When I first saw Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, I didn’t think much of it. I thought it looked cheap, like a cash-in on nostalgia. I thought it seemed cynical. In hindsight, maybe I I’m being cynical in thinking this: as I detailed in my previous preview of the Retro Pack , it’s a lot more complicated than it first meets the eye.
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I had some initial criticisms, like being annoyed that the full versions of the NES games weren’t included in the bundle, but those quickly evaporated. It’s clear that some things aren’t included in the bundle because they’d be distracting: this is a game about tiny challenges, where every millisecond counts – not playing The Legend of Zelda 1 from start to finish. That said, Nintendo clearly isn’t exactly generous – the games are available on Nintendo Switch Online, which they’d rather you pay for a subscription. But I would say that the bundle doesn’t feel incomplete.
Where NWC: NES Edition falls short, I think, is in the online elements. You can see how the time trial nature and multiplayer modes could really take off online and become a viral sensation, at least among those of us who are middle-aged and eager to show off our skills in a game from 40 years ago. Strangely, the game’s online experience is relatively poor. It received a lot of flak from critics for this, and it deserved it. Even the leaderboards, oddly, aren’t as good as games like Super Mario Maker.
The single-player mode offers the ability to play against other players more “directly,” where you compete only against ghost data of records created by other real players, which is then beamed to you over the internet. That’s nice – but it’s just a tantalizing, annoying microcosm of this game. Could have There are more appropriate online hooks…but it doesn’t.
I shouldn’t have to see friendly competition expressed primarily through screenshots posted to social media and forums in a game like this. Hell, that’s how I played against my friends in high score challenges in Star Fox 64 – and that was 27 years ago. So this kind of thing is unacceptable. But…hear me out…paradoxically, I’ve come to terms with it. I’m fine with it.
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is all about retro. It channels the memories and energy of live tournaments from the 90s. Some might say it’s a bit also Retro. But like going camping, or staying in some run-down house with no modern amenities…it still has charm.
As a local multiplayer game, this game is all about that. I’ve had a chance to play it a few times now with friends – and it’s a great game. It’s thrilling. I can’t really think of any other game besides Smash Bros. that’s worth hooking up eight full controllers to your Nintendo Switch. But damn, this game is one of them.
You would sit around the screen, each of you staring at your own little screen, eyes darting back and forth to your opponent’s screen to see if you were ahead, behind, or tied. We began to make up our own rules, gradually eliminating our opponents. There would be shouting. Maybe a little shoving. And of course, there would be nervous screaming, hands pulling at hair (or, given the age of the target audience, pulling at bald heads), and frustration.
The game is great. It actually reminds me the most of Mario Party, but it kind of takes away the part of Mario Party that was a little hit and miss for me, which was the board game. This game is all action, and every mini-game, every challenge, every move has an immediate impact. We realized the potential pretty quickly. Even earlier, the drinking rules were laid out. And all of that… couldn’t exist the same way online.
That’s why Nintendo World Championship: NES Edition is one of my favorite new multiplayer games in years, right up there with the likes of Gang Beasts, Ultimate Chicken Horse, and Street Fighter VI.
Still, Nintendo deserves some criticism for the lack of features. But if you can spend £25 and be in the same room with your friends… it’s going to be one of the best experiences you’ll have all year. There’s no denying that. Hopefully if the SNES version comes out, the other features will make it – that might make it infinitely better.
