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Nintendo Switch Online is adding 'Super Mario Bros. 2'
Nintendo Switch Online is adding two more gaming classics to its growing library of NES titles. Starting on February 13th, you'll be able to play Super Mario Bros. 2 and Kirby's Adventure on the subscription service. The second Super Mario game doesn't have multiplayer mode like its predecessor, but it has several protagonists to choose from in your battle to free the dream world from Wart the tyrant. You can play not just as Mario and Luigi, but also as Toad and Princess Toadstool.
Switch Online code hints at potential SNES game additions
To date, Nintendo has handed out NES games as bonuses with Switch Online subscriptions. But what about SNES titles? Thanks to some code sleuthing, you might have a hint of what's in the pipeline. Twitter user Kapu claims to have found references to 22 SNES games in Switch Online's code strings, many of them must-haves for fans. Mario is unsurprisingly well-represented with Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart and Super Mario All-Stars in the mix.
'Zelda II: The Adventure of Link' is coming to Switch Online
Nintendo is making Switch Online more enticing for potential subscribers by adding Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and Blaster Master to its lineup of classic NES games. Zelda II was originally published in 1987 as a side-scrolling RPG, which was a huge departure from the gameplay of the first installment of the franchise. It's set several years after the first game and introduced Link's doppelganger Dark Link. Blaster Master, on the other hand, is a run and gun classic from 1988.
The best gifts for console gamers
Games are a staple of any holiday season, and what better way to celebrate than by playing some of the biggest titles around? We've picked a string of great games in our holiday gift guide, including Spider-Man, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Forza Horizon 4. Of course, your loved ones will need a console to play said games on if they don't have one already, so you might want to give them an Xbox One X, Nintendo Switch or PS4. We've also picked out some of the best accessories, including controllers, headsets and headphones. If you want to show the kids what gaming was like back in the day, you could give them a PlayStation Classic, which has 20 built-in PS1 games. When the festivities are over and your family members go their separate ways again, they might want to keep playing with others -- giving them Switch Online or Xbox Live Gold subscriptions will let them play their new games online.
‘Ninja Gaiden’ and other NES classics are coming to Switch Online
The NES games keep coming as an added incentive to get you to sign up to Nintendo's Switch Online subscription service, aside from online play and cloud saves, of course. A trio of new titles have been announced today: side-scrolling action-platformer Ninja Gaiden, Tetris-style puzzler Wario's Woods (featuring Wario and Toad) and Adventures of Lolo, which bundles together puzzles from the Eggerland series. All three will be available on December 12th and Nintendo is also pledging to bring more NES games to Switch Online in January.
'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate' will offer its own social video hub
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's social element won't be limited to trash-talking your opponents. Nintendo is developing a Smash World service that will give you the chance to post and watch videos (including mobile viewing) on top of "other fun features." If you pull off a devastating win, you could gloat about it in front of the entire world. More details are coming in the future, but the offering will be free and should be available sometime in 2019, well after the game's December 7th debut.
Switch Online cloud saves last six months after your subscription ends
When Nintendo launched Switch Online, it raised more than a few alarm bells over its attitude toward cloud saves. Based on the FAQ, your saved games would vanish from the internet the moment your membership expired. Not much of a safety net, is it? Thankfully, that's not quite how it works. In a statement to IGN, Nintendo said that the cloud saves remain for up to 180 days (about six months) after a subscription lapses. That doesn't mean you can use those saves, but you can get them back even if you wait months to resubscribe.
Switch NES emulator already hacked to run unofficial games
Nintendo Switch Online has barely been live a day and hackers have already had their way with it. According to a modder who goes by the name KapuccinoHeck, it's pretty easy to load your own ROMs onto a hacked Switch and play them directly through the NES emulator, which comes as part of the $20-a-year service.
Nintendo Switch Online lands today, complete with strange cloud saves
Welcome to 2018, Nintendo. After 38 years in the gaming-hardware business and 15 years after the launch of Xbox Live, Nintendo is finally offering an online subscription service in its latest console, the Switch. Nintendo Switch Online goes live on the evening of Tuesday, September 18th, allowing players to access multiplayer, cloud saves and a collection of 20 classic NES games for $20 a year. However, there are a handful of caveats. Nintendo operates outside of the standards established by Xbox and PlayStation, its two main rivals in the console market. Both Xbox and PlayStation have offered online subscription plans for well over 10 years, with Xbox Live launching in 2002 and PlayStation Network in 2006. Nintendo has offered barebones connection options for a handful of games in the past, but Switch Online is its first attempt at a subscription scheme. And, like many of Nintendo's grand plans, it's wrapped in red tape.
'Fortnite' on Switch won't require an online subscription
When Nintendo set a launch date for its Switch Online service, there was an overriding question for many gamers: would you have to pay to play every game online, especially free-to-play hits like Fortnite? The answer is a resounding "yes." The company has posted a Switch Online FAQ that mentions "some games," including Fortnite, won't require the subscription plan when it goes live on September 18th. There's no mention of the criteria that will decide exceptions to the rule, although it wouldn't be surprising if other free-to-play games, like Warframe, make the cut.
Catch the September 2018 Nintendo Direct right here, right now
The time has come. Nintendo delayed the September edition of its Nintendo Direct live stream after an earthquake rocked Hokkaido, Japan, earlier this month, but it's full steam ahead today. The show kicks off at 6PM ET / 3PM PT, and Nintendo will finally share details about the Switch's coming online features. Watch it in the embedded stream below, and we'll break out all of the big news as it lands, so keep the Engadget homepage fresh.
Nintendo's Switch Online service launches September 18th
Nintendo has finally revealed when its Switch Online service will be available -- and with only a few days left to go. The $20 per year subscription service will go live on September 18th (19th in Europe), with a week-long free trial available from the eShop at launch. Many of the launch details are under wraps, such as the games that will require a subscription to play, but Nintendo promises to shed more light on the subject with a Direct presentation on the 13th at 6PM Eastern.
Frustration over 'Splatoon 2' cheating leads to leaderboard hack
Splatoon 2 has had a cheating problem for a while, with unscrupulous players quickly wiping out entire teams in what's supposed to be an accessible, kid-friendly shooter. And now, frustration over the cheating is reaching a fever pitch. Nintendo has banned a player's accounts after he orchestrated a leaderboard hack to draw attention to the cheating problem. The gamer used a combination of power editing and a little luck to make the leaderboards for different game modes spell out "please add anti cheat," drawing more than a little attention to the issue.
Nintendo Switch Online will launch in September
We knew Nintendo's new online service would launch this year, and now we know Switch owners will be waiting until September for it. The company tweeted that Nintendo Switch Online will launch then, but didn't reveal much else, other than the fact that it will remain free to use until the official launch (which will come about a year after gamers were expecting it). Meanwhile, Nintendo also recently announced that with the Wii Shop channel scheduled to close in a year, it will stop letting owners add Wii Points to their account on March 26th. Nintendo has revealed a few of the features (like access to archived titles) and that it will cost $20 per year, but that's about it for now. Right now, its use is limited to a few games making use of its mobile apps for things like voice chat and game invites. For now, Nintendo's flooding the channel with news, including word of its Mario Kart Tour mobile game, and a Mario movie in development.
