Nintendo has announced a special anthology of classic NES games with the Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, coming to Nintendo Switch on July 18.
The NES Edition will launch with a digital version ($29.99) and a special Deluxe Set physical version ($59.99). The Deluxe Set also includes a classic gold replica NES game cartridge (display only), a set of pins, and 13 art cards of each game cover.
This isn’t a normal retro anthology, however. Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition features over 150 specific sections of 13 classic games from the Nintendo Entertainment System:
- Balloon Fight
- Donkey Kong
- Excitebike
- Ice Climber
- Kid Icarus
- Kirby’s Adventure
- Metroid
- Super Mario Bros.
- Super Mario Bros. 2
- Super Mario Bros. 3
- Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels
- The Legend of Zelda
- Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Players can practice their speedrunning skills in single-player, unlocking new challenges and earning pins. Up to 8 players can compete together in local multiplayer to get the best times in Party Mode. The World Championship Mode features a global leaderboard and rotating challenges, though it also requires a Nintendo Switch Online membership.
It doesn’t sound like you get the full games, which is pretty silly for this price. But all of these games are available through the NES app for Nintendo Switch Online members. But it could be a spiffy way to practice speedrunning with some of gaming’s biggest classics.
