Nintendo just released three games on Nintendo Switch Online’s Nintendo Entertainment System app. Let’s have a look at them!
Here’s what I thought of each:
Nintendo Entertainment System App
| Game | Genre | # of Players | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ikari Warriors | Top-Down Action | 1-2 Co-Op (Local, Online) | D+ |
tl;drSadly, this port of Ikari Warriors to console doesn’t fare nearly as well as Guerilla War. Like in that game, this game lost the ability to independently aim and got a graphical downgrade, but the downgrade is far more severe here, with a frustratingly low framerate. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the characters now control like you’re steering a car, having to be turned around. The result is a game that’s far inferior to its arcade counterpart, and not very fun to play. | |||
| Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom | Action-Platformer | 1 | B |
tl;drThis game is nowhere near as iconic as the second game in the series, and it’s still very “Nintendo Hard”, but it’s a bit more fair, with better hit detection, less flickering, and less absurd recoil when an enemy hits you. The result is a better overall game. | |||
| R.C. Pro-Am 2 | Isometric Racing | 1-2 Competitive (Local Split-Screen / Online Split-Screen) | B- |
tl;drThis is a somewhat more-polished take on the Isometric Racing formula presented in the first game, and shhares its same primary issue – it’s too close to the action, so you have far too little time to anticipate upcoming turns and hazards. While the original release supported 4-player play using an adapter, this release on Nintendo Switch Online only supports 2. | |||
Two of these are games I’ve reviewed before elsewhere – I looked at Ninja Gaiden III on the Wii U Virtual Console, and my opinion remains much the same – that is the best game in the original Ninja Gaiden trilogy, even if it isn’t as iconic as Ninja Gaiden II. This completes the trilogy in the NES app on Nintendo Switch Online, and it’s nice to see the entire original trilogy here.
Meanwhile, Ikari Warriors I reviewed as a part of the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection and… yup, this is every bit as much the stinker now as it was then, with terrible flickering graphics filled with nasty slowdown and clunky controls.
The only game in this trio I haven’t previously reviewed is R.C. Pro-Am II and… well, this is pretty similar to the first game, which I previously reviewed on the NES app. And as I say, it suffers from similar problems to the original game, and it’s sadly lacking the game’s original 4-Player competitive support.
Despite the issues, I would still argue 2 out of these 3 games are still well worth playing today, with the odd one out being Ikari Warriors. But on the bright side, both of the others are solid games, and Ninja Gaiden III is excellent. So all-around I think this makes for an excellent month for the app.
tl;dr – The NES app gets three games this month – Ikari Warriors, Ninja Gaiden III, and R.C. Pro-Am II. Out of the three games, Ikari Warriors is the only stinker, and the other two are genuinely good. Overall, this is a solid addition to the app.
You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!
This month’s sponsors are Jamie and His Cats, Ben, Ilya Zverev, Andy Miller, Johannes, Jaka, Jared Wark, Gabriel Coronad-Medina, Francis Obst, Kristoffer Wulff, Seth Christenfeld, and Vince Verrinoldi. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!
eShopperReviews 
Leave a comment