Feel the Power

In my forays across the internet today, I came across exciting news: you can now read every single issue of Nintendo Power, right from the comfort of your computer. For free.  Courtesy of archive.org

And yes, I clicked on over to check things out, and I was amazed at how much I still remember of those issues. I was a subscriber from the late 80s through the 90s, and one of the highlights of each month was when I’d get a new issue. I would pore over those things like they held the secrets of the universe. And they did, when it came to video games.

I don’t think my kids can really understand how things were back then. There was no internet. No way of finding out what was coming out from video game developers. No preview demos of games. All we had was word of mouth and magazines like Nintendo Power. I’d see a game in there, and that’s what I’d have to make my decision on as to whether or not I wanted it. If a game I already had was giving me problems (games back then could be extremely difficult), I’d have to hope they’d publish some tips on how to beat it (or I’d have to scour back issues to see if they’d already covered it.)

I remember poring over the Final Fantasy strategy guide over the course of what felt like months before I finally beat that game. By the end, that guide was tattered and torn, but I loved the thing, and I never even considered trying to beat the game without it. Checking it out now, I’m amazed at how simple and basic it looks. At the time, it felt like cutting edge. Of course, I was 11 or 12 at the time . . .

I hadn’t subscribed to the magazine for years before it finally shuttered, but I was still sad to hear that it had, even though I realized why it was inevitable. It’s so easy now to just check out the different news sites or go to GameFAQs to get guides written by fans, for free.

And so now, it’s really nothing more than a walk down memory lane. But there are some really cool things to think back on. Who else remembers the hype around Virtual Boy? Looking back at that issue, I’m amazed how close it seems to be a predecessor to the Oculus Rift. It was an awesome idea, just way ahead of its time in terms of actually being able to execute it. 1995!

Anyway. I enjoyed coming across it, and I thought I might share the experience with you. Have a great Wednesday!

 

Leave a comment

×