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For a lot of fans, it’s the nicknacks besides the video games themselves that really steal their hearts come time for the holidays. We have you covered with some of the best novelties and more for your favorite Nintendo fan!
NES Classic Mini
Price: $59.99 & Up
A friendly word of advice: please don’t pay more than $59.99 for this thing unless you’re really in a jam this holiday. It’s a great piece of hardware, but don’t let heartless gougers rip you off!
From our review:
“Sporting the exact same console and controller designs as the original Nintendo Entertainment System, NES Classic is dripping with ’80s charm. I was stunned when I took the system out of its box by just how genuinely miniature the thing actually is. The controller is wider than the system itself, which sits comfortably in the palm of most people’s hands. It’s also insanely lightweight! That’s not to say it feels cheap, though; the console is meticulously detailed, right down to its red LED power light, and has that innate sense of quality about it that all Nintendo hardware is known for.”
Influential Video Game Designers: Shigeru Miyamoto
Price: $19.99
From our book review:
“Enter writer Jennifer deWinter and her engrossing examination of the visionary creator in her book Influential Video Game Designers: Shigeru Miyamoto. DeWinter expertly sifted through a varied assemblage of critical essays, interviews, biographies, and articles on Miyamoto to deliver one of the most definitive examinations to date of his astonishing career. Save for a handful of small technical errors, this is a resounding piece of writing that will be essential to video game historians and analysts, as well as curious fans, for many years to come.”
Koji Kondo’s Super Mario Bros. Soundtrack (33 1/3)
Price: $10.99
From our book review:
“The book is a part of Bloomsbury Publishing’s 33 1/3 series, which is all about popular music; each volume in the series focuses on a single album by a single artist and delves into the importance of that work within the history of music. Schartmann’s book is made all the more fascinating specifically because it looks at the significance of the Super Mario Bros. soundtrack within the historical framework of both video games and music. It’s a reaffirming work that bestows Kondo’s score the respect it so rightfully deserves, while also offering insight into what makes it so special, and why it continues to inform game designers and composers to this day.”
Play Nintendo Downloads
Price: Free!
We mentioned this one last year, but it bears repeating again: Play Nintendo has some awesome free stuff available for download! The selection changes depending upon the season, but there’s a ton of things to download and print, and the especially-crafty amongst the Nintendojo ranks will likely find really fun, unique ways of using the website!
Super Mario Adventures
Price: $14.99
This classic comic from the early 90s was published in Nintendo Power magazine for months before being collected into a single volume. The original has become something of a collector’s item in recent years, but thankfully Viz Media came along and reprinted the thing for everyone to enjoy! It doesn’t take itself too seriously, thankfully, making Super Mario Adventures a hilarious and light read for all, as a result.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Price: $14.99
Based on the game of the same name, this manga version of A Link to the Past was also serialized in Nintendo Power before being collected into a trade paperback. As with Super Mario Adventures, A Link to the Past was also once only available to those with cash to burn, but with Viz Media’s re-release, many more fans will finally be able to enjoy legendary artist Shotaro Ishinomori’s lovely take on Link and the world of Hyrule!
Jakks Pacific World of Nintendo Toys
Price: Various
We love Jakks Pacific’s World of Nintendo line of collectibles, and 2016 didn’t disappoint as the toy maker produced yet another fine crop of wares for fans to gobble up. This year, Jakks unveiled a line of prototype and trophy Nintendo figures, along with some great variants in the form of Goron Tunic Link from Ocarina of Time! This writer’s personal favroites, however, have to be the Star Fox line: seriously, you can now own all four members of Team Star Fox as action figures! Amazing!
Along with the items we’ve highlighted here, there is a ton of other merchandise to be found in stores like Target, Hot Topic, GameStop (which has more toys, shirts, and other items than ever before!) and Spencer’s for fans looking to stuff stockings with Nintendo goodies. From 20th anniversary Pokemon wares to Sonic the Hedgehog mugs, 2016 is proving to be much like last year with its abundance of Nintendo and video game merchandise to find. Let us know some of your must-have Nintendo goodies down in the comments!
