One of the longest running video game magazines in North America has decided to cease publication after Nintendo announced that it would not be renewing their licensing agreement with publisher Future US. After 24 years and 281 issues, the definitive source for all things Nintendo will soon pass into retro existence with classic NES games it once featured.
By 1988, Nintendo was simply the biggest thing to happen in the gaming world. In fact, Nintendo dominated the market at that time and many attribute the Nintendo Entertainment System as the console that saved the video game industry in the US. Those who remember the old 8-bit days can attest to the ridiculous difficulty of games back then. What made things worse was there wasn’t a lot that could be done about it. Today it’s easy to hop online and find an answer to any question, but 24 years ago players didn’t have a lot of options.
Plus, games didn’t always play fair. Problems such as poor translation, due to the mostly Japanese developed market, or poor development led to games often being unclear on how it was even supposed to be played (e.g. Top Gun landing controls). Gamers didn’t know if a game sucked before they bought it – there was nothing that informed them. At this time, marketing was predominately visual. If the cover art and screen on the box looked cool, it was good enough reason to buy it. You could read the descriptions on the box, but they were often misleading. The point is, nothing was really around to tell gamers it played like crap.
That is until Nintendo Power hit the scene in 1988 and would change gaming forever.
Super Mario Brothers 2 (Super Mario USA in Japan) and the clay modeled Mario and Wart adorned the first of many memorable and imaginative covers. Inside, gamers would find tricks, hints and insider information to their favorite games as well as a way to finally preview future games. There were comic books, full colored maps and even free foldout posters that blanked the walls of readers. It absolutely changed how games were played.
Now gamers could navigate the second quest in Legend of Zelda. Now they knew that equipping the Red Crystal and kneeling while facing right in a certain spot would summon a tornado to take them to Bodley Mansion in Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest. Important stuff. Since its first issue, Nintendo Power has saved gamers from countless hours of frustration, offering a balance of entertainment and information together in a beautiful package — often setting standards for future video game magazine publication.
Unfortunately, with the internet existing as the most popular source for information these days, Nintendo is going the way of GamePro in today’s struggling magazine industry. After covering everything through five consoles and several handhelds, Nintendo Power will end its run. No word has been given on when their final issue will be published, but according to Ars Technica, Nintendo Senior Editor Chris Hoffman has been quoted as saying the editorial team was going to “try to make the last issues memorable.” Nintendo Power has had a fantastic run and its many fans, old and new, and current 475,000 monthly readers will want to stay tuned to see what special treats it has in store for the last hurrah.
Nintendo Power has always had nothing but love and respect for its readers and it showed in every page. Nintendo Power holds many precious memories for gamers, a veritable time capsule of the golden age of gaming and beyond. It will continue to inform and entertain long after it ceases publication. It will be sorely missed, but never forgotten. Nintendo Power will always have a save spot on our memory.
Are you sad to see the Nintendo Power go? What are some of your favorite Nintendo Power moments?
Source: Ars Technica
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(T_T) I will grieve this loss. Being young I’d have to say my favorite Nintendo Power moment was the first issue to talk about the Gamecube, it played a big part in bringing up my current passion for games. To Nintendo Power, I salute you.
I agree. Respect is everything and kids these days seem to have forgotten that. Everyone is so judgmental it’s ridicules. If it’s new or foreign or different it’s instantly gay and retarded, both of which are horrible insults for a plethora of reasons.
I like how you’re attacking people for being judgmental by being judgmental. And honestly, can you really say that you’ve even touched an issue of nintendo power since getting internet access? I used to get all of my information from gaming mags, then my Mom got me internet when I was 11 and I never looked back.
It’s not about lack of respect. It’s about getting with the times and moving on.
Gary, Hunter wasn’t being judgmental. He noted a few of his observations and never insulted anyone.
I think a combination of online news and Nintendo’s decline made this inevitable. Any Nintendo news worth reading was already online and any of the specialty content was reliant on a developer that doesn’t put out games as frequently as they used to.
Still, it had its day and I’m sad to know it won’t be around for nostalgia’s sake
When the news breaks online the day it happens but doesn’t appear in a magazine until a month later, it’s not surprising that printed magazines can’t keep up.
Yeah, gaming mags definitely are an endangered species, and don’t really have much to offer that one can’t get on the internet for free. It is kind of nice to think back on my magazine subscriptions — PC Gamer, Computer Gaming World, Electronics Gaming Monthly, and Nintendo Power — and remember a time before comments, when fanboy fights only took place in school and comic book stores, trolling didn’t exist, and the only opinionated morons you ever had to listen to were the ones you knew in real life. Well, them and politicians, lol.
It’s safe to say that no one will really miss it. And it’s surprising gaming magazines have managed to last at all considering how instead of paying cover price for a magazing you’re only going to read once and throw out, you can just get online and find out all of the same information.
The internet killed Nintendo Power. Hopefully internet unlocked an achievement for that.
TONS of people are going to miss it. Just look at the articles being written about Nintendo Power being shut down, and the comments sections of those articles.
It may be more of a generational thing. Those who grew up in the 80s and 90s have a lot of respect and adoration for Nintendo Power.
I definitely prefer the internet for news and game strategies because it’s fast and convenient, but I’ve been subscribed to Nintendo Power for 24 years and read it front to back every month. It just sometimes appeals to me in ways that the internet can’t.
Same for me, except with PTOM. I’ve read a lot of the news it contains, but I still read it cover-to-cover every month. Plus, it does include some things I haven’t heard and interviews I’m not aware of.
This is one of the all-time great magazines, and I still buy an issue every single month. It’s one of the biggest reasons I got into gaming, and its absence will be thoroughly missed.
R.I.P. Nintendo Power.
I still get Game Informer. Even though by time I get my hands on the magazine, most of the information is a couple of weeks outdated, I still get excited when it comes in the mail every month.
I feel the same way about PTOM. You summed it up pretty good.
My favorite moment was when they had the legend of zelda comics in every issue.. I used to read those all the time when I was a kid.. and especially the classified information section, which showed various cheat codes and secrets for different games.. i was always so excited to check it out. It’s a shame to see Nintendo Power go.
In its heydey, Nintendo Power was unabashedly a propaganda magazine. The reviews were far too kind, and even as a kid it was obvious to me that the goal was to sell more Nintendo products. I’m honestly surprised this didn’t happen sooner.
Sad to see it go
Back when I was a kid and got this magazine, it was almost as much fun as getting a new game.
I have the first 10 issues framed on my wall! I currently have subscriptions to NP, GI and PTOM, but NP has always been my favorite. I’ll definitely be sad to see this one go.