The North American Club Nintendo was a little bit of a disappointment when it launched, but that's long over. Seriously, if you have any first-party DS or Wii games unregistered, spend some time tonight registering them. Nintendo's announced special annual bonuses for Gold and Platinum level Club Nintendo members and one of them is just about worth dying for.
The Platinum prize of our dreams is what you see above, Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! This is an exclusive WiiWare game that you can only obtain by getting a download code through the Club Nintendo service. The game lets Little Mac go three rounds with his trainer Doc Louis, who I suspect is going to be as memorable a menace as Donkey Kong. (Or at least pretty darn funny.)
The other Platinum level prize is also appealing, though not quite so must-have: an 8" by 11" plush replica of Mario's hat. The hat comes with an elastic strap and "may be large for small children," which suggests it has no better function than adorning some confused toddler's head, Baby Mario-style. Gold level members get a promotional Nintendo 2010 calendar, which is... you know, it's okay, it spotlights a different game every month and all that. It's just no Doc Louis's Punch-Out!!
By the way, you'll note there's no Coin cost associated with any of these. You get to pick one of the Platinum and/or Gold rewards once you qualify for them, no Coins attached. Instead you can save your Coins for picking up stuff like the Game & Watch Collection or weird Mario hanauda cards or whatever else you want.
