Pokemon Snap (Nintendo 64)

What happens when you combine Pokemon with a first person shooter? You get Pokemon Snap. Only, in this case your gun is replaced with a camera and you throw apples vs. grenades or other weapons. Pokemon Snap was one of the first console based Pokemon games and a spinoff that is not part of them main series which is more RPG/adventure oriented and was originally based on the Game Boy.

Pokemon Snap had originally been planned for the 64DD Nintendo 64 expansion. This was a rewritable magnetic disk system (kind of like a Zip or Jazz drive) that attached to the bottom of the Nintendo 64 and plugged into the expansion port there. However, the 64DD was a commercial failure in Japan and never released in North America so it was instead released as a regular Nintendo 64 cartridge. Pokemon Snap had a mostly positive reception by fans and critics alike but if you are looking for a more in depth game then this is not the Pokemon game for you. Pokemon Snap was released on the Wii’s Virtual Console in 2007 and on the Wii-U’s Virtual Console in 2016. It’s a decent diversion if you are a Pokemon fan (or possibly even if you aren’t) but it isn’t a terribly long or involved game.

Conker's Bad Fur Day (Nintendo 64)

Most games developed by Rare are very good and Conker's Bad Fur Day is no exception. In many ways, it is very similar to Rare's other platformers for the Nintendo 64 like Donkey Kong 64 and Banjo-Kazooie. However, one key difference is that it is targeted towards a more mature audience. Despite the cartoony appearance, the game is full of not so kid friendly things like profanity, adult humor and over the top violence.

Initially, the game sold below expectations partially because of limited advertising and the fact that the game was released in 2001 which was pretty late in the life of the Nintendo 64. However, the game was a hit among critics and it eventually developed a cult following. Enough so that in 2005 a remake (Conker: Live & Reloaded) was released for the Xbox. The original was also re-released as part of the Rare Replay compilation for the Xbox One in 2015.

Super Smash Bros. (Nintendo 64)

Super Smash Bros. is a must have game for the Nintendo 64 and is essentially a fighting game, Nintendo style. It was released in 1999 and it added quite a bit of variety to your typical fighting game while at the same time simplifying things. Here’s the comparisons that matter:

In your typical modern fighting game you have to learn a bunch of different complex control combinations for each character. In Super Smash Bros., the control scheme is the same for each character.

In your typical modern fighting game your environment is typically limited to a relatively small arena, stage or whatever and movement is limited. In Super Smash Bros., the levels or stages are more like a screen from a Super Mario Bros. or another platformer with tons of stuff to jump on to and special items to grab.

In your typical modern fighting game, you are limited to two players fighting at once. In Super Smash Bros., up to four players can beat each other up.

Finally (though there are probably more), most fighting games have their own set of characters unique to that game. Super Smash Bros. lets you play various Nintendo characters from different games.

Super Smash Bros. has become one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises with a new iteration being released on every new Nintendo console (though there hasn’t been one for the Switch yet). The original Nintendo 64 Smash Bros. was released for the Wii Virtual Console in 2009.

The Nintendo 64

For better or worse, Nintendo has always done things their own way. The Nintendo 64 is a good example. In an era when multimedia was king and CD-ROM was not only the wave of the future but had been well established, Nintendo decided to stick with cartridges for one more console generation. This is a little surprising given that Nintendo had worked with both Phillips and Sony to develop a CD-ROM add-on for the Super Nintendo (the latter famously leading to the development of the PlayStation). However, at the end of the day, Nintendo felt that CD-ROM just did not have the performance characteristics they desired.

The cartridge format has its advantages and disadvantages. The big advantage of course is speed. Accessing game data from solid state memory is far faster than reading it off of a CD. This meant virtually no load times. The disadvantages are price and memory limitations. While a CD costs pennies, ROM cartridges were far more expensive. A single CD could hold 650 to 700 MB whereas Nintendo 64 cartridges were limited to 64 MB primarily for cost reasons. These limitations led to there being only 388 games released for the N64 during its lifetime. By comparison there were around 1,100 games released for the PlayStation and close to 600 for the Sega Saturn. Both the NES and SNES had well over 700 games. However, despite the lower game count, the N64 still outsold the Saturn in the U.S. and the expense of producing cartridges meant that developers had to be much more careful with what they released, something that Nintendo tended to enforce to one degree or another over the years anyway. The average game quality was much higher on the N64 than other systems and a number of very influential games came from that system, including Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, GoldenEye 007 and a number of others. Ironically, Nintendo has come full circle by eliminating optical media and supporting a ROM cartridge format on the Switch (though digital distribution is also supported).

The Nintendo 64 had very impressive hardware for its time and was essentially based on a super computing platform. It's use of the NEC VR4300 running at 93.75 MHz made it the first truly 64-bit game system (despite Atari's math with the Jaguar). Perhaps more impressive was the "Reality Coprocessor" which was a derivative of the MIPS R4200 and was developed by SGI. It ran at 62.5 MHz and it's main strength was the vector processing capability it provided. 4 MB of Rambus RDRAM (or 8 MB with the Expansion Pak) rounded out the package. All in all, pretty impressive for 1996 when it was released.

I didn't have a Nintendo 64 when it was first released choosing to go with the PlayStation instead. However, the N64 is an often underrated console and is the favorite Nintendo console of many. It's hard to fault Nintendo for their choice of the cartridge format as it was a good fit for this system but it would be nice to see what kind of games would have come along if there had been a CD add-on. Nintendo did design the 64DD which was a rewritable magnetic disk based add-on. However, it was significantly delayed and only ended up being released in Japan where it was a failure. It also only held 64 MB of data (the same max as the typical cartridge) and I suspect the disks were significantly more expensive than CDs.

The Nintendo 64 is definitely a game system every video game aficianado should try. There are relatively few games compared to other systems but there are still tons of great titles. Like most systems, the N64 has also been emulated fairly well at this point but its never the same as playing on original hardware. And for the collector, cartridges have always been more fun to collect than discs :).

What were your favorite Nintendo 64 games? While I didn't have the system until after its commercial life was over, I'm still fond of Mario Kart 64, Paper Mario, GoldenEye and Cruisn' Exotica among others.

Paper Mario (Nintendo 64)

Paper Mario was the second RPG starring Mario (the first being Super Mario RPG). Paper Mario was released for the Nintendo 64 in 2001 and featured a fairly unique graphics style. The characters were flat 2D objects (like paper) while the backgrounds were rendered in 3D. Mario isn’t exactly my favorite subject for an RPG but there is no denying that Nintendo did an excellent job with this one.

Unsurprisingly, the game is set in the Mushroom Kingdom and the plot revolves around rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser. So far, it’s like every other Super Mario game. The difference of course is that this is not an arcade style game. Instead, you control Mario (and others) to solve puzzles and battle enemies in a turn-based manner.

Paper Mario generally received very good reviews and spawned multiple sequels. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on the GameCube was the first sequel, followed by Super Paper Mario for the Wii, Paper Mario: Sticker Star for the 3DS and Paper Mario: Color Splash for the Wii U. If you want to play the original Paper Mario the you don’t have to track down an original cartridge (though that would be my preferred way). It was also released on the Wii Virtual Console in 2007 and the Wii U Virtual Console in 2015.

The above images were taken from a commercial for Paper Mario and were found on Tumblr.

Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64)

Mario Kart 64 was the second Mario Kart game and perhaps one of the most eagerly anticipated. It was originally scheduled to be a launch title but ended up being released about eight months later in early 1997 instead. While fondly rememberd today for the most part, it had somewhat mixed reviews at the time and was regarded by some as somewhat of a disappointement.

There were some pretty major changes from its predecessor (Super Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo). True 3D graphics were used as opposed to sprites and the Mode 7 effects of the SNES. Mario Kart 64 also added four player support which was a nice addition. The Spiny Shell (or Blue Shell as it is more commonly known) also made its debut with Mario Kart 64 and has been a staple ever since.

Some of the complaints include that that the game was too easy, there were fewer things to discover (secrets to be found), and there wasn't enough to set it apart from the original. There was also slow down with more than two players. The so-called "rubberband AI" was also criticized. This is what makes it difficult to separate from the pack and has been a part of Mario Kart games in some form ever since.

However, the true strength of this game was multiplayer and that's really true of all the Mario Kart games. There was also plenty of variety in regards to the number of tracks. Despite whatever imperfections Mario Kart 64 may have had, this is really a must have game for that system. While perhaps not the best game in the series for single player, multi-player is just as fun as any other version. I somehow missed out on Super Mario Kart on the SNES and didn't have a Nintendo 64 until it was already considered retro. The first Mario Kart I played was Double Dash on the GameCube and it is really still my favorite. I suspect that whichever Mario Kart most people first played is their favorite version.

Mario Kart 64 was re-released via the Wii Virtual Console in 2007 and again for the Wii-U Virtual Console in 2016 so you have a couple of options if you want to give this version a try. As long as you don't want a pristine mint in the box copy, the original cartridges aren't TOO expensive either.

Edge (April 1999)

Edge was a multi-format videogame magazine published in the U.K. However, Next Generation was basically a U.S. version of Edge and they shared much of the same content. The April 1999 issue of Edge includes:

Source: Edge (April 1999)

GamePro (February 1997) | PeakD

GamePro (February 1997): Along with Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro was one of the most popular gaming magazines for a long time. In 1997 is was primarily covering the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn and was also still covering the Super NES, Sega Genesis and Neo Geo. It also had a little PC and arcade coverage. The February 1997 issue includes:

Electronic Gaming Monthly (April 1998)

Electronic Gaming Monthly (April 1998)

I would say that by 1998, EGM was already past its peak, however it still seemed to be going strong covering the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Saturn, Super NES, Genesis and the arcades. The April 1998 issue includes:

Features

• Tekken Triumphant - A detailed preview of Tekken 3 which was about to be released for the PlayStation, including a comparison to the arcade version.


• Calling All Poor Losers - A humorous look at sore losers and their tactics.

_{Table of Contents from the April 1998 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly}

Departments

• Editorial - A look to the future of gaming along with a complaint about there being too many sequels and not enough originality. Not that all sequels are bad (the upcoming Zelda: The Orcarina of Time is mentioned along with others), just that there are no surprises.


• Letters - Letters from readers regarding female gamers, 2D vs. 3D, "explicit" ads, big chain stores discontinuing Saturn products, and more.


• News - The big story this month was the impending launch of "Project X" (later called "Nuon") from VM Labs. VM Labs was made up in part by ex-Atari employees and the idea was to embed 3D capably gaming hardware in DVD players and set top boxes. Hardware was launched but a late launch (after the PS2), poor marketing, and little games support doomed it quickly. In other news, Namco plans bankruptcy for arcades...they owned Aladdin's Castle at the time...I miss Aladdin's Castle.


• Gaming Gossip - Quartermann reports that the 64DD disk drive for the Nintendo 64 might not make it to the U.S. in 1998 (little did he know it never would); he also reports on a satellite gaming service from Nintendo, the Sega Dural/Katana (ultimately to be the Dreamcast), and Sony using a mini-disc format in the next version of the PlayStation.


• Review Crew - Reviews this month include Mystical Ninja, NBA In The Zone '98, NHL Breakaway '98, and Quake 64 for the Nintendo 64; Winter Heat for the Sega Saturn; Gex: Enter the Gecko, March Madness 98, Newman/Haas Racing, Punky Skunk, and Tactics Ogre for the PlayStation; and James Bond 007 for the Game Boy.
  

_{Back cover of the April 1998 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly}

Read more: https://www.megalextoria.com/wordpress/index.php/2023/02/14/electronic-gaming-monthly-april-1998/

GamePro (April 1999)

GamePro (April 1999)

GamePro wasn't my personal favorite gaming magazine but there is no doubt it was one of the most popular. It seemed to be targeted towards a younger or at least less mature audience. Like most others, it didn't survive the transition into the new millenia very well. The April 1999 issue includes:

Features

• Soul Reaver: Kain's Legacy - A feature on Soul Reaver: Legacy of Kain, and adventure game for the PlayStation that became one of the most popular games on that platform.


• LamePro! - LamePro was a periodic parody that GamePro did of itself. This issue contains reviews of games like Rouge Squadron and Saddam's Command and Cower plus parody ads, news and more.

_{Table of Contents from the April 1999 issue of GamePro}

ProStrategy Section

• NetPro ProStrategy: The Beginner's Guide to EverQuest, Part III - For a long time Everquest was, by far, the most popular MMORPG.


• Role-Player's Realm ProStrategy: Brave Fencer Musashi, Part 3 - A strategy guide that takes you through the last half of Brave Fencer Musashi for the PlayStation.


• ProStrategy Guide: Drac's Back in Castlevania - A strategy guide for Castelvania on the Nintendo 64.

_{Table of Contents from the April 1999 issue of GamePro (continued)}

Sneak Previews & ProReviews

• Sneak Previews - An early look at games in development including Street Fighter Alpha 3, Quake II, Gauntlet Legends, Beetle Adventure Racing, Driver, Smash Brothers, Soul of the Samurai, Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko, Ace Combat 3 Electrosphere, and Shen Mue.


• PlayStation ProReviews - Reviews of Silent Hill, Rollcage, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, K-1 Revenge, Street Sk8er, Rush Down, WCW/NWO Thunder, Sports Car GT, and Blast Radius.


• Nintendo 64 ProReviews - Reviews of Vigilante V8, Mario Party, and California Speed.


• Dreamcast ProReviews - A review of the Japanese version of Sonic Adventure.

Departments

• Head2Head - Letter from the editor about playing games and having fun plus letters from readers bout Xeongears, Thrill Kill, Parasite Eve's mature rating, and more.


• Art Attack - Fan art from readers including subject such as Oddworld, Zelda and more.


• Buyers Beware - "Chipping" your PlayStation, Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak and heat, and using 3rd party controllers on the PlayStation.

_{Back cover of the April 1999 issue of GamePro}

Read more: https://www.megalextoria.com/wordpress/index.php/2023/01/02/gamepro-april-1999/

Nintendo Power (November 1996)

Nintendo Power (November 1996)

By 1996, the Nintendo 64 was Nintendo's newest system but more games were probably still being released for the Super Nintendo and of course the Game Boy was still being supported. The November 1996 issue includes:

Strategy

• Wave Race 64 (Nintendo 64) - This Jet Ski racing game was a follow-up to Wave Race on the Game Boy which had been released four years earlier.


• Blast Corps (Nintendo 64) - A rather odd concept of a game in which you must destroy all obstacles in the path of an out of control carrier which is carrying an unstable nuclear payload. If it hits anything, nuclear winter will commence.


• DKC 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (Super Nintendo) - Donkey Kong Country really raised the bar on graphics and animation for the SNES and became quite popular. So much so that there were two sequels.


• Super Star Wars (Super Nintendo) - This game was pretty old by this point but it was hard and no doubt tips and strategies were much appreciated.


• Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow (Super Nintendo) - I guess the fact that this is a Disney game explains why the duck artwork looks so Donald Duck like. I don't remember this one at all though. However, it garners comparisons to Earthworm Jim for its humor.


• Arcade's Greatest Hits (Super Nintendo) - Hints for this classic arcade compilation that includes Defender, Defender II, Joust, Robotron and Sinistar.

Special Features

• Shadows of the Empire Comic part 2 - An excerpt from the Dark Horse comic.


• Critical Info: Super Mario 64 Charts - A couple of charts that tell you how to obtain 15 100-coin stars with info like a list of enemies that give up the coins. Plus, a complete inventory of the Areas.

_{Table of Contents from the November 1996 issue of Nintendo Power}

Epic Center

• Epic News - A couple of new Super Famicom games from Japan, including Marvelous: Another Adventure Island and Wonder Project J2. Also, upcoming KOEI games for the Nintendo 64.


• Sim City 2000 - A detailed look at Sim City 2000 for the Super Nintendo.

Every Issue

• Player's Pulse - Now that the Nintendo 64 is out, readers seemed to be worried about whether or not the Super Nintendo will still be supported. Also, complaints with tacking on '64' to every game title.


• Power Charts - At the top of the charts is Super Mario RPG for the Super Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening for the Game Boy, and Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64.


• Arena - Some specific game challenges for Pilotwings 64, Tettris Attack for the Game Boy and Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run.


• Classified Information - Secret codes and tips for Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run, Tetris Attack, Madden '96, Scooby-Doo, Frantic Flea, DragonHeart, Separation Anxiety, NHL '96, Mega Man VII, Mega Man X3 and The Brainies.


• Counselor's Corner - Readers ask for help in Pilotwings 64, Super Mario RPG, Final Fantasy III, and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.


• Now Playing - Brief overviews of the latest releases including Arcade's Greatest Hits (Super NES), Battle Arena: Toshinden (Game Boy), Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (Super NES), Magic Boy (Super NES), Kirby's Pinball Land (Game Boy), Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow (Super NES), Super Star Wars (Super NES), Wave Race 64 (Nintendo 64), Simcity 2000 (Super NES) and Whizz (Super NES).

_{Back cover of the November 1996 issue of Nintendo Power}

Read more: https://www.megalextoria.com/wordpress/index.php/2022/04/26/nintendo-power-november-1996/

Tips & Tricks (January 1997)

Tips & Tricks (January 1997)

Though descended from my favorite magazine, VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, Tips & Tricks was never a magazine I paid much attention to. Many loved the hints, strategy guides and cheats it provided but I was always more interested in news, reviews and that sort of thing. The January 1997 issue includes:

Departments

• Power Up! - An introduction to the staff which includes Chris Bieniek, Wataru Maruyama, Ione Flores, Nikos Constant, Bett Hallock, Tyrone Rodriguez and Deborah Lockhart.


• Readers' Tips - Readers write in with tips on Daytona USA as well as various questions and comments.


• T&T Select Games - Overviews and previews of recent and upcoming games including:
• Jet Moto (PlayStation) - A racing game featuring a vehicle something like a Jet Ski.
• Crime Wave (Sega Saturn) - A vehicle combat game featuring a top-down point of view.
• Ten Pin Alley (PlayStation) - A bowling game of course.
• Suikoden (PlayStation) - An RPG that allows not only individual and group combat but full scale wars.
• Powerslave - A Doom-like game in which you wield magic as well as weapons.
• NFL '97 (Sega Saturn) - A football game featuring licensed teams, stadiums and players.
• NBA Live '97 (PlayStation) - Because we need a new basketball game every years...
• FIFA Soccer '97 (PlayStation) - ...and soccer too of course.
• FIFA Soccer Gold Edition (Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo) - A soccer game for the 16-bit systems.
Tips & Tricks provides a little of that also but it's emphasis is, as the name would imply, on tips and tricks.
• FIFA Soccer '97 (Game Boy) - Blurry soccer...
• Madden '97 (Game Boy) - Blurry football...
• Burning Road (PlayStation) - A racing game out of France that is somewhat similar to the likes of Daytona USA and Ridge Racer.
• Toshinden URA (Sega Saturn) - Another tweek to the Toshinden 3D fighting game franchise.
• Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo) - The pinnacle of Mortal Kombat on 16-bit systems.


_{Table of Contents from the January 1997 issue of Tips & Tricks}
• Game Genie/Game Shark Codes - Game Genie codes for the Genesis games Toy Story, Vectorman and Garfield: Caught in the Act; Game Genie codes for the Super NES games Porky Pig's Haunted Holiday (I swear I've never heard of that one); Game Shark codes for the PlayStation games Bubble Bobble, Crash Bandicoot, Olympic Soccer, Project Horned Owl and Robo-Pit; and Game Shark codes for Sega Saturn games Bubble Bobble, Iron Storm and Shining Wisdom.

Strategy

• X-Men vs. Street Fighter - A detailed strategy guide for this arcade game featuring general moves and how to use them as well as details for each character. Also, how to play as a couple of hidden characters.


• Kizuna Encounter - Another fighting game strategy guide, this one for the Neo Geo.


• Wave Race 64 - A detailed guide for this Nintendo 64 racing game featuring Jet Skis. It was a pretty outstanding racer for the time.

The last half of the magazine features tips on dozens if not hundreds of games for the Super NES, Genesis, PlayStation, Saturn, Game Boy, Game Gear, 3DO and arcade.

Read more: https://www.megalextoria.com/wordpress/index.php/2022/03/09/tips-tricks-january-1997/

Electronic Gaming Monthly (September 1998)

Electronic Gaming Monthly (September 1998)

Jet Force Gemini (Nintendo 64)

Jet Force Gemini (Nintendo 64)

While I had a PlayStation at the time, there can be no doubt that Rare and the Nintendo 64 made a great combination. Jet Force Gemini is one of Rare's games for the N64 and it's a good demonstration of what they could do. Jet Force Gemini, released in 1999, is a combination third-person shooter/action adventure game in which you play the role of a member of a galactic law enforcement team.

While this isn't a game in which the story is too terribly important, it involves saving a race (Tribals) that have been enslaved by a large insect named Mizar and his drones. At least that is the story in the 1-player game. In a 2-4 player match, you can compete in a typical deathmatch style game.

Featuring tons of enemies and lots of shooting, influences include everything from 80's arcade games to Aliens to Super Mario 64 and more. The control system is somewhat unique. While wandering around, this game plays like other action platformers of the time. However, when enemies appear you have the option for manual, precise aiming in which case your character becomes translucent and a crosshair appears for aiming. With 15 worlds to explore, each with various stages, there is plenty to do. Fortunately, you have unlimited ammo..you are going to need it.

Jet Force Gemini received generally good reviews and also seems to be a fan favorite (as are many Rare games). The criticism that exists is mostly directed towards the complicated control scheme. It was re-released as part of the Rare Replay compilation for the Xbox One otherwise you'll have to track down an original cartridge or play it via emulation. Fortunately, unlike some Rare games, this one is fairly common and a cartridge will only set you back $10 or so on eBay.

Expert Gamer (April 1999)

ExpertExpert Gamer (April 1999)
The video game magazine Expert Gamer was the successor to EGM2 (or EGM^2 or EGM squared or however you want to say it) and continued the same numbering scheme. The first issue of Expert Gamer was numbered issue 50 and it was published from August 1998 to October 2001 for a total of 39 issues. The April 1999 issue includes: Expert's Choice

• Mario Party - Everything you wanted to know and more on Mario Party is covered in this 16-page strategy guide - from tips on all the games and puzzles to stats, maps and items prizes.

Tricks of the Trade

• 16 New Games This Month - Buck Bumble, BattleTanx, Body Harvest, Fox Sports College Hoops '99, Legend of Zelda, Magical Tetris, NBA Jam 99, Bust-A-Move 4, Contender, Knockout Kings, Moto Racer 2, Abe's Exodus, Rogue Trip and many more!

Feature Strategies

• Vigilante 8 - Pinpoints the differences in the N64 version, plus shows the exclusive level.
• Legacy of Legaia - A complete walkthrough and a list of all the game's spells and secret seru.
• Guardian's Crusade - Provides a town map, a shop list and stats on how each monster can be defeated.
• Shadow Madness - A complete character breakdown, all items revealed and a detailed dungeon map.
• Pokemon - All the Pokemon locations plus which TMs and HMs each one can learn.

Quick Hits

• Shadowgate - Detailed walkthrough, answers to the Sphinx's riddles and instant deaths.
• T'ai Fu - Boss techniques, world map, enemy stats and T'ai Fu's many cool fighting styles.
• In the Zone '99 - Coaching and goalie tips, plus everybody's favorite: cheap tricks to help you win.
• Blades of Steel - Describes new modes of play, and how to manage a championship team.

Departments

• Editorial - Four RPGs dominate this issue. Plus, why Mario party can be competitive.
• Gamers' Forum - Subbing or dubbing: Which is the lesser of two evils in games today?
• Game Over - How to beat the Elite Four and your archnemesis Gary to be the best in Pokemon.
• Coming Soon - Discover what will be in the May issue of Expert Gamer, EGM and OPM.

...and more!

Electronic Gaming Monthly (November 1996)

Electronic Gaming Monthly (November 1996)



In the mid 1990s, EGM was the best gaming magazine around and it was at the height of its popularity. Weighing in at nearly 300 pages, the November 1996 issue includes:

Cover Story

• Twisted Metal 2 - Find out the entire twisted story line behind the Twisted Metal 2 characters.

Departments

• Insert Coin - Our editor expounds on his worldly travels for new gaming info.
• Press Start - The news that's making headlines in the world of video games.
• Gaming Gossip - THE inside source on the gaming industry from Q-Mann.
• Next Wave Protos - Exclusive first-looks at games on the horizon.
• Review Crew - A no-holds-barred critique of gaming's latest releases.
• Tricks of the Trade - Want a power trip? Check out the hottest cheats here.
• Special Features - An in-depth look at the newest of the new.
• Next Wave - Get a sneak peek at upcoming titles for all systems!
• Contests - Don't miss your chance to win BIG!
• Team EGM - Previews and reviews for sports games.
• Interface - An open forum for readers' questions and concerns.

Features

• Saturn Has a Lot to Offer RPG Fanatics! - While PS owners have been complaining about the lack of role-playing games for their system, Saturn owners have been happily playing the genre on theirs. In this issue, check out what fantastic RPGs are coming out for the Sega Saturn!
• EGM Travels Around the World for Gaming Info! - The EGM editors scoured the globe for international gaming news! First, they traveled to London to find out what was hot at the ECTS show. Then it was on to Japan for the Jamma show where Street Fighter III and Virtua 3 were making mouths drop.
• Fighting Games Galore Spotlighted in This Issue! - With waves of fighters being released, picking out the top-notch game can be a touch choice. EGM explores roughly 20 fighters (such as Toshinden URA and X-Men Vs. Street Fighter), pointing out each one's strong points.

Next Wave

• Nintendo 64 - The system's first killer fighting game comes home!
• Saturn - You won't want to smash the bug in Bug Too!
• PlayStation - It't the end...or is it...in Final Doom for the PS.
• Genesis - Clean up the globe with VectorMan 2.

...and more!

Next Generation (September 1995)

Next Generation (September 1995)

GamePro (October 1996)

GamePro (October 1996)
GamePro was never one of my favorite gaming magazines. It did have a lot of good content but the organization always seemed...random. Nevertheless, it was a popular and long lasting magazine. The October 1996 issue includes:

Cover Feature

• Nintendo 64: The U.S. Launch
• The N64: It's Heeeeeeeeeere!
• Let the Games Begin: N64 Release Calendar
• The Game Names: Updates on MK Trilogy, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, and Freak Boy
• The Cutting Edge: Nintendo 64 Graphics Hardwired
• Super Mario 64 ProStrategy Guide

Special Feature

• Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Gold! - An inside look at LucasArts' five hot Star Wars games: Shadows of the Empire (N64), Dark Forces (PlayStation), Rebel Assault II (PlayStation), Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC-CD), and X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter (PC-CD).

SWATPro Strategy Section

• Super Mario 64 Nintendo 64 ProStrategy Guide - Mario's most essential moves, how to use camera views, and a breakdown of the first two areas.
• The Fighter's Edge Presents: Tekken 2 (PlayStation), Conclusion - Best combos, special moves, linking moves, and throws for the remaining bosses: Anna, Devil, Angel, Bruce, Kuma, Ganryu, Roger, and Alex.
• SWATPro - Secret coedes and tips! Play as Akuma in X-Men: Children of the Atom, Toshinden 2 boss codes, Game Shark codes, and more!

ProReviews

• N64
• PlayStation
• Saturn
• SNES
• Sports Pages
• Role-Player's Realm

Departments

• Head-2-Head
• The Mail
• Art Attack
• Buyers Beware
• ProNews - Johnny Cage will appear in Mortal Kombat Trilogy!
• GamePro Online - AOL games and hot Web sites
• GamePro Labs - ASCII Saturn Stick, Psychopad K.O., and Saturn 3D Analog Controller
• Overseas ProSpects - CoolBoarders and Motor Toon 2!
• Sneak Previews - Fighting Vipers, Soviet Strike, Treasures of the Deep, Doom, and more!
• PC GamePro - Starcraft, Interstate '76, and more!
• Hot at the Arcades - Soul Edge Version II

...and more!

Nintendo Power (November 1997)

Nintendo Power (November 1997)

Nintendo Power was always a great resource for Nintendo system owners. In 1997, coverage was primarily for the Nintendo 64 though there was still a little Super Nintendo coverage as the last commercial games for the SNES trickled out that year. Contents of the November 1997 issue include: Strategy

• NFL QB Club/Madden 64
• San Francisco Rush
• Clayfighter 63 1/3 Claytalities
• Top Gear Rally
• Duke Nukem
• Kirby's Dream Land
• Donkey Kong Land III

Special Features

• Konami Close-Up

Previews

• Diddy Kong Racing
• Dual Heroes

Every Issue

• Player's Pulse
• Power Charts
• Classified Information
• Counselors' Corner
• Player's Poll Contest
• Arena
• Now Playing
• Pak Watch
• Next Issue
• Game List

...and more!

Taco Bell / Nintendo 64

This ad is from the November 1997 issue of Nintendo Power. Apparently, around this time Taco Bell was doing a promotion in which the toys given out as part of their kids’ meals was Nintendo 64 related. At this time, I was already too old for these kinds of toys and I wasn’t really a collector at that point.

The ad mentions that there are 5 different toys to collect. Only two are pictured in the ad: the “Donkey Kong Tree Maze” and the “Mario Kart 64 Joystick”. I think that if I had been a kid of a certain age and went to Taco Bell excited about getting something Nintendo 64 related, I would have been pretty disappointed. I mean playing Mario Kart 64 is so much better than playing with a plastic fake Mario Kart 64 controller. Having said that, it would probably be pretty neat to have these today. And tacos are always good. Anybody know what the other toys in the series were or still have any of these lying around?