Nintendo Launching Arcade Line-Up For Nintendo Switch

While we're still a little perplexed as to why Nintendo won't just confirm the Virtual Console service for the system already, it's still paying loving tribute to its classics, as it revealed today during its Nintendo Direct special that it will be releasing various arcade titles for the Switch, with one of the first games set to arrive later this month.

Called the Arcade Archives collection, the series is meant to pay tribute to the company's old-school arcade days, and the first title is all about Mario kicking turtle butt in the classic Mario Bros.

Pricing hasn't been revealed for the games just yet, but they're likely to be pretty cheap.

These games will be based on the arcade counterparts, and not the NES versions, so you'll recognize the classic coin-op code from these games. There may also be a function where you can insert coins, just for old time's sake.

As expected, Mario Bros. will support two players, like the original arcade game, and should offer hours of fun for a reasonable price. But that's not the only game that's coming, as other titles from the arcade days have been confirmed to be on the way as well. These include…

• Super Mario Bros.
• Balloon Fight
• Ice Climber
• Pinball
• Clu Clu Land
• Punch-Out!! (keep in mind this will be based on the original arcade edition, and not the NES edition)

While Nintendo is likely to revisit the idea of Virtual Console once its online service launches in 2018, for now, this'll certainly do when it comes to getting some retro-themed thrills on, especially if you miss the classic Mario Bros. game that introduced us to Luigi and those pesky turtles.

We'll let you know once pricing is confirmed for the games, but we should know in just a few days, with the first title debuting later this month. Here's hoping Nintendo keeps its Arcade Archives series going throughout the next year, with even more classics. What we wouldn't give to play R-Type again in all its glory – or maybe even some third-party favorites like Vs. Castlevania and Vs. The Goonies. We can dream, right?