History YMMV / NintendoPower

* MagazineDecay: Although the magazine initially began as giving strategies and reviews for the most recent video games, it now focuses mostly on news, with very little, if any, video game hints and strategies. Justified with the advent of the Internet and free, in-depth, fanmade guides.
** [[FridgeLogic And the internet isn't a challenge to its news coverage?]] Printed walkthroughs seem like they would be more convenient...

* HilariousInHindsight: In the very first April issue, they had a joke about how they'd be introducing the [[AprilFoolsDay AFD]] Reality System line of games, which included [[CookingMama learning to cook]] and one called ''Muttroid'' in which [[{{Nintendogs}} you would have to take care of a dog, including walking it, picking up after it, and bathing it]].

* EightPointEight: In the early days, the magazine was more blatantly a sales pamphlet, often giving good "reviews" to games that were being trashed in other video game magazines. They gradually got away from this in later years, although no "official" magazine for a company can ever escape it completely.

** Note that this was only their ''second issue''

** Earlier in the magazine's run, their stance on [[SonicTheHedgehog Big the Cat]] was that they just didn't like him. After the switch to Future Publishing, they're dissing him in reviews for Sonic games where he doesn't even show up and have expressed a desire for him [DisproportionateRetribution to die in a fire]]...until a reader wrote in reminding them that Big's voice actor was the same that voices DukeNukem. Now they just want him in a coma.

* NP has featured SonicTheHedgehog games on the cover and in articles about the various Nintendo console exclusives/multiplatform releases since Sonic games started appearing on Nintendo consoles. He's practically a regular fixture at this point, which can be ''very confusing'' for people who haven't been following the magazine for a while only to find SEGA's mascot on the cover.

** The June 2011 (''Sonic Generations'' cover) issue contained '''an entire article''' about the game, featuring gameplay details, screenshots, developer interviews, and more. It's excruciatingly painful to read.

** [[FridgeLogic And the internet isn't a challenge to its news coverage?]] Printed walkthroughs seem like they would be more convenient....

.* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: Nester returning in the 100th issue and 20th anniversary issue.

!!The comics that ran in the magazine contained examples of:

* HilariousInHindsight: Writer/translator Leslie Swan, who worked on the ''Super Mario Adventures'' comic, has voiced two female characters in the Mario series: Peach and Mona from ''VideoGame/WarioWare''. Now note the sequence where Peach shows up as part of a pizza delivery, matching Mona's employment in ''Twisted''. Better yet, the delivery was made by Yoshi, making him a Pizza Dinosaur.
* OlderThanTheyThink: Instead of receiving the expected flippers from Zora, Link ends up with "Zora's Mask", a dark but nondescript mask that is useful for a DressingAsTheEnemy sequence. This was written more than half a decade before ''OcarinaOfTime'', let alone ''MajorasMask''.
** Epheremelda, Link's [[ExpositionFairy fairy guide]] and companion, foreshadows Navi from ''OcarinaOfTime''.
** Zelda [[TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker grabbing a bow and arrow and pwning Ganon.]]
** [[TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask A moon with a rictus face.]]
** This comic was also one of the earliest media forms to show [[SuperMario64 Peach's castle]] and her [[SuperMarioRPG royal court]].
** The characters in ''Super Mario Adventures'' display some of the personality traits that would define them in later games -- traits such as Luigi's cowardliness and [[LuigisMansion fear of ghosts]], Bowser's [[SuperPaperMario amorous feelings towards Peach]], and Peach's willingness to fight to save Mario (which she does in ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach''), as well as the fact that Yoshi can only say his name.
** Also [[MarioAndLuigi Luigi dressing as Peach]].

* AccidentalNightmareFuel: The infamous ''{{Castlevania}} II'' cover, which had a graphic picture of Simon Belmont holding Dracula's severed head. Many angry parents called and wrote letters saying that it gave their children nightmares. NP, on the other hand, considers it one of their crowning achievements.
** Note that this was only their ''second issue''.
* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: Nester returning in the 100th issue and 20th anniversary issue.

** Writer/translator Leslie Swan, who worked on this comic, has voiced two female characters in the Mario series: Peach and Mona from ''VideoGame/WarioWare''. Now note the sequence where Peach shows up as part of a pizza delivery, matching Mona's employment in ''Twisted''. Better yet, the delivery was made by Yoshi, making him a Pizza Dinosaur.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: Nester returning in the 100th issue the and 20th anniversary issue.

** In their own views, TheScrappy is [[SonicTheHedgehog Big the Cat]].

* HilariousInHindsight: Instead of receiving the expected flippers from Zora, Link ends up with "Zora's Mask", a dark but nondescript mask that is useful for a DressingAsTheEnemy sequence. This was written more than half a decade before ''OcarinaOfTime'', let alone ''MajorasMask''.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Instead of receiving the expected flippers from Zora, Link ends up with "Zora's Mask", a dark but nondescript mask that is useful for a DressingAsTheEnemy sequence. This was written more than half a decade before ''OcarinaOfTime'', let alone ''MajorasMask''.

** Epheremelda, Link's [[ExpositionFairy fairy guide]] and companion who has a crush on Link, foreshadows Navi from ''OcarinaOfTime''.

** Epheremelda, Link's fairy guide and companion who has a crush on Link, foreshadows Navi from ''OcarinaOfTime''.

** This comic was also one of the earliest media forms to show [[SuperMario64 Peach's castle]] and [[SuperMarioRPG royal court]].
** The characters in ''Super Mario Adventures'' display some of the personality traits that would define them in later games -- traits such as Luigi's cowardliness and [[LuigisMansion fear of ghosts]], Bowser's [[SuperpaperMario amorous feelings towards Peach]], and Peach's willingness to fight to save Mario (which she does in ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach''), as well as the fact that Yoshi can only say his name.

** The characters in ''Super Mario Adventures'' display some of the personality traits that would define them in later games -- traits such as Luigi's cowardliness and [[LuigisMansion fear of ghosts]], Bowser's amorous feelings towards Peach, and Peach's willingness to fight to save Mario (which she does in ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach''), as well as the fact that Yoshi can only say his name.

** The characters in ''Super Mario Adventures'' displays some of tpersonality traits that would define them in later games -- traits such as Luigi's cowardliness and [[LuigisMansion fear of ghosts]], Bowser's amorous feelings towards Peach, and Peach's willingness to fight to save Mario (which she does in ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach''), as well as the fact that Yoshi can only say his name.

'''''TheLegendOfZelda: A Link to the Past'''''
* HilariousInHindsight: Instead of receiving the expected flippers from Zora, Link ends up with "Zora's Mask", a dark but nondescript mask that is useful for a DressingAsTheEnemy sequence. This was written more than half a decade before ''OcarinaOfTime'', let alone ''MajorasMask''.

'''''Super Mario Adventures'''''
* HilariousInHindsight: Writer/translator Leslie Swan, who worked on this comic, has voiced two female characters in the Mario series: Peach and Mona from ''VideoGame/WarioWare''. Now note the sequence where Peach shows up as part of a pizza delivery, matching Mona's employment in ''Twisted''. Better yet, the delivery was made by Yoshi, making him a Pizza Dinosaur.
** Also [[MarioAndLuigi Luigi dressing as Peach]]

** Also [[Mario&Luigi Luigi dressing as Peach]]

* HilariousInHindsight: Writer/translator Leslie Swan, who worked on this comic, has voiced two female characters in the Mario series: Peach and Mona from ''VideoGame/WarioWare''. Now note the sequence where Peach shows up as part of a pizza delivery, matching Mona's employment in ''Twisted''. Better yet, the delivery was made by Yoshi, making him a Pizza Dinosaur.