En-duhl-jer: The one who indulges
Nintendo Power Official Player’s Guide Checklist
Here is a complete list of every magazine under the “Player’s Choice” or “Nintendo Power” publishing label. To be a part of this list, you have to be:
- A strategy guide
- Published by Nintendo or Nintendo Power
- Not a part of Nintendo Power the “magazine” (i.e. Super Mario Bros 3, Ninja Gaiden, Final Fantasy, 4-Player Strategy)
Note that the official Wikipedia page on this is missing, what I feel are, a few guides from the list below (maybe one day I’ll update it). I believe this list to be complete, but feel free to correct me by leaving a comment below or contacting me. The Wikipedia page says “Custom Robo” is a magazine, but I have never found it listed on any website, ever. Never! If someone ever finds definitive proof that this magazine exists, please contact me! I do not have it listed in the table below simply because I have never been able to confirm its existence.
The list below is sortable and includes columns for:
- Name: The name of the guide; includes link to Amazon marketplace of the item (if exists)
- Average Price: What I feel is fair “average” market value at auction
- Extras: What bonus items / unique traits come with the guide
- UPC: Universal Product Code of the guide
- Price: What I paid for it (I can send a CSV file with blank values here if you want one to “checklist” on your own)
- Obtained: Where I obtained the item
I would love to include more columns for:
- Thumbnail: Small picture of the guide
- Rarity: What I feel the “rarity” level of the guide
- Price Stability: Certain magazines are highly unstable. Earthbound is the best example, as condition will greatly influence the price. Maybe of the more expensive guides vary greatly in price.
- Review: Review of the content; some of these guides are amazing, and some of them are pathetic!
If I have the time and the will, I would love to append these items to the table below. One of the big technical hurdles is…fitting it into the table and keeping it sortable! I cannot get WordPress’ “Easy Table” app to properly set column width…gah. Whatever. I think what is below is sufficient for a collector’s benefit.
Last note: Some of the “my price” columns have “-” in front of it. That means I made money “buying” the guide. How? Well, I hope to attach pop-up blurbs to the text, but this generally means that I bought other items that included the guide. I then sold the rest and counted the proceeds toward the purchase price. For example: I bought a copy of “Animal Crossing” that came with the game. I sold the game and ended up netting $3.45 from the sale. Make sense?
One interesting note: If you sort by UPC, this will effectively tell you the order in which all of the guides were published. Save for Earthbound (bundled as part of the game; can’t confirm if it was sold as a standalone retail guide) and Dragon Warrior (no idea how this was distributed, no UPC, sold for $2.50).
So without further blabbering…enjoy! The only thing that may be missing with the below table are the “extras”. I may be missing some content or magazine variants. If you know of anything I’m missing, please contact me or mention it in the comments below.
| Name | Avg Price | Extras | UPC | Price | Obtained |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising |
$15.00 | - | 045496692537 | $3.52 | eBay |
| Advance Wars: Dual Strike |
$8.00 | - | 045496693169 | $5.63 | eBay |
| Animal Crossing | $15.00 | - | 045496692261 | -$3.45 | eBay |
| Animal Crossing: Wild World |
$15.00 | - | 045496693213 | $5.71 | eBay |
| Banjo-Kazooie | $12.00 | - | 045496691424 | $7.52 | eBay |
| Banjo-Tooie | $10.00 | - | 045496691813 | $8.59 | eBay |
| Battalion Wars | $6.00 | - | 045496693152 | $6.50 | eBay |
| Chrono Trigger | $50.00 | - | 045496690953 | -$0 | eBay |
| Conker's Bad Fur Day | $20.00 | - | 045496691981 | $6.97 | Amazon |
| Diddy Kong Racing | $7.00 | Unlocking Secrets Insert |
045496691318 | $6.00 | eBay |
| Donkey Kong 64 | $8.00 | - | 045496691646 | $7.00 | eBay |
| Donkey Kong Country | $10.00 | - | 045496690908 | $9.61 | eBay |
| Donkey Kong Country (GBA) | $8.00 | - | 045496692544 | $6.99 | ebay |
| Donkey Kong Country 2 | $15.00 | - | 045496690939 | $9.61 | eBay |
| Donkey Kong Country 3 | $15.00 | - | 045496691127 | $10.98 | eBay |
| Dragon Warrior | $13.00 | - | N/A | $9.76 | eBay |
| Earthbound | $120.00 | Scratch 'n Sniff Cards |
N/A | $63.49 | eBay |
| Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem |
$13.00 | - | 045496692124 | $11.43 | eBay |
| F-Zero GX | $12.00 | Poster | 045496692582 | TODO | eStarland |
| Final Fantasy I&II: Dawn of Souls |
$10.00 | Foldout Map | 045496692995 | $8.99 | eBay |
| Final Fantasy III (VI) | $35.00 | - | 045496690779 | $9.61 | eBay |
| Final Fantasy IV (GBA) | $13.00 | - | 045496693268 | $11.99 | eBay |
| Final Fantasy V (GBA) | $15.00 | - | 045496693473 | $19.99 | eBay |
| Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles |
$6.00 | - | 045496692636 | Gift | Friend |
| Final Fantasy Tactics Advance |
$9.00 | - | 045496692599 | $7.94 | eBay |
| Fire Emblem | $20.00 | - | 045496692643 | $15.90 | eBay |
| Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance |
$20.00 | - | 045496693190 | $16.00 | eBay |
| Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones |
$20.00 | - | 045496693015 | $20.69 | eBay |
| Game Boy | $9.00 | - | 045496690274 | $10.00 | eBay |
| Game Boy Camera Funtography |
$20.00 | - | 045496691431 | $19.99 | eBay |
| Goldeneye 007 | $7.00 | - | 045496691301 | Personal | Subscription |
| Golden Sun: The Lost Age |
$12.00 | - | 045496692520 | $7.25 | eBay |
| Jet Force Gemini | $9.00 | - | 045496691615 | $7.99 | eBay |
| Killer Instinct | $20.00 | - | 045496690922 | $16.50 | eStarland |
| Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition |
$35.00 | - | 045496692780 | -$5.64 | eBay |
| Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures |
$9.00 | Poster, Player's Choice Variant" |
045496692810 | Gift | Friend |
| Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening |
$50.00 | - | 045496690717 | $27.38 | eBay |
| Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past |
$35.00 | - | 045496690427 | -$8.60 | eBay |
| Legend of Zelda: Four Swords |
$18.00 | - | 045496692438 | $6.63 | eBay |
| Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask |
$17.00 | - | 045496691837 | -$0.64 | eBay |
| Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap |
$20.00 | Poster | 045496693008 | $9.50 | eBay |
| Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time |
$15.00 | KB Toys Variant with Poster |
045496691455 | Personal | Subscription |
| Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages |
$20.00 | - | 045496692001 | $13.52 | eBay |
| Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess |
$7.00 | Poster, Foil Cover Variant |
045496693206 | $5.08 | eBay |
| Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker |
$12.00 | - | 045496692483 | $7.50 | eBay |
| Luigi's Mansion | $15.00 | Poster | 045496692094 | Gift | Friend |
| Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time |
$8.00 | - | 045496693220 | $2.99 | eBay |
| Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga |
$12.00 | - | 045496692667 | $9.99 | eBay |
| Mario Kart 64 | $8.00 | Bumper Sticker Variant |
045496691264 | $7.95 | eBay |
| Mario Kart Double Dash!! | $8.00 | - | 045496692650 | Gift | Friend |
| Mario Mania | $12.00 | - | 045496690281 | $5.00 | eBay |
| Mario Paint | $10.00 | - | 045496690700 | $1.00 | Craigslist |
| Metroid Fusion | $12.00 | - | 045496692421 | $6.63 | eBay |
| Metroid Prime | $9.00 | - | 045496692407 | $5.00 | eBay |
| Metroid Prime: Hunters |
$7.00 | - | 045496693176 | $6.63 | eBay |
| Metroid Prime 2: Echoes |
$9.00 | - | 045496692841 | $6.63 | eBay |
| Metroid: Zero Mission |
$15.00 | - | 045496692803 | $10.94 | eBay |
| NES Game Atlas | $15.00 | - | 045496690267 | $13.50 | eBay |
| New Super Mario Bros | $10.00 | - | 045496693275 | $6.92 | eBay |
| Nintendo Player's Guide: NES |
$15.00 | - | 045496640040 | -$8.60 | eBay |
| Nintendogs | $6.00 | - | 045496693251 | $0 | eBay |
| Official Super NES Game Guide |
$12.00 | - | 045496690748 | $12.94 | eBay |
| Paper Mario | $20.00 | - | 045496691844 | $22.49 | eBay |
| Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door |
$17.00 | Player's Choice Variant |
045496692834 | $10.00 | eBay |
| Perfect Dark | $8.00 | - | 045496691653 | $6.94 | eBay |
| Pikmin | $15.00 | Poster | 045496692117 | $9.00 | eBay |
| Pikmin 2 | $20.00 | - | 045496692629 | $7.25 | eBay |
| Pokemon Battle Revolution |
$7.00 | - | 045496693527 | $6.98 | eBay |
| Pokemon Colosseum |
$7.00 | - | 045496692797 | $4.95 | eBay |
| Pokemon Crystal |
$10.00 | - | 045496692056 | $10.48 | eBay |
| Pokemon Diamond/Pearl |
$8.00 | - | 045496693480 | $4.00 | eBay |
| Pokemon Diamond/Pearl Pokedex |
$10.00 | - | 045496693497 | $9.95 | eBay |
| Pokemon Emerald |
$10.00 | Poster | 045496693022 | $5.32 | eBay |
| Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen |
$10.00 | - | 045496692827 | Gift | Friend |
| Pokemon Gold/Silver |
$12.00 | - | 045496691820 | $6.99 | eBay |
| Pokemon Gold/Silver Pokedex |
$12.00 | - | 045496691974 | $12.47 | eBay |
| Pokemon Mystery Dungeon |
$9.00 | - | 045496693428 | $8.49 | eBay |
| Pokemon Ranger |
$8.00 | Poster | 045496693435 | $7.97 | eBay |
| Pokemon Red/Blue |
$12.00 | 150 Stickers | 045496691448 | $10.48 | eBay |
| Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire |
$10.00 | - | 045496692490 | $7.99 | eBay |
| Pokemon Snap |
$8.00 | - | 045496691608 | Personal | Subscription |
| Pokemon Stadium | $10.00 | - | 045496691639 | $6.00 | eBay |
| Pokemon Stadium 2 | $10.00 | - | 045496691998 | $7.00 | eBay |
| Pokemon Trading Card Game |
$8.00 | Venusaur Card |
045496691790 | $6.50 | eBay |
| Pokemon: Special Edition |
$13.00 | 151 Stickers | 045496691622 | Gift | Friend |
| Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness |
$9.00 | Game Crazy Poster Variant, Target Bonus Guide Variant |
045496693237 | $6.98 | eBay |
| Star Fox 64 | $8.00 | - | 045496691271 | $6.94 | eBay |
| Star Fox Adventures | $10.00 | - | 045496692247 | $7.89 | eBay |
| Star Fox Assault | $9.00 | Poster | 045496692858 | $6.63 | eBay |
| Star Wars: Episode I Racer |
$6.00 | KB Toys Variant w/ Poster |
045496691592 | $4.98 | ebay |
| Star Wars: Rogue Squadron |
$7.00 | - | 045496691585 | $6.96 | eBay |
| Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader |
$7.00 | - | 045496692148 | Personal | Subscription |
| Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike |
$7.00 | - | 045496692773 | $3.52 | eBay |
| Street Fighter II Turbo | $20.00 | Fighter Profile Trading Cards |
045496690724 | $19.98 | eBay |
| Super Game Boy | $9.00 | - | 045496690915 | $2.00 | eBay |
| Super Mario 64 | $12.00 | - | 045496691110 | Personal | Subscription |
| Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3 |
$9.00 | - | 045496692605 | $7.75 | eBay |
| Super Mario All-Stars | $20.00 | - | 045496690731 | $5.00 | eBay |
| Super Mario RPG | $37.00 | - | 045496691097 | -$4.00 | eBay |
| Super Mario Sunshine | $8.00 | - | 045496692254 | $8.00 | eBay |
| Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island |
$20.00 | - | 045496690960 | $11.94 | eBay |
| Super Metroid | $32.00 | - | 045496690755 | $9.61 | eBay |
| Super NES | $12.00 | - | 045496690298 | $12.98 | eBay |
| Super Paper Mario | $12.00 | - | 045496693459 | $6.63 | eBay |
| Super Smash Bros Melee | $8.00 | - | 045496692131 | $8.00 | eBay |
| Sword of Mana | $15.00 | - | 045496692766 | $5.99 | eBay |
| Top Secret Passwords | $10.00 | - | 045496690434 | $5.00 | eBay |
| Wario World | $10.00 | - | 045496692391 | $8.03 | eBay |
| Wave Race: Blue Storm |
$7.00 | - | 045496692100 | $6.00 | eBay |
| Yoshi's Island DS | $10.00 | - | 045496693466 | $3.99 | eBay |
| Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 |
$9.00 | - | 045496692414 | $7.00 | eBay |
| Yoshi's Story | $10.00 | Pop-Up, Collector's SE Variant |
045496691417 | $6.49 | eBay |
Help out the author!
10 Comments
Great list! Thanks for sharing it with me. On the Player’s Choice guides, they have a different publishing date (May 23, 2006) from the original guide’s publishing date. I have found two Player’s Choice guides so far: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door and The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures. I am actively looking for more of these.
Yep, I have listed them as variant issues above. Those are the only two that I have found so far. If you find more, let me know and I’ll update as needed.
Hi there!
First of all, might I just start by stating the obvious:
Goodness fucking gracious me, that is an unbelievably sexy collection. I am unable to stand up due to the power of my erection. If I was to stand up, I would surely faint due to lack of bloodflow to my brain, as all my blood is flowing to my penis to maintain the diamond-hard erection your collection is causing me right now.
Lol I’m mainly messaging to let you know you are missing the Zelda – Link’s Awakening Official Nintendo Player’s Guide. Perhaps you are unaware of it, or maybe you overlooked it. Just thought I’d let you know 🙂
Many thanks and hope you are well!
Djdogjuam
It’s in the table. It was one of the last I had to get and it was one of the most expensive (so I’m highly familiar with it)! Here’s the item link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AMSRXU?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=B000AMSRXU&linkCode=shr&tag=twittndolg-20&=books&qid=1372302041&sr=1-34&keywords=legend+of+zelda+guide
Added “Game Boy Camera Funtography” to the list. I received a tip I was missing this and have been looking for it for months! As far as I know, this collection is now complete.
Man, looking at this list I have every Nintendo Power guide except Dragon Warrior(NP Vol. 9) and the GameBoy Camera Funtography Guide… Tried hard to find the Custom Robo guide but came up empty.
Also, Legend Of Zelda Tips And Tactics – B0012ZRREE, not sure if you have that, I couldn’t eat the $40+ for it though.
It’s interesting to see someone else who went through the hoops of getting EVERY NP guide. I bought most of mine after NP announced it was no more, spent weeks combing through various book sites and eBay to find a decent price and no major spine breaks/wear.
Thank for the feedback. Not heard of the Zelda guide. I’ll look into it.
Haha, same boat. I already had dozens of guides already, but when NP closed down, I knew I had to snap them all up…I also bought all the proper NP issues (less all the special editions). I need to make a post on that …
It sounds like a lot – spending about $1,000 for all the guides – but if you do the math at roughly 120 items it equates to less than $10 a guide. That being said, a bunch were less than $5 but some were up to $40. Luckily I already had a pristine Earthbound guide from years before.
Hi there,
I know someone else mentioned the Player’s Choice guides before, but I thought I’d add more about them. The Player’s Choice versions of those two – Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door – have their own distinct UPCs and ISBNs, which I’d argue makes them more than mere variants. To add to the data of the table, Zelda: FSA’s UPC is 045496693411 and Paper Mario: TTYD’s UPC is 045496693404.
– pinchme123
Thanks for mentioning the actual UPCs! I’d still consider them a variant as it’s the same guide though. I can see why some collectors might want to hunt down every possible difference though. I won’t put them in the table, but for anybody that’s interested the UPCs you provided should help them track them down.