Board 8 > Nintendo Power readthrough topic [nostalgia bomb] [top 30s] [nester]

(+) Yeah! (+)

tag for metal storm

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ND

I didn't like Startropics. controls killed it for me.

everyone played whatever was in NP back in the day anyway.

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xyzzy

Issue 15 - Ninja Gaiden II Strategy Guide - September 1990



Not gonna be much to say here. Here goes



Whoa, a comic! The entire game is acted out via comic.



Whoa, Ryu Hayabusa without a mask on! Whoa, he's a middle aged white guy! Something tells me this isn't official art.



I now have a name for all of my nightmares. Harpies, Sniper Joes, Obli -- you guys are jerks.



DIE, LITTE NINJA

The comics in this guide are really quite cool. It kinda makes me question why you'd play it if you're being told how to play it and all the scenes, but NG2 bends you over so far that it's cool. Good guide for something that doesn't really need a guide. This game is all trial and error and no words are going to help you until you've seen it ten times.

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xyzzy

From: transience | #053


Whoa, a comic! The entire game is acted out via comic.

I'll just leave this here


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Black Turtle spilled my diet soda!

Issue 16 - October 1990 - Maniac Mansion

I never could get into Maniac Mansion. Let's see what this one says.



Not much. A lot of stuff this month is zzz.

TOC -

More Final Fantasy? Seriously? Dragon Warrior 2, Maniac Mansion, TMNT2, Little Nemo and a bunch of nonsense this month.

Top 30 -

Mario 3 is now quadrupling everything. FF1 finally debuts at a clear #2 but can't even get close to Mario 3. Battle of Olympus at #10, seriously? Zelda 1 fell out of the top 10, wow. Dragon Warrior slips pretty far. Nothing else notable here.



Anyone that gives DW2 a 4 for fun is so wrong.



A lot of coverage this month was uninteresting. However, there's this cool picture of a girl and a cat!



Super Famicom announced! The maximum sprite size is a giant 64x64! Also, wil wheaton as a kid.

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xyzzy

Top tier topic.

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Praise the Black Turtle, Game of the Decade Guru Champ.
(Well, I never promised creativity, did I?!)

Tag,
What Issue had the Metroid Map?

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~Wigs~ WELCO METOT HENEX TLEVEL
I do what Ninten-Don't.

I think that's pre-NP. there was another magazine in 1987 and early 1988. Metroid came out before NP got going.

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xyzzy

Issue 17 - Final Fantasy Strategy Guide - November 1990



For those who don't know, I've beaten this game at least 30 times and maybe as many as 50. I love this game. I learned everything I knew about NES FF1 from this guide.



So much good info on these pages. Stats, spells, monsters, HP, weapons, armour, stuff you couldn't possibly know on your own.



BORS, LEE, JED, TOTH. Fighter, Monk, White Mage, Black Mage. These names live on for a lot of old NP fans.



To this day, I still have no idea how anyone could find the airship. "Nintendo Power bait", indeed.



The end. It's so hard to pick out pages of a strategy guide. I may start skipping them except for notable games from now on.

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xyzzy

by the way - anyone that's enjoying this topic should play Retro Game Challenge.





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xyzzy

Retro Game Challenge too good

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Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

that art for the first FF in Nintendo Power was surprisngly badass.


what the hell happened?

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Nice catch BlAcK TuRtLe.
But too bad your ass got SAAAAAAAAAAACKED.*tackles*

I didn't like Startropics. controls killed it for me.

Did you try Startropics 2? The controls are different since Mike can walk in all 8 directions in that game.

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http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/33/shadowkenj.gif
LOL!!!! I hope that's a joke....names don't get more n00bish than that

Plus he's not confined to tile-based movement.

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A hare like me couldn't catch up to Black Turtle.

<3 the Nintendo Power guide for FF1.

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No problem!
This is a cute and pop genocide of love!

yeah I own it. the tile-based stuff is what killed me on Startropics. I don't remember getting too into the sequel, but I also don't remember anything from it at all.

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xyzzy

tagging this

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ONLY FIVE CAN LADDER.
Sushi, kamikaze, fujiyama, nippon-ichi...

The end. It's so hard to pick out pages of a strategy guide. I may start skipping them except for notable games from now on.

Noooo! ;_; I'm saving those FF and Mario pictures to add to my beautiful collection!

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

Issue 18 - December 1990 - Dr. Mario



TOC -

Not much to say here. Castlevania 3 blowout, Mega Man 3 official reveal, Little Nemo. Oh, and they'll somehow squeeze 8 pages out of Dr. Mario.



"Fans of Super Mario Bros. 3 will like this game. PLEASE BUY IT"



Ha, they're trying to teach people how to chain in Dr. Mario. I used to play Dr. Mario against a friend who was obsessed with it and even we didn't get that deep into it. It was always just about speed.

Game Boy Top 10 -

It's still not as official as the Top 30, but this is the first time they went this far. Surprising that Tetris was being edged out by Gargoyle's Quest and Batman.



I love this Alucard art. It's crazy how much he changed.

Top 30 -

FF1 is now doubling third place and still getting tripled by Mario 3. Ninja Gaiden 2 shoots up to #5 and also pushes NG1 back into the top 10 at #6. TMNT slides, Crystalis debuts at #11 and Mega Man 3 makes an appearance despite not being out.



Wow, pros love them some RPGs as FF1 doubles Mario 3 and Crystalis rounds out the top 3. Everyone else loves the ever-loving crap out of Mario 3. And I had absolutely no idea about that two Bowser trick in Mario 3.



MEGA MAN'S BACK AND HE CAN SLIDE, MOTHER****ER



whooaaaaa. Earth Bound. Heh, Star Tropics got delayed from mid-1990 all the way into 1991. Nice.

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xyzzy

Issue 19 is a 4-Player Extra Strategy Guide. I looked through it but it was nothing more than a massive advertisement for Nintendo accessories.

Issue 20 - Mega Man III - January 1991



what's up with Mega Man's eyes

TOC -

Wow, that's a ton of Mega Man 3 and not much else. Game Boy is starting to get more and more prominent. Miracle Piano Teaching System could be a fun page.



wat. Micro-Electric Brain, huh.



haha, they couldn't make Mega Man seem less cool. Have fun beating that "rock monster", Mega Man.





what the. Who thought a history lesson on different kinds of chips and circuits was a good idea? I love the use of Tetris pieces to explain compression.

Game Boy Top 10 -

Tetris up to #2 as it belongs. Final Fantasy Legend starting to show up now - probably #2 or #3 next month. Apparently these are determined by sales and by pros only. Only a matter of time before they get their own top 10 for real.

NES seems like it's starting to wrap up. I'm kinda looking forward to the NES/SNES/Game Boy top 30s.



Miracle Teaching System looks stupid. I don't even remember this thing.

Top 30 -

Mario 3 looks vulnerable! Crystalis jumps up to #3! Dragon Warrior 2 pushes its way into the top 10! It looks like RPGs are starting to pick up here. Turtles pushes back into the top 5 based on TMNT2's impending release, Back to the Future somehow debuts at #10 despite being terrible, Ninja Gaiden slides out of the top 10 completely after one month, Zelda 2 tumbles to #17 while Zelda 1 still hangs in there at #6, and CV3 debuts. Next month should be a CV3/Mario 3/FF1 party with maybe TMNT2 crashing the party.



Dealers are Mario fanboys, man. And whoa, NKOTB. There's a flashback.



Here you go ND. I like the upside down gravity. I didn't even notice it at first. Nice touch.



This just in: Mario World is in 3d. It's crazy to see the SNES displayed as some kind of technical marvel.

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xyzzy

Issue 21 - February 1991 - Star Tropics



I only have PDFs of this issue so I'll probably be pretty light on the coverage.

TOC -



Is this the first instance of a soft reset in a game? I like how it's considered a code.



NP finally acknowledges the presence of the P-Wing/Anchor levels.



I'm probably only talking to myself here, but I had no idea you could warp like this in Crystalis. Too bad I only play this game on emulators or other devices with only one controller. I'm curious how busted this is.

GB top 30 -

Wow, TMNT came in and destroyed everything. Damn you pros. At least they're letting fans vote this time around.

Top 30 -



NES Play Action Football, really? Castlevania 3 does shoot up but only to #5. Dr. Mario and TMNT2 debut in the top 10. Mega Man 3 zips up to #13 before smashing into the top 5 next month. Mario 2 and Zelda 2 continue to slide hard. Mega Man 1 is still somehow in the top 30. I don't know why I'm fascinated by this. Metroid, Castlevania, Mario 1, Dragon Warrior -- all long gone. Not Mega Man though! Mario 3 extends its lead to 5000 points over FF1, stopping any thought of it actually falling from #1. It'll take a new release to break Mario 3 out of that spot, I imagine.

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xyzzy

Issue 22 - March 1991 - Metal Storm



Not Dave alert!

TOC -

More Startropics. Operation C was pretty fun for a GB game and we've got the annual NP awards. I'm sure Mario 3 is going to win every category except for story which FF1 probably takes.



Wow, NP isn't huge Metal Storm fans. They really should have picked a better name for your dude than M-308 Gunner.



Special Strategy: don't be an idiot

GB Top 30 -

Mario Land retakes #1. Tetris is slip-slidin', probably thanks to Dr. Mario.




I love these weird little looks into the architecture of the NES.




Nintendo Power awards. My picks:
Graphics and Sound: CV3
Theme/Fun: Rescue Rangers
Challenge: CV3
Control: Mario 3
Hero: Ryu Hayabusa
Bad Guy: Joker (haha metal slime)
Innovative: guh, none of these. Shadowgate I guess.
Multiplayer: TMNT2
Overall NES: FF1
Overall GB: Mario Land

Top 30 -

Crystalis back to #3. MM2 vs. MM3 is a huge source of debate for one month, whereas it's been a 20 year thing for everyone else. TMNT2 has little staying power, oddly enough. Maybe the arcade game spoiled its chances. Metroid pops back on out of nowhere. Castlevania 3 is probably the biggest surprise, already about to fall out of the top 10 after only three months. Maybe it was just too hard.

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xyzzy

Issue 23 - April 1991 - Power Blade



Power Blade! I was really into this game. Probably because its name was "Power Blade" and that sounded awesome to my 1991 self. It ended up being pretty average.

TOC -

Whoa. I haven't thought about Sword of Hope in 20 years. I don't think a single one of these titles is remembered fondly. The issue is really dull too, so I'll just skip to the top 30s.

GB Top 30 -

I have a very vivid memory for this issue of NP because of the hints on how to find the Red and Blue Orbs in FFL. Just read those damn solutions. Argh. Sword of Hope, a first person RPG on Game Boy, is the game of the month. I played the hell out of WWF Superstars and don't remember anything about it, but man, NP slammed it. And NP doesn't slam anything. I don't think any game has ever gotten below a 2/5 in anything yet.

Top 30 -

MM3 almost topples SMB3! This'll probably last one month. TMNT2 must not have been out yet because it shot up to #3 this issue. The rest of the top 10 is dominated by RPGs and puzzle games. I really want NES Play Action Football to go away. MM2 drops out of the top 10 for the first time, likely because MM3 sapped up all its votes.



Man. Battletoads must have been one of the greatest games to demo ever. There was so much cool stuff and if you only played it in really small chunks, it would seem awesome. I can't wait for the Battletoads issue where NP swerved everyone into thinking it was going to be the next big thing only for the game to facerape everyone that tried to beat it.

I guess they didn't have the results to GOTY ready yet. To the next issue, then!

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xyzzy

Issue 24 - May 1991 - Vice: Project Doom



I remember this game's title, but don't remember anything about it. Apparently it's some kind of action game where you have a gun. I dunno.The preview coverage told me how to get through the levels but I couldn't really tell what made it fun. They liked it though.

TOC -

1991's just a bad year for the NES. You can tell the SNES was on its way and Nintendo had pulled the plug on new games.




NP Awards results. Haha, Donatello the most popular turtle confirmed. I don't get how MM3 is the best looking game of the year when it looks the same as MM1 and 2. It does have great sound though. Dragon Warrior 2 getting a lot of love while FF1 is nowhere to be found is kinda crazy.

GB Top 30 -

Man, GB games suck. Check out those scores. Nothing this month could even reach a 4/5.

Top 30 -

Boring month. You can tell that good games have stopped coming out and people are just cycling through the same 10-15 games. Ultima is the only newcomer to the top 10. Castlevania 3 fell off hard.



Here's the NES ratings for the month. Vice: Project Doom and Adventures of Lolo 3 are the good ones. Somthing called Castelian got crushed on controls. Now I want to play it and see. Also, Tecmo Super Bowl.

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xyzzy

Woah, got a lot to catch up on.

Also, Vice: Project Doom is a neat little game.

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You have not heard the last of me...
And you never will...

Metal Storm and Vice, two of the best NES games.

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ND

what's it like?

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xyzzy

also I had no idea Fall of the Foot Clan was popular for a brief time! my first GB game.

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ND

Vice is like Ninja Gaiden, but better.

and Metal Storm just rules:

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ND

Super Mario Bros 3 was #1 nearly every month until they stopped printing the NES list wasn't it?

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Not changing this sig until the Bengals, Bills and Lions win the Super Bowl (10/10/10)
The most American Canadian on Board 8 - #9 Bro on Board 8

Vice: Project Doom is a sidescrolling action game in an interesting setting. Either present day or future, I forget.The guy has a sword, a gun, some grenades and some killer shades.

And before the sidescrolling actually starts, you have to play a shmup level which has you driving down the highway blowing up everything in sight.

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You have not heard the last of me...
And you never will...

transience posted...
Issue 17 - Final Fantasy Strategy Guide - November 1990

this changed my life!

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Donny: Are they gonna hurt us, Walter?
Walter: No, Donny. These men are cowards.

Speaking of Power Blade...

Dunno if you noticed, but one of the earlier issues you posted had screens from the Japanese version of the game, which looked a hell of a lot like Mega Man. When they brought it over, the Americans decided to edit the game to make it a little less Mega Man-y. From what I heard, the changes actually improved the game!

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You have not heard the last of me...
And you never will...

I did not know that! it's been so long since I played Power Blade.

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xyzzy

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/powerblade/powerblade.htm

Vital information for your everyday life!

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You have not heard the last of me...
And you never will...

Issue 25 - June 1991 - Battletoads



Oh hell yes.

TOC -

Howard Phillips leaves NOA. They also rave about just how good Battletoads is. The previous issue had like a 12 page comic dedicated to Battletoads. That was just bizarre. Talk about hype. They have 36 full pages dedicated to Battletoads. Might as well have been a strategy guide. This is a game that actually could have used one.



Hehehe. Battletoads gets its lowest score for challenge & excitement and highest in fun. Nice.






@!#$@!#$@!#$!@#$!



They advertised multiple sequels before the game was even out. Nice.




Here's the first real SNES coverage. They teased it a lot and showed some screenshots but this is the first real blowout coverage. I especially love the part about the CDROM attachment being developed jointly by Nintendo and Sony.


GB Top 30 -

It's the same games every month. Super RC Pro Am was the big game this month and got some great scores.

Top 30 -

DETHRONED.

Startropics finally vaults into the top 5 along with The Simpsons. DD3 narrowly misses the top 30. MM2 is joining the likes of SMB2 and Zelda 2 as it slowly slides out of the top ten.

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xyzzy

Maybe they only played the first level of BT or something. I have no idea how they came up with those ratings.

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Donny: Are they gonna hurt us, Walter?
Walter: No, Donny. These men are cowards.

Issue 26 - July 2011 - Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves



I don't remember this game at all.

TOC -

SNES launch games shown! NES games are a bunch of licensed crap. Licensed games weren't bad back then like they are now, but these ones aren't notable.



Apparently Robin Hood is fun and controls like ass.



Something tells me this preview is better than the actual game.



More SNES hardware hype. Mode Seven explained! HD graphics!



GB Top 10. Nothing good coming out, nothing new on the charts.

Top 30 -

TMNT can't keep it up, but does put up a good fight. Only one new game in this top 30. Going back like this makes me miss the issues being bimonthly. I think NP does a good job of capturing what the classic games on the system are at this point. It still kinda surprises me that Mario 1 never makes it on here. I kinda wonder if it's even on the voting form.

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xyzzy

"high resolution graphics" hahahaha awesome

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

Issue 27 - August 1991 - Mega Man in Dr. Wily's Revenge



TOC -

This is the first time the headliner has been a GB game. Plus DW2/3, NG3, FFL2, Actraiser, Mario World -- this should be awesome.



NG3 doesn't score as high as I would have expected.



Wow, what the hell. I hate NP and their DW tastes. DW3 is a top 5 NES game for sure.



Whoa, they went pretty far into DW3 for preview coverage. Holy spoilers! Well, spoilers by 1991 standards.



Who the hell designed this FFL2 dungeon?

GB Top 10 -

Nothing unusual. Mega Man is about to break up the SML-TMNT-FFL party.



Mario World had so much hype, man. When I think SMW, I don't think 'more characters that you can count'!



I found a copy of the games you can vote for. Notable games missing: Castlevania 1, Metroid, Contra, Double Dragon. Mario 1 is still on there.

Top 30 -

Battletoads is nowhere to be found here. Fans votes for it but the pros and dealers didn't touch it. I'm guessing it wasn't out yet.



CES report. Yep, Battletoads wasn't out yet and generated mad hype. Also, Battletoads cosplay. Hell yes.



The first sighting of LTTP and SCV4, just called Zelda 3 and CV4 for now.

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xyzzy

"The story behind Zelda III links with the past"

OH HO HO

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i'm dumb as hell holy crap -ExThaNemesis

Zelda timeline explained

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xyzzy

Fantastic stuff.

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

From: transience | #088
Issue 26 - July 2011 - Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Licensed games weren't bad back then like they are now

So you finally got Alzheimer's? Well, I guess it's a good thing that you forgot Back to the Future, Roger Rabbit, and all those other licensed games by LJN.

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Give up some love for the Guru!
Ladies and gentleman, the Incredible Black Turtle!

what's up Duck Tales, Rescue Rangers, Batman

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xyzzy

Issue 28 - September 1991 - Super Mario World



Ah, a cover that lives up to the hype.

TOC -

Smash TV, cool. FF Adventure came out just months after FFL2, huh. I wonder when we start seeing FF2 coverage.



Man, that picture of Mario's measly two powerups is so weak and drives home the lack of diversity when compared to Mario 3. Compare it to this image:



..and you can see why a lot of people prefer Mario 3. Game had some diversity, man. Anyway.



ha, check out that rating for Smash TV's graphics. I think maybe I get a little bit too much into old game reviews. Still, that's funny.



Nice art. "Coming to you from Nintendo of America" is weird though.. was the original F-Zero handled by an American developer or something?



It's funny listening to them brag about the innovations in the FF series with Final Fantasy Adventure. This is a huge coverage by GB standards -- 8 pages. Usually a blowout is 4.

GB Top 10 -

Why do I bother posting these? They're always the same.

Top 30 -

Wow, Crystalis tops FF1. That's pretty cool. Battletoads debuts at #11 along with some other game called Faria. Castlevania 3 is a bum.

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xyzzy

World > 3

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

tag for Top 30 over the years

Jeff Zero posted...
World > 3

I thought we were friends.

It's easy to love World more when you played it first and it's so much more colorful.

I don't deny 3 is probably technically the superior game but the beauty of World is awesome.

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png