9 Reasons You Should Be Thankful For The Nintendo Switch

6. A Monthly Service That Makes You Care About Its Games

Zelda Link To The Past
Nintendo

There's a divisive opinion amongst many industry commentators that discounting games en masse - like say, in a Steam sale or for free over PS Plus/Xbox Live - devalues them as products.

Personally, I don't mind myself ever going back to these games after the initial few hours of play, and instead they're relegated to the archive of 'stuff I own', a far cry away from the same level of respect and attention I put on something I've actually bought.

In an attempt to make you care about which games you're getting each month, Nintendo are making them timed offers. You'll gain access to two NES or SNES games per month - with additional online functionality, adding scoreboards for a competitive element - and then they're gone again. It's somewhat divisive to say, but by doing this, it does force you to 'make the most' of the games themselves, as oppose to treating that month's slew of freebies as what you'll 'get back to' somewhere down the line.

Maybe it'll fail. Maybe it's simply ridiculous to compare the two ideologies, but there's something to be said for how monthly payment models can make games feel disposable. Something that Nintendo could upend.

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Gaming Editor
Gaming Editor

WhatCulture's Head of Gaming.