Hey everyone. After seeing Japan's list of releases for the week, I decided to write a very long email to Nintendo. I doubt very highly that it will make a difference but tell me what you think:
Ok, let me start by saying I am extremely disappointed, sadened, angered, and confused all at the same time with Nintendo as a whole for the past 2 years. I have some free time right now so I thought I would share my thoughts with you. I have emailed a few times in the past but this one will be every complaint I have ever had about Nintendo. This will strtch on for a while so you might want to prepare yourself for a lot of reading. Let's start with a very large problem as of late,
THE STATE OF THE VIRTUAL CONSOLE: Currently on the Virtual Console in North America there is a little over 300 games available. Many of which are timeless classics that i'm sure Nintendo has made a boat load of money off of. The majority however are less than amazing. But you know what? I'm not even mad about that fact because for every couple "meh" titles on there, there is one awesome title. The Virtual Console actually started off really strong and I, among others, were quite pleased with the flow of games every week. Over the past 6 months or so, that flow has been dwindled to one, two if we are very lucky, games per week. The real problem with this though is that a great title being released is becoming a rarer and rarer occurance. It has become particularly atrocious in the past two weeks when the US recieved ZERO VC games. What really get's me however is the fact that I know there are some great VC games just ready to be dropped on the service, Super Smash Bros. being my personal most anticipated. But does Nintendo release these games? no, no they don't. Why is this? Well frankly, if I knew, you wouldn't be reading this right now, would you? Incase Nintendo hasn't noticed, a good chunk of the people who bought a Wii in the first place, bought it specifically for the VC. Furthermore, the VC for Nintendo is practically free money and last I checked, free money for a company is a good thing. I don't assume that many games take alot of work to program to the service so the labor used to produce a game on the VC is far out-wieghed by the potential sales of said game. If the sales aren't that great on the VC then let me tip you off to a thing called adversising. It is pitiful how many Wii owners I tell about the VC that don't have a clue about it(and some don't even know the Wii can connect to the internet). The scary part about this is that mony of these people belong to the "casual" crowd, the crowd Nintendo is most aimed at lately. Forgive me if I'm wrong but I find it a problem that Nintendo's target audience doesn't even know about some of the biggest features on Wii. It's not there fault either, It is soely the fault of Nintendo. Of all the Wii commercials I have seen do you know how many of them mainly advertised the online functions of the Wii? None of them. This is a serious problem and frankly, I can't feel too sorry about possibly struggling VC sales when Nintendo doesn't lift a finger to advertise. It's like throwing a party and not sending anyone an invitation. Is it any mystery why no one showed up to the party? No, If people don't know what's going on, how do you expect them to participate? I know Nintendo isn't this stupid to overlook such obvious things(but hey, you never know)so why doesn't Nintendo just at the very least let the fans in on what they're doing. It's alot more comforting than being in the dark about everything. Not everything has to be a complete secret until the last minute. Trust me, It's ok to tell us something once in a while. I seriously do not want the VC to die, especially with such un-tapped potential. If there was just one commercial out there centered around the Wii Shop Channel, I gaurantee sales will spike because all those people I tell about the VC are amazed at it. It always sounds something like "You mean I can get the ORIGINAL Super Mario Bros. for FIVE BUCKS!". Now imagine i every person who was previously un-informed about the VC ran out and bought just one NES game because of a great commercial that they saw. That would be an insane amount of profit. To sum up, It is suggested that at least one game is added to the VC every week(preferably more) and a little television advertising for the poor, hidden service would go a long way. Ok, next topic,
THE STATE OF WIIWARE: Let me start this one by saying I am in huge support of the WiiWare service and have purchased upwards of 50 games from it. There are just a few things that really hinder this service. One of them being the overall quality of the software published for it. Yes there are some truly awesome titles on WW but for every World of Goo or Mega Man 9, There is more than a couple SPOGS Racing or (god forbid) another poker game. Basically the bad outweighs the good by more than a small margin on WW. An easy way to remedy this would be a little quality control on the games that developers can release on the service. Again, Nintendo isn't stupid, I'm sure they know a bad game when they see one. When a true faliure of a game comes up for potential release just send it back to where it came from. I'm not saying all games that don't really mesh with my tastes are bad by any means but I don't really think anyone can enjoy a game that has completely broken controls. Another WW issue, the 40mb size limit that developers have to abide by. This limitation I could understand before Wii Menu version 4.0 with SD card menu support but now, there is just no excuse. Since the Wii can now hold up to 32gb of stuff, why not let developers run free with game developement? With more memory at their disposal, i'm sure that more than a couple game concepts can benefit from this. Also, why can't developers patch their games if it launches with some serious error? It seems like a huge oversight and would contribute to the benefit of already released games. I also think Wiiware could hugely benefit from a little advertising like the VC. Again, I have seen not one commercial advertising WW and anyone I talk to about it has no idea about it. Word of mouth is a great form of advertisement but I believe the Wii's overall shop experience needs a little more marketing boost. I actually think WW has come a long way so far but to really be taken seriously as a medium for game distribution, I think it needs some improvements outlined above. Next topic,
THE STATE OF DSIWARE: Ok, I love DSiWare something awful and I'm not gonna say too much here that hasn't already been said above but I'll start with this. What is with the "Express" titles on DSiWare? Many of these titles are small pieces of already released DS games. The most pitiful of which would have to be "Master of Illusion Express" "games". Quite frankly, it is a rip off to charge two dollars for a single magic trick and there is a good reason why the full game for DS sold so poorly. Nintendo, your audience doesn't want fragments of old DS games, they want brand new experiences. six titles that do this fabulously are the Art Style series. I truly applaud you on these games. They are exactly the reason DsiWare exists. Another great game from Nintendo, Mario vs Donkey Kong 3. these seven titles (plus a few more) represent all that is good in DSiWare and future titles should follow suit. My big issue with DSiWare however is the restictions put on third parties by Nintendo. When I heard that 3rd parties were restricted from using wi-fi and SD slot cupport in their games I was absolutely appauled. Nintendo, you should be ashamed of yourself. I know DSiWare has had a little trouble taking off but it's what you deserve Nintendo. It is downright unacceptable to use such restrictions. I just can't express in words my disgust for this. My last DSiWare point, same as VC and WW, you need to advertise! it is the only way people will know about these services. If you get one thing from the three rants above make it the fact that Nintendo needs to ADVERTISE!! Next topic,
THE STATE OF NEW WII CHANNELS IN PLACES OUTSIDE OF JAPAN: Japan has approximately 4 channels over the other regions of the world right now and chnces for world releases are unlikely. I just have one question, why? This topic isn't a very long one but I just fail to understand why the everyone is seemingly shafted when Japan get's everything and more on a silver platter. Next topic,
OTHER THINGS: This week japan gets 19 new games across their three shop services. Do you wanna know the average number in the US as of late? 5-6 games. You have fans in other places besides Japan, Nintendo. I would just LOVE to get even 10 games in one update. And you wanna know the sad part, 10 games would be a light week for Japan. Nintendo, listen and listen good, there are other places in the world other than Japan. To build on this idea, let's talk about Club Nintendo. The US got Club Nintendo this year, many years after Japan has had it. This is reason enough to upset me but the catalogue of prizes for the US is downright shameful. If we had just half of the stuff that the Japan catalogue had, I would be a very happy camper. One word to sum up Club Nintendo in America: insulting. To sum up these thoughts, it's not my imagination, the rest of the world is massively shafted in favor of Japan. This doesn't just happen a little, this happens in nearly every aspect of Nintendo's endeavours. Please note, I am as fanatical as Nintendo fans come and really want to see Nintendo succeed. It absolutely kills me to see them shoot themselves, and the US, in the foot countless times. I have bought tens of thousands of dollars worth of Nintendo hardware, software, accessories, clothing, toys, etc. and as time goes on, I find it harder and harder to keep parting with my money for Nintendo. Please fix these problems Nintendo. This is not an isolated thing, there are many MANY people who share my views on many of these topics. Also, read this next part carefully, I DO NOT want some side-stepping corporate response to this. I don't want to open a reply that starts with something like "Thank You for sharing your thoughts with us. We understand your concerns........" If a real raw answer to my questions is too much for whatever Nintendo representative is reading this, then foward this to Mr. Reggie Fils-Aime himself. Infact I would prefer if it is possible, to get my response straight from him. As president of NOA I think he needs to see these dire concerns. Let me re-itterate, I DO NOT WANT A CORPORATE, GENERIC RESPONSE TO THIS EMAIL! And I know it's not your thing to really listen to fan concerns Nintendo but please take seriously what I have said in this email.
This is a good effort, but if it is actually going to NOA, you could use a rewrite so that you don't sound as if you're talking about them instead of to them. I can probably post tomorrow with help if you need it.
I use the same username on TVTropes and youtube. look me up!
My virginity is one thing, but I can't let the pedophiles have my Wii FriendCode®
I'll save Nintendo the trouble. Here is the email you'll get.
Hello,
Thank you for contacting Nintendo. I’m happy to address your concerns regarding the Wii’s Virtual Console service.
Each week we make available a mix of Virtual Console, WiiWare, and DSiWare games. Combined, these services currently provide gamers with hundreds of fun and interesting downloadable games to choose from. There is no preset schedule as to how many games will become available in a given week, but I can assure you that many more Virtual Console, WiiWare, and Nintendo DSiWare games are on the way!
I can also assure you that your comments have been forwarded to the appropriate departments for further review and will be added to the feedback record for the Virtual Console service. Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
Sincerely,
Mina Harris Nintendo of America Inc. Nintendo's home page: http://www.nintendo.com/ Power Line (Automated Product Info): (425) 885-7529
Tell us how we're doing! Our customer satisfaction survey takes only minutes to complete and allows us to ensure our responses meet your needs. Please click the link below:
You could've atleast given a shot at typing a proper letter, and started with something like a compliment, and then moved on to state your claim.
It's all complaints, and while you many very wel feel this way, no one wants to hear you complain about their work.
And what's the problem with giving WiiWare a chance to shine? What if you were working for Tell Tale Games, and just released Monkey Island, or any developer for that matter, and then was completely over shadowed by sales of Super Smash Bros. on VC?
Listen to Corbie and save yourself the trouble, man.
BEST THREAD EVER future of NL >:3
[16:43] James: I should learn these site rules more clearly
[16:44] LztheBlehBird: James doesn't know the rules? For shame!!!
@wanderlustwarrior: Oops. Your probably right about that. Oh well, I think they get the idea. @Corbie: That's why I included the part were i don't want a generic response. If they don't listen, they'll keep getting emails until I get a response that I'm satisfied with. @RaccoonMario: Firstly, it's not all complaining. Granted, most of it is but I do point out on several occasions things I like about what they are doing. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with giving WiiWare a chance to shine, i'm all in favor of it but not a single VC game is a bit much. Besides, In your example, If someone wanted Monkey Island and Smash bros, one would not take a sale from the other. If the customer wants both anyway, they will eventually buy both.
That's why I included the part were i don't want a generic response. If they don't listen, they'll keep getting emails until I get a response that I'm satisfied with.
... as if anyone else hasn't tried those already
BEST THREAD EVER future of NL >:3
[16:43] James: I should learn these site rules more clearly
[16:44] LztheBlehBird: James doesn't know the rules? For shame!!!
While I appreciate you trying, that email will never get past a customer service rep who is told to merely reply with the canned response that most fits what problem you're contacting them about, sadly. But go ahead and send it away. I guess it can't hurt.
That's why I included the part were i don't want a generic response. If they don't listen, they'll keep getting emails until I get a response that I'm satisfied with.
... as if anyone else hasn't tried those already
I know it's nearly impossible to fight Nintendo but I'm desperate!
While I appreciate you trying, that email will never get past a customer service rep who is told to merely reply with the canned response that most fits what problem you're contacting them about, sadly. But go ahead and send it away. I guess it can't hurt.
Oh, I already sent it before posting here. Just wanted to collect some thoughts.
BEST THREAD EVER future of NL >:3
[16:43] James: I should learn these site rules more clearly
[16:44] LztheBlehBird: James doesn't know the rules? For shame!!!
I know the spirit is in the right place, but you have to remember that, if there was money to be made, they'd be making it. I don't think they're sitting around saying, "Gee, we could rake in another half a million this week by releasing Super Mario Kart, but it's not worth the trouble. The customers can go pound sand up their you-know-where." Obviously, they feel like the VC service and the other issues you mentioned are best addressed according to the plan they've implemented. Just as obviously, they feel like they know how to make money. So, I'm with you all the way on this, but I don't see anything changing.
I'm highly sceptical by nature, so I doubt you will get anything but a prewritten statement if anything, one thing to remember though with wiiware, Nintendo want to please non traditional gamers as well as those of us who have been playing them for years, so those card type games, brain training type game and suduko games are more aimed at them, families and senior citizens(though not exclusively of course), after all they are wii owners too, and they deserve their fun as much as the rest of us.
@bboy2970: Just a quickie: WiiWare games CAN be patched, Hudson already did it with Alien Crush Returns. If you're worried about the bollocks that Telltale were spouting about Monkey Island I'd suggest you ignore them, it's obvious they have no clue how to approach the Wii's hardware or the WiiWare service properly.
First you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women.
Man, I need to send Nintendo a love letter showing them some of us are still cool. Because all this negative whining must be really getting to them. Ha, yeah right.
Normally, I would argue with negitive letters, however, negitive complaints in Nintendo Life are actually constructive crtiicalism instead of just "Nintendo has abandon the hardcore audience" and I applaude bboy2970 for this excellent quality message. I will send this message to Nintendo of America as soon as possible.
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Topic: An angry message to Nintendo
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