Category Archives: News

Future officially takes over Nintendo Power

Nintendo Power Zelda cover Nintendo Power Pokemon cover

It has been rumored for quite some time, and now Future US gives us official word that they will be publishing Nintendo Power magazine. The magazine has until this point been handled in-house by Nintendo. As of the December 2007 issue, Future US will be the official publisher. Read on for the full press release.

NINTENDO AND FUTURE US TEAM TO PUBLISH NINTENDO POWER MAGAZINE

Nintendo partners with country’s premiere young men’s media company to produce one of gaming industry’s most well-regarded magazines

South San Francisco, CA (September 19, 2007) – Nintendo and Future US, Inc., the leading publisher of cutting-edge special interest magazines and Web sites, announced today that they are teaming up to publish Nintendo Power magazine, which has offered millions of Nintendo fans a comprehensive mix of tips, tricks, reviews, maps and strategies each month for nearly 20 years.

Future US will produce the title, which was formerly produced in-house by Nintendo of America Inc.

Future US will also produce the magazine’s Web site, www.nintendopower.com.

“By teaming with Future US, Nintendo is ensuring the continued growth of the magazine’s circulation and bringing even greater value to Nintendo enthusiasts,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “The team at Future will carry on the quality and traditions of Nintendo Power, and the magazine will now be available at more newsstand locations than ever before.”

The first full Future US-published issue of Nintendo Power will be the December 2007 edition (volume 222), on sale in October. Initial circulation will be 300,000 copies, with the magazine continuing to ship to subscribers monthly, with an additional holiday bonus issue each year.

Nintendo Power is a pioneering title within the video gaming category and was first published in 1988. Nintendo Power covers all Nintendo gaming systems (Wii, Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance) and their associated first-, second- and third-party software. Featuring in-depth previews, reviews of all the latest games, tons of codes, and plenty of late-breaking news, Nintendo Power is perfect for both the novice gamer and the veteran player. Future US’s parent, international special-interest media company Future, also publishes the official Nintendo magazine in the United Kingdom.

“We are honored to be selected as the new publisher for an industry touchstone like Nintendo Power,” says Future US’s President, Jonathan Simpson-Bint. “This is an opportunity for Future to use its core competencies – great editorial, deep knowledge of young men’s lifestyles and technical expertise – in service of one of the world’s great entertainment brands. We couldn’t be more excited to get started.”

Town of 12,000 calls in bomb squad over Super Mario power-up cubes

Five girls from Ravenna, Ohio placed 17 cardboard replications of the Super Mario power-up cubes throughout their town. The town has a population of approximately 12,000 people, some of which felt threatened by the power-up cubes and called in the bomb squad.

Super Mario cubes 1

Super Mario cubes 2

Here is a funny quote from a local newspaper that reported the incident:

“The girls found an Internet site called Mario Question Blocks which told you step by step how the game is played, along with instructions on wrapping the packages, just to see what kind of response you get,” McCoy said. “This game is evidently being played all over the country.”

– recordpub.com

The girls apparently did this as an April fool’s joke. I don’t think that they will end up in any trouble but police are looking into pressing charges. They didn’t threaten anyone, they just left some cool boxes scattered around their town. Is that so wrong?