A closer look at 10 of the 20 free games current 3DS owners will receive

News
By published

You paid a premium and Nintendo is saying thanks with big downloads

With just one press release Nintendo unleashed a torrent of news: 3DS didn’t sell as well as hoped, the price is being cut to $169.99 as of August 12, games got official titles, and most important to this article, Nintendo is offering early adopters (aka the people who paid full price) 20 free downloadable games. Only half have been announced so far, and though there are a few clunkers, the current list looks pretty worthwhile. So don’t get gloomy Nintendo fans, just look at a sampling of what you get for buying a 3DS early.

NES Games

Super Mario Bros

You may have heard of this one. To many it’s a contender for greatest game of all time, and even the most anti-Nintendo troll has to admit that despite its age, the original Super Mario Bros still has most of the charm, fun, and engrossing gameplay that drew us in all those decades ago. We’re honestly shocked Nintendo would give away such a desirable game.

Balloon Fight

A Joust clone from way back in Nintendo’s catalogue, Balloon Fight is a fairly simple arcade game that isn’t the company’s worst, but is certainly forgettable. Some were probably introduced to this game by 2002’s Animal Crossing, which means it might scratch an entirely different nostalgia itch for some of you, which has got to be worth something.

Donkey Kong Jr.

Know what’s almost as good as Donkey Kong? Donkey Kong Jr. Its first sequel made the daring move of recasting Mario as the whip-wielding villain keeping Donkey Kong in a cage, with DK’s son as the hero out to save his poppa. The NES port isn’t flawless, but it’s still a memorable part of Mario’s legacy.

Ice Climber

This one is a must have for Smash Bros fans, as the cooperative parka-wearers are fan favorites since their inclusion in Super Smash Bros Melee. This one is a bit simplistic even by NES standards, but at the very least it works as a fun history lesson.

The Legend of Zelda

Here’s another all-time classic that Nintendo is just giving away free of charge to the early buyers. Though it may not hold up as well as later Zelda entries, the top-down classic is entirely replayable today, and is easily the densest and most engaging of the five NES games know are on offer.


We know what you’re thinking: “Yawn, I downloaded all these years ago on Wii.” That’s why we saved the more-exciting GBA games for the second page. Read on…

Henry Gilbert
Henry Gilbert

Henry Gilbert is a former GamesRadar+ Editor, having spent seven years at the site helping to navigate our readers through the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation. Henry is now following another passion of his besides video games, working as the producer and podcast cohost of the popular Talking Simpsons and What a Cartoon podcasts.