Off the Newsstand: Nintendo Power Issue 277

With all that came out this past March, there has been no room for yours truly to look at the latest issues of the various gaming magazines I read.  Also for a good few weeks in March, I was without a magazine to read.  That was until this past week when I received the newest issues for all my subscriptions (Nintendo Power, Game Informer and Electronic Gaming Monthly).  Now I at least have some reading material for the coming weeks.

With Epic Mickey: Power of Two announced earlier in the week, it came as no surprise that the exclusive Nintendo Power teased in Issue 276 was no doubt Mickey's return to the Wii.  Well Epic Mickey: Power of Two was not the only Epic Mickey to be covered in this huge cover story.  Nintendo Power got the first details on Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion for the 3DS, which is the spiritual successor to Castle of Illusions for the Genesis and will release alongside Power of Two this fall.  While nothing too in-depth, this cover story was very enjoyable.  It gave readers a nice look of what these Epic Mickey games will be about when they release later this year.  This cover story had two really good interviews with the creative directors on these games, Warren Spector and Peter Ong, which are both interesting reads.  Like most issues of Nintendo Power, Issue 277 is 96 pages packed with great content.  Apart from the cover story, you got a retrospective look at The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past to celebrate 20 years since its North American release, an extended hand-ons look at Mario Tennis Open with accompanying interview with the game's producer and lead designer, a look back at the Nintendo 3DS's first year and an in-depth profile of Hironobu Takeshita, producer at Capcom and creator of a little Wii gem known as Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure.  Issue 277 also has reviews on two big Nintendo games, Kid Icarus: Uprising for 3DS and Xenoblade Chronicles for Wii.

Another all around solid issue from Nintendo Power.  Nintendo Power has been on a roll as of late and personally I hope it keeps going.  While Nintendo Power does cater more to the big Nintendo fans such as myself, it does provide a great read for anybody who owns a Nintendo system or handheld.