After Ten Years of Subscribing to the monthly installment Nintendo Power I pull my subscription.
I remember when It was a worthwhile page that offered you much more than the internet, and even if it sometimes reviles new games that are to come... My region in the US always gets the last round of shipments while the rest of America gets to gracefully post it online and save me the trouble to having to see it..
I became incredibly bitter when Nintendo Power was bought out by Future US. The quality of the Magazines did go up, but the content in my opinion has gotten repetitive, and the reviews are bias. I look at the internet as my viable source of ratings. The content of the magazines has dissipated. Nintendo Power used to do so many special things for the resubscribers, such as give away a strategy guide. I have been with them long enough to know of 3 of their GREATEST giveaways:
Pokemon Yellow, I obtained for FREE from Nintendo Power, and was ultimately what got me into Pokemon. Shamefully I lost the game...
Though it took 3 months to ship for some ungodly reason, The Full Complete Paper Mario Official Soundtrack I obtained from Nintendo Power, I still own it today and It is a two Disc set that has 98 songs.
Legend of Zelda: Collectors Edition: Though... I had to pay full price for it (meaning the subscription was $65) I got the rare game brand new and sent to my house. It seemed redundant because I had the Ocarina of Time: Master Quest port... but I ultimately wanted it for Majora's Mask.
Even after all that, Nintendo Power had an ace up its sleeve, before Future US bought out Nintendo Power, Anyone that was subscribed and had a My Nintendo account, would get an extra year on their warranty for newer systems. It wasn't made public, but it was a hidden benefit for having a subscription. I had multiple times where I needed to have systems repaired:
My Gamecube was my first time sending it out for repairs. The engine inside the console was no longer working, and this was a year after my warranty was voided. So I called up Nintendo, and they saw I had a subscription and they said "Send it here [explains long address] and your subscription has covered it." It was a miracle.
I had issues with Both DS's too. The DS Phat (AKA Original) The top screen bleeded and was ruined. So we sent that up no problem. The DS Lite had pixelation problems on the top screen, so It was sent in and I got a refurbished one.
Due to Future US now owning Nintendo Power those gifts are gone now, and one of the reasons why I would ever resubscribe is diminished. It was always exciting to wait and see what I could get for every re-subscription, and in my opinion it was a damned good marketing tool. I know I might seem greedy, but I really think the Magazine has lost it's spark... It isn't Nintendo Power anymore; It's Nintendo Power owned and downgraded by Future US.
So my Ten years of Loyalty is now revoked. Farewell Nintendo Power, for you were my only reason to check the mail for 10 years.
Everyone get's snappy sometimes... Trust me though, between the internet and Club Nintendo you'll still get your news and some swag!
I don't see on Club Nintendo anything good, I already obtained the Game and Watch Collection and it was pretty pathetic, though has a charm to it. I wish I could get moments like Getting Pokemon Yellow and the Zelda Collection back. Those were exciting times that I remember with Nintendo Power. I mean.. I played Yellow for years.
I was a NP subscriber for many years, I even have the original little folded newsletters that came before the magazine. But about 3 years ago the coverage just wasn't as good and up-to-date as the internet offered so I stopped subscribing.
Yeah... Those were the days... Eventually Club Ninty will update with some better swag I'm sure, and I'm sitting on my points until we do. We also get a mystery gift at the end of the year for our Platinum Status. There's something to look forward to at least.
Yeah... Those were the days... Eventually Club Ninty will update with some better swag I'm sure, and I'm sitting on my points until we do. We also get a mystery gift at the end of the year for our Platinum Status. There's something to look forward to at least.
Actually I am quite curious about this development. I wonder what we will get for our Platinum status?
Magazines are an outdated and impractical medium. You are usually getting news that is a couple weeks old, at least, which you could have gotten instantly and for free online. How any magazine stays afloat is beyond me. I guess some people feel they have too much money and want to get rid of some?
I was once a loyal Nintendo Power subscriber as well. I still occasionally pick it up but I agree that it just isn't the same magazine it used to be, especially since Future took over. I noticed how removed the monthly contests recently and that really sucks. Nintendo Life and the internet are a much better source for information. I still like reading magazines but it wouldn't surprise me if they end up going out of business the same way EGM did. I actually still have the very first issue of Nintendo Power and the Dragon Warrior NES game I got for renewing my subscription. Oh well, at least I still have my memories!
I was planning to renew my subsciption but they never sent me the last issue of my current subscription so I never renewed. Also they stoped sending posters witch really killed it for me.
Yeah I really miss the old Nintendo Power myself. I still subscribe for some reason. Its just always fun to get a gaming mag in the mail for some reason. I actually thought I was gettin one today actually but didnt. NP really seems to be pushing so much of the casual games and not much of the better full fledge games coming out. I do have to say that they have been rating a lot of these crappy games very low wich is good to see and I like the subscriber only covers, but it doesnt match the free game books and games/posters we used to get. Im still going to renew my subscription.
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I still retain great nostalgia for the old issues of the magazine, and even have a little treasure trove of PDFs put up by some kind soul online. Sure, the internet gives you news faster and allows a different kind of community, but there are things to miss about the magazine era for gaming, not to mention other subjects. Instead of watching an RSS feed, there was something remarkably exciting about getting a glossy and palpable little collection of news and other gaming goodies in the mail on a regular basis, or picking one up in the store. The OP noted some of the great things that Nintendo used to do for its magazine subscribers which are all now discontinued; that was a very different way of keeping your fans and maintaining their loyalty / interest / excitement about new products. I'm not sure that the new ways are better; E3 and those other shows are just a gigantic joke to me, and who doesn't miss the big hints that would be left about what was to come in the next issue, which one might even ponder over, instead of just checking online where someone will have already figured it out and killed the suspense. In many areas, not just gaming, there is a great deal that has been lost due to the slipping away of newspapers and magazines, and there's a whole lot for which the internet isn't even close to providing a sufficient substitute.
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I agree that paging through a magazine has quite the different feel than reading any random blurb on the internet. I actually only subscribed to NP last Fall. Frankly, I don't pay the reviews all that much attention, but, from what I've seen, they're not nearly as biased as some claim; heck, I think the likes of IGN and Gamespot are more biased. It's the previews and special coverage that I appreciate. Take for example the issue before Rhythm Heaven was released: now there was a great preview to get me even more stoked about the game. For twenty bucks a year I think it's quite worth it.
On another note, over the last few years I've tried getting into reading the news online, but my interest fizzles too quickly. I just don't care much for that kind of format. I very much prefer having a real paper in hand.
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i still keep my subscription going. I like having the addition viewpoint on games and the chance to win free games and systems. Also, NP would have some exclusive stories, if some idiot would stop getting them a month before everyone else and posting images on NeoGAFF.
Today Actually makes 6 years i've been with NP & sorry to say i got 2 years added on so i guess i'm considered a Veteran NP Subscriber :3 i have them all in my Chest so they are all safe with all my other stuff (anime magazines Newtype Game Informer & Etc.)
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Topic: After 10 Years of Subscribing to Nintendo Power.
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