Club Nintendo Update! Good News!

[Nz17]

So now we get to see what Japan gets. I'll give you a hint: it's better than ours!

Check out the latest swag that is coming to Japanese Nintendo fans!

Club Nintendo Picross Plus and a special Japanese Mario-themed calendar are going to be awarded to Platinum Club Nintendo members in Japan.

Club Nintendo Picross Plus features over 100 new puzzles based on characters from such franchises as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda and Animal Crossing. The game will be a 164 block download and available only to Platinum Club Nintendo members.

The 2015 Club Nintendo original calendar features Mario characters wearing seasonal garb related to traditional Japanese holidays. The calendar will be distributed to both Gold and Platinum Club Nintendo members.

Neither award has a release date at this time, though typically Club Nintendo Japan items get to members before the end of the calendar year.

Source: http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/38594/

As the article isn't particularly clear on this, I'll elaborate: all Elite members (Gold + Platinum) get the neat cardboard-looking paper calendar, plus Platinum members also get the exclusive Picross game.

Now I'm not a mega Picross fan, but while others' opinions will vary, I think that Japan once again gets the better rewards. They are collectable, they are limited, they have exclusive art, they are Club Nintendo branded, and the Platinum folks get two rewards instead of one... and there's no chance any of the Elite members had a copy of this exclusive Picross game from any earlier acquisition.

[Niku-Sama]

so are we expecting any thing note worthy on the US side of things?

[Mayhem]

Now I'm not a mega Picross fan, but while others' opinions will vary, I think that Japan once again gets the better rewards. They are collectable, they are limited, they have exclusive art, they are Club Nintendo branded, and the Platinum folks get two rewards instead of one... and there's no chance any of the Elite members had a copy of this exclusive Picross game from any earlier acquisition.

They're going out with a bang then... I've been told the Gold and Platinum rewards in Japan are now being stopped from next year onwards.

[Tanooki]

That's a decent reward since it's unique even if it's a download but to make up for it being vapor you get the calendar too. Once again NOA puts the screws to us. I haven't bothered registering anything with them for much of this year over it.

[Nz17]

Important Information on Club Nintendo Program Discontinuation

Dear Club Nintendo Members,

Thank you for your continued loyalty to Nintendo.

We launched Club Nintendo 6 years ago in North America, and we’re grateful for all of the feedback that our members have provided on your experiences with our products.

In order to focus on planning for a new customer loyalty program for our fans, we’ve decided to wind-down the Club Nintendo program. We are deeply thankful to our members for being a part of Club Nintendo for all of these years.

We will share details about our new program at a later date. For now, please see the schedule below for information on the discontinuation timeframe for Club Nintendo.

All Coins will be deleted when Club Nintendo accounts are closed on July 1, 2015. As a result, to give our members the best opportunity to use their Coins, we will add dozens of downloadable games and a limited quantity of exclusive reward items to the rewards catalog in February. In addition, as a small token of appreciation for your loyalty, all Club Nintendo members will receive a free download code for Flipnote Studio 3D in February 2015. Please visit here for information on the software and how to get the download code.

Club Nintendo program discontinuation schedule
1/20/2015 Products released after this date are not eligible for registration with Club Nintendo
3/31/2015 Last day to earn Coins, register products with Club Nintendo, and sign up for new Club Nintendo membership
6/30/2015 Last day to redeem Coins or access your account on the Club Nintendo website. Club Nintendo program shuts down at 11:59pm PT on 6/30/2015.

Source: http://club2.nintendo.com/program-notice/

That's right, Club Nintendo is being cancelled WORLD-WIDE.

More information:
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/n...e-discontinued (North America/English)
http://club2.nintendo.com/program-notice/index-fr.html (North America/French)
http://www.nintendo.co.uk/News/2015/.../x-949921.html (United Kingdom/English)
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/support/in...2015/0120.html (Japan/Japanese)

To summarize, the bad news is that Club Nintendo will be dead soon. The good news is: a new loyalty program will replace Club Nintendo this year, Flipnote Studio 3D is not dead, Flipnote Studio 3D is launching in February for free, (curiously) there will still be special rewards for Gold and Platinum Elite Status members of Club Nintendo this year, and dozens of digital and physical rewards will be added to the Club Nintendo catalog as a final hurrah in February.

[Leo_A]

Going to have to dig through my Wii games soon. Should have enough unused codes for at least one final free Virtual Console download (And enough to get me to Gold... hopefully there's a last round of Gold/Platinum rewards to ring out Club Nintendo).

This month's round is disappointing though. Several, perhaps all 4 Wii/Wii U selections, have been past choices just in the last 3 or 4 rounds. Not sure about 3DS but wouldn't be surprised if the situation was the same.

Would like to get Excitebike World Rally for free. Can't ever seem to justify $10 for it.

[Tanooki]

Darn shirt I was interested in is gone. :\ My past shirts from them have lasted a LONG time. I still have the Zelda Four Swords Gamecube freebie shirt and wear it regularly. The stuff up there for a long time has been very lame but hopefully they'll do something nice on the way out just to clear out the coinage. I'm curious to see what the replacement is.

I'm also curious to find out what they'll do with the New3DS and the code sheets I imagine are in the box on those in other regions, and in ours it would have been excluded so will there be something for the next one or will new buyers get hosed while those waiting a few months into the new club planned get the credit.

[thegamezmaster]

I've been pissed with Club Nintendo since my points started expiring. I don't even bother registering my games anymore. At least now I know I'm not really missing out on anything good.

Agreed. What a waste. Plus Nintendo's good at beating a dead horse.

[Nz17]

Darn shirt I was interested in is gone.

I wanted that NES Remix 2 shirt too (and the Yoshi's New Island one), but unfortunately all the shirts introduced after the 8-bit pixel Mario shirt were very "expensive" coin-wise. Unfortunately, that means the only Club Nintendo shirt I own is the one with the NES Mario sprites. It's a nice shirt, but still, I wish I could have gotten more. (And the size I ordered the shirt in is a bit snug, so I wish I would have ordered a larger one.)

I know it is not the same, but this NES Remix 2 shirt auction on eBay is currently sitting at $15.50 with three days left to go: http://www.ebay.com/itm/111577347736

The stuff up there for a long time has been very lame but hopefully they'll do something nice on the way out just to clear out the coinage.

I know, those Nintendogs and Mario/Luigi/Yoshi greeting cards have been sitting there a L-O-N-G time. But what do they expect? They are very costly in coins (300), and you only get 12 cards (3 designs * 4 copies) with envelopes. Most collectors and massive game buyers are going to want to keep things complete or sealed and aren't the type to go, "Time to send out cards for the holidays! Goodbye cards which took over a year to have enough coins to redeem. Find your way to my relatives!" Most people would prefer to save up just a bit more and get posters, patches, or a shirt. Ah man, but writing that does remind of the "lame" rewards on offer like... shoelaces and Wii straps!

I'm also curious to find out what they'll do with the New3DS and the code sheets I imagine are in the box on those in other regions, and in ours it would have been excluded so will there be something for the next one or will new buyers get hosed while those waiting a few months into the new club planned get the credit.

My guess: the New 3DS XL boxes and all game boxes for Nintendo platforms for the next several months will be without registration/loyalty program codes, and that your last guess is the correct one... the early buyers will get hosed, and the late buyers will get the lower prices and coins/stars/credits/points or whatever they will call the new tokens.

[ProjectCamaro]

This figures, I signed up for Club Nintendo literally ten days ago. I do have about 400 coins so they better have some good items coming up in February.

[Tanooki]

NZ17 good eye on ebay there, not a bad price either. They seem to sell actively for around $20 plus shipping on ebay new/XL sized which isn't too bad. I may just do that. I agree the coin price sucked, but the way I looked at it was ever since the Luigi statue they have been putting more and more garbage up there and less quality stuff with high coin values. The shirt while 'expensive' was the only real option left there, as you said the puppy and 'smb crew' cards suck. Like I said I'm not sorry to see that club go, we always got the worst of it between Japan, Europe/AUS, and the US and it bugged me so it's kind of like good riddance to bad rubbish. I just hope for whatever they're planning through close they have some nice items for the coins stored up, and whatever the parting shot will be since they 1/2'd the coin requirement for elite status.

[Nz17]

they 1/2'd the coin requirement for elite status.

Are you sure about that? Looking at the Club Nintendo Web site, it still appears that it takes 300 coins per year to get to Gold status and 600 to get to Platinum.

[Tanooki]

I read that on some gaming news site, maybe they were wrong? They claimed with the shorter period the requirement was sliced to be fair, but I could see Nintendo not doing that to save a bit too. I'm currently gold, need like 110pts.

Either way I don't see getting to platinum without buying or heisting a few codes as there's nothing they made I want anymore at this rate other than NES Remix 3DS before the cut off date.

I still would love to get a Smash Bros WiiU code, I want that music disc. :\ I still have my Gamecube smash CD.


Edit: forgot I still have smash bros 3ds sealed, that's like what another 40+10 points? Guess I need 60. The question is HOW? NES Remix 3DS is another what 40+10? It would blow to be 10 short, is there a list of eshop games as some of those are worth 10.

Edit #2: Nevermind, found it on their own site --> https://club.nintendo.com/eligible-products.do

[Az]

What's the consensus on these "dozens" of games they're planning on adding as one last hurrah in February? I have a feeling they're going to be the usual suspects; Wrecking Crew, Clu Clu Land, Ice Climber, Baseball, and other first wave NES/GB releases that aren't worth their outlandish $5 asking price to start with.

[Leo_A]

I imagine it's a safe bet that their choices will all be past selections.

Hoping a past WiiWare selection or two appears. Didn't start redeeming my codes until fairly recently, so I've missed out on a few good deals like Fluidity and Excitebike: World Rally.

I wouldn't mind seeing Zelda II or Donkey Kong 3 appear for the Wii U, but surprisingly, neither has been offered before so I doubt that will change.

[Tanooki]

You know they're cheap and that probably will be mostly it.

Every single virtual console game to have ever come up as the game of the month, if not the entire bloody library within some limits for coinage value will be it. Then for the platinum/gold awards look to last years picks and perhaps seeing that stuff is dated and perhaps already owned they'll throw a few more from this last year on there they put out or a partner they published for if they're cool with it (as NOA would compensate them anyway.)

If it ends up being just that I have no idea what the hell I'd click on as the only 3DS game I didn't already own or want digital was Donkey Kong Returns. If I had to pick one because I wouldn't just sell the voucher or give it away would probably be something like Fire Emblem so I'd be more tempted to use it as it would be IN system.

[Nz17]

We will have to wait until April for the announcement of the final Elite rewards. But for now, the mega list of the final "coin" rewards has been announced! These items are available now.

Physical Rewards
All physical rewards will be available for redemption until the end of June 30th, 2015.
===
Mario & Luigi Greeting Cards - 300 coins
Nintendogs Greeting Cards - 300 coins
Nintendo 3DS Game Card Case: 2015 Edition - 400 coins
2015 Desktop Calendar - 400 coins
Animal Crossing Mini Playing Cards - 600 coins
3DS XL Pouch: The Legend of Zelda - 600 coins
Super Smash Bros. 3-Poster Set v2 - 700 coins
Retro Mario T-Shirt - 700 coins
Limited Edition 2013 Platinum Poster Set - 700 coins
Super Smash Bros. 3-Poster Set - 700 coins
Fierce Deity Link Jigsaw Puzzle - 800 coins
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D Messenger Bag - 800 coins

Game Offers
All games codes will be available for redemption and download until the end of June 30th, 2015.
===
For Wii U only
---
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 - 200 coins
Super Punch-Out!! - 200 coins
Golden Sun - 200 coins
F-Zero - 200 coins
F-Zero: Maximum Velocity - 200 coins
Ice Climber - 200 coins
Volleyball - 200 coins
Tennis - 200 coins
Pinball - 200 coins
NES Open Tournament Golf - 200 coins
Ice Hockey - 200 coins
Golf - 200 coins
Clu Clu Land - 200 coins
Baseball - 200 coins
Wario's Woods - 200 coins
Urban Champion - 200 coins
Dr. Mario - 200 coins
Donkey Kong 3 - 200 coins
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels - 200 coins
Super Mario Bros. 3 - 200 coins
Super Mario Bros - 200 coins
Yoshi - 200 coins
Balloon Fight - 200 coins
Kid Icarus - 200 coins
Zelda II: the Adventure of Link - 200 coins
Metroid - 200 coins
Pilotwings - 200 coins
Wrecking Crew - 200 coins
Mario Bros. - 200 coins
Super Mario Bros 2 - 200 coins
Excitebike - 200 coins
Donkey Kong Jr. - 200 coins
Super Metroid - 200 coins
Super Mario World - 200 coins
Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream - 200 coins
Earthbound - 250 coins
Dr. Luigi - 300 coins
NES Remix - 300 coins
The Wonderful 101 - 600 coins
Wii Fit U - 600 coins
Game & Wario - 600 coins
Wii Party U - 850 coins

For Wii + Wii U
---
Grill-Off with Ultra Hand! - 80 coins
Clu Clu Land - 200 coins
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels - 200 coins
Zodas Revenge: StarTropics II - 200 coins
NES Play Action Football - 200 coins
Art Style: CUBELLO - 200 coins
Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! - 250 coins
Mario Golf - 250 coins
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - 250 coins
Star Fox 64 - 250 coins
F-Zero X - 250 coins
Super Mario 64 - 250 coins
Super Metroid - 250 coins
Paper Mario - 250 coins
Mario Kart 64 - 250 coins
1080° Snowboarding - 250 coins
ThruSpace - 250 coins
Super Punch-Out!! - 250 coins
Pilotwings - 250 coins
Super Smash Bros. - 250 coins
Mario Tennis - 250 coins
Eco Shooter: Plant 530 - 250 coins
Snowpack Park - 250 coins
Excitebike: World Rally - 250 coins
Mario Party 2 - 250 coins
Super Mario Kart - 250 coins
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - 250 coins
Fluidity - 250 coins

For 3DS only
---
3D Classics: TwinBee - 150 coins
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - 150 coins
Super Mario Land - 150 coins
Kersploosh! - 150 coins
Baseball - 150 coins
Kid Icarus of Myths and Monsters - 150 coins
Metroid II: Return of Samus - 150 coins
Tennis - 150 coins
Golf - 150 coins
Donkey Kong - 150 coins
Mario's Picross - 150 coins
Radar Mission - 150 coins
3D Classics: Xevious - 200 coins
Ketzal's Cooridors - 200 coins
Sparkle Snapshots 3D - 200 coins
Looksley's Line Up - 200 coins
Wario Land 2 - 200 coins
Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream - 200 coins
Mario Golf - 200 coins
Donkey Kong 3 - 200 coins
Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters - 200 coins
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - 200 coins
Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword - 200 coins
A Kappa's Trail - 200 coins
Tokyo Crash Mobs - 200 coins
Brain Age Express: Math - 200 coins
Donkey Kong Jr. - 200 coins
Metroid - 200 coins
The Legend of Zelda - 200 coins
3D Classics: Kid Icarus - 200 coins
3D Classics Excitebike - 200 coins
Brain Age Express: Sudoku - 200 coins
3D Classics: Urban Champion - 200 coins
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! - 200 coins
Chibi-Robo!: Photo Finder - 250 coins
Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move - 250 coins
Dillon's Rolling Western - 250 coins
HarmoKnight - 300 coins
Dillon's Rolling Western: The Last Ranger - 300 coins
Fluidity: Spin Cycle - 300 coins
Crosswords Plus - 600 coins
Brain Age: Concentration Training - 600 coins
Super Mario 3D Land - 600 coins
New Super Mario Bros. 2 - 600 coins
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D - 600 coins
Star Fox 64 3D - 700 coins
Paper Mario: Sticker Star - 700 coins
Kid Icarus: Uprising - 700 coins

That is quite the extensive list. If only the choice of rewards for Club Nintendo would have always been so plentiful.

[mailman187666]

I tried logging in to club nintendo, and it said it was having difficulty signing me in due to high traffic. I came back an hour later, and the site is down do to maintenance. Hopefully it comes back up tonight, I'm looking forward to using my coins.

[Dashopepper]

I was able to get the Zelda puzzle yesterday morning what there wasn't much traffic. As of now it's all backed up but hopefully I'll be able to get the Animal Crossing's cards and use my remaining points virtual console games.

[Jive3D]

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