Some interesting info about Nintendo Switch Online was dug up recently by a data miner known as KapuccinnoHeck on Twitter. Kapu says that “I was finally able to look around NES Online’s strings a bit myself and noticed the sheer amount of SNES games planned,” thus answering the prayers of those who are less than satisfied by the company’s Nintendo Entertainment System-only offerings on their online service thus far.

The list of games divulged includes:

  • Breath of Fire 2
  • Contra 3: The Alien Wars
  • Demon’s Crest
  • F-Zero
  • Kirby’s Dream Course
  • Kirby’s Dream Land 3
  • Kirby Super Star
  • Pilotwings
  • Pop’n Twinbee
  • Star Fox
  • Star Fox 2
  • Stunt Race FX
  • Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
  • Super Mario All-Stars
  • Super Mario Kart
  • Super Mario World
  • Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
  • Super Metroid
  • Super Punch-Out!!
  • Super Soccer
  • The Legend of the Mystical Ninja
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Suffice to say, while much of the list is what you would expect from a series of retro re-releases from Nintendo, there are some surprises on here. For starters, Super Soccer from Human Entertainment is a game that never made it to the Virtual Console, nor the Super NES Classic Edition, though it did eventually see a re-release in Japan on the latter’s equivalent, the Nintendo Classic Mini: Super Famicom.

Of likely greater interest along those lines is Super Mario All-Stars. While this game was never re-released digitally for the Virtual Console by Nintendo (nor on the Super NES Classic Edition), it did receive a bare-bones port for the Wii in 2010 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of the original Super Mario Bros., and was re-released as a part of the Nintendo Selects lineup of best-sellers in 2016.

Even greater interest might be the lineup of titles which originally employed the use of the Super FX Chip all those years ago. Nintendo would never re-release Star Fox digitally, while fans would have to make do with the Game Boy Advance version of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, which is often argued as inferior to the original.

Both titles would eventually get another release, however, as a part of the 21-game lineup on the Super NES Classic Edition. Furthermore, they were joined by Star Fox 2, a Super NES sequel to the original that would be canceled in favor of Star Fox 64 on the Nintendo 64, available only as an incomplete ROM online until Nintendo surprised everyone with an official release of the finished version on the miniature console.

That said, the Super NES Classic Edition was missing the last of the first-party titles Nintendo released with the Super FX Chip. As such, the inclusion of cult-favorite (a “cult” which includes yours truly) Stunt Race FX has several people excited for the opportunity to once again play this game on modern hardware (and portably, at that).

As the name implies, Stunt Race FX is an arcade-style racing game featuring cartoonishly-styled vehicles that was developed by Nintendo EAD, with an assist from Argonaut Software. It scored well with reviewers for the most part, and sold over one million copies, but apparently not enough that Nintendo had any wishes to develop the series further.

If this list does indeed prove indicative of Nintendo’s future plans (something which could always change), then this may bode well for other titles which have not seen releases in the company’s previous digital storefronts. Of course, the option to purchase titles in a fashion with a little more permanence would also be nice, but that’s another matter. Throw in Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime’s recent comments about ceasing production of the Super NES (and NES) Classic Edition, and this may be the only way to play several of these titles without scouring the internet for old copies.

David Oxford David Oxford (113 Posts)

Lover of fine foods and felines, as well as comics, toys, and... oh yeah, video games. David Oxford has written about the latter for years, including for Nintendo Power, Nintendo Force, Mega Visions, and he even wrote the book on Mega Man!