N64 Magazine Issue 12

Introduction

Yoshi was once again the cover star in issue 12, as Yoshi’s Story got an import review and in fact there were 9 import reviews in this issue, which, barring the first issue, was a new record for the magazine. Unfortunately there wasn’t much in the way of UK releases, with only Wrestler WCW vs NWO: World Tour (70%) and Nagano Winter Olympics (32%). In his editorial Jonathan did promise there were plenty of decent UK releases on the way. Snobow Kids (88%) and Yoshi’s story (86%) both managed star game awards, with Snobow Kids getting praise for its mastery of the N64 and lifespan, and Yoshi’s Story mainly succeeded in the design department. It wasn’t all good news however, as Aero Gauge was the dud of the month - only managing a feeble 10%.Art of Fighting Twin (78%) and Tamagotchi World 64 (79%) were two other games getting reasonable scores, although these were less likely to reach UK shores.

The lead preview this month looked at Mystical Ninja and how the translated version was coming along. They also got their hands on a nearly finished build of Quake 64, as well as NBA Pro ‘98. Ocarina of Time was also featured, with Nintendo still optimistic of an April release in Japan. The news this month focussed on the games to come within 1998, with at least 12 titles promised throughout the year from Nintendo themselves. New Goods looked at some N64 themed accessories, including a gold skin for the N64 and various N64 themed keychains, such as digital clocks and even a pocket voice recorder. In Max Everingham’s Japan column, he visited the arcade once again and looked at some of the new machines  Sega and Taito were putting out.

Given they reviewed so many import releases in this issue, it was about time for another feature showcasing how to import games, with Zy taking us through how importer cards worked as well as the cables required to get a good picture from import consoles. They also spoke to a Leeds based game store and quizzed them on who buys games and how they went about importing them. Further guides this month looked at NFL Quarterback Club ‘98, Extreme G and readers' tips came in for the multiplayer mode of Goldeneye 007. The Tips Extra section looked at some general tips for Diddy Kong Racing, whilst there was the usual Q&A section and reader’s high scores in I’m the best.