The End of Nintendo Power

[Xeogred]

Frankly, I think Nintendo Power has been total crap since after the N64. But nonetheless it always hits me deep down inside when more magazines die out, so this isn't exciting to me or anything. Kids thesedays just don't even know.

[Cronozilla]

What CAN print do that online can't, aside from be readable when you forget to pay your cable bill? The biggest thing I can think of is having large maps and walkthroughs is more convenient in print form, but even that is going away with the advent of the tablet device. And games quickly got complex enough that you needed far more than the 4-8 pages a magazine is willing to devote to the game to be a useful reference, as opposed to a starting point to whet your appetite.

It's not really "can or can't" it's "don't". Online journalism doesn't even take advantage of it's own medium, let alone what print can do.

Physicality can be used as an advantage.

And, a lot of times Nintendo Power spent entire 40+ page specials talking about specific games.

Does no one remember getting Super Mario Bros. 2 Inside Out along with an issue of Nintendo Power?


If you limit the argument to purely functionality ... well, print is physical ... it's higher resolution (substantially higher). And then there's things entailed because of that. But it's really a magazine to magazine basis.

Online you know it's almost endless, it can even be physical if you make it easy to print out. But ... no one really takes advantage of this ... they haven't even translated the "journalism" part ... that transition from print media to online media, specifically for video game journalism has don't a lot of negative things.

Just about the only thing online actually does better, is it's faster. That's it. It doesn't really do anything "better". Sure, it can support videos ... but almost no one even takes advantage of that ... and if they do, it's the most obtuse and pain in the ass way for the user.

And even then ... you could still get a VHS/DVD/Demos/etc with the magazine. You could get posters, giant maps, etc.

To say that ... online journalism satisfies everything that print magazines in video games used to do ... is just absurd.

Strategy guides have the same issue ... though they're still around somehow ... people claim, well, I can just go to GameFAQs ... but it's not that easy to use those walkthroughs. There's no images, for example, it might not even be accurate information. Things like that.

And above all ... it sort of embraces that idea that ... newer technology and newer technique is better ... just because it's newer ... when that's really not true. It's the people who are behind individual projects and what they bring.

For all the strengths an online medium has ... so far it's still only potential. It has not been actually utilized, at least in not any meaningful way. And purely having something is not the same as having something made well.

[AppleQueso]

...why are there so many ellipses in that post?

[SamuraiMegas]

When the last issue comes out I'm gonna loop the song from AVGNS ep on nintendi power. I'm gonna read every article whether or not I give a shit about it :'c

[Cronozilla]

...why are there so many ellipses in that post?

Because I paused a lot while I was writing it.

[Icedawg]

was sad to hear... I used to read this all the time, and my brother subscribed to it. This is the direction we are going in this age, print is just not as popular anymore. They had a great run though

[Menegrothx]

...why are there so many ellipses in that post?

Because I paused a lot while I was writing it.

Have you figured out a way to indicate to the reader when you are inhaling? That is vital information.

[Opa Opa]

Well, they lasted longer than I thought.

The problem is that video game news is a very rapid business; waiting for a monthly magazine doesn't seem worthwhile to people when you can get the same information and similar interviews through online sources. Additionally, people who play video games are drawn to internet news sources, while other magazine niches cater to an older and less tech-savvy crowd.

^A good summary of why I didn't renew my subscription about six or seven years ago.

[D.D.D.]

I had their magazines from the Nintendo Fun Club ones up until about 2003ish. I really did like the vibe but alas, what print can keep up on news faster than the internet~

What CAN print do that online can't, aside from be readable when you forget to pay your cable bill?

Who forgets to pay the electronic lifeblood of the house?

The biggest thing I can think of is having large maps and walkthroughs is more convenient in print form, but even that is going away with the advent of the tablet device. And games quickly got complex enough that you needed far more than the 4-8 pages a magazine is willing to devote to the game to be a useful reference, as opposed to a starting point to whet your appetite.

This is the better argument. I dunno about tablets quite yet. I can see their usefulness but that's a lot more money than a magazine sub for a year or even a single player's guide.

[MrPopo]

True, but a tablet is also a multifunction device. You can see the guides for every game, instead of $20-30 per. It works as a nice web device when you're on the couch; laptops seem horribly clunky for that purpose once you've used a tablet. It's definitely an investment that has a high up-front cost, though.