Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power was a video game magazine edited by Howard Phillips and published by Nintendo of America and Tokuma Shoten from 1988 to 2012 with a total of 285 printed magazines. Each magazine included in-depth segments on a couple games, but also several recurring segments like "Counselor's Corner," which answered reader's gaming questions, "Classified Information," which included cheats and secrets, "Howard & Nester," a comic which always gave a game hint, "Pak Watch," which talked about the upcoming games, and "Top 30," which ranked the most popular games (not surprisingly, Nintendo's own games always made the most appearances).
Nintendo Power was born out of the Nintendo Fun Club, a newsletter published by Nintendo of America and given out for free to those NES fans who signed up for it. Due to the amazing popularity of the Nintendo Fun Club after only a few issues, NOA decided to replace it with a magazine that could be sold. Nintendo Power began as a bi-monthy publication, but, due to growing popularity, it switched to monthly releases starting with the May 1990 issue and continued monthly until its last publication in December of 2012. It is one of the longest running video game magazines in the Western world. An official Nintendo Power podcast began on 2017-12-20.
Looking at some of the cover games over the years, it seems that the Nintendo Power either had a very bad idea of which games were going to be hits, or they allowed publishers to pay for coverage.
Contents
Personal
As a video-game-obsessed child, I adored Nintendo Power in the late 1980s and early 1990s more than any other periodical because it offered video game information that was otherwise unavailable to pre-Internet kids. My parents would never buy me anything so frivolous, but some of my friends had a subscription, and my elementary school library had one too, so, I could occasionally flip through a random issue. While I would make hand-drawn copies from them, my older brother would just rip out the pages for the games we owned. I loved the in-depth reviews and maps. And, though I never really found the Nestor comics very funny, I still loved the idea of characters taking place in video game universes. I was very enthralled by the The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past comic, even though I only read maybe two episodes. As Nintendo released the Game Boy and SNES the magazine adopted those systems as well, but I stopped caring about Nintendo Power around the time the Nintendo 64 came out, mostly because I was playing fewer video games.
Although I am not actively trying to collect any issues, I will sometimes buy an issue when it's in good condition and cheap, though I'm mostly interested in the early NES-SNES era issues.
Review
Good
- Each issue contained a wealth of information on dozens of games that you couldn't find anywhere else.
- The magazine's artists created attractive cartoons, photos, paintings, and dioramas for the each of the primary games in each issue.
- The Top-30 section was pretty trustworthy, and the top 10 was pretty much always filled with quality games. Certainly a better way of finding a good game than trusting the box art at the store.
- The magazine also published letters to the editor and player's high scores giving it a community aspect.
- To keep things interesting, the magazine talked about other issues popular to kids and teens like celebrities, theme parks, and television shows.
Bad
- Sometimes terrible games would get several pages devoted to them or even the cover which would hype kids up for a huge let down. For example, the third issue spent 14 pages and the cover on Track & Field II, which was a pretty unimpressive game. This may have been due to the magazine's tight schedule or simply publishers paying for access. My guess is the publisher allowed companies to pay a premium for better coverage which would account for several awful games getting the cover over the years.
Ugly
- Nothing.
Issue List
| Volume | Cover Game | Release Date | Own |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Super Mario Bros. 2 | 1988 July | |
| 2 | Castlevania II: Simon's Quest | 1988 Sept | |
| 3 | Track & Field II | 1988 Nov | |
| 4 | Zelda II: The Adventure of Link | 1989 Jan | Yes |
| 5 | Ninja Gaiden | 1989 Mar | |
| 6 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 1989 May | |
| 7 | Mega Man 2 | 1989 July | |
| 8 | DuckTales | 1989 Sept | |
| 9 | Tetris | 1989 Nov | |
| 10 | Batman: The Video Game | 1990 Jan | |
| 11 | Super Mario Bros. 3 | 1990 Mar | |
| 12 | Super C | 1990 May | |
| 13 | Super Mario Bros. 3 Strategy Guide | 1990 June | Yes |
| 14 | Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers | 1990 July | |
| 15 | Ninja Gaiden II Strategy Guide | 1990 Aug | Yes |
| 16 | Maniac Mansion | 1990 Sept | |
| 17 | Final Fantasy Strategy Guide | 1990 Oct | Yes |
| 18 | Dr. Mario | 1990 Nov | |
| 19 | 4 Player Extra Strategy Guide | 1990 Dec | |
| 20 | Mega Man III | 1991 Jan | x2 |
| 21 | StarTropics | 1991 Feb | |
| 22 | Metal Storm | 1991 Mar | |
| 23 | Power Blade | 1991 Apr | |
| 24 | Vice: Project Doom | 1991 May | |
| 25 | Battletoads | 1991 June | |
| 26 | Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | 1991 July | |
| 27 | Mega Man in Dr. Wily's Revenge | 1991 Aug | |
| 28 | Super Mario World | 1991 Sept | Yes |
| 29 | Star Trek | 1991 Oct | Yes |
| 30 | Final Fantasy II | 1991 Nov | Yes |
| 31 | Metroid | 1991 Dec | |
| 32 | Super Castlevania IV | 1992 Jan | Yes |
| 33 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project | 1992 Feb | |
| 34 | The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past | 1992 Mar | |
| 35 | WWF Super Wrestlemania | 1992 Apr | |
| 36 | Darkwing Duck | 1992 May | |
| 37 | Lemmings | 1992 June | |
| 38 | Street Fighter II | 1992 July | |
| 39 | Mario Paint | 1992 Aug | |
| 40 | Felix the Cat | 1992 Sept | |
| 41 | Super Mario Kart | 1992 Oct | |
| 42 | Super Star Wars | 1992 Nov | |
| 43 | Road Runner's Death Valley Rally | 1992 Dec | |
| 44 | Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse | 1993 Jan | |
| 45 | Addam's Family Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt | 1993 Feb | |
| 46 | Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose | 1993 Mar | |
| 47 | Star Fox | 1993 Apr | |
| 48 | Batman Returns | 1993 May | |
| 49 | BattleToads and Double Dragon | 1993 June | |
| 50 | The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening | 1993 July | Yes |
| 51 | Street Fighter 2: Turbo | 1993 Aug | |
| 52 | Super Mario All-Stars | 1993 Sept | |
| 53 | Super Empire Strikes Back | 1993 Oct | Yes |
| 54 | Secret of Mana | 1993 Nov | x2 |
| 55 | Aladdin | 1993 Dec | |
| 56 | Mega Man X | 1994 Jan | Yes |
| 57 | Bugs Bunny: Rabbit Rampage | 1994 Feb | |
| 58 | Wario Land | 1994 Mar | Yes |
| 59 | Ken Griffey Junior | 1994 Apr | |
| 60 | Super Metroid | 1994 May | |
| 61 | Donkey Kong | 1994 June | Yes |
| 62 | Super Street Fighter 2 | 1994 July | |
| 63 | Stunt FX Racing | 1994 Aug | |
| 64 | Mortal Kombat 2 | 1994 Sept | |
| 65 | Illusion of Gaia | 1994 Oct | |
| 66 | Donkey Kong Country | 1994 Nov | |
| 67 | Earthworm Jim | 1994 Dec | |
| 68 | Adventures of Batman and Robin | 1995 Jan | |
| 69 | Mega Man X2 | 1995 Feb | |
| 70 | NBA Jam Tournament Edition | 1995 Mar | |
| 71 | Stargate | 1995 Apr | |
| 72 | Kirby's Dream Land 2 | 1995 May | |
| 73 | Weaponlord | 1995 June | |
| 74 | Donkey Kong Land | 1995 July | |
| 75 | Virtual Boy | 1995 Aug | Yes |
| 76 | Killer Instinct | 1995 Sept | |
| 77 | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island | 1995 Oct | Yes |
| 78 | Mortal Kombat 3 | 1995 Nov | |
| 79 | Donkey Kong Country 2 | 1995 Dec | Yes |
| 80 | New Year Special Cover | 1996 Jan | |
| 81 | Killer Instinct 2 | 1996 Feb | |
| 82 | Super Mario RPG | 1996 Mar | |
| 83 | Earthworm Jim 2 | 1996 Apr | |
| 84 | Ken Griffey Jr Winning Run | 1996 May | Yes (damaged) |
| 85 | Super Mario 64 | 1996 June | |
| 86 | E3 1996 | 1996 July | |
| 87 | Tetris Attack | 1996 Aug | |
| 88 | Super Mario 64 | 1996 Sept | |
| 89 | Mortal Kombat Trilogy | 1996 Oct | |
| 90 | Donkey Kong Country 3 | 1996 Nov | |
| 91 | Killer Instinct Gold | 1996 Dec | |
| 92 | Shadows of the Empire | 1997 Jan | Yes |
| 93 | Mario Kart 64 | 1997 Feb | |
| 94 | Turok | 1997 Mar | |
| 95 | Blast Corp | 1997 Apr | |
| 96 | Doom 64 | 1997 May | |
| 97 | Clay Fighter 63 1/3 | 1997 June | |
| 98 | Star Fox 64 | 1997 July | |
| 99 | Goldeneye | 1997 Aug | Yes |
| 100 | 100 Best Games Issue | 1997 Sept | |
| 101 | Extreme G | 1997 Oct | |
| 102 | NFL Quarterback Club | 1997 Nov | |
| 103 | Diddy Kong's Racing | 1997 Dec | |
| 104 | Yoshi's Story | 1998 Jan | |
| 105 | WCW vs NWO | 1998 Feb | |
| 106 | 1080 Snowboarding | 1998 Mar | |
| 107 | NBA Courtside | 1998 Apr | |
| 108 | Ken Griffey Jr Baseball | 1998 May | |
| 109 | Banjo Tooie | 1998 June | |
| 110 | WWF War Zone | 1998 July | |
| 111 | Bomberman Hero | 1998 Aug | |
| 112 | F-Zero X | 1998 Sept | |
| 113 | Turok 2 | 1998 Oct | |
| 114 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | 1998 Nov | |
| 115 | Star Wars Rogue Squadron | 1998 Dec | |
| 116 | Castlevania | 1999 Jan | |
| 117 | Mario Party | 1999 Feb | |
| 118 | Tonic Trouble | 1999 Mar | |
| 119 | Beetle Adventure Racing | 1999 Apr | |
| 120 | Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer | 1999 May | |
| 121 | Pokemon Snap | 1999 Jun | |
| 122 | World Driver Championship | 1999 Jul | |
| 123 | Hybrid Heaven | 1999 Aug | |
| 124 | Jet Force Gemini | 1999 Sep | |
| 125 | Pokemon Yellow | 1999 Oct | |
| 126 | Donkey Kong 64 | 1999 Nov | |
| 127 | WWF Wrestlemania 2000 | 1999 Dec | |
| 128 | Mario Party 2 | 2000 Jan | |
| 129 | Disney's Tarzan | 2000 Feb | |
| 130 | Pokemon Stadium | 2000 Mar | |
| 131 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater | 2000 Apr | |
| 132 | Excitebike 64 | 2000 May | |
| 133 | Army Men Air Combat | 2000 Jun | |
| 134 | Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards | 2000 Jul | |
| 135 | Mario Tennis | 2000 Aug | |
| 136 | Pokemon Gold and Silver | 2000 Sep | Yes |
| 137 | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | 2000 Oct | |
| 138 | Hey You, Pikachu! | 2000 Nov | Yes |
| 139 | Banjo Tooie | 2000 Dec | |
| 140 | Spiderman | 2001 Jan | |
| 141 | Paper Mario | 2001 Feb | |
| 142 | Pokemon Stadium 2 | 2001 Mar | Yes |
| 143 | Game Boy Advance Reveal | 2001 Apr | |
| 144 | The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages | 2001 May | Yes |
| 145 | Super Mario Advance | 2001 Jun | |
| 146 | Tony Hawk 2 | 2001 Jul | |
| 147 | Pokemon Crystal | 2001 Aug | |
| 148 | Mario Kart Super Circuit | 2001 Sep | |
| 149 | Star Wars Rogue Leader | 2001 Oct | Yes |
| 150 | Luigi's Mansion | 2001 Nov | |
| 151 | Super Smash Bros. Melee | 2001 Dec | |
| 152 | Pikmin | 2002 Jan | |
| 153 | NBA Courside 2002 | 2002 Feb | |
| 154 | Sonic Adventure 2: Battle | 2002 Mar | |
| 155 | Agent Under Fire | 2002 Apr | |
| 156 | Spider-Man | 2002 May | |
| 157 | Lost Kingdoms | 2002 Jun | |
| 158 | E3 2002 | 2002 Jul | |
| 159 | Magical Mirror starring Mickey Mouse | 2002 Aug | |
| 160 | Super Mario Sunshine | 2002 Sep | |
| 161 | Star Fox Adventures | 2002 Oct | |
| 162 | Metroid Prime | 2002 Nov | |
| 163 | Metroid Fusion | 2002 Dec | |
| 164 | Lord of the Rings: Two Towers | 2003 Jan | |
| 165 | The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker | 2003 Feb | |
| 166 | The Sims | 2003 Mar | |
| 167 | Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire | 2003 Apr | |
| 168 | Golden Sun: Lost Age | 2003 May | |
| 169 | Soul Caliber 2 | 2003 Jun | |
| 170 | F-Zero GX | 2003 Jul | |
| 171 | Final Fantasy Tactics Advance | 2003 Aug | |
| 172 | Viewtiful Joe | 2003 Sep | |
| 173 | Star Wars Rebel Strike | 2003 Oct | |
| 174 | Fire Emblem | 2003 Nov | |
| 175 | Mario Kart! Double Dash | 2004 Jan | |
| 176 | The Sims: Bustin Out | 2004 Feb | |
| 177 | Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles | 2004 Mar | |
| 178 | Pokemon Colosseum | 2004 Apr | |
| 179 | Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes | 2004 May | |
| 180 | Tales of Symphonia | 2004 Jun | |
| 181 | The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure | 2004 Jul | |
| 182 | Resident Evil 4 | 2004 Aug | |
| 183 | Pikmin 2 | 2004 Sep | |
| 184 | Pokemon Fire Red & Leaf Green | 2004 Oct | |
| 185 | Paper Mario: 1000 Year Door | 2004 Nov | Yes |
| 186 | Metroid Prime 2: Echoes | 2004 Dec | |
| 187 | Nintendo DS | 2005 Jan | |
| 188 | The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap | 2005 Feb | |
| 189 | Star Fox: Assault | 2005 Mar | |
| 190 | Killer 7 | 2005 Apr | |
| 191 | Nintendo DS With Metroid Prime Hunters | 2005 May | |
| 192 | Pokemon Emerald | 2005 Jun | |
| 193 | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | 2005 Jul | |
| 194 | Mario Kart DS | 2005 Aug | |
| 195 | Shadow the Hedgehog | 2005 Sep | |
| 196 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | 2005 Oct | |
| 197 | Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness | 2005 Nov | |
| 198 | Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance | 2005 Dec | |
| 199 | Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection | 2005 Jan | |
| 200 | Resident Evil: Deadly Silence | 2006 Feb | |
| 201 | Chibi-Robo | 2006 Mar | |
| 202 | Metroid Prime Hunters | 2006 Apr | |
| 203 | New Super Mario Bros. | 2006 May | |
| 204 | Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin | 2006 Jun | |
| 205 | The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass | 2006 July | |
| 206 | E3 2006 | 2006 Aug | |
| 207 | Rayman Raving Rabbids | 2006 Sep | |
| 208 | Final Fantasy III | 2006 Oct | |
| 209 | Pokemon Mystery Dungeon | 2006 Nov | |
| 210 | Wii Launch | 2006 Dec | |
| 211 | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | 2007 Jan | |
| 212 | WarioWare: Smooth Moves | 2007 Feb | |
| 213 | Sonic and the Secret Rings | 2007 Mar | |
| 214 | My Sims | 2007 Apr | |
| 215 | Pokemon Diamond & Pearl | 2007 May | |
| 216 | Nights: Journey of Dreams | 2007 Jun | |
| 217 | Resident Evils: Umbrella Chronicles | 2007 Jul | |
| 218 | SoulCaliber Legends | 2007 Aug | |
| 219 | Metroid Prime 3: Corruption | 2007 Sep | |
| 220 | Super Mario Galaxy | 2007 Oct | |
| 221 | Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings | 2007 Nov | |
| 222 | Super Smash Bros. Brawl | 2007 Dec | |
| 223 | No More Heroes | 2007 Dec | |
| 224 | Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword | 2008 Jan | |
| 225 | Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood | 2008 Feb | |
| 226 | Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World | 2008 Mar | |
| 227 | Mario Kart Wii | 2008 Apr | |
| 228 | Final Fantasy IV | 2008 May | |
| 229 | Music Games | 2008 Jun | |
| 230 | Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia | 2008 Jul | |
| 231 | MadWorld | 2008 Aug | |
| 232 | Sonic & The Black Knight | 2008 Sep | |
| 233 | Wario Land: Shake It! | 2008 Oct | |
| 234 | Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars | 2008 Nov | |
| 235 | Animal Crossing: City Folk | 2008 Dec | |
| 236 | Holiday 2008 | 2008 Dec | |
| 237 | TMNT | 2009 Jan | |
| 238 | Phantasy Star Zero | 2009 Feb | |
| 239 | Indiana Jones & The Staff of Kings | 2009 Mar | |
| 240 | Pokemon Platinum | 2009 Apr | |
| 241 | Silent Hill: Shattered Memories | 2009 May | |
| 242 | Red Steel 2 | 2009 Jun | |
| 243 | Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days | 2009 Jul | |
| 244 | Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story | 2009 Aug | |
| 245 | Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers | 2009 Sep | |
| 246 | Avatar | 2009 Oct | |
| 247 | Mario & Sonic At the Olympic Winter Games | 2009 Nov | |
| 248 | New Super Mario Bros. Wii | 2009 Dec | |
| 249 | The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks | 2009 Dec | |
| 250 | 250th Issue | 2010 Jan | |
| 251 | NBA Jam Wii | 2010 Feb | |
| 252 | Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver | 2010 Mar | |
| 253 | Scribblenauts 2 | 2010 Apr | |
| 254 | Super Mario Galaxy 2 | 2010 May | |
| 255 | Metroid: Other M | 2010 Jun | |
| 256 | Sonic Colors | 2010 Jul | |
| 257 | Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies | 2010 Aug | |
| 258 | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword | 2010 Sep | |
| 259 | Epic Mickey | 2010 Oct | |
| 260 | 25 Years of NES | 2010 Nov | |
| 261 | Donkey Kong Country Returns | 2010 Dec | |
| 262 | Kingdom Hearts Re:coded | 2010 Dec | |
| 263 | Mario Sports Mix | 2011 Jan | |
| 264 | Pokemon Black & White | 2011 Feb | |
| 265 | Nintendo 3DS Preview | 2011 Mar | |
| 266 | Pilotwings Resort | 2011 Apr | |
| 267 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D | 2011 May | |
| 268 | Sonic Generations | 2011 Jun | |
| 269 | Rayman Origins | 2011 Jul | |
| 270 | Star Fox 64 3D | 2011 Aug | |
| 271 | Kirby Mass Attack | 2011 Sep | |
| 272 | Super Mario 3D Land | 2011 Oct | |
| 273 | Mario Kart 7 | 2011 Nov | |
| 274 | Resident Evil: Revelations | 2011 Dec | |
| 275 | Kid Icarus: Uprising | 2012 Jan | |
| 276 | Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance | 2012 Mar | |
| 277 | Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two | 2012 Apr | |
| 278 | Pokemon Conquest | 2012 May | |
| 279 | Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate | 2012 Jun | |
| 280 | Wii U Preview | 2012 Jul | |
| 281 | Scribblenauts Unlimited | 2012 Aug | |
| 282 | Pokemon Black & White Version 2 | 2012 Sep | |
| 283 | Rayman Legends | 2012 Oct | |
| 284 | Wii U Launch | 2012 Nov | |
| 285 | Super Mario Bros. U | 2012 Dec |
Media
Page Scans
Advertisements
Ad from June, 1988.
Ad from June, 1988.
Logos
The original Nintendo Power logo is very striking.
Videos
Secondary Publications
Nintendo created several additional publications related to Nintendo Power, many of which were advertised through it. These often focused on a single game or topic. These publications included:
| Released | Title | Description | Own |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-Q1-?? | Nintendo Fun Club | The precursor to Nintendo Power. | |
| 1987-Q2-?? | Tips & Tactics: The Legend of Zelda | An in-depth guide to The Legend of Zelda. | |
| 1987-Q2-?? | How to Win At Super Mario Bros. | An in-depth guide to Super Mario Bros. | |
| 1987-??-?? | The Official Nintendo Player's Guide | An early in-depth game guide to focused on every game available for the NES at the time. | Yes |
| 1989-07-?? | Super Mario Bros. 2: Inside Out (Volume I) | An in-depth guide to Super Mario Bros. 2. Included inside Nintendo Power #7. | Yes |
| 1989-09-?? | Super Mario Bros. 2: Inside Out (Volume II) | An in-depth guide to Super Mario Bros. 2. Included inside Nintendo Power #8. | Yes |
| 1989-11-?? | Dragon Warrior: Strategy Guide | An in-depth guide to Dragon Warrior. Included inside Nintendo Power #9. | Yes |
| 1991-2007 | Nintendo Player's Guide | A series of in-depth game reviews for numerous titles. | |
| 2015-05-05 | The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past | A compilation of the Link to the Past comic that ran through 1992. | Yes |
| 2016-10-11 | Super Mario Adventures | A compilation of the Super Mario World comic that ran from January 1992 to January 1993. | Yes |
Links
