Nintendo Responds: "Why bother registering games?"

Blaine

Blaine

CAGiversary!
So, I, like most get really irritated at the way Nintendo of America runs thier customer loyalty program. That is to say, you register games and as thanks for buying thier product and registering it (which provides them with valuable market research), the Nintendo branches thank you.

Nintendo of Japan is the king, offering everything from hats, toys, customized wiimote battery covers to exclusive games (Game and Watch Collection and Tingle's Balloon Fight). Say what you will about the quality of the games, namely they're usually so-so, but a free* game is a free* game. And if it's one you can't buy in stores, the cool factor is high enough to make it desirable.


Nintendo of Europe has been doing a good job of letting customers convert 'points' earned by registering into Virtual Console credit. Not as cool as some of the exclusive stuff, NoJ gets... but I like the effort.

Nintendo of America gives you shit. Well, you can have a 3 month subscription to Nintendo Power (1 time). Previously you could get a sneak preview DVD - which was something - but was so long ago that it has sneak peeks for Metroid Prime 1 in it. Not very current.

As of right now, I have a ton of product registered and a long, long, long time ago I exhausted the free Nintendo Power deal. Registering my Xmas games I just got sick of it and emailed Nintendo. So here's the Q: and A: (cut to the actual meat of the emails).

Q:What reason do I have to continue to register software?

A:While I can't give you any good reason for continuing to register your products, who knows what may be offered in the future?

Ahh, the untold promise of the future! At least exagerate with something like "Well, we have some very good promotions in the works that could be blah blahbity bloo". I appreciate the honesty but... wilikers.

I've been to Nintendo World. They have boxes of Wario buttons and crap. Everyone has seen the swag they give out at fill-in-the-blank conference.

Just...just give that stuff, or something. Anything!

But, why bother? I'm probably just going to keep registering, because I'm a tool and somehow in the far corner of my brain I hold onto the delusion that Nintendo will hold a "Play Pinball with Suda Goichi" drawing to celebrate "No More Heroes" US launch and Suda and I can sit back with our wrestling masks and hang out over a nice game of Medieval Madness.

So there ya go, folks. Why bother registering? Because you're dumb! Now get typin'!

*Free is relative. Sure you have to buy a lot of games to get the points but, for many of us, you're buying the games anyways!
 
Yeah, I've been thinking about this too. Anyways, I hope nintendo really DOES start offering something solid instead of stupid stuff like wallpapers.
 
I will register them all when they offer some compelling reason to go out of my way to do so.
 
I've been registering my games with the Great Pumpkin. I've gotten about the same return on my investment so far as when I registered with NoA... but just you wait! You'll see! One of these days I'm going to be rewarded!

ecard_snoopy_greatpumpkin.gif
 
im not registering anything anymore until I get something other than wallpapers out of it, knowing them if we ever do get a promotion its for items registered in a certain time period.
 
Normally, I'd say you're just being a bitchy gamer.

However, in this case, I agree. Not that we deserve something for buying their products (the reward is the product itself), but Nintendo of America is just doing poorly in all faucets of the industry.
 
[quote name='rabbitt']Normally, I'd say you're just being a bitchy gamer.

However, in this case, I agree. Not that we deserve something for buying their products (the reward is the product itself), but Nintendo of America is just doing poorly in all faucets of the industry.[/QUOTE]

They did give us all free Zelda CE discs....Remember?
 
[quote name='gizmogc']They did give us all free Zelda CE discs....Remember?[/QUOTE]

That was years ago, but yes, I do remember.
 
The free zelda discs pretty much make up for all of it. Maybe it's the only thing, but damn, that was pretty unexpected and huge.

Of course, since then I've registered a DS, DS Lite, and Wii, with tons of games for all of them.

so we're due for something for sure.
 
Don't get me started on this... now that I live in Japan and can take advantage of the Club Nintendo offers I'm DISGUSTED by the way NoA ignores its loyal fans.

I've registered close to 100 games and every console but a GBA Micro on their site and the most recent thing I got was a PINK stylus for DS that I assumed would have a Kirby head on it or even a LOGO, but of course there was nothing.

Sure they HAVE given us some cool stuff in the past like the MP2: Echoes demo and the Zelda CE disc of course, but that was what, in 2003/4????

Hell I would be happy with some Virtual Console points if nothing else. I could probably buy every game on there with the amount of stuff I've registered over the years.

Well at least I've got Tingle's Balloon Fight on the way from good ol' NoJ to keep my Game & Watch Collection company.
 
I don't register anything with nintendo. It's a waist of my time. I think no one should. Maybe then we'd get some decent stuff.
 
I wonder if it would help at all if we'd all email saying we want a Club Nintendo here...

Ok, prolly not...

But it might be worth a try.... if we bugged their people enough, maybe the message would get sent on to the higher ups *shrug*
 
The 90-day warranty extension for registering the Wii is decent. Might come in handy someday (hopefully that day is within the next three months and not after) Zelda CE disc was great...I wish I hadn't missed out on it. Getting three free issues of NP was pretty cool. Some of the VC wallpapers are decent. They're at least giving shoutouts to Genesis and TG-16 stuff, but the wallpapers for the first-party stuff are the default. And then it all goes downhill.

I registered FFIV Advance the day after I bought it and have never seen them issue any sort of special content. It's either "coming soon" or "unavailable" (as it is now-with FFV Advance out, why would they even bother putting anything up?) I'm surprised you even got the response you did-I'd expect a response more like "Wow, we do that?" in regards to what NOA's site offers for registering games and participating. I'd like to think that the service would improve if people stopped using it, but as neglected as it is now, it seems more likely to me that Nintendo would stop offering anything if that happened.

I realize it's all generosity on Nintendo's part anyway, and I do concede that they've given us some cool stuff. It's enough to keep me using the site. but I can't help but feel that they could improve the experience for people over here.
 
I think it's more the fact that in comparison to Japan (yes, I know, they pay more for games there, but that's a measure of the economy, not that Nintendo games cost them more than Sony games or something) we get shit. If they gave Japan nothing as well, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
 
You know, anything would be appreciated. 100 Wii Shop points per game. That's nothing to them at all, but hey, it'd be something.
 
this was also a long time ago, but...

a friend of mine registered 1080 avalanche right when it came out and got a ski cap with the 1080 logo on it, and a note saying he was one of the first 100 people to register the title. then, he registered pikimin 2 right when it came out and he got a stuffed pikmin doll... red i think... and another note saying he was one of the first 100 people to register the title.

maybe we're not unlucky, just unfortunately slow.

but yeah, even if they did this sorta thing with every game, you shouldn't have to purchase particular games to get ALL of the bonuses, and it certainly should not be a race to the computer to receive them.

i kept hoping that the introduction of the wii would also introduce a new rewards system, something run entirely in the wii shop channel... but nothin. damn.
 
[quote name='botticus']I think it's more the fact that in comparison to Japan (yes, I know, they pay more for games there, but that's a measure of the economy, not that Nintendo games cost them more than Sony games or something) we get shit. If they gave Japan nothing as well, we wouldn't be having this conversation.[/QUOTE]
From what I've read, it's really common (and expected) for Japanese companies to reward loyal customers with bonus stuff like the Club Nintendo goodies. In the US, companies tend to offer the bonuses as incentives for customers to switch to their product/service, but then ignore customers once they're paying.

I guess it's just a culture difference, which is why we're unlikely to ever see anything as cool as Club Nintendo. It's still lame that we don't even get Wii Points like NOE is giving out, though.
 
I wrote NOA a similar letter asking at the beginning of this month, and got a similar response. I hope someday we'll get something.

Message(#-------------------)

Hello and thank you for contacting Nintendo,


I haven't heard of plans to include similar premiums for registering your systems or games on our website. However, you never know what the future holds, though, so keep checking our website's news section (www.nintendo.com/newsmain) for the latest information and announcements.

If the premium you mentioned has been announced or sent out for consumers outside North America, please remember that these are separate markets with separate registration programs. While it is possible that portions of these other programs may make their way here, there are no guarantees. However, I will be pleased to forward your feedback to the proper department for further review.

Sincerely,

Nintendo of America Inc.
Dervin Camden

Nintendo's home page: http://www.nintendo.com/
Power Line (Automated Product Info): (425) 885-7529
Click to expand...
 
[quote name='Gameboy415']
Sure they HAVE given us some cool stuff in the past like the MP2: Echoes demo and the Zelda CE disc of course, but that was what, in 2003/4????
.[/QUOTE]

All that stuff must have been early in 2003 because I got my GC and started registering stuff in Dec 2003. All I ever got was the 3 months of NP and the pink stylus. I'm pushing 60-70 registrations now with many more I haven't bothered to do (and I will probably hold off on just in case they do a "registrations from now on" stunt with some promo).

Though I do think that maybe early on there was a promo that I didn't have enough games registered for - I think that was the MP2 demo, maybe in early 2004. Kind of hilarious to think at one point I didn't have enough codes and couldn't scrounge them up (now I have tons thanks to trade-in promos in addition to all my own games).

100 Wii points per game would be awesome if it was retroactive. 6000 points would be sweet ;).

It is also time for a Wii demo disc, is it not?
 
[quote name='DocRamon']this was also a long time ago, but...

a friend of mine registered 1080 avalanche right when it came out and got a ski cap with the 1080 logo on it, and a note saying he was one of the first 100 people to register the title. then, he registered pikimin 2 right when it came out and he got a stuffed pikmin doll... red i think... and another note saying he was one of the first 100 people to register the title.

maybe we're not unlucky, just unfortunately slow.
[/quote]

I want a pikmin doll....

Yeah, I need to start registering. I have 1 ds phat, 2 lites, 1 wii, 1 cube, and many games to register.
 
I got a free copy of Brain Age for registering games. Nintendo has many relatively unknown contests where they just mail out upcoming games they have.
 
I just started registering stuff with them when the Wii came out. But I did go back and register old stuff too, including an original GBA. I signed up mainly for the 3 extra months of Wii warranty, but some nice chotchkies would be cool.

Do they do anything for your Birthday? I distinctly remember them asking me for my dob when I signed up.
 
Didn't Cheapy say the most recent promotion(battery cover/Tingle) was a time sensitive offer. Meaning you had to register the games between two certain dates negating all previous resgistrations?

I registered everything up to the Wii launch and now I'm just pulling the codes and saving them in the rare case they offer something and it is timed.
 
[quote name='Corvin']Didn't Cheapy say the most recent promotion(battery cover/Tingle) was a time sensitive offer. Meaning you had to register the games between two certain dates negating all previous resgistrations?

I registered everything up to the Wii launch and now I'm just pulling the codes and saving them in the rare case they offer something and it is timed.[/quote]The trouble with that is that the registration period is usually before the announcement of the prize. Otherwise everyone would do what you are doing.

I believe in the latest case in Japan, it was based on registering X number of games/points in a 6 month period that had already ended at the time of the announcement. So if you registered that day, it didn't count.
 
[quote name='foundation']I've never registered anything and I still have 100+ gba games with the reg inserts. At least Capcom's Fighters Edge gave you some random junk.[/QUOTE]

Can I have your Metroid NES series code?
 
how do i link my wii to my profile? im just worrying about my VC games incase my wii craps out. that way it will make it easier to get the VC games back. i know if first asks you when you first fire up your wii, but i didnt have an account back then.
 
[quote name='kiyoshi67']I wrote NOA a similar letter asking at the beginning of this month, and got a similar response. I hope someday we'll get something.[/QUOTE]


Ha Dervin Camden replied to you too, just got an e-mail from He/She/It apologizing for not sending my replacement straps and that they'd send them again.

wonder how many people answer the e-mail over there...
 
Is it a mistake to register games as I get them? That is to say, if NOA decides to actually drop loot for game registrations, will my existing registered games not count towards a quota?

If so, I'm screwed.
 
I haven't registered a game in ages... until they get something good up there, I'm not registering shit.

I'm also glad that I stopped buying their games at full price (the last one I bought full price was MP2 and the next one will be Zelda TP). They posted a 1 billion dollar profit and they can't give out something like $250K in free merchandise?

Ah... the benefits of a successful business.
 
[quote name='yukine']I think we should all e-mail Nintendo, if every CAG sent one e-mail it might do something.

At least give us points![/quote]

I agree... I'm going to do so now. I hope everyone else will consider it, too... it'll only take a few minutes, and it can't hurt anything. *shrug*
 
[quote name='aduckie']I will gladly take anyone's registration codes if they don't want it.[/quote]

When I decided to register everything I had a month or so ago, I had alot of used, but complete DS games. I thought for sure that someone must have used the registration codes and that they wouldnt work, but to my surprise, every single one of them worked. So whoever owned the games before me didnt care, or even know about registering them.
 
I sent an email like this a few years ago. Their response was something like "thanks for the idea, we'll keep it in mind." Years.
 
I wrote a lengthy e-mail after it was revealed that UK gamers could register games for VC points.

I got a "I have forwarded this to the requisite parties" kind of response.

Fun.
 
That sounds like classic Nintendo, glad to see some things never change.

The least they can do is for every Wii game you register you get 100 free points, buying 5 games should get you a free NES game. Then for the DS you can win DS stickers or something, maybe those cool looknig wall stickers.

Nintendo is all talk and little action, it's why I don't believe anythnig they say until it's done. Then of course once it's done it's done half assed, aka the DS Online service / games.
 
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