Blizzard Arcade Collection Announced For Nintendo Switch, Out Today On The eShop

Haha I used to rent The Lost Vikings all the time and my parents thought it was the worst game ever and would get so frustrated - I wonder if it was any good?

Sometimes I forget Blizzard made games other than their obvious properties!

I don't even know any of these games

Haven't played Rock'n'Roll Racing much, but The Lost Vikings is and amazing game I'd recommend to anyone. Blackthrone is pretty cool, too.

Did they license the music for rock and roll racing or they put some generic rock in there?

And this answers why Nintendo is adding the Typ of games that they are adding to the Online Service. Cause all other developers are cooking their own soup

That’s gonna be a hard pass for me...

I was scrolling for a full list of games for 19.99....

But three is it?!???

Wow.

I LOVE Rock N Roll Racing!!! Amazing

Is there more coming? That’s kind of a silly amount of money.

You're old if you recognize these games.. I'm one to talk haha

Pretty sure none of them were arcade games!

Call me if they remaster Diablo 2. Well, I nervously request that, if they ever do it I hope they don’t muck it up.

NINJA HOPEFUL

Price is a little high, but I’ve wanted The Lost Vikings on Switch for a while.

I actually bought the lost vikings CIB for gba three months ago for... 35 euro... xD

How could I have known...

The Lost Vikings is so good! It's a great and unique puzzle platformer that has fantastic music. The SNES version seems to be included in this package and that version has got the best renditions of the tunes in my opinion.

Rock N Roll Racing is awesome! Will definitely pick it up.

Loved Rock n roll racing and lost viking. Take my money.

I legit use my Switch to mostly play old games lol

And indies.

I played a LOT of rock n roll racing back in the day

Worth it alone for Rock N Roll racing if they have the original soundtrack. Lost vikings is also great.

@PortuGuy I need to know this too. Last time they re-released it they didn't bother with licensing the music and it sucked.

I'll stick the the ROMS and disks I own if thats all the same, Blizzard dont need the money and priced this so high, could have at least added Lost Vikings 2 to it.

Lost Vikings and Rock "n Roll Racing are two of my absolute favorite SNES games. I will definitely be downloading tonight.

@liam_doolan diablo II also just got announced for Switch. With cross progression.

That is a Biiiig one!

I LOVED Rock n Roll Racing when I was little. I played that game for hours with family and friends. Anyone know if this can be played online?

Will add to my wish list just to get Lost Vikings. That was a fun game.

@Liam_Doolan faster than my comment?

Wow, I should never become a reporter. Too slow!

Huh I've never tried these.

@BloodNinja They just announced it!

The Lost Vikings is a gem.
The name of this collection is odd....none of these games were actually released to arcade, were they?

@BloodNinja You must have seen the news about Diablo 2 Remastered in advance? Surely you did?

Or, did you summon the power of the Ninja to make it happen?

I've seen blackthorne on those "best 32x" games list so i'm excited to finally see what that games all about

@brunojenso LOL

For once my blatant sarcasm paid off.

THANK YOU

NINJA APPROVED

@OorWullie I just saw the news! Haha, no I’ve been wanting this for years, so just pure luck.

NINJA APPROVED

Now if we could only get the Disney Afternoon Collection and Rare Replay on Switch, I would have most of my retro wants fulfilled on the system.

@BloodNinja That's unreal luck. Now I'm going to try it.

I want a SEGA 90's Arcade collection.

Wow these 3 are some of my favorite SNES titles, this is awesome. Blackthorne is kinda short but it's phenomenal

@OorWullie I hope you get it.

Maybe I should keep asking for Hyper Duel, I kept whining for Cybattler in the arcade archives and that came out yesterday.

Maybe I should play the lottery. LOL

NINJA APPROVED

Still dont like them as a company. I'll pass.

@BloodNinja Err, not if it wasn't blatant. Nothing in your comment indicates sarcasm. I was just trying to be helpful :/

are either of those two racing games fun?

Looks interesting. I'll wait for a sale, though, like I always do with digital-only releases.

For $20, I would expect at least a couple more games.

Rock n roll racing . One of my all time favorites .

This is a pretty great collection. All 3 are top tier experiences from the 16-bit era. Now give me my original WARCRAFT TRILOGY.

@BloodNinja They are and the people from what was Vicarious vision (from THPS 1+2 remaster fame) so it's in better hands than Reforge was.

Can't find this on the NA eshop?

My biggest complaint is, for 20 bucks they could've added a PC port of Lost Vikings 2 which has voice acting and CGI cutscenses, terribe dated 90's CGI cutscenes.

I lu-uh-uh-LOVE!!! R&R racing! Never got it into the other 2 though so the $20 asking price feels a bit steep. But I’ll get this eventually just for Rock & Roll

@khululy Great news!!

NINJA APPROVED

is that a cover version of Deep Purple - Highway Star???

I liked Blackthorne. Never played the other two, but I heard good things. Might be worth the plunge.

Blizzard actually provides these games for free (PC-only):

Step 1) Log into the blizzard.com website
Step 2) Go to Account Settings
Step 3) Click on Download Games
Step 4) Scroll all the way down to the bottom to "Classic Games"
Step 5) Download the games.

EDIT - Rock n' Roll Racing is barebones. No licensed music and once you start the game, you can't select a character or anything. You just race. It also only contains 3 tracks. Not great. The README for the game does state it is simply a "lite" version of the game.

Lost Vikings and Blackthorne seem to be complete versions.

I'm tempted to get this for Lost Vikings (it's been forever since I played this game or it's sequel).

@GamingFan4Lyf on Switch? Or just on PC? I ask because I don't game on pc even though I have one.

Man, if I could just buy R&R Racing by itself...

@Dman10 PC only. Rock n' Roll Racing uses the Blizzard-provided ZSNES emulator to run

Lost Vikings uses DOSBox

Blackthorne is an install...don't remember if it, too, is a DOSBox version.

I'll update my comment to reflect PC-only.

I do recall some years ago Blizzard released Rock 'n Roll Racing with ZSNES and the music was muted out.

Judging from the screenshots and dates... original is both the SNES and the Genesis/32X versions of each?

Blizzard snes collection.

Now we need Activision to offer up Activision Anthology.

This is on Nintendo UK’s website at £16.99 or £24.99 for a “bundle”. Anyone know what the difference is? Are they selling the 3 separately?

The Lost Vikings is great. I used to play a lot of the GBA port.

Lost Vikings i know very well since I used to rent Lost Vikings 2 a couple of times back then in the mid late 1990s. Fun game to play for the Super Nintendo

@Chowdaire @PortuGuy It sounds in the trailer that they're playing a section from the digitised version of "Highway Star" by Deep Purple, so I am assuming that maybe they licensed the music again: Paranoid, Peter Gunn, Highway Star, Bad to the Bone. This was one of my top ten SNES games. I loved Rock 'n' Roll Racing. Also Blackthorne was pretty atmospheric and cool when it was released, along the lines of Flashback.

Rock and Roll Racing and Lost Vikings are both super fun games. Wish they were just on the SNES online service, but I get it, developers want their piece of the pie.

Imagine immediately after showing the trailers for the Blizzard Collection and Diablo 2, Blizzard was just like, "Oh, and WoW is also releasing in the near future on Switch as well."

Can someone please tell WB Games to throw a bunch of their Midway/Atari Games titles onto a collection like Capcom Stadium Arcade and put it on the Switch? Hell, the last one they put out was for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Once I have those titles and Qbert, the Switch will basically be the arcade from the 80s to play at home or on the go.

Used to rent lost vikings back in the day, it wasn't bad for a puzzle platformer (I guess that's what you'd call it), but not sure it's something I would play now. Still, it's cool to see blizzard re-releasing games from their roots.

Getting this for Lost Vikings alone!

@GannonBanned Lost vikings are two of the best games ever made! You just need to like puzzle platformers though

@Balta666

A) awesome username 🤘

B) can you share a similar game for comparison?

rock n roll racing yeahhhh... price bundle...nooooo

@gaga64 The bundle is weird. You need to own both Overwatch and Diablo 3 and it unlocks a special character and gear in them. It adds nothing to the collection though.

It's probably the strangest bundle I've ever seen.

@Stocksy

Blizzard didn't make much games back then aside from Warcraft.

There's one thing that's putting me off buying it. It is 4.2gb. That's quite a lot for what it is! The Capcom Arcade Stadium is only 1.4gb and it contains 32 games, with 2 versions of each. I'm assuming the developer interviews take up a lot of space but even still, not that much.

I just took the plunge. Rock n Racing has all the original licensed music tracks. The definitive version has the actual real songs playing with extra songs too! Has several game versions including snes, genesis, 4 player, and definitive version. Blackthorne has several game versions including snes, an updated 32-bit, and definitive version. The Lost Vikings has several game versions including snes, genesis, and definitive version.

@Nitwit13 Just rewatched. Yup, thats highway star, baby! Take my money!!!!

@Darlinfan Free version also doesn't have licensed music for rock and roll racing. Just checked, apparently this release does.

I forgot that Blizzard use to make other games that are not Diablo. The Death and Return of Superman is my favorite which is probably never going to be on a collection like this.

This sounds interesting. Most of these I never knew of before.

@KnightRider666

Oh wow, yeah they really went above and beyond with these. Makes the asking price much more fair. Think I’ll pick this up this weekend then, really love me some R&R Racing

I'm in for Blackthorne alone

Holy crap! Rock n Roll Racing!? I had to read that 3 times and look at screen shots and watch the video to make sure I read that right. RNRR is one of the best SNES games ever, but didn’t think we’d ever see it again. Sweeet!

@Sszx09 Yes they did! I just updated my previous post with all game versions.

@Juga A nice touch indeed. See my previous posts for all details.

My only complaint so far is the button layout. I wish you could remap the buttons to your liking.

Not including Lost Vikings 2 is a shame, but still a very solid set.

I wouldn't download it even if it was free.

@Scrubicius And this answers why Nintendo is adding the Typ of games that they are adding to the Online Service. Cause all other developers are cooking their own soup

Yes, I'm sure that's why Super Mario RPG and Earthbound aren't on there. /s

Even Blackthorne! And bundled with two impactful classics to boot. Lost Vikings, for instance, was Trine long before Trine ever was.

Such a combo would be worthwhile even at the advertised ~6.33 bucks apiece, although as usual, the full price barkers in the fandom like to sound like sales won't be making that lower by and by. And in a most blasphemous gesture among modern gamers, I salute Activision here - when they talked about using more of their back catalogue, I never actually thought they'd compel BLIZZARD to dust off its own once again.

@Scrubicius yeah, VC mourners need to understand that VC was its own blessing and curse in a way. With its success, many publishers were bound to ask, "why not publish this stuff our way and on more platforms?" I'm frankly surprised that Sega even went with Nintendo's CGC instead of a separate price tag for the Shin Megami Tensei classics.

@Crono1973 both examples are either first party or strongly involve first-party IP, so neither is the most conventional example to bring up in this context.

@nhSnork both examples are either first party or strongly involve first-party IP, so neither is the most conventional example to bring up in this context.
These are the games people are asking for but Nintendo won't deliver and it isn't because there will be a collection released.

@gutrippabear I’m 35 and I love both R&RR and Lost Vikings. But have never heard of Blackthorne though.

@Crono1973 Nintendo rarely does things on the "people are asking" premise, so even less surprise here (you either roll with it or roll away to greener pastures), but you said it yourself - both cases are strongly related to Nintendo's decisions first and foremost. The talk above was largely going on about purely third party items.

Did I miss something? I thought everyone hated Blizzard now and no longer bought their software because of that whole Hong Kong thing.

@KnightRider666 You can remap the buttons by pushing down on the R stick.

The lost Vikings huh? Wow, I forgot about that game... that’s really bringing back some memories.

@SuperWeird At any time?

@KnightRider666 In-between races you can do it.

Rock N' Roll Racing is the best when you have 4 players playing at the same time. It's the best in this Blizzard bundle.

@OorWullie weird, thanks

@SuperWeird Many thanks! Worth the $20 just for R&RR alone!

@GannonBanned It's really good! Clever and fun puzzles and the music is awesome too. The vikings have always funny dialog and if the player dies enough they break the 4th wall and get mad at you for being so bad

@GannonBanned well not that easy... You have the "AAAHH!!! Real Monsters" game for the mega drive/Genesis but that is even more obscure and a little more action based.

Basically you have 3 characters with different abilities that you can swap at any moment and to get to the exit of each stage you have to solve puzzles that involve getting though enemies, traps, platforms, etc.

I’ve not played any of these games, so wonder if they hold up without the nostalgia factor?

I’ll get this just for Rock N' Roll Racing.

@PortuGuy according to the trailer it's the original music. Would be a surprise if they can use it in the trailer but not in the game anymore. It has tracks from black sabbath and Deep Purple and others as well. Best racing game sound track ever!

To me, its worth it for Blackthorne alone. I do wish it had LV2 tho.

Ahh jeez... I don't know what a Blackthorne is, but I absolutely LOVED those other two games on SNES. I really don't need more games right now, but onto the wish list it goes, I guess.

The price is offputting, but Rock n Roll Racing was, is and always will be awesome.

Homescreen icon: http://www.switchiconshowdown.com/detail.php?id=5318

I was thinking of getting Blackthorne on the SNES recently. But was it an arcade game or will this match the SNES version?

Is 3 games really a collection?

Either way the Watch mode seems really really cool idea

Would rather have an SEGA arcade pack......sega rally, Daytona, Manx TT, crazy taxi, 18 wheeler, golden axe, house of the dead, jumbo safari, virtua striker, virtua tennis, scud racer......

I've never played them, are they are any good?

Great collection, loads of extras and different versions yet people still moaning about the price!!

@Ghostchip They keep referencing The Lost Vikings in their newer games. WoW had three dwarves with the same names; in Starcraft 2 the Viking unit has speech lines "Erik, Baleog, Olaf, come in? Must've gotten lost again." and "Norse by Norsewest"; and in Heroes of the Storm the Vikings are a three-in-one playable hero.

Rock n Roll Racing and Blackthorne are more of a surprise.

I remember Rock n'Roll racing somewhere in the Swiss cheese memory banks. However probably a bargain basement purchase for me, if that

@Ghostchip

Did you miss the SNES era?

Quite happy to see this blizzard collection, it came out of nowhere with two of my favorite childhood games rock’n roll racing and the lost vikings and blackthorne wasn’t bad either.

@PortuGuy hope so if not then its a firm pass

@Darlinfan Not saying this isn’t worth it at all. There is a lot of work put into this and the $20 price tag is fair for the games you get.

However, If you just want to play the games (minus the barebones R&RR version they provide - just ignore that one) without the bells and whistles included in this collection, then they are available for download for free on PC.

Lost Vikings 1 and 2 only in 1 bundle and priced at £10. Problem solved and day 1 buy for me. I will get this, but only when there is a reduction in price.

I've got rock n roll racing on the megadrive and it's awesome. Hopefully this gets a physical release.

@pepepopo
Well 7, since it's the Mega Drive and SNES versions, with Rock N Roll getting an updated treatment.

@eltomo I believe it includes the SNES/ Mega 32X and 'definitive edition' of Blackthorne. None of these 3 games were actual arcade games.

@GannonBanned Funny! I used to rent Rock n Roll Racing all the time. My parents loved it because of the music. I didn't realize that this was a Blizzard game.

Bought about 20 mins ago

I was hoping for Norse by Norsewest with this as well.

All I want is rock n roll racing on its own with online.

Blackthorne! Out of This World and Flashback lovers UNITE! Finally will get my chance to finish it.

Picked this up on a whim and it's an excellent collection. I'd rather have three games shown proper love than a ton of filler with a couple of standouts. It's a bit like the Disney collection, the focus is on the three games but Racing in particular has got a lot of focus with licensed CD tracks. Only really played Lost Vikings before this so I don't have nostalgia for the other two but this is a very well put together compilation with lots of extras and multiple versions of the three games which have surprising differences. Good stuff.

@sword_9mm All I owned was a link to the past final fantasy VI and the marios

I loved Lost Vikings and Blackthorne. I never played Rock N Roll Racing, but it sounds like a lot of people here really liked it. For the extras they put in this collection, I'm okay with the price, even if I will miss Norse by Norsewest; the Aladdin and Lion King collection was $30.

EDIT: I bought this collection; I'm really glad I did. The definitive edition of Rock N Roll Racing was an absolute blast; it had the actual songs with lyrics. I found my PS1 copy of Norse by Norsewest, but I still feel that it should have been included in this collection. Also, I never knew Jim Lee did the cover art for Blackthorne.

@Gwynbleidd I just bought it and have been playing RnR Racing and to my huge surprise, the included Definitive Edition is a proper remaster. With widescreen, special effects and original songs. It looks really good. I've yet to try the others but if they've been remastered too then $20 is a bargain.

Wow these are 3 solid games, I may have to pick this one up. I haven't played Lost Vikings or Blackthorn in a long time.

EDIT: Just heard the 32X version of Blackthorn is part of the collection. That basically elevates this to "must buy" status for me. Licensed music in Rock n Roll Racing as well? This is almost too good to be true. If they just add Lost Vikings 2 to the package, it'd be perfect.

@Dijita "Rock n' Roll Racing" and "The Lost Vikings" were both developed when Blizzard was under their original name "Silicon & Synapse"

@GannonBanned IGN ranked all 3 of these titles among the best SNES games:
#30 The Lost Vikings
#72 Rock n' Roll Racing
#90 Blackthorne

Is this getting a physical release, does anyone know?

@Shadowthrone Exactly! Moreover, The Lost Vikings is not even an arcade type of game.

I'd buy this for about $2.99, maximum.

What a treat this is! Yeah I would’ve liked a bigger collection but what else could blizzard have really included? List Vikings 2 would have been cool, Starcraft I’d like to have seen, but Diablo 2 is already getting a remaster. I’m fine with this price as it’s around what we would’ve paid for these back in the virtual console days. Very good games here tho.

Wow, the Switch is a miracle machine! I’ve actually mentioned A couple times wanting The Lost Vikings in recent years, but never really expected to get it!

Now I just need... The Three Wonders, Guxt, and... both Mystik Belle games. 😁 (OK and Wind Waker and a million other games! But just listed some long shots, even though Mystik Belle is supposedly confirmed... I’ll believe it when I see it, heh.)

Edit: And now I’m gonna demand The Lost Viking 2!!

I've wanted to replay The Lost Vikings for years!!! I remember Rock 'N' Roll Racing being fun, but I can't remember the details. I've never played Blackthorne.

I will say that $20 for these games seems like a lot. I would think that each would be a $3-$5 game in their original form.

Blackthorne! One of my ol' favorite PC games. The backward shotgun ahhh

These are actually by far my favorite Blizzard games. Used to play rock n roll racing with my brother all the time. Impressive that they put together definitive editions and bonus materials instead of just throwing some roms together. Especially the modern update of rock n roll racing. Unfortunately it seems one of my favorite songs was lost. Still awesome they did this.

The only one I think I have played is Blackthorne. I never played The Lost Vikings or heard of Rock n Roll racing. I actually just downloaded Blackthorne from Blizzard to play it again.