Total!
Encyclopedia
Total! was a video game magazine
published in the United Kingdom
by Future Publishing
. It was published monthly for 58 issues, beginning in December 1991 (cover-dated January 1992), with the last issue bearing the cover-date October 1996. A "1993 Annual" featuring reprint material and a poster magazine were also released during the magazine's lifetime.
It focused on current and upcoming Nintendo
consoles of the era, initially the NES
and Game Boy
, and then shared coverage with the SNES
, Virtual Boy
and Nintendo 64
as they were released. The arcade games Crusin' USA, Killer Instinct
and Killer Instinct 2
were also reviewed.
The magazine was launched by Steve Jarratt
Editor, Wayne Allen Art Editor and Andy Dyer Staff Writer. Steve Jarratt
and Andy Dyer were credited with writing all the reviews. They also appeared in the form of computer sprite-style pictures, with comic book-style speech bubbles on many pages, though these were dropped by the end of 1993. Further named staff writers were brought in, there were usually around four writers credited at a time from 1994 onwards. Jarratt left to become the launch editor of Edge
.
The final issue featured "Gamefreak", a Q&A section carried over from sister-magazine Super Play
that had ended the month before. Issue 58 was not planned to be the final issue as issue 59 was previewed in the back of the magazine. However shortly after release subscribers received a letter informing them that the magazine had ended.
During the last few years of its life subscribers to the magazine received an extra page in the form of "Total! Arena", a black and white insert featuring a brief summary of the corresponding issue's contents. Also featured on the page was "Fave Raves" where the current writers briefly mentioned their current favourite game - as a one-off this was changed to "Fave Daves" for issue 53's insert. There was also on occasion subscriber only competitions. There was no insert with the final issue.
Each game review featured a rating out of 10 for the graphics, sound, gameplay and lifespan, plus an overall percentage score. The first Nintendo 64 game reviewed, Mario 64, was also the first game to receive the perfect score of 100%. Other notable high scores included 99% for Super Mario All-Stars
on the SNES, in September 1993, and 98% each for Super Mario Bros. 3
on the NES and Super Mario World
on the SNES, both in 1992. It is also notable for giving a score of 77% to Rise of the Robots
, uncommonly high among reviews for this game.
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...
published in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by Future Publishing
Future Publishing
Future plc is a media company; in 2006, it was the sixth-largest in the United Kingdom. It publishes more than 150 magazines in fields such as video games, technology, automotive, cycling, films and photography. Future is the official magazine company of all three major games console manufacturers...
. It was published monthly for 58 issues, beginning in December 1991 (cover-dated January 1992), with the last issue bearing the cover-date October 1996. A "1993 Annual" featuring reprint material and a poster magazine were also released during the magazine's lifetime.
It focused on current and upcoming 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....
consoles of the era, initially the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
and Game Boy
Game Boy line
The line is a line of battery-powered handheld game console sold by Nintendo. It is one of the world's best-selling game system lines with a combined 200+ million units sold worldwide....
, and then shared coverage with the SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, Virtual Boy
Virtual Boy
The was a video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was the first video game console that was supposed to be capable of displaying "true 3D graphics" out of the box. Whereas most video games use monocular cues to achieve the illusion of three dimensions on a two-dimensional...
and Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
as they were released. The arcade games Crusin' USA, Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct is a fighting game developed by Rare and published by Midway and Nintendo. Initially released in arcades in 1994, and rumored to use an "Ultra 64" hardware engine, in reality the proprietary arcade hardware was co-developed by Rare and Midway. The game received a high profile launch...
and Killer Instinct 2
Killer Instinct 2
Killer Instinct 2 is a 1996 arcade-only fighting game developed by Rare, licensed by Nintendo, and manufactured by Midway.KI2 is the sequel to Killer Instinct , an arcade game which was also ported to the SNES...
were also reviewed.
The magazine was launched by Steve Jarratt
Steve Jarratt
Steve Jarratt is a long-time videogames journalist and magazine editor. He has launched a large number of magazines for Future Publishing, many of which are still published. Magazines he has worked for include:...
Editor, Wayne Allen Art Editor and Andy Dyer Staff Writer. Steve Jarratt
Steve Jarratt
Steve Jarratt is a long-time videogames journalist and magazine editor. He has launched a large number of magazines for Future Publishing, many of which are still published. Magazines he has worked for include:...
and Andy Dyer were credited with writing all the reviews. They also appeared in the form of computer sprite-style pictures, with comic book-style speech bubbles on many pages, though these were dropped by the end of 1993. Further named staff writers were brought in, there were usually around four writers credited at a time from 1994 onwards. Jarratt left to become the launch editor of Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
.
The final issue featured "Gamefreak", a Q&A section carried over from sister-magazine Super Play
Super Play
Super Play was a UK based Super Nintendo Entertainment System magazine which ran from November 1992 to September 1996.Super Play was notable for a number of reasons. Firstly, it covered in great detail the console role-playing game genre...
that had ended the month before. Issue 58 was not planned to be the final issue as issue 59 was previewed in the back of the magazine. However shortly after release subscribers received a letter informing them that the magazine had ended.
During the last few years of its life subscribers to the magazine received an extra page in the form of "Total! Arena", a black and white insert featuring a brief summary of the corresponding issue's contents. Also featured on the page was "Fave Raves" where the current writers briefly mentioned their current favourite game - as a one-off this was changed to "Fave Daves" for issue 53's insert. There was also on occasion subscriber only competitions. There was no insert with the final issue.
Each game review featured a rating out of 10 for the graphics, sound, gameplay and lifespan, plus an overall percentage score. The first Nintendo 64 game reviewed, Mario 64, was also the first game to receive the perfect score of 100%. Other notable high scores included 99% for Super Mario All-Stars
Super Mario All-Stars
Super Mario All-Stars, known as in Japan, is a collection of platforming video games that was developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. It contains enhanced remakes of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels , Super Mario Bros...
on the SNES, in September 1993, and 98% each for Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3
, also referred to as Super Mario 3 and SMB3, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the third game in the Super Mario series. The game was released in Japan in 1988, in the United States in 1990, and in Europe in 1991...
on the NES and Super Mario World
Super Mario World
, subtitled Super Mario Bros. 4 for its original Japanese release, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo as a pack-in launch title for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the fourth game in the Super Mario series...
on the SNES, both in 1992. It is also notable for giving a score of 77% to Rise of the Robots
Rise of the Robots
Rise of the Robots is a 1994 fighting style video game developed by Mirage Studios and published by Time Warner Interactive. It was ported to numerous home console and computer formats, and was also released as an arcade game cabinet....
, uncommonly high among reviews for this game.
External links
- Total! Magazine at World of Stuart, the website of journalist Stuart Campbell, who wrote reviews and occasional features uncredited for the magazine. Includes reproductions of some features from the magazine.