Talking Point: The Growing Storm of Operation Rainfall

Re page 2: I thought Muramasa was published by Ignition in America (who you might remember somehow managed to get Arc Rise Fantasia off XSEED, Arc rise Fantasia sold horribly, most likely due the voice acting being a downward spiral in bad PR). Ignition are not doing too well last I heard.

Yay I agree it's dumb that possibly three of the best wii games will never come to north america just cause of Nintendo's weird and extremely out dated policies. Welcome to 2011 Nintendo, it's time to actually listen to your fans and just release games like there going out of style. There should NEVER be a dry spell for a system that's still technically alive.

The problem is that while Nintendo's hardcore-loving market is vocal, their casual-loving market is the one more willing to spend, so it's understandable that Nintendo would want to strike where the iron is hottest. Still, I don't agree with completely ostricizing the hardcore market and think that these three games coming out before the Wii U's launch not only gives consumers new to the Nintendo market extra launch-day titles to buy with the Wii U, but also sets the tone for a more core gaming experience while not ostricizing the spendy casual-loving market.

Movements like Operation Rainfall are effective only if there are enough people getting involved, so I'm hoping that more passionate fans come out of the woodworks and declare their love for wanting these titles and tell Nintendo that they'll "BUY THE GAME NEW" when it's out. It won't mean anything to Nintendo if fans who want the game wait for it used. Fans, you want to show your support? Support Nintendo and not the used game pawn shops. Especially if you think these games no a Nintendo platform are worth it.

The simpliest solution : all games and consoles should be absolutly region-free, and a bit cheaper.

I don't understand why everyone wants these games SOOOO badly, though. Are these sequels of games that have been released in the US or is everyone wanting them simply because they're "hardcore" Japaname-RPGs? I know Pandora's Tower is a new franchise but what about the rest?

its all about advertising. if nintendo would put some more dollars into advertising these games then they would sell a lil bit better. but if the only people who knows about the games are online fans then it won't be a hit. cause recently i told someone that i have cod for the wii and the person was like really they have that for the wii. so i think more advertising would help. come on ninty test the water with at least one title in america, or i guess we will be getting them from europe..

I'm with the Little Kings Story/Red Steel 2 comment. As I keep pointting out there are a ton of games have underperformed (with and without Nintendo support).

I did note on Twitter yesterday that it would have been a great idea to offer the game to the Gold/Platnium users and then Nintendo would appeal to the so called loyal Nintendo fans who are threatening boycots of the WiiU.

I think all this is slightly harsh on Nintendo..... but wait, everything you said was right. I'm kinda split here, I actually have something very interesting to think about.....

@Starwolf_UK Duly noted and corrected.

Nintendo knows best. These games would sell horribly in the states and the costs of localizing the games and advertising them would exceed or maybe come close with what they are going to be making off the games. If they are released during the holiday season, there is no way that the average consumer will purchase one of these titles over Zelda, Kirby, Mario Party, etc. and not to mention the big seller for Nintendo this year is a 3DS, and for a lot of people that may just be the only video game related item they purchase. So really, there is no room for Nintendo to incorporate these games into the holiday line-up. They could possibly release them next year, but there's an even smaller amount of consumers outside at that time and these games would probably fade away after a few weeks. Nintendo is a major cooperation and so they act like one, which means, they need to avoid taking huge risks such as localizing 3 games in a row that are destined to have poor or mediocre sales. Sure if one game flops in their sales every now and then it doesn't hurt too badly, but if 3 "big" games fail all within a couple months, that's a killer for the company.

@Mully They're all new games and they're so highly anticipated/demanded is because they all look like amazing games and could be some of the best on the wii.

Its great that Xenoblade chronicles and The last story are getting European releases but I hope the Americans get them too as they look like such great games and I hope that Pandora's tower gets a release in both regions. I'm really losing faith in nintendo with this situation with the jrpgs as well as the way they're making the wii U.

If I say I WANT a product, I generally do. This means that I'm very likely to purchase said product, regardless if it's out now, or won't come out for a year. And this is no different than 99% of the wallets out there. I WILL purchase Skyward Sword - that's certain. If Nintendo pulls its head out of its butt and releases Last Story or Xenoblade Chronicles, I WILL purchase them.

But at this point, it's going to take some fancy action by NoA and a whole hell of a lot of warming up to their fans in order to convince me to buy the Wii U - after all, what's to stop them from pulling the same crap as this later on? They've done this multiple times in the past, they're likely to again. The damage to their reputation, honor, and relationship with the consumers has already been done. What needs to happen now is to fix that. Or lose.

At the very least, do a small-scale test release of these games - localized or not - that's the real litmus test of a product's viability, not some market research and consumer polls.

You're losing faith because three obscure JPRPGs are not getting released in America yet stuck with them through the delayed SMB3, the non existent Earthbound series, heck it took 12 years for Super Mario RPG and Chrono Trigger to arrive over here.

I couldn't care less about any of those titles, but would it really be so hard for Nintendo to localize at least one of them?

more games = good
and i think these games would sell a lot more then you're saying.
the last story getting a 9.5 from IGN would sell a lot of copies.

@Nintendolee Its not just because three jrpgs aren't being release in all regions, its their attitude towards it as the way they're giving in to the sorts of people who think they're harcore gamers yet play nothing but fps games and think that graphics are better than gameplay with the wii U.

Localization of RPG games is not simple. The process of translating an entire game (which includes fixing confusing cultural references, etc) is very expensive and involved. Unfortunately for those of us who'd like to see these games, it takes much more than a vocal minority of purchasers to make up for the costs of localization and publishing.

I can completely understand Pandora's Tower not getting localized, but there's a serious difference in regards to the other two. THEY'RE BOTH COMING TO EUROPE, and that means they're already being translated. So............the hard work is already being done, all NoA has to do is bring it over.

@13
These games are definitely obscure. Nobody knows they exist. They're only some of the best selling hardcore titles on the Wii in Japan. No deal. Nobody cares if they are released anywhere else.
</sarcasm>

I find it odd how it always used to be us Europeans that used to miss out on all the J-RPG's and now it seems that it's the other way around.

What I find strange is that the two games that are coming to Europe will be translated to English so surely all they would have to do use the same translation. It's not like the localisation costs would be high if it's pretty much already done.

NoA knows best. But you have every right to ask. Ask and you may receive. Just don't take it for granted that every time you ask someone will give you what you want. Sounds a bit like the philosophy of the spoiled brats if you ask me. There are tons of other games out there, and if you really want it so much, well...

http://shop.ebay.ie/?_from=R40&_trksid=m570&_nkw=wii+console

there are used wii's as low as 50-60 euros. grab the game too when it comes out.

Then why is Nintendo of Europe bringing the games out? Are they stupid for doing it? Are they looking at losses?

@10
In Japan, Nintendo is releasing a game a month for Wii until Wii U. They're localizing western games like Epic Mickey and 007. These won't be hits in Japan and I can't imagine they expect them to sell a lot. But they're doing for the fan base none the less. I see NO reason why these games shouldn't see a US release.

@ballkirby1: i know you really believe that nintendo knows best, but some of us disagree. the games are already being translated into english for release in the uk. as for not making enough money on these games in the us: with the profit ninty makes on consoles, a little bit of a loss should be no big deal. the thankfulness of those consumers who want these games would be of more value than the losses they incurred.

With all that, it doesn't really explain why us in Europe are getting them and not America. In the 90s we got very few RPGs because of the lack of popularity of them in the US. Today, we have gotten quite a few RPGs, and we are getting three games liscensed by Nintendo in Europe but not America because...

@Zaphod_Beeblebrox (Post 21)

Nintendo didn't say they would never come, they said at this moment they didn't have any plans. That isn't saying no.

Maybe NoA is waiting to see how they fare in Europe. Or they're just stubborn and greedy.

@26 Actually, we're not definitely getting all three. Xenoblade chronicles and The last story are confirmed for Europe but Pandora's tower isn't yet but hopefully we will get that too and hopefully NA will too.

I personally don't care for Nintendo's current attitude towards us hardcore gamers now, but I can understand why they won't be released. At the end of the day, this is a business. The cost to translate the game, publicize it, and produce it could be a lot of money, and even though Nintendo already has a lot of money, I'm pretty sure none of the executives want to lose it. I'm saddened by Nintendo's attitude, so we'll just see how this goes

I think it's good someone has decided to make their voice heard. In fact, I think this can make a positive difference in the way Nintendo responds to their fans.

I think the bigger picture is that the Wii was terrible if you were looking for "hardcore" gaming experiences. Considering you can count on 2 hands all of those experiences on Wii, it is a slap in the face for Nintendo to let so many go unlocalized. And quite frankly the WiiU does not look like it is going to be the best console for those experiences either. Nor the 3DS. As much of a fan I am of Nintendo's GAMES, I don't want to shell out all that money just for their games.

Why bother using resources to print copies of a game that will sell .25 million, when you can do nothing, keep printing Mario Kart, NSMB Wii, and Wii Sports at full levels and still make more money. That's the problem we're facing, I think.

Yeah, I'm losing respect for Nintendo over this. There's really nothing we can do about it, unless Operation Rainfall really kicks it up a notch.

The thing is, Nintendo did give us some unexpected "import" stuff this gen. They brought out games like the first Rhythm Heaven, Elite Beat Agents, Glory of Heracles, several Dragon Quests, Endless Ocean 1&2 and Sin and Punishment 2.

And none of them sold particularly well.

Trust me, I'm mad about pretty much every game mentioned in the article not coming out in NA, especially when they are already being translated into English for the PAL versions. I just think that the "core" gamer's selective memory and dubious buying habits need to be remembered while were burning down NoA headquarters.

Stuff it, I'm moving to Japan and Europe. At the same time. Somehow. I'm going to pull an Office Space on my Wii if I can't get Xenoblade.

I think Operation Rainfall is a great idea, and I hope it's not just a flash in the pan. I wonder if it would be feasible for the group to get official not-for-profit status, set up a PayPal account for donations, and then use those proceeds to promote their cause.

As Token_Girl points out, lack of brand recognition outside of Japan is a major stumbling block.

If you're talking about marketing then they should have no problems in selling The Last Story in North America atleast, with it's pedigree it should sell by itself. If they did an advertisement with the heading "FROM THE CREATOR OF FINAL FANTASY", that would get some reaction and potential sells wouldn't it?

To answer the question: I already preordered Xenoblade Chronicles, and yes, I want to buy The Last Story and Pandora's Tower, as well as Captain Rainbow, Zangeki no Reginleiv, Excitebots, Trauma Team, Arc Rise Fantasia, NPC Chibi-Robo, Fatal Frame II+IV, Earth Seeker, Mother 3 and many more.

Region-lock already is prehistoric fail, no-one sees any good in it! But not releasing good core games in all regions is contradicting every kind of common sense, considering the flood of quality-lacking shovelware that actually gets released and considering Nintendo just recently emphasized that it wants to appeal to everyone. All lies, Nintendo. We don't swallow it anymore.
They just give us more crappy "fright simulators" and keep their fatal frames, literally.

@36. People didn't whine about it because we didn't have the ability to know what Nintendo was doing in Japan. We didn't know that Final Fantasy 2 wasn't really released in America until a few years later. And teh reason why no one cared is because it was a few years later. Now, in the modern age of technology, we know what Nintendo is doing. We know that they have made the games. We know that they have been released. The fact that we know so much and Nintendo is not going to acknoledge our knowledge of these games is what ticks people off. And I agree with the fans that know about these games

Troubile is, the official @oprainfall Twitter account consists of a palty 2300 followers.

I know it's only been going a short time, but for such a "hot" issue, that number's just pathetic and drives home the point that not many people are interested.

I think Pandora's Tower and The Last Story are coming Q1-Q2 next year to the US and even Europe.

I think it's stupid to release those games this year (hell, unless there's magic, it's impossible to fully translate, prepare to localize and market the game for release this year). What games are there to look forward to the first half of 2012 on Wii? Well, it must be these games.

I just have this gut feeling these games are on the way anyhow, and people are being too quick, naive and brats about this whole ordeal. Had some of these supporters treated Nintendo's recent new IPs the way they would with these 3, we wouldn't be in this situation most likely.

I don't see this as a short term thing. I think this is signs on the Wii U.
Nintendo stated several times that they are all about the core, but right now they are basically laughing at what few core players are left.

The reason why Wii core games never sold overly well as people wanted them to is BECAUSE of Nintendo's marketing. As much as people denied it at the time, Nintendo sold the Wii as a casual system, for kids, moms and old people. While Sony an MS sold their system as hardcore, pretty and deep.
Nintendo, like it or not, did lose a lot of these types of players (players that buy multiple software).
And even was few core games were released on the Wii, they were immediately compared to PS3 and 360, just because that's what these Wii games were trying to be, and obviously they would fail hard because of limited graphics and crap online.

So no, it's not the consumers fault for having Wii core games sell poorly. It's Nintendo's fault for selling their system as essentially a toy and driving away a lot of core gamers.

I see this as a last straw. What few core gamers are left (you can basically count them with the sales of third party core games. 200k-1mil) are sick and tired of garbage. They want support, they want a reason NOT to go to PS3 or 360, and they aren't taking "Buy our next system, everything will be fixed" as an answer.

This makes me wonder if the Wii U will be the system Nintendo wants it to be when it essentially drove away all the players they are selling the system to.
It'll obviously be a success, but with what looks like a rushed release, with what seems to be casual Nintendo games and ports of third party games that'll have been released on other systems months before, an online system that will never been as good as the rest. I don't think it'll sell the way they want it too.

And if there's no core gamers, you can bet third party support will be weak because those companies NEED core players to survive.

Time will tell, but I honestly think NoA and NoJ is being stupid about this. They are underplaying thing when I think it's a much bigger and longer lasting issue.

The fact of the matter is, Nintendo is a first party. It's their responsibility to release games for their hardware. If they don't want to, they should follow Sega's lead and gtfo and just become a third party. Sony's got enough innovation for them to use; I'm sure Mario and Zelda would kick ass on the Playstation!

I just can't believe that not only would they rather NOT release a game for the Wii for 3/4 of the year, but that there ARE GAMES AVAILABLE!!! I've said it before, NOE is footing the bill for localization; all they have to do is make some US-enabled copies, and print some discs. Even limited numbers, because you KNOW they would never dare spend money advertising them. And of course, without any awareness out there (thanks to lack of commercials), they could point at them later and say things like, "See we told you; RPGs don't sell on Wii. Especially when you don't advertise them and hardly anyone knows they exist and stores don't stock copies! Please ignore the sales numbers for Tails of Symphonia Dawn of the New World though, so our statement makes sense".

They're being huge d-bags. Any other first party — Microsoft, Sony, Sega, etc. — would easily pluck some already-translated games from their UK region and release them here while their release schedule is so incredibly, laughably awful. But somehow, Reggie transcends this. He's so far beyond incredibly, laughably awful that it's astounding.

He's part of that culture nowadays that wants to stumble upon a million seller, instead of supporting a game they know is great and working at it until they turn it into a million seller. Frankly, it's kinda disgusting. I'm sure he's looked at Monster Hunter Tri's commercial failure (or, at the very least, underperformance) and said, "No more. RPG's don't sell". Instead of what gamers are thinking, which is, "Man, Monster Hunter's odd. Why is it so popular in Japan? Borderlands would frickin' blow their minds". Xenoblade could be successful, so could Last Story. But it would take work and money, and those are two things NOA doesn't want to throw at any game. Why bother when they could release Wii Play Motion, or Ocarina 3D, and legions of moronic, blind Nintendo fanboys will eat 'em up?

NOA is running on disgusting business practices these days. I haven't missed Ken Lobb and Minoru Arakawa this much since...well, the last time Reggie single-handedly shot down a promising game for Wii that eventually got translated into english for the UK anyway. sigh

They deserve to be in last place in "the console wars". They really do.

@17.Warioswoods:

You do realize that that's irrelevant? NOE is footing the bill for localization. NOA doesn't have to do sh**. Except maybe re-record some voices, if the british voicework is deemed "too alien to be marketable". Which is a real concern (why do you think stuff like The Office gets remade instead of just being aired here in the 'states?).

The fact of the matter though is that the people who know of Xenoblade now, and want to play it, are hardcore enough that they wouldn't give a sh*t if the voicework was "too british" for them normally. All NOA has to do is nab the UK version and put it on some US Region discs and release a limited run. Without advertising, and without paying a dime for translation. Just pure manufacturing costs, which is dirt cheap since they're just DVDs in 2011. With a little intelligence, and a proper limited run (just look at how many people pre-ordered "Monado" on Amazon for an estimate), they could EASILY make some money off it, purely from the hardcore. They're just being dipsh**s about this.

Huge dipsh*ts, actually. Considering they premiered Xenoblade, as "Monado: Beginning of the World" at a US e3 three years ago. Should've gone to Tokyo Game Show if it was never meant to release here. A--holes.

I can't understand this. There are a multitude of games that get released in Japan and are never seen elsewhere, we can't have everything we want.

I don't think this campaign is going to have any kind of an effect either. Think about it, if nintendo bowed to the pressure of fans they would set a precedent for others to do the same thing. We may think it's their job to please us but they still need to make money and not everything that sells in Japan will be successful elsewhere (Like Dragon Quest). At the end of the day Nintendo still needs to be the one in control too. They can't just localize a game because a bunch of people saw it on the internet and think they'd like to play it.

I don't understand why people think that they should be able to demand something and have it handed to them.

@Vinsanity: There's no guarantee these games will sell well. Also, if it was that easy they might have said yes to the release. The thing is these minigames and casual games were the ones that sold well and a lot more than "core" games. A handful of gamers will not make a big impact on game sales unless they get a lot more support than they do now

I don't this campaign will make a difference to Reggie. I blame him a bit for the arrogance that Nintendo has shown over the past few years, resulting in poor release of games within the US. If the games are released in NA, of course Nintendo will lose money. I don't see how it can't, but I think that it is indeed a needed move. Loosing small with a few titles will more than make up for losing customers in the long run. As was said in the article, it would be very hurtful for Nintendo when losing customers that move on to another console. Those that leave rarely come back.

I for one will definitely be thinking about making that move. I do was PS3, and will be getting one in addition to my Wii, but if Nintendo doesn't make a move that shows it's just as concerned about the wants and needs of its consumers (instead of just trying to make those easy sales) it'll make it that much easier to just save my money and not buy a Wii U. (and this would be a drastic move for me, as I've never once failed to purchase a Nintendo console)

grow little storm, grow!!!

I will certainly buy these three games, I have every intention to if they are released in NA territories. I wanted these games so much and hoped Nintendo would announce their release at E3, but since they didn't and there are like-minded people looking to get these games (and the numbers seem decent for three relatively unknown games) I've been supporting this wholeheartedly.

I hope their efforts fail.

I say we stop worrying about these games and put all the effort into Mother 3 for Virtual Console!

What's the point of selling crap like the 20th fitness or 'my little pony' game (games that do not sell well) instead of these three quality games?

And yes, i thought about Fatal Frame IV. But there are also Tales of Graces and Namco Museum Megamix, games which i would've liked to play...

Nintendo, Namco and Capcom really turned into narcissistic companies last couple of years.

How does everyone know these are "good" games?

The reason this movement had gained so much steam is because Nintendo themselves stated that they want these exact gamers back on Nintendo systems with WiiU, but then they go off and abandon these exact same gamers with not bringing these games over.

This is not good business, because even if they only break even on these three games, these games will likely not purchase the WiiU now and Nintendo will lose All future profits from them.

If Nintendo losses a little on one niche game from a gamer, but that gamer also purchases the Mario platformer, Mario Kart, Zelda, and Metroid title on the system, then Nintendo make x3 profit off of that gamer on that system, and that unique game could very well be the game that drew in the systems purchase. That is how business works.

Sony loses money on their systems for years, but remains a main contender in the industry. Nintendo can afford to take the risk, and if they don't they'll look like arrogant businessmen that don't care for the fans who made them the great company they are today. Casual gamers doesn't build Nintendo!

@lz I reckon that people only want the games because they can't have it.

Oh well, for once I'm glad to live in Australia. I'll do one of those video's where I buy the game and cut it up for funs.

Vinsanity sounds like a Playstation fan to me, just saying....

Personally I'm only interested in Xenoblade at the moment The others just look a little darker than I usually prefer, especially Pandora's Tower. That could change with a few good reviews though.

Despite my own preferences, I think Nintendo should definitely bring all three of these games to America. Even if they didn't sell well, wouldn't it be nice if, when the WiiU came out and people wanted proof of first party hardcore support, they could point to these games and say "we'll make games like this." I don't know about you, but that would be proof enough for me (not that I consider the Wii a casual system, but I think even among fans I might be in the minority there).

Also, I find it weird that people keep posting about Europe missing out on various games over the years, and saying they dealt with it. Maybe it's the difference in culture, but knowing I'm being ripped off by Nintendo makes me want to retaliate, whether by writing letters, calling, or doing a personal boycott. It may not make much of a difference, but I'll still do it. I've sent emails to Nintendo about their utter failure with NA's Club Nintendo, and have received responses varying from "I agree and I'll forward this to the people in charge" to "you don't understand the differences between America and Europe". Even though it made no difference, it let them know I was there, and I'll probably send more in the future (especially after the latest platinum reward; I WANT THE SNES REMOTE, NOT PINS). If every hardcore Nintendo fan did what I did, maybe it would make a difference. Maybe if they all bought hardcore games new instead of used, that would make a difference too. Either way, Nintendo better shape up, or I won't give them any more money. I'm fine with buying old games used, and my PS2 has been getting a little dusty.

Caption: "Why no fuss over Fatal Frame 4?"

Good question, this is one game i really wanted to see here!

Edit: @12: Your wonderful words inspire me, dear sir / madam.

@Daisaku36,

.....because everyone who criticizes Nintendo is clearly a Sony fanboy, no matter if their criticism's fair and justified. Just saying...

Just sent an email to Nintendo. Copy and paste if you like. Let's continue to spam the crap out of Nintendo's inbox!

Hello, Nintendo of America! I have been a long-time fan of your products for over 10 years, and have come to appreciate all the support and just the overall experience you have given every one of us fans. I am glad that I am a fan of Nintendo, what with the sheer quality of games you guys release.

Unfortunately, this cannot be said without some doubt due to recent events. It has come to my attention that there a number of games that have been fairly successful in Japan that have been denied the right to be localized in North America. Yes, you know which games I speak of. The Last Story. Xenoblade Chronicles. Pandora's Tower. All three of these games have serious potential, and if they were released here in North America, then I am sure that they will garner quite a bit of praise and success (not to mention money) from hardcore gamers. Now, if you refuse to localize them in North America, then what kind of impression do you think this will leave on Nintendo fans? You guys said yourself at this year's E3 presentation that you were trying to regain the "hardcore" crowd again with the Wii U. Surely you weren't going to just simply not put that plan into action until the Wii U came out? No. I believe that the time to regain the hardcore started during E3, and so should be put into action as soon as possible. And localizing these games for North American fans would be an excellent first step into shifting the balance against rivals Sony and Microsoft.

Long live Operation Rainfall!

Considering Nintendo pushed Dragon Quest IX like crazy, yet it had only fair sales, how do these games have potential?

@Qwikman_N_Bass
Very well written letter! I wish more people did more things like this and less of... well, if you've looked at Nintendo's facebook comments, less of that.

I really am hoping these games are released. I might not have hemorrhoid-inducing anticipation for them (with that being said, I'd still be interested in playing them), but I think it will encourage NoA to rerelease the games they didn't bring over in the past* and bring over more games in the future.

*= for those who don't know what I'm talking about, these games aren't the first games that Nintendo has rejected. It dates back to the Famicom/NES: Shin Onigashima, Castle Murasame, Famicom Detective Club, Mario and Wario, Doshin the Giant, Card Hero, Doshin the Giant, GiFTPiA, and the awesomeness of Captain Rainbow, to name a few, never made it to the states. It was understandable why they didn't release them back then, but nowadays, I don't see a lot of good excuses

Because it won't sell? That seems like a good excuse to me.

@Aviator: Back then, it was a good excuse. If you showed a kid in the 80's a copy of Famicom Detective Club and a copy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, guess which one they would have picked? And during the N64 era, do you really think people who were busy playing Zelda and Goldeneye would think about picking up Doshin the Giant? They wouldn't have sold. But nowadays, there's a bigger audience for Japanese games. It isn't a bad market for them at all. How many friends do you have that fawn over the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts titles? Don't you think they'd be interested in buying The Last Story?

@JimmyWhale- Thank you. I figure Nintendo would have a better response to a more gentle approach and not a ruthless one. Unless they truly are arrogant savages.

@Mully: Just to know the big deal about the two other games.
Xenoblade... part of the famous Xeno series (Xenogears & Xenosaga).
The Last Story... the original creator of Final Fantasy made it, and it may be his last game made EVER.

this needs to become a global movement. If you were to list the titles that got a release in America but not in Europe (and god forbid in Australasia); it would likely be a longer list. We need to start a massive campaign for global releases and equality.

I agree that it is dependent on follow through and support for other titles in the future.

On the one hand, I feel like what they're doing is wrong and pointless, kinda like camping out in front of the White House until the Government does what you want.

On the other hand, I think it's important thatNintendo knows there is demand for these games. Then again, I can't help but feel Nintendo will refuse to yeild just out of principle.

As for the question of whether they should be localized, of course they should. As should any great game, especially since they're all coming to Europe.

The problem is, if Nintendo actually WERE planning to release these games in NA at a future date (perhaps the beginning of next year, when there likely won't be much to hold up the Wii platform before Wii U), then people taking part in this Operation Rainfall are going to be all "HA, TOLD YOU SO! TAKE THAT NINTENDO! I GUESS WE SHOWED YOU!" etc. even though they were just doing their own thing all along. People love the drama, the thrill of rebellion, the idea of taking on the big bad corporation to get what's "rightfully theirs." Really it's all BS. If Nintendo releases these games, you won't see much gratitude, but rather a bunch of smug kids acting like they just overthrew a corrupted government or did something else gravely important with their lives.

There's my dose of negativity for the day. Prove me wrong.

@61: "Dudebro" games? But yeah, you could be right. It's definately an option to think about. I know many of those "core" gamers.

Those core games Nintendo refered to are NOT to be confused with RPGs! RPGs are no core games. They make no good money (not even in Japan). I think Xenoblade and Last Story have just failed with only 200.000 sales, Pandora's sales were even worse.

Iwata might not want to resurrect a seemingly dead and expensive niche genre. Xeno, Last Story and Pandora have nothing to do with Nintendo's "Core Gamer Plan". Nintendo wants more money - expanding their casual crowd goldmine with a core crowd goldmine - and that core crowd is made of first person shooters, wargames, tactic shooters and realistic looking action like Batman and Assassin's Creed. Simply put, it's the games that sell millions on Xbox and PS3 - and that's not RPGs unfortunately.

The Wii sells best in North America and after this campaign, it really makes me sad that Nintendo didn't respond favourably! The games mentioned are hardcore titles and if Nintendo wants to prove that they still cater to that market, they should release them. Why piss off the most likely Wii U early adopters by ditching them now?

Very good article. I'm glad the movement is strong, but sadly it won't work. The Mother series has a better chance of release. Giving the games to Atlus, Aksys, or XSeed would work, but Nintendo always has this smug aura when it comes to releasing things. I'm sick of NOA telling me what games I like damnit!

I will be buying all three of these games, whether Nintendo of America releases them or not. It's their decision whether or not they get my money, or Europe does.

@luminalace Do you have proof for that?

I main nerve being struck is that while Endless Ocean and Sin & Punishment saw a release they weren't released in a real lull time frame.

Letting your "dead" system rot in the US is exactly what Sega did with the Saturn.

@79 Here you go!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Console_wars#Worldwide_sales_figures_5

@Vinsanity "Sony....innovation" I stopped reading your comment after that statement. Sony's only "innovation" was DVD playback on the PS2. Nintendo has been the innovative one for its entire gaming career. N64 (specifically SM64), DS, Wii, etc. . I like and own Sony consoles (PS3 and PSP) yet I still found that statement quite ludicrous honestly

For OP Rainfall to be successful ( and for Nintendo to get its needed head-butt-removal surgery), continuation is the key.

Most of its entire career (I'm, not a deluded fanboy. )

In any case, it's better to have taken action than sitting back and complaining, which is what many users (on any gaming website) tend to do much of the time.
(I apologize for the double post)

Think im just going to youtube the European walk-through, when its out, and be done with it.

I am against bringing these games to wii. The Wii U is a better place for them. I have seen this games and they all look ugly thanks to the wii's limitations. But these games being in hd would be great and make these games seem like real good choices in gamers eyes, not just people who are mad because they can not get another system and wii has nothing on the horizon. I stand behind nintendo and their decision. Hopefully they don't listen to some whiny fanboys and news outlets like this one trying to make anything they find into a story because nothing else is going on. Real fans don't flake out like this. So if these articles and forums keep going on I am going to form operation hd. That will be to bring these titles to here like operation rainfall but not put them on the wii but the Wii U. And if nintendo says no we will respect that. We will not throw a tantrum like a child. So please whiny fanboys get hyped for Zelda and stop worrying about things out of your control.

@siavm: Several points:

1. If NoA is reluctant to release the games, I assume it's because they don't think they will sell very well. Spending lots more money to overhaul the graphics to release them on the Wii U would make even less sense to them.
2. I'm sorry that you feel 'real' fans don't wish for fresh gaming experiences. I like what Nintendo does, don't get me wrong, but it would be nice to see some new franchises come out. Relying on a remake (OOT) to keep your system (3DS) selling just doesn't cut it in my eyes, I'm afraid. When you tell people to 'get hyped for Zelda' and not ask for anything else is precisely the attitude that has led to the current situation.

Then again, what would I know - I'm confident that I'm not as true a fan as you are.

I would buy these games, but unless there is news by next week I will no longer have a Wii.

I don't quite understand why people comment about bringing these games to the Wii U. The Wii has about a year left, maybe two if it fades out with party games and movie tie-ins. There are so few first party games that are going to come out in that time. So, why wouldn't you rather play them on a system you already own?
Also, new IP's will always be risky, but the comment about having to support every other game that comes out is kind of ridiculous. I'm not going to buy a game if it isn't good, or most importantly, if it doesn't look fun. And if people just snatch up every game that comes out, they're bound to buy a few bad ones. And they will expect us to buy them, regardless if they're good or not.
But these are supposed to be good games, so I don't understand why they wouldn't give it a try. Unless they really are that greedy.

at least if they come out in Europe, North Americans can import, and vice versa. If they come out in Japan only everyone is screwed as the language will not be translated at all.

It all comes down to Nintendo's business ethics. Nintendo have always worked at a profit, even with the Nintendo 64 and GameCube. Historically if you look back at their games, the series that are now dormant are ones that didn't sell very well. Why has the Mother franchise been dead in the west for 16 years? Why have F-Zero and Star Fox not appeared for the Wii? Titles like these never sold well and resulted in Nintendo losing money. Also the general sales of Japanese RPG's have dramatically declined in America now that Western RPG's have become popular. That's why Nintendo won't risk it with these three JRPG's.

I can agree with what they're doing, but at the same time I can't help but disagree with them. I love Nintendo do death, but making decisions like this only results in them damaging their own reputation. How can they begin to convinve the core gaming market that the Wii U is worthy of a purchase if they won't risk bringing these three RPG's to North America? It see,s stupid to me. They can risk it. Even if Nintendo do make a loss on the games does it matter when you consider the amount of money the Wii and DS has made them? Losing money when you're struggling is one thing, but when you're flying high it won't affect you at all.

I'm just thankful that I live in Europe. I'll be getting these three games the day they're released (yes, Pandora's Tower has also been confirmed for Europe too). It's times like these when you realise that all consoles should be region free.

@Aviator - Proof of what?

The Wii selling best in North America or it being the biggest video game market in general are common knowledge!

I'm pretty sure operation rainfall is unbeknownst to the likes of Iwata, who unlike Reggie for NOA, is the one who's done all the talking about reaching the core gamer going forward. So that means Reggie hears the cries but isn't passing the message to the head honcho. If thats the case, then maybe we, operation rainfall, and maybe even some inside help from our Japanese Nintendo fans can get messages to Iwata DIRECTLY. O.R. and everyone in between is doing all they can to see this through, so we have absolutely nothing to lose.

Operation Rainfall has hit Japanese news sites. So Iwata is most likely aware of the issue, but cares more about money, so they let Reggie do what he wants.

Reggie also talks about the core gamers, and claims himself to be a core gamer, though he's most likely lieing about that. Reggie doesn't seem like a gamer to me.

I think you guys need to understand that its not the whole of Nintendo that is at fault, but specficially Nintendo of America. As people above me have already commented, Nintendo of Europe is bringing some of these RPGs to their shores, but Nintendo of Japan is also bringing American and European made games like Epic Mickey and Goldeneye to the Wii other there despite being based on American (Mickey) and British (Goldeneye) properties.

Now I love Reggie but this is the first time I don't like the fact that he is NoA president. I'm sure that he has a big say on which games get localized, and him and the NoA sales teams are acting really stupid letting the wii die.

I hope my European friends buy lots of copeis of Xenoblade, because if you guys do then NoA may change their tune and bring Xenoblade over to the US. With the exception of soccer (I know you Europeans call it football!) games, and a bigger tolerance of sexuality but less for violence, the European and American markets are quite similar. Most of the Europeans posting here are British so spend a lot of pounds buying Xenoblade please! ^_

I say Operation Rainfall shouldn't be just for Xenoblade, Pandora's Tower, and Last Story, it should be a movement to get developers to stop screwing us over with region lockouts and (insert continent)-only games. No one should be denied the chance to play an awesome game just cuz of where they live and if there is little interest in whatever game it is, just release it in limited numbers to make sure they lose as little money as possible.

what i don't get are the smug replies from those who feel nintendo can do no wrong and call anyone who feels differently a 'whiny brat' or some such. you seem to feel that anyone who doesn't play the same games you do, who isn't content with oft-times empty promises of things to come, who wants the opportunity to play something different is a brat. i detest the party games and exercise crap for the Wii, but i don't feel those who care for them to be idiots. why the animosity towards those who truly want the experiences these JRPGs offer? what is it to you if others want more from a system? do you feel you somehow make the rules for what other gamers should want, ie: 'there's lots of games out there that i like, so you need to just be happy and shut up'...

look up the definition of 'whiny brat' in the dictionary and you just might see your own pic there.

release them in Japanese in the u.s., would that be fun.... no.

Gosh, I hope this works.

Comment 100! (I hope)

... anyways, I've always been supportive of Operation Rainfall.
Like many have already said here: At least they're doing something about it.
While I don't approve of the ones who just spam and troll Nintendo with hateful comments and threats of boycotting all their products, I do support the ones who are calm and doing this professionally.

Honestly, unless the people actually SAY something about a matter like this, there's little to no way that Nintendo (of any country) would be aware that this was a serious issue amongst the players.

Besides, they're speaking with their money, not just lying. Many of the ones who have preordered Monado on Amazon ARE actually going through with the payment, not pulling out.
A good sum of them are intelligent and agreeable people that mean what they say and I'm 100% supportive of them. Keep goin' guys!

Unfortunately, it's about Profit these days rather then risk.

Nintendo just don't have that risk factor anymore...

I've been waiting for Valkyria 3 to come westward from SEGA and even they are reluctant and that franchise has a cult following!

As for the Nintendo are greedy part, I thought that was always known? They always maximise profit at the cost of lowering costs elsewhere (Wii is a good example here as well as N64 cartridges so third parties would have to pay more for them...hence why Square bailed out).

I do agree that the people who want games like the big three JRPGs have to show that this isn't something that is exclusive to just those three. Rather, they must show that any high profile game is worth their time and money.

But let's not forget, Nintendo must do something too. They cannot throw a commercial on Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon and call it marketing to the masses when it comes to these games. Yes, Nintendo can showcase the core side of the game, but we have to remember who we are selling these games to.

Firstly, the core have already done all the research prior to even seeing one television ad. They have seen the screenshots, the trailers, read the developer stories, found out the release date, and a lot more. In regards to adveritising to them, they are already doing what should be done IMO.

However, it will take more effort to show the majority of the 84+ million userbase that Xenoblade, The Last Story, or Pandora's Tower is worth their money. This means don't do anything too off-putting to the audience. Show them how Xenoblade could be more than just a game the geeks play. Highlight the teamwork aspect in one of the ads for Xenoblade. Show them how they can play Pandora's Tower for a little bit, put it back down (saving), and come back later.

The mass market could care less about orchestrated music or huge enviornments it seems, so show them something else. They don't care if there is 100+ hours of gameplay in the game, they just want something fun to pass the time or play with friends. When making these ads, don't overload it with lots of cinematics, JRPG music, and in-game cutscenes. Show them how the game works, how to play it, introduce them to the save feature, and we may be at a good starting point.

But that's just what I would suggest as someone who doesn't have a job in marketing.

We are in an RPG recession! Bust out your SNES!

Watch them pull some lame garbage and hold all these titles for release on Wii U...

Sure guys, you can have 'em! In the meantime, though, why not finish up with Arc Rise Fantasia, Tales of Symphonia, Little King's Story, 999, Opoona, Radiant Historia, or any other such promising Japanese titles that have made it over here already? You have bought them, haven't you? They've been out for some time, now, haven't they?

@Nintendork, read his post, then we'll talk (Sony is about innovation? maybe a little, but not so much in videogames). He also said he'd love to play those game on Playstation, I'm saying with his remarks he SOUNDS like a Playstation fan, I didn't say that was a bad thing, or even imply it; I was saying he sounds a bit biased (I own a PS3 and a 360 and have logged many hours on both consoles, before you spout off any nonsense about my bias, not that it doesn't exist, but don't come from that standpoint, like you probably will).
Back to the topic at hand, I personally think Nintendo owes its fans in NA territories to release these three games. People seem to have this backwards notion that if you ask for a product from a company that sells the product asking for it is like asking for something you don't deserve. Let me put this into your mind, if we are asking for a PRODUCT, which we get in exchange for monetary goods (money), and you don't provide it then we have a right to ask for it. The reason we have a right to ask for it is because we're going to PAY YOU FOR IT.....

@LegendofPasta99 Opoona sucked, I never even found copies of Little King's Story (I'm not into RTS type games) Radiant Hisotria is on my to buy list (I have a huge backlog) Tales of Symphonia was sweet and Arc Rise of Fantasia kinda sucked (but it's worth the $15 it costs on Amazon). Since we're pointing out games nobody bought, how about you go buy Sin & Punishment 2, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, MadWorld, The Conduit 1 +2, No More Heroes (and it's sequel) and Warioland: Shake It!...
Oh, and I know I'm being a total troll in this post, like you were on yours....
Nintendo clearly shouldn't even CONSIDER doing a limited release on these three titles (Xenoblade, The Last Story and Pandora's Tower) because there isn't a single person who wants them (end sarcasm/douchy rant).
Edit- Also, don't forget Excitebots! (awesome game though, seriously)

People claiming that we should educate North Americans on how to play "J"RPGs are right. Understanding how anything works tends to get more people interested. At first a few people may be reluctant, but if Nintendo pushes these three games right then they may convince a larger audience to buy these games.

First of all, this article is just fantastically well done. Even handed, yet still pressing and compellingly written. Great read.

Ultimately I'd absolutely love to play all three of these games (Pandora's Tower in particular--that game is right up my ally) but it's hard to look at this whole thing and say its economically sound for Nintendo to localize them. As mentioned in the article, even if these games sell well, it's a bit of a special circumstance. No other unlocalized games have ever seen this much vehement support, so whose to say that the next 3rd party original IP will sell?

As along time Nintendo fan this whole thing kind of disgusts me. Really, I could give a rat about RPGs. I never liked the genre. Slap Nintendo's name on the box and there's a good chance I'll buy it. Why? They built enough consumer cofindence in me over the years that's it's almost garanteed I can't go wrong with a first party title. As much as I will tell you that I hate RPGs, I loved the both Paper Mario & Mario and Luigi series. Unless these games got trashed by reviewers probably buy them.

I think mariofanatic128 said it best with Nintendo trying to cater to the "core" crowd, meaning people who care onlyabout online first person shooters. The truth is none of those 3rd party games anounced have any apeal to me. The reason I've been such a loyal fan of Nintendo for all these years is not because of some misguided sense of loyalty, but because I like thier games so much better than the competition. I owned a PS1 and PS2 and they were utter garbage. They sat and collected dust. I certainly had fun with my Atari and Sega consoles but nothing compares to Nintendo. I stick with Nintendo simply because I don't like the competition. There is no chance I'm going to head over to the competition because nothing they make even appeals to me. So yeah, I get frustaited when Nintendo decides not to localize some of it's big first party games here in America.

I doubt that any of these games would have sold well but I think that Nintendo should have localized and released them all anyway; just to give the Wii some actual games and to show an intention towards the 'core/hardcore' gamer. They could have even let X-Seed or someone publish them.

A final year for the Wii containing games like Xenoblade, The Last Story, Pandora's Tower, Fatal Frame 4, Fatal Frame 2, Kirby and Skyward Sword would have been a great send off for the Wii and maybe won some 'hardcore' gamers over to the WiiU. Instead there's just Kirby and Skyward Sword to fill the rest of the year (although Rune Factory Tides of Destiny is coming out too); which great as they may be isn't going to impress the 'hardcore'.

I would definately buy Last Story and Xenoblade, but I havent seen enough on Pandoras Tower to make a decision. Now I just gotta hope its localized, or im going to have to... Make a certain console play games out of its region.

NoA knows and I hope the stupidity of this decision comes back to bite them in the . The sooner they get new leadership there the better.

If JRPGs don't sell, tell that to Square-Enix, Atlus, and XSEED.

Square-Enix's entire business is RPGs. If RPGs didn't sell, SE would have been dead years ago.

Same goes for Atlus. Atlus takes risks to localize obscure JRPGs that other publishers wouldn't touch. If the genre was stagnating, Atlus would have quit or gone out of business.

@25. gamepopper there is larger profit margin in europe. this way they can afford it. same as Japan. (in japan the profit margin is even higher) US has a discount they pay the least value than anyone in the world. it's all in numbers and the relationship of euro and pound with the yen. .

I am pretty sure with the comment Nintendo of America gave us, we are not going see those three games. It seems as if NoA is lagging behind it's brothers NoE and Australia. So will the Wii U see support from NoA when it's on it last leg in 2016 or 2017??

I have lost all faith. Nintendo has abandoned us.

Well, those titles do have gained a strong publicity, by now ^_
As an European, I'm quite happy with kid's titles, fitness and party games to play with my family, but I also eager to buy one of those titles (I'll wait for some review) for myself. Hopefully, I can't play all day long, so the tiny wii line-up of more "mature" games is enough for me.
I do hope we'll see those titles coming out before Wii dies, or is it just a plan to have "semi-hardcore" Wii players buy a Wii U as soon as possible ?
It's sad, it seems those games have a good exploitation of the Wii hardware capacity (hope Wii U won't have to wait 10 years to see a Zelda HD...)

@ballkirby1

Except Nintendo doesnt really know best, Remember WII Music? pretty mucha flop.

Listening to what your fans want isnt a bad bussiness move. The key to success of a game is good advertisement and Hype. The reason as to why Mario and the Zelda series are doing so well because they are advertised like crazy. If anything Bioware seems to be creaming Nintendo. No one expected DOA to do so well.

Their facebook page only as 3,777 people at the moment. Even if you assume that that might only be about half the people supporting their cause, that's really not a large number of game sales for Nintendo. They're going to need at least 30,000 people on a petition if they want to be taken seriously.

To anyone who says people should import and shut up: no. You realize the cost of that? Another console (yes lets support Nintendo further, BRILLIANT,) adapters for another region, might still be inaccessible for language barrier. Why don't YOU shut up? You're an enabler, the kind of weak-pants consumer that lets Nintendo get away with aiming as low as possible to make a buck. You won't take risks? Then neither will Nintendo.

See what I did? I demonized you. Which is exactly what you're doing. Either help or keep silent. You're not being wronged in any way; hell, if the Operation somehow works, you'll owe this group and its members.

A lot people seem to think its just about "three hardcore JRPGs." Its about much more than that. As some have listed above, there are over a dozen BIG games that have not made it over to other regions. At the rate this is going, don't be surprised if Nintendo decides not to bring over the next Metroid or the next big new IP they do. They'll stick to Mario and Zelda and that'll be about it. And I guess if that's all it takes to make you happy as a gamer, then to each his or her own. But variety is the spice of my life and if a company isn't willing to invest in their console (at least a year before their next) then neither am I going to (for either.)

Well written article, Zach.
The big problem here is that good games don’t automatically mean good sales. Especially with: not / less well known franchises.
I like the idea of a third party publishing such games in other regions. That really seems to be the best solution for Xenoblade, The Last Story, Pandora's Tower, Fatal Frame, Trauma Team and Excitebots. I’d say the western market doesn’t strongly link these games with Nintendo. So a third party wouldn’t do any harm by advertising ‘em in a way Nintendo doesn’t like. _{Ii’m sure the ads would be fine though. I’m just trying to understand Nintendo here.}

If Nintendo still thinks about bringing these games to other regions I only see one other option:

• There is one official site for pre-ordering.
• You can only pre order for a certain time.
• You have to pay five dollars / euros / pounds / whatever when you pre-order the game.
• When pre ordering time ends Nintendo will calculate if they can release the game without making any / much loss.
• If they’d make a loss you’d get your money for the pre order back. If not they’d give you information on the release date shortly after.
• You pay the rest of the price and the game will be sent to you.
  This would mean that you can only get the game from Nintendo themselves and you could never buy it new in any outlet. Because if that was the case you’d most likely feel ripped off when you can find it cheaper somewhere.

Since all this sounds and seems to be very complicated I’d really like them to give a third party the chance to publish these games.

I’d like these games in other regions too and i can understand these people and their desire for these high quality games. I wouldn’t take part in it though. At most I would make clear to tell Nintendo that I want a specific game once . If that doesn’t change their plans i say it’s their bad since it’s one game less they will sell. And the less good games they give me the more unlikely it is that i buy their consoles. I would be kind of sad if that day comes though. But that’s life, so what.

And why should I want to add “because it is a hardcore game” anyway ? If they can sell a game and make a profit off it why would they care if it is a “hardcore” or a “casual” game ?

In the end I can see why Nintendo would be sceptical. As long as you don’t have mandatory preorders you risk losing a lot of money. Not everybody that is making noise in this “project” will buy a game.

Sorry for the doublepost but i found the time to read all of the comments and wanted to give some thoughts on these as well.

@ 31. Lionsgate: For me there is a good amount of so called hardcore games on the Wii. There may not be as much as on the PS3 or the 360 but they seem quite unique and of a good quality to me.
@ 42. Hardy83: I don't know if Nintendo had any other chance than to release a system that has been cheaper than the PS3 and XBox 360. I don't know exactly what made people think "casual" games work best on the Wii. But i guess the devs had their fair share in it too. ("No HD graphics ? No WAY we're developing anything but shovelware for this system!")
@ 58. TrueWiiMaster and 61. Qwikman_N_Bass: Something about writing them directly sounds like a good idea to me. It seems more fair to me. And if every customer writes them individually it may make more of a difference to them than just to see a number of pre-orders or facebook stats.
@ 98. ItsAD3: If they were really interested on how people react they could release some short, free demos too.
@ 116. Objection_Blaster: I refuse to buy another Wii too.

@LTD: That's a terrible idea. It means that ONLY the people that preorder will get the game.

@uel: It wouldn't have to since they could decide to sell more copies by theirself. And as i said before i don't think this is a perfect solution. But at least people would be able to show that they really want to buy this game. (I don't even think i would mind paying the full price when pre-ordering.)

Anyway ... If i always told / wrote Nintendo when i think there's something they could do differently or better i could as well work for them full-time...

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Time to import.

Just remember. OR doesn't support boycotts,trolling or just simply being impolite in their campaign. Still there are a lot of people who can't help at being angry. Still I hope they pull through. The whole thing is a thorn in Nintendo's side but it might end in our favour (I Hope). Not to mention thet OR would be greatful if they localize the games. I know I would.