In 2018, we lamented that Nintendo officially replaced the Virtual Console – its long-running line of downloadable classic games on the Wii and Wii U – with time-limited access to a set of games through a paid Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Now, Hamster Corporation is doing what Nintendo no longer does by offering downloadable versions of retro console games for individual purchase directly on the Switch 2.
As part of today’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, Hamster announced a new console archive line of exemplary classics available for download starting today on Switch 2 and next week on PlayStation 5 (sorry, Xbox and OG Switch fans). So far that lineup only includes the original PlayStation snowboarding title cool boarders $12 more for NES action platformer Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos for $8, but Hamster promises more obscure games, including Doraemon And Sonic Wings SpecialWill be available in the future.
If Hamster Corporation’s name sounds familiar, that’s because the company is behind the Arcade Archive series, which since 2014 has remastered different arcade games for purchase and simulates play on modern consoles. That effort, which celebrated its 500th release in December, also includes some of Nintendo’s classic arcade titles that the Switch-maker never officially released on the original Virtual Console.
Now Hamster says it is expanding its efforts “with the concept of faithfully reproducing masterpieces released on various home game consoles, allowing players to easily enjoy them on the latest hardware.” Although these new offerings are more subdued than the full-blown interactive museums released by the likes of Digital Eclipse, they still include some modern features, such as customizable button layouts, screen settings, and the ability to save and load at any time.
<a href