Good-bye Nintendo Power

A few days ago, we were given the saddest of news from Nintendo.  Since the summer of 1988, Nintendo Power has given us juicy news from many of Nintendo's systems.  But effective after December of this year, Nintendo Power will be no more.


Gamers of a certain age likely remember the days when their main fix of information about new and upcoming video games came in the form of the monthly Nintendo Power magazine that was delivered directly to their mailbox. That experience is set to become yet another relic of a past era, as Ars Technica has learned that Future Publishing is planning to stop publishing the magazine.

Nintendo Power is one of the longest-running game magazines in the country, having been published continuously since the summer of 1988, when it started as a bi-monthly outgrowth of the previous Nintendo Fun Club newsletter. the magazine went monthly in 1990, with Nintendo producing articles that were often just thinly veiled marketing copy through late 2007, when it started contracting the brand out for a more independent angle from tech-and-game-focused Future Publishing.

And after only 5 years of possessing Nintendo Power, it seems Future Publishing has given up on it.  Why is that?  

But our source says that Nintendo, which was always "difficult to work with," was uninterested in renewing that contract or in taking part in a number of digital initiatives that Future saw as necessary for the long-term health of the brand. He added that Nintendo doesn't seem interested in taking over direct control of the magazine again (Nintendo and Future representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story).

Nintendo Power editors and staffers were told of the magazine's impending shuttering last week, the source said, and are currently being transitioned to work on other Future properties, including GamesRadar and MacLife magazine. The move should not affect Future's other gaming magazines, which include official periodicals for the PlayStation and Xbox brands, as well as Best Buy's @Gamer.

It's unclear exactly how many more issues of Nintendo Power are planned after the recently published August issue (its 281st), or how current subscribers will be compensated. Nintendo Power enjoys a total monthly readership of 475,000, according to Future press materials.
Nintendo Power's shuttering comes during a time of continuing struggles for the US magazine industry, which saw overall circulation numbers decline 10 percent in the first half of 2012. Gamers have increasingly come to rely on online sources for more timely and less space-limited gaming coverage, leading the venerable GamePro magazine to stop publishing late last year after 23 years in print.

A sad day in the world of Nintendo.  After the December 2012 issue, Nintendo Power will be no more.  And in the age of the internet, where you can get your information off a website, is there no longer a need for a video game magazine?


There is at least one bright spot in the world of printed game magazines. Game Informer rose to become the third most popular magazine in the country this year, with nearly 6 million subscribers that were mostly gained through its point-of-sale relationship with mega-retailer GameStop.

Well, maybe so.  But even the greatest can fall in the end.

Works Cited:
Ars Technica

The Golden Rule of Mario

Yesterday, Nintendo fans and 3DS owners(Along with 3DS XL owners) were drowning in gold as New Super Mario Bros 2 released on the Nintendo 3DS.  In addition to the usual retail purchase, 3DS owners also have the option of buying it digitally and downloading it to their system.

So what's New Super Mario Bros 2 about?

1)  It's all about the Gold Coins.  The Money.  The Moolah.  The Bling.  Collect as many gold coins as you can throughout each stage.  See if you can set records.

2) The Super Leaf from Super Mario Bros 3 returns again, this time returning to turning Mario in Raccoon Mario(As opposed to Tanooki Mario in Super Mario 3D Land)

3) Speaking of Gold, a new Gold Flower steps in, turning Mario into Gold Mario.  Not only are his fireballs more powerful, but he can gain some coins for every enemy he defeats with these gold-infused fireballs

4) There are 6 main words and 2 optional worlds.  Plus a bonus 9th world.

5) The 7 Koopalings are back: Roy, Iggy, Larry, Wendy, Morton, Lemmy and Lugwig

6) There is a new coin rush mode that lets you blaze through 3 randomly chosen stages.

7) And finally, there will be DLC.

And alongside New Super Mario Bros 2, is the new Nintendo 3DS XL.  It's basically like the DSi XL, except it applies to the Nintendo 3DS.  For $200, you can get yourself a much bigger Nintendo 3DS, which is still cheaper than a PSVita. 

Anyway, with this, Mario still has one more 2D Mario game coming out this year: New Super Mario Bros U.  Similar to New Super Mario Bros Wii, except new power ups, a much higher resolution, and you can even bring your Miis in.  The game is due out around the time the Nintendo Wii U comes out.

The winds of the present

I'd like to have a talk about 2 games coming out.  The first one is due out in a few days: New Super Mario Bros 2.  I had a chance to play this game at the Comic-Con, though personally, when it comes between this and the upcoming New Super MArio Bros U, I actually did prefer the latter.

So what is this game about?  It's the same 2D Mario experience you come to know.



Fire Flower, Super Leaf, Mini Mushroom, Mega Mushroom, and even the new Gold Flower will give Mario a new means of fighting back against Bowser and his Koopalings as he has to rescue the Princess once again.  Seriously, have they ever thought about investing in a high tech security system?

This game is due out in a few days and will be the first game to be on Physical and Digital copies.

The next game I wish to talk about is World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria.  The game continues where World of Warcraft: Cataclysm left off.



A new land to explore, a new race to play with, a new class to check out, Challenge Modes, Scenarios, Pet Battles, and oh yeah: The Alliance and the Horde are at each other's throats at the moment.  Now you're saying "But they been at each other's throats."  Well this time, it's more serious after the Horde BLEW UP THERAMORE!  AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria is due out September 25th.  There will also be a Digital Deluxe version for those who want a mount and pet, as well as the $80 Collector's Edition.

Stay tuned.  Later on, I'll try to do an early NPD report.

NPD June 2012: Am I late again edition

As much as I wanna talk about the Comic-Con, I just realized that I am super late on the NPD again.  So we gotta get that out of the way.

But before we do, next month: World of Warcraft Mists of Pandaria will be coming on the 25th.  Now is your time to put down your pre-order.  I know I did on the Collector's Edition.

Now let's get the NPD out of the way.  First the software.

1.) Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heores (360, Wii, PS3, NDS, 3DS, PSV, PC) Warner Bros. - 450K
2.) Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (360, PS3, PC) Ubisoft
3.) Diablo 3 (PC) Activision Blizzard
4.) Max Payne 3 (360, PS3, PC) Take-Two Interactive
5.) NBA 2K12 (360, PS3, Wii, PSP, PS2, PC) Take-Two Interactive
6.) Batman: Arkham City (360, PS3, PC) Warner Bros.
7.) Pokemon Conquest (NDS) Nintendo
8.) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (360, PS3, Wii, PC) Activision Blizzard
9.) Battlefield 3 (360, PS3, PC) Electronic Arts
10.) The Amazing Spider-Man (360, PS3, 3DS, NDS, Wii) Activision Blizzard


He is Vengeance.  He is the Night.   HE, IS, BATMAN, and he is number 1 on the charts with Lego Batman 2, just in time for the Dark Knight Rises.  Tom Clancy is right behind the Dark Knight at number 2 while Diablo 3 fell to number 3, still holding strong.  Max Payne 3 comes in at number 4 while NBA 2K12 is at Number 5.  1 Batman game isn't enough, so Batman Arkham City returns at Number 6 while Pokemon: Conquest, with special guest start Nobunaga.  Call of Duty is still hanging on at number 8 while Battlefield 3 is at number 9.  Rounding out the top 10: Amazing Spider-Man at Number 10.

Now what about Hardware?  Well...


Xbox 360: 257K (-49.3%)
Nintendo 3DS: 155K (+8.4%)
Nintendo DS: 150K (-61.1%)
Wii: 95K (-65.2%) 

The 360 is still doing some decent sales, while the 3DS is ahead of the DS and the Wii.  But why aren't the PS3 sales being reported?  Also it seems the DS is outselling the Vita and PSP combined.  And judging by the Wii sales, the system is about to have its swan song soon for when the Wii U takes it place.

July is a sleeper month, so don't expect anything exciting.

Works Cited:
NeoGAF