New Year Special Cover
A New Year special cover closed out 1995, with Earthworm Jim 2, Revolution X, Doom Troopers, Scooby-Doo Mystery and Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball inside. Player's Pulse reported on the seaQuest DSV extra from Volume 69's contest and readers' clamor for Chrono Trigger. The editor's column described the Nintendo 64's Japanese debut as a supernova.
You've heard about the light at the end of the tunnel? The debut of the Nintendo 64 in Japan appeared more like a super nova exploding in your face.
The opening of the "Out of the Shadows" article
Games featured in this issue
- Earthworm Jim 2
- Revolution X
- Doom Troopers
- Scooby-Doo Mystery
- PGA Tour 96
- Fight Fight 3
- Jack Bros.
- Tetris Blast
- Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball
Sweepstakes
A trip to the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles in May 1996, where Nintendo 64 would get its big American showing. The same issue reported on the seaQuest DSV winner's day on set and noted Killer Instinct still atop the Power Charts thanks to Player's Poll votes.
Classified Information
The codes and secrets this issue gave away.
- Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
- Bonus game practice mode
- Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings
- Stage select
- Earthworm Jim 2
- Stage skip
- Biker Mice from Mars
- Big bucks
- Spider-Man & Venom: Separation Anxiety
- Stage select
- Sparkster
- Tough enough
- Jungle Strike
- 255 lives and best co-pilot
- Virtual League Baseball
- Early spring training
- Mortal Kombat 3
- Let the kombat begin!
Counselor's Corner
Game Counselors on callReaders wrote in to ask Nintendo Game Counselors questions about the following games: Operation Europe: Path to Victory 1939-45, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Chrono Trigger and Arcade Classic 1: Asteroids + Missile Command.
Power Charts
These were the top Nintendo games in Jan 1996, as voted by Nintendo Power readers. Arrows show the move since the previous issue's chart; the peak is the best position the game had reached by then.
| # | Super NES | Game Boy | Virtual Boy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ▲3 Virtual Boy Wario Land | ||
| 2 | — Donkey Kong Land | — Galactic Pinball | |
| 3 | NEW Golf | ||
| 4 | ▲3 Mortal Kombat 3 | NEW Mortal Kombat 3 | ▼3 Mario's Tennis |
| 5 | NEW Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 | — Red Alarm | |
| 6 | |||
| 7 | |||
| 8 | NEW Defender/Joust | ||
| 9 | NEW NBA Jam: Tournament Edition | ||
| 10 | NEW Kirby's Dream Land 2 | ||
| 11 | ▲2 Earthworm Jim 2 | ||
| 12 | NEW WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game | ||
| 13 | ▲4 Doom | ||
| 14 | NEW Super Mario Kart | ||
| 15 | ▲5 NHL '96 | ||
| 16 | ▼6 Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball | ||
| 17 | |||
| 18 | NEW Civilization | ||
| 19 | ▼1 EarthBound | ||
| 20 | NEW Mega Man X3 |