Officially, the cost of the Nintendo DS Game & Watch Collection is “free.” Unofficially, it costs:
- Way too much luxury income
- A devotion to spending the majority of said income on Nintendo software, specifically the most popular Nintendo software, rather than the best
- Obsessive compulsive disorder, to be able to click enough times to actually get into the Club Nintendo Website (slogan: “unable to handle traffic volumes since 2008”).
Naturally, I had mine ordered on day one. But was it worth it?
That really depends on your point of view. As a trophy representing my multiple mental disorders, it’s a pretty good one—the US version of the game is still pretty hard to find on Ebay, so the only way to get it is by basically being a lunatic.
As for the game itself, well, it’s just a really high-fidelity recreation of three Game & Watch games. Two of those games, Donkey Kong and Oil Panic (the third game is Green House), are older than I am, and I’m an old man. You’ll probably not be surprised to know that LCD games from the early 80s don’t really hold up today. So it all comes down to nostalgia factor. Unfortunately, these three games are not the ones I enjoyed as a kid—most were probably drawn to the Mario and Zelda games, while I have an affinity for Life Boat and Octopus (the latter of which was wisely sat on for the currently Japan-only sequel).
If the nostalgia factor is there, you’ll be happy to note these things are basically “arcade perfect.” You can even see the shadows of the LCD characters when they’re unlit, and the clock functionality is fully accounted for. That’s kind of tickling, and it’s rare, and you don’t have to spend any actual money (at least, no more than you have already). It does well what it sets out to do. So let’s say a B, then?
Score: B. It’s no Tingle’s Balloon Fight. Hey Club Nintendo, I’m sick of being forced to import my Tingle games!
Related Links:
Club Nintendo Is a Little Greedy
When Tiger Handhelds Ruined Hope and Birthdays
WiiWare: Nintendo, Babe, It Just Isn’t Working Out