Nintendo Selects

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Nintendo Selects (and its predecessor, Player's Choice) is a marketing label previously used by Nintendo to promote best-selling video games on Nintendo game consoles. Nintendo Selects titles were sold at a lower price point (usually $19.99 instead of $49.99) than new releases. The program paralleled other budget range software by Sega (Sega All Stars), Sony (the Greatest Hits and Essentials), and Microsoft (Platinum Hits and Xbox Classics) to promote best-selling games on their consoles as well. In Japan, the discount label was introduced in 2015 for various Nintendo 3DS titles as the Happy Price Selection, although South Korea adopted the Nintendo Selects name at an earlier period. The most recent Nintendo Selects titles were released for the Wii U and 3DS and, as of January 2024, no Nintendo Switch games have been rebranded as Nintendo Selects.

In North America and Europe, Nintendo introduced the label on May 20, 1996,^[1] as "Player's Choice" both for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and for the Game Boy to distinguish titles that had sold over one million copies. Super NES games had the "Super Nintendo Entertainment System" wordmark written in gold (instead of the usual red) on the box, along with a "Player's Choice" seal. European SNES and Game Boy releases were labeled differently in various markets (such as Mario Classics in Spain, Nintendo Classics in UK and Netherlands, and (Super) Classic Series Germany and France), comparing closer to the European version of the Classic Series label for the NES games, featuring the same Mario medal. Furthermore, all boxes were overhauled in red except Disney games, which received blue boxes.^[2] North American NTSC "Player's Choice" games can be identified on the Nintendo 64 by the yellow background of the N64 logo in the upper right corner of the game box. On the GameCube and Game Boy Advance, games are marked in a yellow box on the top of the case. PAL region Player's Choice games have boxes that are colored silver or platinum with Player's Choice markings on the right hand side of a Nintendo 64 box or on the top of a GameCube box.

The Player's Choice line was introduced for GameCube titles in January 2003.^[3] However, the sales barrier for games was decreased from 1 million, down to 450,000 by June 2003^[4] and eventually only 250,000.^[5] The first titles were Super Smash Bros. Melee, Pikmin, and Luigi's Mansion, and they each retailed for US$29.99. Later in the year, when six new titles were added, Nintendo split the pricing for different sets of GameCube games, so that some titles would enter in or stay at US$29.99 while others would be reduced immediately to US$19.99.^[6] In April 2006, the "Player's Choice" label was applied to Game Boy Advance games, which sell for $19.99 in the United States.^[7]

The Player's Choice label was renamed Nintendo Selects in May 2011.^[8] The first Wii games added were The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Mario Super Sluggers and Wii Sports. The New Play Control! version of Pikmin 2 debuted in North America as a Nintendo Selects title, alongside New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis.^[9] Mario Party 8 and Wii Sports Resort were added to Nintendo Selects line in 2013 in UK.^[10] These launches coincided with the Wii Mini launch, on March 22.^[11] Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, Super Mario Galaxy, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Wii Sports + Wii Sports Resort were added to the new Nintendo Selects Australian line, priced at AU$49.95 and NZ$59.95 with the release date of November 7, 2013.^[12]

As of 2014, recommended retail prices are £19.99 in the United Kingdom, US$19.99 in the United States, CDN$19.99 in Canada, A$49.95 in Australia and €29.99 throughout the Eurozone.

In 2015, Nintendo of Europe began to release Nintendo Selects range of games for the Nintendo 3DS.^[13] The label was then expanded to the Wii U alongside select Wii and Nintendo 3DS titles in Canada, released on March 11, 2016, priced at CA$29.99.^[14] A range of Nintendo Selects titles was launched the following month in Europe.^[15]

Minna no Susume Selection (for Japan):

PAL-exclusive Player's Choice titles:

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

Due to the use of a more expensive cartridge-based format, all N64 Player's Choice titles retailed for $39.95^[16] in the United States and $49.99^[17] in Canada.

Satellaview-exclusive Player's Choice Classic SoundLink games:

• BS Zelda no Densetsu^[21]
• BS Sim City Machi Tsukuri Taikai Scenario 4 (ＢＳ ＳｉｍＣｉｔｙ 街作り大会 シナリオ４)
• BS Shin Onigashima (Dai 1 Wa) (ＢＳ新・鬼ヶ島(第１話))
• SatellaWalker: Satebô wo Sukui Dase!

• Mario Golf
• Mario Tennis
• Super Mario Bros. Deluxe

• Nintendo Selects North American site Archived 2018-04-27 at the Wayback Machine
• Nintendo Selects European site
• Nintendo.com's list of Player's Choice games for Game Boy Advance and GameCube