Club Nintendo Update! Good News!

[Tanooki]

Wonderful 101 on a base level was a fun game for people but there was a fairly notable amount of people who complained online about the touch controls screwing up playing the game. I have no idea if it's a legit issue as much as butterfingers. I remember it being about the finger patterns to draw/do when setting up large/chained attacks would get fouled up. I'd look that up then decide. Ultimately though you'll get more out of a fitness game than 101 anyways since you'll put far more hours on it.

[Cornelius]

I did a bit of reading about Wii Fit U when I got it and a couple of the meters. From my experience and what I read, the meters are great devices and you can review the data which is pretty interesting, potentially useful. Minimal graphics upgrade. Some added workout stuff and more customizable.

And what I read is that the big drawback of the U software is that there is even more interruption by the talky board thing than before. So for identical 30 minute workouts, the U version can take several minutes longer because the thing won't shut up. My wife did the workouts more on Wii fit +, and hasn't used U much yet, so we don't have personal experience. I just use the tracking stuff.

So as for Wii Fit U, I'd say it depends on how you use it.

Looking in the future, I doubt the physical version of either will be expensive in the long run, but 101 is holding higher than I would have thought. And the old fit software is dirt cheap, so I'd expect that's where the U version will go eventually.

[CRTGAMER]

Please help me on this... Wii Fit U or Wonderful 101?

My Wii is still plugged into my TV alongside my Wii U and so I still play Wii Fit + often. With that in mind, is Wii Fit U good enough to upgrade to? My being a Wii Fit fan = yes I should get Wii Fit U, but my still having my Wii setup so I can play the Wii version anytime is what makes me wonder if it's worth getting the Wii U version.

And on the other side of this - is Wonderful 101 that good?

Maybe best to buy physical prizes or download games that do not have a disc option? Wait until the disc versions drop in price as the used market opens up. That will save issues of the DL game locked to just one console and taking up the limited console memory space.

Oh and hold off on ALL DL purchases until after the Platinum and Gold announcements. You might just get one of the games as the prize.

[megasdkirby]

These last few days have been hell trying to cash in my points, thanks to the site being hammered by users. But I was finally able to score the following:

-The Legend of Zelda™: Majora’s Mask 3D Messenger Bag
-Fierce Deity Link Jigsaw Puzzle
-Animal Crossing Mini Playing Cards
-2016 Desktop Calendar

Still have a little over 600 coins...debating on getting:

-3DS XL Pouch: The Legend of Zelda

or wait to see if I can score another 200 coins somehow and get another Messenger Bag.

Touch decision...

[Cornelius]

These last few days have been hell trying to cash in my points, thanks to the site being hammered by users. But I was finally able to score the following:

-The Legend of Zelda™: Majora’s Mask 3D Messenger Bag
-Fierce Deity Link Jigsaw Puzzle
-Animal Crossing Mini Playing Cards
-2016 Desktop Calendar

Still have a little over 600 coins...debating on getting:

-3DS XL Pouch: The Legend of Zelda

or wait to see if I can score another 200 coins somehow and get another Messenger Bag.

Touch decision...

Get the zelda pouch, you've already got a messenger bag! I went with the pouch because I know I can actually use it.

I'm at about 400 coins and debating if I should open some games I haven't gotten around to playing. I've got Pokemon White 2, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire, plus a Link between worlds because I'd misplaced my copy and was no longer certain I owned it (oops). Can still return Link. Plus I have a Mario 3DS XL I could open. Decisions decisions.

[The 1 2 P]

It was nice that they finally gave us some variety but the vast majority of 3DS offerings were already featured several times as part of their monthly offerings. The Legend of Zelda for Nes and Metroid II for GB should have been replaced with Super Mario Bros. 2 or 3 or any of a large number of games that haven't been featured month to month. I already have most of the 3DS games they are offering digitally but it's really something they should have had awhile ago since some people prefer digital to carts. I'm also disappointed about what they did with Tetris for GB. They stopped selling that at the end of December apparently due to a licensing issue with Ubisoft's new version of Tetris. But they knew this was going to happen for atleast a few months so why not make Tetris one of the free offerings in November or December.

It always seemed like the US version of Club Nintendo was nothing more than an afterthought and I'd been sitting on more than 1000 points for quite some time because they kept offering the same shit over and over again, atleast on the 3DS. I did find enough games to use most of my points but I'm glad they are getting rid of this version of Club Nintendo because it really does suck. The Japanese have always been their top priority. Hopefully that changes with whatever new version they come out with next.

[Leo_A]

Anyone notice the price disparity in some of the offerings across multiple platforms? Especially odd where the Wii version of the same game is 50 coins more than the Wii U version.

[Nz17]

And now for the final hurrah: the Platinum and Gold "Elite Status" rewards for 2014-2015.

Platinum - 3DS Options
Animal Crossing New Leaf
Mario Golf World Tour
Mario Kart 7
Mario Party Island Tour
New Super Mario Bros 2
Yoshi's New Island
Ultimate NES Remix

Gold - 3DS Options
Pushmo
Crashmo
Freakyforms: Your Creations Alive
Super Mario Bros 3
Super Mario Bros Deluxe
Legend of Zelda Oracle of Seasons
Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
The Mysterious Murasame Castle

Platinum - Wii U Options
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
NES Remix 2
Punch-Out (Wii)
Pushmo World
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)

Gold - Wii U Options
Advance Wars
Legend of Zelda
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Metroid Fusion
Super Mario Bros The Lost Levels
Super Mario Kart
WarioWare Mega Microgame$
Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island

The rewards will be redeemable until April 30, 2015. That means you have until the end of this month to get the last of what's on offer. Well, you have a few more months to redeem club coins for the things available in exchange for coins, and a few months after that to use the download codes... but you know what I mean.

I'm going to be getting "The Mysterious Murasame Castle."

[Tanooki]

I'm going between being safe having SMB3 on the go or Murasame Castle which is definitely unique.

Still need to cash out the coins now we see the false rumor was baseless of other options so that'll end up being Punchout as the rest weren't much good.

[Leo_A]

Super Mario Bros. 3 on the 3DS? No thanks, not without button mapping options.

I went with Yoshi's Island for the Wii U. While I didn't platinum this year, I would've went for this one regardless just like last year when I did reach that status yet skipped the premium offerings like NES Remix (I took Kid Icarus last time, since Earthbound doesn't do anything for me and NES Remix had just had a retail release announced).

[FieryReign]

Why is this site always experiencing heavy traffic with maintenance problems? It's fucking ridiculous that a huge corporation such as Nintendo can't maintain its servers. It would be nice to redeem my goddamn gift, but they seem to be playing with me. Thanks Nintendo, for offering a game that I can't redeem....

[Tanooki]

Ditto, it's pissing me off.

The one time I got in and said I got a prize, when I went to click it, it zerod out my coins and said I couldn't get it, then said it was down again. I don't think they get it, then again perhaps they do. I think they know they have no clue how to run a full fledged Nintendo Network that handles registration, prizes, potential trophies, carried over data, full blown accounts, none of it and that's why they bought a piece of DENA and have them doing something big for them now. DENA knows their shit, big companies trust them with some of their most coveted franchises, the latest being SquareEnix with that raging popular FF Record Keeper on Android/iOS being scooped up and played by millions.

Nintendo is out of their element and outclassed so they've clearly given up and have shoveled their networking needs off to a competent party, and it couldn't be sooner. I shouldn't have to stress over not getting 2 f'n NES games on a download thing for the elite and the left over coins. Hell I already own the real games technically (PO vs MTPO being the technicality) but it would be nice to have those on my New3DS on the go.

[Leo_A]

I can't say as I really blame them for not having infrastructure in place to smoothly support the busiest times for the service, that probably account for less than 1% of the total time. That's a lot of investment that would just be idle the vast majority of the time.

I don't understand though why even in the middle of the night, it's busy. I managed to get my award, but it still loaded odd and timed out a few times. Most North Americans are asleep and if the servers are even shared, Europeans are largely at work or school.

I thought by doing it at 4AM, it would be hassle free.

[Jorpho]

The rewards will be redeemable until April 30, 2015. That means you have until the end of this month to get the last of what's on offer.

Where do you see that? I saw May 15.

I worked out that I have two Platinum rewards at my disposal. I'm trying to decide if I should just get Yoshi's New Island and Animal Crossing (neither of which particularly appeal to me), or if I should trade away one of them, considering Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze is just worth so much more.

I'm also trying to decide what to do with my remaining 1100 points (having managed to log in long enough today to get a pouch). The poster set is still listed, but for some daft reason it's sold out when you click on it! I'm not particularly interested in the card case or messenger bag, but options are limited.

[Gameguy]

I've never had enough points to redeem for anything, you need to buy a lot of Nintendo developed games to get those codes. I'm surprised so many people here could redeem them for anything.

[Leo_A]

They add up fairly quick. Just one retail release with 80 or so points could get you around halfway to downloading something for free (Prices largely ranged from 150-250 points).

Just a 3DS or Wii U and a single 1st party game should've gotten you enough to download something for free, with quite possibly some change. And then that free download could be registered to give you a start on earning something new.

Then, things like Virtual Console upgrades and promotions like the Deluxe Digital program and Mario Kart 8's free bonus game download (Which counted for full Club Nintendo credit, as if you actually bought the game), helped things along as well.

I'm still kicking myself for waiting so long to join. Never did until the Wii U, and by then, it was too late to fill our surveys for downloads of Virtual Console downloads on the Wii (Over 30 VC downloads, don't want to know how much credit that would've amounted to). And several of my retail games had expired codes, like Spirit Tracks, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Metroid Prime Trilogy (Oddly enough, despite waiting so long, Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Galaxy, and Phantom Hourglass all worked fine despite being bought at or near launch).

[FieryReign]

I've never had enough points to redeem for anything, you need to buy a lot of Nintendo developed games to get those codes. I'm surprised so many people here could redeem them for anything.

They don't need to be Nintendo developed games but I don't understand why ALL new physical copies don't have codes inside them.

Finally got in and got my free Mario Golf. But wait, the entire game is not actually free, I need to pay almost 40 bucks to unlock the whole thing.

[Nz17]

Where do you see that? I saw May 15.

What I wrote I copied from Nintendo World Report. But you can verify that info at Nintendo's Web site.

2015 Elite Status

In order to reach Elite Status, you must earn 300 Coins (for Gold Status) or 600 Coins (for Platinum Status) between July 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015. Members who reach Elite Status will be able to choose a downloadable game from a wide selection of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U titles. Your free Elite Status gift will be available between April 1 and April 30, 2015. A list of the Elite Status 2015 gifts will be posted here once announced.

And as far as the expiration date for the download codes themselves:

Will the download code ever expire?

Yes, all download codes redeemed from Club Nintendo will expire on July 31, 2015, so please be sure to download your game from the Nintendo eShop before that date.

I've never had enough points to redeem for anything, you need to buy a lot of Nintendo developed games to get those codes. I'm surprised so many people here could redeem them for anything.

That kind-of sort-of used to be the case. Club Nintendo "coin" redemption cards used to only be found in games published by Nintendo. But toward the end of the DS's life, Nintendo opened up the program to other software publishers. Those companies had to pay to be a part of the Club program, but if they did, they would get access to the collected surveys' data for their games. So you started to see Wii and DS games with the Club cards which were published by Nintendo and other companies as well. Eventually this extended to the 3DS and Wii U, and also expanded to cover digital downloads with time. However, as being part of the Club cost participating companies money, many publishers chose not to join in. That's why even after the program was opened up, you still didn't see Club cards with games from all publishers.

Gameguy, I used to feel like you do. As I never saw myself purchasing enough Nintendo-published games to ever get anything worthwhile, I didn't register any Club Nintendo cards for coins. But once the program was being used by enough publishers to finally seem worthwhile, I started registering the codes. It took quite some time, but I did finally get somewhere with it! I got a small bunch of physical rewards out of the program over the years - I even got Platinum and Gold elite statuses a few times! - and a lot of games I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Without Club Nintendo, there would have been many games otherwise left on my to-buy-later list instead of downloaded onto my consoles. All-in-all, it worked out pretty well. Not as well as Europe and Japan with their Club Nintendo programs, but then again, they pay twice as much for their games, so I somewhat understand why things were the way they were. It still doesn't explain why we didn't just get those same rewards offered at double the coin cost, though.

Of course, all that is ending. We are already not seeing Club Nintendo cards packed in with recently published 3DS and Wii U games. Even if you find some Club cards, you can't redeem them anymore.

It makes you wonder what the follow-up Nintendo loyalty program will be like. My guess is that it will all be integrated with your Nintendo Network ID and the eShops, so you don't have to manually enter codes anymore. That will be a relief! It was always such a pain entering those 16-character download codes with the 3DS's touch screen. I believe the rewards in the new program will all be digital game downloads. It will save Nintendo a ton of money not having to manufacture and ship physical rewards. It will be sad to lose those delicious tangible goods, but so goes the general direction of the industry. Hopefully though, we will no longer have to fill out any of those surveys! It wouldn't be so bad if they were more interesting, but 98% of the time, it was always the same set of boring questions.

[Jorpho]

What I wrote I copied from Nintendo World Report. But you can verify that info at Nintendo's Web site.

2015 Elite Status

In order to reach Elite Status, you must earn 300 Coins (for Gold Status) or 600 Coins (for Platinum Status) between July 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015. Members who reach Elite Status will be able to choose a downloadable game from a wide selection of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U titles. Your free Elite Status gift will be available between April 1 and April 30, 2015. A list of the Elite Status 2015 gifts will be posted here once announced.

I think that's supposed to mean "will be available starting between April 1 and April 30, 2015". Because it definitely says May 15, to be clear.



The posters have become available again! Decision time!

EDIT: No they're not! Nintendo taunts me!

[Leo_A]

What's up with the creepy looking mutated kangaroo?