Nintendo Switch Online launches near the end of September (no concrete date has been revealed yet), and one of the main draws aside from cloud saves is online play for a growing collection of classic NES games. That means a new way to experience old favorites with friends on the Switch, regardless of the distance between you. In the case of Mario Bros., it means a pretty cool co-op first: the ability to join forces as Mario and Luigi to tackle the enemies lurking in those New York sewers.
Nintendo of America revealed the news via its Twitter account.
Out of the gate, Nintendo Switch Online will launch with 20 classic NES games bundled as part of the $20/year service. This initial list includes iconic titles like Ice Climber, Tennis, Dr. Mario, Super Mario Bros. 3 and The Legend of Zelda with Nintendo pledging to add more on a regular basis.
Nintendo Switch Online will be required to experience online multiplayer for the majority of first-party Nintendo games.
Personally I’m looking forward to experiencing those memorable NES games from my childhood with all-new online components, but I worry that they won’t have lasting appeal. In my opinion Nintendo should have thrown some SNES games into the mix as well.
Of course, the NES library could just be a starting point, with Nintendo working its way up the console generation ladder as more subscribers jump in. Especially since the company hasn’t expressed any plans to continue the Virtual Console service. Thankfully we have companies like Sega — which wants classic Saturn and Dreamcast games on the Switch — to continue that legacy in it own way.
Are you planning to sign up for Nintendo Switch Online? Are you content with the initial selection of NES games on offer? Most importantly, are you interested in revisiting the classic Mario Bros. in co-op mode?
