Here is how Nintendo is marketing their holiday releases

By Joe Fourhman | November 7, 2008

If you’re already on Nintendo’s advertising e-mail distribution list, these will all be old news to you. But if you’re not, maybe you’ll find them interesting. They’re all colorful, graphical email blasts… encompassing an odd mix of marketing to the hardcore and the newcore.

The ad for Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia (DS) is heavy on details, appealing to the notoriously OCD pokefanbase. It even discusses a pair of exclusive downloadable Wi-Fi levels for the game that interact with Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. This ad arrived November 6. [You can browse all the ads in the gallery below.]

Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir (DS) came out in early September, but is receiving some holiday push. (You’ve seen the MillionHeir TV ad with Liv Tyler and her sister, right? I’ll put it after the jump.) This email showed up on November 4.

The Wii Music (Wii) ad lives up to the minimalist Wii design aesthetic. Note the “NES Horn” mentioned in the text and held by the balding Mii. It also plugs the optional Balance Board Drum Kit mode, which is a nice detail. This showed up in my inbox on November 5 with the bizarre subject “Let Your Music Out With Wii Music.”

Wario Land: Shake It (Wii) was emailed out on October 22. This one is all hardcore with phrases like “Turn the Wii Remote sideways and play this game like it’s 1986,” “platforming goodness,” and “Finally, a new chapter in the classic Wario Land series!”

The email for Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii) arrived on November 3 with the worrying subject line “What happened to Animal Crossing?” For a minute I thought I was getting some kind of Sad Chao-style editorial. The answer to that question is the non-judgmental “We’re moving to Wii.” No word on the Wii Speak mic or Wii Speak bundle, and nothing about the gameplay. Just a pretty AC picture.