The Ambassador NES games, as mentioned in the earlier post’s comments below, debuted ahead of schedule this morning! If you bought a 3DS before August 12, you’re now the proud owner of ten free NES games. What do you think? Awesome gameplay? Sprites a bit hard to see at that size? Which one’s your favorite? I’m leaving my sense of irony at the door (yes, it is funny that one of 3DS’s very best games is now Super Mario Brothers) and just loving the fact that I now have 10 classic NES games on one device. It’s happy time.

Published August 4, 2011, authored by Jeff Ryan, that book is Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America. It contains a concise history of Nintendo’s efforts to find success in the American market. It’s a short read, and quite shallow, but it shouldn’t be missed by the hardcore Nintendo fan.

Order the book on Amazon (or step into that strange building called the library). Read the book already? Tell us what you think in the comments!

Nintendo of Japan has revealed all ten of the NES Ambassador games coming free this Thursday to 3DS early adopters:

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

This list hasn’t yet been confirmed for other regions, but I’d be surprised if any there were any country-specific switch-outs.

What do you think? Glad they didn’t throw in Urban Champion or Donkey Kong Jr. Math?

I can’t wait to see the full list of GBA freebies!

Nintendo today announced a limited edition Zelda: Skyward Sword bundle for $70, containing the game and a gold wiimote. “While supplies last,” you get a special music CD featuring select songs from the Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary concert.

Will you buy this, or will you go with the default $50 package?

Some people, like John Ivers of Indiana, have the guts and ingenuity to build a working rollercoaster in their back yard. For most folks, however, coaster construction is limited to virtual worlds, and Nintendo fans can soon join the fun if Atari and developer n-Space deliver on their recent announcement: Rollercoaster Tycoon is coming to 3DS.

Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 is one of my top 3 favorite games; its lifelike physics and charming sprite graphics took me on a mini-vacation every time I booted it up. And, unlike some players (who posted YouTube videos of their wildest crashes and intentionally drowned their customers), I took my role as park manager very seriously and considered the level “failed” if I had a single fatality on my watch. I even named all my guards, mechanics, entertainers and janitors. Yeah, I’m a geek. (more…)