As has become tradition, Hamster has revealed its next batch of arcade titles set to delight and amaze on Nintendo Switch. From a Nintendo perspective, one game that will no doubt instantly catch your eye is Ice Climber - even if your experience with Popo and Nana is limited to just Super Smash Bros. loveliness.
This particular Ice Climber release will be the Vs. Ice Climber variant found in arcades, as opposed to the original on NES. This version includes lots of features not present in the home console release, such as an animated title screen, more mountains, more enemies, more items, and additional effects.
You ready? Then here goes. Here's the full list of titles just announced for Switch (thanks, JapaneseNintendo!):
- The Ultimate 11: SNK Football Championship
- The King of Fighters 2003
- Baseball Stars
- Samurai Shodown V Special
- Ikari Warriors
- Image Fight
- Ice Climber
- Elevator Action
- Butasan
- Karate Champ
- Psycho Soldier
- ??? (a mystery Tecmo title was also teased)
These should all slowly but surely appear on the eShop in the coming weeks (with some of them also set to release across other platforms, too), although exact release dates are currently unknown.
Do any of these grab your attention? Will you be getting your retro fix with any in particular? Let us know if you've been enjoying Hamster's collection on Switch in the comments below.
[source japanesenintendo.com]
Comments 57
Please fix the jump mechanic. I just couldn't get back into the original even though I had loads of fun when it originally came out.
Very happy to see Image Fight up there. R-Type usually gets all the love but IREM was no one-trick poney...
Was Ice Climber one of the DualSystem-enhanced games, or am I only thinking that because the one real cabinet I've ever seen of the game was running it (and Super Mario Bros.)?
(DualSystem was the ability to link two machines together, such as, at the least the ads claimed that Vs. Tennis supported four players through linking two machines with the game)
Though of course as I had seen one dual cabinet could be used to simply run two different games.
Fond memories playing Ikari Warriors in my C64 youth!
Oh man I love ikari warriors hope it has a TATE option and samurai showdown v special is also great
@sikthvash me too the version by Elite was the best I believe the US had a different version
Still no Mr Goemon...
Frankly, I would be much more interested in a new Ice Climber game. The old one has potential, but it's held back by its archaic platforming.
@Shiryu Speaking of Irem games, I would love to see In The Hunt come over to the Switch as well. In any case, it’s encouraging t see Hamster get into the Irem catalog.
OT: lately I have been playing Super Hydorah - I am curious what you think of that one. Personally, I’m very impressed with what Locomalito created there. Very cohesive, IMO.
ELEVATOR ACTION?! OMG! Yes!
But why would you buy this if it's already on NSO for a 20$ yearly fee?
Glad we're getting the KOF Ash Saga as well!
I'm still waiting for Baseball Stars 2, though.
This makes me want an Ice Climbers reboot/sequel that isn’t super archaic.
Where the heck is VS Wrecking Crew? It was announced a LONG time ago and I'm gonna assume porting that game can't be any harder than VS Ice climbers
Elevator Action for the win!
@MysticGengar Because in most cases arcade versions of games (especially from the NES era) were much, much better than console counterparts. Ikari Warriors is definitely the one that sticks out most. But graphics, sound, and features not included in console releases is why they pump out these arcade versions.
KoF games are always welcomed! I also remember enjoying Elevator Action and Karate Champ as a kid.
Karate Champ and Ikari Warriors will buy for sure. Loved those games in the 8 Bit days (Amstrad was better than C64 / Speccy 😜)
I noticed that a Taito game was released today as part of Arcade Archives. Hopefully Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands will follow
@MysticGengar Because it's a different version of the game.
That said, I'm not sure why anybody would buy any version of Ice Climber.
Yes! Baseball Stars 2 is one of the best arcade baseball games ever! I've been hoping for this for some time!
The biggest majority of these games are on the snk collection so you could easily save a bundle plus they come with the home ports as well!
Good thing they didn't stop, just rest some weeks. Vs Ice Climber with the extra features is definitely one of the Nintendo arcade games worth buying, I guess.
I want Baseball Stars 2 (the news has a typo, it's 2), the aforementioned Ice Climber and maybe one of the really old classics like Karate Champ or Elevator Action.
@GameOtaku I was just about to say that. And they did a great job porting it on that collection, too. I can't imagine Hamster doing a better job. Why are they wasting their time? There are other games they could be doing.
@sfb The greatest GRadius game Konami never made. I highly recommend Super Hydorah to any horizontal shmup fans out there.
Why oh WHY will they not release Bubble Bobble on the Switch? The PS4 has had it for years. Surely it must happen sooner or later.
@Luigivaldo Yeah, I'm hoping they continue on with KoF XI even though it wasn't on the Neo Geo hardware by that point.
@Shiryu My soul cries out for X-Multiply.
Is that NES Baseball Stars?
Still no Gradius/Gradius 2/Salamander/Thunderforce. Too bad
Ikari Warriors — The arcade version is included in the SNK Collection if I'm not mistaken, which I have yet to play, and will do so that way.
Ice Climber — Ah ha, the arcade version. Wasn't nuts about the NES version, so I'm really intrigued to play this.For that matter, does AA: Urban Champion play any different?
Elevator Action — YES! The superior arcade version! I was just hoping the last couple of months that Hamster would get to this one. Insta-buy when it drops.
@BanjoPickles I hear ya! I still love that game and on the original xBox I have an collection that I bought just for Elevator Action! (I'd love to see a sequel / remake of this that keeps to the spirit of the original)
@HikaruKitsune Maybe one day...
Yeah, we already have Baseball Stars from Hampster on the Switch; it must be Baseball Stars 2 which is a good game, but was previously released in the Wii Virtual Console and in the SNK Arcade Classics Vol I (also for Wii).
With every new Hamster content drop I pray for Mr. Do! 🙏🙏🙏
@Spoony_Tech I don't think there's anything to "fix." If you gave it SMBros jump mechanics, it wouldn't even be a game-- it would be far too easy. Still, I agree that the jump mechanics are a source of great annoyance!
Ice Climber is a really good NES game, lots of fun. If you're used to other games (...), the jumping takes a little time to get used to, but after that it's all fun all the way.
@CaptnDave
They actually did do a pretty awesome sequel! It's called Elevator Action Returns (I think). It was pretty awesome, and I would love to see Hamster tackle it!
@BanjoPickles @CaptnDave
Elevator Action Returns is indeed a total blast to play. That said, it has a very different feel than the original Elevator Action. EA Returns was released for the Sega Saturn (I think it was a Japan-only release), but also is in one of the Taito Classics volumes for PS2, I believe.
In the Saturn version of EA Returns, there is a cheat code to unlock the original EA. What a great bonus. I don’t recall whether that’s also in the PS2 compilation.
There was another follow-up to a Elevator Action on the PS3, IIRC. It had 3D visuals but still 2D gameplay. Tried it briefly, seemed too slow-moving for my taste, much slower than the original. I’m not opposed to 3D graphics per se, but in this case they really added nothing & seemed to completely drag the pacing.
Yes nice that Samurai Shodown V Special is coming, was disappointed that that particular version was missing from the Samurai Shodown Anthology but to finally get to play a full uncensored version on the go is spectacular.
can't wait for karate champ, samurai v shodown & king of fighters 2003
Great to see their rereleases are still going so strong.
Prays for Pheonix.
I bet the Tecmo game is Ninja Gaiden
I love Hamster so much.
@Gerald
Ikari Warriors was great on the CPC. Two player mode and everything.
@Ooyah Give it time. Karate Champ for instance was on PS4 only until now.
Hamster is my BFF!!!
Elevator Action! On a side note, the inclusion of Karate Champ makes me wonder if they’ll ever release Yie Ar Kung Fu (1985, Konami)?
Had to look up Butasan. Still unsure of what I’m looking at lol
Ice Climber is possible to have fun with, but the controls are not good.
I think an eshop Ice Climbers game would have some potential. I envision 3D mountains shaped kind of like jenga towers where you can walk on all 4 sides.
I’ll take KOF13.
YES!! With KOF 2003 we now have the entire Neo Geo KOF series!!! Im max hyped about that! On top of that i will also be getting Baseball Stars 2 and Samurai Shodown V Special.
@sfb
You’re absolutely right in that it had a completely different feel. I absolutely loved it, but I was only able to play it a few times!
I love what Hamster is doing with the classics, offering a huge variety of both classics and obscurities! Between them, the Johnny Turbo series, and the Sega Ages line, it’s like being able to carry my childhood at the arcade anywhere I go!
I want Hamster to pick up Cave. I did not have a Japenese 360.
@pjzelda No, but it's also a typo. It's actually Baseball Stars 2 for the NEOGEO.
@GrailUK Or it could be Tecmo Bowl, Star Force, Dead or Alive, or Rygar.
@retro_player_22 They already released Star Force and Rygar...so I guess you're betting on Tecmo Bowl then
@GrailUK Tecmo Bowl it is.
Elevator Action... that will be tempting. Love that one.
Did not know that there was a vs. version of Ice Climber and that it had significantly different features, I want to see more!
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