Many have heard the terrible news, Nintendo Power has indeed shut down. After 24 years in print the magazine sadly joins many others as a memory of our childhoods.
What started as Nintendo Fan Club became Nintendo Power after the former was discontinued. The first issue was to become a treasured item, one that screams nostalgia for so many, the perfect example of how gaming was beginning to evolve in the late 80s. The classic cover had Mario & Wart from Super Mario Bros. 2 and the magazine was filled to the brim with video game guides, cheats, reviews, cut-out posters, and more! The guides would become a staple for many of the issues afterwards.
So many famous cheat codes were introduced to gamers everywhere, tons of reviews were listed for our reading pleasures to see what to check out or what to cast aside. Many posters were plastered on our bedroom walls, and who can forget the ridiculous ads from the 90s?! I have so many fond memories with the older issues that came to me by mail.
I will admit though, I never did cut out any of the posters, not even the special Star Fox Arwing in one of the issues. Never had the heart to take apart a magazine that had such great presentation. That was one thing special about the magazine: it was made specially for Nintendo fans…the art, to the content, the goodies. They truly knew what we wanted to see and read! They’ve always had the ‘Power’.
They were pretty big influence on my childhood, and I’ve happily kept all my acquired issues over the years on my bookshelf to look back on for pleasure and nostalgia’s sake. I can say this: if it weren’t for Nintendo Power, I probably would have never thought twice of wanting to write about video games.
But I’m not the only one with something to share! Check out what members of the Operation Rainfall Staff had to say!
Steven Boaz:
“I remember getting my first copy of Nintendo Power back in 1989. It had Scrooge McDuck and a giant pile of money on the cover. I think I read that magazine like 20 times that year and it kinda cemented my love for Nintendo. I know that times are tough for the print industry, and it’s unfortunate that so many classic gaming publications have become casualties. Nintendo Power will be missed.”
Jonathan Higgins:
”I was too young to embrace gaming magazines in their hay day, but I developed a renewed appreciation for Nintendo Power around the time the Wii came out. I owned Nintendo systems pretty exclusively between 2006 and last year–it was hard to find a good piece of print that didn’t thrive on making fun of Nintendo and its fans.
Nintendo Power had its quirks, for sure. One of its current writers is even on one of my favorite podcasts! I subscribed this year because he’s one of many folks whose opinions I valued. I’m really sad to see it go, especially after being entertaining for almost as long as I’ve been alive!”
Clinton Nix:
“As a kid I was really into reading gaming mags. I would go to the nearest grocery store or drug store every day to take a peak at the newest Nintendo Power, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and Gamepro magazines. Throughout most of my gaming life, Nintendo Power had been a staple, a tree that was firmly rooted in the ground while other magazines popped up and then faded just as quickly. That is why I was shocked to hear that Nintendo Power will be closing publication. Add another to the long list of great gaming mags gone to the wayside.”
Kyle Emch:
“The first Nintendo Power I got was issue 171. It had Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on the cover. It had a feature about Link being in Soulcalibur II. It had all of the combinations for his moves listed. Because of that, I got better with the character. I still sucked at the game, but Nintendo Power helped me out. Thanks, guys.”
Scott MacDonald:
“I received my first Nintendo Power from my uncle. It featured a terrifying image of Dr. Wily riding on one of his mechanical monstrosities, and talked up the soon-to-be released Mega Man for the Gameboy. Perhaps more importantly, it gave me sagely advice on how to beat Dragon Warrior II, which at least for me at that time, was virtually impossible. I couldn’t have found all five crests in that game without it, and there simply weren’t other alternatives since the Internet didn’t exist.
As a teenager, I’d anxiously wait for each month’s issue, ready to devour the magic of Nintendo in print-form. I still have all my old magazines and even a few of their posters hang in my room to this day. I’m sad to see the publication cease operations, as no other publication could compete in its ability to capture the essence that makes Nintendo what it is.”
Steve Thompson
”I loved getting Nintendo Power in the mail every month as a kid; it was probably the highlight of my day. Back in the day, it was how I got all my Nintendo news. I even collected them. I must have over 200 or so of the early Nintendo Power magazines, all in all. To paraphrase Shakespeare: Alas, poor Nintendo Power! I knew it, a magazine of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.
Will Whitehurst
“When I was a kid, I remember reading a lot of magazines in general, but my top three were all gaming magazines: Electronic Gaming Monthly, Nintendo Power and GamePro. I occasionally picked up other magazines such as GameNOW (remember that one?), Game Informer and the myriad of other “Official” magazines. However, I’ve mainly owned Nintendo consoles, and while other magazines provided a lot of wit (EGM) and wisdom (GamePro), NP went straight to the source. I started gaming young, and no other magazine provided deep walkthroughs that not only appealed to novices, but also hardcore gamers who couldn’t, for the life of them, kill that one boss. This magazine offered a lot, and I am truly sad to see them suffer the same fate as GamePro and EGM. (Well, at least the latter was revived, but back to the subject at hand.) Farewell, Nintendo Power. You made me proud to be a Nintendo fan, even during the times when it was uncool to be one.”
Dan Lyons
“I first heard of Nintendo Power back when I became a gamer in 2001. I was amazed by the cool things that came with the magazines, the cool covers, and the information available in the issues. I took a break from Nintendo Power for awhile, and picked it back up many years later when Metroid Other M was about to release. A huge Metroid fan was complaining about the new style and they featured it in that Nintendo Power Magazine. I thought that was cool because it is a way for Nintendo fans to voice their opinions. My older brother showed me his old Nintendo Power Magazines as well. I spent hours looking at them all.
Nintendo Power is a huge part of my life. It’s where we found out about great localization’s like Pikmin 2 for Wii in North America, Tales of the Abyss for the Nintendo 3DS, and many more. Nintendo Power always brought you back to the past and discussed the retro days of Nintendo, like the 16 bit war. I have so many great memories with Nintendo Power.”
The Operation Rainfall Staff would like to thank everyone involved with Nintendo Power from the bottom of our hearts, for their hard work and dedication to their fans over the years. Our hearts go out to you all; we wish you the best of luck, and we hope you will be able to bounce back on your feet.
