N64 Magazine Issue 14 | Nintendo Mags

Introduction

In sharp contrast to the last few months, there were plenty of UK games starting to come through. Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon got prime place on the cover and was given a full PAL going over, scoring a pretty decent 90%. Tim praised the visuals as well as the lifespan of the game. The newly renamed Snowboard Kids also got 86%, with heavy praise from James for the technical prowess of the game and its Mario Kart style structure of party style racing. Also this month were the usual annual sports titles NBA Pro ‘98 (71%) and NHL Breakaway ‘98 (62%). Over in Japan 1080° Snowboarding got a review, with James scoring it 89%, with praise across the board, especially for the technical prowess, although the missing 4-player mode brough the score down slightly.

There was some excellent news in this issue, as the N64 Magazine was awarded the title of the best selling Nintendo 64 mag by the ABC who measure magazine circulation. There was also a report back from a third party developer conference held in Rome as well as news of Nintendo’s no-show at the Tokyo Spring Games Show. Of course, the regular features Retroworld, Fanzine Farm and New Goods were also included.

The big previews this month showcased a further look at Castlevania 64, as well as the first pics of Buck Bumble and Nintendo’s very own Basketball sim NBA Courtside. The team also managed to visit North East games developers Iguana, with an interview of their Creative Director Guy Miller, and a full look at forthcoming title Shadowman. There were the first pics of Acclaim’s Turok 2, more brand new info about the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and many more upcoming N64 games featured. To round out the previews a brand new section “Information Station” was launched, showcasing the charts and release list for all the upcoming N64 releases. Of course Max Everingham’s column from Japan was included, with news about Nintendo Power Japan, and some of the Golf games available in both real-life and in videogame form.

There was a special How To… guide this month, looking in detail at the Game Boy Camera and Printer, with Max going over the main features of the newly released Add-Ons. There was also a look at the Super Game-Boy 2 for the SNES, and the potential for the N64 connecting to the camera and printer. There were also guides for Fighters Destiny, the time trials in Diddy Kong Racing and two readers brought back a classic and showcased how to beat level 5 computers on ISS 64. The Nintendo Hotline also focussed on Diddy Kong Racing, with all sorts of readers' questions answered.

The first results were in for the magazine's Skill Club 64 challenges, and towards the back of the mag, Steve Owen looked at several games that had gone missing in action during the N64’s first year on sale, whether cancelled, delayed or simply disappeared without any word from the develpers.

Articles

Future Look

Castlevania
Buck Bumble
NBA Courtside

Coming Soon

Shadowman
Turok 2
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
World Cup '98
Banjo-Kazooie
Tonic Trouble
Bomberman Hero
Pocket Monsters Snap

Reviews

Augusta Masters '98
Author: James Price
Country: Jap
Score: 47%
NHL Breakaway '98
Author: Dean Mortlock
Country: UK
Score: 62%
NBA Pro '98
Author: James Price
Country: UK
Score: 71%
Snowboard Kids
Author: James Ashton
Country: UK
Score: 86%
1080 Snowboarding
Author: James Ashton
Country: Jap
Score: 89%
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon
Author: Tim Weaver
Country: UK
Score: 90%

How To

Get to Grips with your Pocket Camera System
Smite all and sundry in Fighters Destiny
Beat all your best Time Trial records in Diddy Kong Racing
Give the computer a good hammering on level five of ISS 64

Features

Raiders of the Lost Cart

Staff

James Ashton Editor
Tim Weaver Deputy Editor
Wil Overton Art Editor
Paul Jarrold Art Assistant
Jes Bickham Writer
Andrea Ball Production Editor
Dean Mortlock Writer
James Price Writer