GBA Ambassador Games, 3D Classics Kid Icarus

Nintendo is the company that just keeps on giving this year, particularly for owners of the 3DS. The Big N has already given away a number of free games, from Excitebike 3D to The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition. Players who picked up a 3DS before the price drop (arguably) got the best deal of all: twenty free games, split between classic NES and GBA titles.

Of course, only half of the free Ambassador games have been released so far, but new word out of Nintendo is that the remaining titles are coming soon. Even better, players who register two 3DS games with Nintendo over the holidays can look forward to yet another free game, 3D Classics: Kid Icarus!

Obviously designed to help drive anticipation for the upcoming -- and still undated -- Kid Icarus: Uprising, 3D Classics: Kid Icarus updates the 1986 NES original with a shiny coat of 3D, very much in line with the recent 3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure. Granted, the 3D treatment doesn't add any new gameplay to these old warhorses, but then, they weren't exactly short on that to begin with. Plus, the 3D, at least in Kirby's Adventure, is attractive and easy on the eyes. Not to mention, the chance for a new generation to experience the original Kid Icarus, one of the NES's most legendarily difficult games, has got to be a good thing.

Take a look at the 3D Classics: Kid Icarus trailer below.

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Then there is the price; free is hard to beat. To be eligible for a free copy of 3D Classics: Kid Icarus, players will need to register two 3DS games with Nintendo between November 1, 2011 and January 31, 2012. The game itself will be available for download on January 5th. Not every 3DS game is eligible, though must-haves Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 both count. Take a look at the full list of titles below.

Registering two of the above games also enters players in a drawing for custom, Mario-themed 3DS systems. A total of 3,000 systems are up for grabs, split evenly between Mario, Peach, and Toad designs. Take a look at the systems below, from Nintendo's Japanese website.

Limited Edition Mario-Themed 3DS Systems

Now for the fine print. Although this promotion has been running for a while in Japan, and has been officially announced for Europe, it has yet to be confirmed for North America. Expect that to change soon.

What about the rest of the Ambassador games? While all ten NES titles have long since been made available, and most of the GBA titles have been revealed, the clock is ticking if Nintendo intends to release the games, as it promised, by the end of the year. With time running out, the Official Nintendo Magazine UK took the question straight to Nintendo, who cleared up any confusion.

"The forthcoming 10 GBA Virtual Console titles available for registrants of the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Programme, will be available before the end of December 2011. We will make further announcements in due course."

While we wait to find out what the final Ambassador games are, Game Rant has some ideas about what GBA titles Nintendo should make available on 3DS -- how about you? What do you think about 3D Classics: Kid Icarus, and what other games should get the 3D Classics treatment? (Hint: Donkey Kong.) Sound off in the comments below.

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Source: Eurogamer, Official Nintendo Magazine UK, Siliconera