Nintendo & Philosophy

MAKE IT RAIN!

I’ve spent the past five years exclusively gaming on Nintendo platforms, keeping my proverbial “appetite” quenched by balancing virtual console classics I never got a chance to play, first-party Nintendo games and more niche titles like Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon, as well as Radiant Historia for DS (to name just a handful of examples).

I keep close tabs on what Nintendo releases with every quarter in almost every region so I can know what’s coming…or what’s not. When you’ve limited yourself to Nintendo platforms as I have, you suddenly find yourself becoming a lot more knowledgeable on stuff the general populous, or even some of the more educated gamers, may look past. And when it came time for E3 three weeks ago, I was expecting something completely different than what was actually brought to the table.

I had this deep-seeded fear that Nintendo was going to kill off the Wii post-Skyward Sword, and I fear the DS may share the same fate now that the 3DS is on the market. But it’s funny—I actually found myself having faith in Nintendo for once, since I knew there were at least two very hardcore, very much Triple A titles coming to the Wii in Europe as a way to truly recapture the core in the Wii’s final moments, so that maybe a transition to the WiiU could be done with less apprehension, more ease.

Xenoblade Chronicles & The Last Story are two games 100% confirmed for European release on Wii. If you’re lucky enough to be over there right now, and you happen to own a Wii that’s currently collecting dust (as even mine has lately), grab yourself some good games for later on this year, folks. Xenoblade’s reception is very, very good. And The Last Story is rumored to be the final game of Sakaguchi, formerly affiliated with the creation of Final Fantasy—it just has to be good.  Also worth noting is Pandora’s Tower, which plays a lot like God of War according to many. This is not confirmed for Europe yet, but I have little doubt it will be before long.

So here we have two potential games with authentic English translations out there. And one with a lot of potential. I really, really hoped that Reggie would mention them. It would be almost too easy to bring them over here for the same reasons, with Nintendo’s deep pockets. But no! Nintendo of America is no good for it. They won’t take a chance with us! Instead, they choose to occupy Wii gamers for the summer and fall wish SMASH HIT TITLES like Wii Play: Motion & Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident. It’s really aggravating. ATLUS took a chance on American audiences with Radiant Historia—why the flip can’t Nintendo do the same with games they know will be of great, if not superior quality?

Not sure how many of you folks know about Operation Rainfall. But a group of Nintendo fans with voices (and intent) just as loud as my own got together and voted with their wallets. Monado: Beginning of the World (the original title of Xenoblade Chronicles here in the states, because at one point it was coming) made its way to #1 in all of Amazon’s Video Game sales not too long ago. They’ve flooded Nintendo of America’s Facebook and Youtube with pleas for these games, and are currently planning a mass letter campaign where they use snail mail to try to get Reggie to take a hint.

I want your opinion. Am I being too hopeful? Does Nintendo not give a rat’s behind about me? Do the efforts of Operation Rainfall have any hopes of getting through Nintendo’s increasingly thick skull?

It’s easy to be angry at Nintendo right now. How in the world are you gonna release the 3DS in March and wait until the holidays to offer up more than one (two if you count Street Fighter) really substantial title for it? Why kill off the Wii when there’s more than a year before the release of your next console?

Did they really decide that 2009 & 2010 were “enough” for gamers on the Wii?

Talk is cheap, though.

Here’s a website with additional information and a heap of trailers:
http://oprainfall.blogspot.com/

Nintendo of America doesn’t like the rain.

From Nintendo’s Facebook page, in response to Operation Rainfall / the sentiments I expressed hours before:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/Nintendo

Thank you for your enthusiasm. We promised an update, so here it is. We never say “never,” but we can confirm that there are no plans to bring these three games to the Americas at this time. Thanks so much for your passion, and for being such great fans!

I lol’d. Nintendo of America promised this update three days ago. Even if they have spent the last three days actually talking to the people in charge of localizing Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower… to respond in this round-about way with no rhyme or reason behind their “probably not gonna happen…” is…distasteful, to say the least.

I wouldn’t be nearly as angry, nor provoked to write this post, if Nintendo of America actually gave its “passionate fans” reasons behind their refusal and why it’s taken them three days to give us the same response that anyone in Nintendo Customer Service could have (hell, HAS) given us up to now.

Watching Operation Rainfall (and even those not affiliated with the movement) respond to this has been nothing short of amazing. There is plenty of anger, but the “passion” Nintendo described in their response will no doubt reach incredible heights. Don’t stop fighting, anyone who may read this. I know I won’t,

A lot of the anger I’ve seen since last night can be characterized as hot water that slips through one’s fingers.

Nintendo responded to fans of Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower in a distasteful way. I will continue to voice opinions that knock Nintendo’s handling of Operation Rainfall’s efforts, NOT Nintendo themselves. Anyone and everyone throwing curse words and threats of boycotting and the like their way… you’re really not doing anything constructive.

Anger is anger. Operation Rainfall was angry BEFORE Nintendo responded to them, and turned that rage into something constructive. In response, members with clearer heads are attempting to reach new heights.

Clear your heads, folks. Anger without direction will just get you lost. You’ll never hear me direct a single f word at Nintendo of America besides a “failure to communicate”.

If you don’t want to give the Americas these wonderful games… fine. I just want to know why. Give us cold hard facts, something solid that can’t be washed away with 140 characters. There’s nothing more I can say that isn’t covered in this eloquent response:



Never say never.

SaGa 3: Jikuu no Hasha - Shadow or Light

I want to pay $40 to play an English version.

But Square-Enix refuses to bring the SaGa franchise oversees again because they didn’t sell so well the first time under the “Final Fantasy Legend” name.

Sad times. Thank godness Cain’s Domain is doing a fan translation. I’ll be able to see the story that way…

The soundtrack is outstanding, by the way.