Club Nintendo

[miffy495]

As I mentioned in what Toblix called the "Pokemon podcast" before the last Grand Thumb Auto round, earlier today I spent some time signing up for and registering my games on Club Nintendo. (one of these games was Pokemon Pearl, which got Wrestle and I talking about it. Apparently we sounded podcast-ish) That DS Game and Watch collection that Japan got a long time ago always looked really sweet, and it seems us North Americans can now get it for 800 coins. Coins are, as you may have guessed, the Club Nintendo currency. You get 30 coins for registering a DS game, and 50 for a Wii game. By my math, at new release prices, this translates to roughly 1 coin for each (Canadian) Dollar you spend on Nintendo's first party games. Frighteningly enough, after registering all of the Wii and DS games that I could, I have 780 points. That's $780 over the past several years that I've spent on Nintendo. Yikes.

Aside from this shot of perspective, I'm really choked that I'm so close to getting that Game and Watch thing but am still less than a game short of the target.

So now I'm taking suggestions. I need one (1) first party Nintendo game for either system to get that Game and Watch thing and if I'm buying a game, I'd like it to be a good one. Otherwise, I'm just spending the cost of whatever this other game would be on the Game and Watch collection. I already have all the Mario games (except Sluggers. Don't like baseball), Metroid, and Zelda. I considered one of the Brain games, but unless someone sways me, the odds that I'd play it for more than a day are not good. As far as I know, there's no Fire Emblem DS. That would be an immediate buy if it existed. I'd be interested in Fire Emblem for the Wii, but can never seem to find it anywhere. Right now, it's looking like my two best candidates are Animal Crossing or Wario Land Shake It, both for the Wii. I was actually really pumped for Wario a while ago, but reactions seemed mixed and I never went for it. Worth getting? Alternatively, anyone have Animal Crossing yet, and if so, is it any good? I put a few months into the DS one before getting bored and quite enjoyed it.

Hmmm... a thought occurs. Tetris DS? Tetris is Tetris, and I heard this version is quite good. Probably fairly cheap now as well. Anyway, for a post that essentially says nothing, this has gone on long enough. Point is: Advice-ify me. What's a rad first party game?

[Nachimir]

As far as I know, there's no Fire Emblem DS.

There is, but not yet in the US. It's out in the UK though.

[miffy495]

Oh man. So rad. I love that series. Must get. First half of 2009 here we come!

[syntheticgerbil]

They are bringing this over now? And I can register games I've bought over the years?!

Awesome... It's only first/second party Nintendo games right?

I imported Tingle's Balloon Fight but it would be nice to have it in full english.

EDIT: I registered what I had and Gamecube games are worth nothing, as well as a few DS games, and I don't own a Wii, and my Gamecube and DS serial number counted for nothing. I guess it's Ebay for me as soon as people start putting up the English version of Game and Watch.

Edited December 18, 2008 by syntheticgerbil

[miffy495]

Yeah, not even all Wii games give you points. I don't exactly get the logic. Zelda: Twilight Princess, a launch game, gives you 50 points. Battalion Wars 2, a game from about a year ago, gives you nothing. If I'd gotten points for every first party Wii game, I'd have been fine, but two or three didn't count. Couple of DS games as well. Hell, if any one of those had worked I'd be fine.

Unfortunately, imported games are out as well. I've got Daigasso: Band Brothers, Osu Tatake Ouendan, Picross DS, and a couple of others, but the serial numbers for Japanese Club Nintendo are one character longer. Boo.

[syntheticgerbil]

They should really cut the amount of points needed to buy things in half or at least give you double the points on the games you have, since really the only thing you can expect to sign up are games published by Nintendo.

In order to get Game and Watch you have to have bought the equivalent of 27 DS games or 16 Wii games, which is really kind of a lot.

If they get around to releasing an English version of Tingle's Balloon Fight, I'm sure it's going to be double those points because it is a pretty good game.

Add all that to what I'm sure is a limited supply of these special games, and unless you work at a rental store and steal all the pin numbers out of the cases, you're kind of screwed, especially if you didn't just want a "free" game and you wanted some of the other knick knacks they sell.

That said, I took the pin number out of my work's copy of Wii Fit.

[Roderick]

In Europe, the Club Nintendo thing has gone down the drain considerably since the advent of the Wii. First there was a genuine sense of excitement: you could collect points with buying games, filling in questionnaires and just by visiting the site. I went there daily. After the Wii and Nintendo's new site, that all disappeared. Now it's just points for buying games. The catalogue itself has changed too. Though it has more paraphernalia and nicknacks, they're less enjoyable. Little games, too. But I don't know. I don't visit the site anymore.

A few weeks ago I used up all my remaining points to buy the Mario Galaxy double-disc soundtrack. A great thing to have (even if I already have the mp3's)! But I won't bother with points anymore. Nintendo has lost a lot of its appeal to me since the Wii.

[miffy495]

Situation resolved. Twice over, actually. Between Tetris DS (holy hell puzzle mode is addictive) and Kirby Super Star Ultra (been meaning to get this for forever) I now have 840 Coins. Rather, I now have 40 Coins. 40 Coins, and a copy of the DS Game and Watch collection on its way to my house. Man, I was looking at importing this back when it was released in Japan, for upwards of $60. Now I get it as what is essentially a pack-in with two great DS games. Hooray Club Nintendo for having a rewards program that's worth a damn!

[Noyb]

Earned a measly 400 points after countless Gamecube games registered when the reward was just crappy wallpapers, quite a few DS games, a smattering of Wii games, and a few Virtual Console games which apparently don't count.

Only ones that counted:

• Warioware: Smooth Moves
  
• Zelda: Twilight Princess
  
• New Super Mario Brothers
  
• Professor Layton and the Curious Village
  
• Metroid Prime 3
  
• Super Mario Galaxy
  
• Super Mario 64 DS
  
• Elite Beat Agents
  
• Mario Kart DS
  
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Is there a list anywhere on that site where you can see registered but coin-free games just so I know I'm not going crazy?

[miffy495]

Yeah, there's a way. Gamecube games don't count though, and I noticed some of the much older DS ones don't either, though how they determine this I couldn't tell you. Nothing for Super Princess Peach, but Kirby Canvas Curse netted me some points...

Click on My Account Settings, then there should be a "products registered" thing on the side. "See all" will get you the complete list.

You can register Virtual Console games? How?

[Jake]

I need more points. MORE.

[Noyb]

Click on My Account Settings, then there should be a "products registered" thing on the side. "See all" will get you the complete list.

You can register Virtual Console games? How?

Ah, thanks. So Picross DS, Mario & Luigi, and Metroid Hunters all don't count for anything.

The sidebar claims...

Wii games = 50 Coins

Nintendo DS games = 30 Coins

Wii Shop Channel games/Wii Channels = 10 Coins

But all the VC games and channels I downloaded didn't give me anything.

[miffy495]

Yeah, I have all three of those as well, and none count. Well, My Picross is the Japanese version, so it wouldn't count either way, but you know what I mean. Still curious as to where to actually find the code to register VC games though. I may try a few just to see. It may only be the first party ones again, but I should at least be able to get some coins for Kirby, Zelda, and Mario 64...

[Roderick]

I got the Mario Galaxy soundtrack in the mail, and it did not disappoint. Beautifully produced, with a little booklet with composer notes for every track... that's the sort of exclusive wannahave that I like to see. Props to Nintendo. It even had a few tracks I didn't yet have in mp3 format, so that's a win!

[miffy495]

Whoo! My Game and Watch Collection has shipped! Now to be disappointed when it arrives and I realize that I redeemed the equivalent of $800 worth of merchandise to play a few really old arcade-style games!

[Noyb]

Seems like a bunch of my Club Nintendo points are arbitrarily expiring this summer. Ten coins shy of the magic 800 number after a few years of saving up (and not picking up many Wii games).

Are either of the Game & Watch carts worth picking up? I think the descriptions say there's only 3 games each on them, which is loads less than even the game boy color collections.

[Kolzig]

Club Nintendo... something that us Finnish people have no chance to have.

Really sad stuff, I just recently heard that for example in Australia they have the SNES classic pad for Wii for example and I guess all the Club Nintendo shops in US/Japan/Euro have all kinds of fun stuff. Shame that Europe sucks and isn't really for all the countries.

I would've propably got a ton of points with my GBA/DS/GC/Wii games.

[JonCole]

I got a tote bag and a messenger bag with my points. Pretty decent quality stuff, for what I earned with a bunch of games I've had sitting around forever.

[syntheticgerbil]

Seems like a bunch of my Club Nintendo points are arbitrarily expiring this summer. Ten coins shy of the magic 800 number after a few years of saving up (and not picking up many Wii games).

I might have a Wiifit with unused points if you'd like, but it's possible I had already given them to someone else a year or so ago. Thing is, I was taking points from games my old job bought for research type purposes in order to save points to buy the Game and Watch Collections (I ended up only buying one in the Nintendo Club and bought the other on Ebay), so I might have a duplicate or two of games.

If not, my girlfriend's younger sister I think has some points I tried to steal and also ran into the same duplicates problem if you are desperate.

The Game and Watches are both nice and authentic but are more collector item types than something to get a lot of replay value out of. I think the old Game and Watch Galleries for Game boy offer much more.

There's far greater value in the Tingle's Balloon Fight, but that was only released in Japan's Club Nintendo.