Topic: Operation Rainfall - 1989 Edition

[famicomplicated]

James.C digs up some old letters he sent Nintendo and realises his younger self petitioned for great games to be released before.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blog/27088

With the current controversy of the three big games not making it to North America, I couldn't help but feel a massive sense of deja-vu, like I've been here before - several times over in fact! I thought this would be a great time to look back on those times and see if there is anything we can take from it.

I'd first like to take you back to over 20 years ago, (cue wavy lines across your screen) the internet didn't exist, but that didn't stop a young Nintendo fan inquiring about a certain big franchise that was somehow missing from UK stores.

1989

Dear Mr Nintendo,

My pen pal in America said there's a game that lets you fight dragons and use magic. My Dad said it's not in the shops and he looked everywhere. Please could you send me the dragon fighter game for my birthday?

Thank you,

James

Operation Rainfall circa 1989?

1996

Dear Nintendo,

In this month's Official Nintendo Magazine it says that the Mario RPG game is coming out soon but the games shop says it isn't! I know the shop guy is lying because I once told him about a game called Chrono Trigger that lets you travel through time and looks like Secret of Mana (one of my favourite games ever!) and he said that it doesn't exist! My birthday is coming soon and I'd love to get Super Mario RPG for it and then use my birthday money for Chrono Trigger later. Please let me know when the games will come to my games shop - hopefully soon!

Best regards,

James Charlton

Operation Rainfall circa 1996?

2000

Dear whomever it may concern,

After visiting my local games shop today, I couldn't help but notice a few games were missing from the shelves. I've been looking for the new Indiana Jones and the 3D Megaman game for the Nintendo 64 all over and can't find them anywhere! Also, my little brother is really getting into this new 'Pokemon' craze and saw this game which lets you speak to Pikachu through a microphone, I saw it in a magazine and online but again can't seem to find it. I've attached a list of games I'd like to buy, including this incredible looking shooter called 'Sin and Punishment', I hope you can send me confirmation of when they're coming to the UK as my local store is completely useless and hasn't even heard of these games!

Yours sincerely,

James Charlton

Operation Rainfall circa 2000?

Are things better or worse now? Have Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe switched roles? How does this bode for the future? Do you think Nintendo will draw a line in the sand after the Wii and start the Wii U with a new attitude? Discuss below!

[Killer_Man_Jaro]

That's hilarious. Ah, the innocence of childhood.

It also illustrates that, whatever angst people in America feel towards the fact that they're missing out on these Wii RPGs, we in Europe had it worse. Much worse. For much longer. I'd like to be sympathetic to your plight, but that would be a total double standard. Do you know how gutted I was at the time when the tantalising prospect of an RPG starring Mario was ripped from my grasp? Hugely. But I didn't start making threats. I seethed quietly for a while and moved on.

In the words of Monty Python, always look on the bright side of life. *whistles*

[monkat]

@Killer_Man_Jaro


It wasn't fair back then, and it's not fair now with games like ExciteBots for you.


At the same time, though, translating four Dragon Warrior games, Earthbound, Final Fantasy, Super Mario RPG, Chrono Trigger, etc. into French, Spanish, Italian, and German would be a gigantic undertaking and hardly worth the investment. We're complaining about games that are already in English. Literally all that needs to be done is to change it to NTSC and sell it.


P.S. I'm still sour about Sin & Punishment 1

[4-D]

You put so much faith in those letters! I wonder how well Sony, Sega, or Microsoft have responded to their outspoken fans in the past compared to the way NoA is treating us today

[famicomplicated]

Maybe NoE is making up for it's mistakes of the past?
Shame I'd already jumped ship to US models of their systems, now leaving me yet again in the dark!


This is why it always takes me so long to choose the region of system I'm going to buy, Nintendo region lock them, but then don't release the same games in each territory! Very frustrating. It's why I haven't bought a 3DS.


I have no idea what I'm going to do with the Wii U.

[Mop it up]

Not to rub it in, but I own all of the games listed here, except for the two Japan-only Nintendo 64 games. Maybe that's why I'm not really complaining about the lack of a release for three games.

[TJ Spyke]

The Indiana Jones game situation wasn't much better in North America, the only way to play the game was to rent it from Blockbuster Video. I guess that is better than in Europe (where it got canceled altogether).

[Mop it up]

You could also buy it directly from the publisher's store.

It looks like the PC version was released in Europe, but the N64 version brought some improvements so it isn't the best version.

[ate bit]

Funny.  I'm in the US and never really had to deal with that growing up.  I can sort of relate for the time it took for arcade games to come to consoles in the 16 bit era.  Some games never came even though a friend of a friend's dad had an Uncle that worked for Midway or whoever and said it was coming.

[famicomplicated]

Not to rub it in, but I own all of the games listed here, except for the two Japan-only Nintendo 64 games. Maybe that's why I'm not really complaining about the lack of a release for three games.

Are you from the UK?

I don't think Americans have had any soul-crushing moments of games not being released, expect maybe for S and P.
Until now at least!

[TJ Spyke]

Not soul crushing, but I was a little disappointed when Doshin the Giant wasn't released here.

[NWR_insanolord]

NEW PLAY CONTROL PIKMIN 2

[Mop it up]

Are you from the UK?

I don't think Americans have had any soul-crushing moments of games not being released, expect maybe for S and P.
Until now at least!

Me? No, but I hope to move there someday. I'm not sure if there has ever been a situation like this before, where three Nintendo titles are released everywhere but North America, but there have been some other games I would have liked to see released here. Some probably more than these three. The two games mentioned above me are some. In any case, I don't expect every game to be released here because many of the ones that aren't wouldn't sell, or well enough to be worth the effort. We're lucky to have gotten certain games which obviously had no appeal here but were released anyway. Case in point are the Dragon Warrior games mentioned in the article. Dragon Warrior II didn't sell well at all, yet they still went on to release III and IV.

[Sundoulos]

NEW PLAY CONTROL PIKMIN 2

This.

[famicomplicated]

NEW PLAY CONTROL PIKMIN 2

This.

Not quite the same though, seeing as Pikmin 2 for GameCube was released...and works in your Wii ;-P
But yeah, completely ridiculous that it wasn't released in the US, at least you got NPC Mario Tennis!
*silence*

[Ceric]

NEW PLAY CONTROL PIKMIN 2

This.

Not quite the same though, seeing as Pikmin 2 for GameCube was released...and works in your Wii ;-P
But yeah, completely ridiculous that it wasn't released in the US, at least you got NPC Mario Tennis!
*silence*

I'll Trade.