The Switch Online March update includes a few incredible Game Boy titles, one so-so NES title, and an SNES game that probably won’t really get you all that excited.
But we kind of know that’s how things go with these updates. We get a game we want and a game we don’t.
The common question that people ask is why the heck doesn’t Nintendo just drop a giant library of old games.
If it’s just emulation, then surely they have hundreds of games they can load up.
The main reason that Nintendo has to trickle out games so slowly is that they don’t necessarily have licenses to load just any game from the library.
But thankfully, they still have plenty of awesome games they could give to hungry gamers.
So which games did we get today? Let’s take a look.
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SIDE POCKET (SNES)
Was anybody dying to get a pool game on the Switch? I dunno. Maybe.
I certainly wasn’t petitioning for Side Pocket to come to Switch Online. But hey, we got it.
Side Pocket does happen to be a pretty advanced pool game that made early appearances on the NES and Game Boy.
And it later had it’s definitive version released on the SNES, taking advantage of the graphics and power of that console.
If you’re into pool, or just wanna try out a game you maybe never saw back in the SNES heyday… now’s your chance!
XEVIOUS (NES)
A really cool vertical shoot-em-up title that is a bit different than anything we have on the Switch Online service already.
We’ve got Gradius, my personal favorite horizontal shoot-em-up. And we also have Twin Bee, another great vertical shooter. Oh and we got Star Soldier.
Well dang it, Nintendo. I thought you were giving us something exciting. I guess we already have some good vertical shoot-em-ups on the Switch Online service, huh?
Well Xevious isn’t exactly a throw away title. It is a pretty successful game that has a lot of fans.
So if you’re into your shoot-em-ups… here’s one more for the Switch Online library.
Fear not – we also got a few awesome games added today. Only gets better from here.
BurgerTime Deluxe (Game Boy)
Now here’s a classic Game Boy title that there surely is a lot of people excited to see come to Switch Online.
An addictive puzzle game with shades of Donkey Kong while still holding its own identity.
If we were to compile a list of must-try games for the Game Boy, BurgerTime Deluxe would surely be on there.
Not near the top of the list, but on the list nonetheless.
However, there is another Game Boy title coming to Switch Online that would be near the top of a must-play list. And that game is:
Kirby’s Dream Land 2 (Game Boy)
Now here is a game worth being excited for.
Did you know that Kirby made his video game debut in 1992 on the Game Boy? Yes, Kirby’s Dream Land was our pink pal’s first appearance.
Shortly after that, he came to the NES and really showed us everything that Kirby was capable of.
We saw his iconic power-up ability by eating everything in his path. This did not appear in the original Game Boy game.
So in his return to the Game Boy in Kirby’s Dream Land 2, we finally see our guy with his full abilities on display for the handheld console.
And now we can play Dream Land 2 on the big screen or on the go on the Switch.
This is a vital game for the Game Boy console, and now it’s finally available for the Switch Online service.
In fact, we included it on our list of the best Game Boy games of all time. Though, I’d probably put it a little higher on the list if that were my ranking :).
But hey – Good job, Nintendo. You gave us some classics this time around.
Anthony has been a video game lover ever since he can remember. He became a fulltime nomad in 2018, living throughout most of Asia. He focused his passion in retro gaming and began creating a game for the Game Boy Color while living in Nara, Japan during the 2020 pandemic. He is now in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he spends most of his time gaming, going on long walks and meeting as many stray dogs as possible.
