Nintendo Switch Online NES games show the potential future of Nintendo with retro games



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Nintendo has often been referred to as "offline" from its online strategy, but I tend to use the less reductive term "idiosyncratic" or even "inconsistent". It's not new for the company to practice with "Nintendo-type solutions" rather than industry standards, but at present, their online infrastructure with the Nintendo Switch is simply frustrating.

When Nintendo Switch Online was finally launched a few weeks ago, it looked more like a blip than a big firework, which promoted a new age of online connection for the platform. . With strange restrictions on cloud backups and an online multiplayer paywall that was free, this new service was more like an obstruction than an open door.

Nintendo, however, has chosen a feature that allows it to play classic NES games on Switch through a new application provided by the paid service, the Nintendo Entertainment System-Nintendo Switch online software, which has a clumsy name but continues to to expand. This may seem little at first, but this app could lay the foundation for what could be a great retro gaming software for Nintendo in the future.

Nintendo

The most shocking and perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of Nintendo Switch Online's NES game collection is how responsive it is. When opening the application, each game offered by the service is displayed on the screen, with virtually no load time. After selecting one of the many NES games, you go directly to the start screen without waiting. More importantly, the usual option of having backup states and accessing them later is faster than ever. It sounds a little cliché, but the service is magical.

This certainly helps that the UI works, at least with the current selection of games. The canned art portraits of all the included software are arranged and the menu resembles the rather minimalist style of the rest of the aesthetics of the Nintendo Switch. Even if it's a bit awkward that the boxes are not all the same size and not completely aligned with each other, it works on a conceptual basis.

I can see problems occurring if Nintendo continues to add new titles. The configuration of the user interface box could be cluttered with tiny individual art works, and I guess the games would eventually be divided into categories, which might make it a little bit complicated. experience now simple navigation in the range of software. Not to mention that in portable mode, touch screen controls are not supported even for some games. Nevertheless, in the infantile phases of this retro gaming software, almost everything seems to be correct, and I expect Nintendo to go further.

Nintendo

While the current NES Switch games offerings are either obvious or minor, the current lineup shows just how much of Nintendo's eclectic selection of retro games for subscribers can be. Mainstays like Super Mario Bros., THE legend of Zelda, and Excitebike are inescapable – then we enter a darker territory with several classic NES sports games like Soccer, Hockey, and Tennis.

Believe it or not, as a relatively young person, this software was my first gaming experience. Double Dragon, that I played two players with a friend. At the time of the Wii Virtual Console, I was hesitant to buy what are called "classic games" that I had never played, but rather to those I already knew and who had nostalgia. Think of all the young fans of Nintendo who have never played this, Gradius, Tecmo Bowl, or that really bad Yoshi puzzle.

I really want to see this service evolve, not only with new titles, but also with new features. The fact that you can play NES games on the fly is a novelty, but Nintendo is under-reselling the online gaming feature with these titles. This opens up possibilities for modern features like online multiplayer mode to others, although still "retro" games.

Nintendo

Nostalgia is king in this era of video games, and major game companies are releasing their own retro boxes every two weeks, it seems. But rather than continuing on the line of "Classic" physical consoles, with perhaps a Nintendo 64 Classic in the future, Nintendo should continue to follow this digital path with the NES game collection on Nintendo Switch Online. There is simply not enough room on an entertainment system or HDMI ports on a TV to continue to support these new / old boxes.

Although I hope that they will change their name, the next obvious step is a kind of "Super Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Switch Online": the possibility of A link to the past and Super Metroid on a HD portable screen with you on the commute to work seems like a dream, but this test field with NES games seems to show that it's possible. Seeking help from Nintendo 64 and GameCube in the future may be wishful thinking right now, but it's an opportunity for Nintendo to give its fans what they have been asking for for years.

The virtual console is dead and does not come back, but that could be a good thing. With this Nintendo Switch Online subscription service, Nintendo can truly have its own Netflix for games. I can only hope that the switch will have a long life to continue expanding this service, because if this is the real future of how old games will be played on new platforms, I am quite as a result.

I would like Nintendo to promote it.

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