extravagant size, including some of the Spanner returns with an interesting look there are, in fact, people out there who old faves, Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy, at the rise of Nintendo America and wouldn’t think I’m a big dweeb for Mike Tyson’s Punch Out and the golden reveals who Mario really is. Allen Varney keeping up with the entire gaming I sat down to write this editor’s note goodness of The Legend of Zelda. I takes us inside Retro Studios during the industry as I do. Keep up the good work! about Nintendo and mentally ran have, because I’m a packrat, Nintendo making of Metroid Prime. Newcomer through a variety of ways to approach Power copies dating back to issue 1. And John Schnaars discusses the role of - Scott Hamilton the topic – the importance of Nintendo most importantly, I have a string of Nintendo Power in Nintendo’s rise to to games, the upcoming console release, happy memories that trail behind me fame. And of course, this week we have To the Editor: You know, if I don’t work some of the huge titles released by related to Nintendo. part three of Warren Spector’s Gaming at or play or do anything totally else, I Nintendo over the years – but I couldn’t the Margins. want to read. But those are the quite do it. Part of this is because our The NES was a bonding tool for my older moments where I don’t want to sit in writers this week have done an amazing brother and me, giving us some common Enjoy! front of a computer monitor. Could you job of covering most of these areas. The ground and a common goal toward which print your sweet magazine? I’d subscribe. other part is because I cannot talk about we could work. The NES was an ice Cheers, this topic without letting my Nintendo breaker in the college dorm, where it Thanks for reading, Fangirl tendencies show through. was a little on the old school side, next Leon Grapenthin to the shinier consoles du jour. And since Nintendo is the one who really brought then, the NES has been a lonely To the Editor: I’ve been subscribing to me into the fold. I had played Atari and weeknight pal, a rainy Sunday afternoon The Escapist for a while now, got caught Intellivision and various arcade games, diversion and a funny Friday night get- on issue #17 by the article “OMG Girlz but it was the NES that did it. Maybe it together activity. Don’t Exist on the Intarweb!!!”, and I’ve was the full screen of stuff happening been enjoying it, but there is still one and color (hadn’t seen it before, perhaps So, for anyone like me, who’s found even thing. Is it meant to be read only by I wasn’t playing the right games), maybe a little bit of joy in a Nintendo product, To the Editor: Just wanted to let you Americans and only by videogame- it was the intuitive controller, maybe it be it a game, a handheld or a console, know how much I enjoy reading The gamers? Because that’s the feeling I get, was the loveable little Mario guy, but we have a whole issue of The Escapist Escapist. I consider myself someone who and I’m kind of starting to think I should something pulled me in. (See what I for you. And for those of you who are takes gaming very seriously. As a recent go and read somewhere else, or that I mean about the Fangirl?) not so sure about that crazy company college graduate, I feel surrounded by got it all wrong from the start. It just who’s doing their own thing out in left adolescent idiots when it comes to this seems to me that these two attributes And now, I still have my old NES and a field, maybe you can find some topic. Your magazine is a breath of fresh are very dominant in the articles. What collection of enviable, though not appreciation for their methods herein. air in this regard and it’s nice to see that about other games, what about other nationalities, other countries and their sort of other laws they’re drafting based From the Blog: [Re: “Local Goldmines” Unfortunately, before art-house games legislature? on equally bad research. by Dana Massey] You hit the nail on the become really viable and common, the head. Conventional wisdom suggests mainstream must be expanded. In Regards, Not only that, but many of these bills are that the tremendous bloat of video game addition, games need to find new ways tota known to be unconstitutional even before budgets makes it impossible to develop a of expressing themselves. People talk they’re formally introduced. Some of the competitive game that cannot sell half a about games as art, but games more From the Blog: [Re: “A Huge people sponsoring them have even million copies. Now, the indie gaming profound than an action flick are Disconnect” by Shannon Drake] “We ran admitted to it while still pressing on. scene provides at least one extraordinarily rare, and those few that a poll on GamePolitics; 45% who These legislators are wasting my money counterexample, but who plays (or even say more aren’t entirely clear on what responded said they would decide their introducing bills that they know are knows about) indie games except people they’re saying. What’s more, the few vote based solely on a candidate’s views going to get shut down by an expensive who have video games in their blood like politically themed games there are on videogame legislation. With issues legal process. Why should I ever vote for a nicotine patch? floating around either base it around a like Iraq, Iran, globalization, energy these people? In fact, I should be suing painfully heavy-handed partisan policy and abortion on the table, that’s them to recoup some of the tax payers’ message, or are so afraid of getting bad actually a little scary.” money wasted by them. press from one side of the aisle or the other that they very carefully refrain Think about it this way. Finally, as Dennis even mentioned, some from saying anything at all. Granted, a of the bills are so clearly motivated by part of that comes from the Any politician devoting time on such an baby-kissing type of election hyperpolarized political climate that important issue as video game campaigning that there’s no question as exists worldwide... and political games censorship during the time when there’re to where that person’s priorities are: are still pretty heavily US-centric.... much more pressing issues to getting re-elected no matter what. These It’s a very tricky puzzle indeed, and I concentrate on is not fit to represent us. sort of people should not get a single think in the long run no amount of vote either. concentrated effort from developers will Furthermore, a large percentage of these be half as significant as the market bills are based on such shoddy, So in essence, I don’t think it’s such a forces that are making Flash game incomplete or downright dishonest bad idea to base your decisions on who portals and MMOGs into a huge market. research that anyone basing legislative to (not) vote on the candidates’ views on efforts on them should be kicked out of video game legislation. -Mark office immediately. Just imagine what -Pixelante Anonymous Nintendo wasn’t born with a silver of niche markets, one of which was the joystick in its mouth. It fought, clawed blossoming American videogame trend. and clamored its way into a world that As with all its endeavors, this product didn’t want it, and despite making line was approached with Nintendo’s mistakes over the years (there is yet to trademark innovation, and as the be a success within the industry who Japanese public’s interest increased, so hasn’t), the Japanese pioneer deserves did the company’s investment. Despite recognition for forging a path of its own making an early start on the gaming design; a company built on the passion scene, Nintendo’s domination of the of people who knew they had something industry was a long way down the line, unique to give the customers they just and would actually be kick started by the couldn’t reach. A driving vision, steely recklessness of its competition. determination and a refusal to be intimidated ultimately led to Nintendo Not that the Western industry actively being established as the world blocked any Japanese attempts to find a videogame power it is today – an finger hold in the Trans-Pacific market, inspiring lesson to us all. No matter how but gaming trends across the basin were powerful your rivals may appear to be, so radically different that finding a title the future is shaped solely by your own with universal appeal was an immensely desire to achieve, and can only be difficult task. It’s not at all unlikely that subverted if your resolve allows it to be. attempts at transcending the ostensibly impenetrable cultural barrier, in either Even during the golden age of gaming, direction, would have been viewed as Nintendo was not a young name. impossible if not for the few anomalies Reaching back as far as the late 1800s, that had produced the same impact on it began life producing Japanese playing both shores, such as Pac Man, Space cards made from bark known as Invaders and Gun Fight.