Full List of NES 3DS Ambassador Games Announced

Earlier today, Nintendo announced the 10 free NES games it will be giving free to 3DS Ambassadors (people who bought 3DS’s before the price drop on the 12th of August and registered with the eShop) on the first of September. Here is the epic, all-star list.

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

Here is instructions on how to download them (very strange way that doesn’t seem to be very well thought out) and here are the features of the ambassador program games

Also coming later this year to ambassadors are 10 free Gameboy Advance games. Starting September 1st, you can sign up for notifications about the ambassador program by clicking something on the Nintendo Video application (I know, weird and roundabout, right?) Here are the 5 known games.

• Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit
• Metroid Fusion
• WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong

I am VERY happy I am an ambassador. This is going to be hours and hours of awesome game play. Some games, I’ve never played before, but always wanted to. So, thanks Nintendo!

Via GoNintendo.

Big 3DS Event on September 13th, Major New Game Reveal

– Nintendo to hold 3DS-related event in Japan
– due to take place on September 13th
– announcement to coincide with event
– extremely big title planned
– Nintendo stock managed to reach 9.7% above yesterday’s level, due to talk of this event

Via GoNintendo.

Planes Trailer

I love teaser trailers. This one is a Cars spinoff, Planes. With Jon Cryer voicing “Dusty” (who ever Dusty is). Can’t wait to hear more.

The Sad Story of Super Mario

So strange. I wonder why Nintendo would kill Super Mario on the cover of his first game. In case your not familiar with the game (which you should be, if you’re not), Mario is about to fall into a pit of lava.

I don’t know the original source of this photo, so I’m sorry I can’t credit you, who ever you are.

Nintendo Adds 4 More Games to Nintendo Selects Line

Super Paper Mario, Mario Strikers Charged, Punch-Out!!, and Super Mario Galaxy are joining Mario Super Sluggers, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing: City Folk, and Wii Sports as $20 Nintendo Selects titles starting August 28th. View the press release here.

Via Gonintendo.

Well, I Now Own a 3DS

So, I am now the proud owner of a 3DS. I know I’ve said all my reasons for not getting one before, but through a set of awesome circumstances, I couldn’t resist. If ya care, you can read them below.

My Glasses

 

So about two weeks ago, I got a new pair of glasses. They have a very, very different prescription from my previous pair (which I’ve worn every time I’d played the 3DS). One of the first things I thought when I put them on was “I wonder what the 3DS’s 3D looks like now?”. Previously, when I’ve played the 3DS, the 3D effect hurt my eyes/I couldn’t see it. So I went to the nearest Target to try out PilotWings Resort (again) and  I was surprised to find out that I could see the 3D effects perfectly. It was like night and day. The 3DS’s 3D looked fantastic. Every effect, everything that popped out at me, looked clear, crisp, and totally awesome.

The 3DS Price and Ambassador Program

For people who don’t know, the 3DS has been selling bad enough for Nintendo to take action and drop the price from $250 to $170 starting on August 12th. Now for people who had bought a 3DS before August 12th, Nintendo is giving 10 free NES and 10 free Gameboy Advance games to (are you following along? It’s a lot to take in. I’ll do a post all about the 3DS Ambassador program soon.) People who updated there 3DS’s or opened the eShop before midnight on the 11th were automatically signed up for the program. Now retailers weren’t supposed to drop the price of the 3DS before August 12th, however, Target and Walmart dropped the price a few days early. This means that people who bought the 3DS at Target or Walmart between the 9th and 11th could get the 3DS for $170 AND still be part of the 3DS Ambassador program. This was too good of a deal to pass up for me and I knew I had to find a way to get one.

The 3DS’s Future Games

The 3DS has a stellar future line-up, including Super Mario Land 3D, Mario Kart 7, Luigi’s Mansion 2, and Paper Mario, and that’s just the Mario titles! We also have Animal Crossing, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Star Fox 64 3D, and more! I knew I would end up with a 3DS eventually just so I could play these games.

These factors combined just made it so I had to get a 3DS. This means I will be giving much deeper coverage of all things 3DS. See why I couldn’t resist?

Star Fox 64 3D Preview

I played one complete level of Star Fox 64 3D at Comic-Con. It was really cool, but not quite as impressive as Super Mario 3D Land or Mario Kart 7. It reminded me of a much improved/more exciting version of PilotWings Resort.

One thing I need to say before we get started is that this is the first Starfox game I have ever played (how can I call myself a Nintendo fan!?! Well I suppose I have never played a Metroid game either… What’s wrong with me?!?), so I don’t have a background of love for the series. I am very biased when it comes to Mario, I am one of the biggest super-fans you’ll ever meet, so this preview will be a bit different from my two previous from Comic-Con.

Now on with the preview.

The 3D effects were not as pronounced and obvious as they were in PilotWings Resort, Super Mario 3D Land, or Mario Kart 7, but they were present and helpful. They were not over powering, but instead they were just there. It seems they learned there lesson from the sometimes over powering 3D in PilotWings Resort. They added another dimension allowing you to look “deep into the screen” without bugging your eyes.

Gameplay was very engaging and fun. You fly your Arwing with the circle pad and shoot stuff. Flight games aren’t really my thing, but I still found the game quite fun. Shooting down all the enemy fighters was very fun and worked very well.

Toward the end of the level you run into a giant robot. It took me some time to figure out his weakness, which I suppose is good.

In the level I played, Falco, Slippy, and Peppy were flying with me. They gave actual voiced commentary (which is rare in video games) that was also nicely presented on the bottom screen. They also helped me shoot down enemies, but in return, I had to shoot bogeys that chased them.

Controls handled well. Not amazing, but just good. In my 15 minutes or so playing, I didn’t use the motion control method, I stuck with the standard buttons/circle pad and it seemed to work very well. I found myself pressing the wrong buttons many times, but I’m sure after more play, it would become second nature. Maybe it’s because I’m not used to flight games, or it could be that there is a bit of a learning curve, most likely though it’s a mix of both.

The coolest thing about Star Fox 64 (in my opinion) was the multiplayer mode (which I was not able to try). With a single game cartridge you are able to play with 4 players locally. One of the coolest features is that the 3DS’s inward facing camera takes video of you and displays it above your fighter as you fly, so you can see the reactions of the people you’re battling with when you shoot them down.

Starfox 64 3D seems to be a good game. It has nice 3D, it’s fun, and it has great multiplayer battle capabilities. I may have to pick it up after it’s released on September 9th. (Yes, in case anyone is paying attention, that must mean I gave in and bought a 3DS – more to come on that!)

Mario Kart 7 Preview

I played two tracks on Mario Kart 7 during my brief time with it at Comic-Con. I wish I could have played more, but there were so many other games to try. I played the underwater track and the Donkey Kong Country Returns based track (courtesy of Retro Studios involvement in the game). Both were pieces of excellence.

The 3D greatly improved Mario Kart 7. There were many subtle things, and many massive/in your face things. In many cases the subtle things seemed to be better. For one, when I was driving through the course, my little character (I was playing as a Koopa) looked behind his kart at me, and his little  face stuck out of the screen. Not by much, but still very noticeable. There was no blur, just a crisp Koopa face staring at me. Sure there were bigger 3D things (like the blooper ink spraying in your face), but I found all the small things particularly eye catching.

Of course there is depth too. When you look ahead you feel the expanse of the track. It really helped judging distance and added a whole new element to the amazing virtual mushroom kingdom. Main gameplay is set in standard Mario Kart style, but there are a large number of new features (customizable karts, kites on karts, and underwater karts) and one major returning feature that hasn’t been around for a long time (coins that increase your speed the more  you collect). I can’t really talk about the customizable karts because I didn’t get the chance to build my own kart, although I’ve heard it works very well, and the giant kart someone had created before me was quite awesome. Let me go into detail on the other features.

The kites on karts gimmick works really well. For those of you who have no clue what I’m talking about, in Mario Kart 7, when you catch some air after going over a ramp, your kart sprouts a kite that allows you to fly back down to the track. It’s a great change of pace from standard driving and a lot more fun than I thought it’d be.  Also, I can see how you could really shave time off courses by cutting corners with practice.

In Mario Kart 7, when your kart goes underwater, it sprouts a propeller/jet/thing that propels you forward. Underwater you move much slower, which gives you more time to avoid the giant cheep cheeps and clams. The under water level I played had particularly good 3D effects. Bubbles and such were very pronounced.

Coins have been in only 2 of the previous 6 Mario Kart games (Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Super Circuit) and not sense the Gameboy Advance. Like I said before, coins in Mario Kart 7 increase your speed. The effect is noticeable, and occasional influential in getting that last bit of speed. I am happy to see them make a comeback.

Next year at con, if Nintendo has a lounge, you’ll find me there for at least a few hours. There was so much competing for my attention, but the two tracks I did play made me want more. The two tracks, the one that was under water and the track based on Donkey Kong Country Returns, were both well designed and very memorable. The underwater track was full of life and had some nice branching paths. The Donkey Kong track used enemies from Donkey Kong Country Returns and was super fun to race on. Other tracks include one where you race on Wuhu Island (from Wii Sports resort, PilotWings Resort, and Wii Fit) and some great “retro” courses including Maple Treeway from Mario Kart Wii (which is one of  my all time favorite tracks) and Luigi’s Mansion from Mario Kart DS.

Everything in Mario Kart 7 seems to offer the complete package. Graphics, gameplay, and many new goodies. I can’t wait to play it more after it is released this December.