Club Nintendo

Club Nintendo is Nintendo's loyalty program to reward it's fans with various gifts.

Beginnings

Nintendo launched the VIP 24:7 program in Europe alongside the launch of the Nintendo Gamecube in May 2002. Initially the only promised rewards were exclusive articles, but because of the time it took for the majority of games to reach Europe, the impact of these articles being exclusive was gradually lost. Eventually, it adopted to the Club Nintendo style of rewards in time for the Wii launch in December 2006

In North America, around the end of 2003, Nintendo launched MyNintendo. While initially the program excited users by giving them a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition with only 3 registration PIN numbers, it later amounted to exclusive wallpapers, AIM Icons, and screen savers. For a brief transitional period, when the Nintendo of America website changed design in 2007, all the prior MyNintendo rewards were lost and nothing was replaced until Club Nintendo launched December 2008.

Club Nintendo launched in Japan around the same time MyNintendo launched in North America. Between the three regions, it is the most consistent, working the same way it did then as it does today.

How it Works=

Games published by Nintendo come with a Pin Number. Enter the Pin Number on Nintendo's website to receive an amount of virtual currency (Coins in NA/JP, Stars in Europe). You can exchange the virtual currency for a number of select prizes.

Exclusive Games

Throughout Club Nintendo's history a number of exclusive games have been released through the service.

Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! (2009 Platinum Member Reward for North America) Exclamation Warriors (Selectable Reward for Japan) Game & Watch Collection (Selectable Reward for North America, Japan and Europe) Game & Watch Collection 2 (Selectable Reward for Japan) Tingle's Balloon Fight (2006 Platinum Member Reward for Japan) Wii de Ultra Hand (Selectable Reward for Japan)

Year End Rewards=

A Club Nintendo Year in America lasts from July 1 - June 30 of the following year. In Japan it lasts from October 1 - September 30 of the following year. As of right now, there are no Club Nintendo Years for Europe.

So far all Gold Member Rewards to date have been a calendar for the following year. For the first 2 years in Japan, Platinum Members received both the special reward and a calendar. Since 2006, Platinum Members must choose between one of two special rewards, while the calendar became an exclusively Gold Member Reward.

2004:

• Gamecube Promo Disk

2005:

• Universal TV Remote that looks like a Wii Remote. This was actually based on the original Revolution controller design seen at Tokyo Game Show 2005.

2006:

• Customized Mii-imprinted battery covers for Wii Remotes
• Tingle's Balloon Fight

2007:

• Super Famicom Classic Controller
• Super Mario Galaxy 2 Disc OST

2008:

• Golden Wii Wheel. This was actually based on a prototype design when Nintendo was first developing the Wii Wheel.
• Mario Hat

2009:

• Doc Louis's Punch Out!! (America)
• Game & Watch Ball. An authentic Game & Watch unit of the first game. Has the Club Nintendo logo stamped on it.
• Mario Hat (America/Japan)