Publishing Company: Future US, Inc
Summary: Nintendo Power's articles and reviews range in length from single paragraphs to a couple of pages and their depth and intricacy vary to the same extent. The articles are all written in the second-person point of view with the authors talking directly to the readers and gamers. Advertisements are integrated into the general layout of the magazine and add to the general mood of the publication. Nintendo Power also includes interviews with game publishers and designers that provide insight as well as intriguing and entertaining conversations with people who know and have built the game from the bottom-up, versus those who only know the end product. The Letters corner contains reader responses to specific questions and allows gamers to hear multiple points of view on specific subjects such as whether or not they have bought games because of the artwork on the box or around specific topics such as old handheld games like the Game Boy or the Super Nintendo.
Critical Evaluation: From even the covers of the magazines, Nintendo Power is colorful and eye-catching to the readers and also set a tone of youthfulness, from that of Link riding a horse to two-tone Pokemon set in a ying and yang background. As the majority of the articles are written as reviews with a walk through of the game included (a walk through being a basic guides to the plot and game play of a game), they are written in the second person, addressing the readers directly through the use of the pronoun "you." While this could be more engaging to some readers, the repetitiveness of the second person point of view could start feeling like a Choose Your Own Adventure novel. However, this writing style does make it easy for readers to quickly find the information they are looking for, also assisted by the use of quick and easy subtitles such as Knowing the Score and Hey! Listen!.
Reader's Annotation: Nintendo Power covers all things gaming, including reviews, tips and tricks, strategy guides, and previews. While targeting a younger audience through its heavy coverage of youth-games, Nintendo Power also entices older teen gamers with its insightful reviews and hints.
Information About the Publishing Company: While Future US, Inc is not the original publisher of this magazine, they have a history of publishing self-interest magazines that cover a range of topics from gaming, music, and technology. Their monthly audience for their multitude of print and online publications is 29 million strong.
Future US, Iinc is headquartered in South San Francisco, California. Read more about the company at their website.
Genre: Gaming; Reviews
Curriculum Ties: National Gaming Day
Booktalking Ideas:
- For the young gamer or one who reminisces about the good old days of Zelda, Nintendo Power covers games that other reviewers might overlook, as well as covering themes in game releases such as Japanese visual novels' rising popularity in the United States and the general progression of the Zelda series.
Reading Level: 14+
Challenge Issues:
- While Nintendo Power's games are targeted for younger gamers than GamePro, there still is a large amount of animated violence within them, even if there is no gore. For example, the Dead or Alive series centers around one player's character defeating another player's character, or an Artificial Intelligence character by beating it up. The screenshots within the magazine are all easily PG and the tend more towards the Pokemon end of gaming rather than that of Mortal Kombat.
Why This Magazine?: Circulation statistics
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