Looking Back At Nintendo Power’s Best Covers

It’s been a long, well-traveled road for the Nintendo Power magazine, taking us through some of the best games that we’ve seen for the NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64 and GameCube.  But, alas, following the Wii generation and leading into the Wii U, Nintendo finally made the decision to shutter the publication, and, this month, we get the very last issue, filled with dedication and devotion to fans everywhere.

Here at Prima we’ve decided to pay our own tribute with what we feel are Nintendo’s best covers over the years, whether they’re heavily reliant on cheese, franchises or simply getting you ready for whatever game they were talking about for the month.  Without further ado, our favorites…

The Castlevania II issue- September/October 1988

This cover, which was one of the first early ones in the magazine’s start-up year, was one of the more awkwardly hilarious ones.  I mean, just look at how the main hero is dressed.  That doesn’t really represent a Belmont.  More like someone you’d see in a medieval dominatrix shop, maybe.  Still, the appearance of a vampire, along with a dark, blood-red setting, did make for something interesting to glare at on the newsstand…

The Ninja Gaiden issue- March/April 1989

Okay, so maybe having a guy in a ninja suit to advertise Ryu Hayabusa’s sheer badassery wasn’t the greatest idea, as he resembles more of a guy you’d run into on Halloween.  Still, this cover is fantastic, not only because of the fantasy setting in the background, but also because of the small nod to TMNT – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  The first game may have sucked, but there was still more than enough ninja imagery to go around.

The DuckTales issue- September/October 1989

Another classic issue of Nintendo’s magazine that’s hard to overlook is the one for Duck Tales, Capcom’s NES iteration of the hit Disney Afternoon series.  Sure, Uncle Scrooge standing in front of a funky arcade cabinet might be a bit distracting, but you can’t question Nintendo’s editorial excitement for the game.  For that matter, a preview of both the Game Boy, along with helpful Super Mario Bros. 2 tips, made this a well-rounded issue.

The Batman issue- January/February 1990

This one paid great homage to the Dark Knight, back when the Sunsoft NES game, based loosely on Tim Burton’s 1989 film, was being released.  This cover was pretty ideal because it used a great image of Jack Nicholson as the Joker, as well as a small glimpse of Batman, delivering justice from above.  The promise of various highly anticipated games was excellent as well, including Super Mario Bros. 3 and Double Dragon II.

The Battletoads/Double Dragon issue- June 1993

There’s no more trusting image than having a grinning frog warrior running at you, and that’s exactly what this cover provided.  Featuring coverage of Tradewest’s Battletoads/Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team on NES, SNES and Game Boy, the issue was brimming with crossover goodness.  Okay, so maybe Billy’s stance in the background is a little weird, but you try fighting an armed pig warrior and see how you look doing it.

The Super Mario 64 issue- June 1996

Let’s be honest, the first time you played Super Mario 64, you felt overwhelmed.  Nintendo’s dedication to the plumber’s foray into 3D was mesmerizing across the board, whether it was going down the secret slide or throwing Bowser off a stage during a boss battle.  The Nintendo Power issue that led into it was equally magnificent, with Mario carefully leaping over an N64 block and plenty of highlights…on his shoe.  This was one for the ages, just like the game.

The Mario Kart 64 issue- February 1997

Another issue worth celebrating in the Nintendo 64 era was the Mario Kart 64 issue, introducing players everywhere to four-player split-screen racing goodness, through the simplicity of the Mario brothers racing each other on the front page.  Sure, Luigi was kind of clumsy (after hitting a banana peel, we’re guessing), but it really represented a leap forward for the franchise – and it would only get better from there.

The Goldeneye issue- August 1997

Awww yeah.  If there was one issue that made you excited for the Nintendo 64, it definitely had to be this one.  Featuring Goldeneye 007 on the front cover, along with a hint of Starfox 64 and Mischief Makers sitting in the middle of an explosion on the right hand side, it definitely had a licence to kill – our attention.  For several hours at that.  (16 pages is a lot to cover in that time, folks.)

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time issue- November 1998

Honestly…do we really need to say anything else…?

The Nintendo issue- January 2010

The magazine’s 250th issue went in with a lightning bolt, highlighting 250 reasons to love the company.  As if you really needed to count that high.  Still, this issued featured a staggeringly detailed account of everything good about the company, as well as an exclusive story tying in to the release of Mega Man 10.  All good.

The NES Tribute issue- November 2010

With its November 2010 issue, Nintendo paid its classic NES fans tribute not once but twice with two spectacular colors, celebrating everything that they had grown up with over the years.  In addition, it also highlighted some great Wii games on the horizon, including Sonic Colors and Kirby’s Epic Yarn, which would turn out to be quite good.  If you were a devoted Nintendo fan, no doubt you had one of these two issues lying around.

The Farewell issue- December 2012

And finally, we come to this- the very last issue that would come out of Nintendo Power’s doors.  For this, the editorial team paid tribute to the first issue that started it all, with a familiar set-up, but without the lame Claymation-style characters.  It’ll be a somber farewell as you pick up this issue and say adios to a legendary publication.  You shall be missed, Nintendo Power…