News: Club Nintendo: a year on

img src=http://www.vooks.net/images/newsimages/clubnintendo.jpg width=44 height=44 border=1 align=left hspace=5The terrifying lows, the dizzying highs, the creamy middles pAustralias Club Nintendo, to us, has been like a toy to a five-year-old kid. When the other kid was playing with it, we really wanted it, and now that we have it, we have quickly become uninterested. In this feature, we will explore the good and bad points of the Club, your thoughts on it as previously posted on the forums, compare the Club to others around the world, and suggest how the Club could improve in the future.br / /p div align=center class=bbc_centerimg class=bbc_img alt=Posted Image src=http://i45.tinypic.com/210zgp0.jpg //div pstrong class=bbc /strongbr / br / Lets go back to April 2008. News that Club Nintendo was heading our way started trickling through from people with early copies of Mario Kart Wii. Surprisingly, the reaction on the forums was rather pessimistic. During a time when Nintendo Australia was pretty much looked down upon, there was an undeniable air of doubt as to whether they could pull off the scheme at the same standard as the Japanese Club. Many of us viewed the Clubs introduction as a last-ditch attempt by Nintendo to console us during a string of lengthy game delays, foremost of which was the unforgettable Super Smash Bros. Brawl delay.br / br / At first, we could only register Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit. Fair enough, the full site wasnt quite ready and perhaps Nintendo didnt want to miss out on promoting these titles for the potential rewards incentive. So the waiting game began. When was the full site going to launch? Surely with the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl? Nope. We werent shocked - this WAS Nintendo Australia we were dealing with here. But then why, really, had Nintendo introduced the program so early? Were they simply having trouble getting it off the ground? Or were they actually intending to foil the plans of a certain, sinister, group of Australian gamers?br / br / Importers. Obviously by teasing gamers with an incentive to buy locally, Nintendo Australia (and retailers) would end up with a more satisfying bottom line. A poll of importers conducted on the forums revealed that 40% said Club Nintendo wouldnt stop them from importing, as quot;being able to buy somestrong class=bbcspan style=color: rgb(0, 0, 0); shitty /span/strongstrong class=bbc /strongAC wallpaper does not make up for the long delays and inflated pricequot;. So despite doubts that the store wouldnt offer the sorts of awesome stuff that Japan had, there was still a large number of people who still thought that Nintendo Australia would pull through with this thing. Point in case: quot;Loot probably will be epic, so yes I believe I will be buying local if it means that I can eventually buy some tacky Nintendo crapquot; (PlasmaDavid).br / strong class=bbcbr / /strong/p div align=centerstrong class=bbc div class=bbc_centerimg class=bbc_img alt=Posted Image src=http://i39.tinypic.com/2prtm3a.jpg //div /strong/div pbr / strong class=bbcbr / /strongAt the end of the day, its safe to say that, for now, Club Nintendo has been unsuccessful at deterring importers due to the lack of limited-edition-type items available (which well talk about later). In retrospect, the introduction of the Club was probably a knee-jerk reaction by Nintendo at the prospect of seeing a vast number of frustrated gamers importing the extremely-delayed Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Of course, Club Nintendo wasnt meant to be the ultimate solution for stopping importers as games are still generally released first overseas and are cheaper too.strong class=bbcbr / br / /strongFast-forward to October 2008, the Club site still hadnt gone live and we were all at our wits end, with many of us having amassed a nice pile of invites ready for registration. Then the unthinkable happened. Nintendo of America finally relented to customer demand by announcing that the program would be launched in North America soon. There was no way it could launch before the Aussie site, right? Well, at the launch night of the Nintendo Experience in Melbourne (as reported by forum member NX-Danny), NAL reps claimed the Club would launch in Australia quot;either before Christmas, or shortly thereafter, in the New Yearquot;, that quot;much of the delay [had] been attributed to Nintendos website redesign... which [had] kept them busy for much of 2008.quot; Righty-o. Anyway, launch it did the North American Club, and here we were, still waiting patiently for almost a year after its announcement for a fantastic Club Nintendo, or there would be blood.br / br / At precisely midnight on March 11 last year, a link to the new site popped up a rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=http://ms.nintendo-europe.com/clubnintendo/here/a, and we were finally able to see the rewards that awaited us. They were all physical items, so we were happy indeed.br / br / strong class=bbcbr / /strong/p div align=center class=bbc_centerimg class=bbc_img alt=Posted Image src=http://i44.tinypic.com/262nx5j.png //div pstrong class=bbcbr / /strongBelowstrong class=bbc /strongwell critique the features (and non-features) of our Club, and look at some ways the Club can improve.br / strong class=bbcbr / /strongstrong class=bbcWii DSiWare shop linkingbr / br / /strongJust under a month after its launch, the Wii Shop Channel and DSi Shop were updated to allow purchases to appear on your Club Nintendo account. Previous purchases were not retroactively added. To this day, you still dont get any Stars for downloaded games. What gives?br / strong class=bbcstrong class=bbcbr / Not being able to register old games/strong/strongbr / br / Its really only those who DO have lots of old games that whinged about this. Frankly, Nintendos not that stupid to recognise this. Look at it this way, how would Nintendo pitch the prices of rewards if half of people are new to Nintendo games and the other half have shelves full of them? Too low and Nintendo would lose out to fanboys who could redeem tonnes of rewards, too high and new Nintendo gamers would take ages to redeem anything. By only being able to register games beginning from Mario Kart Wii, Nintendo has better control over the right cost for rewards, making it fair for everyone.br / /p div align=center class=bbc_centerimg class=bbc_img alt=Posted Image src=http://i44.tinypic.com/314b81y.jpg //div pbr / br / strong class=bbcNot being able to register third-party games/strongbr / br / This is one of the more important issues. Its commonly said that people buy Nintendo consoles for Nintendo games, and Club Nintendo is, unfortunately, a driving force for this. The lack of a similar incentive to buy third-party games means developers of those games lose out. There are loads of fantastic games out there that arent made by Nintendo, but if people dont buy them, then developers will be less and less supportive of the Wii and DS, meaning well miss out on great titles.br / br / On the contrary, Nintendo has recently begun supporting third-party developers by offering to publish Monster Hunter Tri on Wii and, later, Dragon Quest IX on the DS, so these games will soon be eligible for registration on Club Nintendo. We need to see much more of this from a greedy Nintendo, but its the first step towards a better future for third-parties and, ultimately, Nintendo gamers.br / br / strong class=bbcLack of a tiered reward system/strongbr / br / By a tiered reward system, we mean a system akin to North Americas Platinum and Gold statuses, whereby Club Nintendo members gain access to exclusive rewards if they earn over a certain amount of Club credit in a year. Despite third-party titles not being part of the program, enough Nintendo-published titles are released each year to justify having this sort of system. On the other hand, a tier system would only exist to give bragging rights to those who can afford (or actually want) to buy the games required. As we see it, its better not having to spend a minimum amount of money on games for a reward that could be offered to everyone.br / br / strong class=bbcBirthday bonus Starsbr / br / /strongBesides the initial registration bonus, this is the only form of bonus Stars on our Club. You get 50 Stars on your birthday, okay cool, but theyre not added automatically on the day. You actually have to work for it by turning on your computer, opening up your browser and logging in to the site. Pathetic.br / /p div align=center class=bbc_centerimg class=bbc_img alt=Posted Image src=http://i43.tinypic.com/wul3yo.png //div pbr / br / strong class=bbcExpiration of Stars/strongbr / br / We actually have it pretty good here in Australia with our Stars expiring 3 years after registration. The European Club allows for 2 years before expiration, the North American Club allows for 1-2 years (depending on when during the Club Nintendo year you registered a game) and, if Google Translate is anything to go by, the Japanese Club is the same deal as North America. We really shouldnt worry about our Stars expiring as they will only begin disappearing from March 11, 2012. That gives Nintendo Australia two more years to begin offering some much better items to blow our Stars on.br / br / strong class=bbcLack of other means to earn Stars, and other incentives to even use Club Nintendo/strongstrong class=bbcbr / br / /strongThis is where our Club should really take note from the North American one. Over there, not only can you earn Coins (their store currency) by registering Wii and DS games, but also by purchasing games/channels from the Wii Shop Channel, indicating your intent to buy a game, registering a game within 4 weeks of launch and completing Post Play surveys for games. Another great aspect of their Club is that if you register a new Wii, DS Lite or DSi, you get a free 90-day extension on your warranty, a welcome little perk for sure. Another feature that should be implemented, especially since the European system has it, is the ability to earn Stars through referrals, similar to the Wii Shop Channels Ambassador Promotion. br / br / Although having more chances to earn Stars would mean rewards would be more pricey, all of these things would make our Club more fun and rewarding to use, and it would just be more satisfying to be able to use the Club on a more frequent basis.br / br / /p div align=center class=bbc_centerimg class=bbc_img alt=Posted Image src=http://i45.tinypic.com/2l8w2ti.jpg //div pbr / br / strong class=bbc /strongAnd finally, what would a rant about our lousy Club be if we didnt mention the rewards? For starters, as we all know, we still have the same five items on offer since the Clubs inception - the Wii Remote Stand (the most useless product there), Mario Print Face Towels (which youd probably em class=bbcnever/em use), the decent Nintendo DS Case/Stylus Set along with the DS Game Wallet, and the Game amp; Watch Collection (a game worth of only a couple of spins before you put it away). Bottom line: we need more/better items. And without any further ado, heres a list of some of the overseas rewards that weve missed out on:br / /p ul class=bbc lia rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=https://club.nintendo.com/rewards-details/a/11502.doThe Legend of Zelda 3-Poster Series/a/li lia rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=https://club.nintendo.com/rewards-details/a/10510.doMario Nintendo DS Game Rack/a/li lia rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=https://club.nintendo.com/rewards-details/a/10505.doHanafuda cards/a/li liVarious soundtracks, including Super Mario Galaxy, Animal Crossing, Kirby Ultra Super Deluxe and Mario amp; Luigi RPG series/li lia rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=http://club.nintendo.jp/present/itempop_24.htmlMario pins/a/li lia rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=http://club.nintendo.jp/present/itempop_p091.htmlKirby Frisbee/a (lawl)/li lia rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-10s-77-g-49-en-15-%22Club+Nintendo%22-70-3po2.htmlSuper Famicom Classic Controller/a/li lia rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Club-Nintendo-Star-Tenbillion-NEW_W0QQitemZ110484853398QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item19b9691296Star TenBillion puzzle/a/li liVarious Nintendo DS colours/li liVarious GameCube/Wavebird controller colours/designs/li lia rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-4b-77-1-49-en-15-%22Club+Nintendo%22-70-1pqg.htmlThe Legend of Zelda Collection/a/li lia rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-9g-77-6-49-en-15-%22Club+Nintendo%22-70-239s.htmlTingles Balloon Fight/a/li lia rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-10u-77-2-49-en-15-%22Club+Nintendo%22-70-390n.htmlWii TV Remote Control/a (yeah, thats never gonna happen)/li lia rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-10u-77-n-49-en-15-%22Club+Nintendo%22-70-3fxo.htmlGolden Wii Wheel/a/li lia rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=http://club.nintendo.jp/rank2009/index.htmlGame amp; Watch BALL/a (neither is this)/li lia rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=http://club.nintendo.jp/present/itempop_26.htmlWii Business Cards/a/li lia rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/club_nintendo/starsCatalogueCheckout_p2.do?starsItemId=9B19C887CF36447480F960161B845C1BThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Statue/a/li lia rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=http://cgi.ebay.com/Club-Nintendo-Platinum-Gold-Mario-Statue-Figure-golden-/250584128473Mario Statue/a/li liNintendo Points Cards/li /ul pbr / As you can see, there is a great deal of fantastic rewards that could be offered to us. So there is no reason for Nintendo to contemplate offering wallpapers, ringtones or other crap. But for now, thanks to sites like a rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=http://shop.ebay.com.au/i.html?_nkw=%22club+nintendo%22+-imagine+-%22family+sport%22+-winx+-Walalae+-Sonderausgabe+-Ausgabe+-WAIALAE+-NFL+-Neuware+-%22Golf+Club%22+-football+-Abenteuer+-PETZ+-Solomons+-INDOOR+-GIULIAamp;_sacat=0amp;_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313amp;_sop=12amp;LH_AvailTo=15amp;_dmpt=AU_PC_Video_Games_Gamesamp;_odkw=%22club+nintendo%22+-imagine+-%22family+sport%22+-winx+-Walalae+-Sonderausgabe+-Ausgabe+-WAIALAE+-NFL+-Neuwareamp;_osacat=0amp;bkBtn=1eBay/a and a rel=nofollow title=External link class=bbc_url href=http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-19-71-99-77-f-49-en-15-%22Club+Nintendo%22.htmlPlay-Asia/a, many of these items can be purchased outright.br / /p div align=center class=bbc_centerimg class=bbc_img alt=Posted Image src=http://i40.tinypic.com/4qshfb.jpg //div pbr / br / In late October last year, the site went down for a couple of days. Naturally, we anticipated new items would be put up, but it was to be a false sense of hope.br / br / According to an article written by Nintendo Life a couple of months ago, Club Nintendo isnt officially run by Nintendo Australia. Hence, its not up to them when they offer new rewards. Apparently, quot;bigquot; decisions like that are handled overseas, though they remained vague on the specifics. In other words, theyre left just as in the dark about the situation as the rest of us are.br / br / /p div align=center class=bbc_centerimg class=bbc_img alt=Posted Image src=http://i50.tinypic.com/n3vm1y.jpg //div pbr / br / Has Club Nintendo lived up to our expectations? Hell no. So how would you like Club Nintendo to improve in the future? What new items would you like to see (regardless of whether they are offered on other Clubs)? In what new ways would you like to be able to earn Stars?br / br / For a regularly updated list of Club Nintendo-eligible titles and the most in-depth information about our Club Nintendo program, head on over to my Club Nintendo Guide in the Forums./p

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Akiyo, on 12 March 2010 - 08:05 AM, said:

Honestly, before I got my Wii Remote Stand I didn't have anywhere official to put them. They'd usually sit on my bedside table, but often ended up on my desk/stack of books/television too. And it seems to be just as practical as the Nintendo DS Case/Stylus Set, which I'd never buy because I already keep all of my DS games in a small tin that looks like a NES controller. It just seems unfair that you'd single out the Wii Remote Stand when there really are much worse things that you could get.

Sure, if you didn't have a proper place to put them before then, yes, the Stand is fine. And I know that there are worse things we could get, but I'm just talking about what we have now.

playa271, on 12 March 2010 - 10:45 AM, said:

just wondering from the whole expiration aspect. I have yet to register my club point cards, but also even more importantly I have yet to register myself, therefore are my points safe in terms of expiration date from not being registered? if that makes sense :confused:

I understand what you mean. Yes, they are safe. They can't begin to expire unless you register them.

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