Farewell Official Nintendo Magazine

We have in our hands the final issue of Future’s Official Nintendo Magazine. Issue 114 should be reaching subscribers over the next few days, following last Tuesday’s announcement of ONM’s closure.

As editor Matthew Castle put it in the magazine’s opening page, this final issue is a celebration of all things Nintendo – the Super Smash Bros. of magazines. It’s well worth anyone’s £7 (read: £4.50).

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Features include ‘Review of the future’ in which upcoming big name games are handed some very tongue-in-cheek in early verdicts, and also the second part of their ‘Top 200 Nintendo Games of All Time’ rundown. Issue 113 looked at the top 100 third-party Nintendo games; this time round it’s first-party titles that get their time to shine.

As for reviews, Super Smash Bros. on 3DS, Bayonetta 2, Disney Magical World, Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones and a handful of other eShop offerings have critical eyes cast over them.

The magazine ends with a photo shoot of the (first and last) clean-up of the ONM office, along with a ‘Making of…’ the first ever issue from 2006. The final page is something of a surprise – we won’t spoil it for you, although if you frequent Twitter then you may already be aware of what it is.

ONM isn’t the only magazine being sent off to the giant recycling bin in the sky. The current issue of the multi-format GAMER (née 360 Gamer) is also the last. From now on it’ll only be available as a digital download for tablets and whatnot.

Just as one door (well, two doors) close however, another opens – next week sees the launch of 110% Gaming. Aimed at pre-teens, it comes from DC Thomson & Co. Ltd – the Dundee-based home of The Beano. Stick a free Wham Bar on the cover and we’ll be smitten.

We wish all ONM staff and contributors the best for future pursuits. Even ‘Smug Aladdin’.

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