Ahh yes, the glorious days of early Nintendo Power, each with a comic of Howard and Nester that I looked forward to every month. I remember getting my first issue with a copy of Dragon Warrior I (damn, I must be getting old! XD)
The old games were hardcore in the fact that they didn't hold your hand while you learned game mechanics, and they didn't give a damn if you couldn't pass a certain part. They held their ground maintaining ridiculous difficulty until you practiced and persevered, overall creating a feeling of achievement and success when you finally conquered that one (or many) difficult tasks.
Much respect for your contribution to the golden era of gaming.
It's great to know that there are others out there from the same time with a rich fondness for these gems.