Full 3DS Ambassador NES game line-up

By Tom Phillips Published 30 August, 2011

Zeldas! Marios! Yoshi! Metroid!

Nintendo has confirmed the full line-up of free NES games for the 3DS Ambassador Programme.

The 10 games offer some of Nintendo's biggest franchises, including two Zelda and two Mario titles.

Newly confirmed games include Zelda sequel Adventures of Link, Wrecking Crew, Mario Open Golf and obscure puzzle game Mario & Yoshi (known outside Europe as Yoshi's Egg).

All are already available as Virtual Console software on the Wii.

The new recruits join previously announced NES games Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber and The Legend of Zelda.

  • Super Mario Bros.
  • Donkey Kong Jr.
  • Balloon Fight
  • Ice Climber
  • The Legend of Zelda
  • Wrecking Crew
  • Mario Open Golf
  • Mario & Yoshi
  • Metroid
  • Zelda: Adventures of Link

The 10 NES games will be available from 1st September.

10 Game Boy Advance games will also be made available by the end of the year, including Metroid Fusion, Super Mario Advance 3, Mario Kart Advance, Wario Ware and Mario vs. Donkey Kong.

The 3DS Ambassador programme rewards early adopters who shelled out for Nintendo's handheld before last month's price cut.

Nintendo of Europe is due to launch a 3DS Ambassador status tool for gamers to check they're eligible for the programme - and also register for it with a pre-price drop proof of purchase.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Phillips

Tom joined Eurogamer in 2010 and has quickly made his mark writing news and columns and coming up with puntastic straplines. Questionable beard. @TomPhillips151 on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Phillips archive page.

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Comments (32) Latest comment 9 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • captainCandy #1 9 months ago

    Too old, I've played through them several times. ALMOST EVERY ONE OF THEM.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #2 9 months ago

    Can't really complain though since they are free. It's also nice that most of them are actually good games and most importantly games that none did buy already (remember PSN when they gave away games everyone already paid for?). The GBA line up does not look too bad either. I especially look forward to those because the only GBA games I played were the Golden Sun titles and Minish Cap.

  • abigsmurf #3 9 months ago

    No Kid Ikarus is a suprise.

    Reasonable list of games though and you certainly can't argue with the price.

  • MarketZero #4 9 months ago

    Really looking forward to these great little games. A lot of companies would just sh*t on early adopters at this point but Nintendo have justly rewarded us after that dramatic price cut which, let's not forget, was absolutely vital from a business perspective and will ultimately lead to better games for 3DS. Everybody wins.

  • smoothmunky #5 9 months ago

    Mario & Yoshi is an incredible game in multiplayer. Can't wait to play that again.

  • giapel #6 9 months ago

    "I've played them all before" is a silly complain. There are people starting gaming now. 20 classics for free is a sweet deal for them.

  • wizlon #7 9 months ago

    Excellent selection. Looking forward to trying to complete Metroid as I don't think I've ever done it... In fact I don't think I've completed any game on this list, games were certainly harder back in the day.

  • WinterSnowblind #8 9 months ago

    I really expected Kid Icarus, would have been an obvious way to hype up the new one. Pretty good list though.

  • Whitster #9 9 months ago

    Actually some good titles there, hoping they announce LttP as one of the GBA titles to really show some zelda love.

  • L0cky #10 9 months ago

    "Mario & Yoshi is an incredible game in multiplayer. Can't wait to play that again."

    Anyone know if/how multiplayer will work? How does it work on Wii for GBA games?

  • TruSmiles #11 9 months ago

    I've not actually played many of these because I grew up as a SEGA kid, so apart from the Mario's and Zelda's, I've not got as much experience with 'em. Will be nice to grab a slice of gaming history.

  • kearneybobs #12 9 months ago

    Any word on whether or not the registration of your 3DS system with your Club nintendo account will be proof enough for the pre-preice drop purchase?

  • SpaceMonkey77 #13 9 months ago

    Call me a wind up merchant, but why NES games? This is like what MS did with Xbox Live Arcade, releasing arcade games from the 70's that nobody wanted to play.

    Sorry, never had a NES, though I played a friends back in the day (sure, it did have a few gems). Don't intend in going back there, plus they look awful.

    They should be pushing from the GB, GBA and SNES games. But this is Nintendo's problem overall. They rarely do any market research to find out what customers want, and just throw mud, to see what sticks.

    I hate to say it, but I still don't see these games as a 3DS selling point, to paper over the cracks that it still has very few good games out, and in the release pipeline. Damage limitation, that's barely gonna change the situation, and with a xmas on the way, few will care.

  • Kafeen #14 9 months ago

    "two Mario titles

    Super Mario Bros.
    Mario Open Golf
    Mario & Yoshi"

    I count three.

    Looks like a decent selection of games. :)

  • WinterSnowblind #15 9 months ago

    @SpaceMonkey77
    They aren't using these as a selling point, in fact they're completely unavailable to anyone who goes out and buys the system now. They're only being offered to those who bought the system pre-price drop, to make up for them essentially being screwed over.

    I also don't think any of these games are dated, sure, they don't LOOK as good as todays games but they're all classics and the majority of them are better than most games that are released today. This is at least head and shoulders above Sony's "welcome back" package, that was comprised of a few early PS3 games that most people already owned and were getting sequels very shortly.

  • el_pollo_diablo #16 9 months ago

    So the games (or knowing Nintendo, one of them) will arrive tomorrow, but their tool still isn't online.

    Nintendo you're useless.

  • Paulie_P #17 9 months ago

    @Wizlon - I've never completed Metroid either but then I suck at games. I can reach Kraid (with at least 2 energy upgrades) before having my ass handed to me. Its a long way back to that point from the starting position so I give up after 2/3 tries.

  • betonos #18 9 months ago

    Great selection!

    @MarketZero - agreed. That's exactly what I do think of them.

  • freddywest #19 9 months ago

    @Kafeen

    ""two Mario titles

    Super Mario Bros.
    Mario Open Golf
    Mario & Yoshi"

    I count three"

    I count four - Wrecking Crew

  • layleeloo #20 9 months ago

    Why do some people think we want to play the same things over and over and over and over and over and.......

  • JadedSoul #21 9 months ago

    Post deleted at 08:10:55 26-04-2012

  • Raiko101 #22 9 months ago

    Nice list. I was really hoping for some Super Mario Bros 2, but it's a strong line up anyway. It gives us plenty of games to play until November, when the physical releases will have picked up. Can't wait for thursday!

    Liking the fact that most people here are happy, but 1 unhappy chap goes as far as to say that Nintendo haven't done there market research. The irony.

  • BigDannyH #23 9 months ago

    I'm up for a couple of the GBA titles but can't get enthusiastic about replaying NES games no matter how good they used to be?

    Why couldn't they throw in some SNES games? Could've combined it with the 20 yr anniversary.

    Still, no one forced people to buy the 3DS on launch.

  • roz123 #24 9 months ago

    Good stuff, I am definatly more excited by the gba games but these are a good start.

  • CB.Gamestation #25 9 months ago

    Can we not push Nintendo to publish this tool? Nintendo of America have had this tool for nearly 2 weeks!!
    I've tried to push them by email but get absolutley no response.

  • metroid455 #26 9 months ago

    Nintendo the 3DS needs more original titles atm not re releases of 10-15yr old games, geez!!!

  • Scirm #27 9 months ago

    Brilliant.

  • Mister-Wario #28 9 months ago

    "All are already available as Virtual Console software on the Wii".

    This is a bit of a downer. Although I suppose offering them for free on a portable console balances this out nicely.

  • benfresh76 #29 9 months ago

    Far be it for me or anybody else to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I'm straddling the line between apathy and minor interest in these TBH...A lot of classics on that list, but it is pretty difficult to get too excited about what are essentially museum pieces. I wish they had given them even a rudimentary '3D Classic' treatment to jazz things up a bit.

    Still, free is free I guess.

  • Mister-Wario #30 9 months ago

    Well, on one hand I'm thinking "boo! Old games!" but on the other I'm glad a part of game history is being preserved in some form.

  • The_Asking #31 9 months ago

    Just showed these to my wife, who bought a 3DS ages ago, and what do you know - she was appalled. She bought the 3DS because of it's relatively booming adventure game selection. Layton, Ace Attorney, Hotel Dusk etc. The 3DS has disappointed her no end because, not only are there no games like that on it yet, the games that are on it are all 'traditional' games; things that involve skill and timing, things that she and a huge portion of the DS' audience, won't play not because they aren't good at them but because the find them actually unpleasant.

    I showed her these and she asked "I didn't buy a 3DS because I wanted to play NES games, where are the 3DS games". Good question.

    Nintendo spent so long courting it's new 'casual' audience, but it is in serious danger of losing it.

  • Acrid #32 9 months ago

    @captainCandy "Too old, I've played through them several times."

    Too old? You know what a NES is right?