Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition Reviews
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is a good compilation, but it has a hollow structure. The speedrun gameplay is intriguing and capable of making players spend a good few minutes getting the best times. However, everything around this premise doesn't make the game stand out. The lack of other types of challenges besides the speed objectives, online modes with rankings and participation limited to weekly only, and the lack of customization in local multiplayer make the exciting tournament atmosphere last very little. This makes us wonder about the value of the title within the Switch's first-party library. Due to its simplicity, the game seems more like a Nintendo Switch Online bonus than a paid release on the Nintendo eShop. Probably, if the game were part of the service, its setbacks would be easier to digest.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition does exactly what it sets out to do: give the average gamer a taste of what speedrunning is all about, and provide them with a sense of achievement and mastery over NES classics. It doesn't do much more, showing complacency in the superfluous extra modes, in the refusal to revamp the 13 classics it includes, and in the lack of interest in celebrating speedrunning culture or even the championships that gave the game its name. This is a step backwards from NES Remix that holistically shows humble ambitions, not reflected in the price of a proposal that could well be a bonus on the Nintendo Switch Online service.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
As a budget speedrunning title, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is perfectly fine, though it’s slim in terms of extra content. As this is the NES Edition, I can only hope we go into SNES, Game Boy, and even possibly Nintendo 64 territory in the future. The game is an incredibly addictive title if you fall into the niche of speedrun enjoyers. For those who are fans of stuff like Awesome Games Done Quick, this is well worth the asking price, and its addictive multiplayer features with Survival and Party mode will see you playing until the early hours trying to shave milliseconds off of your Metroid hi-scores. If on the other hand, you don’t see the appeal of being the fastest you can, you’ll not find much here to justify the price tag.
While the social component of the game is strong, the micro challenges that underpin it are ultimately too insignificant to stand the test of time.
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is a surprisingly fun collection, but it falls short of a satisfying single-player offering. This is a great tool for beginner speedrunners or those simply looking to dive back into some classic NES titles. I'm most curious to see how the game might evolve, whether through updates or with a new entry.
It has plenty of flaws that are very easy to see, and I’m sure those will frustrate lots of people. But at the same time, these games are classics for a reason, and even if the experience isn’t wholly perfect, the package is still enjoyable enough that it’s sure to please pretty much everyone who plays it.
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition will heavily appeal to a specific group of players, but it’s a very enjoyable title for the unique experience it provides. Casual players will likely not find as much to do here, but those who are raring to clash with others in iconic NES games are in for a treat.
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is a nice flashback with some cool features, but still feels limited in ultimate approach and concept. You will love the nostalgia, but those who don't have a competitive itch are best to dig out their oldies.
Meanwhile, for the average first-party game price, players can also opt to treat themselves with the Deluxe Edition, which includes the game, pins, art prints, and a decorative Gold-colored NES™ Game Pak, which is a considerably great deal as well. Either way, you can’t go wrong and this is bound to be a joyous addition to everyone's collection.
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, and I'm already thinking of challenging a few friends in the near future. Nintendo has used its creativity to bring back its classics and give them a fun and original alternative. I hope the company will use this to resume competitions, and that an SNES Edition will soon follow.
Review in French | Read full review
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is a release held together by sentiment and atmosphere, partly because that aspect of the game is so good and partly because the remainder of the game is so devoid of merit.
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition delivers a very nostalgic challenge. If you have the option to play against other players in local multiplayer with up to eight participants, you can have many hours of fun. If you're close to pro level, that's additionally the case in the two asynchronous challenge modes Survival and World Championship. But if you play solo (not being a pro) after maybe five hours you've seen anything the game has to offer.
Review in German | Read full review
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition lets you re-experience the classics in challenges that test your speedrunning skills. With quick mini-games that are easy to dive into, there's something for casual players and aspiring speedrunners. However, this game won't let you re-experience the classics in their glory; it's all about speedrunning. If you aren't into practicing well into the night to shave milliseconds off your record, the appeal quickly dwindles.
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition has a lot to love, and it would be great to see a similar treatment for SNES and N64 in the future.
Despite having little interest in the reveal, having spent over a week on Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, I am now a convert and feel more connected to the past of Nintendo than I have in years. With a crisp and vibrant package that is a blast from the past, Nintendo continues to produce and deliver the best way to engage with the publisher's history.
The concept of “Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition” is simple and ingenious. The little speedrun challenges are nerve-wracking and addictive — both in single player and in local multiplayer or online mode. Overall, I would have liked a few more NES classics and more game modes. But for the relatively low price of the game, you still get an extremely entertaining retro package that lets you experience NES classics in a completely new way.
Review in German | Read full review