There are usually one or two exquisite Pop Art-style advertisements, usually advertising the magazine itself. Its time capsule traits (especially in the era from which I pull) are a trademark attraction for me and probably anybody; it's the most prominent peek into 1993 that I found here. But that's why I'm going through it and sharing with you: I combed through the news and tricks and tips and reviews to find whatever treasure this graphic manual was hiding. You're welcome.
The first (and probably the most interesting) feature in this or any issue is the "Player's Pulse" page - the part where they publish letters from readers. But NP played it in a safe way every time: each month they'd inform us what next month's topic was, and those are the letters they'd publish. And the question they assigned to this issue was along the lines of "fantasy Nintendo merchandise" and the fantasy wishlist put forth by the fans was so spectacularly spot on and clever that I couldn't have done better myself.
Gum, donuts, an entire Nintendo TV network? Chef's kiss. But RC Mario Kart cars that are battery operated and "very detailed?" Who is this kid, Josh Baskin? I'm not the hugest Mario Kart (or remote control vehicle) guy, but this is a zillion dollar idea that beats the shit outta Dixie Cups and bath foam.
Super Mario All-Stars was the headliner here and it's what enticed me to buy this issue: a game I actually played (which became increasingly rare), it's a 16-bit glow up of the original 3 NES Mario games. Another big reason I seek out these rags is the illustrations, because the literary content is frustratingly misguided in every way. You read the letters from the kids who played these games: considerably more articulate and cognizant of what exactly makes these toys so cool. I would've been pleased with a little anecdote or backstory on the making of the game, the conception, the demand, something more adult with some substance that would not so closely resemble the children's book version of VCR instructions.
Star Fox was the big release of '93 and they padded out these periodicals by milking the big ones. This issue includes "Act 8" of their ongoing Star Fox comic series, and if there was one thing that I and the entire gaming community agreed upon in the context of this magazine it was no more goddamn comics please! I loved the little stories that filled out the manuals that accompanied the game cartridges themselves, but this laborious styrofoam was in the service of no one except the editors striving for their 115 page quota.
One of the strongest points of Star Fox the game was its mystique - I never knew what the hell was going on, I just started blasting. This game had an eerie, barren atmosphere of geometric landscapes and melodic electronica, and despite its talking animal fighter pilots it most certainly didn't fit into any comic book/Saturday Morning serial groove.
Any STAR WARS video game I've ever played has been tops, and Super STAR WARS: The Empire Strikes Back wasn't any exception - although I found it to be incredibly hard. In fact a lotta the imagery in this magazine is new to me as I was never able to leave the Hoth System. Some fanboy stuff here: I'm not familiar with "IceCats" outside of this game (as I believe this is their sole appearance in this universe) but they sure do resemble the Vulptex species on Crait in Last Jedi. Also included here is a "Gundarc" (though I assume they meant Gundark) which is fun because it's mentioned in the Empire movie but not shown.
1993 was really the year of Spielberg wasn't it? In addition to the wealth, acclaim, and Oscars amassed by Jurassic Park and Schindler's List, as well as his continual input into the Universal theme park stuff, his property continued to transition into the gaming world, up to and including his then-current animated show Tiny Toon Adventures. We owe him awe, not just for the amount of cash he must've been accumulating, but the tireless ambition to bring us enough quality entertainment to define an entire year - not to mention one's lifetime.
The Top 20 is attractive to me because I like ranking lists, though they make this needlessly witty and ambiguous by assigning some kinda "point" system to these games. Are these sales? Rentals? Votes? I mean whatever, it's as meaningless now as it was then - I just feel validated that Mario and Zelda games were consistently top of the pops for the period in which this shit was pertinent to me. It's like sports: my team was in first for as long as I was a fan.
Each issue came with a pullout centerfold usually depicting the box art of whatever recent game they were trying to push. Nine times outta ten it was of a game I didn't know or care about, but it was still one of the better and more exciting features of this book: a prize inside! In later issues like this one they doubled down and also included a page of perforated trading cards! Again most of the imagery is foreign to me but they're a damn sight more interesting than the graphs and text and crude comics that were all achingly standard.
The other thing that was in nearly every issue was the "Power Players" page - the place where they'd publish the high scores of players from all over the country. Again, zero interest; I didn't give a shit about points, I either saved the princess or died trying. (Having said that, achieving "Megalopolis" status in only 4 years of SimCity time is a feat I can't begin to comprehend.)
It only recently occurred to me what a daunting and lo-fi ordeal it must've been to acquire these accolades. First, you'd have to achieve some nearly impossible undertaking that could be deemed worthy enough by the gaming community to get your name printed in this holy publication. Second, you have to take a photo of your TV screen or Gameboy with enough clarity to be accepted. But once I began to mentally approach this in the headspace of 1993, I imagined the difficulty of borrowing a camera (with film), figuring out how to turn off the flash (which is hopefully a manual option) and getting it just right and then only hoping it comes out distinct enough whenever I get it back from whatever photo place I'd been taken to. I never attempted this, but I began to feel a little melancholy as I imagined myself or some other poor 10-year-old discovering their photos weren't adequate for submission, or ended up getting rejected without notice.
So I suppose this issue of Nintendo Power had enough cosmic energy to remind me of an abstract nostalgia saturated in disappointment. I'm sure it must derive from some repressed memory of my own, or just the gathered wisdom of bureaucratic entanglements and failed aspirations; the bastards have always kept me down, not even any mercy for a child. That was a major strength of Nintendo and home consoles: the choice to engage in competition with no one but yourself, and a loss could only cut as deep as you allowed it. That's playing with power.
- Paul
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