Heads Up: Club Nintendo Platinum Member Gifts for 2006

In the past, I’ve been rather vocal about my outright adoration for all things Club Nintendo, the point based service that Nintendo offers japanese gamers as compensation for their patronage.

Platinum members are those who have been able to collect 400 points in the last year, whether or not those points were spent. Some avid japanese gamers might remember that last year’s gift was a Wii remote replica that acted as a universal remote control for TVs.

This year, those who qualify for Platinum status have a choice:

1) a custom wii battery cover with your Mii’s face emblazoned upon its rump.

or

2) A balloon fight port starring everyone’s favorite sexually confused Zelda regular, Tingle, entitled チンクルのバルーンファイト or Tingle’s Balloon Fight.

I actually was not aware I qualified as a Platinum member until Club Nintendo was nice enough to send an e-mail informing me of the fact. According to both the e-mail and the website, the deadline for selecting which gift you would like is January 21st. So, if you are not entirely sure if you apply for the Platinum member gift, check the Club Nintendo site, and click the banner near the top of the page.

For your viewing pleasure, here is a photo of the Tingle’s Balloon Fight box, as well as illustrated examples of the Mii battery flaps:

As usual, there’s absolutely no word about Club Nintendo gifts being available to any Nintendo gamers outside of Japan, except for those desperate enough to bid for them on Yahoo! Auctions Japan.

Congratulations to those who made Platinum this year, and better luck next year for those who missed it. There are bound to be better gifts next year!