This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Old-school Nintendo fans who own the gaming company's portable 3DS can rejoice.
Ten classic Nintendo NES games, including "Super Mario Bros." and "The Legend of Zelda," are now available for free for those who bought the Nintendo 3DS system before Aug. 11.
Part of the "3DS Ambassador" program, early adopters of Nintendo's new 3D portable gaming machine can download the games. Other games include "Donkey Kong Jr.," "Zelda II — The Adventure of Link," "Yoshi," "Metroid," and "NES Open Tournament Golf." All were originally released as long as 30 years ago for the company's 8-bit NES gaming console.
The ambassador program was introduced to appease those who bought the system right after it was released in March and was first priced at $249. Since then, the device was lowered to $169 after initially tepid sales. So far, Nintendo has shipped 4.3 million units globally, according to the company. Analysts say the 3DS has had disappointing sales due to a weak selection of games.
To download the new 8-bit games, users must first go to the 3DS' online eShop, then go to the store's "settings" section, then click on "Download history." Users who are eligible for the program will notice that the free games can be downloaded directly to the system.
Those who are members also will get 10 free Game Boy Advance games later this year that are being ported to the 3DS system.
While all of the games are pixel-by-pixel adaptations of the original titles, they will not be in 3D.
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