Nintendo recently dropped a Direct that unveiled a bunch of new games such as the Link's Awakening Remake and Super Mario Maker 2 and one that I noticed but didn't think much about was Tetris 99. It released that day for free to anyone that has the Nintendo Online subscription ($20 a year). I'm a big Tetris fan and over the years I've played it in many versions on the Gameboy, NES, Wii (Tetris Party Deluxe) and now Tetris 99 on the Switch. I'll cut right to the chase: Tetris 99 might be the biggest reason to get Nintendo Online but i'll talk a bit more about why below.
Nintendo Online is Actually Much Cooler Than I Thought
Historically I've been a huge PC gamer starting back in the early DOS era to now so playing multiplayer games has always been a big focus and unless it's a MMO, online has always been free. Nintendo has historically had free online too, and it was fun playing a handful of Mario Kart Online matches with friends and others from around the world but I didn't play many online games with my Wii. That said, the big draw of Nintendo systems for me hasn't been online so when Nintendo said it would be a paid $20 yearly subscription that didn't sound like a lot of money but also something I wasn't interested in.
Fun fact, you don't need a Nintendo Online account to play Fortnite on the Switch and I'm glad Nintendo and Epic worked that out. Truth be told I'm not fantastic playing Fortnite with a controller but the relatively small download and getting in and out of games quickly made the Switch the primary way I play it. So, for free, Nintendo has a bit of online play if Fortnite is your thing making Nintendo Online less appealing.
Recently that changed when I was traveling and wanted to play Super Mario Bros. 2 for review on Cheerful Ghost Radio. I have that game in many forms, but it wasn't practical to take my Nintendo Classic so I decided to splurge and buy Nintendo Online. Nearly all the NES games are included in your Nintendo Online subscription and so far, they all seem to play very well on the system. For fun, I downloaded Tetris 99 and gave it a shot.
Tetris 99 Might Be The Best Reason to get Nintendo Online
If you don't love Battle Royale games because shooters aren't your thing you need to try Tetris 99. The game goes just like you think, 99 players battle it out for one winner at the end. You can attack other players by sending them lines when you knock out lines on your game and players can do the same to you. When you lose or win, the score is shown and you can level up as you play. So far the game just supports it's signature mode but I've heard rumblings team mode is coming. If you love Tetris and want to show off your ability or maybe just want to play it again, Tetris 99 is super fun. That said, you can get dumped on by multiple people making the game less fun but I've found that doesn't happen all the time.
The reason why Tetris 99 might be a Nintendo Online seller is because $20 is less that most new games cost and for what you get, it's a great value. Sure there is only one mode but it's well played and matches are filled in a quick minute. I'm not trying to sell you Nintendo Online but with Tetris 99 and the NES library it's a pretty solid value.
I Forgot How Much Fun Mario Kart Online Is
Playing Mario Kart with your friends in the same room is incredible. A week ago we were visiting family and my wife and I were playing with them and it was some of the most fun I've had on the Switch to date. Four player Mario Kart is awesome but playing online with people dials that up considerably. As you can imagine there are some fantastic Mario Kart players from around the world and playing alongside them can give you quite a challenge. After a few races I slowly improving as there are some incredible players out there (Shoutout to Canada and Mexico for dominating some matches).
Nintendo Online might not have been something I was initially interested in but over time it wore me down and I'm very happy I got it. With the NES Classic games readily available and now Tetris 99 it can only get better from here.
Nintendo Online is Actually Much Cooler Than I Thought
Historically I've been a huge PC gamer starting back in the early DOS era to now so playing multiplayer games has always been a big focus and unless it's a MMO, online has always been free. Nintendo has historically had free online too, and it was fun playing a handful of Mario Kart Online matches with friends and others from around the world but I didn't play many online games with my Wii. That said, the big draw of Nintendo systems for me hasn't been online so when Nintendo said it would be a paid $20 yearly subscription that didn't sound like a lot of money but also something I wasn't interested in.
Fun fact, you don't need a Nintendo Online account to play Fortnite on the Switch and I'm glad Nintendo and Epic worked that out. Truth be told I'm not fantastic playing Fortnite with a controller but the relatively small download and getting in and out of games quickly made the Switch the primary way I play it. So, for free, Nintendo has a bit of online play if Fortnite is your thing making Nintendo Online less appealing.
Recently that changed when I was traveling and wanted to play Super Mario Bros. 2 for review on Cheerful Ghost Radio. I have that game in many forms, but it wasn't practical to take my Nintendo Classic so I decided to splurge and buy Nintendo Online. Nearly all the NES games are included in your Nintendo Online subscription and so far, they all seem to play very well on the system. For fun, I downloaded Tetris 99 and gave it a shot.
Tetris 99 Might Be The Best Reason to get Nintendo Online
If you don't love Battle Royale games because shooters aren't your thing you need to try Tetris 99. The game goes just like you think, 99 players battle it out for one winner at the end. You can attack other players by sending them lines when you knock out lines on your game and players can do the same to you. When you lose or win, the score is shown and you can level up as you play. So far the game just supports it's signature mode but I've heard rumblings team mode is coming. If you love Tetris and want to show off your ability or maybe just want to play it again, Tetris 99 is super fun. That said, you can get dumped on by multiple people making the game less fun but I've found that doesn't happen all the time.
The reason why Tetris 99 might be a Nintendo Online seller is because $20 is less that most new games cost and for what you get, it's a great value. Sure there is only one mode but it's well played and matches are filled in a quick minute. I'm not trying to sell you Nintendo Online but with Tetris 99 and the NES library it's a pretty solid value.
I Forgot How Much Fun Mario Kart Online Is
Playing Mario Kart with your friends in the same room is incredible. A week ago we were visiting family and my wife and I were playing with them and it was some of the most fun I've had on the Switch to date. Four player Mario Kart is awesome but playing online with people dials that up considerably. As you can imagine there are some fantastic Mario Kart players from around the world and playing alongside them can give you quite a challenge. After a few races I slowly improving as there are some incredible players out there (Shoutout to Canada and Mexico for dominating some matches).
Nintendo Online might not have been something I was initially interested in but over time it wore me down and I'm very happy I got it. With the NES Classic games readily available and now Tetris 99 it can only get better from here.
