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Before we get started, some housekeeping. For the most part, we went with the earliest initial release date for a game on whatever platform it first came out on. However, with histories in different regions sometimes spread across multiple years (hello, Super Mario World), there are instances below where we’ve taken a modicum of liberty in order to accommodate a certain deserving favourite. Complaints to the usual address.
In some cases, we’ve added honorable mentions and even notable nominations other than the switch. You’ll also notice that the excellent Atari 50 series and Hamster’s Arcade Archives do the heavy lifting on the early years (and we had to get creative with 1972-1975 – let us know in the comments if you have suggestions for those early years). All in all, we think you’ll agree that the wealth of historical titles available to play on Nintendo’s minuscule console is impressive.
So, enough ado. Let’s start at…well, not a very The beginning, but certainly much closer to it than we are now. Come with us now on a journey through time and space, back to Minnesota in the year 1971…
publisher: Gameloft / Developer: Gameloft
Created as an educational tool for students at a Minneapolis high school, The Oregon Trail is an “edutainment” text-based adventure famous for teaching American children about the dangers of dysentery to pioneers in the mid-nineteenth century. As with many of the games near the top of this list, the original game is available to play for free online (via Oregon Tourism Board websiteand no less), but it’s also available on Switch in a heavily updated and updated form from Gameloft.
We haven’t played this game, unfortunately, but let us know in the comments if you enjoyed Dying of Dysentery on Switch.
publisher: Atari / Developer: digital eclipse
We promise we won’t cheat much from now on, but pick-ups were slim in the early 70’s, so you’ll have to forgive us for basic Atari usage pong From 1972 to cover a few years.
Given the game’s enduring and mobile popularity, it’s probably appropriate to have it span three entries. The version in the Atari 50 collection of Digital Eclipse is about as authentic as you could hope, and this isn’t the last time we’ll be based on that particular collection, as you’ll soon find out.
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publisher: Atari / Developer: digital eclipse
primitive cutouts game, go ahead It sees you bounce a “ball” off a ping-pong-like paddle at the bottom of the screen and use it to slash between rows of bricks at the top. Looks like Atari’s Nolan Bushnell wanted something similar to a single-player version of Pong, and that’s pretty much what Breakout is.
It was a massive hit, and would go on to inspire 1978’s Taito which we’ll get to shortly…
publisher: Atari / Developer: digital eclipse
fighting It was the quintessential package title that came with every Atari VCS/2600 system from its release in 1977 through 1982. While the “27 VIDEO GAMES” advertised as containing the box may seem a little far-fetched by modern standards (these 27 titles consist of From different modes to a few games), such as tank And Jet In this group, many players were introduced to competitive multiplayer at home.
publisher: Taito / Developer: Taito
In a broader cultural sense, perhaps more so than Mario or Pac-Man, Space Invaders and “video games” are synonymous. Only one of these three has its own emoji on your phone keyboard, and it’s not the fat plumber or the yellow dude. Taito’s shooting is cited as the inciting incident in the origin stories of many notable figures in the gaming industry, including Shigeru Miyamoto, who we understand has a few strikes to his name.
Space Invaders is required reading, and luckily you can do that by reading on Switch.
publisher: Atari / Developer: digital eclipse
The Atari 50 comes to the rescue again with this vector-shaped masterpiece that gives you the freedom to move anywhere you want, firing your ship’s missiles to avoid and target the aptly named space obstacles flying at you from every direction. Your craft’s sense of inertia, precise physics, and controls still impress today, and serve as callbacks to early video games like space war! and Nolan Bushnell computer space.
publisher: Bandai Namco / Developer: Bandai Namco
Another one of gaming icons known even by people who’ve never held a joystick or pad before, Pac-Man’s maze-based antics with his ghostly opponents (Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde) are designed as a non-violent alternative to the popular BLASTY fighting games. -BLASTY Atari and Taito to great acclaim. We’d argue that devouring your enemies and imprisoning them in an enclosed space isn’t quite the pacifist antidote to space invaders as was suggested, but the arcade pioneers of the early ’80s just couldn’t get enough.
Honorable Mentions: Missile command and adventure
publisher: hamster / Developer: Nintendo
Mario (or rather, Jumpman) may seem quite limited in his abilities (and dying with a short fall is very old school), but Donkey Kong is still a fun game. Tougher than the NES port, it can become quite addictive as you seek to improve your high score. For fans of the game and the vertical orientation of the OG arcade cabinet, the Arcade Archives version compatible with TATE mode is the “Definitive Edition”. Three versions of it with a handful of display options and Hamster’s usual array of modes and online leaderboards make this a great choice for high-scoring chasers sticking to the right pedigree.
Honorable Mentions: Galaga, Frogger Defender, Tempest, Centipede
publisher: hamster
Sneaking into Japanese arcades in December 1982, Namco Xworth introduced visuals that were not uncommon in arcades at the time and stands alongside Mighty Space Invaders as one of the most influential entries in the shooter genre. We’re totally partial to the self-driving 3D Classics release on the 3DS, but the Switch version presents TATE mode in all its glory.
Fun fact: Xevious is an unlockable game in Star Fox: Assault on GameCube. Nope, this is not on Switch. Sorry we brought it up.
Honorable Mentions: Donkey Kong Jr., Burger Time, Millipede, Dig Dig
No-switch Nom: headmasterMrs. Pac-Man impasse
publisher: hamster / Developer: Nintendo
Mario Bros. might be a game. It’s the game many remember as the bonus mode you’ve never played on all of those GBA Super Mario ports, but it’s an important release and one you can enjoy in all its original glory on Switch.
While it didn’t enjoy anywhere near the success of Donkey Kong, it is nonetheless an important entry in the Nintendo canon, featuring Mario and his Green Mario Luigi is in the sewers doing some neighborhood plumbing for a change.
Honorable Mentions: Lift work, track and field
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