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DS Daily: Can we get some Club Nintendo love?
With our recent feature on Nintendo's original handheld games, we've been thinking a lot about them lately. Mainly, we just want that sweet collection that Club Nintendo hooked people up with in Japan.What about you all? Want to play some of the Game & Watch games on the DS, or do you want a different Club Nintendo goodie, like that Exclamation Warriors game? Did you import any? Could care less?
Europeans: Get rid of those excess Stars now!
Hey, Euro folk: those Club Nintendo Stars you've spent the last seven years compiling in the vain hope that you might bag something as glorious as this? Well, forget about it. From tomorrow at 17:00 (the time zone isn't specified, but we have a hunch it might be GMT), any Club Nintendo Stars that have been in your account for more than two years are getting atomized by Nintendo.In other words, now may be the time to resign yourself to the fact that you'll never get anything better from the Stars Catalog than some natty Animal Crossing wallpaper. Life's unfair like that at times, believe us. Alternatively, if you've got enough Points, you could always buy Wii Points!
Club Nintendo giving away shiny things
Your DS just got less cool. Sorry! We're suffering from the effects as well. What has de-awesomogrified the world's supply of DS Lites? Club Nintendo. From July 1 to August 31, Nintendo of Japan will give away 1,000 Premium Silver, 1,000 Premium Platinum, and 1,000 Premium Rose DS Lites to Club Nintendo members who register two new games in that period, with winners determined by random selection.We don't even have the regular silver DS Lite, and Japan gets a super shiny version for free. Wiping off fingerprints every time you look at the thing is really the only downside.Could this mean that Nintendo won't be announcing new hardware at E3 (since they'll be giving away Lites in that period)? We think it may mean just the opposite: Nintendo is clearing out some of their existing DS Lites by throwing shiny parts on the outside and making prizes out of them.
Club Nintendo heads down under
Aussie readers, take note of this day. It is one that shall go down in history for you if you're the kind of bloke or sheila who likes to own odd and wonderful things, like the Game & Watch collection or that Exclamation Warriors game. Club Nintendo is officially launching in Australia next Thursday, alongside the release of Mario Kart Wii.This means that you fine readers in Australia and New Zealand will be able to redeem points from the games you buy and use them towards goodies in the Club Nintendo catalog. The idea of being able to alone gets us all hot and bothered, so we can imagine how excited you all must feel right now. No longer will you need to box kangaroos and wrestle deadly gators for kicks.[Via Aussie-Nintendo]
Limited edition Wii Super Famicom Classic Controller gets unboxed
Ah, Japan -- it just gets all the dope controllers, doesn't it? Just days after hearing that a Wii-white GameCube controller was headed there soon, a lucky, lucky member of Club Nintendo has unboxed his limited edition Wii Super Famicom Classic Controller. Yep, this token of nostalgia that we heard about way back in November of last year has finally arrived in the Land of the Rising Sun. Really, we can't believe you -- being the diehard Nintendo fanatic that you shamelessly are -- haven't already made it to the read link to check out the gallery of shots, but we won't ask you to test your patience any longer. Now, get![Via NintendoWiiFanboy]
Unboxing the Super Famicom Classic Controller
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Unboxing_the_Super_Famicom_Classic_Controller'; Have you put in your preorder for the Super Famicom Classic Controller yet? No? Well, you better do it quick, as the limited edition controller is a Japan-only Club Nintendo exclusive, and you likely won't be able to buy one months from now without spending some serious money on eBay. And by serious money, we mean wacky dollars.Inside Games has received its SFC controller, and so far, it looks faithful to the original, with the added bonus of a wireless experience via hookup to the Wii remote. Alright, so it's not completely wireless, technically, but you should be used to the setup with the Wii Classic Controller. Hit the link below for unpackaging photos of the retro pad.
A Hot Summer Yoshi DS for the cold winter
We do love our limited-edition DS systems -- even (maybe especially) when they're Phat. There's nothing like the combination of out-of-production hardware and extremely rare colorways to drive our interest and eBay prices. This "Hot Summer" Yoshi DS was part of a series of six wireframe-emblazoned systems available only in the summer of 2005, and only to Club Nintendo members. Only 200 of these Yoshi systems were produced.And now it's available to anyone with $500. If you truly want to be rebellious and rock the Phat, this is totally the way to do it. By spending a ridiculous amount of money.[Via GameSniped]
Nintendo now accepting stars for Wii Points
It's taken some time, but Nintendo Europe is finally rewarding its 'star' collectors with an opportunity to exchange celestial tokens for Wii Points, at a rate of 4 stars to 1 point. If you've been a diligent Club Nintendo member (200 stars), registering codes packaged in first-party games and hardware (250-1,000 stars), recommending aliases "friends" (250 stars), and of course, hitting the website each and every day (5 stars), why not save the 8 euros and treat yourself to that Wonder Boy in Monster World download you've been pining after for all these months? Take it from us: you've earned it.
Europeans to get Wii Points in exchange for loyalty
Here in Europe, we have our own version of Japan's Club Nintendo loyalty scheme, with one critical difference: while Japanese gamers are routinely given access to completely rad bonuses, the past few years have thrown up few treats for those in Euroland. Nothing but a natty selection of wallpapers, ringtones, and stationary templates.Happily, that just changed for the better. From today, European Wii owners will be able to exchange their Star Points for Wii Points, giving themselves access to a whole world of nutritious, retro-flavored goodness, via the Virtual Console.Four Star Points will apparently be worth one Wii Point, but what does that mean in monetary terms? Well, each Wii game is worth 250 Star Points, the equivalent of 62.5 Wii Points. Hence, buying eight Wii games will net you 500 Wii Points, the cost of a NES game on the Virtual Console.That's a fair number of Wii games just to download a single NES title, but we still embrace this development whole-heartedly. Some of us have been saving Star Points for years, patiently waiting for the day that Nintendo of Europe would make collecting the things worth our time and effort. Today, we got our reward. Read how to convert your Points at the link below.[Via Eurogamer]
You can buy the Club Nintendo SNES controller -- with money
Importers NCSX and Play-Asia are freeing us from the unavailability of awesome Japanese Club Nintendo exclusives -- presumably, by paying some Japanese people for theirs. Whatever methods they use to get these things, we cannot argue with the results. Because the result is the opportunity to preorder the Super Famicom Classic Controller.Both companies will ship the item in April (and the Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack in January) in April, but NCSX is taking preorders right now for $30. We don't know when Play-Asia will open preorders or how much they will charge. All we know is this: YES. Who cares if it's a freebie for Club Nintendo members? We're just happy to have a shot at it.
Japanese Club Nintendo members get too-awesome-for-words bonuses
Just look at that. Isn't it glorious? What you're seeing above, folks, is a Wii-compatible SNES pad. Let's say that again, shall we? A Wii-compatible SNES pad. Don't get too worked up though, because unless you're a member of Club Nintendo in Japan, these are off-limits (not that using a SNES pad for your VC games is impossible, but still, this is the real deal).Yep, it's another reason we really should move to Japan. Hit the link below, and you'll see two more: a 2-disc Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack and a Mario desk calendar. All of which are horribly, tortuously unobtainable. Sob.[Thanks Daniel!]
Club Nintendo gift is Super Famicon controller for Wii
Members of the (unfortunately) Japanese-only Club Nintendo get all the good swag - remember the working TV remote modeled after the Nintendo Wii remote? The big gift this year, for members with over 400 club points (earned via buying Nintendo products over the past year) can receive a working Super Famicon attachment for the Wii that, according to an IGN translation, will be delivered by April 2008. Other items of interest include a Mario Galaxy soundtrack (two CDs, 81 tracks) and a set of two 2008 tabletop calendars. As usual, we wish Nintendo would offer such goodies outside of Japan. Eligible Club Nintendo participants have until December 2 to select one of the above gifts, but do you really need that long to choose?[Via Engadget]
SNES Wii controller coming to Japan in April
Like some of our editors here at Engadget, we know you long for the carefree, multi-hued days of the Super Nintendo and all its Mode 7 glory. Well, if you live in Japan, are a member of Club Nintendo (wherein you earn points for purchases of the company's games and accessories), and have the patience to wait until April, you could be the proud owner of the Wii SNES (Super Famicom, rather) controller. The gamepad won't be commercially available, nor will it be offered stateside (as far as we know), so now is the time to firm up your relationships with Japanese friends, or start saving pennies for your forthcoming eBay bidding war. Either way, the chance to relive your youth is just around the corner.[Thanks, J]
You! can buy Exclamation Warriors! YES!
The multiplayer-only shouting-based game Zekkyou Senshi Sakeburein (Exclamation Warriors Sakeburein) was made available by Nintendo only to Club Nintendo members who bought enough games to earn the points for it. Retailer YesAsia has now made the game available to a slightly larger group: people with $36. Take that, exclusivity!We don't know how they did it; maybe they opened all the games in their warehouse and got the Club Nintendo codes out. We also don't care, because the end result is awesome. If you've got a few friends who like to shout in Japanese while playing video games (uh, so, if you're a Naruto fan), then this Power Rangers/Super Sentai spoof may be for you! Or if you like things that are normally hard to obtain, obviously.[Via NeoGAF]
NoE forums are shut down also
Like Nintendo's NSider forums, those at the official European site are getting shut down, as well. In the interest of, we assume, sites like ours, NoE has decided to close shop on the forums for good and, like Nintendo.com, will be re-launching with a new layout and features aimed at pleasing fans.Until then, might as well tell your friends to head on over here.
New puzzle from Nintendo: How to get this puzzle from Nintendo
Nintendo showed off some new giveaways for Japanese Club Nintendo members, and we thought we could all wallow in our misery together. We all buy so many Nintendo games in the U.S. and Europe, and what do we get for it? The games? Bah. Occasional stylus sets and that one time we got a Zelda collection don't make up for the fact that we have no chance at any of the awesome stuff that Japanese game buyers can get. In addition to the previously-mentioned Exclamation Warriors game, Club Nintendo members can now choose from an assortment of DS Lite and DS card cases, a canvas Wiimote box (which we don't mind missing out on that much) and this awesome star-shaped Ten Billion Barrel puzzle.It's a new Club Nintendo-themed version of a puzzle invented by Gunpei Yokoi and released by Nintendo in 1980, and it would certainly look nice on our desk. Just another limited-edition item that shows Nintendo's appreciation for its customers ... in Japan.
Club Nintendo members get exclusive Gundam figure
And we get exclusive jealousy. To promote the release of Mobile Suit Gundam MS Front 0079, Nintendo and Bandai Namco are giving away neat free stuff. Preorders of the game are rewarded with Gundam 0079 memorial DVD's. And Club Nintendo, purveyor of many frustratingly awesome freebies, is giving away limited-edition Gundam RX78-2 models-- in an exclusive color.There are some new screenshots of the game at GAME Watch, but we don't know if we even want to look. Games are just no fun unless buying them earns you junk you didn't even want in the first place.
Club Nintendo Japan increases Miiist vanity factor
Each year, NCL gives a gift to Platinum members of Japan's Club Nintendo (Platinum members can be spotted by their metallic coating as it shines in the winter sun -- and by their Club Nintendo accounts, which tally more than 400 points amassed during the previous calendar year). This year's prizes are especially funky. Shiny members may choose one item from a list (of two): a Wii remote battery flap on which Nintendo will print the owner's Mii image (Miis should be sent to Nintendo through Wii Connect before February) a copy of Club-exclusive DS title Tingle's Balloon Fight Both items will be delivered in the spring, with the customized Wii remote plastic scheduled for production and delivery all the way through to August 31. We opted for the Mii gift, because we're so vain. Feel free to commence the vitriolic "Why don't we get that stuff here?" comments --NoA isn't listening.
Japanese Club Nintendo swag -- don't be jealous
One of the great things about life in Japan is Club Nintendo. (In a quick survey we conducted this morning, Club Nintendo ranked just behind Asahi Super Dry and heated toilet seats in the Top 10 Reasons to Live in Japan.) Via the Japanese Club Nintendo website (club.nintendo.co.jp), customers can input codes, which are included on inserts with every Japanese Nintendo release, and then convert those codes into points. And what do points mean? Prizes! We've photographed some of our recent winnings for your green eyes. Get envious after the break.
