Exor's Dungeon - Magazine Reviews - Nintendo Power Volume 31

We're wrapping up 1991 with Volume 31. The Nintendo Fandom page for this article (as of this writing) notes it is the last two-page Nester's Adventures comic (Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters) but doesn't note it's the last Top 30. It would be retooled into Top 20, but cover Game Boy and Super NES next month.

Before we get to Samus Aran's first Nintendo Power cover appearance and the second Game Boy cover, there's NES games to cover...Batman: Return of the Joker, Sunsoft's game based more on the comics and one of the best-looking NES games released, the aforementioned Nester's Adventures comic, Classified Information (The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants, Whomp 'Em, Laser Invasion, The Last Ninja, Super Mario World, and Darius Twin). The one for Super Mario World describes the Frozen Yoshi glitch. Many more Super Mario World glitches would be discovered over the years, but not in Classified Information.

After a feature on Enix's ActRaiser for the Super NES, there's Counselor's Corner. The Cheese Bridge Area second exit is discussed. In Volume 28 they talked about doing it with the cape, but the far easier (and in this issue, recommended) way is jumping off Yoshi ("you'll catch up with him later"). Also this issue is questions on Final Fantasy and Crystalis. Before the last two (on The Goonies II) there's a full page on maps from Faria. The Addams Family by Ocean is the next game covered. It's based after the new film released that year as opposed to the 1960s TV series (of which Sunsoft's Fester's Quest was based). Finally, there's Tiny Toons Adventures, continuing to the foldout where there's a poster for the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project.

The second prize, this could be awesome or less awesome depending on the size.
Also, with Howard Phillips gone, the shirt is never modeled by anyone again.

Finally, we get to the Game Boy section where we get to the cover feature, Metroid II: Return of Samus. It's one of the first Game Boy games with battery backup. The Game Boy section also covers Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden Shadow, a prequel to the NES games, and Hudson's Adventure Island, based on Adventure Island II. Also in Game Boy Now Playing is Bill Elliott's NASCAR Fast Tracks (Konami), Spanky's Quest (Natsume), and World Circuit Series (Ultra). The Game Boy Top 10...not too much movement. Super Mario Land, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan, and Dr. Mario...same as it's been for the last several months. F-1 Race overtakes Final Fantasy Legend for the #4 space, Castlevania: The Adventure moving up to #6 from #7, Operation C returning as #7, Batman still #8, Sword of Hope at #9 (that's new!) and Gargoyle's Quest at #10 (that's returning!)...so, WWF Superstars, Alleyway, and Baseball are the ones missing this time.

Super NES Showcase does Pilotwings and Populous this month...winners for that Game Boy contest from Volume 27 are announced, and the Player's Poll Contest is a trip to Lucasfilm with visiting LucasArts (the new name of Lucasfilm Games) and play games under development there, a "special screening of Star Wars", visit the Star Wars Archive, and visit Industrial Light & Magic. The LucasArt games are probably going to be mostly PC games that aren't Star Wars. So you might see a prerelease version of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis but don't expect a Nintendo console release. (In fact, Maniac Mansion for NES was the only "SCUMM" game to see a Nintendo console release...Loom was on TurboGrafx-16 and The Secret of Monkey Island was on Sega CD, though!).

Now Playing for NES has Capcom's TaleSpin (DuckTales and Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers got cover features but this just gets a paragraph), Golf Grand Slam (Atlus), Kung Fu II (Irem), while Super NES has Home Alone (THQ), Paperboy 2 (Mindscape), and Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball. Now Playing also Barbie (Hi-Tech Expressions) and Treasure Master by ASC. For Super NES there's the games discussed in the magazine or the section, along with The Chessmaster (Mindscape) and True Golf Classics: Waialae Country Club (T&E Soft).

The final Top 30 is the same as last month with Super Mario Bros. 2 taking #10 and The Legend of Zelda bumped to #11. Otherwise it's the same games. Tetris is at #9. The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants has fallen from #5 to #8. Mega Man 3 has improved to #7 (from #8). Dragon Warrior II has improved from #7 to #6. Crystalis has moved from #6 to #5. Battletoads have fallen to #4, with the margins close for them, Final Fantasy (#3), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game retaking #2 and Super Mario Bros. 3 at #1 by a safe margin. Speaking of the Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project has premiered at #29 as the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has fallen to #28. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is also at #24. Get a move on, as things will change.

There's no letter with next issue's preview, but they do talk about the changes there, the color-coded systems (which would stay until around Volume 103, December 1997), the Top 20, and the comics.