Nintendo Power Coming to an End [Joystiq]

[Oobgarm]

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/21/nintendo-power-coming-to-an-end

It's been a good +/- 24 years. Once GameCube hit, it went downhill for me.

(also, not sure where to post this, as it's a broad spectrum of console generations)

[kedawa]

I'm surprised it lasted this long.

[kupomogli]

Haven't read it since Nintendo consoles themselves have started being second rate compared to every other console, but the magazine was very good and peaked during the 64bit era.

No other gaming magazine I've read was as good as Nintendo Power sadly, except this one Nintendo magazine back in the late 80s or early 90s. All I remember was it was a Nintendo magazine but wasn't Nintendo Power. Non Nintendo related, the best magazine would be the PSM, the unofficial Playstation Magazine.

[heybtbm]

I still subscribe...believe it or not. The only reason (excuse) I can come up with is that my neighbor's kid was selling magazine subscriptions for school and NP was the only interesting one.

Oh well...it's half "Nintendo Crafts and Cosplay" these days. Anyone who's looked through it lately will understand.

[Zama]

I remembered reading the ones back in the early 90s and early 2000s issues. They were so magical and fun to read back in the days. Their early game guides like Super Mario RPG and Final Fantasy III are still fetching a pretty penny though :)

[Bojay1997]

Haven't read it since Nintendo consoles themselves have started being second rate compared to every other console, but the magazine was very good and peaked during the 64bit era.

No other gaming magazine I've read was as good as Nintendo Power sadly, except this one Nintendo magazine back in the late 80s or early 90s. All I remember was it was a Nintendo magazine but wasn't Nintendo Power. Non Nintendo related, the best magazine would be the PSM, the unofficial Playstation Magazine.

Really, did you ever read Next Generation or Edge? I enjoyed Nintendo Power for what it was, but even back in the day, it had lax editorial standards and was basically just a promotional tool for Nintendo.

[Aussie2B]

It's the end of an era, but who knows, maybe it'll come back in some form as others have. But regardless, the state of video game magazines is truly depressing.

That said, I haven't read an issue of Nintendo Power, unless you count glancing at an article once in a blue moon, since 2000. I don't have much respect for the quality of the magazine since then (and even a bit before that), but it was nice that this institution carried on for so long. I'll always love and continue reading my old issues from the NES, SNES, and early N64 eras, with pre-Howard Phillips's departure and late SNES being the two high points of the magazine in my eyes.

[kedawa]

All of Nintendo's consoles can connect to the internet now, so there's really no need for them to communicate through paper and ink anymore.

[VG_Maniac]

I own every single issue of Nintendo Power, and I've been a subscriber for over 20 years now. I first got my subscription for Christmas 1991 when I was 8, and I've subscribed ever since. There have been many times in recent years where I felt like ending my subscription because the magazine doesn't hold a candle to how it used to be. However, I could never bring myself to stop subscribing because I had been doing it since I was a little kid, and as long as I kept my subscription, I would have every issue. I actually decided that this year would be my last year...so it's ironic that Nintendo decided to end it now. I imagine the magazine will end after this year, but if they decide to keep it going for a little while next year...I guess I will keep my subscription just to get those last few issues, and to be able to say that I stuck with the magazine until the very end.

[Greg2600]

I had a subscription from the first issue in 1988 through a couple years after that. I grew annoyed with the space dedicated to crappy games Nintendo was clearly trying to peddle. NP was also the reason I bought some absolutely heinous NES games because they rated them high, which was of course B.S.

[JSoup]

I was actually just doing my monthly check to see if I could get a sub for under $10. Cheap bathroom reading is cheap bathroom reading.

I'd be more sad to hear this if it wasn't that the book stopped being fun to read around the time the N64 died.

[Jorpho]

Do you think a major part of when it started to go downhill was when games transitioned to 3D, such that it was no longer easier to easily make cool-looking and comprehensible maps?

It was some time around then, after the introduction of the N64, that they started including ads (a terrible, terrible idea) and it lost whatever remaining appeal it had for me.

And of course for the last five years it hasn't been published by Nintendo at all.

[ultimaweapon]

Nintendo Power will be missed. Epic magazine. It was a wonderful ride for nearly 25 years. But after the 64, the magazine lost its luster. Still one of the best ever.

[DragonMaster Sam]

I remember getting a few issues here and there in '90 and '91, then finally buying issues for a long time from '92-'99, and then coming back to it in '04. My favorite gaming magazine will be missed.

[Lady Jaye]

And to think I just met Howard Phillips last week at CGE (like some of you guys, of course). The early NP was cheesy at times but it had its charms. Let's not forget the promos that the magazine had: the famous free copy of Dragon Warrior with a subscription back in the NES days, mirrored much later with a similar promo for the Zelda compilation on GameCube (which I took advantage of, the only time I actually was ever a subscriber of the magazine).

Incidentally, the official Nintendo magazine for France just stopped publishing after the May-June issue (no, they were not published by Future). However, the UK official magazine (this one being published by Future) is apparently still around.

[VG_Maniac]

Do you think a major part of when it started to go downhill was when games transitioned to 3D, such that it was no longer easier to easily make cool-looking and comprehensible maps?

It was some time around then, after the introduction of the N64, that they started including ads (a terrible, terrible idea) and it lost whatever remaining appeal it had for me.

And of course for the last five years it hasn't been published by Nintendo at all.

I agree the magazine really started going downhill when they began putting ads in. There would be so many ads in the issues, that they would appear to be really big and choc full of cool stuff...but you'd open them up and half the magazine would be ads. I even remember writing Nintendo a letter and complaining about it (yeah, that was a big waste of time). Around 1999 and 2000, the magazine became almost completely overrun with Pokemon related material. I started calling it "Pokemon Power" during that time.

To me, Nintendo Power was at its peak in 1994, during the time when games like Mega Man X, Super Metroid, Final Fantasy III, and Donkey Kong Country were coming out. The magazine started to get progressively worse and worse around the time the N64 was released...and it really took a steep downhill plunge when the GameCube came out.

[frogofdeath]

Around 1999 and 2000, the magazine became almost completely overrun with Pokemon related material. I started calling it "Pokemon Power" during that time.
If memory serves me correctly, that was about the same time that Nintendo Power actually had "Pokemon Power" mini-magazines attached. Sold my four year's worth of subscription a year or so ago, so I don't have them any more, but they weren't the highest quality.

I too remember the addition of ads and how the original claim was that ads would only be videogame related. That didn't last too long.

[JSoup]

If memory serves me correctly, that was about the same time that Nintendo Power actually had "Pokemon Power" mini-magazines attached. Sold my four year's worth of subscription a year or so ago, so I don't have them any more, but they weren't the highest quality.

I too remember the addition of ads and how the original claim was that ads would only be videogame related. That didn't last too long.

I still have those. The Pokemon Power inserts were a mock newspaper, followed by a guide for the game and a comic version of an episode of the anime. They put out six altogether. I remember getting Pokemon Red when issue three was new. I should dig those out and pull some scans sometime.

[The 1 2 P]

I'm not surprised and I haven't read it in many years besides for when I got an occasional issue thrown into a much larger magazine lot. But if it doesn't come back in some form someone else will probably attempt to make a dedicated Nintendo magazine.....which won't take long to get cancelled itself.

[Tupin]

Physical gaming magazines are essentially dead, Game Informer is kept alive by Gamestop.

I'm not sure if even an electronic magazine for tablets would work, unless they did something like making all back issues available to read.

[Jorpho]

I too remember the addition of ads and how the original claim was that ads would only be videogame related. That didn't last too long.Holy bork, really? It never even occurred to me they'd have the balls to go that far. Scandalous.

[InsaneDavid]

Now there's less of an excuse for people not to buy Retro Gamer and/or Edge.

[dgdgagdae]

Now there's less of an excuse for people not to buy Retro Gamer and/or Edge.

I see that Retro Gamer is available both in the iTunes store ($5 per issue) and in Zinio ($5 per issue, or a 13 issue subscription for $47). Would y'all say that the magazine is worth it?

[Lady Jaye]

At this price, yes.

[Aussie2B]

The ads sucked, and probably were a side effect of them going in a new direction, but as far as I'm concerned, Pokemon killed Nintendo Power by not only making it nearly useless to anyone who wasn't obsessed with Pokemon at the time but also, more importantly, completely changing the target demographic. You could literally watch the target age go lower and lower. Sure, it was never a magazine particularly targeted to adults, but when you go from a magazine that's trying to appeal to a somewhat broad demographic to a magazine that only seems to concern itself with the 12 and under crowd, it's a pretty stark difference.

And it's strange when you think about it because it's not like they didn't have titles in the past that were a big deal. They spent plenty of pages hyping people up for the N64, Super Mario 64, and Ocarina of Time, but it was still nothing like with Pokemon. I didn't even care about Ocarina of Time through the course of all of its previews and coverage, but that content never bothered me at all. I was still satisfied with the other stuff that was covered. But with Pokemon, I felt like the magazine didn't even give a crap about people who weren't playing Pokemon like myself at all.

[InsaneDavid]

I see that Retro Gamer is available both in the iTunes store ($5 per issue) and in Zinio ($5 per issue, or a 13 issue subscription for $47). Would y'all say that the magazine is worth it?

I drop $120 a year at the newsstand for Retro Gamer in print. I still feel it's a solid value for something as beautifully put together as the magazine is. Yes, I could also go the route of a subscription for the print mag but I like heading out once a month and picking up the issue at a store. To me it's a part of reading a magazine about an earlier era in gaming, going to the bookstore (or electronics store around here) and looking around in the newsstand for the latest issue. It's the same reason I like to go to record stores to buy music over just ordering a physical CD off amazon or buying a digital download. It's part of the experience for me. The magazine layout is beautiful and reminds me of the early days of Nintendo Power when they would go all out with illustrations and strategy guides.

I see the money I spend on Retro Gamer as supporting a solid effort to keep something alive that is very important to me, professional video game journalism in print.

[Aussie2B]

Is Retro Gamer professional? As far as the writers go, that is? I was under the impression that many (all?) of their contributors do their work for free, although I admittedly could be completely wrong about that.

[JSoup]

I see that Retro Gamer is available both in the iTunes store ($5 per issue) and in Zinio ($5 per issue, or a 13 issue subscription for $47). Would y'all say that the magazine is worth it?

Unless the magazine is unveiling never before seen works by dead poets while giving me a lengthy blow job, no. $47 a year for a magazine, are you people out of your damn minds? I can't imagine that it will stay that expensive for long, not if they want to stay in print (unless of course the idea is to force people into digital, like Game Informer is pushing for).

Edit: Just to be clear, I agree that Retro Gamer is an amazing magazine, I've read through a few at my local Barnes & Noble. Just not for more than $25 a year. If I was to subscribe, it would be digitally and only the issues I was interested in reading.

[Flashback2012]

I haven't picked up or read an issue of Nintendo Power in years and while I'm sad to see it go, I'm surprised it lasted this long. I still have the first few issues in the basement in a magazine box all bagged up. My issues are beat to living hell from looking through them so many times. :ass:

[Leo_A]

Unless the magazine is unveiling never before seen works by dead poets while giving me a lengthy blow job, no. $47 a year for a magazine, are you people out of your damn minds?

I'd say $47 is just a bit above average for a monthly magazine subscription these days. Not sure I understand why you're making it out like it's terribly inflated compared to other magazines.

I subscribe to several magazines published by Kalmbach Publishing. The monthly ones are $43 and the one I subscribe to that is published four times a year is $23.50. And looking back at 1993 when I started subscribing to my first magazine, I was paying $34.95 for what I now pay $43 for. So while the newstand prices for the magazines I subscribe to has inflated significantly since then, the annual subscription rate hasn't gone up a ton.

And those are magazines that count their subscribers in the hundreds of thousands compared to the very niche magazine in question here. $47 for this classic gaming magazine sure doesn't strike me as unreasonable, particularly since I doubt their monthly run is even 10,000 issues.

Someone expecting a monthly magazine for a year for $25 is the one I question the sanity of. You haven't been able to subscribe to a monthly print magazine at such prices for a quarter of a century now.

[JSoup]

I'd say $47 is just a bit above average for a monthly magazine subscription these days. Not sure I understand why you're making it out like it's terribly inflated compared to other magazines.

I subscribe to several magazines published by Kalmbach Publishing. The monthly ones are $43 and the one I subscribe to that is published four times a year is $23.50. And looking back at 1993 when I started subscribing to my first magazine, I was paying $34.95 for what I now pay $43 for. So while the newstand prices for the magazines I subscribe to has inflated significantly since then, the annual subscription rate hasn't gone up a ton.

And those are magazines that count their subscribers in the hundreds of thousands compared to the very niche magazine in question here. $47 for this classic gaming magazine sure doesn't strike me as unreasonable, particularly since I doubt their monthly run is even 10,000 issues.

Maybe it's just because I mostly got niche magazines. When I was in middle school, I had EGM2, Nintendo Power and whatever Beckett was peddling that year coming in monthly, at $20 for 12 issues (with the exception of Beckett, which was $14 for 12 issues). I'm seeing a jump from $20 to $40, that seems like a pretty big leap to me. Maybe as far as magazines went, I was getting the natural cheap end of the stick, compared to, say, Popular Mechanics that wanted (the last time I checked, which admittedly was in the mid-90's) near $85 for a year. Even then, we're talking about a niche market the suddenly realized they could be charging just as much as the big boys do and get away with it. Not something I'm inclined to encourage.


Someone expecting a monthly magazine for a year for $25 is the one I question the sanity of. You haven't been able to subscribe to a monthly print magazine at such prices for a quarter of a century now.

http://www.magazines.com/
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_hi_1?rh=n%3A599858&ie=UTF8&qid=1345619672

There's a third site my friend uses, but I can't remember the name of off hand. But you get the idea. We're getting the point where magazines are something of the past. Pretty much everyone has some kind of internet access and can get any amount of information for free there. Publishers have three choices: A. Become cheaper, B. Move to digital format or C. Stop printing (maybe coupled with B.). It's in their interests to lower prices, not make them higher.

[Leo_A]

Most are responding. Trains Magazine, the first magazine I ever subscribed to, has a digital option for $12 a year. In other words, a dollar an issue. It also has nice side content available digitally like a newswire that will post news events several times a week.

Myself and thousands of others are more than willing to pay $43 for a copy in print. Don't see the logic on why print copies should be dropping in prices.

And if the content can just be had via Google, I question why anyone would be subscribing in the first place. What I read in my magazines aren't things I can just fire up a search engine for and proceed to read.

I'm paying $43 for the physical item and the content. I get neither just by opening up my search engine like you're suggesting a magazine reader could do.

[JSoup]

Most are responding. Trains Magazine, the first magazine I ever subscribed to, has a digital option for $12 a year. In other words, a dollar an issue. It also has nice side content available digitally like a newswire that will post news events several times a week.

Gonna look into that, I haven't read Trains in years. My uncle used to get it when I was a kid. He worked on the railroad and the magazines were all over the stations.


Myself and thousands of others are more than willing to pay $43 for a copy in print. Don't see the logic on why print copies should be dropping in prices.

I know full well that I can't really point to any one solid example when I say this, but the logic behind dropping the prices is to give consumers an incentive to buy into an actively dying medium. I guess a good example would be Trains Magazine, moving to a cheaper digital publicaton method and adding a notable price drop in the print. The fact that Game Informer is one of, if not the last, gaming magazine around might be another good example of changing with the times.


What I read in my magazines aren't things I can just fire up a search engine for and proceed to read.

Aside from the physical item you allude to in the following sentence, what are you reading that can't be gotten anywhere else? The articles? The college I'm currently working at has three pay for use archival systems that come from a nationally supported database, I just looked up Trains Magazine and am finding full article archives for just about every issue from 1950 to last year. I just Googled a torrent for the last ten years of Nintendo Power. Hell, I'm seeing Retro Gamer copies (both downloads of issues and reprints in posts of articles) on Usenet. If all this is about just having a physical item, that's great, but don't pretend you're getting anything more than your average internet researching than a basic aesthetic difference.

I like a good paper and ink magazine just as much as the next guy, but there comes a point where a person has to accept change.

[Aussie2B]

Magazines have many more goals beyond providing simple information. One of the key goals should be showcasing talented professional writers who can come up with engaging, unique topics and offer fresh insight and perspectives, and often employ the use of their industry connections to access information and views from others. Even professional sites online can't match what magazines do because they have to rush things out lightning fast, so they usually stick to basic writing of basic facts, completing lacking the artistry and depth of a sophisticated magazine. And this is precisely why video game magazines are failing. They can't evolve beyond the approach of "This is the name of a game that just got announced, here's its genre, release date, the plot synopsis, and some photos". They're still sticking to nothing but information, which the internet can match them on (and, in terms of speed, beat). But this is where it gets to be a damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario, because even if they made more sophisticated game magazines, where's the audience for them? Most gamers are teens who just want to blow shit up. They don't want to put any real effort into reading something, especially not something that's remotely complex. They just want a quick blurb to get the facts on what's coming out and if it's good or bad.

As for old back issues and pirated copies of magazines being available online, I don't see how those are relevant. Lots of things are pirated, but that doesn't mean their industries go away (otherwise games would be in big trouble). And people who are fans of magazines want to get stuff when it comes out, not wait a year or more to find a back issue in some database. Even in this bad economy, there are magazines that are still hanging on well, even niche magazines, so the problem is more specific to game magazines than a lack of interest in magazines as a whole.

[Griking]

They always seemed too much like Nintendo advertising written up like an article.

[BlastProcessing402]

Damn, end of an era. :bawling:

I was actually a charter subscriber back when they first started, but eventually let it lapse. Started buying it again when B&N started carrying it, was pretty good from then until the end of the SNES era (Role Players Realm was my favorite part) but then the N64 era came and it just wasn't worth the cover price anymore (no more rpgs = no more Role Players Realm :()

I thought Imagine actually did a pretty nice job once they took over. Sure, there were ads and stuff, but it actually felt like a professional magazine, and IMO it was better than the OXBM or OPSM mags, only problem was they never had any demo discs, but the mag itself I still thought was a lot of fun, and far less biased than when Nintendo did it in house.

[CelticJobber]

Things started going downhill when they stopped putting strategy guides and a poster in every issue several years ago.

[VG_Maniac]

It was confirmed today that December 2012 will be the very last issue. Now I understand...the Mayan 2012 prophecy was not about the end of the world, it was about the end of Nintendo Power!

[DragonMaster Sam]

With Nintendo Power coming to an end, what are some good video game blogs or sites? I usually frequent Nintendo Life.

[Leo_A]

I missed a couple of IndyCar rounds this year. After a good month or so, finally a recording of the first race popped up somewhere I'm familiar with after searching about once a week at the usual suspects I'll visit. I had a similar wait for a more recent round that I missed and my DVR didn't catch.

By your logic, it makes absolutely zero sense for me to subscribe to cable tv. I can pirate just about everything I'd be watching.

But it sure as heck isn't as convenient, timely, as easy, or as high of quality. That's why I pay.



Aside from the physical item you allude to in the following sentence, what are you reading that can't be gotten anywhere else? The articles? The college I'm currently working at has three pay for use archival systems that come from a nationally supported database, I just looked up Trains Magazine and am finding full article archives for just about every issue from 1950 to last year.

Unless things have changed recently since I graduated several years ago, the journal databases that my university subscribed to only went back to circa 1990 for Trains for one of them and even later for the other. And new issues didn't pop up in anything resembling a timely manner. And the quality was horrible. Everything was black & white, pictures typically were unrecognizable, etc. Looked like about the 20th generation of a Xerox copy.

Seems like a lousy substitute. I'll stick with my collection, my subscription for new issues, and my 70th anniversary DVD archive collection with high quality scans for 1940 through 2010 for my needs.



I just Googled a torrent for the last ten years of Nintendo Power. Hell, I'm seeing Retro Gamer copies (both downloads of issues and reprints in posts of articles) on Usenet. If all this is about just having a physical item, that's great, but don't pretend you're getting anything more than your average internet researching than a basic aesthetic difference.

Cool

But I thought we were discussing legitimate means rather than piracy?

And with that attitude, I'm puzzled why you do some of the things that you do. Why are you keeping the Virtual Console list updated for example? I hear that the Wii is extremely easy to mod and that homebrew emulators for most every console on the Virtual Console are as good or better than the official counterparts.

And it's free. I can spend 10 minutes on a file sharing site and get a full romset going my way, etc.

Why pay $5-$10 a download? Why keep a thread updated with such information?



I like a good paper and ink magazine just as much as the next guy, but there comes a point where a person has to accept change.

I'm more than willing to accept change when it's progress. Your attitude that it's well past due to put the pitchfork through every last printing press in the world isn't progress.

I have no desire to get LCD implants in place of my eyes. Probably would be something you'd love, but I actually enjoy spending some time away from some variation of an electronic display once in a while. Reading real books, real magazines, actually playing physical board games (Gasp!), etc. ;)

[Jorpho]

They always seemed too much like Nintendo advertising written up like an article.Oh, but back in the day, they didn't really need much writing at all, or so it seemed.

[BetaWolf47]

Good or not, Nintendo Power was a part of gaming history. It will be missed.

[SpaceHarrier]

Nintendo Power's website says the December issue will be the last one.


*clutches 1988 premiere issue close and rocks back and forth in fetal position, whispering*

it's gonna be ok... it's gonna be.... ok

[SNESMaster]

It really stinks that this magazine is coming to an end. Like others, I don't think it's been as good lately as it used to be, but for some reason, I still like the magazine. Oh well, there's another Nintendo magazine out there called "Nintendo Gamer" that I saw in a Barnes and Noble once. I didn't read it, so I don't know how good it is, but for those who still want a Nintendo magazine, this may be your best choice.

[JSoup]

But it sure as heck isn't as convenient, timely, as easy, or as high of quality. That's why I pay.

Highly debatable, but I guess this comes down to a personal point of view. When House was still active, I used to download an HD copy, toss it on my PS3 and watch at my leisure. Seemed pretty convenient, timely an easy to me. This is an HD file on an HD set, so I'm going with high quality as well, although that's a funny argument with me as I've never really been a picture quality nazi.


Unless things have changed recently since I graduated several years ago, the journal databases that my university subscribed to only went back to circa 1990 for Trains for one of them and even later for the other. And new issues didn't pop up in anything resembling a timely manner. And the quality was horrible. Everything was black & white, pictures typically were unrecognizable, etc. Looked like about the 20th generation of a Xerox copy.

While things have changed, you might have been using cheaper archival services. I've never had a problem looking up the latest issue of this or that over this system. Then again, this is a private university with money to throw around. For all I know, they could have a guy in the basement who's paid to run through magazines every month, cataloging everything.


But I thought we were discussing legitimate means rather than piracy?

I don't recall using the word legitimate anywhere other than this sentence, but that's neither here nor there. Your argument seemed to suggest that you were getting something more than aesthetic value out of print issues, my counter argument was meant to show that everything but the aesthetic value can be gotten via other means.


And with that attitude, I'm puzzled why you do some of the things that you do. Why are you keeping the Virtual Console list updated for example? I hear that the Wii is extremely easy to mod and that homebrew emulators for most every console on the Virtual Console are as good or better than the official counterparts.

And it's free. I can spend 10 minutes on a file sharing site and get a full romset going my way, etc.

Why pay $5-$10 a download? Why keep a thread updated with such information?

I update the Nintendo downloads thread as a service to those who wish to use the feature. I don't use it myself and I've frequently stated that I find it hard to believe that anyone owns a Wii and doesn't have the thing modded. But to each his own, I guess.

[Leo_A]

Highly debatable, but I guess this comes down to a personal point of view. When House was still active, I used to download an HD copy, toss it on my PS3 and watch at my leisure. Seemed pretty convenient, timely an easy to me. This is an HD file on an HD set, so I'm going with high quality as well, although that's a funny argument with me as I've never really been a picture quality nazi.

On my DVR, I hit a button to bring up my recorded shows list, scroll to what I want, hit a button to select it, and hit the same button a second time to initiate playback. Takes all of 10 seconds to jump into a show, if that much. And recording is equally as easily. I can select a program to record in under 30 seconds with ease and can set various series recording options so I don't even have to do that much.

Using your method, I go to a file sharing site, hope it's there and if not I have to go to somewhere else, initiate a download when I do find something that appears to be what I'm after, wait for the download to finish which can take a while even on broadband for a large file (Particularly with many things like file sharing sites restricting you unless you subscribe), open it up to confirm it's what it's supposed to be and is in English and is at least semi watchable quality, walk to my PS3 to remove the flash drive, walk back to my PC to insert my flash drive, select my flash drive when the menu pops up, drag or copy my file to my flash drive, wait for it to copy over and hope it doesn't throw out an error forcing you to start it again. hit the safely remove drive button, remove the flash drive, walk back to the PS3, insert the flash drive, go to the videos section, copy the video over, and then hope it plays back like it should. And you usually would need a second PS3 specific remote or your PS3 controller alongside you to handle playback options since as far as I know, universal IR remotes and PS3's aren't compatible.

Nothing debatable about it I think. Even with a HTPC which would remove some of those steps, a DVR is still going to easily win out where ease, quality, convenience, consistency, and speed is concerned.

Edit - Trimmed a section out since it's been read by the person it was intended for and doesn't need to clutter things up further.


I don't recall using the word legitimate anywhere other than this sentence, but that's neither here nor there.

It's just assumed. You wouldn't go into a thread debating what car someone should get under a specific budget and then scoff at it just because you could go out on the streets tonight and carjack something expensive for free.

[JSoup]

On my DVR, I hit a button to bring up my recorded shows list, scroll to what I want, hit a button to select it, and hit the same button a second time to initiate playback. Takes all of 10 seconds to jump into a show, if that much. And recording is equally as easily. I can select a program to record in under 30 seconds with ease and can set various series recording options so I don't even have to do that much.

Using your method, I go to a file sharing site, hope it's there and if not I have to go to somewhere else, initiate a download when I do find something that appears to be what I'm after, wait for the download to finish which can take a while even on broadband for a large file (Particularly with many things like file sharing sites restricting you unless you subscribe), open it up to confirm it's what it's supposed to be and is in English and is at least semi watchable quality, walk to my PS3 to remove the flash drive, walk back to my PC to insert my flash drive, select my flash drive when the menu pops up, drag or copy my file to my flash drive, wait for it to copy over and hope it doesn't throw out an error forcing you to start it again. hit the safely remove drive button, remove the flash drive, walk back to the PS3, insert the flash drive, go to the videos section, copy the video over, and then hope it plays back like it should. And you usually would need a second PS3 specific remote or your PS3 controller alongside you to handle playback options since as far as I know, universal IR remotes and PS3's aren't compatible.

Nothing debatable about it I think. Even with a HTPC which would remove some of those steps, a DVR is still going to easily win out where ease, quality, convenience, consistency, and speed is concerned.

Except I'm downloading these files from a dedicated private link site from the PS3 browser to my drive, which then plays. Never once have I had a problem with this method, aside from a few encoding issues with j-dramas (if you watch a lot of j-dramas, you get used to this quickly). And, honestly, if you just can't wait more than a few minutes for a show to load you have bigger problems.

For the record, I'm not claiming that my method is any better than yours. Just that it's nearly as complicated as you're making it out to be.


Giant paragraph snipped for the sake of size.

My experiences differs from yours to such an astounding degree that I'm inclined to think times have indeed changed from when you were in college. I can't really tell you much more than what I already have. I've never had an problem looking up or reading anything.


It's just assumed.

You just made an ass of you and me?
Don't take that as an argument, it's just one of many tired old jokes I enjoy.

[Lady Jaye]

Can we go back to the original topic please? Thanks.

[JSoup]

So, yeah, Nintendo Power. I used to have a pile of them years ago, but my grandfather made me throw most of them away in high school due to a sudden lack of storage. I still have a few, in particular my two favorites:

#30 - Has a lovely hand drawn cover for Final Fantasy 4 with a really nice guide for the early parts of the game. It wasn't in the best condition when I bought it, sadly.
#101 - The first issue of Nintendo Power I ever bought. Got it at a Blockbuster, interestingly the last Blockbuster in this city to still be open. Had great articles on Tamagotchi GB, Extreme-G and Mischief Makers, all games I got within a matter of months. Same with #30, it wasn't in the best condition when I bought it.

And who could forget the big giant pile of awesome that was the Nintendo Player's Guides. Which, now that I think about it, might be something I should be checking my local book stores for being that they'll probably be out of print soon.

[Aussie2B]

The Player's Guides have been out-of-print for a long time already. The series ended in 2007 with the switch to Future Publishing.

[Leo_A]

I suppose it is a bit off to a tangent, but we basically got here discussing why this is happening. The internet has certainly had an impact on magazines and it doesn't strike me as too strange to be discussing it when something many people have fondly remembered for a quarter of a century is suddenly going away.

Sorry though since I guess it was straying a bit far over the last few post.


My experiences differs from yours to such an astounding degree that I'm inclined to think times have indeed changed from when you were in college. I can't really tell you much more than what I already have. I've never had an problem looking up or reading anything.


Only been out since 2009, so I doubt things have changed too much. Everything I ever saw on things like ProQuest really looked like a poor quality Xerox scan although I exaggerated a bit about its readability. It's really the photographs that get murdered in most of these scans.

Anyways, even if the quality was great, it's no substitute for me at least which is basically the point I was after. Opening up individual PDF files for each article while sitting at my PC is hardly the same (And for many of us, it's unavailable... I'm not supposed to still have access for example to my college's online journal database but I guess they've yet to delete my account). These things are still an experience worth experencing for many people. Nearly $50 a year for 12 entertaining issues of a magazine is far from the worst value you could get for your entertainment dollars these days.

So I can very much sympathize with those feeling the loss of this periodical and also understand why someone would willingly pay $47 for a well done classic gaming magazine.

[JSoup]

The Player's Guides have been out-of-print for a long time already. The series ended in 2007 with the switch to Future Publishing.

Aren't the bounded Legend of Zelda guides part of the Nintendo Player's Guides line? The most recent one put out was for Skyward Sword.

[BetaWolf47]

So, yeah, Nintendo Power. I used to have a pile of them years ago, but my grandfather made me throw most of them away in high school due to a sudden lack of storage.
That's understandable. I barely have the space for all of my GamePros and Nintendo Powers, to be honest. Might be getting rid of my magazine collection here soon other than noteworthy issues. (The only pre-Gamecube issue I have, I believe, is the Bomberman Hero cover).

[SpaceHarrier]

I regret missing out on the entire SNES period of Nintendo Power. I discovered EGM around that time and since I had a Genesis I went for the multi-system mag.

I still have the premiere issue, Mega Man 2, and Mega Man 3 issues from childhood though. They are well-worn from use. I also have a Super Mario Bros. 3 strat guide by NP, but some of the pages came unglued and fell out. Unfortunately the rest of my subscription from that era got tossed. The next issue in my collection is from the Gamecube era. Ugh. I bought those mostly because I lacked internet during that time and it was more convenient to buy a magazine for strategies or codes.

I've actually enjoyed the last couple years of NP. Maybe it's because the lack of games coming out left a lot of space for retro-reminiscing and it tickles my nostalgia bone.

[JSoup]

From what I've read, that Mario 3 guide was pretty prone to falling apart. I don't think I've ever seen an fully intact one (in person, that is, I'm sure there are ones out there). I got mine for a dollar, being that half the book was missing and the rest of it was heavily ducktaped together.

[BlastProcessing402]

Aren't the bounded Legend of Zelda guides part of the Nintendo Player's Guides line? The most recent one put out was for Skyward Sword.

No, they're outsourced to Prima now. Though considering how expensive those are getting to be and how easy you can find the same or better on the net for free, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they were soon to go as well.

[JSoup]

No, they're outsourced to Prima now. Though considering how expensive those are getting to be and how easy you can find the same or better on the net for free, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they were soon to go as well.

Huh, a physical medium being phased out because digital is better in several ways? Fancy that.


Although it is too bad, those bound editions are really beautiful. The Spirit Tracks one has a really nice comprehensive world map, better than the ASCII maps I used to seeing for that game.

[Leo_A]

Better in several ways, but not every way. Beyond the artistic value, you also lose photographs and such that can be of assistance if you go somewhere like GameFaqs. And you lose a physical item that you can reuse down the road when revisiting a game.

And unless you game with a laptop at your side or have a tv you game on set up besides a desktop on a desk, you lose the ability to check a guide while you're playing unless you print it off.

So they have their advantages although I personally go the digital route. Never seen much point spending money for guides that I could use to actually purchase games with, particularly with the abundance of free digital guides out there (Although I've picked up several guides for games I own for a penny at GameStop over the years).

Plus they usually seem to be more like tips, advice, and some information for more difficult sections of a game. For obvious reasons, they can't really be straight through walk throughs. So you're never guaranteed the help you're looking for is going to be in the guide.

[JSoup]

Better in several ways, but not every way. Beyond the artistic value, you also lose photographs and such that can be of assistance if you go somewhere like GameFaqs.

You remind me of a personal project I had going when I still contributed to GFAQs. I was basically trying to make sure that every game at the time that had an expensive guide out for it had a simple, easy to read map up on GFAQs as well. Turns out I wan't the only person doing the same thing (thankfully). Back to the topic, the over done concept of Let's Plays kinda covers that angle. But I do take your point.


And unless you game with a laptop at your side or have a tv you game on set up besides a desktop on a desk, you lose the ability to check a guide while you're playing unless you print it off.

I would argue that the prevalence of laptops, smartphones and tablets in the average home covers that worry nicely, but, again, I take your point.

[Aussie2B]

I think you're overestimating how many people have convenient ways to look at online FAQs while playing games. I don't find messing with a laptop while playing a game convenient at all, smartphones are way too small to allow for a pleasant experience reading guides or viewing maps, and plenty of people don't have tablets. I stick to checking online FAQs between playing sessions for the most part myself.

I like both online FAQs and strategy guides. They both have their advantages. I don't see strategy guides disappearing entirely any time soon, and I wouldn't expect Nintendo to stop having Prima produce guides for their games either. But the Prima guides are no different from any other Prima guides. They're not a part of the Player's Guide series which was always created by Nintendo Power staff.

I don't see Let's Play videos as an acceptable replacement for strategy guides (or online FAQs) at all. You have to fumble around through dozens of videos and then skip around throughout the 10 or however many minutes per video to attempt to locate the information you need, the people making the videos often aren't even very good at the games, it's easy to accidentally spoil yourself by seeing parts of the game you haven't gotten to yet, and you often have to suffer through painfully annoying commentary from some loser mouthbreather just to get your info.

[Superman]

I started subscribing to Nintendo Power before before it was Nintendo Power, with the seasonal magazines they put out. I stopped subscribing sometime during the early N64 era.

Hindsight being what it is, if I knew it was going to stop now, I would have proably continued to subscribe so I could have the full collection.

At the time, I stopped subscribing because I wasn't as into the N64 as the previous generation of games and it also seemd that the magazine was tilted more towards the Gameboy, which I really wasn't that into.

Luckily I have most of the issues that have the most value to me. And maybe at some point, I can pick up the rest of the issues to complete the collection.

[JSoup]

I think you're overestimating how many people have convenient ways to look at online FAQs while playing games. I don't find messing with a laptop while playing a game convenient at all, smartphones are way too small to allow for a pleasant experience reading guides or viewing maps, and plenty of people don't have tablets. I stick to checking online FAQs between playing sessions for the most part myself.

This is a 'Your Millage May Vary' type of thing. I don't know a single person who doesn't have at least two of the three things I listed. My game room set up has always been planed around me having my TV within viewing room on my computer in case I'd like to look something up. My laptop is usually no more than ten feet away from me while I'm gaming, hell I'm typing this out on my couch as while LittleBigPlanet 2 is loading. I can't really comment on the smartphone thing, as I don't own one, but I just experimentally looked up a GFAQs guide on my piece of shit T-Mobile phone and I can already tell that it'd do in a pinch. My entire point wasn't that 'well, fuck books, this is easier'. It's more that there are alternatives that most people have access to and that are debatable better (again, your millage may vary).


But the Prima guides are no different from any other Prima guides.

That's why I was so sad to see the Nintendo guides die out. The few Prime guides I had were overpriced and otherwise not helpful. Then again, maybe things have gotten better, from what I saw of the Spirit Tracks guide.


I don't see Let's Play videos as an acceptable replacement for strategy guides (or online FAQs) at all. You have to fumble around through dozens of videos and then skip around throughout the 10 or however many minutes per video to attempt to locate the information you need, the people making the videos often aren't even very good at the games, it's easy to accidentally spoil yourself by seeing parts of the game you haven't gotten to yet, and you often have to suffer through painfully annoying commentary from some loser mouthbreather just to get your info.

Again, I'm not claiming that they are any better or even a good replacement, just something else that works in a pinch.

[Gameguy]

That's why I was so sad to see the Nintendo guides die out. The few Prime guides I had were overpriced and otherwise not helpful. Then again, maybe things have gotten better, from what I saw of the Spirit Tracks guide.
The older Prima guides were pretty awesome, back when they were part of the "Secrets of the Games" series. There were several official and unofficial guides like this, several were more like detailed books rather than magazines.

[JSoup]

The older Prima guides were pretty awesome, back when they were part of the "Secrets of the Games" series. There were several official and unofficial guides like this, several were more like detailed books rather than magazines.

Now I think about it, I think the crappy guides I'm thinking of were from Brady Games. I've got a Sonic & Knuckles guide they made in 1994 that is 95% useless, aside from some pretty screenshots.

[kedawa]

The vast majority of strategy guides that I've looked at are really only useful if you have no clue what you're doing.

I remember buying a strategy guide for Resident Evil when it first came out.
I didn't want to spoil the game, so I played through with both characters before even looking at it.
When I finally got around to checking it out in case I missed anything, I found the walkthrough riddled with mistakes and unnecessary backtracking.
There were a few bits of useful info, and the rest was completely redundant.

I bought a Street Fighter Alpha guide that same year, and while it was mildly useful, I only kept it around for the artwork.

After that, I never bought a strategy guide again.
I did skim the ones at the store I worked at, but other than a few decent fighting game guides, none of them seemed all that good.

[Aussie2B]

Both Prima and BradyGames have a history of being pretty shitty at times. Unfortunately, the publishers who have put decent effort into their guides typically have gone under or otherwise disappeared, like Versus and DoubleJump.

[DigitalSpace]

Once GameCube hit, it went downhill for me.

Agreed. I had a bunch of issues from the Gamecube era that were given to me by a friend, and after going through each issue, I wound up giving them away to another friend. I still have a stack of older issues (mostly from the SNES era) that I found at various thrifts, and I also have the strategy guides for SMB 3 and Final Fantasy.

[ditmas_duke]

RIP Nintendo Power.

In mourning of the end of Nintendo Power, I will be selling on some nice vintage Nintendo Power issues I had buried away. Check out the auction if you're interested!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nintendo-Power-29-issue-lot-NES-SNES-SEGA-XBOX-/320989656962?pt=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item4abc797782