Switch to revive Nintendo arcade classics, starting with the original Mario Bros.
Vs. Balloon Fight, Vs. Ice Climber, and Punch-Out!! to follow.
Nintendo may not have confirmed a proper Virtual Console yet for the Switch, but it's moving in that direction with today's announcement that it will be releasing several of its 80s arcade classics on its popular handheld/console hybrid.
As revealed during its Nintendo Direct earlier tonight, the premiere title from this line-up is the original Mario Bros. No, not Super Mario Bros. Just Mario Bros. The sometimes competitive, sometimes cooperative two-player arcade cabinet that later found itself a mini-game in Super Mario Bros. 3.
This debut entry will kick off on 27th September. After that, the following other titles will start making their way down the pipeline:
- Vs. Super Mario Bros.
- Vs. Balloon Fight
- Vs. Ice Climber
- Vs. Pinball
- Vs. Clu Clu Land
- Punch-Out!!
All games are being ported by Hamster, the company behind converting a tonne of arcade and Neo Geo titles to PS4 and Xbox One.
All games in this line-up will offer two-player options wherein each player can use a single Joy-Con.
Nintendo noted that there will be subtle differences between these arcade ports and the versions many remember on the NES back in the day. Some of these changes are obvious, like Punch-Out!!'s zoomed in perspective, but others are very slight and only appreciated by the most august arcade aficionados.