I was aware of this promotion since yesterday when I bought the game, but getting the code for The Lost Levels has been an absolute nightmare. I've had to call customer service three times today.

Still, free stuff. Can't complain.

Miiverse trolled the community for this game so badly it was almost sad to watch.

Almost.

A while ago, when I first got my Wii U, I couldn't get the included sensor bar to work on the system. After figuring out that the sensor bar being used for my original Wii worked with the Wii U, the guy on the phone ended up sending me a free replacement sensor bar.

That's not customer service as it has come to be defined; it's much better.

Once, when I called Apple for a problem I was having with the download manager on iTunes, I was greeted by a machine that could "understand" what I was saying. My question was never answered, and I ended up resorting to Google to resolve my problem. If Apple has as much money as it does, it can afford to invest in decent customer service.

This guy is awesome. And because he's from Japan, he has easier access to all of the older stuff, like the cards, than Western gamers do.

Absolutely amazing.

A friend of mine has this model and it is absolutely gorgeous.

I need to get my GB micro fixed, sadly. Great little system, and great feature.

Yeah, $100 is a bit much for me.

I'll stick with VB Wario Land, Red Alarm, Mario Tennis, and Galactic Pinball.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I got a watch, a sweater, a Simon-like game called "Loopz" and moneyz, which I plan to use to buy Sticker Star and maybe some Wii U or 3DS eShop points.

Great read! I especially liked Toad's letter.

Whatever the reason, I miss the simplicity and convenience of the browser. I really hope that either this gets resolved or the app becomes exponentially better. I'm glad to participate in any sort of petition to resolve this.

@P184 I did so yesterday. I hope YouTube actually reads their feedback.

Strangely, I have always found it to be very difficult to play Guitar Hero, or the guitar on Rock Band, for that matter. Even though I play classical guitar. Of course, they're almost completely different, but it still strikes me as interesting.

More to the point, I do remember the series and how it became progressively worse. I remember going to Best Buy and just being assaulted by the number of GH titles available. Since I never really got into the series, I can't really say when it started to go downhill, but it doesn't really matter, as it's old news now.

This is very good news. Maybe someday this sort of device and its brethren will be totally eliminated.

@Klunk23 Yes, I'm also interested to see how Nintendo will implement Nintendo ID and Miiverse on the 3DS.

Need. Will download.

Well, it isn't like the GamePad is a portable console on its own. 3-5 hours for a home console controller really isn't that bad.

Yeah, I got to play one around mid-October. The only demo available was Rayman, though, as the rest were all videos.

I thought the GamePad felt remarkably light. Of course, with that being a demo unit, I can make no assumptions.

Oh, look! More cringeworthy marketing!

This is why I love Japan.

Party games exist because they sell. The more units are sold, the more money goes to Nintendo. What matters is that Ninty is making money and is able to continue making great systems and exceptional first-party games.

Congrats on getting the position! I look forward to visiting this site for years to come.

Virtual Boy. Respect.

Metroid's anniversary is today!

And still no word from NOA regarding any sort of acknowledgment.

But it's early in the day in my part of the world. Who knows, something might happen.

I never played anything beyond the DS version of Mario and Sonic, but with the Olympics being so big, gaming companies would be stupid not to release game tie-ins, with some having better gaming quality than others IMO.

@noxusprime06 It appears that the last Metroid is NOT in captivity, and that the galaxy is NOT at peace.

Oh, the HORROR!

Well, Nintendo's harware has almost invariably been very durable, but these tests are, sadly, necessary to confirm the structural integrity of Nintendo's products. The DSi consoles in the pictures above are sacrificing themselves for the good of consolekind.

May their greatness long be remembered.

Congratulations to the NL staff!

I love my Virtual Boy.

But, off topic. I use the effect only when cutscenes appear in games like KI:U and OoT. Any more usage generally kills my battery far too quickly.

Sorry if this has already been asked, but is the sound volume on the 3DS XL greater than that of the original 3DS? One of the biggest problems I had with the original was the sound output; it never did seem loud enough.

When I went to the Zelda 25th in LA on June 6th the StreetPass notification light turned on every few seconds; I easily got over 50 and I don't think it'd be an exaggeration to say I got around a hundred. You need to go to the right places to get hits.

Funny. I always envisioned Nintendo making a keyboard add-on. Now it looks like a tiny computer.

And, yeah, @PrettyMuchEveryoneWhoCommentedAbove, this had better have someusefulness to it; otherwise it's just another CPP in that it works with very few games.

I like the 3DS as it is. However, I wouldn't say no to a 3DS redesign with much better battery life. Nyko's PowerPack and the like are just too bulky for me...

Friend Codes on Wii U are like cartridges on the N64. Nintendo stubbornly clung to a dying medium until it simply couldn't anymore. The GameCube dropped cartridges, so when Nintendo makes another home console (I should probably say "if Nintendo makes another home console. I'm seeing a lot of holes in Wii U already, I mean it's still awesome but it won't appeal to COD gamers and non-Nintendo hardcore gamers with the features I'm seeing now. Wii U will succeed but at a high cost to Nintendo.), unless Friend Codes are a huge success, (which, as I can tell from reading the comments above, they most likely will not be) they will be dropped.

Here's hoping.

@misswliu81 and @WolfRamHeart My thoughts exactly. I don't like COD but even I must concede that it shifts consoles. Oh, well. Whatever sells more for Nintendo.

Nintendo's E3 wasn't that bad, but neither was it exceptionally good. NSMBU looks too similar to previous NSMB titles, and Nintendo spent far too long on presenting NintendoLand than it should have. On the other hand, we have big names like Mass Effect and Arkham City coming to Wii U, and that's definitely going to help the system in the future in terms of sales. Personally, however, I don't feel like Nintendo introduced anything shockingly new in terms of software; the third-party and games are going to be the backbone of Wii U sales.

...Well that was fast.

@nimH37 I agree. It's nice to see Nintendo finally embracing the more hardcore side of the gaming spectrum, while still being linked to the casual side.

"We are not liable for any psychological damage that may cause".

Anyone who's been on this site for around a year should know what I'm going to say.
Does my avatar give you a hint?

This, fellow gamers, is what we live for. Will watch at 9am, then get ready for The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary concert. So much Nintendo in one day!

When you cut the golden goose into smaller pieces...
It dies.

This is what would happen with Zelda games. As pointed out in the article, you would have to wait years to finish the game because it would come out in episodes. Some things are best left as they are, and Zelda is one of them.

Will the Wii U have a stand like the Wii does? Because having the console in the stand and the controller in the cradle side by side would look awesome.

As long as there's a new Metroid available on launch day, I'll be satisfied.

So that means that it's the Nintoaster, right?

@motang Same here. Just thinking of all of the StreetPass hits I'll get is enough to get me interested.

@Oddy I agree that Nintendo is learning how to play the digital game, albeit too slowly. By the time Nintendo gets to PSN-esque downloads, Sony and Microsoft will have something else, something better.

At the same time, it isn't surprising that Nintendo is too slow to catch up to the competition. Nintendo has never been #1 in technical terms, and they probably never will be. Digital downloads are very much a technical field because there is simply no way to mask things that aren't beautiful (graphics) or get around technological imperfections (gameplay > graphics); you need a strong, reliable infrastructure to perform digital downloads. Now that Nintendo has the power to do this, we can only wait and see how Sony and Microsoft will respond.

On the topic of digital vs. physical, I have to say that it depends on what system the game is for. NES and Game Boy games, for example, are prone to save-battery failures, so it isn't a bad thing to have the game on something that will guarantee the safety of your save file (Virtual Console).

For newer games, a good chunk of data is saved to the system anyways. The only thing that's missing is the cartridge itself in digital downloads, which is something that many gamers, including myself, would rather have than not. A few thousand blocks of memory can't compare to a cartridge IMO.

Well, I obviously want a new Metroid.
A new Zelda wouldn't hurt.
Or a new Metroid, for that matter.
An F-Zero on Wii U wouldn't be a bad idea.
Neither would a new Metroid.
I really don't care if it's a 2D, 3D, or 2.5D Metroid, but give me something...ANYTHING!
Oh, and Smash Bros., of course.

I don't see too many problems with this app other than, as mentioned, the junk mail. I get way too many notes from this guy (no one who I've met on this site, mind you) who can't seem to live without telling me how "Emo girls are weird...but hot!" or that he "Got a new hat!". And then, he told ME to stop sending him pointless mail. Granted, it was a message sent to a lot of his other friends who I don't know, but I cannot possibly imagine someone more annoying than he is.

On a side note, isn't it amazing how the Internet and communications in general have devalued the meaning of the word "friend"? I don't personally know 24 of my 27 3DS friends. I'm not trying to say that I haven't enjoyed the conversations some of my 3DS friends and I have had over Swapnote, I'm just saying that if you went back...oh... 20 years, the meaning of friend would be VERY different.

@Steampunk It isn't THAT bad. Sure, GameStop once had a blatantly pirated game for sale once (LOL the guy was so surprised when I showed him), but besides that, their customer service is actually pretty decent IMO.

What's better than free stuff?
Rare free stuff!

I have no problem with this game other than the fact that there is no option to invert the y-axis. Either the option doesn't exist, or I can't find it. Or it's right in front of me and I'm missing it.

This is truly a great game. Back in the time period that this was released, Metroid was a welcome change from Mario and Zelda's happy, sunny atmospheres. It also provided a huge world to explore. Good thing I'm an Ambassador; it got me this and Fusion for free!