[Brazelton] Nintendo Power Magazine

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GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
After 24 years, Nintendo Power magazine will be shutting down. I suppose it's not surprising since the internet long ago replaced print media for all real purposes for people young enough to have Nintendo as a formative influence.

When I was a kid I had 2 magazine subscriptions - Boy's Life and Nintendo Power. Heck, I subscribed to it back when it was called the Nintendo Fun Club News. Seems to me I still have their issues in a box somewhere, including a ratty, disheveled, dog eared copy of Nintendo Power issue 1.



Those were the motha frickin' days. This was the magazine that told me how to put dracula back together. What order to in which to defeat the robot masters. It explained advanced tetris strategy to me. Up until the SNES came out, it was my adolescence, illustrated monthly. (Then my folks wouldn't get me an SNES but I talked them into getting me a computer, and the rest is history).
 
Zappit

Zappit

Staff member
Really disappointed by this news. I go waaaay back with this mag, too. I remember the maps, strategy guides, comics, and codes. While the current NP doesn't do that - it would be hard with the sheer number of games out there, they still provided Q codes to unlock features in popular games. I also thought their reviews were pretty spot-on. I'm going to miss that.

At least the staff isn't getting shafted. They're going to be split up among a couple Internet bases video game sites. I really wish the net would stop killing magazines I love.
 
Hylian

Hylian

Although I never had enough money to actually buy a subscription as a kid I do recall pouring over any copy I could get my hands on. So even though it was really a long time coming they shall be sorely missed.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
Zappit said:
Really disappointed by this news. I go waaaay back with this mag, too. I remember the maps, strategy guides, comics, and codes. While the current NP doesn't do that - it would be hard with the sheer number of games out there, they still provided Q codes to unlock features in popular games. I also thought their reviews were pretty spot-on. I'm going to miss that.

At least the staff isn't getting shafted. They're going to be split up among a couple Internet bases video game sites. I really wish the net would stop killing magazines I love.
Click to expand...

Actually, reading more on it, it's not the Net that has killed it... they apparently still have ~500k subscribers... it's just that Nintendo is apparently getting too hard to work with.

But our source says that Nintendo, which was always "difficult to work with," was uninterested in renewing that contract or in taking part in a number of digital initiatives that Future saw as necessary for the long-term health of the brand. He added that Nintendo doesn't seem interested in taking over direct control of the magazine again.
Click to expand...
 
Zappit

Zappit

Staff member
What a crock. While NP did dole out pretty fair reviews, it was still a great cheerleader and propaganda machine for Nintendo. How much of a hit would Nintendo have taken to renew that contract? The company is starting to get back on track financially with the 3DS's success, and we all know the Wii U is gonna sell like gangbusters. They could have put up a little capital to keep such an iconic gaming mag going, even if it would just go digital.
 
Ravenpoe

Ravenpoe

I had a subscription to this as a kid. I still have all the issues whose spines made a mural for Ocarina of Time, off in a box somewhere.

I used to meticulously pour over these mags every month when they arrived.
 
AshburnerX

AshburnerX

I still have nearly all of my old issues of this. I kept them for sentimental reasons... mainly the fact that I literally learned to read thanks to Nintendo Power. Still had to throw away a few of them though, as they were simply too damaged to keep.
 
Frank

Frank

Best issue of Nintendo Power? The Mega Man X silver cover with the Starfox paper cutout Arwings.

I haven't read the magazine since the N64, but it will be missed none the less. I loved their player's guides. The guide to NES games, guide to Gameboy games, etc. Those were always amazing. Pages of full colour maps of games I would never own. I could pretend I would be playing them from those alone.
 
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