only era)

If so maybe we can help each other out as I have many issues from the multi format era and it looks like one or more of you guys have at least 3 pre issue 16 mags we don't have!

Also if others here are Australian, you have a good retro gaming mate who’s an Aussie, or you know a retro gaming influencer with Aus fans then maybe you can help with this preservation attempt too!

For those that have no idea what I'm talking about I’ve been working with others to try and digitally preserve copies of a great old Australian video game electronics magazine called MegaZone that covered PC & Amiga (with a particular focus on point & click adventures), Atari, Nintendo and a lots of SEGA stuff (it eventually became SEGA only in its final years).

At this point in time 42 of the 56 issues have been found and scanned by various collectors and myself leaving 14 issues still missing, all from the magazines earliest years. Many of the magazines found are missing their posters and some occasionally had supplement mini books that may be missing too. We’re also trying to digitize any MegaZone TV commercials out there on old VHS video cassettes as we have rescued 2 but know there are more (I remember seeing more as a kid).

More info about what MegaZone is and how people can help here:
https://blakessanctum.wordpress.com/...eds-your-help/

Blake00 · 25 September 2020, 14:32

Small update guys.. finally my efforts have netted a new find. A fellow named Colin contacted me over email and informed me that he has two MegaComp issues (pre-MegaZone Issue 2 and 4) and the first MegaZone along with several more early issues from 1990 (Issue 5 and what we believe is Issue 7 and 9). He's sent me pictures of all the covers however so far he's only scanned one mag for me and I haven't heard from him for a while since sadly

so fingers crossed he does the others eventually. That one mag was MegaComp Issue 2 and sure enough it mentions the name change from MegaCom (Issue 1) which confirms the NLA records. The scan is not of the best quality but beggars can't be choosers so I've added it to The MegaZone Archive !

Another fellow recently posted a comment in one of my other threads about this search claiming that Issue 56 was not really the last one and that a few months later another issue appeared and that a letter he wrote to them was in it. I find that hard to believe as Issue 56 clearly states that it's the last plus I was a subscriber and the only thing I got sent to me from them after Issue 56 was a cheque in the mail refunding me the rest of my subscription lol!

On and yet another fellow sent me pictures of some sort of Sega bucket (called Mega Booster Pak) promotion that was associated with MegaZone. I can't see the word MegaZone written on them anywhere so I'm not sure about adding them to the archive at this stage. Maybe they were more of a Sega Club thing?

And finally I also saw some more little supplementary 'Mini Megazone' fold out booklets (similar to my one pictured below) on ebay recently. The seller wanted 80 bucks EACH for them though so no one bought them. :/ In the end I just took his pictures from the sale, maybe I'll fashion them into something for the archives.

Minuous · 25 September 2020, 17:23

Nice find there. I hope issue 3 turns up, I recall it had an interesting article about the Australian cracking scene.

Blake00 · 20 December 2020, 11:47

Sadly after giving me Issue 2 the guy went quiet.. so no Issue 4, 5, 7 and 9 after all.

Minuous · 10 January 2021, 12:14

Issue #1 just appeared here...

https://commodore.bombjack.org/gener...om/megacom.htm

Blake00 · 10 January 2021, 13:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minuous

Issue #1 just appeared here...

https://commodore.bombjack.org/gener...om/megacom.htm

OH MY GOD.. you sir are a friggin legend!!!

The one that started it all.. unbelievable!

I need to go have a chat with the fellow running that site!

Minuous · 25 February 2021, 21:39

Issue #4 is here:

https://archive.org/search.php?query...rt=titleSorter

Blake00 · 26 February 2021, 05:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minuous

Issue #4 is here:

https://archive.org/search.php?query...rt=titleSorter

You just linked me to my own collection mate haha. When you see me posting about preserving the mags I find, that is where I put them heh.

Thanks anyway though and jeez you're fast lol, as I literally scanned and uploaded that last night and haven't finished setting up its fields lol! Managed to bag it on ebay..

EDIT: Oh wait.. that was Issue 9 I did last night. Issue 4 I put up a week or so ago after someone kindly scanned it and sent me the pdf over email.

I did make some updates to it last night though which appears to have broken the thumbnail so I better go fix that!

Few other recent additions too. Will do a proper announcement later as I'm still editing and uploading stuff!

Blake00 · Today, 11:31

Hi guys!

Time for that new update as we’ve had some great new developments on the SEGA MegaZone Preservation Archive Project ! Unfortunately Colin is having some problems with his scanner so I still don’t have all the issues he offered however others have come forward and I’ve been able to score some big additions to the The MegaZone Archive !

First I’ve gotta start with the best one. Big thanks to @Minuous for letting me know plus David & his friends over at DLH’s Commodore Archive for uploading the file and giving me permission to copy, because WE HAVE ISSUE 1! Yes really, the first issue from the late 1980s that started it all! And sure enough as suspected issue 1 was called MegaCom without the P on the end (before it was changed to MegaComp and then MegaZone).

I’ve also been contacted by Mick Elliot who had the super rare Issue 4 of MegaComp (the final issue before the name change to MegaZone) and kindly offered to scan it for me. This means we now have every issue before the name change to MegaZone except Issue 3. Fingers crossed we score that one one day too!

Then I got lucky on ebay when I saw someone was selling a massive collection of MegaZones and I noticed 2 of them I didn’t have in my physical collection, Issue 9 and Issue 22. So I contacted the seller and negotiated them taking those 2 out and selling separately to me! Issue 22 is already in the online archive however Issue 9 is not! So I’ve scanned it in high quality and added it to the collection! Love that Arnie Total Recall cover!

And finally, as mentioned in my last update I’ve also managed to bag some more super rare MegaZone subscription & game catalogue foldout booklets. They were being sold on ebay or an utterly ridiculous price I was unwilling to pay. The seller had no interest in dropping the price however thankfully they did complete scans of ever page for the sale pictures. This allowed me to download them, rotate them (they were all wonky), and clean them up a bit to make them readable. They’re far from perfect but they’re readable which is the important thing. I’ve labeled them as Issue 5 and 20 supplements however I’m only guessing which issues they came with due to their similar content (Issue 5 the first MegaZone is still missing from the archive but Colin has sent me it’s cover).

There are now only 10 issues missing from the MegaZone preservation collection (issues 3, 5-8, and 11-15)! Well most likely 10 lol as there may be a mythical Issue 57 out there! A fellow on this forum claims the summer issue 56 was not really the last despite the issue saying it was and all subscriptions (including my own) being canceled and refunded. He says a final issue 57 showed up at news agencies however he’s sadly lost his copy. Can anyone else confirm this mystery issue exists? Anyway, big thank you to everyone for their help! Make sure you visit the The MegaZone Archive to see these latest additions.

dreamkatcha · Today, 13:44

Are you aware there are some stray games review pages taken from Amiga Action lurking in at least a few of these PDFs? Some examples can be seen in issues 19 and 20. I don't think a cross-publishing relationship was in place so suspect something went wrong.

Thanks for sharing anyway. I'm enjoying checking out what the other side of the globe had to say about so many of the things that shaped my childhood.

One thing that leapt out at me is an ad for the Atari Lynx. It's totally alien to the UK marketing industry to reference other brands. Here they mention Reebok Pumps and a particular model of skateboard/deck in the headlining slogan.

There's also an interesting section on Sega's wordprocessor cartridge. Not something you'd naturally associate with the company that gave us the Mega Drive and Sonic.

25 September 2020, 14:32	#2
Blake00 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Australia Posts: 9	Small update guys.. finally my efforts have netted a new find. A fellow named Colin contacted me over email and informed me that he has two MegaComp issues (pre-MegaZone Issue 2 and 4) and the first MegaZone along with several more early issues from 1990 (Issue 5 and what we believe is Issue 7 and 9). He's sent me pictures of all the covers however so far he's only scanned one mag for me and I haven't heard from him for a while since sadly so fingers crossed he does the others eventually. That one mag was MegaComp Issue 2 and sure enough it mentions the name change from MegaCom (Issue 1) which confirms the NLA records. The scan is not of the best quality but beggars can't be choosers so I've added it to The MegaZone Archive ! Another fellow recently posted a comment in one of my other threads about this search claiming that Issue 56 was not really the last one and that a few months later another issue appeared and that a letter he wrote to them was in it. I find that hard to believe as Issue 56 clearly states that it's the last plus I was a subscriber and the only thing I got sent to me from them after Issue 56 was a cheque in the mail refunding me the rest of my subscription lol! On and yet another fellow sent me pictures of some sort of Sega bucket (called Mega Booster Pak) promotion that was associated with MegaZone. I can't see the word MegaZone written on them anywhere so I'm not sure about adding them to the archive at this stage. Maybe they were more of a Sega Club thing? And finally I also saw some more little supplementary 'Mini Megazone' fold out booklets (similar to my one pictured below) on ebay recently. The seller wanted 80 bucks EACH for them though so no one bought them. :/ In the end I just took his pictures from the sale, maybe I'll fashion them into something for the archives. Last edited by Blake00; 25 September 2020 at 14:46.

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31 December 2019, 11:57	#1
Blake00 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Australia Posts: 9	Your MegaZone Magazine Rack I noticed you're one of the very few websites preserving old copies of MegaZone magazine here: http://amr.abime.net/issues_44 Am curious to know if any of the people who helped set that up are still here? And if you're interested in adding more content? (I'm guessing you're only interested in the early multi format era that covered Amiga and not the later Sega only era) If so maybe we can help each other out as I have many issues from the multi format era and it looks like one or more of you guys have at least 3 pre issue 16 mags we don't have! Also if others here are Australian, you have a good retro gaming mate who’s an Aussie, or you know a retro gaming influencer with Aus fans then maybe you can help with this preservation attempt too! For those that have no idea what I'm talking about I’ve been working with others to try and digitally preserve copies of a great old Australian video game electronics magazine called MegaZone that covered PC & Amiga (with a particular focus on point & click adventures), Atari, Nintendo and a lots of SEGA stuff (it eventually became SEGA only in its final years). At this point in time 42 of the 56 issues have been found and scanned by various collectors and myself leaving 14 issues still missing, all from the magazines earliest years. Many of the magazines found are missing their posters and some occasionally had supplement mini books that may be missing too. We’re also trying to digitize any MegaZone TV commercials out there on old VHS video cassettes as we have rescued 2 but know there are more (I remember seeing more as a kid). More info about what MegaZone is and how people can help here: https://blakessanctum.wordpress.com/...eds-your-help/

25 September 2020, 17:23	#3
Minuous Coder/webmaster/gamer Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Canberra/Australia Posts: 2,210	Nice find there. I hope issue 3 turns up, I recall it had an interesting article about the Australian cracking scene.

20 December 2020, 11:47	#4
Blake00 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Australia Posts: 9	Sadly after giving me Issue 2 the guy went quiet.. so no Issue 4, 5, 7 and 9 after all.

10 January 2021, 12:14	#5
Minuous Coder/webmaster/gamer Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Canberra/Australia Posts: 2,210	Issue #1 just appeared here... https://commodore.bombjack.org/gener...om/megacom.htm

25 February 2021, 21:39	#7
Minuous Coder/webmaster/gamer Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Canberra/Australia Posts: 2,210	Issue #4 is here: https://archive.org/search.php?query...rt=titleSorter

Today, 11:31	#9
Blake00 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Australia Posts: 9	Hi guys! Time for that new update as we’ve had some great new developments on the SEGA MegaZone Preservation Archive Project ! Unfortunately Colin is having some problems with his scanner so I still don’t have all the issues he offered however others have come forward and I’ve been able to score some big additions to the The MegaZone Archive ! First I’ve gotta start with the best one. Big thanks to @Minuous for letting me know plus David & his friends over at DLH’s Commodore Archive for uploading the file and giving me permission to copy, because WE HAVE ISSUE 1! Yes really, the first issue from the late 1980s that started it all! And sure enough as suspected issue 1 was called MegaCom without the P on the end (before it was changed to MegaComp and then MegaZone). I’ve also been contacted by Mick Elliot who had the super rare Issue 4 of MegaComp (the final issue before the name change to MegaZone) and kindly offered to scan it for me. This means we now have every issue before the name change to MegaZone except Issue 3. Fingers crossed we score that one one day too! Then I got lucky on ebay when I saw someone was selling a massive collection of MegaZones and I noticed 2 of them I didn’t have in my physical collection, Issue 9 and Issue 22. So I contacted the seller and negotiated them taking those 2 out and selling separately to me! Issue 22 is already in the online archive however Issue 9 is not! So I’ve scanned it in high quality and added it to the collection! Love that Arnie Total Recall cover! And finally, as mentioned in my last update I’ve also managed to bag some more super rare MegaZone subscription & game catalogue foldout booklets. They were being sold on ebay or an utterly ridiculous price I was unwilling to pay. The seller had no interest in dropping the price however thankfully they did complete scans of ever page for the sale pictures. This allowed me to download them, rotate them (they were all wonky), and clean them up a bit to make them readable. They’re far from perfect but they’re readable which is the important thing. I’ve labeled them as Issue 5 and 20 supplements however I’m only guessing which issues they came with due to their similar content (Issue 5 the first MegaZone is still missing from the archive but Colin has sent me it’s cover). There are now only 10 issues missing from the MegaZone preservation collection (issues 3, 5-8, and 11-15)! Well most likely 10 lol as there may be a mythical Issue 57 out there! A fellow on this forum claims the summer issue 56 was not really the last despite the issue saying it was and all subscriptions (including my own) being canceled and refunded. He says a final issue 57 showed up at news agencies however he’s sadly lost his copy. Can anyone else confirm this mystery issue exists? Anyway, big thank you to everyone for their help! Make sure you visit the The MegaZone Archive to see these latest additions.

Today, 13:44	#10
dreamkatcha I've got a new byline Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 958	Are you aware there are some stray games review pages taken from Amiga Action lurking in at least a few of these PDFs? Some examples can be seen in issues 19 and 20. I don't think a cross-publishing relationship was in place so suspect something went wrong. Thanks for sharing anyway. I'm enjoying checking out what the other side of the globe had to say about so many of the things that shaped my childhood. One thing that leapt out at me is an ad for the Atari Lynx. It's totally alien to the UK marketing industry to reference other brands. Here they mention Reebok Pumps and a particular model of skateboard/deck in the headlining slogan. There's also an interesting section on Sega's wordprocessor cartridge. Not something you'd naturally associate with the company that gave us the Mega Drive and Sonic.

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