"Fans were frustrated by what they saw as yet another oh-so-Nintendo move. As Kotaku commenter Nicholas Payne wrote: “...
The Legend of Zelda
Experience the original smash-hit adventure on the NES! Ganon, the King of Evil, has broken free of the Dark World and has captured Hyrule's beloved Princess Zelda. But, before she was caught, Zelda managed to shatter the Triforce of Wisdom and scatter its eight pieces throughout Hyrule. You begin your adventure by finding a small wooden sword in a dark cave. Then, as you grow in stature, experience, and strength, so do your weapons. Help Link collect the captured pieces of the Triforce, rescue the princess, and thwart Ganon’s evil plans!
When details of the Switch were vague I noted that if Nintendo offered a Netflix like service where you could pay them a fee and play as many of their old titles as you wanted, that would be pretty awesome. As the Switch was closer to launch Nintendo talked about it's new online service for the system and they said that it would eventually be a paid system where one benefit was a free retro title that was timeboxed to only be playable for a month. Most fans didn't love this idea and Nintendo seems to changing course, according to a new Kotaku article.
"Fans were frustrated by what they saw as yet another oh-so-Nintendo move. As Kotaku commenter Nicholas Payne wrote: “...
"Fans were frustrated by what they saw as yet another oh-so-Nintendo move. As Kotaku commenter Nicholas Payne wrote: “...
I recently saw Kotaku run an article where someone ranked the Zelda's from the very best to the very worst. I haven't played all the Zelda games, but i've played a few and some of the authors placements seemed a bit off to me. For instance, I believe that the original Legend of Zelda does hold up well and whereas it may be hard to understand for some modern gamers that's part of it's mystery. The original Legend of Zelda required you to adventure and explore and it didn't hold your hand. Modern gamers might be turned off by this but 10 year old me somehow found a way to beat the game without the Internet and minus waypoints. The original Legend of Zelda doesn't top my...
The NES Classic launched to such a crazy high amount of demand that it's still hard to get. Nintendo has recently said that it's continuing to build units but there are some parts it's having a hard time getting so it might take a bit longer until we are all able to get one. I've also seen some new hacks making it pretty easy to load fan created ROMS on to the system making it much more extensible than we originally thought. That said, we still have to wait and if I had to guess when I'll finally get one it would be this summer. If you are waiting and want to occupy your time, and bookshelf with something fantastic you should look into the book "Playing with Power:...
I know some of you said you weren't getting the new NES classic, but all your fears have been put to rest because here is an official video showing it off! If i've learned one thing it's that people can't resist advertising so let me know if this turned you around to picking one of these up on November 11th.
Commercial's work. Right?
"From your first Goomba stomp to your thousandth victory in FINAL FANTASY, the Nintendo Entertainment System may just be the most nostalgic gaming console ever. And now, a new, miniaturized version is here, pre-loaded with 30 of the all-time greatest games, including The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros. 3, and MEGA MAN 2. Just plug it in…...
Commercial's work. Right?
"From your first Goomba stomp to your thousandth victory in FINAL FANTASY, the Nintendo Entertainment System may just be the most nostalgic gaming console ever. And now, a new, miniaturized version is here, pre-loaded with 30 of the all-time greatest games, including The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros. 3, and MEGA MAN 2. Just plug it in…...
Nintendo is launching a NES reboot that will embed 30 classic games into one small new system. It will ship with one controller but supports up to two of them using a few options.
"You can even enjoy playing several of these games with two players by attaching a second NES Classic Controller, which will be sold separately at a suggested retail price of $9.99. A Classic Controller or Classic Controller Pro can also be used (each sold separately)."
The NES Classic also connects to your TV over HDMI which is great considering most of these old system-in-one remakes usually ship with the old analog video ports making them not work on newer TV's and also look bad.
“We wanted...
"You can even enjoy playing several of these games with two players by attaching a second NES Classic Controller, which will be sold separately at a suggested retail price of $9.99. A Classic Controller or Classic Controller Pro can also be used (each sold separately)."
The NES Classic also connects to your TV over HDMI which is great considering most of these old system-in-one remakes usually ship with the old analog video ports making them not work on newer TV's and also look bad.
“We wanted...
I'm not crazy about the news, but now we know that the NX and Zelda will launch in March 2017. Nintendo still won't say much about the NX, but Zelda will be the focus at E3.
Zelda is an iconic game that lives on long after it originally came to us in 1986. Since this year marks the 30th anniversary of Zelda an amazing fan tribute has hit the web you can play right now. Someone recreated the original Legend of Zelda in 3D and it's playable right now from your web browser. It's a fun concept i'd argue suffers from some game play issues but is still a very fun and novel take on the original game.
http://zelda30tribute.com/
UPDATE: It appears Nintendo has told the authors to take down the game.
"Nintendo asked us to remove this site for copyright infringement. I guess Zelda30Tribute was a little too pixel perfect :-) We're sad about that, but we...
http://zelda30tribute.com/
UPDATE: It appears Nintendo has told the authors to take down the game.
"Nintendo asked us to remove this site for copyright infringement. I guess Zelda30Tribute was a little too pixel perfect :-) We're sad about that, but we...
You heard it here first folks, Gannon isn't too bright. Apparently there is a reason Link always wins.
Many of us grew up playing the original Legend of Zelda on the NES. That said, the NES wasn't the original launch system for the Legend of Zelda and James and Mike from Cinnemassacre talk about the original Famicom version. It differs from the US version and they discuss them as the play the game.
Pols Voice: A ghost with big ears and a weak point – he hates loud noises.
Pols Voice: A ghost with big ears and a weak point – he hates loud noises.
The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddess is now on tour and they recently stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to rock out a pretty cool piece from the show. The arrangement here is pretty solid as well as the players themselves. A few years back my friend had the idea to take me to Video Games Live, which is a similar thing save one important point, it wasn't good. Nintendo entering the mix seems to have upped the quality considerably and I give them huge props for doing it well.
This makes the Switch even more compelling. I'm impressed.
Yep, I agree. I'm not sure when i'm picking one up yet(maybe next year). Are you going to get on Travis and if so do you know when?
I know we both had aspirations to get a Wii U but... well I didn't get one but i'd still like one. Kinda surprised Nintendo never marked them down all that much.
I'm planning to get one in the same way I was planning to get a Wii U (and still might). I'm just in no rush for it. This does make me want one more, though.
This sounds cool, actually, because it's Nintendo! There are tons of Nintendo games I'd love to play again, if not for the first time. If I had a Switch, or if that service was available for the Wii U, I'd definitely look into it. As of yet, I have BotW on the Wii U, which has greatly reduced my desire to get a Switch. I might get one eventually.
> I'm planning to get one in the same way I was planning to get a Wii U (and still might). I'm just in no rush for it. This does make me want one more, though.
Yeah same here. I think the likeliness of me getting one is higher than the Wii U. That said I might get a Wii U used if the price and timing are right. That said, i'd prob never get around to playing much of it.
Oh and don't forget there is now the Switch XL! :) I still need to get another 3DSXL, since the two in the house are lost. Actually, I might prefer a "New 2DS XL," since it does fold and I really don't care about the 3D.
Also, in related news for consoles, a new slim PS4 is coming out and seems comparatively priced. I still haven't gotten one yet, but I already have at least one reason to (FFXV, which I'd like to see on Steam).
Greg I'm not sure if you're being serious about the Switch XL, text doesn't convey tone very well, but the only mention I can see about it is an April Fools thing. The smilemoticon might mean you're joking but you're a smiley kinda guy :D
Oh, I just remember seeing something about it. I didn't know it was an April Fools thing.
Awesome news!
Yeah there is just one Switch for now but Nintendo will release a ton of different versions for sure. XL is right around the corner
I'll be the skeptic and say that this doesn't sound all that interesting. $20 annual fee for online services is super cheap, but it appears that, really, you get what you pay for. I really don't like the idea of a service tied to an app on your smart phone. Something like that should be included in the console, not a third party peripheral. The actual gaming being done online is happening over wi-fi. Why can't you build voice chat into that infrastructure. Everyone that offers online gaming has a voice chat offering built into the service. The whole thing sounds like a solution to a non-problem.
Secondly, the idea of an entire library of classic games from Nintendo sounds awesome, but so far it's only 3 games. 3 NES games, at that. SNES games are being considered, but aren't in the pipeline. Online play for NES games is almost completely uninteresting to me, with the exception of maybe Blades of Steel or Double Dribble. Probably Jackal. There are great multiplayer sessions to be had, sure, but those games may never become available. Certainly not a selling point of an online service.
One thing they should do, if they don't want to carry the burden of servicing an online chat infrastructure, is allow the download of apps like Discord to the Switch system, maybe even modified to streamline with the Switch's UI. Discord also already has a phone app, so that's already taken care of.
So, in sum, $20 annually really only gets you bare-bones online gaming, and a few really, really old games that you've probably already purchased 3 or 4 times already, which could grow into more games that you may or may not like (which you've also probably already purchased before). I realize $20 is cheap, but you're not getting near the experience of the other $60 services, so it's a bad comparison. It's like buying a phone charger from a plastic tub at 7-11. It's cheap for a reason.
@Scrypt, they're apparently doing voice chat via an app on a phone/mobile device. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2017-nintendo-talks-about-switchs-clunky-voice-/1100-6451004/
I think Nintendo has a ton of nostalgic value and I think this $20/year fee sounds like a good value. That is, of course at least hoping that the service would see many games from various console generations. It is also a bit of a gambit, because you may not want to play what they're offering one month or even more. It would also be nice to keep something for what you're paying, instead of being limited to a month to play a game, and then perhaps waiting for it to become available again.
GregoPeck, the voice chat tied to a phone is what I was talking about in my first paragraph. Nintendo is separating voice chat from the rest of the multiplayer infrastructure. The games will connect for multiplayer play over a wi-fi connection, but the phone app will likely be made to utilize a cellular service. Otherwise, why not include it into the base system? What problem is being solved by allocating chat to a mobile device? It can't be for gaming on the go, because the games will still need a wi-fi network to play multiplayer online, right? It just doesn't make sense to put chat features on a phone app, while not offering it at all via the main console. What if your phone is dead? What if you don't have a phone/applicable device?
I agree that it doesn't make much sense, that it's not built into the system like others. Either we talked about it here or I read about it somewhere else, hasn't Nintendo been purposely limiting chat features in order to provide a "family" friendly environment, free from trolls and such?
Scrypt-- we have to assume they're planning a fairly robust retro library. We don't know for sure yet, but it would be panned hard if they don't.
I totally agree about voice chat though. It very well may be a family friendly move, since that's what they've cited for previous crippled services. This detaches things from the system entirely so they don't have to worry about parents not understanding the parental controls.
It's not a good reason, but it's a possible one.
I think of it like this: if there was a device that did nothing but play games from retro Nintendo systems and they charged a $20 subscription service to access it and play all those games for as long as you keep up your subscription, I'd think it was a good deal. It really depends on the library, though.
I do agree with you that it isn't a good comparison to the PSN and XBL services because they far outshine this model in online play and communication.
Nintendo has quite a ways to go to improve their online services. That said, not sure what more they'd need to do providing online play. Voice chat is good, but I don't care BUT I am far from a hardcore gamer. I'm not sure hardcore gamers are the audience for the Switch though. Maybe.
I like that the online is cheap but i'd rather it be free. You're right Scrypt, I do have a lot of classic games already but having more on your Switch isn't bad and I can see some people playing them again there or for the first time.
I think of it like this: if there was a device that did nothing but play games from retro Nintendo systems and they charged a $20 subscription service to access it and play all those games for as long as you keep up your subscription, I'd think it was a good deal. It really depends on the library, though.
I don't disagree with that at all. That would be a fantastic deal, actually. I'd say that's far from what Nintendo is offering here, however, and to assume it will grow into that is putting the cart way before the horse. I don't mind the idea of supporting Nintendo for the sake of Nintendo, but talking about a retro subscription service, as Nintendo (as big as they are), and only talking about 3 games at launch? That's embarrassingly unimpressive, even if they do offer a new online multiplayer feature. And we do know for sure (at least according to the quote in the Kotaku article) that SNES games are under consideration, but not planned.
What I think happened: Nintendo saw how huge the demand was for the classic mini console, killed it before saturating the market, and are now deciding to offer classic games in a subscription package.
The more important aspect of a Nintendo Online Service will be how smoothly you can connect to other players and play games. I'm talking infrastructure stability, not just ease of use. Nintendo, in the past, has missed the mark in this respect (most of the time missing the entire target). This new service doesn't seem to be much different. Having a handful (give or take a dozen) of ancient games (multiplayer or no) tied into this service seems like an effort to sugar coat an ultimately bland offering.
Again, $20 for a service is a pittance, and it might be a good thing. I just hear you guys saying that this info of a classic game subscription makes the Switch more desirable, and I don't get that.
Also, has the Switch not had any type of online service since launch? Like, a store or anything?
Nobody is assuming anything, I don't think. I didn't run out and buy a Switch because of it. They've only mentioned three games, but they haven't mentioned much about it yet. There's still a world of stuff that's unknown-- they haven't launched it and have barely talked about it. It just seems like a cool feature that would add some value to the console if they do it right.
And yes they have a store you can buy games from.
> I just hear you guys saying that this info of a classic game subscription makes the Switch more desirable, and I don't get that.
I still don't have a Switch and have zero plans to buy one right now. Originally I wrote this article because I've postulated Nintendo might end up at a subscription service and this does seem like a baby step in that direction.
I find the Switch about as desirable as I did when it launched. Well not quite, after I played one and Zelda I was less interested but at some point i'll get one but that's not for quite some time. I'm not too interested in jumping in when everyone else does and I haven't seen anything that I gotta have right now.
Travis: "This makes the Switch even more compelling. I'm impressed."
Jon: "Yep, I agree."
Travis: "we have to assume they're planning a fairly robust retro library.
I didn't say you would run out and get one now, just that you find this to be a significant value.
Ha. Yeah I did say that.
Like it raised my like of the thing very incrementally. But honestly at this point I think it's back down to what it was. I'd honestly be fine picking up the Switch in a couple years. Or sooner. I'm not really aiming for anything in particular with it.
Now that new Wolfenstein game? Thinking of playing that on day one. I mean if I can, I have a kid now and that changes a lot.
Note, I rewrote this because the tone was not what I was going for, so apologies if you're seeing this twice. I was on mobile and wrote it quickly.
I think you're reading more meaning into that conversation than was intended. Yes it would be an added valueif they do it right. We still know next to nothing about it. On the surface, with what we know and what makes the most sense for Nintendo to do with it in he future, it would provide another incentive to buy the console. What I opine is the most likely scenario would provide value.
I mean even if it's just those three games, that's technically value! ;)
I said these things casually talking about enthusiasm for a potential feature for a console I might buy in five years, never intending to need to flesh it out. The quotes you cite are more about hope for the feature, since again, we know next to nothing about it yet.
It's something they could do well that would provide value. It's something they could really botch.
By the way I totally agree with you on the probable reasoning for it: "What I think happened: Nintendo saw how huge the demand was for the classic mini console, killed it before saturating the market, and are now deciding to offer classic games in a subscription package. "
I don't think we disagree on much here, I think we're kinda misinterpreting each other. I think I'm just more optimistic about it.
Jon, re: Wolfenstein.
YES. That's a day one for me probably.
I thought about getting a Switch at launch, but realized I only cared about BotW, so I bought that for the Wii U instead. The Switch looks like it's getting some interesting stuff, but now that I've played BotW (on the Wii U) I have even less interest in buying a Switch any time soon. I still don't have a PS4, either, but I'd like to get one eventually for the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts games I'm missing out on.
re: Wolfenstein I may jump in on that. That to me was one of the top three things I most pulled out of E3. I might pre-order, but I still have some time to think about it.
BTW the classic games that are going to be part of the online service is not virtual console:
https://www.polygon.com/2017/6/2/15730702/nintendo-switch-virtual-console
I have a feeling that it will be a select few games, with a virtual console coming later. Hopefully the virtual console will be tied to the online subscription.
Overall this makes me less likely to pay for the online service.