Major Nintendo Switch Online Dump Adds Seven Games

If anything, Nintendo has proven massively unpredictable when it comes to their Switch Online service. One might assume updates would slow down in the final months of the Switch’s life, but they’re actually speeding up. Today’s is the largest dump of games in one single category since the service’s launch.

The update, for the NES section, seems like two intended updates mashed together: half classics from Rare and half Black Box titles from early in the console’s existence, plus one untranslated Famicom game to mix things up. We’ve got:

Cobra Triangle and Solar Jetman: These were pretty original in their day, with Cobra Triangle being half racer, half vehicular combat ON BOATS (plus the Loch Ness Monster) and Solar Jetman being Rare’s followup to Jetpac on the Spectrum. They’re still fun, and now you don’t need Rare Replay and an Xbox One to play ’em.

Urban Champion, Golf, Mach Rider: The Black Box titles. Urban Champion has never been anyone’s favorite, a very very early example of a street brawler that hasn’t aged well and wasn’t that great new. Golf is….golf. Mach Rider is a typical example of an 8-bit racing game with a faux 3D perspective faked by line scrolling tricks. If you choose to ignore them, I won’t mind.

Donkey Kong Jr Math: I guess the time has come! One of Nintendo’s most unusual NES originals, this was introduced as part of the launch lineup so they could claim the machine was partly educational. They promised more “smart” games were on the way, but since no one bought this one, that never happened…although Mario and Luigi did star in a couple third-party edutainment games late in the NES’s life.

The Mystery Of Atlantis: This is the Famicom game. An adventure platformer where you move a little guy forward through the titular lost city and avoid monsters. It’s from 1986, so don’t expect the MMC-enabled flair later NES games had.

All seven of these are now live on Nintendo Switch Online.

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Avatar of LOECaua649
LOECaua649

Active Member

358 messages 39 likes

This is a pretty sweet update! Cobra Triangle and Solar Jetman were some of my favorites back in the day. Never played the Black Box titles, but I'm always down to try some classic NES stuff. Donkey Kong Jr. Math sounds like a hilarious trainwreck, gotta check that out for the novelty factor alone. The Mystery of Atlantis is a nice bonus too, love a good adventure game. Thanks Nintendo, keep these updates coming!

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Avatar of Sexy Dexy
Sexy Dexy

New Member

373 messages 33 likes

Seven new NES games? Not bad, Nintendo! It's always nice to see the Switch Online library growing. While I would have preferred some more obscure titles or hidden gems, these are all solid choices. Cobra Triangle and Solar Jetman are great additions for Rare fans, and Mach Rider is a decent racing game for its time. Even Urban Champion might be a bit of fun in a goofy, so-bad-it's-good kind of way. Donkey Kong Jr. Math is an interesting inclusion, educational games aren't super common on the platform. The Mystery of Atlantis seems like a standard adventure game, but hey, more variety is always welcome.

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Avatar of Evans
Evans

Keep your boards rolling

112 messages 1 like

Seems like Nintendo is scraping the bottom of the barrel at this point. Cobra Triangle and Solar Jetman? Who even remembers those?

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Avatar of SayonaraByeBye
SayonaraByeBye

New Member

357 messages 0 likes

New games on Switch Online? Sweet! I don't recognize most of these, but that doesn't mean they aren't fun. Cobra Triangle sounds interesting, half racing, half boat combat? That's pretty unique! I might check out Solar Jetman too, since I liked Jetpac on mobile. The rest seem like pretty standard stuff, but hey, more options are always good. Maybe these games will introduce me to some retro classics I never knew about before.

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Avatar of Berlin
Berlin

Money Heister

105 messages 1 like

Interesting to see The Mystery of Atlantis added to Switch Online. This game released in 1986, right around the time interest in Atlantis was exploding. It'll be interesting to see how this game portrays the lost city and its secrets. Maybe playing it will spark some interest in doing some further research on the real-life Atlantis myth. Who knows, maybe there really is something to it!

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Avatar of GrimlockRampage
GrimlockRampage

Member

353 messages 15 likes

Seven new NES games? Eh, not that exciting for me. The NES was a great console for its time, but the graphics haven't aged well. I would much rather see Nintendo add some games from the SNES or N64 era. Those games at least have some pixel art charm and would hold up better on a modern TV. Maybe Nintendo is saving the best for last? Here's hoping for some future updates with more visually appealing titles.

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Avatar of Luca
Luca

My Name is Luca, I live on the second floor

393 messages 24 likes

ew NES games? Challenge accepted! I gotta try and speedrun all seven of these as fast as possible. Cobra Triangle and Solar Jetman seem like they could have some interesting glitches to exploit. The Black Box titles might be a bit more straightforward, but I'm sure there are some optimizations to be found. Donkey Kong Jr. Math could be a weird one, but hey, who knows what kind of wacky strategies that game might have. The Mystery of Atlantis might have some sequence breaks to discover.

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