╰☆╮First English Footage of The Last Story Found╰☆╮

The first English footage of The Last Story comes from an interview with Sakaguchi done with a French video game website. The footage is brief but you can hear the English voices. One clip is at the 1:10 mark and the other is at 3:30.
http://bit.ly/wrDYx4

The footage is only for a few seconds but you can clearly here English spoken.

Interview with Nintendo Nation

Check out our latest Operation Rainfall interview, this time with Nintendo Nation
http://bit.ly/xXMiRJ

╰☆ Xenoblade Chronicles Tidbit of the Day #63, 62 ☆╮

Battle Commands. You can issue battle commands to your party while in battle. You only have limited options such as withdraw and attack. You can call your party to you which is useful when you want your party to stop attacking or if you want to have them start attacking again. This can be used when an enemy is winning against you and you want to flee. Also, if a party member is getting too close to an edge in battle, calling them towards you may prevent them from falling.

Pondering a North American release for "The Last Story" - Part 1

Before Xenoblade Chronicles was announced for North America as a Gamestop exclusive, I had completed the first draft of an article.   An article, that upon said announcement, I had believed to become obsolete. The article in question detailed the various alternative means of distribution that Nintendo of America could take to release Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower stateside.  My intention was to not only show how the games could be released, but to show means of release that would benefit Nintendo in ways outside of just profitable game sales.  With Operation Rainfall’s sponsorship of “The Last Story month”, I have decided to revisit the themes of the article as a 4 part series focused entirely on The Last Story.  In order to bring about discussion of the points I raise, I have also organized a short roundtable with other members of Operation Rainfall to close out each article.  These 4 articles will be released as a series over the course of “The Last Story month”.  

            Xenoblade Chronicles will release in North America this April.  People who fought in the trenches for the title are excited; vindicated even.  But beyond the initial shock that our voices were seemingly heard some questions come to mind. Who heard our voices and how is it that we are getting this game? The answer: Gamestop. Yes, Xenoblade Chronicles is being released in the United States as a Gamestop exclusive.  In this article, I will explore this move, and what it could mean for “The Last Story”. I will also explore the overall theme of a limited release and its potential benefits for Nintendo of America.

Elza, strolling to his local GameStop to pick-up Xenoblade Chronicles.

            Initially, many might consider Xenoblade Chronicles as a retailer exclusive to be a bad move.  A decision that seemingly limits the potential sales of a great and well received title.  The problem with this line of thinking is that it overestimates the title’s current sales potential, which has been limited by a fading genre’s current popularity, and the console’s evaporating “hardcore” demographic. But consider the benefits.  Very few people will buy Xenoblade Chronicles blind; the people who want the game know they want it by now and are just waiting for their chance to buy it.  A retailer exclusive means that the retailer takes on most of the costs of distribution, and that the retailer has an invested interest in carrying out the marketing and consumer awareness of the title.  Aligning with an exclusive retailer builds a partnership between the publisher and the retailer that could pay off in the future with the ever growing war for shelf space.  For these reasons, I feel that a retailer exclusive in a form of a limited release could greatly benefit a niche title such as “The Last Story.”

            Outside of retailer exclusivity, there are several other ways in which Nintendo could release “The Last Story” with a smaller investment and in a limited release capacity.  One of these methods is to drop any idea of commercial advertisement and instead focus on taking advantage of the ground swell momentum of the title to do the advertising for them. This could then be supplemented by a very small team working primarily on social networks, with gaming media outlets, and perhaps through in store video reels.  Another means of limited release available to them is to make the game exclusively available as a limited edition copy.  Spring for a steel box, an art book, and a soundtrack, and sell the title at a premium, marketing the title as a limited edition event release.  By releasing the title as a limited release, Nintendo can assign an appropriately small team to handle the release in a similar way that publishers like X-Seed, Nippon Ichi, or Atlus handle their releases. With an expectation of limited sales, driven by a significantly smaller budget from the very beginning, Nintendo could appease fans and make a small profit.

Ryan, Current Co-Leader of Operation Rainfall
Personally I think the decision Nintendo made of making Xenoblade Chronicles a Gamestop exclusive is a smart move. It seems Nintendo wants to maximize profits and cut any risk of taking a loss, and it seems they found a way to do just that. I agree with Tyson that “The Last Story” will also likely be a limited release, probably through Gamestop. If Nintendo has success with Xenoblade with a limited release they will likely want to do the same thing again. We don’t know how Gamestop and Nintendo are going to handle the advertising of this game, but I think it is safe to assume that not much money will be spent here in advertising.

I think the idea of a limited edition version only for “The Last Story” is also something Nintendo should consider, but only if the edition is only slightly more expensive than what the standard edition would be. Can you sell the limited edition for $60? Then skip the standard and push for the Limited Edition only. For Xenoblade in Europe, the bundle included a controller which meant the price would have been closer to $70. That’s a steep price to ask people to pay, but $60 is what people pay for a game on the Xbox360 and Playstation3.

Mike D., Editor for The Nintendo Enthusiast, former Operation Rainfall PR Staff
A Xenoblade-esque GameStop exclusive would be a wonderful surprise, but I can’t help wishing that Nintendo had struck earlier, while the iron was still hot.  A huge early OpRainfall development was the Amazon pre-order campaign for Monado/Xenoblade.  Utilizing the largest online retailer could have been a boon to pre-orders for The Last Story, but it’s probably far too late to hope that last summer’s magic would return for Sakaguchi-san’s latest.  Perhaps Nintendo just wanted to wait out the storm, but it feels like a missed opportunity to me.

A limited edition, metal-cased version would be a fantastic gift to those who have been waiting for this title, but I would think that at this point, Nintendo would want to make a Wii release as affordable as possible for their own bottom line.  Another limited run via GameStop is probably their best bet, in that respect.

Alex B., Editor for The Nintendo Enthusiast

There is a topic that I feel hasn’t been touched on here but which I think is relevant: the image benefit that both GameStop and Nintendo could see out of making a limited/exclusive release deal. Everybody knows that public opinion on both GameStop and Nintendo is divided, to say the least: some flock to GameStop for the latest release, other swear never to visit one of their stores again; some would treat Nintendo as if they were made of gold, others as if they were coal in Christmas. With the limited release of Xenoblade, however, the image of both companies undoubtedly brightened in the eyes of rabid JRPG fans and hardcore gamers in general. I think Nintendo and GameStop would be very wise to try the same strategy with the upcoming JRPG “The Last Story”, and again later with Action game “Pandora’s Tower”.

In addition, it’s important that we, the consumers, communicate this feeling to at least GameStop, then Nintendo of America. First of all we must buy Xenoblade, for it is not only a way of showing appreciation to GameStop, but also one of the best games ever released. Secondly, we should send e-mails and letters to GameStop, thanking them for bringing the game over while urging them to attempt the same with The Last Story and Pandora’s Tower, and of course pledging to buy these games through them if they make them available. It is also important we approach Nintendo of America (or Nintendo Co Ltd.) with the same tactic.

VGChartz weekly pre-order estimates

Richard, current Co-leader at Operation Rainfall

I feel that Nintendo releasing Xenoblade Chronicles as a limited release is a great idea!  I know that campaigning for these games can make you think these games can sell millions upon millions of copies, but the cold hard fact is they won’t, probably not even a million.  While in today’s world selling less than a million copies is somehow bad, that’s just not true.  I remember when Atlus was celebrating the success of Catherine by sending various blogs cakes.  They didn’t initially tell you how much so it left your imagination running wild thinking, “Wow they must have sold 1 million copies!”  Later in the day though, they announced that they sold 250,000 copies.  So it makes you realize that games don’t need to sell gangbusters in order to be successful, they just need to sell a healthy amount.

While I think we can all agree that we would’ve liked for other retailers to be able to sell the game, especially Amazon which was a great help in our campaign, it’s probably for the best.  It will be able to allow Nintendo to spend as little as possible and make a profit much easier than if they tried to do a massive release.  At least they made the choice available to buy the game off of their own website for those who for some reason would rather die than buy from GameStop.

The Last Story’s release can be and probably should be released in the same way.  But a number of factors may contribute to that, such as Xenoblade selling well here and the reception over in Europe for the game.  Once they do announce it, I’m not sure if Nintendo would go with a Limited Edition.  They seem to want to just get the game out there and see if they can get a profit off of it, and while it may be much easier to do such a thing with The Last Story with its’ big name background, the truth is if they never really were that confident with the games to begin with, they probably won’t go that route.  I think the best thing we can do to insure a release for The Last Story and Pandora’s Tower is to make sure we let Nintendo know we still want them and to buy Xenoblade Chronicles.

Chris, former Operation Rainfall PR guy

While I agree with Mike D. that it would have been ideal for Nintendo to better seize on last summer’s momentum, it would be a terrible decision for Nintendo to just release Xenoblade or The Last Story and let it ride.

Face it, the JRPG is not a mainstream genre, and as mentioned above much of the clamoring for these games came from an audience that was already aware of their existence.  Who visits Nintendo’s Facebook page or twitter, and who takes the time to write letters? People who are already part of the base audience.  Part of the group that is far more likely to purchase the game, or at least is very aware of it.

But that buying population is not as large as it would like to think, and that’s where Nintendo did well to shift the risk with Xenoblade and should take a similar approach with The Last Story.  Yes, slapping “From the Creator of Final Fantasy” on the box will get enough people interested.  But that is not going to be enough.  The Last Story’s online component alone means Nintendo will have to support the added cost of an online infrastructure along with the game.  Actual advertising can go a long way to drive sales, but I doubt Nintendo would take that route if they’re already looking to limit the risk of an American release of The Last Story.  Special Editions and preorder bonuses tend to target players who are already planning on purchasing the game.  What’s left for Nintendo is to leverage The Last Story to an expanded audience in a way that doesn’t break the bank  It doesn’t have to reach millions.  It doesn’t even need to approach Monster Hunter Tri numbers.  But Nintendo cannot afford to pull a Ubisoft and release the game only to flounder and die.  Even a limited release needs some kind of push.

Marko, current Co-leader at Operation Rainfall

While I also agree with the sentiment that Nintendo of America had a fully opened window last summer for at least Xenoblade Chronicles, at the very least, Nintendo took the time to acknowledge the fans, albeit in limited form. Nintendo is not a company known for stepping too far out of safe waters, at least in their distribution model. For instance, just now with Wii U they finally have an online infrastructure to allow DLC (downloadable content within games), micro-transactions, and individual online accounts for purchasing retail-level games. So the GameStop limited release is new ground for Nintendo, and hopefully a sign of things to come. In Japan, where the main decision-makers are located, they feel that if a game will not be widely accepted, they historically have not even bothered to release it. With Xenoblade Chronicles selling well in Europe, and the amount of attention it received from Operation Rainfall and the gaming media, Nintendo finally gave the green light to test the waters out.

In my honest opinion, the worst thing Nintendo has done is waiting until April to release the game. Europe will be getting The Last Story near the end of February, and many who were interested in the titles last summer have already played it by either importing the title, or other not so friendly means (As an example, one site reports that in 2011, Xenoblade Chronicles was downloaded over 950,000 times from the United States alone and from a single torrent source. Granted, not all of those would have been purchases, but I’m sure a great many went down that route simply due to the unavailability of the title locally and hassle & expense of importing). Also, it appears that we are getting a straight port of the PAL version of Xenoblade Chronicles, which if true simply means that it simply needs to be modified to run at the appropriate framerate for NTSC-U consoles/television sets, a minor amount of encoding is all. If that’s really the case, then there is really no reason at all, other than stubbornness, for Nintendo to not do the exact same thing with The Last Story. The Last Story is already fully localized and branded for a western audience, and it already has a very strong appeal simply based on the pedigree of its developer. Even with a limited release and zero marketing push, The Last Story will be profitable, simply from the coverage it has received from Operation Rainfall and the gaming media. Sure, it may not sell as many copies as Zelda or Mario, but it will be profitable. If I were Nintendo of America, I would honestly consider making a surprise announcement this month and releasing it near its European release, because giving Xenoblade 2 months to breathe would push any future Wii titles into June, when E3 2012 will take place, and then all eyes will be on Wii U. By that time, although technically not too late, is a precarious position for a so-called niche title.

My short answer? Yes… a limited release would be great, just do it soon to capitalize on the hype.

"What’s left for Nintendo is to leverage The Last Story to an expanded audience in a way that doesn’t break the bank." - Chris, former Operation Rainfall PR guy

Tyson, Co-founder of  Operation Rainfall

It seems that, for the most part, we are at accordance with each other when it comes to the prospect of a limited release for “The Last Story.” All signs are pointing to good pre-order numbers for Xenoblade Chronicles in its upcoming limited retailer exclusive release.  So then perhaps this is not only a simple solution, but an altogether new way of looking at the release of niche titles in general. 

Make your voices heard during “The Last Story” month; Is this the best way to release “The Last Story” in North America?

I would like to thank Ryan, Mike, Alex, Richard, Chris, and Marko for contributing to this roundtable discussion.  We at Operation Rainfall would also like to thank Nintendo, Monolith Soft, Mistwalker, AQ Interactive, and Ganbarion for making the games we are so passionate about.  Last, but certainly not least, we would like to thank everyone who has contributed to, supported, and covered Operation Rainfall since it’s inception last year.  Keep fighting!

---

Pondering a North American release for "The Last Story" - Part 2 
Pondering a North American release for "The Last Story" - Part 3 
Pondering a North American release for "The Last Story" - Part 4

VGChartz Weekly Xenoblade Pre-order Numbers

☰☰ RUMOR WATCH ☰☰ 

This Week
Rank #-------Weeks Left--------- Pre-orders Up-----------Pre-orders Total
14 -----------10 -------------------3,832 --------------------103,018

Last Week
Rank #-------Weeks Left---------Pre-orders Up------------Pre-orders Total
14 -----------11 -------------------6,347 ---------------------99,186

GameStop http://bit.ly/rsxvtx
VGChartz http://bit.ly/xscQPI

Note: VGChartz uses speculative information to come up with their numbers and should not be taken as fact.

Thanks Kyle for the heads up!

Weekend Staff Pick.

Today's Last Story OST pick is by Tyson.

The Last Story Month: OpRa Staff Picked Song 1

On the weekends for The Last Story month, we will be releasing songs from The Last Story picked by one of Operation Rainfall's Staff. Please enjoy this song picked by Marko.

╰☆ Xenoblade Chronicles Tidbit of the Day #65,#64 ☆╮

Side and Back Attacks. In Xenoblade Chronicles, there are Arts (Abilities) that are only effective if used from the side or from the back. This means you are going to be circling your enemies in order to effectively land a blow. If the enemy is targeting your lead character, you will not be able to circle around it. You can only do so if the enemy is targeting one of your other party members or if the enemy is incapacitated.

In the image, Shulk is preparing to use his Back Slash art.

The Day Is Coming to an End

We’re nearing the end of our day now, there are just two hours left. Thanks to all that participated, and if you haven’t, it’s not too late! How about one final push?! 

‎*Contact Nintendo of America*
Facebook- http://on.fb.me/AjtFhf Twitter-@NintendoAmerica
Email- nintendo@noa.nintendo.com
Phone- 800-255-3700
Full details: http://on.fb.me/yEeX4e

Hironobu Sakaguchi Has Something To Say...

The first day of The Last Story month is coming to a close soon. However, we think it may be wise to listen to Hironobu Sakaguchi.

*Contact Nintendo of America*
Facebook- http://on.fb.me/zennXE
Twitter- https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica
Email- nintendo@noa.nintendo.com
Phone- 800-255-3700
Full details: http://on.fb.me/yEeX4e

We’re Not Asking For Much… Just Two Minutes Of Your Time…

We’re Not Asking For Much… Just Two Minutes Of Your Time…

‎*Contact Nintendo of America*
Facebook- http://on.fb.me/AjtFhf
Twitter- @NintendoAmerica
Email- nintendo@noa.nintendo.com
Phone- 800-255-3700
Full details: http://on.fb.me/yEeX4e

‎*Contact Nintendo of America*
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/Nintendo
Twitter- https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica
Email- nintendo@noa.nintendo.com
Phone- 800-255-3700
Full details: http://on.fb.me/yEeX4e

We Can't Do This Without Your Help!

Contact Nintendo of America Now If You Want 'The Last Story'!

Nintendo's Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/Nintendo
Nintendo's Twitter- https://twitter.com/#!/NintendoAmerica
Nintendo's Email- nintendo@noa.nintendo.com
Nintendo's Phone- 800-255-3700 (Customer Service)

Full details for the day here: http://on.fb.me/yEeX4e

Contact Nintendo of America!

Nintendo just posted some new Xenoblade images on their Facebook Wall, so we are asking people to target that post. How about by saying something like this:

"Can't wait until April, Nintendo! This month we're just taking a few moments to celebrate the one year anniversary of 'The Last Story'

http://on.fb.me/AjtFhf

Things Just Got Interesting!

OK people, things just got interesting. Nintendo just bumped their old Xenoblade post by adding new images. I take it they want us to post there…
http://on.fb.me/zennXE

Contact Nintendo of America Now If You Want 'The Last Story'!

Nintendo's Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/Nintendo
Nintendo's Twitter- https://twitter.com/#!/NintendoAmerica
Nintendo's Email- nintendo@noa.nintendo.com
Nintendo's Phone- 800-255-3700 (Customer Service)

Full details for the day here: http://on.fb.me/yEeX4e

Have you Contacted Nintendo of America Yet?!

Today is the day that we contact Nintendo of America en mass to encourage them to localize 'The Last Story'. Please do so my using any of the following methods:

Nintendo's Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/Nintendo
Nintendo's Twitter- https://twitter.com/#!/NintendoAmerica
Nintendo's Email- nintendo@noa.nintendo.com
Nintendo's Phone- 800-255-3700 (Customer Service)

Full details for the day here: http://on.fb.me/yEeX4e

Contact Nintendo of America Day Has Begun!

• 
  CONTACT NoA! NOW!! GO GO GO

The anniversary of the Japanese release for The Last Story is today, January 27th, 2012. We are going to use this day to remind Nintendo that we still want The Last Story as well as Pandora's Tower by having our members mass email, post on Nintendo's Facebook page, call Nintendo, and send Tweets. We are going to do this for one day only as we don't want to come across as ungrateful after Nintendo announced Xenoblade Chronicles. The idea is to let Nintendo know how happy we are to be recieving Xenoblade Chronicles in the NTSC region, but that we would also like to see The Last Story and Pandora's Tower as well.

This mission will only be effective if we get a good amount of participation from our supporters, so if you want The Last Story and Pandora's Tower, we urge you to participate. We want our supporters to use every method of communication that they have access to and are willing to use. The details on the various communication methods and how we would like you to approach them wil be explained below.

• Nintendo's Facebook Page

It is important to note that we are not resuming our mass commenting on Nintendo's Facebook page as this is for ONE DAY ONLY (Jan 27th). The plan is to target any posts that Nintendo might make on that day (not including anything involving charity though). In the case that Nintendo doesn't make a post for that day, we will be targeting their last available post. So again, on January 27th, start posting on their last post and if they post anything else that day, target those as well. Once the day is over, we stop. Also, we ask that you do not get into any conflicts with non Operation Rainfall commentors. We encourage everyone to just post and leave as we are bound to get people making rude comments about us and there may also be people who WILL try to spoil the game for you.

What to post. We prefer that you post one of the following messages. Just copy and Paste:

It's the one year anniversary of the release of The Last Story in Japan. Please bring this exceptional title to our region as well!

or

I pledge to buy Xenoblade Chronicles to show that games like Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower can sell in America.

or

Thank you Nintendo for releasing Xenoblade, but don't forget about The Last Story and Pandora's Tower!

You can of course say whatever you wish but please don't sound demanding or entitled. Thank Nintendo for releasing Xenoblade and let them know you really want The Last Story and Pandora's Tower as well. Also, please only post one time every two hours or so at most. Do not post multiple times in a row. Spread your message out. It is more effective that way.

http://www.facebook.com/Nintendo

• Twitter

Tweet @NintendoAmerica any of the following messages:

I pledge to buy Xenoblade Chronicles to show that games like Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower can sell in America.

or

Thank you Nintendo for releasing Xenoblade, but don't forget about The Last Story and Pandora's Tower!

or

It's the anniversary of the release of The Last Story in Japan. Please bring this exceptional title to our region as well!

You can of course say whatever you wish but please don't sound demanding or entitled. Thank Nintendo for releasing Xenoblade and let them know you really want The Last Story and Pandora's Tower as well. Also, please only tweet one time every two hours or so at most. Spread your tweets out. It is more effective that way.

https://twitter.com/#!/NintendoAmerica

• Email

Email Nintendo of America inquiring about The Last Story and Pandora's Tower on January 27th. You may also wish to thank Nintendo for releasing Xenoblade, pledge to buy Xenoblade, and mention that this is the anniversary date for The Last Story being released in Japan. Your email might look something like the one posted below. Try coming up with your own version, using ours only as a template.

Dear Nintendo,

The Last Story was released in Japan one year ago today on January 27th, 2011. I also understand that the game is coming out in February in Europe. I was wondering if there are any updates regarding a release for The Last Story in our region? The game looks amazing! I want to play anything that Hironobu Sakaguchi created and I feel many others in the region feel the same way as I do. If you were to market the game by saying it is created by Sakaguchi who also created and worked on some of the various games in the Final Fantasy series, I am confident the game will sell well.

Also, thank you for releasing Xenoblade Chronicles in our region! I promise to buy the game to show that games like Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower can sell in the Americas.

Thank you for your time,

(Your name here)

http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/webform.jsp

or nintendo@noa.nintendo.com

• Phone Nintendo

Call Nintendo customer service and inquire about The Last Story and Pandora's Tower. The idea here is to let Nintendo know there is an interest in the games.

Phone:

800-255-3700 (Customer Service)

800-633-3236 (Office)

✦ATTENTION✦ In 2 Hours We Are Contacting Nintendo. Please Participate!

In 2 hours we are starting to mass contact Nintendo of America about ‘The Last Story’. We are asking all of our supporters to participate tonight and tomorrow. Operation Rainfall is a campaign to get all three of our chosen games localized. A campaign is only effective if its supporters are participating. A few voices can be ignored, but it is not so easy to ignore thousands. We cannot just sit idly by and expect things to change; we have to be proactive. 

When you do join us in contacting NoA, please keep a few things in mind. Be courteous, not rude. Ask nicely, and don’t come across as entitled. Below are a few posting guidelines we would like people to be mindful of:

☐ Facebook: Post one time every hour or two. Do not post multiple times in a row. Don’t get into arguments with people that speak out against us. Just ignore it. You can press that little X at the corner of their comment and ignore them forever.

☐ Twitter: Same as Facebook, a message every hour or two.

☐ Email: You can use the template we have in the details link, just remember to be courteous.

☐ Phone: Remember that the people who take your calls are just doing their jobs. Being rude to them makes no sense. Be kind and courteous please.

So please, join us tonight and tomorrow! Let Nintendo know that Operation Rainfall is not going anywhere as long as there are games being made that only certain people in a certain region will ever play.

We will be posting all campaign details once the event officially starts in 2 hours. 
http://on.fb.me/yEeX4e

Pandora Tower Europe Release Update and Other Info

ϟϟϟ NEWS FLASH ϟϟϟ Tonight’s Nintendo Investor Conference wrapped up with some interesting tidbits: 

1) The European release date of Pandora’s Tower has been narrowed down to sometime between April & June 2012. 

2) Wii U will release in November 2012 

3) Wii U will have an online infrastructure dubbed “Nintendo Network” that makes use of personal accounts and is capable of delivering full retail games as digital downloads. We’ll discuss what this means for our campaign over the coming days.

Don’t forget that 12:00 am PST TONIGHT we kick off “The Last Story Month” so get ready to spread the word and contact Nintendo tomorrow!! We’ve got an exciting month packed chock-full of screenshots, music & video clips, and gameplay tidbits from both The Last Story and Xenoblade, culminating in the grand finale - the February 24th release of The Last Story in Europe! 

╰☆ Xenoblade Chronicles Tidbit of the Day #66 ☆╮

Weather. In Xenoblade, there are random weather conditions. Sometimes there may be rain, sometimes there may be thunderstorms. There are other weather conditions as well but we’ll leave them for you to experience yourself. There are certain enemies and unique enemies that will only appear in specific weather conditions.

NOTE: There will not be a tidbit tomorrow. For the next month they will be on Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday only.

'The Last Story Month Begins in 24 Hours!

In just 24 hours 'The Last Story' month begins and we can start mass contacting Nintendo of America. Are you ready?!

http://on.fb.me/yEeX4e

For Those Planning to Post on Nintendo's Facebook Wall or Twitter on Friday

Join us as we post on Nintendo's Facebook wall Friday January 27 as we ask Nintendo to localize 'The Last Story'. It is important to note that this is for one day only. The plan is to target any posts that Nintendo might make on that day (not including anything involving charity though). In the case that Nintendo doesn't make a post for that day, we will be targeting their last available post. So again, on January 27th, start posting on their last post and if they post anything else that day, target those as well. Once the day is over, we stop!

What to post. We prefer that you post one of the following messages but you are free to be creative. Just copy and Paste:

☐ It's the one year anniversary of the release of The Last Story in Japan. Please bring this exceptional title to our region as well!
or
☐ I pledge to buy Xenoblade Chronicles to show that games like Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower can sell in America.
or
☐ Thank you Nintendo for releasing Xenoblade, but don't forget about The Last Story and Pandora's Tower!

Try to avoid getting in conflicts with other people on Nintendo's Facebook wall. Not everybody is going to agree with us and that's OK. Also, spread your messages out to one every couple of hours; it is more effective this way.
http://www.facebook.com/Nintendo

Twitter--
Tweet @NintendoAmerica on January 27. The same info can be applied from the Facebook Info above more or less.

Other ways to contact NoA on Friday:|
http://on.fb.me/yEeX4e

Operation Rainfall en Español

Operation Rainfall en Español
Para nuestros seguidores que hablan español, ¡chequen nuestra página en español! Aun no es una comunidad muy grande, pero tenemos personal cuya lengua materna es el español y que traduce todos los mensajes de Operation Rainfall al español. Pasa la voz a tus amigos que hablen español y ayúdanos a hacer de la página Operation Rainfall en Español el mismo éxito que la página de Operation Rainfall en inglés.

Operation Rainfall in Spanish
For our Spanish speaking supporters, check out our Spanish page! It isn’t a very big community yet, but we have fluent Spanish speaking staff that fully translate all Operation Rainfall posts into Spanish. Spread the word to your Spanish speaking friends and help us make the Spanish Operation Rainfall page as successful as the English Operation Rainfall page!

http://on.fb.me/zVRqeJ

✔ What Is Operation Rainfall and What Do We Stand For? ✔

I thought I would share this for people who are new to our campaign or for those that may be confused.

First off, I just want to reiterate the purpose of our campaign:
We are a positive campaign that is attempting to communicate with Nintendo for the release of two critically-acclaimed RPGs: The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower. We also promote the selling of Xenoblade Chronicles in hopes that it sells well enough to justify the release of the other two games. Being that our campaign is positive, this means we do not promote or condone.

Piracy
Console modification
Boycott of Nintendo products or
Smear campaigns against Nintendo and its executives

Instead, the approach Operation Rainfall has taken is a positive campaign that involves:

Written and verbal petitions and pleas to Nintendo and its subsidiaries
Submission of works of fanart, music, poetry, etc.
Retail purchases of Nintendo products
Encouraging a positive view of Nintendo as a company, even though we may disagree with some of the business decisions they have made recently
Encouraging Nintendo executives to see that there exists a market for RPGs, "niche" titles, and "core" games on Wii console by purchasing these titles and recommending them to others.

In any community made up of thousands of individuals, opinions are bound to differ and there will be people on opposite extremes in favor of and against the overall goals of the community. The above statements, however reflect the stance that the administration of Operation Rainfall have taken. We cannot force our viewpoints on individuals in our community but attempt to uphold those standards as much as possible without taking away our members' freedom of speech. If, however, we see individuals posting negative remarks or messages that go against our overall mission, we will warn such individuals. Repeat offenses will result in permanent ban from the Operation Rainfall Facebook page.

╰☆ Xenoblade Chronicles Tidbit of the Day #67 ☆╮

Chaining Enemies For Better Chest Drops. If you can manage to defeat more than one enemy of the same type in the same battle, you can increase your odds for receiving a silver or gold chest. Depending on how many enemies you chain together, your chances for a gold chest greatly improve. The easiest way to get a gold chest drop is by chaining enemies.

╰☆ Xenoblade Chronicles Tidbit of the Day #68 ☆╮

The Need for Grinding is Rare. In Xenoblade Chronicles, having to grind to level up your characters is rare. Exploring, achievements, and quests grant enough experience that more often than not you will find yourself at the needed level to play the main game. Of course, this really depends on how you approach the game. If you choose to fast play the game, ignoring quests and exploration, you'll likely find that grinding is necessary. But most people will tell you that the need for grinding in Xenoblade is a rare thing.

✰ "The Last Story" English Version Preview ✰

CVG has the first preview of the English version of "The Last Story" that we could find. Check it out!
http://bit.ly/AdmWFN

Press Release Revised

We want to apologize for the recent press release not being proofread. We urge any other websites that use our press release to use the new revised version: We have taken steps to ensure this does not happen again. Thanks!

Between the dates of January 27th (the 1 year anniversary of The Last Story releasing in Japan) and February 24th (the European release date for The Last Story) we will be focusing our campaign on The Last Story, as well as the people behind the game: Hironobu Sakaguchi (the creator of Final Fantasy) and Nobuo Uematsu (famed Japanese composer, best known as well for his work on Final Fantasy).

On January 27 we will be contacting Nintendo en masse, and then afterward, during the month, we will be doing everything we can to raise public awareness of the title and its connection to Sakaguchi and the Final Fantasy franchise.  We find it absurd that the title is so little known considering its pedigree, and we hope to correct that this month.

The Press Picks Up on our The Last Story Month

GoNintendo, Destructoid, and Zelda Informer are all reporting on our The Last Story month that starts this Friday when we mass contact Nintendo of America!

GoNintendo: http://bit.ly/xCJ2kz
Destructoid's Jim Sterling : http://bit.ly/ypOXGM
Zelda Informer: http://bit.ly/yBOumY

The Last Story Dated for Australia

The Last Story is being released in Australia on February 23rd!
http://bit.ly/ycKOlP

✉ For Those Sending Mail to NoA for January 27 do so by the End of Tomorrow ✉

For those that are planning to participate on January 27 for our "Contact NoA about The Last Story Day" and are planning to mail a letter to Nintendo, tomorrow is your last best chance that it will arrive by Friday. Below is instructions on what we are looking for people to do:

Write Nintendo a Letter
It is better to hand write letters but a printed letter will work as well. You may also wish to send out fan art. Nintendo of America's headquarters is located in Washington so the further away you are, the longer it will take for your letter to arrive; so be mindful of that. Please write a personal letter, but you can use our template to get you started:

Dear Nintendo,
The Last Story was released in Japan one year ago today on January 27th, 2011. I also understand that the game is coming out in February in Europe. I was wondering if there are any updates regarding a release for The Last Story in our region? The game looks amazing! I want to play anything that Hironobu Sakaguchi created and I feel many others in the region feel the same way as I do. If you were to market the game by saying it is created by Sakaguchi who also created and worked on some of the games in the Final Fantasy series, I am confident the game will sell well.

Also, thank you for releasing Xenoblade Chronicles in our region! I promise to buy the game to show that games like Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower can sell in the Americas.
Thank you for your time,
(Your name here)

Address:
Nintendo of America
4600 150th AVE NE.
Redmond, WA 98052 USA

The Last Story Profile Pictures

To celebrate The Last Story month, we have created around 10 profile pictures people can use. These are particularly handy if you plan to join us on Jan 27 when we post on Nintendo's Facebook wall.

Here is the link for all the profile pictures: http://on.fb.me/AlArJ5

✹ The Last Story Month Begins This Week ✹

You may have noticed the change to our profile picture in that there is now a gold banner. The Last Story month officially kicks off on Friday Jan 27 when we mass contact Nintendo of America to commemorate the January 27 release of The Last Story in Japan. Over the next few days leading up to the 27th, we'll be posting reminders and instructions on how everybody can join us on that day.

Starting Saturday January 28, we will be posting The Last Story pictures, articles, and videos every day until February 24 when The Last Story will be released in Europe. 

During the month we will be reducing our Xenoblade coverage including the daily tidbits which will only be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. We are merely shifting out focus slightly for the next few weeks but we understand how important it is that Xenoblade sells well so Xenoblade coverage will continue. We are also planning a Pandora’s Tower month between the end of April and the end of May.

We ask everyone to join us on January 27 because we are only effective if the majority of our supporters participate in our campaign. Bottom line if you want The Last Story, join us when we all tell that to Nintendo as one loud voice.

╰☆ Xenoblade Chronicles Tidbit of the Day #69 ☆╮

Character Profile: Reyn

(Minor Early Story Details Warning)
Reyn is an 18-year-old soldier from Colony 9's Defense Force, and is a childhood friend of Shulk and Fiora. Despite his position as a soldier, Reyn is the stereotypical fun-loving joker of the group, and is often seen with his friends. He uses an oversized shield-gunlance, which can switch from shield mode into gun or lance mode. Most who use Reyn will use him as a tank as he has great defense potential, great defense skills, and high HP.