Goodbye Nintendo Power

I lost something of my childhood when I read the news this week that Nintendo Power would cease publication in December, after 24 years. As a loyal subscriber for 16 years, I have collected over 150 issues of Nintendo Power, and treasure them all. The magazine was very important in my progression from video game amateur to enthusiast -- as I'm sure it was for many children and young adults.

Nintendo Power published its first issue in the summer of 1988, spotlighting Super Mario Bros. 2 for the NES. Since then there have been 281 issues. The overall focus of the magazine has certainly shifted since the late 1980s and early 1990s. Originally, the magazine was focused more on exclusive strategies, tricks, cheats, and other helpful tips to overcome Nintendo games, in addition to reviews and previews. In an age before the internet, Nintendo Power was the place to find official Nintendo walk-throughs, maps, and insider knowledge. Because the magazine was owned and operated by Nintendo, the information could be taken directly from programming teams. As of 2012 the magazine is much more community-oriented, and has largely given up in-depth strategy in favor of previews, reviews, retrospectives, and fan mail. One of my favorite new features, which began in 2010, is "Star Power," which picks a new Nintendo character every month and provides his or her "career" chart, quotes, and other details. One feature I miss is "Power Charts," which kept track of the top best-selling games for Nintendo systems and how long each had been on the list. I remember A Link to the Past being in the SNES list for something like 70 months.

Many criticized NP for lacking in objectivity since the magazine was a Nintendo product, but they were missing the point. Nintendo Power was a magazine for Nintendo enthusiasts; it guided them through their favorite games, and told them which new ones were worthy of purchase. Moreover, the magazine was (and is) deeply nostalgic. It pays tribute to the classic Nintendo games, and bridges the gap between the golden age of video games and the modern age.

My first issue of Nintendo Power was #88. It was the September 1996 issue -- the same month the N64 debuted in North America. I remember reading all about Super Mario 64, Turok, and Shadows of the Empire, three games that would soon become my favorites. One of the most memorable covers was four issues later, #92. NP released the magazine to subscribers with four different covers, each from Shadows of the Empire.

I received the Boba Fett cover -- score! -- not as rare as the IG-88 cover but not too shabby. Eight covers later was the 100th issues, and the editors at NP paid tribute to the milestone with a top 100 Nintendo games. Here is the top ten:

1. Super Mario 64
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
3. Tetris
4. Mario Kart 64
5. Super Mario Bros. 3
6. Super Metroid
7. GoldenEye 007
8. Final Fantasy VI
9. Final Fantasy IV
10. Street Fighter II Turbo

Considering this list is limited to only Nintendo video games, and the fact that is was released in 1997, it's pretty damn good. Four of these games would still make my top 10 of all time. In issues 196-200 (October 2005-February 2006), NP released a list of the top 200 Nintendo games of all time. The top ten is as follows:

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Resident Evil 4
3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
4. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
5. Super Mario 64
6. Super Mario Bros. 3
7. The Legend of Zelda
8. Super Mario World
9. Super Mario Bros.
10. Metroid Prime


In issue 252 (March 2010), the editors of Nintendo Power listed their favorite games and moments of the decade including the top ten titles from the years 2000-2009. The top ten games were:

1. Super Mario Galaxy
2. Resident Evil 4
3. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
4. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
5. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
6. Metroid Prime
7. Elite Beat Agents
8. Metroid: Zero Mission
9. Mario Kart Wii
10. The World Ends with You

As you can tell from these lists, Nintendo Power presided over several generations of Nintendo products, and the fans who loved them. The Game Boy, the SNES, the N64, the Gamecube, the DS, the Wii, and soon, the Wii U have all released under the watchful eye of Nintendo Power. It's fitting I suppose that NP will close its doors at the same time that a brand new Nintendo product will hit store shelves  -- a passing of the torch of sorts. Still, a generation of young kids who are discovering Nintendo for the first time won't have a family-friendly magazine dedicated solely to their favorite consoles and games. There are plenty of online resources -- gaming sites, FAQs, forums -- that provide previews, reviews, and advice, but none match the excitement of receiving an ink and paper product in the mail every week, or the assurance that the authors are dedicated solely to making  the most of every Nintendo experience.

Nintendo Power will be missed greatly, not only by me, but by a legion of video game fans that grew up reading it cover-to-cover. I'm grateful to NP for helping me beat the trickiest of levels, for advising me on which games to buy, and for inspiring me to love video games. I look forward to its 285th and final issue in December.

Below is a group of milestone NP covers. Please enjoy.

The first issue of Nintendo Power

The 50th issue

Number 100

The 150th issue

Number 200 - still going strong

This is #222 -- the first issue published by Future.

#250

And finally, number 152. I thought this was most fitting as a goodbye to Nintendo Power. Even if Nintendo Power is never renewed again, I hope Nintendo will at the very least digitize and archive all its issues. In that way, kids who never held a physical copy might discover it online, hiding in plain sight, waiting to be found.