''Official Nintendo Magazine'', or ''ONM'', was a British

video game magazine Video game journalism is a branch of journalism concerned with the reporting and discussion of video games, typically based on a core "reveal–preview–review" cycle. With the prevalence and rise of independent media online, online publicati ...

that ran from 2006 to 2014 that covered the

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...

, and

Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally placed i ...

s released by

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...

. Originally published by

EMAP Ascential plc, formerly EMAP, is a British business-to-business media business specialising in exhibitions & festivals and information services. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History Ric ...

as ''Nintendo Magazine System'', the magazine first covered the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...

Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eur ...

and

Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...

consoles, and was later renamed to ''Nintendo Magazine'', ''Nintendo Official Magazine'' then, briefly, ''Nintendo Official Magazine UK''. Under these names, it was published by EMAP for twelve years, before the rights were sold to the publisher,

Future plc Future plc is an international multimedia company established in the United Kingdom in 1985. The company has over 220 brands that span magazines, newsletters, websites, and events in fields such as video games, technology, films, music, photogr ...

. The first issue by Future plc was released on 16 February 2006. The magazine then ran for 8 years and 8 months, concluding with its 114th issue, released on 14 October 2014. The similarly titled Australian version was a follow-up of '' Nintendo Magazine System'', not to be confused with the UK publication.

History

Mean Machines ''Mean Machines'' was a multi-format video game magazine published between 1990 and 1992 in the United Kingdom. Origins In the late 1980s '' Computer and Video Games'' (''CVG'') was largely covering the outgoing generation of 8-bit computers l ...

'', a long-standing British games magazine, split into two separate magazines, focusing on the two then-major video games console companies:

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

and Nintendo. The Sega-based magazine retained the original title, ''Mean Machines Sega'', while the Nintendo magazine was named ''Nintendo Magazine System'' (NMS). The first issue of ''Nintendo Magazine System'' was released on 1 October 1992. Its name was later changed to ''Nintendo Magazine'', ''Nintendo Official Magazine'' (NOM) then ''Nintendo Official Magazine UK'', before its publisher was changed from EMAP to Future plc. After this change, the magazine was renamed to its current name, ''Official Nintendo Magazine'' (ONM), and received a new set of staff. Its numbering was also reset. It reached its 50th issue on 20 November 2009 and its 100th issue in October 2013. On 15 December 2008, the first issue of ''Official Nintendo Magazine for Australia & New Zealand'', a monthly

based on ''Official Nintendo Magazine'', was published by Future plc. It was the second officially endorsed Nintendo magazine released in Australia and New Zealand, succeeding the Australian '' Nintendo Magazine System'', which ceased publishing in 2000. Issue 60 and the final issue for ''Official Nintendo Magazine for Australia & New Zealand'' was published in December 2013. In early 2011, four guest bloggers were appointed: Colette Barr, Marti Bennett, Chris Rooke, and John Vekinis. These bloggers provided their perspective to Nintendo-related news and events. In March 2011, the UK magazine underwent a change in the style and layout of the contents in the magazine, while adding new features. The first issue released in this format featured a " 3D without glasses" cover for the launch of

. A new version was introduced in November 2012, with the release of the Wii U. The following year, the magazine celebrated its 100th issue, with cover art drawn by

Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer, producer and game director at Nintendo, where he serves as one of its representative directors. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential designers in the history of video games, he is ...

. The magazine came to a close with its 114th issue (released on 14 October 2014).

Closure

On 7 October 2014, Future confirmed that the magazine would come to a close with its 114th issue, which was released on 14 October 2014. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the website (including the forums) would be closed 11 November 2014. On 15 October 2014, former moderators of the ONM forums set up a replacement site for the forthcoming closure of the forums. One such community was Super ONM, now merged with similar ex-Future community ''GRcade'', formerly of ''

GamesRadar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...

''. Nintendo will now be focusing on its Nintendo Direct, Live Treehouse and other methods to communicate with their fans.

Sections

Each month, the Official Nintendo Magazine included the following sections: *''Welcome'' – a brief summary of the issue by the editor; also features the contact details *''Meet the Team'' – an introduction to the different members of the publishing team *''Contents'' – the articles were broken down into categories (e.g. a review went under the category Review). There is also an A–Z of games features in the issue. *''incoming'' **''The Big Story'' – An overview of recent Nintendo news **''Mouthpiece'' – an interview, usually with someone relating to a game in the issue (e.g. in issue 105, an interview with the composer of '' Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze'') **''World of Nintendo'' – Nintendo-related news from around the world, including 3DS and Wii U charts *''Next Month'' – a preview of the next issue *''Nintendo Shopping Channel'' – picks of eShop and the nintendo online store *''MiiVERSE'' **''Mii Plaza'' – funny MiiVerse posts **''Connect'' – letters, emails, Twitter and Facebook posts. Also includes a small transcript of the podcast. **''ONM Rant'' – a somewhat controversial opinion, debated by forum users **''Network'' ***''ONM Game Night'' – a review of the online features in a game ***''DLC of the Month'' – reviews of recent DLC's **''Smash Update'' – a round-up of recent

Smash Bros ''Super Smash Bros.'' is a crossover fighting game series published by Nintendo. The series was created by Masahiro Sakurai, who has directed every game in the series. The series is known for its unique gameplay objective which differs fr ...

news, along with opinions via Miiverse *''Feedback'' – a section showing the best letters, e-mails and forum posts of the month. A star letter is picked and a prize, is given to the sender. (forum posts are not in AU/NZ edition) **''In a Word'' – readers' e-mails, letters and forum posts are replied to in a single word (forum posts are not in AU/NZ edition) **''My Collection'' – a short interview with a Nintendo related collection owner **''The Gallery'' – pictures that are sent in by readers *''Features'' – articles about exciting and interesting subjects (e.g. Easter eggs, 50 Greatest..., "The Making Of...", etc.) exclusive to the issue *''Previews'' – a preview is similar to a review, except a preview is more about what they think the game will turn out to be like rather than what it is actually like *''Reviews'' – an in-depth look into the latest games and how good or bad they are. The score is given in percentages and a summary is given along with the good and bad points of the game **''Round up'' – a quick summary of the worst of the month's games or the most minor releases. *''Continue'' **''The Making of...'' – an interview with some of a recent game's developers **''Rewind'' – a look back at a classic game **''Time Capsule'' – 10 games around a certain theme (e.g. Christmas levels etc.) **''Classic Moment'' – a look back at an unforgettable moment in a classic game **''Rated Wii'' – the top 20 Wii games, features a "Don't Forget" game as well as "High Five", a top five list, and "Settling Scores" where a reader complains about a certain game score **''The Best of...'' – the top 27 games, also features "In the Mood for..." ***''Wii U'' ***''3DS & 2DS'' ***''3DS & 2DS eShop'' **''FAQs...'' ***''3DS & 2DS'' – also includes a guide on 3DS System Transfer **''Legends'' – A mini-review of a popular game ***''Wii'' ***''DS'' **''The Back Page'' – often includes a somewhat humorous article (e.g. Nair-tendo)

Scoring system

The Official Nintendo Magazine used a percentage scoring system. The final system used was: *0–29% = Toxic *30–49% = Troubled *50–69% = Flawed *70–79% = Bronze *80–89% = Silver *90–100% = Gold The highest rated games ever were '' The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D'' tied with '' The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword'', which both possessed a 98% rating, given in the July 2011 issue and June 2010 issue respectively. ''

Super Mario Galaxy is a 2007 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the third 3D game in the '' Super Mario'' series. As Mario, the player embarks on a quest to rescue Princess Peach, save the universe from Bowser, and collect 120 ...

'', ''

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a 2010 platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It was first announced at E3 2009 and is the sequel to 2007's ''Super Mario Galaxy''. It was released worldwide in 2010. Much like the first game, the story follow ...

'' and '' The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess'' were all given ratings of 97%. The lowest rated games were the

DSiWare This is a list of games and applications, collectively known as DSiWare, for the Nintendo DSi handheld game console, available for download via the DSi Shop and unplayable on earlier DS models. An update released for the Nintendo 3DS in June 2011 ...

games Discolight and Flashlight, which were given scores of 2% and 3% respectively.

Forums

The ONM UK forums were created in 2006. ONM AU/NZ does not have a forum. In 2011, they were updated along with the magazine to make a cleaner, easier to use website. The forums closed 11 November 2014. The Moderating team set up a forum to replace this, called Super Online Nintendo Messageboards (S ONM, also Super-ONM but the abbreviation was changed to dodge infringements of any trademark registered for the former magazine).

References

External links

Official UK websiteSuper ONMArchived Official Nintendo Magazines
on the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

Archived Nintendo Magazine system magazines on the internet archive
{{Authority control 2008 establishments in Australia 2006 establishments in the United Kingdom Computer magazines published in Australia Defunct computer magazines published in the United Kingdom Video game magazines published in the United Kingdom Defunct computer magazines Magazines established in 2006 Magazines disestablished in 2014 Magazines about Nintendo Video gaming in the United Kingdom