N64 Magazine Issue 9

Introduction

Goldeneye came out in the UK just in time for Christmas and the magazine gave it all the space it deserved with a hefty 10 page review. Tim gave it the same score as the US release at 94%, with praise across the board. Tim also gave Extreme G star game status, at 87%. Although it couldn't beat Wipeout on the Playstation, it still shined in its own right. Three fighting games took the final review slots this issue, Dark Rift scored 69%, the import release of Mace: The Dark Age scored a respectable 81% although Clayfighter 63 ⅓ severely disappointed at only 24%.

There were plenty of previews this month, with a wide variety of soon to be released games. The nearly finished Diddy Kong Racing got a full preview, with the game looking good for a pre Christmas release. There was also a further progress report for F-Zero 64, as well as nearly complete games Chameleon Twist, NFL Quarterback Club ‘98 and Fighter’s Destiny. The hope was that all these games would make it to the UK before Christmas.

Also ready for Christmas, the price of the N64 was reduced to £99.99, in the hopes that it could undercut the PlayStation’s sales. Unfortunately there was also the sad news that the Game Boy’s creator Gumpei Yokoi had died in a car crash. Retroworld this month looked at some of the electronic games by tomy as well as some of the classic game and watch games. Game Japan this month looked at the new Pikachu N64 game (later to become Hey You Pikachu), as well as how gaming culture was impacting the Japanese book economy, with 3 of the top 20 books being gaming tip books.

There were a number of interesting How To guides this month, firstly marketer Justin Keeling explained how video games were marketed in different countries. He focused on each of the main markets and looked at how well agency Leo Burnett had managed to advertise the new console and games within the UK market. The Mario Kart championship came to a conclusion this month, with Tom Peppin from Alston coming out on top across many challenges. Wil and his wife Sue took us through three recipes for Nintendo themed bakes and cakes and there was a full guide for Lylat Wars taking us through all the levels within the game with guides for all the bosses as well as tips to get medals in all the stages. Finally Jonathan took us through the basics of putting a magazine together, and showcased some of the great Fanzines that had been sent in to N64.