Nintendo will detail the upcoming Switch Online service later today, but the Shacknews Staff put our heads together to come up with a list of games that we would love to see on the platform. Please take a look.
GoldenEye 007 Online (N64)
Thinking back to Nintendo's 64-bit years, it's hard not to reminisce about Goldeneye 007. Not only was Rare's spy-based shooter one of the biggest games to land on the Nintendo 64, it was also one of the most popular multiplayer games available on the system. Plenty of gamers in the world still get their kicks by loading up Goldeneye 007 with a group of friends, which really makes the game an obvious choice for Nintendo Switch Online functionality. Just having Goldeneye 007 on the Switch would be a huge win for gamers, but bringing in online multiplayer, complete with the game's five different deathmatch modes, is about as sure a recipe for success as Nintendo fans could possibly imagine. -Kevin Tucker
Star Fox 64 Online (N64)
Star Fox 64 has managed to age gracefully in the two decades since its initial release, and its timeless action and charm make it an obvious candidate for the addition of modern online functionality. Players could definitely get their kicks out of something as simple as leaderboards, but adding online and/or co-op play could easily turn Star Fox 64 into one of the most exciting Nintendo releases of the modern era. Any of the game's basic Versus Modes would be well-suited to online play, but online co-op could completely revolutionize the Star Fox 64 experience: branch paths could be opened that require actions from more than one player, bosses could be tweaked to present more of a challenge for two-to-four players, and the scale of all-range mode battles like Katina could be ramped up tremendously. Hell, we'd be excited even if Nintendo simply added the option for a second player to join an otherwise-normal campaign run. -Kevin Tucker
Wave Race 64 Online (N64)
Racing games are a no-brainer when it comes to online play, but very few involve jet skis and stunt ramps. I’m a big sucker for water effects and Wave Race in particular had some of the most chillax and entertaining race tracks in the Nintendo 64’s catalog. Being able to compete online against several friends would be a day at the beach without any of that pesky outdoors nonsense or sunblock. This is definitely a franchise that would be great to see make a comeback too. -Blake Morse
Mario Superstar Baseball Online (GameCube)
Nintendo Switch doesn't have a baseball game worth a damn and Mario Superstar Baseball fits perfectly in our hypothetical lineup. The game was another Mario sports game, but it balanced arcade elements with fundamentally solid baseball gameplay. This GameCube game would be instantly improved if it were brought to Nintendo Switch Online service as it never really had a chance to flourish online. I played a ridiculous amount of this game back in the day, and would welcome its return to a Nintendo platform. -Asif Khan
Mario Party 64 Online (N64)
Some of the greatest times I've ever had with other gamers was enjoying a few rounds of Mario Party 64. Many say that it, like Mario Kart 64, has the power to dismantle even the strongest of relationships. I say it was one of the best games the system had to offer. Its classic collection of 50 strong mini games, various modes of play, and cutthroat star collecting helped build a strong foundation for the relationship between my father and I. Without having friends over or inviting Mom to play, we inevitably had to resort to playing with CPU-controlled characters, and that meant Yoshi cheated and Donkey Kong was a regular target. Imagining playing this hilarious and competitive game with some of my closest friends around the world via Nintendo Switch Online sounds like a dream come true, especially since the original was the epitome of the Mario Party series. It doesn't get much better than this one, folks, and online multiplayer for Switch would be absolutely amazing. -Brittany Vincent
Diddy Kong Racing Online (N64)
Diddy Kong Racing may not have been the most popular Nintendo-branded racer on the Nintendo 64, but it certainly was a fan favorite. Very few games have attempted to reproduce the title's signature blend of ground, sea, and air racing, making Diddy Kong Racing something of a rarity in the gaming world. Not only was it a stylish kart-style racer in its own right, it was also a popular multiplayer title, with special battle mode variants that allowed players to flex their skills as well as their reflexes. This is why Diddy Kong Racing would make a great fit for Nintendo Switch Online functionality: it would give players the chance to relive one of the most unique racers in Nintendo's history, plus it would also breathe some fresh air into a genre that's essentially dominated by the likes of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. -Kevin Tucker
F-Zero/Mario Kart Online (SNES)
F-Zero and Mario Kart are two iconic racing games that blasted onto the scene on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. F-Zero was only single-player on SNES and an online component would take that racer to the next level. While Mario Kart supported local multiplayer, opening the game up to online play would take battle modes and races to a whole new place. Both racers would be perfect additions to Nintendo Switch Online service, and it isn't like Nintendo is going to make a new F-Zero game anytime soon. -Asif Khan
Pokemon Stadium 2 Online (N64)
Pokemon Stadium 2 is chockfull of silly minigames, but the feature attraction was an arena where two players could select a lineup of pocket monsters and do battle. Gathering around your TV with friends to watch Pikachu, Charizard, and other Poke-favorites duking it out on a 64-bit console instead of against monochromatic backdrops was the closest Poke-fans got to a console-based installment of Nintendo's once-handheld-exclusive franchise. -David Craddock
Duck Hunt Online (NES)
I’m not sure how there’s only been one Duck Hunt in the last 30 years or so. Maybe it’s because light guns and violence towards animals doesn’t sit as well with people as it did way back when. But then, how could we explain the success of Big Buck Hunter? At any rate, IF Duck Hunt were to make a return with online functions it would be great if it was asymmetrical PvP. One player could take on the role of the hunting dog while four other players tried to make their escape as the titular hunted ducks. It could be Nintendo’s Dead by Daylight wrapped in a more family-friendly presentation. -Blake Morse
Super Smash Bros. Melee Online (GameCube)
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is set to release in December and, by all indicators, it's going to be the best game in the series so far. It's set to take all of the best elements of past games and blend them all together into one primo package. But for the old-school Smash player, that still won't be enough.
For diehard fans, Super Smash Bros. Melee will never die. Only the dwindling GameCube population and CRT television supplies will die first. So why not preserve the 2002 classic, once and for all, by offering it up on Nintendo's new online service? Throwing Super Smash Bros. Melee into the mix of available old-school games would satisfy Smash fans of all stripes. Nintendo wouldn't even have to update it to HD. Simply preserving the original game would be more than enough for the Melee fanatic and truly grant the game the immortality that it has earned. -Ozzie Mejia
That wraps up the Shacknews staff's preliminary list of old school Nintendo games that we would love to see come to Nintendo Switch Online service. Be sure to tune in to the Nintendo Direct later today to find out the latest news. Nintendo Switch Online service launches next week and will cost $20 per year.
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replyShack Staff posted a new article, 11 old school games we want to see on Nintendo Switch Online service
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It's possible, but I think unlikely for Mario Kart to show up online. Smash Bros Melee is your pipe dream though. No way would they cannibalize sales that way. The rest would be pretty dope though.
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If the bundle SSBM with pre-orders of the new one that would make it explode.
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I suppose, but the whole point of the retro online stuff is that it's included in the subscription right? Also big 1st party Nintendo games in general don't frontload sales nearly as much as most others (hence them never going on sale). Mario Kart and Splatoon and whatnot are still showing up in top 20 lists. If it only came with the new smash then I guess I could see it happening.
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It won't be the first time. They bundled OOT with Windwaker for Gamecube when it released for a limited time and that more or less became a collector's item. Bundling a digital game with it would drive sales if it was exclusive only to Smash Switch but this late in the game I don't see it happening really. It won't cannibalize sales per se but it would likely make a lot of people not play the new one.
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I'm just saying it's counter to their proposed online initiative if they did it that way.
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no eternal darkness? list is fail
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I don't think it's supposed to be all inclusive. Also that would be by far the hardest on the list to do online MP if it was included.
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i know, it's just an old nintendo game i want an hd remake of
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They were probably trying to make a list with good games.
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Oh wait never mind... I just looked at the list.
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Not all of the list I agree with but there are some awesome games on there.
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Goldeneye was all right, I guess. No desire to play it again though. It was good pretty much only because FPS games barely existed on consoles at the time.
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Golden Eye doesn't really work today, it's too sluggish and whatnot although I kinda like the single player still. I was talking more about Mario Baseball, Pokémon Stadium 2, and Mario Party. Mario Party runs into similar issues that SSBM runs into (though not nearly as much as SSBM) and Pokémon Stadium games don't make sense given that the mainline games are coming over and the stadium games were mostly just to fight pokemon in 3d. I put Mario Baseball up there just 'cause I never really liked it. The rest are either really good or have enough odd charm to work I think.
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There's like 50 Mario Party and Smash games, why do we need these in particular? In the case of Mario Baseball I'd rather they just make a new Mario Baseball. I never played that Pokemon game. I remember really liking Pokemon Snap for some reason, though.
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Pokémon Snap was completely different from Pokémon Stadium. They did add a little more game to it as the series went on but it was mostly to see 3D models of your Pokémon fighting each other in the days of black and white or low color 2D sprites. The entire Stadium series is pretty much unnecessary now. Pokémon Snap was a completely different kind of Pokémon game and I really wish they'd released one for the Wii U but the closest we got there were a couple of levels in Captain Toad.
Melee is the one that the pros keep going back to as their favorite Smash game, it's the game that made Smash a regular in fighting game tournaments and what not. The more recent Mario Party games function very differently than the older Mario Party games, more as a racing board game than a circular board game. So there's some value to the original Mario Party or Mario Party 2 getting online functionality.-
Yeah that was just kind of a weak segue on my behalf. Talking about Pokemon games reminded me of Snap. That game was weird and a lot of fun. They could make such a cool game on Switch!
I didn't know that about Smash. Never got into any of those games.
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have you ever been cut through the internet???
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