After nearly three hundred issues, Nintendo Power is finally coming to an end. To send this long-running periodical off in style, the Cover Critic has decided to review every single issue. Join him as he experiences every aspect of Nintendo's journey through their magazine covers.

Ah, the memories of playing Contra. Curb stomping aliens in the bombed-out cities, crippling the enemy's fortress and shoving the barrel of my spread gun down that boss's throat so far that I'm pretty sure I caught a sexually transmitted disease. Toss in the Konami code and I was practically unstoppable, throwing caution to the wind and running through the battlefields with reckless abandon. Those were great times.

Apparently Nintendo Power had a different experience with Contra. Perhaps it's because they never used the Konami code or maybe I was the only kid who barreled through the levels not afraid to die, but this cover strikes me as being extremely cautious. Here we see the Contra boys (Bill Rizer and Lance Bean) holding back, planning how they are going to overpower that enemy ship. What do you think this is, Metal Gear? The plan is to run and gun until everything is dead.

I'll give Nintendo Power credit for taking a different approach to this Super C cover. The foliage looks realistic and I'm impressed by the design of the alien ship. It looks like a lot of work went into this cover, which is something you appreciate more after studying the cover's small details. At first glance it's easy to miss our heroes, reminding me of ads for Sony's SOCOM sequels. My mind races as I daze into this design, it hints at all of these amazing stop-motion battles Bill and Lance are having. Too bad none of the amazing action sequences in my head are recreated on this cover.