Tonight marked an important event in my life as a gamer; while running running around this evening, I decided to stop by a local Barnes and Noble to find this month's Nintendo Power issue. Hunting down NP issues is not something I normally do, however, like many of you know, this was the final issue of Nintendo Power that the world will ever see.

Nintendo Power holds a very special place in my heart. Being on off and on subscriber over the years (subscribed from 1995 - 1996, and again from 1998 - 2004) I used to greatly look forward to getting each issue in the mail, and reading them from front to cover, sometimes several times over again. I also used to go back to them all the time to look at pictures, guides, cheats, reviews, and the countless other bits of great info this magazine provided during its lifespan. NP was also a huge benefit to own during my second subscription period because it shared my excitement, enthusiasm and addiction to games like Ocarina of Time, Pokemon Red and Blue, and Banjoe Kazooie, to name a few. In a way, they made these games even better than they would be, I think because it was like sharing the excitment with a friend. *below was my first issue of NP ever*

While I will admit that part of the reason why I discontinued my sibscription to NP was in part because I wasn't happy with the directon the magazine was going around 2005, I still thought the magazine enjoyable and entertaining mostly, and have picked up about a dozen issues since discontinuing my subscription in 04. Sadly, I no longer have any of the original NP magazines I used to receive as part of my subscription, but had the extreme fortune of finding nearly every NP issue from late 1996 to early 2001 for free at a local game store that was giving them as a donation. It has definitely spured my interest in collecting every issue at some point, but that will have to wait considering how expensive some of the older issues can be.Luckily the Barnes and Noble I decided to go to had many issues left of NP's final issue. Without thinking, I decided to buy two sealed copies, one to read and admire for the rest of my life, and one to put away, forever preserved in new, mint condition. I bought both and returned home with my beloved magazine. After eating diner, I opened one of the copies up and upon opening just the first page, was flooded with excitment as I was about to read the final issue of Nintendo Power, but I was also filled with feelings of sadness from knowing this would be the final new issue of NP I'd ever be able to buy new. As I read each letter, each review, each commentary on NP's rich history, I was overwhelmed with feelings of nostalgia and fond memories of each issue I had read as well as the great Nintendo games I was playing at the time of reading those issues. It was an incredible experience. But anyhow, back to me getting the final issue and reading it.

Now this is where things get really sappy; there were two points when I almost started crying while reading tonight. The first was NP's pick for the greatest Nintendo game of all time. I wont spoil what they decided it was, but I could not thnk of a more deserving game to earn such an honor. It filled me with pride and the sense of extreme fortune that I own that game and have played it many times, each time loving it more than the last. The other part that almost made me cry was the Nester and Maxwell(Max) comic on the very last page. It was so heartfelt and definitely personified my feeling about NP, as well as how badly I'll miss this incredible magazine. Thank you Nintendo Power for years of excellent video gae journalism, and more than that, thank you for countless fond memories and experiences that will forever be priceless to me