Blaster Master And Zelda II Arrive On The Switch Online NES Service This Month

Are you excited about the games being added to the NES Online service later this month? Tell us below.

No

Jason/SOPHIA the 3rd would have made a nice Assist Trophy in Smash.

Can't even bring myself to play Super Mario RPG again. I don't even know if I'd play a VC, at this point. I'm having a hard time picking up MK8DX and Ultimate. But I do know that I'm looking forward to Smash's DLC and Metroid Prime 4. This is a weird time to be a Nintendo fan.

Didn't think it was possible to be even more underwhelmed with this, but here we are.

So we're now down to 2 games a month?? Keep them Nintendo and give us what we really want!!

@diwdiws I’m very excited about Zelda 2. Not at all excited that they changed what week they release NES games this month.

And only 2?? Hmm.

Zelda 2...ewwwww.

Also a bummer it’s only 2 games this month.

Like others have said, why only 2 games now?!? The 3rd game will be announced in the direct and its.......sim city nes

Wow, I was expecting game release to speed up, not slow down. This is kind of ridiculous. Lack of a real virtual console is one the Switchs biggest weaknesses.

I’m up for a run through of Zelda 2. I like that game. I’d like an actual Nintendo follow up.

That said, kind of bs it’s only two games this month. Even if it’s just an untranslated rom, feel we should get joy mech fight too.

This is a major LOL. They're catching a ton of criticism for the way they're handling their legacy content, so what do they decide to do? Drip feed us two NES games for the month instead of the already-paltry three. I could understand if the library was huge and there weren't many games left to choose from, but the service has less than 30 games!

Though I read on another site that the reason why it's only two this month is because the third game is Joy Mech Fight, but since that was a Japan-only release, only Japan is getting it. They could have given us another game, or they could have done the minimal translations necessary to actually make the NES Online service kind of special and release Joy Mech Fight to the West for the first time, but instead they opted to just give us nothing.

I hope this doesn't happen every time a Japan-only game is in the line-up.

Wow. I actually overpaid for this service.

I AM ERROR.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/44/I_am_Error.png/220px-I_am_Error.png

“The people want SNES and N64 games!”

“Those greedy HEATHENS! They only get two NES games this month as punishment!”

—

I know this probably isn’t how it went down, but for gods sake it should not be this easy to make fun of Nintendo. Especially as a Nintendo fan. This just sucks.

Still haven't played any of the Switch Online NES games and I've been subscribed since day one (for the save data backup). NES games just don't really interest me that much. A bit too bare, and simple, which isn't necesarily bad, it's just not for me personally.
Now if they bring N64 and (if possible) GameCube games, I'll be all over it. Plus we still have yet to have a large PORTABLE library of GC and N64 games. We've had NES and SNES portably for a while now so it's already "been there done that." Except in this case we JUST have NES now for the Switch so it's hard to actually get excited about it.
Plus you likely can't own any of these games beyond the lifespan of the online service which is a major bummer for those of us that want to hold onto their favorite games, rather than having them disappear at some point.
This is the one area of the Switch I've been very disappointed with. (How they are handling VC/Classics)

For those saying they don't understand Nintendo, I don't know why you feel this way. This is very, typical Nintendo. This is Nintendo doing what they often do best : not making any sense from a commercial standpoint. And sticking to it.

Sometime it can be for the best (don't try to imitate what others are doing - cater to a different crowd, etc...), but this is not one of those times. This is one of those time where we all gather around the big N and laugh at it collectively, with some people in the crowd waving huge boards with "WTF" written in big bold letters. Some even share memories of the Virtual Boy. Ah! Fun times. Everyone laugh. And everyone agrees that the Nintendo online services, even at this low price, is FAIL material. We all laugh again. This is one of those times.

Zelda II is a prime candidate for an enhanced version like what some of the other NES games have received IMO.

I played Blaster Master Zero on Switch! Before NES edition!

Nintendo still hasn't convinced me to pick up their online service yet lol.

Wait no one's happy that their decreasing our three Nes games a month to two!?

Shocker.

Meh I had play these many times already. Some Super NES and N64 games would be nice.

This move of Japan exclusives meaning only 2 games for outside Japan suggests NES only may last until even 2021. Japan got a total of 148 NES games on Wii U VC, and we're currently at 42 after this month. Sure some games in collections like the Mega Man games likely won't appear in the Switch Online but there's still years left of content even if you discard those.

These are two fantastic games, but can they really not pick a third? If they need suggestions I can list about 100 worthy NES titles.

Joy Mech Fight definitely would need to be translated somewhat before it could be acceptable to release here, but why not release StarTropics or another western only game instead of nothing?

the only reason why some people dont like zelda 2 is that they always get wrecked by the great palace so much salty tears.

I am totally underwhelmed. But here is a thought, if you don't like the service, no one is forcing you to use it. We were told from before launch that the Switch online service would not be free forever.

Good lord though, I hope we don't go with @Grumblevolcano 's point. That would be pretty massively disappointing...

No thanks. Get back to me when you’ve got 1080, Wave Race or XtremeG

Blaster Master is really fun. I would start playing immediately, but I already own the cartridge so I've played all I want. Back to Xenoblade 2!

NES was and still is a great system. However it seems that N thinks that only the same games recycled since the Wii VC are worthy of release. I’d love to see Wizards and Warriors, Rygar, Goonies 2, Rush N Attack, Karnov, etc. I understand that some of these games may be prohibited from release on a Nintendo system, but I would gladly welcome Robodemons at this point . Totally happy with NES online, but give us a new old one please!

Hard pass for me

We got two great ones this month!

...We only get two this month.

I was worried about what might happen when Japan wants to release exclusive games...and of COURSE they had to go the lazy route. Pathetic.

How to increase the excitement for the NSO NES collection = remove one game from the monthly release schedule.

Two classic games though. But Zelda 2 isn't that fun.

Zelda 2 is the best. I've always wanted them to release Joy Mech Fight over here. Sad they're not. It's really quite good.

Can't wait for the Switch's successor; maybe they'll even allow us to play 3 GameBoy games every month!!

I’m excited for Zelda 2. Thats an all-time favorite. Time to redownload the Famicom service as well... I’d complain, but I feel like we aren’t being told something. Maybe we’ll get another SP game! Lol... ugh...

I don't know what it is about Zelda II but I still love that game. Maybe it's the music, maybe it's the mixture of sidescrolling and rpg elements, maybe it is because if the sweet downward stab. Whatever it is, I'll be playing through it again.

Honestly this is what I’ve been waiting for. My eyes lit up when I saw Blaster Master. What? You say,” how many times can you play that game?” I say NEVER ENOUGH. That game is phenomenal. Zelda II as well!

@Sabrewing I was waiting to see that pop up. Huge missed opportunity

Man that's some pure authentic garbagio right there. Master Blaster is ok. Zelda 2 sucks and only 2 games. What gives and where is the Direct Nintendo?

Pretty crap selection this month. Still no SNES, even?

I like Zelda 2, but I was expecting more from 2019, not less.
With other random announcements I doubt there's even a direct coming. Waiting for E3 I guess...

I actually want to play through Zelda II so this is pretty cool. Except I have an NES copy so it’s not crazy convenient or anything.

Blaster Master is also a dynamite game. Love it.

But realllllly? I have a Famicom copy of Joy Mech Fight and it requires virtually no translating. They could’ve easily released it untranslated or done some not that hard special Western release.

Love love love the Big N. But honestly. Sometimes I face palm too many times...

@Mrtoad I was thinking the exact same thing.

I some how missed out on Zelda 2 and Masterblaster. So I am actually very happy for this month's releases.

@JediKadabra Wow, I was expecting game release to speed up, not slow down.

It's always a slow drip with Nintendo.

Why can't Nintendo just dump like 20-30 a month instead of this crap? PS4 and Xbox One owners get games that came out in 2015 for free with their subscription. Don't care if it costs more, no excuse for two ROMs a month. Nothing less than N64 is acceptable, and even then that should be a basis for a majority, which is GCN and Wii games. Seriously, this service should be $60 and offer two GCN or Wii games a month, or 3-4 N64 games. Want to give NES or SNES, should be like 5-10.

C'mon Nintendo, we should be getting at least five games at a time. Most if not all of your first party titles should already be on there.

I hated Blaster Master Zero on switch. Please don’t give me the original... is there a way to give games back to Nintendo like how you could give back that crappy U2 album back to iTunes?

I love Zelda II, but I am disappointed we aren't getting 3 games this month. Where is Super Mario 2?

I never made it past the cave in Zelda 2. Maybe save states will help me. Idk.

Drip...drip....drip...drip...drip!! YAWN!! Good thing the regular switch eshop is packed with classic games to choose from because this ain’t cuttin it!!

I'm genuinely a bit angry that Japan is getting Joy Mech Fight. I would be fine with an untranslated version; it wouldn't be super necessary IIRC.

But yeah, that's just stupid. I would rather have Joy Mech Fight than a third game, but either way they should have stuck with the already kinda shoddy three per month schedule.

Once upon a time I'd be stoked for BM which is one of my favorite childhood games...but with BM Zero out there and with how underwhelming the NES service is, this is just meh to me. I own both games on a lot of consoles and in many forms.

@TsC_Xanatos Definitely bummed about not getting Joy Mech Fight. I don’t need to play Zelda II ever again but Joy Mech Fight has always intrigued me.

Sorry to ruin everyone’s negativity but I like it! I would pay for online without free games so I’m super happy!!!!!!!

@Sac_instead Don’t get me wrong. I like the online service (except that it doesn’t work for Smash for me). But Joy Mech Fight In Japan only is a savage burn.

give nintendo a break guys seriously getting 2 games instead of 3 on the online service is still ok and besides theres plenty of games coming to switch this month and beyond.

Faxanadu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please...

@diwdiws How come you won't tell them?

Do subscribers get exclusive discounts? They advertised it as part of the service but I haven’t seen any mention of deals. I haven’t subbed yet but if they start offering some great discounts where the saving almost pays for the subscription then I’ll bite

I'm so glad I bought the classic NES switch controllers to play less games

And here I was, thinking PS4 people were hatefull towards "free" games when having an Online sub. And on PS4 I pay like €50 for a year, instead of the 20 for Nintendo.

Not sure, I mainly got the sub for online gaming. The "free" stuff is always okay, even though I don't play it as much.

Sooooo, after the short free trial I never continued the service. I wanted to show Nintendo support and believe they would offer some curve-ball to up the ant (like Metroid Prime Trilogy HD as a part of the service) – but I just didn't want anything on offer.

Now all I can see me doing is signing up for a month just to play Ninja Gaiden. That's it.

I dig Zelda II. Hard as hell. But it's a nostalgia thing. If any title needed an SP Training Wheels edition by Nintendo, this game is it

Sony and Microsoft have people on the edge of their seats every month waiting to find out what games they're getting. Nintendo drops a couple of 150 year old games mid-month onto a service everyone has stopped using. I'm glad I'm not just a Nintendo gamer when it comes to their online service because its getting a bit embarrassing now.

(I know it's dirt cheap by the way, Nintendo. Take more of my money and give me better shit...)

So late announcement and only 2 games. Slowing down, Nintendo?

Good choices, though. Blaster Master should have been in the NES Mini. It is in mine, but added by me. Now I'll be able to compare it to the remake on the Switch itself, because no review has made clear if it was an almost straight port or a real remake actually.

Welp, one more VC purchase off my 3DS card. I guess it's good in hindsight that I haven't got far in there yet. XD

Blaster Master, on the other hand, I probably won't play - the demo and the perk of playing as folks like Shantae and Ekoro have sold me on the native Switch port instead.

Overall, a welcome set, though. Except for the whole region shenanigans kicking in even here now. Granted, a family subscription should grant access to all such joy mech fights anyway, but still it's not like they're publishing a separate product to sell without a localization - they're throwing in a perk with the online service. IMHO a Japanese-only game might well come as a bonus akin to or instead of the konamicodesque SP versions we've seen lately. Yeah, I dare suspect it's all about regional licensing hoops at the end of the day. Sigh, so much for globalization... ¯(ツ)/¯

@HexNash You can just download the Japanese Famicom version.

Two of the best NES games, good addition!

So that's where the pink thing that annoys me every time I try to get Rayman spirit comes from.
Why wouldn't they release it for the west with the service? Having only two games because one is Japan only is even more meh.
Not sure what the point of releasing the original Blaster Master is when the remake is already on Switch... Unless one is curious about the original.

Actually, I will play Zelda II

Personally, I don’t think there’s a NES game they could release that I’d be interested in playing. Not one that I couldn’t already play on my WiiVC. I had always wanted to try Ninja Gaiden again, but watching my brother try and pass that sword throwing Druid on the second stage (and get knocked off every time) reminded me why I didn’t enjoy that particular game in the first place. I might be interested if they released Parodius, or maybe Probotector but NES never really aged well for me.

As for Blaster Master & Zelda II, I already own them on the Virtual Console & 3DS (via ambassador) respectively. Blaster Master is alright, but Zelda II is just frustrating. I prefer games that are a bit more user friendly - ones that give you a better idea on what you are supposed to be doing, and that’s why I’d be more interested if they were to start releasing games from the SNES and onwards.

great games for people that love 8-Bit games. I do and I will always prefer 8-Bit over 16-Bit games, because NES was my first console.

I don't care that we only get 2 games this month - for 20 bucks a year I see the NES games as a nice bonus.

I was actually saying I wanted Zelda 2 just yesterday so I can't complain about this, other than us getting just 2 games this month, I was hoping that when they said they would focus on the NES online service they would pick up the pace a little.

I'm sorry, is this an out of season April Fools joke?

@SmaggTheSmug I got the Rayman spirit from Bowser's side special alone.

If Zelda II was available to buy permanently on Switch as a one off payment, I'd be ever so slightly interested and would maybe part with a couple of pounds.

But would I like to long term rent Zelda II on a mini subscription? Not remotely.

I still can't understand why Nintendo have gone to the (slow) effort of making Switch ports of these few games, and won't let us pay more money than the subscription fee to just keep them.

I mean, sure, offer the subscription for the online and offer these freebies as bonuses, but I don't see the benefit to anyone of not allowing an actual purchase.

@Heavyarms55

It's not about the money. It's about wanting access to SNES/64/GCN/GB/GBA games. How is that hard to understand? I don't pay for the service. I'm still disappointed every month when I read that they've released yet another couple of NES games.

just 2???? maybe we will get some souped up versions like other months?

@Heavyarms55 Don't worry. If this lasts until 2021, they'll release a new console and we can start all over again. The never-ending cycle.

I unsubscribed the service, i didin't played online that much, and the games were laughable, so i don't need NOS, unless they change it a bit, i won't buy it.
And i actually think they will "downgrade " the service now, cause everyone will be paying for it cause of smash.

@Spoony_Tech Joy Mech Fight is the 3rd one. I don't know if that will help much though.

Edit: Nevermind, that's only in Japan. Unless you want to download the Japanese version lol... Wow, this service is becoming a bigger joke by the month.

Sony and Microsoft may charge more but at least you get your money's worth out of it. You can't say that for Nintendo Online.

Save Backups- Sony- cloud and local, Micro- cloud and local, Nin- cloud only

Online- Sony- Stable, Micro- Stable, Nin- ona good day 1/4 of the time

Perks- Sony- Free and discounted games. Micro- the same, Nin- a special offer to spend more money on novelty controllers!

I may be a cheap guy but good grief you'd have to be a complete moron not to see what a sham NSO is.

Let us purchase or transfer classic content to the switch and it'll all be so much smoother.

I don’t understand why people are angry about this. We’re getting two great games, and if you really want to play Joy Mecha Fight, it’s not hard to get the Japanese Famicom app. I understand being disappointed by only two games, but angry? Some of you need to figure out what’s really important in life. (Hint: it ain’t video games.)

I'm not interested in ether game. But I mean its cool for fans of the games. Guess they all can't be ones I wanna play. =)

@LunarFlame17
If it was simple as going to the eshop and choosing which region you wanted to peruse a lot of people wouldn't complain (or just release the game as is just like 92 Recca and Mysterious Murasame on 3ds). Going from 3 to 2 just because of region exclusivity is ridiculous, they could have chosen something else for everyone else like Batman, TMNT or Star Tropics.

@GameOtaku Yeah, they could have, and it’s disappointing that they didn’t, but it’s still not worth getting angry about.

Also, you’re crazy if you think we’ll ever get Batman or TMNT.

I got my NES just at the right time for big-name sequels (this, SMB2, Simon's Quest) to be my first games other than the pack-ins, so I'm actually pretty excited about this. I certainly understand why most people aren't.

Still have my gold Zelda II cart, but the battery is dead and I don't have the time to play through all at once.

What sucks is there was an expectation of 3 games a month. After this there's nothing stopping Nintendo from going down to 1 or 0 free games a month and saying that they're just a bonus that we shouldn't expect every month. Just leaves me dreading 2019 since unlike 2018 they haven't bothered to tell us what they'll be giving us for the other 11 months.

All (arguably) classics but a wasted opportunity to release Joy Mech Fight 'officially' outside Japan - you don't need to read anything to enjoy the game, the menus are easy to figure out.

This pace is still not enough considering the NES/Famicom library. Unless in the plan is do to deliver the same games on the VC - NES has only ~ 100 titles in NA, Famicom has ~150 in Japan (Wii U VC). So with the Switch having a planned 'life' circle of 6-7 years... (100 - 20)/(3 * 12) = 2.222 ~ 2 years and 4 months 'till we have the entire NES VC library on Switch Online.

I expect SNES Online to have 10 games @ start with 2 games added per month, the Wii U VC has only ~ 50 SNES games and ~ 100 Super Famicom games.

Omg yes! Never played zelda 2! Can’t wait to get started

@Spoony_Tech Still salty over the death of Virtual Console? Just because the Switch's GameCube Adapter is out and works with multiple games doesn't mean we're gonna see a GameCube NSO App with games like Super Smash Bros. Melee, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Pikmin and Super Mario Sunshine on there! How would on-the-go gaming work with it? Get 2 sets of Joy Cons for 2-Player Action, because Gamecube ain't gonna call for Single Joy Cons.

Besides, I already added TwinBee AND Blaster Master on the NES Classic Edition. I'm good.

@ReaderRagfihs: Funnily enough, I thought it was a bit of a cakewalk until after the first palace. Then...Hellooooo difficulty spike!

Jeez, only two games this time? They can't even get SMB2 on here???

Blaster Master is pretty good, though

Why only 2 games, no SMB2, and still not many good simultaneous multiplayer games, how about some Off Road or Gauntlet 2 with 4-player support??!

Well, we're not gonna get the Disney Afternoon Collection on Switch. It's not like they're gonna just put the games on the NES NSO App, and not include the challenges or features.

Uh, I already got Blaster Master Zero (and I wouldn't touch Zelda 2 with a ten foot pole)

I've been wanting Zelda 2 on my Switch since day one! It's the one game I never got to play as a kid and always wanted to. I'm super excited! Next I want Ironsword Wizards and Warriors 2, Super Mario Bros 2, Skate or Die, Little Nemo, Spy vs. Spy, Metal Gear, and finally SNES games.

@LunarFlame17
It's not out of the realm of possibility. Tmnt was on wii VC for quite a while afterall. People are nostalgic for these games and I'd be willing to bet that most of the emulated games out there are games like those. They are missing out on a potential money pit by not exploiting them.

@GameOtaku Okay, so I didn't know TMNT was on the Wii VC, so you have a point there. I still think it's highly unlikely that games like that will come to Switch Online, because people aren't buying individual games on that service. So, a game like TMNT would have to bring in enough new subscribers to make up for the cost of getting the TMNT license, and I don't see many people signing up for that service because games like TMNT or Batman for NES are available on it.

I think it's time at add SNES to the deal.

This is so classic Nintendo. Post-holidays we're down to 2 NES games, and the pending discontinuation of the NES mini so that the only way to play SNES games is to buy a WiiU. Not only does it click with Nintendo's tradition of "do the absolute minimum possible to still turn a profit", but it actually encourages long tail sales of WiiU! Genius!

On the other hand, Zelda II and Castlevania II, plus Mario 2 are pretty much the only NES games other than ones we already have that I care about at this point. Very few NES games aged well. There's a few licensed ones that probably will never arrive.

This month is pretty disappointing with only 2 games, and one of them, Blaster Master, already has a vastly improved version with Blaster Master Zero on the Switch. I'm kind of surprised they'd do that to poor IntiCreates and make their base game free. On the other hand one of the two was one of the only 3 games I've been waiting for, so maybe it's a draw.

All the more reason for a purchasing option.

“In 2013, Shigeru Miyamoto was telling me Pikmin 3 would be a good game, so I asked if he'd ever made a bad one. "Yeah," he said through a translator. Soon, he clarified. Not a bad one, but one he had regrets about. He shared them with me. The game? Zelda 2”

These are great games, people who are saying otherwise should be stripped of their nintendo fan club cards. But why the hell can't we get joy mech fight too? It's not like its hard to create a japanese account and play the game anyway, but we got Twin Bee a couple of months ago and that was a famicom exclusive....what the hell nintendo?

Zelda II has been my most-wanted title since the first batch of games was announced, so I'm genuinely stoked.

@bolt05 You and me both (we've had this discussion before lol)

I think I get it all now. Long story short, for $20/yr, this is what it is-- A no frills service who's basic function is to allow you to play online games. The NES app is literally a throwaway rather than a bonus and is only great to those that are curious, have a score to settle, pulling out a party favor, or quickly reliving times of yore. The NES Online app, combined with the overall view of NSO, will only come into it's own once the library has grown considerably-- By then I question if anyone who really invested time with the Switch as a whole will truly care. Wasted opportunity Nintendo... thanks.

It would have been nice if they had put all 3 games on the NES service, but, the Famicom version is there to download on the Japanese eshop. Even if it wasn't for the missing game, it's still worth having the Japanese one so you can play the FDS games like Metroid.

@Hikingguy Blaster Master is great and all, but I can't imagine many saying "hey I have this 8 bit game for free, why I don't I pay $10 or $15 to get an edited version of the game too!" I imagine Konami gets a kickback for it being on the service....and I imagine them not caring much what happens to IntiCreates as a result

While I'll always take another opportunity to play Zelda II again, can't say I ever actually get excited about NES games anymore.

@Hikingguy True. For now, of existing switch owners that wanted BM Zero probably already bought it. Maybe this brings it back to the forefront for everyone else that joins in now. But still for many, for 8 bit games I can see it as trying to buy your own copy of a free Games with Gold game just to get the Digital Deluxe version.

@MeloMan haha yes we did. 😀 I also agree with your analysis of NS online. It's a pity and a shame that Nintendo is drip feeding nes games. I guess that's how they value $20 or $30 as it is in Aussie dollars per year.

Oh and I fired up my Wii virtual console and got to mist town moscon over the Xmas break. Never a bad time to play faxanadu! Such a great game. The colours and sounds and almost gothic or Geiger like art style of the monsters/dwarves is awesome.

@Octane Please don't give me nightmares like that...

@MetalGear_Yoshi It isn't hard to understand at all, I want access to those games as well. My comment about the money was in response to the countless complaints I have seen from people who think they should get everything and it should be free too. Just like their pirated roms on their Chinese emulator machines.

@HexNash Yes, or you can create a new Japanese account, that way you can always access the Japanese eshop for demos and so on.

@bolt05 I'm about to do the same lol. I'm just glad I bought it when I did for Wii or emulation would have been my only recourse.

Ahh I always wanted to try Blaster Master - now I can. And it's free. Result.

Looking forward to having Super Mario Bros 2 on the Switch, and Little Nemo if Nintendo are able to swing that. Other than that, I'm firmly in the "bring us N64 and Gamecube" camp.

Why haven't they added mario 2 yet
(either version)

I feel like I'm the only one here who thinks these are good picks and hasn't played either of them. While yes, Zelda II is probably the worst in the series, that doesn't mean its bad, so I'll go into it with an open mind, and I tried a demo for Blaster Master Zero and liked what I played, so I think it'll be fun trying out the original.

@IHateTombs OMG, I didn't realize it was that simple. Thanks!

I was pretty excited about having some retro goodness on my Switch but I’m kinda tiring of NES games and this drip feed. Maybe I burnt myself out with my NES mini because I haven’t hardly played any NES games on Switch. Mostly techno bowl vs my son. Would love some more modern games (SNES at least) and the ability to curate my list a little. Out of the 30 games, I maybe care about 10. Would be nice to just see those when I launch the app. Starting to feel cluttered.

Do they come out at noon or midnight EST?