With the release of Xenoblade Chronicles, I’d like to take this opportunity to comment a little on operation rainfall. It’s an operation that has risen since Nintendo of American did not seem very inclined to localize Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story and Pandora’s Tower. These titles seemed to have been made with high production value and also seemed to cater to the hardcore gamers. With the Wii’s current library, a hardcore gamer does not really feel at home, and as you could imagine, we were ecstatic. Yet, Nintendo of America decided that these games were not fit for translation. Two of them are RPGs, so I expect that the company believed that they would not sell well because the North American conventional gamer has come to shun all that is too traditional or Japanese. I also expect that the company did not think that those games fit the image of its clientele. But the problem here is not only for us, but for them as a business. Their actions of Nintendo do not follow their words. Nintendo of America is known for making many bad business decisions, but really, this is not an isolated incident.
Here is a list of games Nintendo published only in Japan:
- Mother (NES)
- Super Mario Bros 2 (Japan) (NES) (Released on Virtual console)
- Nazo no Murasame-jō (NES)
- Famicom Tantei Club (NES)
- Shin Oni Ga Shima (NES)
- Time Twist: Rekishi no Katasumi de... (NES)
- Yūyūki (NES)
- Knight Move (NES)
- Backgammon (NES)
- Mahjong (NES)
- Famicom Golf: U.S. Course (NES)
- Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally (NES)
- Famicom Tantei Club: Kieta Kōkeisha (NES)
- Famicom Grand Prix: F1 Race (NES)
- Famicom Golf: Japan Course (NES)
- Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School (NES)
- Pro Wrestling - Famicom Wrestling Association (NES)
- Vs. Excitebike (NES)
- Clu Clu Land: Welcome to New Clu Clu Land (NES) (Released later in Animal Crossing)
- Panel de Pon (SNES) (Tetris Attack and Pokemon Puzzle League are based on it)
- Sutte Hakkun (SNES)
- Zoo-tto Mahjong! (SNES)
- Mario & Wario (SNES)
- Marvelous: Mouhitotsu no Takarajima (SNES) (First game involving Eiji Aonuma)
- Power Lode Runner (SNES)
- Power Soukoban (SNES)
- Mario's Super Picross (SNES) (Released clones much later)
- Heisei no Shin Onigashima (SNES)
- BS Zelda no Densetsu (Satellaview)
- BS Mario Paint: Yuu Shou Naizou Ban (Satellaview)
- Fire Emblem Akaneia Senki (Satellaview)
- Wario's Woods: Burst of Laughter Version (Satellaview)
- Yoshi no Panepon (Satellaview)
- Kirby no Omocha Hako (Satellaview)
- BS Zelda no Densetsu (2nd map) (Satellaview)
- BS F-Zero Grand Prix (Satellaview)
- Itoi Shigesato no Bass Tsuri No. 1 (Satellaview)
- Mario Excite Bike (Satellaview)
- Wario's Woods: Again (Satellaview)
- BS Zelda no Densetsu Kodai no Sekiban (Satellaview)
- BS Dr. Mario (Satellaview)
- Panel de Pon Event '98 (Satellaview)
- Marvelous: Camp Arnold (Satellaview)
- Marvelous: Time Athletic - Unknown
- Satella Q (Satellaview)
- Satella Walker (Satellaview)
- Satella Walker 2 (Satellaview)
- Shin Onigashima (Satellaview)
- Sim City: Gai Tsukuri Taikai (Satellaview)
- Special Tee Shot (Satellaview)
- Super Famicom Wars (Satellaview)
- Super Mario Collection (Satellaview)
- Super Mario USA Power Challenge (Satellaview)
- Sutte Hakkun (Satellaview)
- Sutte Hakkun '98: Winter Event (Satellaview)
- BS Tantei Club: Yuki ni Kieta Kako (Satellaview)
- Zootto Mahjong! (Satellaview)
- Yakuman (GB)
- Game Boy Wars (GB)
- Picross 2 (GB)
- Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (GB)
- X (GB)
- Koro Koro Puzzle Happy Panechu! (GBA)
- Domo-Kun no Fushigi Terebi (GBA)
- Tomato Adventure (GBA)
- Mother 3 (GBA)
- Hamtaro: Rainbow Rescue (GBA)
- Mother 1 + 2 (GBA) (Double the insult)
- Famicom Minis (GBA)
- Sennen Kazoku (GBA)
- Eyeshield 21: DevilBats DevilDays (GBA)
- Rhythm Tengoku (GBA)
- bit Generations: Boundish (GBA)
- bit Generations: Dialhex (GBA) (Remade as an Art Style)
- bit Generations: Dotstream (GBA) (Remade as an Art Style)
- bit Generations: Coloris (GBA)
- bit Generations: Orbital (GBA) (Remade as an Art Style)
- bit Generations: Soundvoyager (GBA)
- bit Generations: Digidrive (GBA)
- Densetsu no Starfy 1 (GBA)
- Densetsu no Starfy 2 (GBA)
- Densetsu no Starfy 3 (GBA)
- Magical Vacation (GBA)
- Custom Robo GX (GBA)
- F-Zero Climax (GBA)
- Sakura Momoko no Ukiuki Carnival (GBA)
- Kuruin Paradise (GBA)
- Calciobit (GBA)
- Custom Robo V2 (N64)
- Dōbutsu no Mori (N64)
- Sin and Punishment (N64) (Released on Virtual console)
- Doshin the Giant (GC)
- Dōbutsu no Mori e-Plus (GC)
- GiFTPiA (GC)
- Kururin Squash! (GC)
- Donkey Konga 2 (GC)
- Eyeshield 21: Field Saikyou no Senshi Tachi (Wii)
- Wii Chess (Wii)
- Minna no Joushiki Ryoku TV (Wii)
- Disaster: Day of Crisis (Wii)
- Another Code: R - A Journey Into Lost Memories (Wii)
- Takt of Magic (Wii)
- Minna ga Shuyaku no NHK Kouhaku Quiz Kassen (Wii)
- Ando Kensaku (Wii)
- Fatal Frame IV (Wii) (They published it in Japan)
- Captain Rainbow (Wii)
- Jam With the Band (DS)
- Daredemo Asobi Taizen (DS)
- Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan (Series) (DS) (Elite Beat Agents is different in musical content)
- Jump Super Stars (DS)
- Nintendogs: Shiba Inu and Friends (DS) (Okay, small loss)
- DS Rakuhiki Jiten (DS) (A Japanese Dictionary)
- Yakuman DS (DS)
- Kanji Sonomama: DS Rakubiki Jiten (DS)
- Magical Starsign (DS)
- Densetsu no Starfy 4 (DS)
- English Training: Have Fun Improving Your Skills! (DS)
- Project Hacker: Kakusei (DS)
- Jump Ultimate Stars (DS)
- Chōsōjū Mecha MG (DS)
- Eyeshield 21: MAX Devil Power (DS)
- Mawashite Tsunageru Touch Panic (DS)
- Kanshū Nippon Jōshikiryoku Kentei Kyōkai: Imasara Hito ni wa Kikenai Otona no Jōshikiryoku Training DS (DS)
- Mawashite Tsunageru Touch Panic (DS)
- Wi-Fi Taiyou: Yakuman DS (DS)
- Kenkou Ouen Recipe 1000: DS Kondate Zenshuu (DS)
- Point & Speak Travel Notebook (DS)
- Touch Hyakunin Isshu: DS Shigureden (DS)
- Jet Impulse (DS)
- Kuikin Nano Story Island (DS)
- Ganbaru Watashi no Kakei Diary (DS)
- Slide Adventure: Mag Kid (DS)
- Zekkyō Senshi Sakeburein (DS)
- Theta (DS)
- Facening de Hyōjō Yutaka ni Inshō Up: Otona no DS Kao Training (DS)
- Suujin Taisen (DS)
- ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat (DS)
- Kousoku Card Battle: Card Hero (DS)
- Make 10: A Journey of Numbers (DS)
- Soma Bringer (DS)
- Daigasso! Band Brothers DX (DS)
- DS Uranai Seikatsu (DS)
- Tomodachi Collection (DS)
- Okaeri! Chibi Robo! Happy Richie Dai Souji (DS)
- Nihon Keizai Shinbunsha Kanshuu: Shiranai Mamade wa Son o Suru Mono ya Okane no Shikumi DS (DS)
- Last Window: Mayonaka no Yakusoku (DS)
- Many Fire Emblems, even new ones (Various)
- The Tingle games (Various)
I found this much from the first two pages of a single Google search. Many of these games are bad or do not fit for the North American audience. One rarely plays Mah-jong here and a Wario’s Woods version of the game that features popular Japanese idols would not make sense here. However, in the case of Xenoblade, The last Story and Pandora’s Tower, we’re talking about very high budget titles that would attract part of a hardcore audience; one Nintendo has been steadily losing since the Wii was released. Games like Fire Emblem, Mother 3 or Jump Superstars obviously fits a niche audience on North American territory, but sometimes, you got to take a calculated loss.
The casual gamer will not be a majority forever in the console business. Casual gaming will continue of course, but the casual gamer cares less about quality and more about convenience. The casual gamer doesn’t care if his game lasts 80 hours, he will likely never play more than five. The casual doesn’t care if his controls are very precise, so long as it passes time. The casual is what he is called: a person who does not take video games seriously. This person does not play with any passion and because of that, he or she will not seek to be particularly informed. I believe that this kind of individual will soon migrate towards gaming on the iPhone, which will conveniently always be with them; eliminating the need to carry a second device around. It’s cheap (they already got one anyways) and it’s easy to use. In other words, I believe that companies that will not prepare for this shift will suffer dire consequences, and this may be why Nintendo is currently attempting to reassure the core gamer that he or she will have content to spare on the Wii U. If you make fun and complete games, you will generally attract some hardcores. While the hardcore is currently a minority in the gaming industry, it is a security blanket, an audience that will continue to game after the casuals outlive the fad. I may be absolutely wrong, but I’m pretty convinced that the casual gamer does not constitute a very reliable audience in terms of fanbase loyalty. In fact, according to the desertion in investors, I can safely assume that I am not the only one who thinks that way. However, the solutions brought forward by these investors are ludicrous at best.
Source
Source 2
Some of the analysts think games don’t make a difference, which may be true. In the past, it was all about the games. You bought a Nintendo system because of Mario and Zelda. You bought a Sega for Sonic and Golden Axe. Hell, you even bought the Turbo Graphix 16 for YS if you were savvy enough in obscure titles in this era where gaming magazines actually were useful and Internet was absent from our homes. Investors also seem the think that Nintendo should go the mobile phone route. Honestly, I don’t think so. There is a difference between what a mobile phone can do and what a gaming console can do. The shape required to make a phone ergonomical requires a smaller screen, and a different control set-up. Needless to say, it would be very awkward to use a 3ds or PSP to talk on the phone. Maybe you could have some Bluetooth attachment on it but then again, these gaming systems would steer away from their original goal: create a high production value entertainment experience for the consumer. There is a reason why people own both a phone and a gaming console at the same time: They provide different experiences and fulfill different needs for different kinds of consumers. If Nintendo were to get into the phone business, it might actually get crushed anyways by the more established Apple. The result would have been the same, but with more magnitude: lost of investors.
It takes a lot to lose a fanboy. I for example accepted the lack of games on the Gamecube because it had Super Smash Bros. Melee, which I played long enough to freeze the gameplay timer. I bought a DS despite most early DS games being full of bothersome gimmicks. I even bought a Wii hoping that like the DS, they’d get better at it. I even bought Super Smash Bros. Brawl and tried really hard to like it, but in the end, it was so bad to me that for the first time, I legitimately hated Nintendo and bought a PS2 and a PS3 post-haste. And even if I am frustrated that most Nintendo games are almost unplayable for a left-handed person who is not quite as ambidextrous as some, that they ruined my favourite gaming series of all time, that they use gimmicky motions everywhere while if I prefer classic controls, I still technically have a glimmer of care for this company. I spent countless days saving the Lylat system, rescuing the princess and finding the magic sword. Some of the most enjoyable moments in my existence were early mornings when I had finally finished a game, body dead-tired, eyes burning red, and feeling like throwing up. The sense of accomplishment took precedence over all of these ills. With the lack of difficulty in games these days, the sense of accomplishment is gone. At times, the game has no ordeal to challenge, nor does it have a goal, rules, or even gameplay at all. So of course, the hardcore gamer hangs on to these rare good new titles; might be a change of pace from beating Chrono Trigger for the twelfth time. The fanboyism never fully leaves. It is comparable to the love a parent retains for his delinquent child. You don’t agree with him but you still care. You know the next Final Fantasy is going to suck, but you will check it out every time hoping in vain that it will capture but a glimmer of what made the early series so great.
As I have stated earlier, last E3, Nintendo tried to reassure us that we would get out share of hardcore games. However, they are also doing nothing about the lack of hardcore games right now, which removes all of the credibility their claims could have had. When the Wii U comes out, I will be careful, and I may not buy it right away, if I do at all. I know that Super Smash Bros 4 will not beat Project M, so there is no reason to get it. With the more classic-style controller of the Wii U, perhaps we will be able to use better-suited controls for hardcore titles. However, Nintendo of America’s attitude does not bode well for us. We are left with many questions like “Will Nintendo betray my trust as a consumer once again?”, “Will they take a hardcore direction temporarily to focus on the casuals again?”or “Will it matter at all? What if the good stuff doesn’t get released here anyways?”. There is no excuse for not releasing Xenoblade. The game has already been fully translated into English, French and several other languages in Europe; there is little left to do.
All this is doing is inciting people to load pirated copies through USB and making them angry and distrustful. There are many people who genuinely don’t want to pirate their games, but make an exception just for imported games. Others just don’t want to hack or pirate at all. Thus they are left with mind-numbingly boring and easy games or are denied the ability to own a game they want. Well, there is always the solution of getting a Pal Wii and a Pal disc, but the import costs are horrendous.
Operation rainfall’s supporters are likely an amalgalm of each type of person here. They are no different from the benevolent hackers who are working on Project M’s development to repair the blunders in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, or the guy who made the Classic controller support code for Donkey Kong Country Returns. They want something and they are trying to do something about it. As a fellow gamer, I urge you to support them. It is one thing to not be able to play Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School but it’s another to not be able to play games with such enormous production values. Nintendo is a corporation and at the top of the hierarchy sits not the president but your wallet. If enough people show their displeasure and threaten to stop buying their products, they will have to change their minds.
Closing comments: I am not here to support piracy, but here to explain why many would take this drastic measure. Many individuals wanted nothing more than to buy Xenoblade, The Last Story and Pandora’s Tower. Nintendo of Japan has actually made some efforts recently to get some hardcore titles here. They’ve been working with Square Enix to get Dragon Quest and Capcom to get Monster Hunter exclusives as well as fixing some of the issues that were present in recent Mario Kart titles in Mario Kart 7 like the annoyance of the flying blue shell and the apparent removal of bikes. They also revived Kid Icarus and are earnestly trying to make a new Mario title for the 3DS that plays like a 2D Mario in 3D with old classics like the tanooki suit. The additional circle pad is a little disheartening because it should have been on the 3DS from the get-go, but that seems to show that Nintendo legitimately wants to give more tools to companies, finally making Metal Gear Solid 3 seem like it will actually be playable with decent controls. The Wii U will actually have several buttons, which is a huge plus in comparison to the Wii. Nintendo seems to be legitimately trying to fix some of its issues. Hardcore gamers will need a lot of convincing before they reintegrate Nintendo’s clientele and Nintendo of America is not helping the cause. I don’t know how they managed to miss the point but it’s clear that they need to be given a clue. Consumers hold more power that you would think, so I urge you to make use of it and together, we could change a few things.