lain21us
Banned
2011 was an enormous slap in the face, and 2012 is over the top for the simple fact that they ignored the negative response to the USA prizes in 2011. It is very clear that Nintendo treats its less-valuable USA market the same way Microsoft treats its AU and other smaller markets. They are giving Japanese fans products which are clearly far superior because that is their largest fan base and they want to demonstrate their exclusive loyalty to these fans. Nintendo lags behind MS and Sony in stateside profits already, so their focus is more on keeping the strong fan base in Japan than in catering to the needs of a minority in the USA.
That said, the obvious deliberate lack of attention to the American fan base 2 years in a row (and in every previous year the prizes were still inferior) feels like something of an insult from a company whose American success is based almost entirely on old-school fans overlooking inferior hardware in favor of their favorite game characters.
I feel that all the people who keep jumping in saying stuff like "WTF you're getting it free!!!" are mostly kids who did not have to pay for their own games, or did not have to work for the money to purchase their own games.
This is so obvious it hurts. To get Club Nintendo points you have to buy the game brand new, meaning you are already foregoing the discount from buying it used. Then you have to log in and create a Club Nintendo account. Every code you enter comes with a mandatory introductory survey, and a follow-up survey if you want the full value. Nintendo offers incentives for purchasing a larger number of games than one would normally purchase, and for the time in filling out surveys, which most companies pay a direct dollar amount for. A prime example of how this works can be found in a recent Deal where a bunch of people shelled out $3 for a DS cooking game they probably would not have purchased, just to get the CN coins. This kind of action ensures that even very common Nintendo games will not end up in the Bargain Bin for too long. Nintendo benefits from this relationship to a very high degree, and there is absolutely nothing "free" about this. Club Nintendo codes cannot be obtained by the public for free, and they cannot be redeemed without filling out a survey. I call that a trade.
When people express anger at Nintendo for bad prizes, it is simply an expression of our dissatisfaction with Nintendo's rewards program, in the hopes that Nintendo will respond to our complaints after some number of years. It is not meant as a point of contention to be argued over.
FACT: I resent this year's prizes and probably will not work to make Platinum next year.
FACT: I have a right to express this publicly, and anyone who thinks they have a right to put down my opinion is a jackass.
That said, the obvious deliberate lack of attention to the American fan base 2 years in a row (and in every previous year the prizes were still inferior) feels like something of an insult from a company whose American success is based almost entirely on old-school fans overlooking inferior hardware in favor of their favorite game characters.
I feel that all the people who keep jumping in saying stuff like "WTF you're getting it free!!!" are mostly kids who did not have to pay for their own games, or did not have to work for the money to purchase their own games.
This is so obvious it hurts. To get Club Nintendo points you have to buy the game brand new, meaning you are already foregoing the discount from buying it used. Then you have to log in and create a Club Nintendo account. Every code you enter comes with a mandatory introductory survey, and a follow-up survey if you want the full value. Nintendo offers incentives for purchasing a larger number of games than one would normally purchase, and for the time in filling out surveys, which most companies pay a direct dollar amount for. A prime example of how this works can be found in a recent Deal where a bunch of people shelled out $3 for a DS cooking game they probably would not have purchased, just to get the CN coins. This kind of action ensures that even very common Nintendo games will not end up in the Bargain Bin for too long. Nintendo benefits from this relationship to a very high degree, and there is absolutely nothing "free" about this. Club Nintendo codes cannot be obtained by the public for free, and they cannot be redeemed without filling out a survey. I call that a trade.
When people express anger at Nintendo for bad prizes, it is simply an expression of our dissatisfaction with Nintendo's rewards program, in the hopes that Nintendo will respond to our complaints after some number of years. It is not meant as a point of contention to be argued over.
FACT: I resent this year's prizes and probably will not work to make Platinum next year.
FACT: I have a right to express this publicly, and anyone who thinks they have a right to put down my opinion is a jackass.
