Worst. Reward. Ever.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blog/28268
I didn't think it could get much worse than that stupid Wii Remote holder, but Nintendo has managed to do one better: cardboard. I had Club Nintendo Coins just piling up by this point and I wanted to spend 'em on something. I wasn't going to get terrycloth towels or a reversible pouch, so I decided on these new handheld history cards. They're 300 coins. And they're completely worthless.
You sound a bit butt hurt.
It failed to mention that the system launched with no good software and only half an OS.
I understand people not taking kindly to the snark, but the history cards reward is cheap and the 3DS line-up (both at launch and today) is incredibly weak.
For people who have a limited number of Club Nintendo points, it's worth knowing that there are better places to spend them on this unimpressive collectible.
Except that these aren't "free rewards". They are incentives to purchase Nintendo 1st party software new and preferably near their original release date, and to even get these incentives you have to supply Nintendo with marketing data via the surveys.
And let's take a look at that "free" angle again. Let's assume a couple of things for the purposes of easy math:
1. You're only buying Wii retail games at full retail price (rounded up a penny to $50). No sales.
2. You only concern yourself with the registration and post-play survey coins (60 total).
According to Halbred, these useless cards were 300 coins or the value of 5 Wii 1st party retail games.
5 x $50 = $250. These cards cost you $250 in Nintendo Wii 1st party retail purchases, maybe around $150 when you factor in things like sales and VC/WiiWare releases. Maybe you were going to buy those 5 games anyway, and maybe you weren't. Maybe you only bought some of them because you were mildly curious and wanted the coins. Regardless, do these cards look like they're worth what the player has to pay to obtain them?
This cheap crap on Club Nintendo certainly isn't free, and Nintendo of America has an obligation to have the things on the service worth getting, especially since there have been some genuinely good stuff on the store in Japan and Europe.
But it is true that NIntendo does benefit from the surveys, and they make these rewards as incentives to fill out the surveys.
They could benefit. They just choose not to.
One likely has issues if they just purchase games for coins at the Nintendo Club Store.
They're free in the sense that I get them for buying games I would have bought regardless of the Club Nintendo Coins. I still think Nintendo could do better with the rewards, but they're definitely free, at least for me.Unless the moment you buy the game in Club Nintendo your game is registered and the surveys are filled out then they do cost you something.
Had you just reported that fact without all the negativity and exaggeration, I would have just read your opinion, and just taken it into consideration with others I've seen.That is why this is a blog, an unedited commentary, not news, formal review, or editorial.
So the lesson I'm learning here is that all Nintendo rewards are AMAZING because they're "free" and they're also Nintendo-related.
So the lesson I'm learning here is that all Nintendo rewards are AMAZING because they're "free" and they're also Nintendo-related.
And I'm too snarky.
Who are you to say whom this place is for?
Seriously.
Who are you to say whom this place is for?Seriously.
Someone smart enough to know that a Nintendo website should be for people who like Nintendo more than they hate it? This isn't a real high-level concept.
This place is for people who want to read our content and take part in our community. Period. As long as you follow the rules, it doesn't matter how positive you are about Nintendo.
...There are also plenty of people that just aren't happy unless they are complaining about something,
We may not all agree and we may not all like each other from time to time, but that doesn't mean we can't all share our opinions in a civilized manner in a centralized place.
The last thing we want is to become an echo chamber of fanboys with hive mentality that will chase off differing opinions just because they don't fall in with the pre-established line of thought.
Lol, it's funny that I should see this story today. I stopped coming here not too long after Berghammer stopped running the site. Basically, it'd just become a center for all the NWR/PGC writers that were left to nonstop whine and complain about the most petty things and trumpet how Nintendo was "DOOOOOOOOMED" if they didn't go "MATTTTOOOOR" with their games. Yeah, you guys were totally right about that one.
I check out this story today, mildly interested in the reward, and it's (about the petty things) still the same crap.
If you want a place where everyone's always positive about Nintendo all the time, those places exist elsewhere.
I mean in all honesty we tend to drive outright trolls away from here. There really isn't any that's a regular whose really an actual troll. We have a lot that are jaded though.
As far as Nintendo goes this site is a dedicated Nintendo Site as its topic. With Nintendo being a sub topic of the Video Game Industry which is a sub branch of the Media Industry which is a sub branch of the Entertainment Industry the topics move around here with the people accordingly.
While the site focuses mainly on Nintendo news that is the topic. The different viewpoints then come in and we have a discussion. When times are good things are positive. When Times are Bad things are negative. The same way it is in any social group.
Anywhere that is always positive on a product or company is marketing plane and simple.
Truth is that none of us would even be here if Nintendo wasn't near and dear to our gaming hearts, but that doesn't mean we have to take everything they give us with a spoon of sugar and a smile.
My premise is people who are more negative than positive. Not positive all the time. That's not a hard concept to comprehend so please, no one keep wasting our time with posts suggesting otherwise.
The staffers here have a site to run and in order to do that successfully, they need to draw hits, and they do this with "news" stories. The fact that the only thing they have to complain about are "the most petty things" should be a relief. We could be talking about much worse things besides lackluster ClubN rewards. Besides, they are only voicing their opinions as they stand at the time. Feel free to voice yours and possibly persuade theirs, that is what produces discussion and makes this an interesting place to visit after all.
Why is an optional and free reward presented as some kind of personal insult?
Why are the news and responses predominantly gloom and doom when Nintendo's track record is anything but?
... Nintendo often makes lots of questionable and outright stupid decisions sometimes that more often than not turn out to be not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. ...
... when things aren't going well are bound to vent and complain a little bit. That's part of life.
Because he spent a moderate amount of Club Nintendo points (which are a limited resource and far from free to collect) on a reward, picked something that was newly added, and then found out that the quality was very disappointing and his points wasted.
Why are news stories and forum responses largely negative lately? Because they are direct reactions to what Nintendo has done in 2011. I'm as long-time Nintendo fan, but really don't have anything to show for 2011 so far outside of: an expensive imported Wii RPG that required I install homebrew to play; a 3DS console that has minor scratches on the top screen due to poor design, a handful of emulated NES titles to play, and most likely an updated version coming out next year with significant upgrades; and hope that 2012 will be a better year for Nintendo fans.
...There are also plenty of people that just aren't happy unless they are complaining about something,
Bingo.
...There are also plenty of people that just aren't happy unless they are complaining about something,
Bingo.
Says the guy who's posted several large posts complaining about something or other....
You know I find it funny that this forum wants conversation and then when someone brings up valid points people don't want to talk anymore and redicule the poster that made the points...
@UncleBob / BnM
So... I take it neither of you read the entirety of my previous post?
*sigh* if you're gonna have a conversation at least read it, people.
PPS - since it was not mentioned, I'll just assume you went back and read that bit you missed before.
Lest it be misinterpreted for the 805th time, "pro-Nintendo" (your term), as I have been defining it, merely means not hating Nintendo more than you like it (a split of as little as 50/50).
Either way, it's not expected or required for those who work on the site to be *any* amount "Pro-Nintendo" - they simply need to be able to provide news and commentary related to Nintendo.
UncleBob-
You're right, it doesn't make any sense because you have so much trouble reading!
I clearly said "people who would be motivated to visit a Nintendo-centric site." Not "people who WRITE FOR a Nintendo-centric site." So I guess that brings the count up to 806.
A few suggestions for anyone who finds themselves perpetually pissed off/disappointed in Nintendo: Go play something else! Shut the flap up! or Get the flap out!
And please, no one have the nerve to try and hit me with the "we're just voicing our opinions! censorship! this is just a blog!" This is a Nintendo site. If you find that you don't have at least 50% positive thoughts to share about Nintendo? THIS ISN'T THE PLACE FOR YOU!!
Aside from that, I would *love* to see a greater effort made to separate the actual news from the editorial pieces (blogs, etc.). But as for your point, again, it is simply based on a faulty premise and not really one I wish to engage you in some kind of discussion about.
I always thought that all the articles in Talkback should have there classification put as part of the article to better mimic the front page a little bit.Aside from that, I would *love* to see a greater effort made to separate the actual news from the editorial pieces (blogs, etc.). But as for your point, again, it is simply based on a faulty premise and not really one I wish to engage you in some kind of discussion about.
To be fair, if you look at things from the front page instead of Talkback things are clearly marked either news or blog/editorial/feature, which will tell you whether or not there's opinion there.
And please, no one have the nerve to try and hit me with the "we're just voicing our opinions! censorship! this is just a blog!" This is a Nintendo site. If you find that you don't have at least 50% positive thoughts to share about Nintendo? THIS ISN'T THE PLACE FOR YOU!!
And please, no one have the nerve to try and hit me with the "we're just voicing our opinions!" "censorship!" "this is just a blog!" This is a Nintendo site. If you find that you don't have at least 50% positive thoughts to share about Nintendo? THIS ISN'T THE PLACE FOR YOU!!
I clearly said "people who would be motivated to visit a Nintendo-centric site." Not "people who WRITE FOR a Nintendo-centric site." So I guess that brings the count up to 806.
If you find that you don't have at least 50% positive thoughts to share about Nintendo? THIS ISN'T THE PLACE FOR YOU!!and...
A few suggestions for anyone who finds themselves perpetually pissed off/disappointed in Nintendo: Go play something else! Shut the flap up! or Get the flap out!
Someone smart enough to know that a Nintendo website should be for people who like Nintendo more than they hate it?
To be fair, if you look at things from the front page instead of Talkback things are clearly marked either news or blog/editorial/feature, which will tell you whether or not there's opinion there.
...Since the game is released and its more of a reference I don't think its exactly News either. Feature sort of becomes an easy catch all. Though thats another topic. Wonder what forum part that should go into?
Also, the term "Feature" is used too much. On one hand, something like "The GameCube 10", which is purely an opinion piece, is labeled "Feature". Then, the Skylander's Character guide, which is all news, is also labeled "Feature".
You can see them separated out by category on each type of article's respective page. If you want just news, click News in the navigation bar. Separating them all on the front page would be overly busy, and there's already quite a lot going on there.
Features aren't necessarily opinion or fact, they're just supposed to go into detail about a topic.
I've clarified my points many times over
The only thing that's news is news. Features may not be opinion-based, but they're not news; they're just facts. Ceric's right on when he calls the feature label a catch-all.