Nintendo Power
- This article is about Nintendo's official magazine. For the comic recently released in a Nintendo Power magazine, see Nintendo Power 20th Anniversary Comic. For the Super Famicom RAM cartridge service with the same name, see here. For an alternate name of a video-game competition, see Nintendo Powerfest '94.
Nintendo Power was Nintendo's official magazine in the United States and Canada from 1988 to 2012. It covered all of Nintendo's then-currently active systems (and some inactive ones, if there was any worthy news), along with new and upcoming games for those systems. Nintendo Power contained strategy guides, previews, reviews, and exclusive material not made available to other sources.
Nintendo Power (or NP) celebrated its 200th issue in February of 2006, and had a major design overhaul in late 2005.
On Monday, October 15, 2007, Nintendo of America sold Nintendo Power to Future USA, a magazine company that produces videogame magazines. The magazine remained the same except for a few small changes. After Future USA had taken over, the Player's Guide series was dropped (leaving Prima Games to produce the guides), and gifts could no longer be chosen with subscriptions, as the staff would instead choose one.
On August 21, 2012, Nintendo announced that they had opted not to renew their licensing agreement with Future Publishing and that Nintendo Power would cease publication after 24 years. The magazine released its final issue on December 11, 2012.
2011-12 coverage
Volume - Date | Content | Notes |
---|---|---|
263 - January 2011 | Power Up; Warp Zone; Four-Sport Hero (Mario Sports Mix cover story); Resolution Revolution; 2010 Nintendo Power Awards Nominations; Playback; review, Community |
|
264 - February 2011 | Jungle Jabber; Warp Zone; Collector's Corner; Gaming's Greatest Couples; Nintendo DS Essentials; reviews; Community |
|
265 - March 2011 | Star Power; Collector's Corner, Download; The 3D Revolution Begins; The 2010 Nintendo Power Awards; Playback, reviews; Community |
|
266 - April 2011 | What About Mario; Warp Zone; reviews; Community |
|
267 - May 2011 | London Calling; Dimension Man; Warp Zone; Collector's Corner; Community |
|
268 - June 2011 | Warp Zone; Power Up; Previews; A Decade Advanced; Community |
|
269 - July 2011 | Power Up; Warp Zone; Collector's Corner; Power Profiles; Community |
|
270 - August 2011 | Power Up; Download; Nintendo's Next Wave; Still Super After All These Years, Playback; Community |
|
271 - September 2011 | Star Power; Warp Zone; Collector's Corner; Download; The Nintendo 64 Age of Innovation; Community |
|
272 - October 2011 | That was Awesome!; Collector’s Corner; Power Up; Download; previews; Keys to the Kingdom cover story; Community |
|
273 - November 2011 | Next Wave; Warp Zone; Download; previews; Seventh Heaven cover story; Think Inside the Cube; Playback; reviews; Community |
|
274 - December 2011 | Star Power; Warp Zone; previews; Nintendo Power Holiday 2011 Buyers' Guide; The Jungle V.I.P.; reviews; Community |
|
275 - January/February 2012 | Warp Zone; Collector's Corner; Download, previews; 2011 Nintendo Power Award Nominees; review; Community |
|
276 - March 2012 | Iwata Reveals New Plans; Star Power; Collector's Corner; 2011 Nintendo Power Awards; review; Community |
|
277 - April 2012 | Warp Zone; Collector's Corner; Download; Making a Racket; Community |
|
278 - May 2012 | Games are Art; Making Mario; Collector's Corner;Ultimate Super Mario; review; Community |
|
Cover gallery
Below is a gallery of almost all of the Nintendo Power covers that Mario and others have appeared on. Notably, the Mario franchise has been stated to be the most popular subject of the magazine's covers, having appeared on 57 throughout the magazine's run.
- Npissue1.jpg
Issue #1 - Super Mario Bros. 2
Issue #11 - Super Mario Bros. 3
Issue #18 - Dr. Mario
Issue #28 - Super Mario World
- Npissue4.jpg
Issue #39 - Mario Paint
- Npissue5.jpg
Issue #41 - Super Mario Kart
Issue #52 - Super Mario All-Stars
Issue #58 - Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Issue #61 - Donkey Kong
Issue #66 - Donkey Kong Country
Issue #74 - Donkey Kong Land
Issue #75 - Virtual Boy
Issue #77 - Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Issue #79 - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Issue #82 - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Issue #85 - Super Mario 64
Issue #87 - Tetris Attack
Issue #88 - Super Mario 64
Issue #93 - Mario Kart 64
- NP DKR.jpg
Issue #103 - Diddy Kong Racing
Issue #104 - Yoshi's Story
'99 Preview - Donkey Kong 64, Mario Party (included with subscribers' copies of issue #116)
Issue #117 - Mario Party
Issue #126 - Donkey Kong 64
(subscribers)Issue #128 - Mario Party 2
Issue #135 - Mario Tennis
Issue #141 - Paper Mario
Issue #143 - Super Mario Advance
Issue #145 - Super Mario Advance
Issue #148 - Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Issue #149 - Luigi's Mansion
Issue #151 - Super Smash Bros. Melee
Issue #160 - Super Mario Sunshine
Issue #175 - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Issue #185 - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- NP Cover.JPG
Issue #194 - Mario Kart DS
- Vol203.JPG
Issue #203 - New Super Mario Bros.
Issue #212 - WarioWare: Smooth Moves
Issue #220 - Super Mario Galaxy
Issue #222 - Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Issue #227 - Mario Kart Wii
Issue #233 - Wario Land: Shake It!
Issue #244 - Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (newsstand)
Issue #244 - Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (subscribers)
Issue #247 - Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (newsstand)
Issue #247 - Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (subscribers)
Issue #248 - New Super Mario Bros. Wii (newsstand)
Issue #248 - New Super Mario Bros. Wii (subscribers)
Issue #250 - 250 Reasons to Love Nintendo
Issue #254 - Super Mario Galaxy 2 (newsstand)
Issue #261 - Donkey Kong Country Returns
Issue #263 - Mario Sports Mix
Issue #272 - Super Mario 3D Land (newsstand)
Issue #272 - Super Mario 3D Land (subscribers)
Issue #273 - Mario Kart 7 (newsstand)
Issue #273 - Mario Kart 7 (subscribers)
Issue 284 - Wii U launch line-up
Issue #285 - Final Issue - New Super Mario Bros. U
Nintendo Power Advance
In 2001, to promote the launch of the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo published a quarterly spinoff magazine of Nintendo Power entitled Nintendo Power Advance, which featured news, tips and complete walkthroughs for various Game Boy Advance games. It was canceled after only four issues. Mario, however, was featured on three of the four covers (with the remaining featuring Golden Sun).
Issue #1 - Super Mario Advance
Issue #2 - Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Issue #3 - Wario Land 4
Issue #4 - Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
Player's Guides
From 1991 through 2007, Nintendo Power also published official strategy guides for big Nintendo games. Among the games in the Mario series that were given Player's Guides are the following:
- NES Game Atlas
- Game Boy
- Mario Mania
- Super NES
- Super Mario World
- Super Mario All-Stars
- Super Game Boy
- Donkey Kong Country
- Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
- Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
- Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
- Super Mario 64
- Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble
- Mario Kart 64
- Diddy Kong Racing
- Yoshi's Story
- Donkey Kong 64
- Paper Mario
- Luigi's Mansion
- Super Smash Bros. Melee
- Super Mario Sunshine
- Wario World
- Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
- Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
- Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
- New Super Mario Bros.
- Yoshi's Island DS
- Super Paper Mario
- Super Mario 64 Player's Guide.jpg
- DKR - NPGuide.JPG
- LM - NPGuide.JPG
- SMS - NPGuide.JPG
- MKDD - NPGuide.JPG
- SMA4 - NPGuide.JPG