Yesterday it was announced that Nintendo Power will soon be publishing its final issue. In the wide world of publishing, this isn’t going to affect me very much. In the last decade, I have maybe purchased two or three issues of the magazine. I guess I am part of the problem. I am now and will always be a Nintendo fanboy. Nintendo is a big part of it.

The picture above is the cover of the first issue of Nintendo Power. I had that issue. Looking at the dates, I believe I purchased the first issue before I had saved up enough on my paper route to purchase my NES. If this is true I’m sure it just fueled my desire for the system so much more.

I used to read Nintendo religiously. For around three I had a subscription to the magazine. The first year I managed to snag a subscription, my grandparents purchased it for me as a Christmas present. The best part about it was that was the time they were giving away a free Dragon Warrior cartridge with a subscription. It was my first dip into RPGs on a console.

For the most part, the games I owned growing up were second-stringer games. X-Men, Back to the Future, Three Stooges, and other discount titles were what I received as gifts. I was lucky enough to have some top-notch titles, but I ended up trading games quite often with friends to get a well-rounded experience. I loved the NES.

Since I am still in doubt about where I heard about the Nintendo World Championships, it was likely within the pages of Nintendo Power. Like the magazine, seeing a convention center piled with Nintendo games was a dream come true to my young geek’s heart. I could never get enough Nintendo. When my thoughts waned on the system, a new issue of Nintendo Power arrived and I was all set to go again.

I started dropping off in the SNES era. I picked up the magazine more infrequently. I didn’t have a subscription any more so I missed out on some great strategy guides. I lost touch and moved away from gaming a bit. Then emulation brought me back in.

Emulation is great. Being able to play any game you want, when you want is fantastic. This made me want to buy real hardware again. Since that time I have slowly built up my retro collection. It started with the NES. Then I got another NES. It followed down the road until I had two NESs, two SNESs, N64, Gamecube, Gameboy, Gameboy SP, and Gameboy DS. I won’t say Nintendo systems are all that I own, but they are the ones closest to my heart. Especially the NES and SNES.

I will have to content myself with Nintendo Power issue scans from the years that I truly enjoyed it. Somewhere along the way, I lost the feeling that I loved. It is possible I just outgrew the magazine. For a moment I thought, what if I just subscribed still? Would the magazine have kept going? Then I realize I’m pretty much a print-is-dead type of person. I wouldn’t have read or enjoyed them the same. It would just be a hollow grasp to hang on to something I’m past.

I still love the original cartridge games. I will always love Nintendo Power and all the joy it gave me on rainy afternoons. It will be missed. I may have grown past the magazine, but you never forget those first loves. May the magazine forever be held with fond memories and let’s hope it is leaving at the proper time. It didn’t leave too early, and I hope it didn’t stay too long. Once again, thank you Nintendo Power for being a part of my life.