Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition

At its best, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is a game I love, and I say that as someone typically not a speedrunning fan. But Nintendo did not give the NES the same respect here that they did in the NES Remix titles. This approach is more indifferent without question, reflecting a company going through the motions with this release. Only Nintendo can still manage to pull off a game this good—possibly one of my favorites of 2024—despite such bad habits.

Parfaite introduction au speedrun et au dépassement de soi en général, Nintendo World Championships NES Edition met tout en place pour que chacun s’amuse en progressant à son rythme, sans frustration. Véritable voyage temporel nous ramenant à l’époque de la NES, le jeu nous invite à (re)découvrir d’une façon originale certains des classiques qui ont marqué l’histoire du jeu vidéo. Alors non, contrairement à ce que l’on pourrait supposer, Nintendo World Championships NES Edition ne s’adresse pas qu’aux “superplayers” comme on les appelait dans les années 90, ou aux fans inconditionnels de Nintendo ou encore aux plus nostalgiques d’entre nous. Il s’adresse plus globalement aux joueurs ouverts à expérimenter une nouvelle façon de jouer et curieux d’explorer un échantillon d’œuvres cultes. Comme quoi, même en matière de jeu vidéo, il ne faut pas se fier aux apparences.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is an interesting idea for a compilation, but it's hard to enjoy when so much of it reveals a game that blatantly feels rushed, be it in its weak online modes or the uneven spread of challenges with little variety. There are definitely nice challenges here to tackle that put up a good fight, and hints of clever inclusions like the Classified Information guides, but there's too little here at the moment to keep anyone hooked beyond a few hours at best. Sorry Nintendo, but this won't even get you the bronze.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is a fun new way to revisit some of the NES’ classic library. Playing speedrunner is a good time no matter your usual play style, and the scale of challenge is there for the hardcore who want to take it on. It’s slightly limited online functionality and the restrictions of what you can’t access in these retro games do cast a shadow, as well as some doubts on its longevity.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition doesn't beat the NES Remix series as the king of Nintendo throwbacks, but its quick restarts, competitive modes, and nostalgic vibes guarantee a fun time, especially in local multiplayer.

For just $25, Nintendo World Championship is an exhilarating new way to play a handful of classic games, but it does fall far behind the brilliance of Nintendo’s previous NES compilations. In its online component, it’s thrilling, but it’s not a must-have for anyone except the biggest fans of Nintendo’s history.