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Official "Free" NES/GBA games for 3DS thread of Nintendo's guilt

D

Drkirby

Corporate Apologist
Dreamwriter said:
I don't get it - as someone already mentioned, these are portable games. They were already designed to be pick-up-and-play games, with plenty of save options, as well as built-in sleep modes, often designed to go to sleep when the GBA SP cover was closed (which means they would go to sleep in this case when the 3DS cover is closed). Heck, that's probably one of the reasons for the lack of a 3DS Sleep Mode with these games - a double Sleep Mode would probably confuse games and cause emulation issues.
Click to expand...
The GBA SP had no way to know if it was open or close. Sleep mode was deactivated with a button combination.
 
D

DDayton

(more a nerd than a geek)
steveovig said:
I've logged into the eshop a million times since buying the 3DS in June and I'm not really sure if I'm officially an Ambassador. I checked the news section and I don't see anything and I checked the Notifications and see nothing. I've bought several games since June too. I know one thing is for sure, if I'm not an Ambassador I'll be royally pissed.
Click to expand...

If there's any problem, simply contact NOA on September 1st. They have your purchases logged under your account...
 
R

Roto13

Member
DavidDayton said:
Did they remove the Ambassador Program news from the eShop?

I ask as I know it was there yesterday, but I'm not seeing it when I logged in this evening.
Click to expand...
This pretty much confirms my guess that it was never an actual confirmation of anything. Just a regular news post that assumed everyone who saw it was an ambassador because anyone who goes into the eShop is an ambassador.

The SpotPass message isn't confirmation, either. It's just a notification about the existence of the Ambassador program.

There's no way to tell if you're an Ambassador except for the fact that anyone who used the eShop before midnight is an Ambassador.
 
Allan Holdsworth

Allan Holdsworth

Member
Dreamwriter said:
I don't get it - as someone already mentioned, these are portable games. They were already designed to be pick-up-and-play games, with plenty of save options, as well as built-in sleep modes, often designed to go to sleep when the GBA SP cover was closed (which means they would go to sleep in this case when the 3DS cover is closed). Heck, that's probably one of the reasons for the lack of a 3DS Sleep Mode with these games - a double Sleep Mode would probably confuse games and cause emulation issues.
Click to expand...

Not all GBA games have a sleep mode.
 
V

Vazra

irresponsible vagina leak
How does the Ambassador program works?

If I ever was connected on the 3DS eshop Im fine or did I had to download something?
 
T

Tyeforce

Member
Pupi18 said:
How does the Ambassador program works?

If I ever was connected on the 3DS eshop Im fine or did I had to download something?
Click to expand...
You should be fine as long as you've entered the eShop at least once before. No downloading necessary.
 
V

Vazra

irresponsible vagina leak
Tyeforce said:
You should be fine as long as you've entered the eShop at least once before. No downloading necessary.
Click to expand...

Thanks I downloaded the E3 Videos and got my pokedex and Excite Bike day one so I should be fine then.

Thanks a bunch!
 
S

sca2511

Member
Bought 2 3DS' yesterday, GF got tired so she wanted to wait to update till today. Had a meeting in the afternoon and then played some Terraria with her for a while when I got home. Next thing you know its 9:50ish give or take and I was like "Oh shit, was it EST or PST" so I went to double check, it said EST. So I opened it up, connected to the net, and the update takes a bit of time. By that time it was already 10ish PST.

Excuses aside, I should of just done that crap when I got home with it.

I just wanted Metroid Fusion and Mario Advanced 3, so maybe that'll make me feel better...
 
W

wazoo

Member
Tyeforce said:
You should be fine as long as you've entered the eShop at least once before. No downloading necessary.
Click to expand...
are we sure about that ?
i am currently on holidays and no way to connect to the web with the 3 ds. of course i did it many times before but i was afraid the connection may have to be done after the ambassador announcement ?
 
D

Datrio

Member
sca2511 said:
Bought 2 3DS' yesterday, GF got tired so she wanted to wait to update till today. Had a meeting in the afternoon and then played some Terraria with her for a while when I got home. Next thing you know its 9:50ish give or take and I was like "Oh shit, was it EST or PST" so I went to double check, it said EST. So I opened it up, connected to the net, and the update takes a bit of time. By that time it was already 10ish PST.

Excuses aside, I should of just done that crap when I got home with it.

I just wanted Metroid Fusion and Mario Advanced 3, so maybe that'll make me feel better...
Click to expand...
That was the stupid predicament I mentioned in my post - almost exactly the same story as yours, so I hear you, bro.
 
M

Mailenstein

Member
Dreamwriter said:
I don't get it - as someone already mentioned, these are portable games. They were already designed to be pick-up-and-play games, with plenty of save options, as well as built-in sleep modes, often designed to go to sleep when the GBA SP cover was closed (which means they would go to sleep in this case when the 3DS cover is closed). Heck, that's probably one of the reasons for the lack of a 3DS Sleep Mode with these games - a double Sleep Mode would probably confuse games and cause emulation issues.
Click to expand...
No, they won't: "During gameplay, the Nintendo 3DS system will not enter Sleep Mode even if you close it."

And since you are not new to gaming, you also know that you can't save whenever you want in certain games. Pressing the start/pause button is not what I'm looking for. I just can't believe they are dishing out games missing basic system features like that. What's so bad about demanding a proper release? Just because it's free? C'mon.
 
N

Nuclear Muffin

Banned
The GBA games don't support these features because they're not being emulated. All they're doing is just running the GBA ROMS in the 3DS backwards compatible "DS Mode". As such, they don't support these features as a result of technical limitations associated with the original DS's "GBA Mode". So it'll be just like playing GBA games on a DS/DS Lite

The GBA emulator obviously isn't anywhere near ready yet (because they have no idea when they plan to release them proper - hence why they are not currently planned for release), so this is the only way they could get these games out there this quickly.

It's also why they don't allow you to access the 3DS menu or use Streetpass/Spotpass.

When the service actually gets launched proper, the games will almost certainly support all of the typical VC features (and hopefully multiplayer, if the NES VC games are anything to go by)
 
M

Mailenstein

Member
Well, that's basically what I'm saying. Don't release anything what isn' actually ready for the public. There is plenty of software in the eshop already which actually works the way it's meant to be.
 
N

Nuclear Muffin

Banned
Mailenstein said:
Well, that's basically what I'm saying. Don't release anything what isn' actually ready for the public. There is plenty of software in the eshop already which actually works the way it's meant to be.
Click to expand...

Not enough 1st party titles. In order to include 3rd party DSiWare games, Nintendo would have to seek permission from each 3rd party dev/pub in order to give their game away for free. That would be impossible to sort out in that short a timeframe.

The NES VC games were planned for release at the end of the year anyway so they were a good candidate.

Besides, you get a free upgrade to the final version anyway so it's really the best that they could get done at this short a notice.
 
N

Nuclear Muffin

Banned
Gravijah said:
No restore points? No sleep mode? Sigh.

I wonder how long the battery will last playing GBA games.
Click to expand...

Probably about 8-10 hours going by how long DS games last (plus one of the screens should be deactivated, but I'm not certain about that)
 
M

Mailenstein

Member
Nuclear Muffin said:
Not enough 1st party titles. In order to include 3rd party DSiWare games, Nintendo would have to seek permission from each 3rd party dev/pub in order to give their game away for free. That would be impossible to sort out in that short a timeframe.

The NES VC games were planned for release at the end of the year anyway so they were a good candidate.

Besides, you get a free upgrade to the final version anyway so it's really the best that they could get done at this short a notice.
Click to expand...
Well, I guess you are right there. DSiWare wise Nintendo has not that much software out. But still, I'm just used a different level from Nintendo, so seeing Nintendo releasing software which isn't actually ready yet, is very uncommon and somehow confusing. I just wish they could've done it right from the beginning. But then again, it's free, so yeah...
 
F

friskykillface

Banned
Mario Pinball Land , you'll all see, it's gonna be announced, but I'm starting to agree with most of you guys, it sucks.

But good for a free title :p

I can see some pissed off people today, I was looking on twitter and some other forums, some don't know the free 20 games ended at 12 am today.
 
C

Chip N Chance

Member
An option to play the GBA/NES/Gameboy games on the bottom screen would be nice. I feel since its a lower resolution screen than the top, the scaling wouldn't be so off. Also the aspect ratio would be right, in terms of filling the screen.
 
sakipon

sakipon

Member
friskykillface said:
I can see some pissed off people today, I was looking on twitter and some other forums, some don't know the free 20 games ended at 12 am today.
Click to expand...
It's amazing how there never is a limited period campaign of any kind that wouldn't have people waiting for the very last moment and then getting mad when they missed it.

I bet it's got something to do with the current way of living. Don't bother with anything that can be left for tomorrow.
 
G

Gravijah

Member
balladofwindfishes said:
I'm going to go on a whim and assume Golden Sun and Pokemon are probably not going to be part of the package, right?

And probably not Advance Wars either?
Click to expand...

I would not expect Pokemon RSE or FRLG.
 
F

friskykillface

Banned
balladofwindfishes said:
I'm going to go on a whim and assume Golden Sun and Pokemon are probably not going to be part of the package, right?

And probably not Advance Wars either?
Click to expand...
Pokemon pinball gba is most likely to be available.

I'd say that Advance wars 1 or Golden Sun 1 have a slight chance to make it.
 
N

Nuclear Muffin

Banned
Chip N Chance said:
An option to play the GBA/NES/Gameboy games on the bottom screen would be nice. I feel since its a lower resolution screen than the top, the scaling wouldn't be so off. Also the aspect ratio would be right, in terms of filling the screen.
Click to expand...

The vertical resolution is the same on both screens, so it would look identical on either screen.

Also, if I'm right, the GBA games won't fill the screen anyway, even when not playing in 1-1 mode (they'll have the same borders as they do when played on a DS/DSLite)

When the actual proper VC versions come out, they'll almost certainly stick it on the top screen and the games should be able to fill the screen (I believe the GBA and the 3DS upper screen have the same aspect ratio)

Edit: No, they're slightly different. So the final GBA VC versions will probably still have a border (but a smaller one than these beta releases)
 
C

Chip N Chance

Member
Nuclear Muffin said:
The vertical resolution is the same on both screens, so it would look identical on either screen.

Also, if I'm right, the GBA games won't fill the screen anyway, even when not playing in 1-1 mode (they'll have the same borders as they do when played on a DS/DSLite)
Click to expand...

Im pretty sure that the touch screen is a lower resolution than the top (vertically), but maybe not enough to make a difference. I just think moving those old games to the bottom screen, and shutting off the top screen all together would help the battery and maybe fix some of the scaling issues that people have.

Edit In Response To Your Edit:
Yeah, in fact the touch screen (which is the same screen used the old DS Lite and Fat) is almost exactly the same as the GBA's screen. Presumably better battery, and native resolution picture. Just a thought really.
 
S

Shiggy

Member
friskykillface said:
Mario Pinball Land , you'll all see, it's gonna be announced, but I'm starting to agree with most of you guys, it sucks.
Click to expand...

They couldn't eveng et Pinball Pulse online for eShop, I doubt they'll hand out Super Mario Ball for free when it's from the same developer.
 
D

dallow_bg

nods at old men
Shiggy said:
They couldn't eveng et Pinball Pulse online for eShop, I doubt they'll hand out Super Mario Ball for free when it's from the same developer.
Click to expand...
I would think that since Nintendo owns that particular title they would be able to.
 
B

beje

Banned
Chip N Chance said:
Im pretty sure that the touch screen is a lower resolution than the top (vertically), but maybe not enough to make a difference. I just think moving those old games to the bottom screen, and shutting off the top screen all together would help the battery and maybe fix some of the scaling issues that people have.

Edit In Response To Your Edit:
Yeah, in fact the touch screen (which is the same screen used the old DS Lite and Fat) is almost exactly the same as the GBA's screen. Presumably better battery, and native resolution picture. Just a thought really.
Click to expand...

3DS screens have both the same vertical resolution: 400x240 for top (that "turns" into 800x240 for 3D mode) and 320x240 on bottom. The problem is that GBA is 240x160 (half the total pixel count) so they'd better scale that shit up or it would look ridiculously small on 1:1. Even DS mode on 1:1, which is 256x192 looks really small so go figure.
 
S

Shiggy

Member
dallow_bg said:
I would think that since Nintendo owns that particular title they would be able to.
Click to expand...

There's no difference between Pinball Pulse and Super Mario Ball, both are owned/trademarked by Nintendo and both were developed by Fuse Games.
 
R

Roto13

Member
Sammy Samusu said:
"You are an ambassador!" isn't a confirmation? But anyway, it's gone now.
Click to expand...
No, it's not, and if you had read past the first sentence of my post, you'd know why.

balladofwindfishes said:
I'm going to go on a whim and assume Golden Sun and Pokemon are probably not going to be part of the package, right?

And probably not Advance Wars either?
Click to expand...
Pokemon is very unlikely (outside of Pinball) and I think Golden Sun is too (because it would be like releasing Sonic 3 without ever being able to lock it on to Sonic & Knuckles) but I don't know why Advance Wars would be particularly unlikely.
 
W

wazoo

Member
NOE just sent a mail for late registration. there will be a website where
1/ using the serial of your console you can check your status
1/ using proof of purchase you can register if late
3/using friend code you can register if the friend code was done before today
 
D

Dreamwriter

Member
Mailenstein said:
No, they won't: "During gameplay, the Nintendo 3DS system will not enter Sleep Mode even if you close it."

And since you are not new to gaming, you also know that you can't save whenever you want in certain games. Pressing the start/pause button is not what I'm looking for. I just can't believe they are dishing out games missing basic system features like that. What's so bad about demanding a proper release? Just because it's free? C'mon.
Click to expand...
Because pressing Start is so hard! Or L+R+Select, which is how you activate Sleep Mode in most games. And my point was, if Nintendo *did* allow 3DS sleep mode, that could cause weird things if the game was put into GBA sleep mode at the same time. GBA sleep mode already turns the screen, speakers, and CPU off.

And you can't believe that when Nintendo gives us 10 free games that they have no plans on selling to the public, they wouldn't spend a lot of money on making them? This whole thing is a loss for Nintendo, why spend a few hundred thousand dollars adding features that these games never had, when they won't be making Nintendo money, nor will many people be playing them?
 
B

bluedeviltron

Member
I'm about to break down and buy a 3DS at Frys here in about an hour, but I'm wondering one thing.

I had originally bought one close to launch and returned it a couple of weeks later. I did sign in to the eShop, but I don't remember if I had to create an account or if the 'account' is tied to the system itself. Would I qualify for the games with the new system, or am I out of luck on that?
 
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