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if you’ve already flicked through the mag you may have noticed a gigantic feature dedicated to the greatest games systems of all time. So this feels like the perfect time to tell you about mine.

While the Amstrad CPC will always have a special place in my heart – it was my first ever home computer, after all – Sega’s Mega Drive narrowly beats out the Xbox and Nintendo DS as my favourite games system of all time. Being a Master System owner, I was already aware of the incoming release of the Mega Drive and can remember seeing early images of Space Harrier 2 and Super Thunderblade while I was in my final year of school.

Sega’s console is special to me because it’s the first ever console I imported. It highlighted the differences to me between NTSC and PAL ports, and it proved that systems in the home were more than capable of delivering (seemingly) perfect arcade conversions. As I loved arcade games and shoot-’em-ups, the machine was the perfect choice for me, and it soon introduced me to a world of fantastic Japanese exclusives that I would try and buy whenever I could afford them.

It’s certainly got its fair share of stinkers, but the Mega Drive is a really special machine to me and I can’t imagine never having one in my life. We’ve got 29 other systems featured in this issue, which mean just as much to the rest of you as Sega’s console does to me, so let’s hurry on and see what they all are.

Enjoy the magazine!