NES

Well, we didn't see this coming: according to Japanese website Kyoko Shimbun, so strong is Square Enix's faith in Nintendo that the upcoming Dragon Quest X is not just headed to Wii U and Wii, with some unspecified form of 3DS connectivity. It is also in development for the NES. Andriasang has two screenshots which show a battle party of four characters, with an onscreen prompt telling players to connect to the internet. Intriguing.

The Ambassador Programme, Nintendo's make-good plan for early adopters following the global 3DS price drop, isn't supposed to launch until tomorrow, but Destructoid reports that the ten free NES games on offer are available now. They're not on the eShop itself just yet, but eligible users should head to the Your Downloads section of the eShop's Settings screen where all ten games are waiting to be downloaded.

The Ambassador Programme - Nintendo's way of compensating early adopters for the 3DS price drop - begins on September 1. We're yet to receive a final list of the games on offer to European gamers, and have sought confirmation, but in the meantime Nintendo has announced the ten NES games that will be available to Japanese users: Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong Jr, Balloon Fight, Ice Climber, The Legend Of Zelda, Wrecking Crew, Mario Open Golf, Mario & Yoshi, Metroid, and The Legend Of Zelda II.

A friendly reminder to 3DS owners interested in the 20 free games included in the Ambassador programme, Nintendo's compensation to early adopters for the global price drop: you need to connect your 3DS to the eShop before 11.59pm CET tonight - 10.59pm UK time - to be eligible. There are ten NES games on offer, though the only ones confirmed so far are Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong Jr, Balloon Fight, Ice Climber and The Legend Of Zelda. We know seven of the ten GBA games: Yoshi's Island, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, WarioWare, Mario Vs Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros 3 and Kirby & The Amazing Mirror.

Hideo Kojima reveals his disdain for the NES port of his 1987 MSX original: "I had absolutely no participation in the development of the NES version. The NES version was a pitiful title developed cheaply and simply by a small team in Tokyo... Even though it was an abomination, it was during the bubble economy and it sold millions overseas. That title has only soiled my reputation."