Mario 3D All Stars use of emulation causing controversy

Copies of Nintendo’s upcoming Super Mario 3D All Stars have leaked online, and are currently being combed through by data miners. According to reports, the games aren’t actually proper remasters, but are rather just ROMs of the original versions running via emulation.

Given that the three game compellation is selling for $60 USD, it’s causing some controversy within the gaming community. Since Nintendo owns the source code, it was hoped that these would be native Switch versions. Ones that would take advantage of newer features and improvements over the older titles, such as true widescreen and 60fps support. There’s certainly an argument out there that it’s a bit cheeky to sell 20 year old games for $20 a piece. A bit lazy too considering it’s Mario’s 35th anniversary. It also makes the Galaxy 2’s absence all the more puzzling.

That’s not to say that Nintendo hasn’t made a few improvements. Unlike Sony’s infamous PlayStation Classic, they are actually running on custom in-house emulators. Data miners have said that no public code has been found. So players should be able to expect tightly optimized experiences tailored for each game. Early reviews indicate that each title looks crisper than a fall day with no performance hiccoughs.

Nintendo isn’t the first company to release compellations of older titles through emulation either. Sega has been doing it for their AGES series courtesy of M2. Though the desire for proper remasters is certainly understandable at that price. Especially when you consider games like Yakuza Kiwami 1 & 2, which were full on remakes of their respective PS2 titles, retailed for under $30 a pop.

If there’s one positive thing to walk away from this with, it’s that Nintendo actually does have reliable in-house emulators for the N64, GameCube, and Wii. Which means that there’s no reason why they can’t release other popular titles from those platforms on the eShop or as part of their online service. It’s a feature that a lot of Nintendo fans have been clamoring for ever since the Switch came out. I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing the classic Rogue Squadron games, or Wii Sports getting Switch releases. Heck, I’d even settle for an emulated version of Skyward Sword if they’re not going to give us a proper HD remaster.

Mario 3D All Stars is set to drop on September 18th. We’ll likely take a look at the game once I have it in hand and have a chance to play it.