Nintendo Offers Free NES Games to 3DS Early Adopters

When Nintendo launched its 3DS handheld earlier this year, it seemed to be well-received overall – at least by reviewers. But with its $250 price-tag, some had a hard time jumping on the bandwagon, especially if they already owned a regular DS. As a result, sales were paltry, prompting Nintendo to drop the price last month to $169.99, a mere four months after the launch.

Suffice to say, if I was an early-adopter, I’d be a little perturbed. It seems that Nintendo realizes this well, because to help make it up to those who ended up paying more for their console, Nintendo is giving its “Ambassadors” a total of 20 free old-school games that will at some point become available for sale through Nintendo’s eShop.

The first ten games have just become available, and include a collection of some true NES classics. These include The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Super Mario Bros., Yoshi, Wrecking Crew, NES Open Tournament Golf, Donky Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. I have personally dubbed this collection the, “I should have bought the 3DS at launch” package.

Nintendo will be releasing the other ten free games later this year, all of which will be based on the GameBoy Advance. I’ll admit that I didn’t know these were even coming to the handheld, but knowing I could play some true NES classics on one is making the 3DS look mighty tempting. Nothing quite like wanting a new console to play old games, is there?