Topic: NES Ambassador Games Slowly Rolling Out in North America

[NWR_Neal]

Check your 3DS. You might have some free games waiting to be downloaded.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/27644

The 10 NES Ambassador games, revealed yesterday, are becoming available in North America today. However, it appears they might be slowly rolling out throughout the day.

The method for downloading the games is unfortunately obtuse. You have to go to the Settings/Other menu, and then sort through your Your Downloads. If you have a long list of downloads, you likely have to scroll to the end to find the NES games. You have to repeat this for each game. However, you can use the Menu icon on the main screen of the eShop to expedite the process slightly.

Additionally, the Ambassador Certificate is available for download. This allows Nintendo to send you SpotPass notifications about the Ambassadors Program.

Good luck, intrepid ambassadors!

Watch a video of the download process below.

[house3136]

 I’ve got my games and my certificate. However, I do have to say the button mapping for Super Mario Bros. is horrendous. They made the (B) button dash and the (A) button jump, just like in the original. However, the (B) button is lower than the (A) button on the 3DS, meaning you have to contort your thumb at an extremely weird angle just to play. Most of the finesse of playing that game comes from the dash button, so if it feels unnatural, it renders the game almost impossible to play. Is it really that hard to map dash to (Y) and jump to (B)? C’mon Nintendo, did absolutely no one realize this in the month+ you have had to get the game ported? We shouldn’t have to wait another God-knows-how-long for Nintendo to release the updated version to get this; that is if they correct this major flaw at all. Nintendo: “I’ve got it; you know how we have had the same excellent control scheme for Super Mario Bros. for the last 25 years, where you hold dash with the tip of your thumb and press jump with the base of your thumb. Well this time lets map then to the same buttons even though the gameplay is the reciprocal of what people are used to, yeah that’ll work.
 
 
 

[TheFleece]

By some stroke of luck I've got all the games, usually I have to wait well into the afternoon for an update from Nintendo or the eShop. One caveat I have is with 2 player options. Right now it seems like one system will have to be passed between players, but I hope that there will be some local or online wireless update for the future.

[house3136]

 As well, what’s ironic is that I have to strain my wrist just to play Super Mario Bros. because of the button mapping, and there are no health warnings at all for this game. When I play Wii there is always a warning, and yet I have had no problems with the system. I am not a litigious person at all, I just think it’s kind of funny.

[Bman87301]

All ten are up as of now and I've downloaded them all. Contrary to what the article says, they're actually listed under 'Your Downloads' not 'Recent Downloads'.

I'm happy to say that unlike the Wii VC releases, LoZ and Zelda II are the real NES versions with their original 'Engrish' in tact, not the 2003 GameCube updates.

[Bman87301]

As well, what’s ironic is that I have to strain my wrist just to play Super Mario Bros. because of the button mapping, and there are no health warnings at all for this game. When I play Wii there is always a warning, and yet I have had no problems with the system. I am not a litigious person at all, I just think it’s kind of funny.

Actually, there were never warnings in Wii VC games. The warnings were always only in actual Wii games.

[Bman87301]

By some stroke of luck I've got all the games, usually I have to wait well into the afternoon for an update from Nintendo or the eShop. One caveat I have is with 2 player options. Right now it seems like one system will have to be passed between players, but I hope that there will be some local or online wireless update for the future.

That's already been officially confirmed. There will be updates and they will enable wireless multiplayer.

[TheFleece]

By some stroke of luck I've got all the games, usually I have to wait well into the afternoon for an update from Nintendo or the eShop. One caveat I have is with 2 player options. Right now it seems like one system will have to be passed between players, but I hope that there will be some local or online wireless update for the future.

That's already been officially confirmed. There will be updates and they will enable wireless multiplayer.

Good to know. My other thought is what will players, for example, who are Luigi do while Mario runs around. I'm curious about how this will work out.

[Adrock]

It'd be cool if you could watch player 2's progress from your screen.

[Bman87301]

I’ve got my games and my certificate. However, I do have to say the button mapping for Super Mario Bros. is horrendous. They made the (B) button dash and the (A) button jump, just like in the original. However, the (B) button is lower than the (A) button on the 3DS, meaning you have to contort your thumb at an extremely weird angle just to play. Most of the finesse of playing that game comes from the dash button, so if it feels unnatural, it renders the game almost impossible to play. Is it really that hard to map dash to (Y) and jump to (B)? C’mon Nintendo, did absolutely no one realize this in the month+ you have had to get the game ported? We shouldn’t have to wait another God-knows-how-long for Nintendo to release the updated version to get this; that is if they correct this major flaw at all. Nintendo: “I’ve got it; you know how we have had the same excellent control scheme for Super Mario Bros. for the last 25 years, where you hold dash with the tip of your thumb and press jump with the base of your thumb. Well this time lets map then to the same buttons even though the gameplay is the reciprocal of what people are used to, yeah that’ll work.

This is nothing new. GB games are the same way, as were GBA games when played on the DS, and Wii VC titles (on the Classic Controller). You really should have expected this.

[Ceric]

By some stroke of luck I've got all the games, usually I have to wait well into the afternoon for an update from Nintendo or the eShop. One caveat I have is with 2 player options. Right now it seems like one system will have to be passed between players, but I hope that there will be some local or online wireless update for the future.

That's already been officially confirmed. There will be updates and they will enable wireless multiplayer.

Good to know. My other thought is what will players, for example, who are Luigi do while Mario runs around. I'm curious about how this will work out.

I hope they ghost each other.

[TheFleece]

It'd be cool if you could watch player 2's progress from your screen.

That would be cool, but it would be cooler if you could control some enemies or if you got to play a minigame during that time. But I don't really expect any of that to be implemented.


Ceric: THAT would be really cool!

[Bman87301]

It'd be cool if you could watch player 2's progress from your screen.

It's pretty much a given that you will be able to do that once the updates come.

Remember, the NES only displayed one screen, so both players always saw the same thing. That being said, VC releases would have to work the same way since VC games don't get updated features...

Unless the updates turn out to be in the form of '3D Classics' releases (which many originally speculated, but the same press release that confirmed the wireless multiplayer updates seemed to indicate that they would remain VC versions).

[TJ Spyke]

I am happily surprised they are available now since Nintendo said September 1 (tomorrow).

[house3136]

 @Bman87301 I can understand that for the Gameboy and the GBA; because they only had two buttons; the 3DS has (X) and (Y) as well; and the level that they are triangulated is sharper as well, which makes it worse. But, I didn’t but the 3DS for Super Mario Bros. so maybe I’m exaggerating. But it is frustrating to see something so simple be overlooked. Now, if they screw up Super Mario 3D Land, then maybe I’ll have a legitimate reason to complain.

[MegaByte]

Nintendo seriously needs to hire better UX designers.
Two complaints:
As if the download process for these games wasn't backwards enough, it sends you back to the main shop screen after every download, making downloading 10 a real pain.
My battery was low, and it refused to download the games. But it doesn't tell you this until you have already clicked through several screens and hit the final download button.

[Ian Sane]

I am not surprised about the button mapping.  It's been a common thing to just assign the NES buttons to B & A.  It doesn't quite work because the NES buttons were perfectly horizontal with each other, instead of the diamond design we've had since the SNES.

There was a time where Nintendo was really on the ball about these things though.  They clearly recognized the potential issue on the Super Game Boy.  You can pick two control schemes, either using the same B & A design as the Game Boy or assigning B to Y and A to B, creating a vertical setup, like the run and jump in Super Mario World.  It was the absolute perfect way to go about it and I usually experiment with both configurations to see which works better for each game.  But this was before Nintendo was so totalitarian.  Remember how Super Metroid has completely customizable button configuration?  When do you see THAT in a Nintendo game?  If Nintendo just let people map the buttons as they wish then this is a complete non-issue.  I have no idea why they are so against that idea.

[MegaByte]

I see they implemented a TV blur filter with no way to turn it off. WHY

[Tanookisuit]

Well, it sounds like these games will be slowly upgraded over time, so maybe we'll have button-mapping options eventually.  I can't wait to spend a long flight next week plowing through these NES games!

[UncleBob]

I don't understand.  We have the technology to force downloads to the system - why not use it?

Send down the Ambassador Certificate with the list of ten NES games.  Let us check the ones we want.  Give us an option to "Download Now" or "Download While in Standby Mode".

Really...

[Ceric]

They didn't design the eShop for this type of service.
In the background what they are literally doing is updating the tables that tell what games you system has downloaded with these games.  Thus making them available only to the appropriate people.

The eShop itself probably doesn't have a way to limit more granular then Region.  We've also proven that they can only push little things to your 3DS be it Policy or Tech.  Why did they push a link to download the video channel instead of just putting it there?  Very silly.  I would have rather woken up with all these games ready to go but, that's not in the cards.

[pandaradox]

I think they did the redownload method to bypass club nintendo issues?

[Ceric]

I think they did the redownload method to bypass club nintendo issues?

I'm fairly sure its because its the fastest behind the scene way to do it.

[Ian Sane]

Nintendo inability to offer downloads in a way that isn't completely obtuse, archaic and borderline insane does not fill me with confidence in their ability to attract the core gamer with the Wii U.  This is 2011.  If you can't get this internet **** down pat by now, you're NEVER going to.

Nintendo's short-sighted decision to not go online with the Gamecube has put them in a permanent state of being behind the rest of the world in online gaming.  Their anti-HD stance on the Wii was another short-sighted decision.  So are they going to be perpetually behind with that as well?  They have to make some sort of leap to catch up at some point.  If they're just going to move at the same rate and be five years behind forever and ever, they're fighting a losing battle.  And what will they be behind on next?  Since the N64 cartridge debacle Nintendo is ALWAYS one step behind on SOMETHING crucial.  You want to be more than the casual fad console?  Then get your **** together and be cutting edge for a change!  And, no , stupid gimmicks are not cutting edge.  You have to get the basic stuff right first.

Nintendo's idea of cutting edge is putting a GPS in a horsedrawn carriage.

[ShyGuy]

I need to tell my cousin about this, he had no idea about the ambassador program until I told him.