Download the first 3 issues of Nintendo Power

Nintendo Power began as the several page long Nintendo Fun Club Newsletter, but quickly changed to its current magazine format. The first issue published 3.6 million copies with every member of the Nintendo Fun Club receiving a free one. Almost one third of the members subscribed.

The magazine was edited at first by Fun Club “President” Howard Philips, an avid game player himself. Nintendo Power‘s mascot in the late 1980s and early 1990s was Nester, a comic character created by Philips. After Philips left the company, a more “teenage” Nester became the magazine’s sole mascot. Early issues of the magazine featured a two-page Howard and Nester comic, which was later replaced with a two-page Nester’s Adventures, which was then reduced to one page, and then dropped altogether. Subsequently, Mario replaced Nester as the mascot of the magazine. Later, during the early 2000s, the magazine made another mascot out of their Senior Writer, Alan Averill. Apparently very camera-shy, Alan himself never appeared in any photos; rather, he was represented by a plush toy of a Blue Slime from Dragon Warrior. Fans often clamored to see what Alan actually looked like, but the magazine instead ran still more photos of the toy, and even claiming that Alan was, in fact, a Blue Slime.

Eventually, Alan retired from Nintendo Power to join Nintendo of America’s localization department. His true image was never revealed. A more recent running gag for the magazine is the inclusion of a photo of Mr. T in the Player’s Pulse section. Chuck Norris may also be identified as a running gag.

During the early 1990s the magazine used what was a unique and very expensive promotion; they gave a free copy of the new NES game Dragon Warrior to every new subscriber.

Following the release of the Super Nintendo, the magazine featured lengthy, continuous comic stories based on Super Mario World and Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. After these stories ended they were replaced by similar multi-issue stories based on Star Fox and Super Metroid, as well as comics based on the animated series of Pokémon and Kirby: Right Back At Ya!, respectively. More recently, short excerpts of comic books based on Custom Robo, as well as Metal Gear Solid, have been featured (as well as a short Metroid Prime comic). Currently, there is no comic featured in Nintendo Power.

During 2001, Nintendo Power released a spin-off semi-magazine named Nintendo Power Advance, featuring the Game Boy Advance and its games. Four issues of Nintendo Power Advance were printed, the last of which served as a strategy guide for Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2.

There are currently over 200 issues.

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