Club Nintendo 2014 awards

[Tek7]

So you all know I still have much <3 for Nintendo, but man, this year's Club Nintendo Gold status awards are really, really disappointing.

The only options available for 3DS are Virtual Console titles: Donkey Kong 3, Wario Land 2, Metroid, and Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins.

What's even more frustrating is that I was only 85 coins away from Platinum status and I'd have loved to pick up Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, Dillon's Rolling Western (based on reviews I've read), or Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move.

Going to be difficult choosing between these lackluster choices.

I know Nintendo's in a tough place financially and they have to cut corners, but man, this is not the best way to treat your dedicated fans.

Oh well. They still make great games and that's what counts.

</vent>

 

[Wolfeman]

I know Nintendo's in a tough place financially and they have to cut corners, but man, this is not the best way to treat your dedicated fans.

Personally I think all seven of y'all should get the entire game library for free just for being dedicated Nintendo fans but that's just my opinion.

 

[Tek7]

Personally I think all seven of y'all should get the entire game library for free just for being dedicated Nintendo fans but that's just my opinion.

It does seem like Nintendo fans are a dying breed, which is a real shame. I think the Nintendo doomsayers are wrong and Nintendo will weather the storm, but they'd be fools to expect Wii-era profits at this point. The market has changed considerably and demographics that were previously essential to Nintendo's health in foreign markets have turned to other products.

Put another way: Parents are handing their 3-12 year old children last-gen iOS or Android devices, filling them up with free or cheap apps, and ignoring devices for which games cost $20-$50. It makes sense, but it's a little sad for this long-time gamer to think young kids are growing up with Angry Birds Star Wars II and free-to-play schlock instead of Super Mario Galaxy 2 or The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

I still think there's a place for Nintendo, but they need to update their expectations and their approach--NOT slap their classic franchises on to free-to-play mobile games like so many short-sighted armchair critics have suggested. Masterpieces like A Link Between Worlds take a lot of time, love, and skill to create and you simply won't find a game of that caliber for $0.99 on a mobile app store. The games industry would be a much colder place without Nintendo.

Back on topic: Yes, the gifts were a major disappointment. I understand the need to cut costs, but with the declining number of Nintendo fans, it seems more imperative than ever to show some love to the dedicated customers--even if that means an exclusive reskin of a downloadable title like the Club Nintendo-exclusive Doc's Punch-Out!! or the Tingle games.

EDIT: I ended up choosing Zelda II for the Wii U as my gift. I plan on getting a Wii U eventually (likely shortly after Monolithsoft's X releases in the US) and none of the 3DS options appealed to me at all. If I end up scrapping my plan to pick up a Wii U, I can always sell, trade, or give the code for Zelda II away.