During last week's Nintendo Direct we heard about the Arcade Archives range which is headed to the Switch in the near future.
These will be arcade versions of classic games - produced by HAMSTER - and where appropriate will support multiplayer with Joy-Con controls. The original Mario Bros. will start it all on 27th September, and the following games were also confirmed.
- Vs. Super Mario Bros.
- Vs. Balloon Fight
- Vs. Ice Climber
- Vs. Pinball
- Vs. Clu Clu Land
- Punch-Out!!
The latest issue of Japanese magazine Famitsu has a feature on Arcade Archives: Mario Bros., of interest if you're fluent in the language. In addition to this the article also been revealed that the following three games will be including in the Arcade Archives range at some point in the future:
- VS. Wrecking Crew
- VS. Urban Champion
- VS. Excitebike
While we can't say we are particularly looking forward to Urban Champion, it will be great to play modified versions of Wrecking Crew and Excitebike on the Switch.
Let us know what you think of these retro releases with a comment below.
[source japanesenintendo.com]
Comments 91
I second that compilation idea.
I don't know what to think of these Arcade Archives yet. I guess it's cool but just give us a true Virtual Console already!
Urban Champion just might be Nintendo's absolute worst first-party title in history.
When will Nintendo figure out nobody wants Urban Champion?
I'm confised. It is substitution for VC, isn't it?
@JHDK I think the two mario titles, punch out and excite bike will be worth it. The others they have announced have little to no difference to their console counterparts.
@LinktotheFuture Urban Champion & Altered Beast dual pack coming later this year. Only $60!
Urban Champion can be given away for free and people will not dl it. The smart ones anyways!
Except, it's highly unlikely that there'll be a compilation. They'll probably try to milk the games individually.
@Ufaowl Its a hold-over until VC happens.
Hooo...
Urban Champions !
I have ever played that games when I was kid.
What a load of pants, just give us proper Virtual Console already!
Urban Champions ? Again ?
The arcade version of Punch Out! would have made a great DS/3DS release. Didn't it even use 2 screens?!
Except for Urban Champion, I am excited for all of the rest!
I always wanted to try out VS Mario bros and VS Excite bike
Blahk. Yuck. Poo. Those three words sum it up for me.
Hopefully the control settings will be easier that the neo geo switch games
the price is what's wrong with these releases. Seriously $7.99 USD for Mario Bros.!!
I'll just stick with Punch-Out, thanks.
Are these going to be online playable? I assume they are but I haven't seen concrete information confirming so.
The original Mario Bros. is a great addition to the Switch and it's on-the-go portability. It's such a simple game, but so addictive and hilarious when played against a friend.
I can't help but think that many of the games in the Arcade Archives range on other consoles are more interesting than Nintendo's arcade games. There would probably be more interest in those, even on Switch.
I don't get why Nintendo kept throwing this garbage at us, nobody want this garbage of a game (Vs. Urban Champion). If anything Nintendo bring us these, the true arcade hits.
Screw you guys! Urban Champion is a wonderful 2-player game. I'm glad to see it stay alive.
Have they confirmed prices yet?
Having the NES versions of most of these (all but Urban Champion) I'm curious about how each one differs. Punch-Out looks hugely different, and I hear SMB, Excitebike and Ice Climbers have some unique levels, but are they enough to warrant the additional cost?
Urban Champion is just amazing. Super Smash Bros used the same concept of stamina and knocking your opponent off the screen. #innovation
I'm guessing there's no Donkey Kong Arcade due to Ikegami Co. Ltd likely owning the copyright for the Arcade version. Which is a shame.
@retro_player_22 Funny you should list those 4 — court problem, Microsoft, Sega, and Namco — 4 reasons those won't happen.
@retro_player_22
If Mario Kart GP DX ported to Switch.....
Wrap them up as a collection!!!
£6.29 each.
Seems steep to me.
@The__Goomba A compilation is the only scenario I see myself buying Urban Champion. They put this out on 3ds years ago and it was terrible then.
A compilation is perfect.
@retro_player_22 I'd buy the crap out of all of them, though I assume the KI games are off limits as Rare/MS have the IP rights.
Also technically DK arcade is included in DK64, and all the F-Zero AX assets are unlockable eventually in GX - but as neither of those are on Switch (yet), I'd thrown money at them if they did join the list.
@flapjack-ashley I doubt it,probably just online leaderboards like the Neo Geo games.
I hope Hamster continue to release Neo Geo games alongside these.
The more classic arcade games they add on, the better!
Hamster is rocking it out!
@TruenoGT "Vs. Excitebike (Famicom Disk System port) is also on Wii U VC and is a great upgrade over the original."
Alas, not in the PAL region.
I think the idea is to give you some cool retro games to show off the 2-player joy con experience to your 30-something buddies and get them to buy a Switch. It's kind of brilliant, actually. I can imagine 30-somethings playing this at a bar table and getting a lot of eager looks from other patrons.
I really like the idea of porting old games in a way that adapts them to the new system. Duck Hunt for Wii U was another good example of this.
I do wish they would discount it for those of us who have bought some version of these titles before, but Nintendo is pretty unrelenting on that kind of thing so I'll be surprised if that happens.
Yes. VS. Excitebike! I was disappointed when this went to the Wii U VC and not the 3DS, as I don't have a Wii U. This is a great game, with much better progression (and music!) than the original.
I'm excited to (finally) play the Punch Out arcade again, but it does seem strange to me that people are screaming out for a true Virtual Console, and....they offer Urban Champion over, say, Donkey Kong. It's actually pretty funny!
I know that the VC will come (eventually), but it would be nice if Nintendo would actually CONFIRM it!
Of course, the best nintendo game ever would have gotten the Vs. treatment eventually
The Vs. arcade line. Depending on what you hear, Lost Levels(SMB2Jap) took elements from Vs. SMB, or the inverse of that. I honestly forget which. Edit: I wish Nintendo would strike a deal for the arcade DK.
@Yorumi the hilarious part is that NintendoLife and every other Nintendo/multiformat gaming website have to suffer through and review it again each time.
Also, I don't get why Nintendo can't release DK arcade now, when the original ROM for it was included in DK64 on the N64 and Wii U virtual console
@gaga64 The price isnt pretty. For Mario Bros. anyway. It is like 823 yen in Japan.
We need a reboot of Urban Champion. 1080p HD graphics, 60 frames per second, the whole 9 yards.
I bought the arcade Donkey Kong on my 3DS (I think). Not too long ago. So why would it have licensing issues now?
So was Urban Champion any better in the arcade?
@JoeDiddley That's not the Arcade Version. It's an updated Version of the NES Original. It just added some more Elements from the Arcade Version
@RyanSilberman ouch. Yeah, not convinced any version of Mario Bros is worth that. I always found the NES version painful to control compared with the versions from All-Stars onwards...
Then again, I've got the NES and All-Stars versions on the Wii (U) and the Mario Advance versions on the GBA, Wii U and 3DS, so why not continue a tradition!?!
Will get Super Mario, Ice Climbers and Balloon Fight.
I just don't get why people are upset about these releases? Nintendo never said this was replacing the VC and realistically is probably just to tide us over while they figure it out. More games on a system is always better. Pick the ones you like and skip the ones you don't. Also, just as a side note.... The fact that Nintendo keeps rolling out various versions of Urban Champion is an obvious sign that people are downloading it. They wouldn't spend the money to port and update (3D classics, etc...) if they weren't!
@Dayton311 The problem is that most of these announced games are VS ones. Meaning glorified edits of NES games except marked a few bucks higher each.
It's odd they didnt even announce arcade Donkey Kong yet.
@Yorumi I thought that was atari's E.T or Big Rigs?
These arcade classics could be validated in my mind if they include some interesting interfaces, cabinet concept art, etc. If they skimp on presentation though, it's gonna be a tough sell for me.
@RyanSilberman Still way better then rebuying NES games for about £5 each.. These Arcade games have never been made available outside of Arcades and Mame ( the VS titles always seen to have a colour problem with it's emulation) Nintendo actually remembering these titles is cool.
and is something new rather then slowly rebuilding the Wii's VC again. (which is due to next year...it's just Nes and Snes for the time being)
@Yorumi True, still clueless why they remade it on the 3D classics for the 3DS.
And having played a lot of these VS titles...I didn't know they made a arcade version of Urban Champion.. XD (in most cases besides Super Mario Bros, these came before the Famicom versions. )
Just don't buy it and get the rest.
Hey, Urban Champion for Sma5h!!! He could be to SSB what Dan Hibiki is to Street Fighter! 😆 We just need some art of Jigglypuff pwning Urban Champion Sagat-style! 👊🏻
I am all for vs. Wrecking Crew! 🔨Gimme that, and Wrecking Crew '98, even if on Japanese VC one day!
Damn! Nintendo has a very sick obsession with Ballon fight and Urban Champion.
@retro_player_22 Killer Instinct belongs to MS. Where have you been the last 18 years?
@ClassSonicSatAm But now you're rebuying NES games for about £7-8 each just with a Vs. moniker.
Score another one for the Wii U! (I know it got Urban Champion also, but was was 2013. A different time.)
if i could download urban champion 50 times i would
I'd love to see Vs. The Goonies and Vs. Castlevania if HAMSTER can get permission.
@RyanSilberman "But now you're rebuying NES games for about £7-8 each just with a Vs. moniker."
Except Punch-Out!! which is vastly different in how it plays vs the NES version.
@Nagi_Nagisa ah, ok. Thanks. The different versions do get confusing!
@masterLEON There is no such thing as Vs. Punch Out.
What people don't realize is that Vs. Urban Champion is very rare and it's ROMs have not yet been dumped for MAME.
I love Punch-Out, but will it even be playable without a proper D-pad?
3D Classics Urban Champion was such a snorefest. Really hope they aren't trying to charge full price for this, they need to put them all in a compilation. But we know they'll be charging £5 a game. Money spinner.
Very excited as the arcade versions of these games have a good amount of content compared to their nes counterparts
I'm beyond excited for the arcade versions! Even when the NES was around, the arcade versions had more color and cooler sounds. I'm getting every one of them as they come out.
Have to say, I love love love that these games are being released.
These original PBCs are worth upwards of a couple hundred dollars each (if they even work).
Or pay $8 to play them on the go, without any of the issues surrounding the original hardware, on a brand new Nintendo system, for the first time ever released since the 1980s.
Come on now. The only legitimate complaint around here is that they are missing some key titles like the DK series, Popeye, Sky Skipper, etc.
@Fooligan Urban Champion 2 should be Nintendo's answer to a real fighting game comparative to Street Fighter, Injustice, Mortal Kombat, Dead or Alive, Tekken and Killer Instinct. Obviously it wouldn't look or play anything like the original game; it would be a completely new fighting game. And nothing at all like Smash Bros.
@faint Vs. Balloon Fight is one to keep an eye on. It has vertically scrolling levels that are larger and different than the home console version.
Start the retro train!!
@RyanSilberman I see your other post now, sorry.
@retro_player_22 At this point I would even buy Donkey Kong: Original Edition where they added the cement factory level back into the NES game.
If the Wii U and 3DS has taught me anything.... Wait for a sale.
@drich255 Here's the thing between that and the genuine game, though - Donkey Kong (in the US anyway) has this element where you uncover the pie factory and spring stages as you play through harder versions of 25m and blue stages. The NES version, and therefore, Original Edition, doesn't have that.
Also the NES/Original version's difficulty is nerfed.
I grew up on the NES, but I just can't get into these games for some reason. Ms. Pac Man is pretty much all i can stomach from that era. It's shocking to me how often they are peddled out for quick cash grabs.
Also I suck at games in general and the arcade versions were SO MUCH HARDER. I guess im a tad biased.
@RyanSilberman Yup. That was also the difference with the arcade version included with DK64. It has all 4 stages in the first round (like the Japanese arcade version).
Playing DK growing up (US) I could never get to the cement factory level because you had to clear 6 screens before it was included in the rotation.
@ogo79
It is sad that all these fools in the comments here do not understand and embrace the godlike glory that is embodied in the almighty Urban Champion.
@JHDK I'll take 2!
@LinktotheFuture Buy 3 and get a digital download code for a demo of Hotel Mario!
@JHDK Sold!
@Yorumi Fair enough. while that's true I never liked the Mario Bros GBA remake (having to be Small Mario) only cool thing about it was the Co-op or 4 player VS mode which is why all GBA Mario games have a copy, myself never played it since I or no one I knew had a link cable.
The arcade version of Mario Bros on the other hand is speical (if they include the cool artwork with it. ) Been going though most of VS titles some offer more stuff the NES ones, the 2 screens games should be interesting if they get online or two switchs to work.
spolier Urban Champion just has different music and different people to beat up..
Vs Super Mario Bros is like mix of Lost and SMB 1 levels and new ones. so Super Mario Bros 2.5? (it's more fair then Lost levels but has all of it's updates as well a High score screen with a tune from the Mario anime, ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn25-Z0I-gE&index=4&list=PLBD7184ED36FC1BD2
Punch Out is one to look out for (it be interesting if they include the Super Arcade Version which has different fighters) it has All of Nintendo's characters in the crowd background (DK, DK jr and the Mario Bros)
@RyanSilberman But some of these are the originals that NES were ports of. (VS.Super Mario Bros wasn't but has new levels, continue feature, a high score with a new tune, along all of Lost Levels updates, in other words if you beaten SMB1 then move onto this rather then Jap SMB2..since it's more fair ) so they have more content then NES ports we been buying since the Wii...or for the GBA or even the ones on the Animal Crossing Game cube. XD
I rather buy these then the Lesser NES ports for the 4th time...or would be that 6th? if you count all the E-reader cards and the NES mini?
PLUS VS. Duck Hunt had bonus levels where you allow to shoot the dog..
@Minotaurgamer at least Vs.Balloon fight has a two screen mode and bigger stages with music.
Urban Champion is just as bad as it was in the NES version. (you just get different re-colours to beat up.. and different in game music. )
If these are the arcade releases, color me intrigued. That's means that Donkey Kong Jr arcade and Donkey Kong 3 arcade are in play as well. This will REALLY impress me if they manage to release the original Donkey Kong arcade, but of course, that's a long shot.
@MeloMan It's possible, with Nintendo finally doing emulation on Super FX games, perhaps this a sign there going to get their arcade games back?
Ikegami only coded DK and DK jr, so we should get at least DK3 at any rate.
@the_shpydar
some people just dont have good taste in games
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...