I got it yesterday, first day it came out. I also have all five games currently available.
The eReader comes with all the cards to install Donkey Kong Jr or Pinball(You get only one), a Game & Watch collection card(Manhole), an Animal Crossing card that gets you one of KK's albums, and three Pokemon promos(Machop, Machoke, Machamp), which when used together install a minigame.
The other three games available are Tennis, Excitebike, and Balloon Fight. I personally like the eReader. It's a cool concept, and makes you wonder how the heck those "dot codes" can hold so much information.
I don't really see the point in the thing. It just seems like another gimmick from nintendo to make us buy more crap to get little secrets in their games etc.
Its a marketing ploy. It's meant to be a poor use of money compared to full price retail games. The whole ploy is its a good game for cheap. 😛
Maybe it is another gimmick that Nintendo came up with, but I'll probably throw my money on the counter for it anyway. But its a game on a card, how cool is that? ... :eyebrow: maybe it isn't cool, but its still a game on a card.:drool:
yes i think it is a gimmick. The GBA/GC thing might not be, but the eReader is.
Yeah, I'm cool with the GBA->GCN link thing. That could have interesting possibilities.
I'm really interested in getting an e-reader. Maybe I'll get one for christmas. Then again, I'd like to see what other games they release for it.
I saw it advertised in a Target ad. It's neat how the Donkey Kong Junior card has the Nintendo Entertainment System logo on it, with original artwork from Donkey Kong Jr.
I was at Software Etc. yesterday and they hardly had any e-readers because they didn't expect them to seel. I wonder if they are allowed to do that as a franchise?
Hey WarOmnimon, does it tell you which game (DKJr. or Pinball) you are getting on the box somewhere, or is it just sort of a luck of the draw thing? Because I don't particularly want Pinball, and even if I was forced to get Pinball in there, I'd want to know so I can buy DK Jr. seperate if necessary (without having to make more than one trip).
Edit: duh, I should have read IGN's review first:
The second package features one of two NES games, clearly marked on the package (either Pinball or Donkey Kong Jr.)...the NES game faces outwards on the back of the blister pack, so you know exactly which NES game is inside.
Oh, and for Mott:
Over the time between the announcement of the e-Reader and the actual release of the device, a lot of folks have shrugged their shoulders with the ol' "so what?" attitude. On the surface, sure, it seems like an idle gimmick...some companies could potentially limit their GameCube games by "locking out" special items that can only be obtained by scanning the appropriate e-Reader card. But it's these cards that have the potential of sustaining the life of the GameCube game beyond its first few weeks out of the box. Animal Crossing is going to show how developers can utilize the e-Reader to its fullest potential, with its ability to load custom textures and songs directly off of data cards, as well as unlock furniture, clothing and other items through other strips. Nintendo could essentially include cheap e-Reader cards in magazines like Nintendo Power, or boxes of cereal, or within the game packaging itself to let players take advantage of their gaming investment.