Xenoblade Won’t Load None

After work today, I stopped at GameStop and picked up the copy of Xenoblade Chronicles I had pre-ordered. Despite having massive amounts of homework to do this weekend, I was really excited about this game and planned on playing it all night. It wasn’t meant to be.

When I put the game in my system I was informed that the Wii couldn’t read the disc. I popped in Skyward Sword to make sure my Wii wasn’t malfunctioning and it loaded fine. Maybe the disc was defective? A quick google revealed that older Wii systems have problems loading Xenoblade. It’s a dual-layer game I guess the lens that reads the game was improved in newer Wii systems. I got my Wii on launch day… There are only about 5 or 6 Wii games that are dual-layer, but they all have a problem playing on older Wiis once the lens gets a little dirty. One of these game is Super Smash Brothers: Brawl. My copy had always played fine, but when I tested it today I got the same message the system gave me when I popped in Xenoblade:

I called Nintendo customer service and was told that it was probably a dirty lens. I could either pay $15 to try a lens cleaning kit from them or pay $90 for an out-of-warranty repair. This didn’t seem fair to me as it wasn’t my fault that my system wouldn’t load the game. It was how the system was made, not anything I did. I got off the phone with Nintendo and decided to call around to local electronic and game stores to see if any of them carried the lens cleaning kit. No one carried one, of course.

I ended up calling Nintendo back. I was going to try the lens cleaning kit for $15 before I shelled out $90 for a repair. At this point I was rather frustrated because I just wanted to play the game. I talked to someone new and explained the situation from scratch. He suggested the lens cleaning kit and I asked him if it didn’t work if I could return it. I mean, if it didn’t work and I end up shelling out $90 for a repair, I better get my $15 back, right? He said he wasn’t sure.

Then, out of nowhere, he suggested I send it in for repair. I asked how much. He told me it would be free. Since I was told it would be $90 by another associate just fifteen minutes previous I reminded him that there was no way my Wii was still under warranty. He explained that Nintendo is offering free repairs in this instance. All I have to do is send in the Wii and game (they provide free shipping label) and they’ll repair it for free. I was also told turnaround time is 2-3 weeks.

Within’ two hours they e-mailed me my shipping label and an invoice that indeed showed the repair would be free. I’m happy that Nintendo is doing the right thing and fixing the problem free of charge. What disappoints me is that if I wouldn’t have called back or had listened to the first associate, I would’ve wasted money on a lens cleaning kit or an expensive repair. It’s possible that Nintendo would’ve refunded me, but if it’s their policy to repair the system free of charge for this particular problem, why didn’t the first associate know that?

I’m happy that my Wii is going to be fixed for free, but it’s annoying that I have to wait another two weeks to play the game. Thus is life. If anyone else is having the same problem with Xenoblade, please be aware that Nintendo is repairing systems for free. Their customer service number is 1-800-255-3700. Don’t let anyone talk you into paying for a cleaning kit or repair.