The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) revolutionized the video game industry as gamers know it, and many titles for the system are still held in high regard. Some games are being discovered to this day, such as alost NES driving game revived from floppy disksby the Video Game History Foundation, but those who want to experience old classics with a fresh coat of paint can turn to the 3dSen emulator released through Steam Early Access today.
Unlike basic emulators such as the recently released Citra 3DS Emulator thatplays 3DS games on Android devices, 3dSen markets itself as the “future of retro” by converting the classic 2D sprites for characters and environmental setpieces into 3D, allowing players to experience the touched-up games in realtime. The developer, who goes by vutruc80 on Steam and released the game under Geod Studio, has supported 70 games since starting the project in 2015 according to the most current listing from May 2020.
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Among the offerings are titles most people would be familiar with, fromSuper Mario Bros. 1and3to the first threeMega Mangames, the originalLegend of Zelda, and more. There are also “modern homebrew” titles available, such as a version of thetrendy mobile gameFlappy Bird, all including features like save states, dynamic skyboxes, and a separate version supporting VR headsets.
The early access version of3dSenis currently available for $9.99, with plans to do a full release in mid- to late-2020 with more potential features like a first-person view mode and possibly a different price range based on “community feedback.” In fact, the developer is encouraging any and all feedback they can get as being “super important for the future of3dSen,” which has the potential to be an interesting take on a huge catalog ofNEStitles.
However, other attempts to preserve classic games online have unfortunately been stifled. An18-year-old emulator site removed its offerings in 2018due to legal action by Nintendo, so hopefully3dSendoes not see quite the same backlash given its more unique take on the subject matter.
