Nintendo Switch Online: NES

[Sméagol]

a.k.a. NES Virtual Console: Netflix edition a.k.a NesFlix

I thought it would be beneficial to separate the NES games feature from the general Switch Online discussion.

Talk about the games, and arrange online games!

Edit: And I totally forgot, but do post all your fails complete with sarcastic claps!

Current game selection

• Adventures of Lolo
• Balloon Fight 2p co-op 
• Baseball 2p vs
• Blaster Master
• City Connection 2p
• Clu Clu Land 2p co-op 
• Donkey Kong 2p
• Donkey Kong Jr. 2p
• Donkey Kong 3 2p
• Double Dragon 2p vs
• Double Dragon II: The Revenge 2p co-op 
• Dr. Mario 2p vs
• Excitebike
• VS. Excitebike 2p vs
• Ghosts’n Goblins 2p
• Gradius 2p
• Ice Climber 2p co-op 
• Ice Hockey 2p vs
• The Legend of Zelda
• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
• Kid Icarus
• Kirby's Adventure
• Kung Fu Heroes 2p co-op 
• Mario Bros. 2p co-op 
• Metroid
• Mighty Bomb Jack
• NES Open Tournament Golf 2p
• Ninja Gaiden
• Pro Wrestling 2p vs
• Punch Out!!
• River City Ransom 2p co-op 
• Soccer 2p vs
• Solomon's Key
• Star Soldier
• StarTropics
• Super Dodgeball 2p vs
• Mario Bros. 2p co-op 
• Super Mario Bros. 2p
• Super Mario Bros. 2 2p
• Super Mario Bros. 2 
• Super Mario Bros. 3 2p
• Tecmo Bowl 2p vs
• TwinBee 2p co-op 
• Tennis 2p vs
• Vice: Project DOOM
• Volleyball 2p vs
• VS. Excitebike 2p vs
• Wario's Woods 2p vs
• Wrecking Crew 2p
• Yoshi 2p vs
• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

2p = 2 player mode available
2p vs = 2 player simultaneous versus mode available
2p co-op = 2 player simultaneous co-op mode available

Edit: Yeah some games are in there twice.. The list is alphabetical, but I also like to keep a series together, but didn't want to do 2 lists. So I listed them twice so you can find them wherever you expect them.

Co-op games

Just to list the currently available co-op games separately for convenience.

• Balloon Fight
• Clu Clu Land
• Double Dragon II: The Revenge
• Ice Climber
• Kung Fu Heroes
• Mario Bros.
• River City Ransom
• TwinBee

Japanese exclusive games

These games have so far been only released in Japan for no good reason. With a few common games there may be regional differences as well.

• Fire Emblem
• Joy Mech Fight 2p vs
• Tsuppari Ōzumō 2p vs

Upcoming games

• TBA

SP games

Shit versions of existing games, in general they're savestates with all unlockables or power-ups available from the start. Can't be arsed to list them..

Hardware

Of course we also have the NES controllers for Switch, costing € 60,- or £ 50,-.

The order page for those is hidden somewhere on your local Nintendo site.

 

Edited September 6, 2019 by Sméagol

[Ronnie]

Looking forward to Zelda II releasing, that's a game I play every few years start to finish. Also Wrecking Crew, but I can't really justify why

Be interesting to see where this service will be in a couple of years. Will it be full of NES/SNES/N64 games and we'll still only be paying the same low price? If that's the case I'd have thought Nintendo would make more money by selling games individually for £5-10 like they did on Virtual Console.

[Ike]

How do you save normally in Zelda again?

[Glen-i]

18 minutes ago, Ike said:

How do you save normally in Zelda again?

You go to the inventory and Press Up + A I think...

EDIT: On the second controller

Of course, you could just use a Restore Point.

Anyway, online actually made NES Tennis fun, so kudos.

Sarcastic claps are the best thing about it!

Edited September 20, 2018 by Glen-i

[Sméagol]

I wish there were more emotes though. I would love an animated thumbs up! And of course, an animated thumbs down even more.

I'm up for SMB3 if we're not doing Splatoon.

Edited September 20, 2018 by Sméagol

[Ike]

24 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

You go to the inventory and Press Up + A I think...

EDIT: On the second controller

Of course, you could just use a Restore Point.

Anyway, online actually made NES Tennis fun, so kudos.

Sarcastic claps are the best thing about it!

Ah, yeah. I mean I can, but I like having a "proper" in game save.

[Julius]

1 hour ago, Ronnie said:

Be interesting to see where this service will be in a couple of years. Will it be full of NES/SNES/N64 games and we'll still only be paying the same low price? If that's the case I'd have thought Nintendo would make more money by selling games individually for £5-10 like they did on Virtual Console.

Yeah, I was thinking about this the other day, and reading through some old threads about Virtual Console on the Switch...and it just doesn’t add up. 

They've said that they’re done with the Virtual Console branding, and, beyond the NES stuff that’s just come out with Online, that’s all that they’ve really said outside of mentioning SNES being a part of Online last year in a page update.

Could there be different tiers, giving access to different eras of games? Will we cycle through consoles on a monthly/seasonal basis? The £17.99 per year is such a low amount compared to an annual PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live subscription that there’s still room for them to increase it, add different tiers, or change their system entirely. It does feel like there are still a few questions which could, and probably should, have been answered by now — and, of course, the sooner the better. 

For instance, how long will we be waiting for SNES games? Will we continue to see staggered releases as is planned for their NES catalogue across a number of months, or could we potentially see a massive amount of games added, either adding games from several consoles at once (i.e. multiple SNES and GB games) or a huge chunk of a console’s catalogue at once? I think that adding online functionality to these games gets much better (at leat potentially) once we get into later consoles — I mean, multiplayer Super Mario 64, anyone?

One specific game that comes to mind when talking about this, though, is Mother 3, a game long teased and rumoured to be coming West, and which, according to some rumours, is completely officially translated (I’ve heard that the fan translation of the Japanese game includes a word or two that I’m sure Nintendo wouldn’t include in their own translation) and just waiting for release. Would this game really just be dropped in as part of the Nintendo Online catalogue (we could be waiting a while if so, considering that it’s a GBA game) as opposed to getting a full release? In a similar vein, Earthbound Beginnings (Mother) was released only a few years ago for the first time in the West for the Wii U’s Virtual Console — what will become of this game now, and will it not be made available for purchase again? I suppose an Earthbound/Mother trilogy is within the realms of possibility, but then I feel like Nintendo would be sending mixed signals if something like that were to come to fruition. 

Its just such a weird one. On the one hand, there are tens of, if not around a hundred, games that I really want to play from Nintendo’s Virtual Console, most of which for the first time, and I’ve debated purchasing a Wii with all of its VC titles and a Wii U to transfer it to (don’t know if that’s still possible) in order to have access to its Virtual Console catalogue, and have even thought, momentarily, about just emulating some of these games. But the fact remains that the Switch, as a portable and home console, would easily be the best way to experience many of these games (and plough through them), so it’s frustrating that the easiest way to access many of these games would be to buy one of Nintendo’s old systems, of which Nintendo wouldn’t see a penny.

I have a huge backlog (both a blessing and a curse in a situation like this) which spans multiple platforms, so I’m in no rush to dive into the Nintendo games on that list, but I’m a 19 year old with huge interest in games both present and past. I know that I’m not the only gamer who hasn’t played many of these games that wants to play them, due to age or accessibility, because more and more gamers are coming through, with a diverse approach to gaming which is rarely ever “I only want to play brand new AAA games”. In the modern age, with so many eyes seeing legacy titles for the first time and wanting to check them out thanks to recommendations from sources all over the internet, I can’t help but feel like Virtual Console came much too soon.

The Wii eShop closes early next year, and as of earlier this year, you already can’t add points to your account to spend on games there. I only hope that Nintendo don’t take too long to move on to adding games from other consoles to their catalogue, and have a massive surge in legacy titles arriving on the Switch around the time that the Wii eShop closes. And, if they do, I hope that they don’t continue to drip feed legacy titles at such a slow rate, because, otherwise... I probably will have to seek out that Wii and Wii U. 

Edited September 20, 2018 by Julius Caesar

[S.C.G]

@Glen-i this isn't the first time I've played Super Mario Bros. 3 I swear.

Though I definitely haven't played as Luigi for a good while.

Still... it makes for an entertaining online session at least.

And it's fun to watch someone who really knows what they're doing playing the game.

[Glen-i]

1 hour ago, S.C.G said:

@Glen-i this isn't the first time I've played Super Mario Bros. 3 I swear.

Though I definitely haven't played as Luigi for a good while.

Still... it makes for an entertaining online session at least.

And it's fun to watch someone who really knows what they're doing playing the game.

It was a fun session. There was some crazy graphical glitching during the World 3 Fortress though.

You definitely did better during Super Mario Bros though. Balloon Fight was a lot of fun too.

What happened here though!?

 

[Sméagol]

@Dcubed, I wasn't prepared for Pro wrestling.. I had no idea what I was doing. Still, it was nice to finally be declared "a winner is you!"

That water is so trolly haha.. I was next, but I had no water while fighting the Hammer Bros.

 

[Eddage]

Wait, is that the border that everyone seems to be so up in arms about, or is it different when playing multiplayer?

[Glen-i]

44 minutes ago, Eddage said:

Wait, is that the border that everyone seems to be so up in arms about, or is it different when playing multiplayer?

Yep, that's the border. The only difference in multiplayer is the profile pic circles/signal strength on the left.

It really isn't that bad guys. The text on the bottom is a tad annoying, but it could be a lot worse.

Edited September 21, 2018 by Glen-i

[Eddage]

Yep, that's the border. The only difference in multiplayer is the profile pic circles/signal strength on the left.

 

Well then as far as I’m concerned everyone is seriously overreacting

[Charlie]

4 hours ago, Eddage said:

 

Well then as far as I’m concerned everyone is seriously overreacting

I think so too. What's the alternative? Stretch the game to oblivion?

[Sméagol]

16 minutes ago, Charlie said:

I think so too. What's the alternative? Stretch the game to oblivion?

No, the alternative is a simple solid black colour..

Personally I'm not too distracted by it, but it's not preferred.

[bob]

I think so too. What's the alternative? Stretch the game to oblivion?

It's not even a border, it's just absence of game.

I thought they'd put in some kind of horrendous jazzy frame like the ones you used to use in Microsoft Publisher back in school to make pamphlets with.

[Agent Gibbs]

Wrong thread it seems, must have switch tabs and not noticed

Edited September 23, 2018 by Agent Gibbs

[Sméagol]

1 hour ago, Agent Gibbs said:

Also i was particularly pissed to have to start my trial just to try the Dark Souls test, come the fuck on! and then to just perfectly illustrate the unfinished nature of that, it was under maintenance when i finally got through.

The test is scheduled at specific days and times. Today, tomorrow and Sunday, all days from 18:00 to 22:00 UK. This has nothing to do with the Online service. (also this thread was specifically to talk about the NES games).

And it really is a test. I had a quick look at some youtube videos to see what it exactly entails.. And it's simply a network test. I'm not sure how well it will function as a "demo", if that was what you're looking for..

Edited September 21, 2018 by Sméagol

[Sméagol]

Last world (4) for me @Glen-i! But it's fun!

[Glen-i]

11 minutes ago, Sméagol said:

Last world (4) for me @Glen-i! But it's fun!

Good session there. I always thought World 3 was harder than world 4 anyway.

3-7 really kicked our butts there for a bit though.

[Ike]

Zelda I is such a good game. Although how anyone found Level 8 back when it first came out I'll never know.

[Glen-i]

6 hours ago, Ike said:

Zelda I is such a good game. Although how anyone found Level 8 back when it first came out I'll never know.

It's antiquated sure, but once you get into it, it really does shine. When I jumped into a room with @Sméagol last night, he was in dungeon 2 and it was strangely entertaining to watch him go through it. He even taught me that you can throw the boomerang diagonally. Honestly had no idea about that.

Sooner or later though, we started playing together and I got some moments recorded.

Spoiler

And here's something I did playing Dr. Mario.

9,500 points for that manuever!

River City Ransom is surprisingly good. A co-op beat-em-up with some RPG elements? I wasn't sure what I was doing half the time though, I might have to find a scan of the instruction booklet and look through it. I think we had to equip some of the items we bought somehow?

SMB3's world 4 music is still so god-damn catchy though!

EDIT: So I looked up some deets on River City Ransom and found some useful information.

You can press select on the character select screen to rename the characters. Surprisingly useful for online play.

To use the books, you have to press start to open the menu and equip them. That explains why they didn't seem to do anything.

Remember that High School we couldn't get into @Sméagol? Turns out we have to beat all of the bosses first.

Edited September 22, 2018 by Glen-i

[Ike]

The Boomerang is the best item in the game, until you get the Magical Rod anyway. The stun really helps as the enemies move too randomly and stops them walking into you. I lost my Magical Boomerang to a Like Like in my Switch version run and it took me a while to notice.  Not sure if you can even get it back.

I imagine the game must have drove people crazy as there's no real indicator of which walls are bombable or which bushes are burnable, the Blue Candle works once per screen so you have switch screens and come back and you don't get the Red Candle until much later in the game. the poor localisation doesn't help at times. I though "Grumble, Grumble" meant he was annoyed at something.

[Glen-i]

2 hours ago, Ike said:

The Boomerang is the best item in the game, until you get the Magical Rod anyway. The stun really helps as the enemies move too randomly and stops them walking into you. I lost my Magical Boomerang to a Like Like in my Switch version run and it took me a while to notice.  Not sure if you can even get it back.

I imagine the game must have drove people crazy as there's no real indicator of which walls are bombable or which bushes are burnable, the Blue Candle works once per screen so you have switch screens and come back and you don't get the Red Candle until much later in the game. the poor localisation doesn't help at times. I though "Grumble, Grumble" meant he was annoyed at something.

Did you try going back to the dungeon where you get the Boomerang in the first place? Not sure if it'll work, but it's worth a shot.

A guide is pretty much required if you want to get everything though, there's a lot of secrets that seem pretty random.

Anyway, I'm throwing down a gauntlet for the one puzzle game I'm actually quite good at. Yoshi, specifically B-Type EDIT: Screw it! I'll throw in the A-Type score as well.

   

Edited September 23, 2018 by Glen-i

[Sméagol]

So one thing I'd like to see more: people using multiplayer even if they intend to play something single player! Honestly, I don't mind watching!

Obviously don't do it if it fucks up your connection, or you don't want secrets spoiled, but I love to watch sometimes, depending on the game.

Kick me out of the game if you're done or had enough of my sarcastic claps, I won't take offense. Similarly, I'll just leave when you're playing something I don't like to watch. I had @Glen-i watching over me while I was playing Zelda 1, and experienced no lag, and it was fun having someone around.

But it's also why I'd like to have text chat, and more hand emotes. I've already mentioned humbs up and down, which seem obvious to me, and I'd also like a wave. Plenty of possibilities. Like a peace / victory sign, or hands doing an apology gesture.. Or a pray gesture when you're about to try something hard.

Discord isn't an easy alternative for impromptu sessions.

 

On 22/09/2018 at 2:40 AM, Glen-i said:

Good session there. I always thought World 3 was harder than world 4 anyway.

3-7 really kicked our butts there for a bit though.

Yeah, I forgot most about world 4.. It wasn't exactly impressive after world 3. 3-7 yeah.. I genuinely thought you'd have less trouble with it than I had!  I wasn't planning to, but I'll tweet one of the 3-7 videos I have, and embed it below.

21 hours ago, Ike said:

Zelda I is such a good game. Although how anyone found Level 8 back when it first came out I'll never know.

I casually found dungeon 5, 6 and 8 before I finally found dungeon 2.. <sigh>

16 hours ago, Glen-i said:

It's antiquated sure, but once you get into it, it really does shine. When I jumped into a room with @Sméagol last night, he was in dungeon 2 and it was strangely entertaining to watch him go through it. He even taught me that you can throw the boomerang diagonally. Honestly had no idea about that.

Yeah, I almost forgot I had multiplayer set up. If I was in the overworld, I would have changed games right away, but as I was in the middle of a dungeon (the one I finally found after exploring most of the map), I wanted to finish it! Yeah it's fun watching stuff you don't know about, even when doing multiplayer games. @Dcubed showed some tricks and glitches in SMB3 for example. There's also plenty of stuff I simply forgot, like some of the hidden bonus world blocks.. You uncovered one right in the first (or one of the first) levels, and I was thinking "oh right". Anyway, it brings me to a point, which I posted above, as it may get overlooked here between the quotes.

16 hours ago, Glen-i said:

"Menus are hard"

Yeah, since I was moving the pointer, I was in "point & click mode", but that didn't work.. 

16 hours ago, Glen-i said:

Remember that High School we couldn't get into @Sméagol? Turns out we have to beat all of the bosses first.

I actually knew (the game tells you as much at the start).. But couldn't get that across immediately (well maybe i should have posted it here actually). It was why I was hesitant to follow you through an exit in one specific place, as I think I heard boss music. It was also why I lingered in places in general, just to see if some boss would show up after defeating some more enemies. Anyway, the game's fun, and better than Double Dragon. I'm definitely up to play it again some time.

14 hours ago, Ike said:

The Boomerang is the best item in the game, until you get the Magical Rod anyway. The stun really helps as the enemies move too randomly and stops them walking into you. I lost my Magical Boomerang to a Like Like in my Switch version run and it took me a while to notice.  Not sure if you can even get it back.

I imagine the game must have drove people crazy as there's no real indicator of which walls are bombable or which bushes are burnable, the Blue Candle works once per screen so you have switch screens and come back and you don't get the Red Candle until much later in the game. the poor localisation doesn't help at times. I though "Grumble, Grumble" meant he was annoyed at something.

Yeah I love the boomerang! Too bad it gets upgraded right away though.

I barely remember anything specific about Zelda 1 at all. It's so long ago.. I wouldn't be surprised it was like actual 25 (twenty-five!!) years. Dying so much, I wonder how I put up with it then! Haha. But I guess I put up with it then the same way I did now.. Keep playing until it clicked again. Getting one extra heart and the boomerang already helps immensely. Getting more hearts and a ring (I already found the blue ring again, but couldn't afford it yet) will help even more. As for bombable walls and burnable brushes.. I remember very few specific things, but I've played it enough to know I should try bombing and burning everything! And I also remember that the red flame makes the last thing much easier! Some things are pretty obvious though, it's why I immediately found dungeon 8 again. As for the "grumble grumble".. I haven't seen it myself, but I instantly know what you mean. I have found the other piece of the puzzle, but couldn't remember where to use it.

Videos from various games:

@Dcubed

@Glen-i already posted a video of my encounter with the big bro! And here's 3-7:

 

Edited September 23, 2018 by Sméagol