Like any long-standing game company, Nintendo is no stranger to celebrating their franchises with compilations. They’ve been compiling games ever since the PlayChoice-10 arcade cabinets (which were way before my time) to as recently as Nintendo Switch Online. But while other Japanese publishers like Capcom and Konami have had a more consistent track record with their game compilations, Nintendo has a noticeably spottier reputation when you consider their output. They vary wildly in quality, but I’m gonna talk about a few compilations out there that I own (along with one that I don’t), one per game franchise:
**[Super Mario All Stars](https://youtu.be/OGW4wrVTdow):** This was released for the Super Nintendo in 1993 and brought us 16-bit remasters of Super Mario Bros 1, 2, 3, and Lost Levels AKA the original Super Mario Bros 2. Along with the new visuals came remastered music and new jumping physics, some of which caught me off guard when I first played it. I was used to the more generous physics of newer 2D Mario games, so seeing Mario lose momentum when hitting blocks definitely raised an eyebrow and led to me getting hit every once in a while. I own the Wii version with none of the physical extras, which is apparently just the old SNES ROM burned onto a Wii disc with no new changes or additions. Very underwhelming, especially compared to what’s coming up.
**[The Legend of Zelda Collector’s Edition](https://youtu.be/q0nkWYcJF30):** This was a special set available in the early 2000s as a preorder bonus for the then-upcoming Wind Waker, as well as to subscribers of Nintendo Power magazine some time later. This bundle includes Zelda 1, Zelda 2, Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, along with a demo disc for Wind Waker and a retrospective video on the series up to that point. As someone who did not grow up with a GameCube, I had to rely on secondhand accounts on the collection’s quality. And based on what I’ve seen across the interwebs, the emulation of Majora’s Mask in particular was quite problematic. But the collection did include the first ever official release of Master Quest for Ocarina, so that’s something.
**[Metroid Prime Trilogy](https://youtu.be/u8klx34R8m8):** It’s hard to believe that there was a time where we doubted an unknown American studio would be able to recapture what made the 2D Metroid games so special. Yet here we are with one of the strongest video game trilogies of the 21st century and fans begging for more. This immaculate 2009 collection brings together enhanced Wii ports of Metroid Prime 1 and 2 along with the third game and a multiplayer mode into one dual-layered disc. The first two games were re-outfitted with Prime 3’s Wii controls, and they play beautifully with the remote in my opinion. It’s so seamless to just point at whatever problems needed shooting, and you don’t even have to think about it. However these new controls are mandatory, as you can’t revert to a more traditional controller if you want to play that way. The credits system (basically an achievement system you can redeem for extra goodies) was also applied to the first two games, but some credits are unusable nowadays given that they previously relied on the Wii’s online services to operate. This collection is available digitally on the Wii U eShop if you don’t wanna pay a premium, but that’s going away in less than 2 months so act fast.
**[Kirby’s Dream Collection](https://youtu.be/nA6cqE5gDIs):** This might just be Nintendo’s magnum opus when it comes to game compilations. Released for the Wii in 2012 as the final first party Nintendo game for the system, HAL Labs pulled out all the stops to celebrate the pink puffball’s 20th anniversary. Right from the outset, you can jump into six Kirby games ranging from the original Dream Land to Kirby 64, which play about exactly as you remember them. But the best thing about this package in my opinion are the extras. There’s an entire set of new exclusive challenge stages based on Kirby’s Return to Dream Land, one of which allows you to play with the Smash copy ability! In addition the museum mode features an interactive timeline with cute bits of real world trivia, scans of box sets to mess around with, gameplay videos of games not featured in the collection and, most shocking of all, three full length episodes of the Kirby Right Back At Ya anime series. It’s a wonderful tribute to the franchise, and I suppose my only real gripe is that it never released in Europe or Australia for some reason. Ah well, at least you guys got Disaster: Day of Crisis to make up for it right?
by Asad_Farooqui
7 Comments
Did you forget about Super Mario 3D All-Stars?
Not as high profile as these, but there’s also Japan-exclusive Nintendo Puzzle Collection, for the GameCube (genre-thematic collection featuring Panel de Pon, Yoshi’s Cookie, and Dr. Mario 64).
Nintendo has always been very conscious about the value of their games and the cost/work it takes to make them. Offering several different games in one package is something they do only in rare occasions and for very good reasons.
Capcom, Konami, et altri, have a very different position in the market (since they are third parties and don’t have a platform to give them constant revenue like Nintendo) and as such they often decide to compile their games so they can have a quick ROI. In the long run though, this does ends up devaluing their games and IP in the eyes of the public.
There was also Mother 1 + 2 compilation released in Japan for GBA in 2003.
Edit: also Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp on switch
Edit2: oh and don’t forget about NES Remix Pack (aka Famicom Remix 1+2 in Japan) for WiiU
The Game and Watch collections for the Gameboy should count. I know they made it onto the 3DS E-shop but it’s shame the Switch didn’t get a collection like this containing the GW originals and modern takes. It would be perfect for playing on the go with the quick sleep option.
You forgot game and watch gallery
As I posted before you deleted the original version of this post:
You’re conflating two different Zelda releases for GameCube.
Ocarina of Time was a preorder bonus for The Wind Waker. It included the original game and Master Quest.
Collector’s Edition was later included with consoles, and available to My Nintendo members who had registered at least five games within some period of time. It included The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, the original Ocarina of Time only, and Majora’s Mask. The Wind Waker demo was on the same disc.
What game compilations do capcom and konami have?