When Super Mario 3D All-Stars was released last month, many players were disappointed to discover that the collection utilized emulation to bring some of the most critically acclaimed Mario games to the Switch instead of remaking them from the ground up.
This means that, instead of porting the code of these games to Switch, the games are actually just run through a basic emulator with high-res textures. Many Nintendo fans are torn on the use of emulation in the collection, with some excited for what it could mean for the Switch's future, and others frustrated by what they see as a lackluster collection.
10 Exciting: Working Emulators For Cheaper Ports
Now that it's known how 3D All-Stars made it to Switch, the existence of working Nintendo 64, Gamecube, and Wii emulators that run on the system creates nearly endless possibilities for potential Switch ports.
While it would be surprising to see a tremendous amount of games get ported over, these emulators would make it easier for Nintendo to bring classic games to the Switch. If Nintendo wanted to cheaply produce more Switch ports, these emulators make it easier than ever.
9 Disappointing: Low Effort
It's undeniable that fans were expecting more from a collection centered around 3D Mario games. Mario is one of the most important video game characters of all time, so seeing his anniversary collection overshadowed by other remakes and remasters stings.
Using emulation left Nintendo with very few opportunities to make large changes to the games. Fans expected that some of the games would be the same, but there was a large portion of the fanbase that expected a full remake of Super Mario 64, but it looks like that might never happen.
8 Exciting: Possible Future Update to NSO
Now that there are working emulators for other systems available on Switch, it could hint at possible updates coming for Nintendo Switch Online.
Currently, there are only two systems that NSO users can play games for: NES and SNES. These new working emulators could suggest that Nintendo is considering adding the N64, the Gamecube, or even the Wii to the NSO lineup. This would help NSO seem more worth the money and also make it a better alternative to its predecessor, the virtual console.
7 Disappointing: Emulation Could Have Held Back Mario 64
While Mario 64 still feels great to play in the collection, there are a lot of odd choices that Nintendo made when bringing the game to Switch.
The game runs at a lower resolution than the other games, wasn't changed to widescreen, and also wasn't updated to run at 60 FPS. All of these changes seem like they would have been easy to implement for such an older game, but it's possible that Nintendo's choice in emulation made it much simpler to leave these features out of Mario 64.
6 Exciting: It May Have Been The Only Way
Due to COVID-19, it's inevitable that Nintendo is under a lot of stress right now. It's very possible that they had initially planned for the collection to be so much more, but many of those plans had to be scrapped due to the pandemic. However, it's also extremely possible that this release was only planned because of COVID-19
Nintendo has been pretty limited with their releases of older games on the Switch. They took away the virtual console, and the only way to play many classic games is through NSO, which is far more scaled back. It's entirely possible that the easier emulation port was the only reason that Nintendo decided a 3D All-Stars game was worth pursuing while other games were put on hold. In a way, that would make this the only way that Nintendo would ever have released the game. If it takes emulation to play some of the best Mario games on Switch, then it may be worth the limited scope of the collection.
5 Disappointing: Very Few Changes
Due to the way that Nintendo ported the games to Switch, there are very few changes to the games themselves. Depending on who is asked, this may seem like a good thing. However, this means that there weren't many improvements made to some of the problems that the games have.
The best example of this is Super Mario Sunshine. Although this game is still beloved by many, it is one of the more rough-around-the-edges Mario platformers out there. This could have been an opportunity for Nintendo to improve the game.
4 Exciting: Small Changes Can Go A Long Way
Despite the lack of major changes, the games still feel better than they've ever felt on Switch. The new resolutions and textures show how beautiful these games have remained throughout the years.
Minor tweaks have been made to controls and UI as well, which has really accentuated what made these games great in the first place. This is made most clear in Super Mario Galaxy, which somehow still looks gorgeous over a decade later. For first-time players, these games can now live up to the expectation that gamers have placed on them.
3 Disappointing: Limited Presentation
Nintendo's choice in emulation may have bled into the way that they present the games in the collection. This collection contains some of the best Mario games of all time, but the presentation of the menus and extras really leaves a lot to be desired.
The inclusion of a music player is really neat, but there isn't much on top of that, other than a few descriptions about the impact that the games had. All of this isn't necessarily bad, but it could have been so much more if Nintendo wanted to put in a little bit more effort.
2 Exciting: The Use of Emulation-Style Menus
It's possible that this would have been included either way, but the in-game menu choices seem to be drawn directly from the style of traditional emulation menus. While playing one of the games, users can hit the minus button to bring up a separate menu to see controls, extra actions, and the ability to easily switch to another game.
This feature is a simpler one, but it's one that has made understanding the updated controls and switching between the games easier. The collect-a-thon gameplay of these games lends them to this quick pick-up-and-play style, so it's nice to easily switch games when ready.
1 Disappointing: Harder to Justify The Price
This is probably the biggest point for disappointing fans. Despite the small changes to these three games, the collection is still priced at a full $60. While it can be argued that these games still provide enough value to make that price worth it, it can be harder to swallow when other collections have a lot more changes with a lower price tag.
At the end of the day, these games are all over a decade old. If Mario 64 had been given the full remake, fans might have felt differently. However, the cheap emulation makes the full price harder for many to justify.