Nintendo Power 1999: A Transitional Year

Posted on January 12 2012 by Mases Hagopian

In November of 1998, Ocarina of Time finally hit shelves after several years of hype. For almost the entire years of 1997 and 1998, Ocarina of Time was being promoted time and time again with new screenshots, information, and interviews. When the game finally came out it was featured in several issues of Nintendo Power in late 1998 and this continued into early 1999. The February 1999 issue of Nintendo Power had yet another guide feature, this time focusing on the Mask and Trading Sequences.

Ocarina of Time coverage continued throughout the year with numerous appearances in the Counselor’s Corner, the Classified Information section, as well as a near clean sweep in the Nintendo Power 1998 Awards. However, there there was still plenty of news from other Zelda games throughout the year. In the January 1999 issue, Link’s Awakening was featured and the game also saw multiple appearances in the Counselor’s Corner. Heck even A Link to the Past, seven years after its initial release got two questions of its own answered in the Counselor’s Corner.

With all the features of Ocarina of Time, Link’s Awakening DX, and even A Link to the Past, the Zelda series had a lot of old goodies throughout the 1999 year. However, it really was a transitional year as focus began to move away from these older titles as a few new Zelda titles were announced. Majora’s Mask, which was initially just known as Zelda Gaiden was first revealed in the September 1999 issue and then given a somewhat larger reveal in the October 1999 issue. Those same two issues on those same pages actually saw the reveal of the next Game Boy Zelda title as well. First referred to as Seed of the Wonder Tree and then as Fruit of the Mysterious Tree, this new title would eventually become known as the Oracle of Seasons. Strangely enough though, in the October 1999 issue, it was stated that Fruit of the Mysterious Tree was one of THREE titles being developed for the Game Boy and that all three of them were to be linked together. One of these three titles was supposed to be a complete remake of the original Legend of Zelda.

This pretty much wrapped up the notable goodies in Nintendo Power for the year 1999. There were tons of smaller goodies and you can see some of the more notable ones listed below. The year truly was a transition for the Zelda series as fans were getting used to the monthly inclusions of Ocarina of Time goodies in their magazines. Seriously, Ocarina of Time had something in almost every single issue of Nintendo Power from mid-1996 through mid-1999. For a full listing of all the Zelda goodies from the years 1988-1999 check out the Zelda Publications page.

Zelda Publications

~~Majora’s Mask (Zelda Gaiden)~~
Issue #124 – September 1999
Issue #125 – October 1999

~~Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages~~
Issue #124 – September 1999
Issue #125 – October 1999

~~Ocarina of Time~~
Issue #117 – February 1999
Issue #124 – September 1999

~~Link’s Awakening (DX)~~
Issue #116 – January 1999

~~Counselor’s Corner~~
Issue #116 – January 1999
Issue #117 – February 1999
Issue #119 – April 1999
Issue #119 – April 1999
Issue #121 – June 1999
Issue #122 – July 1999
Issue #123 – August 1999
Issue #124 – September 1999
Issue #127 – December 1999