Hello,

Finally, the time has come. After years of taunting North American gamers with Japan-exclusive goodies, Nintendo has finally launched Club Nintendo on this side of the ocean. Let the hordes of "geeks and otaku" rejoice!

And there should be much rejoicing, because the North American version of Club Nintendo is exactly what gamers have been waiting for all these years. Well, sort of...

Club Nintendo hasn't arrived without it's problems. Throughout most of the day, the new site is barely operable at best. In fact, the only time I have been able to use it at all has been in the wee hours of the morning. Not good. Still, such problems should be expected, as the millions of Nintendo fans (myself included) who have been salivating over the idea for years rush to check it out.

When you do manage to squeeze your way into the site, it seems quite good. Technical issues aside, it's quite easy to register software, complete the surveys and collect your coins. Once you have collected your coins, finding your way to the items is also easy.

Which brings me to the items themselves; they are a great start. No, there aren't yet gorgeous Super Famicom Wii controllers, 2-disc Super Mario Galaxy soundtracks, or super-awesome SD cards with Nintendo music on them, but you have to believe that items of such quality will eventually be offered.

(Oh, and please give me one of these.)

At this point, the best items in my opinion are the Hanafuda Cards and the tacky, yet practical, Mario Game Rack.

Oh, and the DS Game & Watch Collection is sweet, as well.

Still, as cool as those items are, I don't plan on getting any of them. No, I'll be guarding my coins until something amazing comes along.

At this point, I have amassed a beautiful 650 coins, which has made me an immediate Platinum Member. I'm happy about that, because Gold and Platinum Members are given a gift at the end of the Club Nintendo year. And who doesn't love gifts?!

All-in-all, it's absolutely fantastic to finally have a Club Nintendo to call our own. With any luck, Nintendo will offer a top-notch service to those (such as myself) who spend a lot of hard-earned cash on Nintendo products.

I think after all these years, we deserve it.

Cheers!

- Besides all of the technical issues, how do you feel about the new Club Nintendo?