Nintendo Switch February Releases Will Include Classic NES And SNES Games
The Nintendo Switch’s ever-expanding collection of retro games is about to get bigger. According to an article published by Business Wire, the massively popular hybrid console will be receiving four new games — including two that have never seen an official release anywhere in North America — on February 19. The new games should help tide players over until the release of Nintendo Switch Pro later this year.
Classic NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) games Shadow of the Ninja and Eliminator Boat Duel will be joining titles like The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Kart this month. The SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) offerings for the Nintendo Switch will now include Pop’n TwinBee and Smash Tennis for the first time ever.
Shadow of the Ninja, a co-op ninja game that has the player use stealth and weapons to take down enemies, may already be familiar to many players outside of Japan. Eliminator Boat Duel is arguably a lesser-known title, but it still saw a release in North America as well. The game offers users the ability to race boats for in-game currency that can be used to purchase repairs and upgrades.
Smash Tennis offers players a skill-testing tennis game with simple controls, featuring a wide variety of shot types and courses to play. The game was originally released in Japan in 1993 before being brought over to Europe in 1994, but it never found its way to the United States or Canada until this port’s release.
The final game, Pop’n TwinBee, is actually the sixth installment in an entire franchise of games. It is a vertically scrolling shooter, akin to games like Galaga, and features a unique aesthetic and quirky story. The game saw a release in both Japan and Europe in 1993 and will see its first North American release with this port.
IGN points out that the system has previously featured unreleased games before, such as Star Fox 2 in December, but the new games add a little diversity to a library currently dominated by mainstream titles like Super Mario World and Super Punch-Out. The new titles will expand the overall number of classic games available to a total of 78 and will take advantage of the new Nintendo Switch Online service, allowing for online multiplayer play. These features will require a Nintendo Switch Online membership, which comes with a subscription fee, and a Nintendo account to take advantage of and will not be available in all countries.
