Nintendo’s Customer Appreciation Sale Flubbed The Goodwill Gesture Attempt

I love Nintendo. It was a formative part of my video game history, and to this day I think it makes some of the most consistently great games in the industry. But you know what I love more? Deals. For proof just look at my Steam backlog, which is full of games I stupidly bought on the basis of their being cheap. Do I have time to play this? No, but it was so cheap! This is somewhat of a contradiction in my gaming tastes. Nintendo isn't known for offering sales. In fact, it's notoriously stingy with discounts, offering them rarely, and with only modest savings. So I was cautiously optimistic about the Customer Appreciation Sale, which Nintendo promoted as a larger scale sale than usual. The sale is now ongoing and, well, I should have trusted my instincts. These deals are not good. The sale prices are relegated primarily to older games, and while 30% is a larger discount than usual for Nintendo games on the eShop, it still barely makes a dent in the full list price. Since Nintendo games keep their sticker price for years, this sale boasts discounts on years-old games like Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze and Mario Tennis Aces, both from 2018, for a lean $42. Those hoping that newer game…