How Nintendo Switch Online made me stop pining for Virtual Console

When Nintendo first introduced the Switch Online classic games catalog featuring NES games, I lamented the announcement of what I considered an inferior content delivery system. Not only were we asked to play with a much smaller library of games than we had on Wii or Wii U, but I didn’t even have the option of buying those games. Instead, we were given a small library of games from a single console with no way to carry over rights from previous purchases or own the classic games I was playing. I thought Nintendo Switch Online was a worse service in every way, even though Nintendo has expanded the offerings to include a robust NES and SNES library.

Then in 2020, something changed. With many of my normal social activities on hold, I found myself with more free time at home than ever before. I’ve largely spent that time digging into TV shows, movies, and yes, video games. As part of that, I dove deeper into classic game offerings on Nintendo Switch Online – after all, I was paying for the whole sequel, not just Super Mario World, as my gaming habits might have you believe. . What I found was a wide range of titles that I had never heard of, played, or completely forgotten about since childhood.

Yes, having access to old favorites like Super Mario Bros. 3, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Donkey Kong Country is amazing, but I had surprising fun digging into titles that I would never get if I had to pay for each title individually. As someone who grew up with an SNES, Genesis, and Nintendo 64, these unreleased gems largely live in the NES catalog. I played a ton of NES as a kid, but it was never my home unless someone brought their own. As such, I was at the mercy of the games my friends owned. First I missed titles like NES Open Tournament Golf, Rygar and StarTropics, and I relish the opportunity to step back in time with games like Gradius, Ice Hockey, and Super Dodge Ball – titles I’ve played at friends’ houses but never owned. And it also lets me play SNES games that I’ve missed and always wanted to try (Pilotwings, Donkey Kong Country 3, and Super Punch-Out!!) without having to shell out the extra cash.

Then it’s made even better by the fact that it adds a few more features. Save states and rewind functionality are pretty standard additions for retro games these days, but Nintendo has also added online multiplayer for several titles across the various libraries. However, I most appreciate special versions of certain games that Nintendo has added over the years, such as a version of Super Mario World with Special World erased and the various twists that come with it, or a version of Super Metroid with Samus. fully upgraded. While there’s something to be said for blasting your way through these games to earn these prestigious unlocks, getting access to them right off the bat through these optional special builds is a nice twist on the standard retro game offerings. .

In 2021, Nintendo introduced the Switch Online expansion pack, giving players access to N64 and Genesis games, as well as premium expansions for games like Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. . While I loved my Genesis at the time, the Nintendo 64 was the component that excited me the most with this new subscription level. Sadly, it wasn’t quite the experience I was hoping for when it launched, but thanks to the additional availability of the N64 controller for Switch, a continued rollout of new titles to the service, and improved emulation, the Nintendo 64 did the same thing for me that the other catalogs did: It gave me the chance to revisit old favorites and discover games I missed when I was younger.

That’s not to say that Nintendo Switch Online’s catalog of classic games is better than the Virtual Consoles of Wii and Wii U in every way. In fact, there are many places where it falls far short of the previous official method of playing these classic titles on modern Nintendo hardware. On the one hand, content ownership is something that I think we underestimate in today’s world of Netflix and Spotify. Yes, these services are great value for money, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fired up Netflix to watch something specific, only to find that the show or movie is no longer on service. At least with movies, TV shows, music and most gaming subscription services I have the ability to purchase the content digitally on modern hardware, whereas with retro Nintendo games my only official option on modern hardware is the non-ownership route via this subscription service.

On top of that, some of the games (Nintendo 64, in particular) had poor quality emulation in the Switch Online library. While that can happen, whether it’s Switch Online or Virtual Console, it’s unfortunate that some games don’t run as well as they did 25 years ago when the Nintendo 64 library was one of the main selling points of the more expensive expansion pack. Fortunately, Nintendo has improved its N64 emulation since the catalog launched.

I’d still love to own my favorite retro games, but the breadth of what’s offered by Nintendo Switch Online’s classic game catalogs has won me over as a former Virtual Console stalwart. Sure, there are still ways to improve Nintendo Switch Online’s approach to retro gaming offerings, but I’m done regretting the Virtual Console days. Just as I sacrificed ownership of music and movies in the name of value, convenience, and unprecedented access to a wide range of content, I’m happy to do the same (to some degree) through services such as Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, and Nintendo Switch online.

Now, if only we could reduce the large number of subscription services, but that’s a conversation for another time.

For more Nintendo discussions with Brian, be sure to subscribe to All Things Nintendo, a weekly podcast he hosts covering the biggest news and games from around Nintendo. To learn more about the different games offered by Nintendo Switch Online, go here.