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Club Nintendo: Do's & Don'ts
11 years ago
Club Nintendo: Do's & Don'ts
So, you were eagerly awaiting to see what the final Club Nintendo offerings were going to be, and now they've struck! Now comes the hard part: to decide what to get with what remains of your hard earned coins!
Don't worry yourself TOO much, though! Luni is here to help with some tasty tips!...get outta my pantry!
The first thing you should ask yourself is: Do you want any of the physical rewards offered, or are you okay with just games?
If you do want physical rewards, then those need to be redeemed first. As anyone who has been a part of Club Nintendo knows, the physical rewards can and do run out.
Right now, they're offering 9 new items, alongside the other remaining 3: a 3DS carrying case, a desk calendar for 2016 (seriously, is anyone going to get this before everything else?), some Animal Crossing playing cards that were exclusive to Japan's club, a poster set that was a previous year's Platinum rewards, a jigsaw puzzle, a messenger bag, a t-shirt, and a couple of other goodies.
I find it interesting that two offered rewards are from previous years, either from Japan or NA platinum rewards. The one that a lot of folks seem to be digging is that messenger bag, which I think would have benefited from the design being purple or white or SOMETHING other than black on top of black.
But anyway, any of these you should go for first, because they're not going to be around forever.
So, okay, you either got your physical rewards chosen and ordered, or you just don't give a flip about those. What about EXCLUSIVE video games?
Well, Club Nintendo actually never did have much to offer far as exclusive ones went.
Right now in NA, you can get Grill-Off with Ultra Hand! for 80 coins, a small WiiWare title that stars...you guessed it, Ultra Hand. (For those that don't know, the Ultra Hand was a toy designed and made by Gunpei Yokoi while working at Nintendo. It was then manufactured by Nintendo, propelling Gunpei's career. Gunpei would go on to help design ROB, the Game Boy, Metroid, Wario, & the Virtua Boy).
The only other exclusive is Doc Louis' Punch-Out!!, which was a 2009 platinum exclusive. You had a choice of a Mario Hat or this WiiWare download, and now you have another shot at it for only 250 coins!
Both games will run you a total of 330 coins, which is not bad if you want something both digital and exclusive.
But okay, you've got your physical rewards ordered, and you've already got both of the 2 exclusive games downloaded...what else is there? Well, that's honestly where we're coming in at; with 116 other possible game choices, there's a LOT to pick from! But which ones are good? Which ones are crap?
One thing that should influence your purchases is if you own a Wii U or not. If so, then you should be careful with some of your selections.
Reason is, a few titles are repeated in the section. Notably, Super Metroid, Super Punch-Out!! & Pilotwings.
All of these games are offered for both the Wii, and the Wii U. If you have the Wii U, you want to make double sure you select the Wii U option.
First, because it is easier to access, right from the Wii U menu. As opposed to the Wii version, which requires you to access the Wii emulator menu before selecting the game.
Second, the Wii versions cost 50 coins MORE than their Wii U counterparts. I don't understand why, but for some reason, they do. Right now, coins are at a premium as you're trying to stretch them as far as you can, and to spend more and have a more cumbersome experience doesn't make any sense.
But other game choices are just as baffling. For some reason, Wii Party U is set at a premium 850 coins, which is more than even the Majora's Mask messenger bag, or the Fierce Deity Link jigsaw puzzle. It is, in fact, the most expensive offering.
I could understand it, if the game was paired with a Wii Motion Plus controller as it is in retail. But just the game alone isn't really worth that, considering it's a collection of mini-games and digital board games. Most everyone either owns a copy of Mario Party, or has at least played one. (and if you're a big fan of these type of games, Mario Party 2 is being offered for a Wii download at a much more affable 250 coins).
Wii Fit U isn't a good choice either, unless you already have a Wii Balance Board. Even then, at 600 coins, you're more likely to pass on another slightly updated version of some exercise software you have in favor of a higher profile game, such as Super Mario 3D Land, DKC Returns 3D, or Wonderful 101.
Then there's odd pairings of things like Dr. Mario as a VC game on Wii U, and Dr. Luigi. While Dr. Luigi is 100 more coins (300 vs. Dr. Mario's 200), that extra 100 coins nets you more modes to play around with, and online competition. It's obviously a smarter move to go with that, unless you're just scraping the bottom of your coin bag and REALLY like the original Dr. Mario.
There's also things such as NES Golf, NES Open, and then 2 Mario Golf titles(One for the Wii, and one for the 3DS). With the exception of Mario Golf 64 on the Wii, they all come in at 200 coins (with Golf 64 coming in at 250. What is with the Wii seemingly having this premium charge?).
Between the 4 titles, your best bet would be either NES Open if you're curious to see what an 8-bit Mario Golf is like, or the Game Boy title on the 3DS for golfing on the go. NES Golf can be ignored, as NES Open was a smartly updated version. Why they put both, is unfathomable.
Also odd choices are the Brain Age titles. Concentration Training comes in at a whopping 600 coins, but only retails for about 20 or 30. The Express titles are also very meh choices, as they're just smaller chunks of an overall more complete package. Sudoku might be a good choice, if you happen to really like those puzzles.
And lastly, there's the 2 Excitebike games: 3D Classic Excitebike and World Rally. While seemingly similar games, it would appear that 3D Excitebike is considered the superior choice. and if you have the choice of World Rally on Wii, or 3D Classics on the 3DS, the 3DS one is less cumbersome (just boot it from the start pages), and costs 50 coins less.
So really, my picks for digital games would be as follows:
Do's:
Doc Louis' Punch-Out!!
Grill-Off with Ultra Hand!
Earthbound
Dr. Luigi
Wonderful 101
DKC Returns 3D
Super Mario 3D Land
Super Metroid (Wii U if you have a Wii U)
Punch-Out!!
Super Punch-Out!! (Wii U if you have a Wii U)
Super Mario World
NES Remix
Donkey Kong (Game Boy game on 3DS)
Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels
Yoshi's Island
Super Smash Bros.
Wario Land 2
3D Classics: Excitebike
Don'ts:
Game & Wario
Wii Party U
Wii Fit U
NES Golf
NES Pinball
Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Donkey Kong 3
Ice Climber
Balloon Fight
1080 Snowboarding
Snowpack Park
Brain Age: Concentration Training, OR the Express titles
Kid Icarus
Dillon's Rolling Western
Dillon's Rolling Western: Last Ranger
...and that's about it, really! There's other titles, but to me, these are the things to look out for.
So happy hunting, guys! Hope everyone out there gets at least something they want from these final rewards!
So, you were eagerly awaiting to see what the final Club Nintendo offerings were going to be, and now they've struck! Now comes the hard part: to decide what to get with what remains of your hard earned coins!
Don't worry yourself TOO much, though! Luni is here to help with some tasty tips!...get outta my pantry!
The first thing you should ask yourself is: Do you want any of the physical rewards offered, or are you okay with just games?
If you do want physical rewards, then those need to be redeemed first. As anyone who has been a part of Club Nintendo knows, the physical rewards can and do run out.
Right now, they're offering 9 new items, alongside the other remaining 3: a 3DS carrying case, a desk calendar for 2016 (seriously, is anyone going to get this before everything else?), some Animal Crossing playing cards that were exclusive to Japan's club, a poster set that was a previous year's Platinum rewards, a jigsaw puzzle, a messenger bag, a t-shirt, and a couple of other goodies.
I find it interesting that two offered rewards are from previous years, either from Japan or NA platinum rewards. The one that a lot of folks seem to be digging is that messenger bag, which I think would have benefited from the design being purple or white or SOMETHING other than black on top of black.
But anyway, any of these you should go for first, because they're not going to be around forever.
So, okay, you either got your physical rewards chosen and ordered, or you just don't give a flip about those. What about EXCLUSIVE video games?
Well, Club Nintendo actually never did have much to offer far as exclusive ones went.
Right now in NA, you can get Grill-Off with Ultra Hand! for 80 coins, a small WiiWare title that stars...you guessed it, Ultra Hand. (For those that don't know, the Ultra Hand was a toy designed and made by Gunpei Yokoi while working at Nintendo. It was then manufactured by Nintendo, propelling Gunpei's career. Gunpei would go on to help design ROB, the Game Boy, Metroid, Wario, & the Virtua Boy).
The only other exclusive is Doc Louis' Punch-Out!!, which was a 2009 platinum exclusive. You had a choice of a Mario Hat or this WiiWare download, and now you have another shot at it for only 250 coins!
Both games will run you a total of 330 coins, which is not bad if you want something both digital and exclusive.
But okay, you've got your physical rewards ordered, and you've already got both of the 2 exclusive games downloaded...what else is there? Well, that's honestly where we're coming in at; with 116 other possible game choices, there's a LOT to pick from! But which ones are good? Which ones are crap?
One thing that should influence your purchases is if you own a Wii U or not. If so, then you should be careful with some of your selections.
Reason is, a few titles are repeated in the section. Notably, Super Metroid, Super Punch-Out!! & Pilotwings.
All of these games are offered for both the Wii, and the Wii U. If you have the Wii U, you want to make double sure you select the Wii U option.
First, because it is easier to access, right from the Wii U menu. As opposed to the Wii version, which requires you to access the Wii emulator menu before selecting the game.
Second, the Wii versions cost 50 coins MORE than their Wii U counterparts. I don't understand why, but for some reason, they do. Right now, coins are at a premium as you're trying to stretch them as far as you can, and to spend more and have a more cumbersome experience doesn't make any sense.
But other game choices are just as baffling. For some reason, Wii Party U is set at a premium 850 coins, which is more than even the Majora's Mask messenger bag, or the Fierce Deity Link jigsaw puzzle. It is, in fact, the most expensive offering.
I could understand it, if the game was paired with a Wii Motion Plus controller as it is in retail. But just the game alone isn't really worth that, considering it's a collection of mini-games and digital board games. Most everyone either owns a copy of Mario Party, or has at least played one. (and if you're a big fan of these type of games, Mario Party 2 is being offered for a Wii download at a much more affable 250 coins).
Wii Fit U isn't a good choice either, unless you already have a Wii Balance Board. Even then, at 600 coins, you're more likely to pass on another slightly updated version of some exercise software you have in favor of a higher profile game, such as Super Mario 3D Land, DKC Returns 3D, or Wonderful 101.
Then there's odd pairings of things like Dr. Mario as a VC game on Wii U, and Dr. Luigi. While Dr. Luigi is 100 more coins (300 vs. Dr. Mario's 200), that extra 100 coins nets you more modes to play around with, and online competition. It's obviously a smarter move to go with that, unless you're just scraping the bottom of your coin bag and REALLY like the original Dr. Mario.
There's also things such as NES Golf, NES Open, and then 2 Mario Golf titles(One for the Wii, and one for the 3DS). With the exception of Mario Golf 64 on the Wii, they all come in at 200 coins (with Golf 64 coming in at 250. What is with the Wii seemingly having this premium charge?).
Between the 4 titles, your best bet would be either NES Open if you're curious to see what an 8-bit Mario Golf is like, or the Game Boy title on the 3DS for golfing on the go. NES Golf can be ignored, as NES Open was a smartly updated version. Why they put both, is unfathomable.
Also odd choices are the Brain Age titles. Concentration Training comes in at a whopping 600 coins, but only retails for about 20 or 30. The Express titles are also very meh choices, as they're just smaller chunks of an overall more complete package. Sudoku might be a good choice, if you happen to really like those puzzles.
And lastly, there's the 2 Excitebike games: 3D Classic Excitebike and World Rally. While seemingly similar games, it would appear that 3D Excitebike is considered the superior choice. and if you have the choice of World Rally on Wii, or 3D Classics on the 3DS, the 3DS one is less cumbersome (just boot it from the start pages), and costs 50 coins less.
So really, my picks for digital games would be as follows:
Do's:
Doc Louis' Punch-Out!!
Grill-Off with Ultra Hand!
Earthbound
Dr. Luigi
Wonderful 101
DKC Returns 3D
Super Mario 3D Land
Super Metroid (Wii U if you have a Wii U)
Punch-Out!!
Super Punch-Out!! (Wii U if you have a Wii U)
Super Mario World
NES Remix
Donkey Kong (Game Boy game on 3DS)
Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels
Yoshi's Island
Super Smash Bros.
Wario Land 2
3D Classics: Excitebike
Don'ts:
Game & Wario
Wii Party U
Wii Fit U
NES Golf
NES Pinball
Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Donkey Kong 3
Ice Climber
Balloon Fight
1080 Snowboarding
Snowpack Park
Brain Age: Concentration Training, OR the Express titles
Kid Icarus
Dillon's Rolling Western
Dillon's Rolling Western: Last Ranger
...and that's about it, really! There's other titles, but to me, these are the things to look out for.
So happy hunting, guys! Hope everyone out there gets at least something they want from these final rewards!
I still think to this day that it's such a shame that Mother 3 (Earthbound 2 in U.S.?) never got released stateside, thinking back. :b
What's even weirder is, they could TOTALLY release Mother 1! They did the work of translating it into English years back, even before Earthbound came out over here. So why they don't just put it up on the eShop, I don't know...