Nintendo continues to support Nintendo Switch Online. If last week they added some cult classics from Sega, next week it’s about one of their great classic games. If not the greatest game in history. Because they are bringing us the original NES Tetris, for the first time since its release in 1989. Available to all Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, the game is one of the most popular classic versions of Tetris. Being one of the most famous along with the Sega arcade version. Additionally, this is the […]
Nintendo continues to support Nintendo Switch Online. Last week it was adding some cult classics from Sega, and next week it will be one of its great classic games – if not the greatest game in history. Because they are going to bring us the original NES Tetris, for the first time since its release in 1989.
Available to all Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, the game is one of the most popular classic versions of Tetris. It is one of the most famous along with the Sega arcade version.
Additionally, this is the first time we can enjoy the NES Tetris outside of the console. Although not exactly. A remake of the game was released in Tetris & Dr. Mario for the SNES exclusively in the West, and Tetris Effect: Connected included a game mode that simulated the rules and visual style of the NES Tetris. However, this is the first time we have a direct port of the game.
There’s still a little time before we can enjoy Tetris
If you want to play NES Tetris, you’ll still have to wait a few days. The game will be released on Nintendo Switch Online on December 12th, just in time to spend the Christmas season immersed in the best game in history.
Llegan siete nuevos títulos a la Switch Online y, si bien ninguno es de los personajes más queridos de Nintendo, todos son muy destacables.
Slowly but surely, Switch Online is becoming a very interesting service. Even if it’s true that there was a moment when it seemed like they had forgotten about it, Nintendo seems to want to add value to the Switch for the finale of the console’s life cycle. With more constant and interesting updates, it’s adding value with classic games from its older consoles. That’s something that’s always worth celebrating.
This time they’ve decided to go all out. With no less than seven titles entering the service directly, we don’t find any great classics, but all seven are great games from the company’s first console, the NES, which are definitely worth revisiting.
Perhaps two of the most remembered games do not come from Nintendo itself, but from RARE. On the one hand, we have Cobra Triangle, a 1989 vehicle action game that was very popular at the time, and additionally, Solar Jetman, a 1990 shooter that became the third installment of the Jetman saga, earning an amazing reception both among critics and the public at the time. Even if today it’s not among the most remembered games when we talk about the NES.
Among the curiosities, because it’s also a game that would never be released outside of Japan, is The Mystery of Atlantis. Published by Sunsoft, this platform adventure takes us around the world trying to discover, well, the titular Atlantis. With some very ingenious ideas at the time of its release, 1986, and what seems to be obvious inspiration from titles like The Tower of Druaga (brought into the context of a platform game), it’s one of those hidden gems that is fascinating to remember and reclaim.
But the bulk of the games belong to Nintendo. And that’s where the meat is. Donkey Kong Jr. Math is a classic Donkey Kong game where players must do, indeed, mathematics. Golf is a classic golf game programmed by Satoru Iwata and is still wildly fun today. Mach Rider is a quite intriguing combat game with vehicles from HAL Laboratory. And the jewel in the crown is Urban Champion. It’s a 2D fighting game, now forgotten, released in 1984 and incidentally the first fighting game Nintendo would make. A fascinating curiosity that would take years to repeat.
All to compile a fascinating collection of titles, truly excellent, where everyone has something to nibble on. Whether it’s for nostalgia, to better understand the medium, or to discover hidden gems from the past, there’s something here for everyone.
On February 17, 1984, ‘Punch-out!!’ was born in Japan, an arcade hit that would later appear on NES and other consoles three years later with the name ‘Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!’ The game has remained -more or less- relevant in popular culture, but usually forgotten by younger generations. Something that may change now that we have learned that, after four years of existence, someone has been able to defeat a speedrun of the game that was considered definitive.
Although there may not be much surprise, because Summoning Salt has surpassed himself after playing 40,000 matches over the past four years, looking for different ways, tricks, and combinations to beat the clock. And he did it. The new record, which according to experts may remain like this forever, is 2:00.00, 97 hundredths of a second less than in 2020 and 61 less than in 2023. By a hair.
It seems that going below two minutes is practically impossible, especially because out of those 40,000 matches, only 9 ended at the second 2:00, and if this one achieved the round number it was because, being fights totally dependent on luck, the pattern that came out was totally beneficial. In fact, there is only one chance in 6,000 that it will come out again exactly the same. As if you could try again!
Can the NES run Linux? The answer is provided by a YouTuber who has worked hard to achieve it, and surprisingly, it is yes.
One of the oldest questions in computer science is whether any machine can run Doom. An even older one is whether it can run Linux. This shouldn’t surprise us, because both are two pieces of software that, surprisingly, can work in the most unexpected places. And in fact, someone has asked that question in the most unexpected way, can the NES run Linux?
The answer is yes. A YouTuber named DeCrAzYohas managed to run a Unix-based operating system on the classic Nintendo console from the 80s. Not without making some concessions. It is a Japanese Famicom, which is virtually identical to the Western version, and it uses an accessory known as the Famicon Disk System. This device adds 32KB of dedicated RAM and allows for up to 64KB of storage via floppy disk. But in any case, it is still an NES.
This means that the motherboard has not been modified in any way. All materials are original creations by Nintendo. And the chosen system is Little Unix, a portable operating system designed for the Commodore 64, created twenty years ago, which has been modified to run on the NES.
As it is logical, this is a work in progress. DeCrAzYo has released the source code of his version of Little Unix for NES, for anyone who wants to try it or make improvements, allowing the community to contribute to it. Thus demonstrating that, if there is one thing certain in this life, it is that Linux and Doom will eventually be able to run on anything that can behave like a computer.
Awesome Games Done Quick brings together the best speedrunners in the world for a good cause, and this year one of them is… a dog, and no, I’m not kidding
On the Internet, no one can know you’re a dog. Except if you activate your cam. But let’s be honest: none of us would mind finding out that our conversation partner on the other side is a dog. Everything is better with dogs. They are adorable, loyal, and if we call them “man’s best friend,” it’s for a reason. That’s why if a dog has decided to become a speedrunner, we can only come here to tell you about it and celebrate it.
Because that’s exactly what happened. A Shiba Inu named Peanut Butter is going to do a solo speedrun in the upcoming Awesome Games Done Quick event. He’ll be playing Gyromite, a 1985 NES platformer. If you’ve never heard of it, that’s normal because it’s not exactly one of the console classics, not even in the speedrunning scene. But it’s not that uncommon either. There are many speedrunners who specialize in niche games. And if this little dog has decided to do it, who are we to judge?
Of course, Peanut Butter won’t be alone. He’ll be accompanied by JSR_, a speedrunner and also his owner, who will also participate in AGDQ 2024 by playing a slightly less niche game: Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. Does that mean Peanut Butter has assistance? No. JSR_ directs Peanut Butter’s actions, but he is the one executing all the necessary movements, just like a speedrunner would use instructions from another speedrunner in a run where they had their eyes covered.
To watch him in action, we’ll still have to wait until Awesome Games Done Quick 2024, which will take place between January 14th and 21st, 2024. All the funds raised during the event will be donated to the Prevent Cancer Foundation. And as always, we’ll keep you updated, especially with such handsome speedrunners like Peanut Butter.
