Skip To...
The Nintendo Switch Online retro video game catalog is a great way for players to revisit nostalgic memories or discover old classics for the very first time. The catalog is pretty expansive at this point, spanning five different systems and more than a hundred different titles. That doesn’t mean there aren’t still some major names missing from Nintendo Switch Online.
Nintendo has done a good job of giving frequent updates to add new titles like Mario Party 3. Hopefully, a lot of these games can land on the service in the future, because there aren’t many ways to legitimately experience some of these titles nowadays.
Final Fantasy (NES)
The original Final Fantasy for NES is one of the foundational reasons the JRPG genre is what it is today. That equally speaks to the game’s influence as much as it speaks to how dated the game can feel by today’s JRPG standards. That’s where the use of save states in Nintendo Switch Online could majorly work to this game’s benefit, making the game more accessible for big Final Fantasy fans who want to go back and experience where it all started, without having to rely on the overworld save feature like in the Pixel Remaster.
Thus far, though, it doesn’t seem like Square Enix is interested in putting any of their retro content on Nintendo Switch Online. If the company develops an interest in the future, there could be plenty of other titles added to NSO, like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.
Rayman 2: The Great Escape (N64)
Ubisoft’s platforming classic is tragically missing from the Nintendo 64 NSO catalog right now. Rayman 2: The Great Escape is one of the best platformers of the era and is the title that puts the franchise on the map for many gamers. The Rayman series has been sadly quiet since Rayman Legends a decade ago and it would be great to see it revisited via this game making a return to a modern console.
The original game in the series simply titled Rayman received a Game Boy Advance release in 2001, as well, and could be an equally solid addition to the service.
Truxton (Genesis)
The space shooting genre is still going in the modern gaming industry but isn’t nearly as impactful as it was back in the Sega Genesis era. Truxton wasn’t the most popular game of its time, but it is considered a hidden gem by many Genesis fans and diehards of its genre, which would make it a nice addition to the Genesis library on NSO. The art style of the game is brilliantly intense and matches perfectly with the game’s fierce action.
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness (N64)
Castlevania‘s transition into the third dimension received a public flogging with its original N64 game simply titled Castlevania 64. With how poorly received that game was, not many players were willing to try out its follow-up, Legacy of Darkness, which is a shame because this title is essentially a reworking of Castlevania 64 that fixes a lot of that game’s problems along with adding significant content upgrades. It looks better, plays better, and its addition to the N64 NSO catalog could be a big surprise to some who only know the game’s flawed predecessor.
Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade (GBA)
The Fire Emblem series has had a strange run in the West, marred by franchise entries getting very inconsistent releases outside of Japan. Despite the boom in popularity Fire Emblem saw following the release of Fire Emblem Awakening on the 3DS, many of the series’ earliest titles have still never seen a proper Western release. Nintendo and Intelligent Systems have shown some interest in doing so, however, with a localized port of the first game, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light getting a limited release on the Switch back in 2020.
This could bode well for other games like Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade finally getting an official English port. The game is already in the Japanese Game Boy Advance NSO catalog, so it could pretty easily make its way to the US and Europe in the future. Especially when considering Roy’s popularity in the US thanks to Super Smash Bros. it only makes sense for his original game to finally get a real release.
