Nintendo Power V82

Nintendo Power V82 is the March 1996 issue of Nintendo Power magazine. It features Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars 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
 * Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
 * Killer Instinct
 * Chrono Trigger
 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
 * The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past


 * Game Boy
 * The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
 * Dr. Mario
 * Metroid II: Return of Samus
 * Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
 * Tetris


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

College Slam
The first featured article is about the basketball game College Slam. The 8-page article lists the teams and a few stats.

Frantic Flea
The next featured game is Frantic Flea. The article provides some details for each level.

Cutthroat Island
The next SNES game featured in the magazine is Cutthroat Island, based on the film of the same name. The article has maps for three different levels.

Super Mario Kart
This article reviews the re-release of Super Mario Kart. It has maps of the battle arenas and lists a number of strategies.

Cutthroat Island
The first Game Boy game reviewed is Cutthroat Island, based on the film of the same name. The 2-page article only gives a brief look at the game.

NHL 96
The next game reviewed is the hockey game NHL96. It lists the teams and provides a few strategies.

The Smurfs
This article reviews The Smurfs, based on the cartoon series. It has maps for Acts 1-6 and previews of Acts 7-12.

DigiPen's Fearless Team
This article provides a behind-the-scenes look at the game company Digipen.

3D Tetris
The Virtual Boy article talks about 3D Tetris. The article gives different tips and strategies.

Ken Griffey Jr. On-Line
This article published an on-line question-and-answer session with baseball star Ken Griffey Jr.

Epic Center
This article would give strategies for certain role-playing games. Some of the games listed here included Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES) and Tales of Phantasia'' (SNES).

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

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 Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES), Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES), Breath of Fire II (SNES), and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (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):
 * 3D Tetris (VB), NHL 96 (GB) and The Smurfs (GB).

1995 Nintendo Power Awards

 * (See main article: 1995 Nintendo Power Awards)

This issue has the nominations for the eighth annual Nintendo Power Awards. Fans could vote in various game-related categories and the results would be printed in a later issue. The categories for 1995's Nintendo Power Awards included Best Sound, Best Graphics, Best Story, Best Challenge, Best Play Control, Best Epic Game, Best Tournament Fighter, Best Sports Game, Best Puzzle Game, Best Multi-Player Game, Most Innovative Game, Best Based On A Movie, The "Owie" Award, Funniest, Best Hero/Heroine, Best Goodie/Sidekick, Worst Villain, Worst Baddie, Coolest Transportation, Coolest Weapon/Item, Coolest Move, Best Ending, Coolest Code/Trick, Most Annoying Feature, Best Game Boy Game, Best Virtual Boy Game, and Best Super NES Game.

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 Kirby's Block Ball (GB), Power Piggs of the Dark Age (SNES) and Disney's Pocahontas (GB).