Spend 500 Club Nintendo coins on two Animal Crossing: New Leaf posters! ...Wait, what?

Club Nintendo in America has added a new reward: the Animal Crossing: New Leaf 2-Poster Set. The first poster is a nice shot of townsfolk every Animal Crossing player is familiar with (Isabelle, Tom Nook, and the like). The second poster features every single animal the game has to offer as ordinary citizens. That's all the explaining I can do: those who are familiar with the series know exactly what I mean.

The new reward is going for a whopping 500 coins. This baffles me, as past poster sets have included 3 posters and been redeemable for just 400 coins. I keep expecting Club Nintendo to get its act together and start offering decent items at decent prices, but the program keeps on sinking. What types of rewards would you like to see more of?

Club Nintendo offers gold-colored nunchuk to North American members

There have been many causes to be jealous of Club Nintendo members in Japan. One of those cases involved a gold-colored nunchuk to match a certain gold Wii remote that came with special copies of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Well, we can all check that off the long list of North America have-nots, because the gold nunchuk has arrived. Click here to check it out. You'll have to drop 900 coins for this bad boy, but hurry: there's only a limited quantity available!

Club Nintendo to offer double the coins for New Super Mario Bros. 2 download

Nintendo has been planning for a while now to offer the game New Super Mario Bros. 2 as both a retail purchase and an eShop download. Club Nintendo has recently announced that players who go with the download over the physical package will get double the coins when they take the registration survey: 100 coins compared with 50.

What does this news mean to you? Are the 50 extra coins enough incentive to download the game as opposed to going with the cartridge? Let us know in a comment!

Nintendo Goodies

I try to keep my eyes open for chances to get awesome Nintendo junk that isn't always useful. Club Nintendo is a great way to collect stuff like this, but some of the other things I'll be showing you today didn't come from Club Nintendo. Check it out:

I got this Tanooki Mario keychain from Gamestop for pre-ordering Super Mario 3D Land.

This giant AR card is available from Club Nintendo for 300 coins.

This set of 25 Super Mario Bros. buttons was a Club Nintendo gift for Platinum members.

There are only 9 AR idol cards here, but I now have 15 in my collection.

Club Nintendo offers a calender for gold and platinum members each year.

This bag is available at 550 Club Nintendo coins.

My friend Rachel found these Nintendo gummie candies and sent them to me for Christmas.

A set of Club Nintendo posters; they don't come with the frames, but I highly recommend getting frames.

Little Zelda figures....not from Club Nintendo.

Nintendo news round-up and my thoughts

Club Nintendo offers game downloads for coins
I know, I know...old news. But, hey, I never even mentioned it on my blog. Yes, Club Nintendo has been offering game downloads as rewards. These downloads are actual DSiware, WiiWare, and Virtual Console titles. They change every month and are surprisingly cheap at 100 or 150 rewards points (or coins). Some samples include Super Mario Kart, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, and Dr. Mario Online RX, none of which are available anymore. Until February 29, you can snag Mario Party 2 for Wii or Art Academy: First Semester for DSi, each at 150 coins. As for my thoughts? I think this tidbit of news speaks for itself. I don't need to tell you how AWESOME it is.

Game demos grace the Nintendo eShop
I guess it was kind of a big deal that gamers could download and play demos for Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games and Resident Evil: Revelations. Since this trend began, demos for Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D and Nintendogs+cats have also become available. I only tried one: Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. I suppose I'm getting kind of old for colorful, simple minigame collection-type games, because it bored me nearly to tears. And that's about all I can say about these game demo things.

Hulu Plus available on the Wii system
I really like this news! Even though I'm not a Hulu Plus member, I think it's great that the Wii has gained this crucial ability. The only problem? Well, the Wii is nearing the end of its life. Isn't it, I dunno, a little late for something like this? Better late than never, I suppose.

Nintendo Direct 2-22-12 video explodes with news...watch out
As you can see from the full Nintendo Direct 2-22-12 video above, the first bit of great news regards the Nintendo eShop title Dillon's Rolling Western. It's now available! I haven't downloaded it yet, but I hope to do so eventually thanks to this great review on Infendo! We've known for a while that Kid Icarus: Uprising is going to come with a little pack-in: a Nintendo 3DS stand, which is featured in the video. This being the first time I have mentioned it, these are my thoughts: it's an odd accessory, but if someone out there finds comfort from using it, great! Next, we have a release date for the long-anticipated Mario Tennis Open for Nintendo 3DS: May 20. The only tennis game I've ever played was Wii Sports tennis, so I can't say I'm particularly excited about Mario Tennis Open. We'll see what happens! April 6 is the official North American release date for Xenoblade Chronicles. Oh, and I pre-ordered the game, so that's the happy ending to that story!

And finally, the Wii game The Last Story is headed to North America. Um...I can't imagine why this is such a big deal, because even in all my internet travels, I haven't come across much information about this game. It's an RPG from the creator of Final Fantasy. Yep. I hope everyone who has been clamoring for The Last Story enjoys it!

Giant AR Card: A Club Nintendo review

I don't expect many of my readers to be big enough Nintendo fans that they frequently use Club Nintendo, but I regard my precious Club Nintendo coins as very valuable. You don't just spend them on anything!

Today's Club Nintendo item is the recent Giant AR Card. I simply jumped at the chance to get this one for 200 coins. You've seen my regular AR photos: little Mii's on my desk, little Nintendo characters at school. But if you're a regular Nintendo Lifeline reader, you've also seen glimpses of what the Giant AR Card can create: a giant dragon coming to life on the back lawn, a giant Mii rushing down the stairs. (For all that and more, visit this previous post.)

Now that you have an idea of what this thing is, let's get down to business. First of all, this card is even bigger than I originally expected. Sometimes it's a little too big. To get it to register with my Nintendo 3DS camera, I've used a rickety ladder and the top of a high deck, among other things. Don't get me wrong, though: the size is great. Best part about it. There is something valid to dislike about the Giant AR Card, though: it is painstaking to get it to register because 1) it's too floppy and 2) it catches glares all too easily. As if it wasn't tedious enough to set up the regular-sized AR card, this one is even more difficult to work with. But if you can get past that, it's quite fun to mess around with.

So is the Giant AR Card worth 200 of your precious Club Nintendo coins? Well, if messing around with augmented reality appeals to you, definitely. If not, the added frustration might not be worth it. Have a great week, and spend those coins wisely!

The music of Ocarina of Time

Quick personal note: Aaaaah! I feel terrible! I've been shunting Nintendo and my blog to the side because...I'm a huge Harry Potter fan! This is kind of a turning point in my life!

Aren't you so glad you know why I haven't been giving Ocarina of Time 3D the attention it deserves? Okay...ahem, moving on! Music! Starting with Nintendo's presentation at this year's E3, it's been a roller coaster ride to the obtaining of the official Ocarina of Time 3D soundtrack for me. Club Nintendo didn't make it clear how many soundtracks were available or how long they might last. Just to be on the safe side, I changed my shipping speed, paying an extra three bucks.

Ocarina of Time 3D is out for one day, and a message appears: the demand is too great. Those who register the game by tomorrow will definitely receive a soundtrack. NO!!!!!! I've missed it! The deadline passes. A second message appears: We will still be sending out soundtracks to those who register the game, on a first come, first serve basis, while supplies last. YES!!!!!!! I still have a chance! An agonizing two days pass. The game finally comes! I register it and take the survey as fast as humanly possible. Nothing. That's what I get for about a day. Then the blessed e-mail arrives! My reward order has been processed! I will receive another e-mail when it ships! Soon after that, I see a final message on Club Nintendo: the offer has ended.

So there goes 90% of my blog post on telling you how I got an official Ocarina of Time 3D soundtrack. Suffice it to say that the music in Ocarina of Time is and always has been amazing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go finish making all of those ocarina melodies into ringtones. Have a great week!

Two days, too much to cover...but I'll try

Update: Here are the links to a handful of new trailers Nintendo has released at E3:
Paper Mario
Mario Kart
Animal Crossing
Super Mario
Ocarina of Time 3D

I'll get straight to it today: starting with the brand-new eShop for Nintendo 3DS. With this important system update, Nintendo offered 3DS users everywhere two free downloads. The first is 3D Classics: Excite Bike. The original NES title remains untouched except for the addition of 3D depth. And it just so happens that a cool 3D trick comes into play: as the player moves the 3D depth slider, the whole background image shifts along with the depth itself.

The second piece of free Nintendo goodness is the Pokedex 3D. Users will start out with a limited amount of Pokemon data, but more can be obtained through SpotPass and by other means. Pokemon can be viewed in full 3D and can also be placed in the real world through augmented reality. Also included is comprehensive info on each acquired Pokemon: types, stats, and moves are just a few examples of what players can expect.

As if that didn't take up enough space, those little tidbits are nothing compared to the flood of new details revealed from Nintendo's E3 media conference, which took place Tuesday morning. Here goes:

2011 is The Legend of Zelda 25th anniversary. Fans can expect a host of celebratory events to take place throughout the year, starting with the ability to download The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console service. That'll be seven bucks, please! Next, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D will be released on the 19th of this month. Club Nintendo members will be treated to a complimentary copy of the game's official soundtrack for registering their game...offer valid while supplies last, people! The long-awaited Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will finally be released for Wii this holiday season. A special promotion will see fans with super-awesome gold Wii-motes with the Zelda crest on the front.

New trailers are available for the following Nintendo 3DS games: Mario Kart, Super Mario, Animal Crossing, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Star Fox 64 3D, Paper Mario, and more. In fact, 3D versions of said trailers can be downloaded for free on the Nintendo 3DS system. They all look amazing, by the way! The current Nintendo 3DS drought will be remedied by year's end, no doubt about it.

Readers, if you've made it this far, you're in for a treat, because Nintendo has pulled back the veil on their next home console. Rumors that the controller would have a built-in, 6-inch touch screen were, indeed, true (see the image on this post). The official name of the console is (drumroll, please)...Wii U! If Wii was able to capture the non-gamer market, then Wii U will capture the hardcore market. All thanks to a highly versatile controller and HD graphics capabilities. Non-gamer market, worry not: Wii U is backwards compatible with Wii games and accessories. In fact, Wii-motes will continue to be at the forefront of control with Wii U. The intention is that four Wii-motes and one touch screen controller can be used at one time. It's a new system, but incorporates the ol' Wii overtly, yet...subtly. Expect more details to emerge before the system's 2012 release. 

It's all happening in June

Release of eShop
When I first acquired my Nintendo 3DS, I found that it had an internet browser. Curious, I tapped it. All I got was a message that said internet access would be available in a future update. I'm certainly not the only one who was a little disappointed. In fact, one of the greatest qualms critics had about the system was that it seemed incomplete without all the online features that were promised. Well, the wait is over on the evening of June 6, when internet access and a myriad of other features will appear through the most anticipated update to the Nintendo 3DS system yet. The eShop will be a channel through which WiiWare-esque games can be obtained. It will also include a Virtual Console that will make GameBoy and GameBoy Color games available in all their original glory.

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo)
E3 is easily the biggest event of the year for gaming fans. Nintendo will kick off E3 on the morning of June 7 with a live media presentation, which will be available here. Afterwards, Nintendo fans can look forward to daily updates. These are sure to include new game trailers, first impressions, and special Nintendo presentations. As always, Nintendo is sure to reveal new, highly-exciting details about the games and systems the company has been working on. Project Cafe, anyone?

Game Release: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Hardcore Zelda fans such as myself have already marked June 19 on their Club Nintendo calenders as the day Ocarina of Time 3D is released. This game promises to be more than just a remake with updated graphics and controls, the inclusion of the Master Quest, and a brand-new Boss Challenge mode.

It's a great time to be a Nintendo fan, so don't forget to keep your eyes open. I predict that every last Nintendo fan alive will be cheering about something over the coming month.

Club Nintendo...'Nuff Said

Ah, the joy of getting free stuff...there's no comparison. And for a huge Nintendo fan like myself, it's about ten times better when that stuff is exclusive Nintendo gear. Club Nintendo is a great two-way process that benefits both Nintendo and its fans. Take ten minutes to register your Nintendo product, take a survey, and watch the coins flow into your account. Have the patience to collect a lot of coins, and you too can find amazing stuff waiting in your mailbox. What exactly makes this program so great?

A Huge Variety of Stuff to Choose From
Rewards range from 10-coin screensavers you can instantly download on your computer to re-created Game & Watch systems at a whopping 1200 coins. Need a matching set of Nintendo-themed folders and bookmarks for school? Club Nintendo has you covered! Want a cool, sleek case for your Nintendo DS Lite? Club Nintendo's got your back! Bags of all shapes and sizes, playing cards decorated with Nintendo characters, multi-colored Wii remote straps, Mario and Zelda posters...this is just a taste of what's up for grabs

Accumulate Enough Coins to Qualify for Special Rewards
Earn enough coins in any given year (July 1-June 30) to achieve gold, then platinum status. Not only do you get a cool badge on your Club Nintendo page, but you will also receive extra-cool rewards. Spending your hard-earned coins on other rewards throughout the year doesn't negate your progress toward gold or platinum status, so spend all you want and keep that elite status intact!

Other Benefits
Set up a family account, receive (or choose not to receive) e-mail newsletters from Nintendo, post in the official Nintendo forums, and enjoy being part of Nintendo culture with Club Nintendo. Your experience may be invaluable to a fellow Nintendo fan who has posted a question in the forums. You yourself may receive much-needed help in the forums.

So go on and enjoy your Nintendo products, but don't forget to spend that 10 minutes on Club Nintendo! I promise it is worth it if you frequently purchase Nintendo games and systems.