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Back in the early '90s, the arrival of Mean Machines in the UK and the explosion of Japanese consoles led to a wave of new magazines hitting store shelves – many of which were Sega-themed thanks to the success of the company's Master System and Mega Drive systems in the region.
Sega Force was one such magazine. The brainchild of Zzap!64 and Crash publishers Roger Kean and Oli Frey, the mag was originally supposed to be part of the Newsfield stable but was shifted to a new owner, Europress, when it purchased Newsfield in 1991. It would ultimately be published on the newly-founded Europress Impact brand.
When the first issue of Sega Force hit newsstands at the start of 1992, it felt like a repeat of the Newsfield template to a degree; Frey's unmistakable artwork graced the cover, giving the magazine its own unique feel.
This time, however, the artist – who sadly passed away in 2022 – introduced a Japanese look which appeared to be inspired by Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira and aped the earlier approach taken by EMAP's Gary Harrod on Mean Machines' iconic 'chibi' staff avatars.
Frey's bespoke illustrations were found inside the magazine, too, with a cast of anime-style characters assuming roles inspired by the game being reviewed. Many of these pieces of art were quite violent and sexual in tone, which perhaps caused some parents to question the wisdom of allowing their kids to read the publication.
Sega Force was joined by N-Force in July of 1992, which covered Nintendo consoles, while Amiga Force came at the end of the year. After 19 issues, Sega Force was split into Sega Force Mega and Sega Master Force, while SNES Force was spun off from N-Force, with the latter covering NES content until its cancellation in 1993.
All of Europress Impact's magazines would vanish when the publisher – by this point rechristened Impact Magazines – was forced into administration.