Nintendo Power in Top 50 magazines
Friday, July 11th, 2008 at 11:31am by Boss Hog
As voted by the Chicago Tribune.
The magazine is 20 years old, but it is still stuck in its tweens and that’s a good thing. Just as the Nintendo company has, the magazine has had to adapt and reinvent itself. You can read it for the nostalgia factor or to get a taste of the upcoming games for Wii and DS systems.
I resubscribed in late 2005 for the nostalgia factor, but stayed for the games. I’m not sure I’ve seen another magazine or website so focused on games.
Are you a subscriber?
July 11th, 2008 at 11:49 am
I used to be, but when Future US bought it, I quit subscribing. It just doesn’t seem the same to me.
July 11th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Awesome! It’s the only video game magazine in the list, as well!
That’s so cool, them favoring it over other popular magazines, such as EGM or GameInformer.
Great call, Chicago Tribune!
July 11th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
i subscribed awhile ago but couldnt pay the price for ressubscription price but i recently subscribed again
July 11th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I have like 10 years of NP stashed somewhere, covering the end of the Super Nintendo all the way to near end of the Game Cube.
BTW, cool new trailer for Mushroom Men:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/36077.html
July 11th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I like the tone of NP. Obviously, they are slightly biased, but the overall tone skews a bit older than GI or EGM or Gamepro. Those other mags read like they are written by a bunch of frat boys.
July 11th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
I used to read GamePro. I have no need for any of these mags because you get the information quicker over the internet.
July 11th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I just wish there was some sort of Nintendo magazine available in Denmark apart from Pokémon Magazine which is targeted at a very young audience.
July 11th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
i remember how long the 2 month wait used to seem- it was an eternity! I used to read everything a million times. I could help my friends with games I’d never played! Don’t know what jelly bean to use? Don’t worry- I’ve memorized he boy and his blob article.
And, even though some games were meh, i loved the concepts- Golgo 13, Shatterhand, that one with spyhunter driving sections and also platform brawling about an agent investigating drugs and uncovering a massive and awesome conspiracy.
And the comics- the Legend of Zelda was amazing; such a bittersweet ending. I think I’ve memorized every Howard and Nester.
Oh, and the strategy guides were pure win.
Like Kale, I still have all of my old issues. It truly was a great magazine… Get the Power… Nintendo Power!!
July 11th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Used to be subscribed, but I missed paying for it one day and didn’t care too much. I now am a proud subscriber of Game Informer.
July 11th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Found a bargain price for a subscription, something like $4 or so. Just google Nintendo Power discount subscription and you should find some deals.
Glad I did because they kinda seem to have grown along with me, while still keeping it’s base audience in mind. It’s more like a family gaming mag now instead of a mag trying too hard to be “hip” (EGM, for which I also subscribe)
July 11th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Yup, I still subscribe. There are a few things Future US should change, but it is still a really good magazine.
July 11th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
I’ve been subscribing since December 1997. That’s ten and half years. But now that they’ve changed ownership, they’ve somehow gotten even MORE sycophantic and ad-laden. So I figure I’ll just let my subscription lapse. (Although, this renewal I got through some internet special, so it only cost me, like, three bucks and I was allowed to download several e-books. e-Dante’s e-Divine Comedy? Yes please. So maybe I’ll renew just because it’s so cheap.) But this most recent issue, the 20th anniversary special, was all heavy with nostalgia which makes me want to keep it. I wish I’d read what this month’s mailbag was going to be so I could have sent something in. I’ve got Nintendo nostalgia in spades. In high school I was on the Academic Decathlon team and I got a perfect 1000 points in the speech category and got to perform my speech in front of the awards ceremony. It was on my passion for video games and how they’ve influenced my life. (At the ceremony I got a standing ovation from just about everyone under the age of 30.) Anyhoo. Another thing I though I’d note: When I went to check my first back issue to see when my subscription started I saw this. The cover of my first issue displays Diddy Kong Racing. But more notable is the header above the magazine’s title. It proudly exclaims, “Zelda 64: The First 100 Screenshots!” (Lemme tell ya. Those shots look almost nothing like the finished game. Equiping the sage’s medallions as items? I don’t think so.) That’s how you know it’s been a while, when the news article is about the early development of what is now considered the best game of all time.
July 11th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Like the nerd that I am, I have every single issue of Nintendo Power from Volume 1 in perfect order up in my closet. I also have all the Players Guides as well. A coworker and I recently started going over the issues again from the first one every Tuesday while we eat at Whataburger, then walk over to Best Buy to purchase new games. We now dub it ‘Nintendo Tuesdays’.
July 11th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Also every year I renew, I get a free players guide or something valued at about $15, so you’re really only paying $5 a year to renew.
July 11th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Back in the N64 days I used to be a subscriber to Nintendo Power. I thought it was a great magazine and was a great source of news. I haven’t read a Nintendo Power since then so I’m not sure how the new company is running things.
Newspaper and magazine sales have been declining, any idea how Nintendo Power is faring? I’d hate to see that source of news go away.
I remember renewing subscriptions and getting players guides too. I think I got a Pokemon Yellow guide and either a Star Fox 64 or Diddy Kong Racing guide too.
July 12th, 2008 at 12:16 am
i really liked NP, but when future started to run it, it seemed to drop in quality a bit. And chris slate bugs me. Was definatly and awsome magazine and i wish i could have suscribed sooner than i did (just a few years ago) if Future brings it back to how it was, i’d gladly keep getting it.
July 12th, 2008 at 12:18 am
I still have Nintendo Power. It sticks to the games, though I do miss some of the old sections. What better place to get exclusive Nintendo news you know is for real!
July 12th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
My favorite gaming rag, by a long shot. Unlike some others I really think the quality of everything except the reviews went up dramatically. The articles have more personality and humor and the new features are usually excellent.
Good call Chicago Tribune.
July 12th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
If really is a great magazine, I have a few years worth of it stocked up.