Nintendo Power V80

Nintendo Power V80 is the January 1996 issue of Nintendo Power magazine. It features the Nintendo 64 on it's cover.

Power Charts
The "Power Charts" section of the magazine lists the top 20 Super NES games and only the top 10 Game Boy games and top 5 Virtual Boy games as ranked by the readers. The following are the first 5 for each game system from this issue.


 * Super NES
 * Killer Instinct
 * Chrono Trigger
 * Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
 * Mortal Kombat 3
 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island


 * Game Boy
 * The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
 * Donkey Kong Land
 * Killer Instinct
 * Mortal Kombat 3
 * Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3


 * Virtual Boy
 * Virtual Boy Wario Land
 * Galactic Pinball
 * Golf
 * Mario's Tennis
 * Red Alarm

Earthworm Jim 2
The first Super NES article is about Earthworm Jim 2. The 10-page article provides maps for 4 different levels.

Revolution X
The next featured game is Revolution X. The article provides maps and a few details for different parts of the game.

Doom Troopers
The next SNES game featured in the magazine is Doom Troopers. The article has maps for Venus, Mercury and Pluto.

Scooby-Doo Mystery
This article reviews Scooby-Doo Mystery. It has maps for 4 separate areas.

PGA Tour 96
The next game reviewed is PGA Tour 96. It shows the layout of each course.

Fight Fight 3
Final Fight 3 is the next review Super NES game. The article lists the fighters and has maps for each round.

Nintendo 64 Debuts
This article has a closer look at the Nintendo 64 console, detailing some of the technical specifics, the controller redesign and the creators behind it. A number of game screenshots are included, including pictures from Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Wave Race 64, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, and Star Fox 64.

Epic Center
This article would give strategies for certain role-playing games. Some of the games listed here included Breath of Fire II (SNES) and Secret of Evermore.

Members Only Special
This section was included only for subscribers and was not included in the newsstand versions. It listed the best games of 1995, gave an in-depth look at Ken Griffey, Jr.'s Winning Run, released tons of passwords and codes for numerous games, and provided previews of upcoming Disney games (including Gargoyles which ended up being cancelled).

Classified Information
The Classified Information section reveals codes and hidden secrets in certain games. Games featured in this section include:

Jack Bros.
The Virtual Boy article talks about Jack Bros. The brief article lists a few tips.

Tetris Blast
The first Game Boy article discusses Tetris Blast. It gives a few brief strategies.

Frank Thomas: Big Hurt Baseball
The next game reviewed is Frank Thomas: Big Hurt Baseball. The article discusses the gameplay and the rules of baseball.

Take 2 Reviews
Take 2 Reviews were brief 2-page previews of upcoming games. The Game Boy game featured in this issue is The Getaway: High Speed II.

Counselor's Corner
Counselor's Corner is a feature in which the writers of the magazine would respond to game-related questions in the hope of getting the player out of a tough spot in various games. The games featured in this issue are Operation Europe: Path to Victory 1939-45 (SNES), Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES), Chrono Trigger (SNES), and Arcade Classic 1: Asteroids + Missile Command (GB).

Now Playing
This article lists new game releases and ratings for those games. It also has a very brief overview of a few of them. Some of the top-rated games in this section include (in alphabetical order):
 * Breath of Fire II (SNES), Earthworm Jim 2 (SNES) and Final Fight 3 (SNES).

Pak Watch
The Pak Watch section showcased games that were scheduled for release. It gave the reader a quick glance at future games. Some of the games seen in this section include Mega Man X3 (SNES), 3D Tetris (VB), Pocahontas (GB), and Lost Vikings 2 (SNES).