Super PLAY
Encyclopedia
Super PLAY was a Swedish
video game magazine
. Started in March 1993 with the name Super Power, it was the first independent video game magazine in Sweden. Despite its independence, it initially only covered Nintendo
games, but the coverage was extended to all major consoles
in 1995. The name was changed in March 1996, and in June 2001 the magazine started covering PC
games. Its monthly circulation was in 2003 25,000 http://www.sverigestidskrifter.se/register_bransch.asp?tidning=Super+Play. The editor in chief
until November 2004 was Tobias Bjarneby
, who left along with a large segment of the staff to form the new magazine Reset (which later merged with the magazine Player 1 to form Level). The last editor in chief was Joakim Bennet, who succeeded Tommy Rydling in mid-2007.
On 17 August 2009, Joakim Bennet announced that the magazine will be disestablished within a near future. The last number was released in October 2009. The last number was dedicated to earlier versions of the magazine, which almost the entire magazine including a behind the scenes and quotes from various numbers from all years. Also was an exclusive script describing the change from Super POWER to Super PLAY, which apparently was supposed to be called simply "Play", and the reviews all having the same layout from previous versions of the magazine, in addition to comments from the readers and exact same ads as previous versions, obviously outdated by then. Notoriously, the review of the PlayStation 3
game Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
was the only one based on the layout used 1996-99 and had a yellow stripe, which was the color used by reviews on games from the original PlayStation
.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
video game magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
. Started in March 1993 with the name Super Power, it was the first independent video game magazine in Sweden. Despite its independence, it initially only covered Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
games, but the coverage was extended to all major consoles
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
in 1995. The name was changed in March 1996, and in June 2001 the magazine started covering PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
games. Its monthly circulation was in 2003 25,000 http://www.sverigestidskrifter.se/register_bransch.asp?tidning=Super+Play. The editor in chief
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
until November 2004 was Tobias Bjarneby
Tobias Bjarneby
Tobias Bjarneby was born in 1974 in Stockholm. He is one of Sweden's most noted video game journalists. He was the editor in chief of Super PLAY magazine from 1996 to December 2004 and has written for Aftonbladet. Currently he is the editor in chief of LEVEL. He has advocated for public acceptance...
, who left along with a large segment of the staff to form the new magazine Reset (which later merged with the magazine Player 1 to form Level). The last editor in chief was Joakim Bennet, who succeeded Tommy Rydling in mid-2007.
On 17 August 2009, Joakim Bennet announced that the magazine will be disestablished within a near future. The last number was released in October 2009. The last number was dedicated to earlier versions of the magazine, which almost the entire magazine including a behind the scenes and quotes from various numbers from all years. Also was an exclusive script describing the change from Super POWER to Super PLAY, which apparently was supposed to be called simply "Play", and the reviews all having the same layout from previous versions of the magazine, in addition to comments from the readers and exact same ads as previous versions, obviously outdated by then. Notoriously, the review of the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
game Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is an action-adventure platform third-person shooter video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the sequel to the 2007 game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. It was first shown and announced on December 1, 2008...
was the only one based on the layout used 1996-99 and had a yellow stripe, which was the color used by reviews on games from the original PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
.
Trivia
- Patrick Söderlund, now managing director at Digital IllusionsDigital Illusions CEEA Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment AB is a Swedish video game developer, wholly owned by Electronic Arts, best known for the Battlefield video game series and Mirror's Edge.-History:...
(DICE) wrote for the magazine in the mid-1990s. - A copy of Super PLAY can be found in the game Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake EaterMetal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eateris an award-winning stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima. Snake Eater was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2, and was released on November 17, 2004 in North America; December 16, 2004 in Japan; March 4, 2005 in Europe; and on...
.