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This article is about Nintendo's official magazine. 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. A little over five years after its cancellation, on December 21, 2017, Nintendo of America began a podcast called the Nintendo Power Podcast with previous editor-in-chief Chris Slate discussing recent Nintendo-related events[1].
Previews; Full Coverage; Epic Center; Pak Watch; Player's Pulse; Counselor's Corner; Arena; Now Playing; Classified Information; Power Charts;
Epic Center, where Nintendo Power covers the hot new RPG games. Features an article about a game called Genesis as well as walkthroughs on ADND: Eye of the Beholder, Star Ocean, Sword of Hope, and Breath of Fire II.
Pak Watch, a section where Nintendo Power looks at upcoming games. Such as Turok: Dinosaur Hunter.
Now Playing, a section where Nintendo Power editors review games to tell readers if they are worth it or not.
Features coverage on the upcoming Nintendo 64.
The contest was to win a Nintendo 64!
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
Power Up, Nintendo Power's news department features an alert on the limited edition Nintendo DSi bundled with Mario Party DS.
Community covers fan-made LEGO sculptures, quilts and a pointillism mural featuring various Mario-series characters.
264 - February 2011
Jungle Jabber; Warp Zone; Collector's Corner; Gaming's Greatest Couples; Nintendo DS Essentials; reviews; Community
Jungle Jabber is an interview with Donkey Kong Country Returns producer Kensuke Tanabe and assistant producer Risa Tabata.
Warp Zone recalls the 200th issue in 2006 and the 2001 coverage of Paper Mario.
Collector's Corner features the Mario diorama rewarded by Club Nintendo.
Gaming's Greatest Couples names Mario and Princess Peach the number 2 couple in gaming while naming Wario, Bowser and Master Hand as notable members of the Lonely Hearts Club.
Donkey Kong Country Returns wins Best Retro Revival and Best Retro Revival (Reader's Choice)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 wins Wii Game of the Year, Best Original Score, Best Platformer, Best Bonus Content, Game of the Year, Wii Game of the Year (Reader's Choice), Best Wii Graphics (Reader's Choice), Best Original Score (Reader's Choice), Best Platformer (Reader's Choice) and Overall Game of the Year (Reader's Choice).
Dimension Man features an interview with Nintendo 3DS general producer Hideki Konno about Mario Kart 7 (then known simply as Mario Kart), among other topics.
Download covers the N3DS Virtual Console releases of Alleyway, which receives mixed recommendations, and Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong, which both receive staff recommendations.
Warp Zone recalls the 2001 coverage of Mario Kart: Super Circuit and the 1991 coverage of Super Mario World.
Collector's Corner features the Mario KartK'Nex building sets.
Download covers the N3DS Virtual Console release of Game & Watch Gallery, which receives a staff recommendation.
The Nintendo 64 Age of Innovation celebrates the 15th anniversary of the Nintendo 64, including a look back at the many Mario-series games that appeared on the console.
Community features a Mario mural and paper collage portraits of various Mario-series characters.
272 - October 2011
That was Awesome!; Collector’s Corner; Power Up; Download; previews; Keys to the Kingdom cover story; Community
That was Awesome, which features a staff member’s favorite video game moments, highlights the use of Kuribo's Shoe in Super Mario Bros. 3.
Collector’s Corner features Super Mario figurines from Banpresto.
Power Up covers the 42 Wii games that have sold over a millions copies, a number of which are from the Mario-series.
Download covers the N3DS Virtual Console release of Mario's Picross, which received a staff pick and recommended rating.
The Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is previewed.
Keys to the Kingdom previews Super Mario 3D Land.
Community features fan-made Spiny Shell RC racers and fan sketches of monstrous interpretations of various enemies.
273 - November 2011
Next Wave; Warp Zone; Download; previews; Seventh Heaven cover story; Think Inside the Cube; Playback; reviews; Community
Next Wave covers the 2012 Nintendo 3DS lineup which includes Paper Mario, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon and the newly revealed Mario Tennis Open.
Warp Zone recalls the November 2001 cover story on Luigi's Mansion.
Download covers the N3DS Virtual Console releases of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, which receives a staff recommendation, and Golf, which receives a mixed staff recommendation.
Fortune Street is previewed.
Seventh Heaven highlights seven key feaures of Mario Kart 7 and interviews producer Hideki Konno.
Playback revisits Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.
Super Mario 3D Land receives a rating of 9.0 out of 10.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic games (Wii) receives a rating of 7.0 out of 10.
Community covers a fan-modified Wario bank/robot, a yarn Super Mario Bros. 3-style Treasure Chest and custom Smash Bros. figures.
274 - December 2011
Star Power; Warp Zone; previews; Nintendo Power Holiday 2011 Buyers' Guide; The Jungle V.I.P.; reviews; Community
Star Power profiles Mario.
Warp Zone looks back at the December 2001 Super Smash Bros. Melee cover story.
The N3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is previewed.
Nintendo Power Holiday 2011 Buyers' Guide suggests the various Mario games of the Nintendo Selects collection, Super Mario 3D Land for the platforming purist, Mario Kart 7, Mario Sports Mix, the Mario Wii and Nintendo DSi XL bundles, and the First 4 Figures Mario Nintendo DS Holder as gifts.
The Jungle V.I.P. celebrates the 30th anniversary of Donkey Kong.
Mario Kart 7 receives a rating of 9.0 out of 10.
Fortune Street receives a rating of 7.5 out of 10.
Community features homemade Mario character plushes, customized Mario crossover toys and a unit-origami Goomba.
275 - January/February 2012
Warp Zone; Collector's Corner; Download, previews; 2011 Nintendo Power Award Nominees; review; Community
Warp Zone looks back at the 1992 Super Mario comics.
Collector's Corner features 9 inch Super Mario Galaxy 2 figures and Mario Kart Wii keychains.
Download highlights Donkey Kong, Mario's Picross, Super Mario Land, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! as among the best titles available on Nintendo eShop
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, Mario Tennis Open, Mario Party 9 and Paper Mario (Nintendo 3DS) are previewed.
Mario Kart 7 is nominated for Game of the Year (Nintendo 3DS).
Mario Sports Mix is nominated for Best Sports Game.
Super Mario 3D Land is nominated for Game of the Year (Nintendo 3DS), Best Nintendo 3DS Graphics, Best Original Score and Best Platformer.
Mario & Sonic and the London 2012 Olympic Games (Nintendo 3DS) receives a rating of 7.0 out of 10.
Reviews Archive takes another look at Super Mario 3D Land.
Community features fanmade Bowser and Koopa Paratroopa figures and a painting of Luigi.
276 - March 2012
Iwata Reveals New Plans; Star Power; Collector's Corner; 2011 Nintendo Power Awards; review; Community
Iwata Reveals New Plans covers a presentation by Satoru Iwata that announced a new 2D Mario game for Nintendo 3DS.
Collector's Corner covers the K'Nex Mario Kart track-creating sets.
Mario Kart 7 wins Best Racing Game, Best Multiplayer, Best Racing Game (Readers' Choice) and Best Multiplayer (Readers' Choice).
Mario Sports Mix wins Best Sports Game (Readers' choice).
Super Mario 3D Land wins Nintendo 3DS Game of the Year, Best Platformer, Best Stereoscopic 3D, Finish-Strong Award, Nintendo 3DS Game of the Year (Readers' Choice), Best Nintendo 3DS Graphics (Readers' Choice), Best Platformer (Readers' Choice) and Best Stereoscopic 3D (Readers' Choice).
Mario Party 9 receives a rating of 8.0 out of 10.
Community features Mario-themed painted tables.
277 - April 2012
Warp Zone; Collector's Corner; Download; Making a Racket; Community
Warp Zone looks back at the first look at Wii version of Super Paper Mario.
Download reviews Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 for Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console as well as recommends Super Mario Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console, which was made available to the public at this time.
Making a Racket gives a full preview of Mario Tennis Open, including an interview with Hiroyuki Takahashi of Camelot and Toshiharu Izuno of Nintendo, the game's producer and lead designer, respectively.
The Community section features a painting of the sprite of Cape Mario on Yoshi as well as a cross-stitch of the first Super Mario World map screen. Also shown is two food items from the Paper Mario series as they would look as real-life foods.
278 - May 2012
Games are Art; Making Mario; Collector's Corner;Ultimate Super Mario; review; Community
Making Mario interviews Super Mario 3D Land director Koichi Hayashida.
Collector's Corner covers Banpresto's Super Mario Mini Figure Collection Series 3.
Ultimate Super Mario ranks the mainline Super Mario series games.
Mario Tennis Open receives a rating of 7.0 out of 10.0.
Community covers a Mario-themed wedding, skateboard deck, cake and LEGO sculptures.
Comics
The 20th anniversary comic
Several issues of Nintendo Power have comics within them, several of which make references to the Mario series of games or related media. These comics revolve mostly around the character Nester, who plays various Nintendo games along with other characters. Originally titled "Howard & Nester" (stylized as "Howard & Nester NESTER"), the comics followed both the character Howard Philips and Nester as they played games and gave out tips. When Howard left, the comics were retitled "Nester's Adventures", and the comics followed Nester and his friends for several issues. After a long hiatus, another unnamed comic was made for Nintendo Power's 20th anniversary, which shows a grown-up Nester with an unnamed son. For Nintendo Power's final issue, a comic called "Nester & Maxwell" (stylized as "Nester & Maxwell MAX") was done as a callback to the original comic series where Nester and his son Maxwell talk about Nintendo Power's past.
Issue number
Comic series (if available)
Mario references
#231
Nester is playing Mario Kart Wii when his son comes in with the 20th issue of Nintendo Power. After talking about the NES, Nester and his son watch The Wizard, specifically mentioning Super Mario Bros. 3 that is played at the end of the movie, and Nester mentions the Super Mario Bros. movie. At the end of the comic, Nester's son gives a tip on how to avoid the POW Block in Mario Kart Wii and the two begin racing against each other.
#285
Nester & Maxwell
The final comic shows Nester reading the final issue of Nintendo Power in a room with many Nintendo Power-related posters and merchandise, including a poster about Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and the clay models of Mario and Wart that was used for the first issue. In the second-to-last panel, Nester's son, Maxwell, invites him to play New Super Mario Bros. U, to which Nester asks his son to create platforms to help him over difficult pits.
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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, including those of both its first and last issues.
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).
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:
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