Nintendo tends to invoke games from their past but not make them readily available to purchase legally. They've cracked down hard on emulation sites and fan remakes, but won't make those games purchasable from their digital services. Something will occasionally come along, such as the SNES Classic Edition or Super Mario 3D All-Stars, yet Nintendo still hurts fans by making them artificially scarce.
Nintendo Switch Online has a selection of many games available to play on platforms such as the NES and SNES, and even features games from the N64 and Sega Genesis if players purchase the Expansion Pack. However, there are still considerable gaps in that library, such as GameCube and Game Boy Advance titles.
10 Metroid II Is An Important Part of Samus' Story
Metroid Dread marks the final chapter of an arc that started with the original Metroid. Switch owners who want to see the story from beginning to end are out of luck, considering the second and fourth entries are unavailable on that platform.
While Metroid II: Return of Samus saw a great remake on the 3DS, Metroid Fusion was last released on the Wii U. Metroid II may have aged the least gracefully out of all the installments, but it sets the stage for Super Metroid and serves as a crucial chapter in the story of Samus Aran.
9 Diddy Kong Racing Was More Ambitious Than Mario Kart
Diddy Kong Racing was more ambitious than Mario Kart 64, sporting an overworld and the addition of hovercrafts and planes. The inclusion of characters like Conker and Banjo might prove to be an obstacle as Microsoft now owns them.
Considering Nintendo managed to negotiate the bear and bird to join the fray in Smash, it's not inconceivable that a similar deal could give this title the greenlight. If that can't be arranged, the DS remake omitted said characters and replaced them with Nintendo-owned characters such as Tiny Kong.
8 The Wario Land Games Subverted The Formula
Before the WarioWare games, the aforementioned greedy anti-hero made his first appearance as the villain in the Game Boy platformer Super Mario Land the 6 Golden Coins. Eventually, he took over the series and shifted from a standard Mario-esque platformer to a more subversive approach.
Wario Land 2 and 3 not only made it impossible for players to die, but getting damaged by enemies was made into a key gameplay component. Certain enemies would cause Wario to undergo strange transformations that would be instrumental to solving some creative puzzles.
7 F-Zero X Is Not Included On The List Of N64 Games (Yet)
While the list of Nintendo 64 games on the Nintendo Switch Online service is subject to change, the omission of F-Zero X at launch is curious. F-Zero X was the first entry in the series to utilize full 3D graphics.
F-Zero X may not have sported the prettiest visuals on the N64, but it more than made up for that with its rock-solid frame rate and speed. With a consistent performance of 60 FPS, tight controls, and high octane racing action, the low polygon count will be the last thing on players' minds. That sad, it's more than likely F-Zero X will eventually be released on NSO.
6 Warlocked Brought Real-Time Strategy To The Game Boy Color
With the Famicom Wars still being raged overseas, Nintendo fans in the West who wanted some Real Time Strategy action enlisted with the Game Boy Color title Warlocked. Courtesy of British developer Bits Studios, the game presented players with a war fought between factions of humans and beasts.
While the limitations of the platform show with its slow movement speed, minuscule units, and limited buttons, the game boasts impressive visuals and sounds. A sequel to Warlocked was planned for the Game Boy Advance, which would have addressed said issues, but it was unfortunately canceled.
5 Golden Sun & Its Sequels Have Yet To See A Re-release
With the embrace of JRPGs in the West, the market underwent significant changes. While their competitors had Final Fantasy and Phantasy Star, Nintendo lacked a narrative-heavy RPG franchise for hardcore gamers.
Camelot Software Planning had previously made a name for themselves with the Shining Force games on the Sega Genesis, making them the ideal developer to create a compelling RPG for the Game Boy Advance. It is the 10th anniversary of what seemed to be Nintendo's first attempt at a serious RPG franchise, but neither Golden Sun nor its sequel have seen a release on the Switch.
4 Paper Mario Flouts Convention
There was a time when the Mario RPGs subverted standard tropes in the series, and Paper Mario for the N64 continues the tradition Super Mario RPG for the SNES set. Hostile creatures such as the goombas, boos, and koopas now joined Mario as support characters with distinct designs and personalities.
Bower's personality was more fleshed out, and later entries would even use him as a supporting character. Unfortunately, Nintendo has become increasingly restrictive with the Paper Mario series. The first game and The Thousand-Year Door on the Nintendo GameCube are great demonstrations of what the franchise can do when it defies convention.
3 EarthBound Is Still A Charmer
Despite rising to the top on Wii U Virtual Console sales charts, EarthBound has yet to see a release on Nintendo Switch Online. The characters and dialogue are still as charming and emotionally resonant now as they were back then.
Compared to many retro RPGs, EarthBound has some particularly clever innovations, such as being able to skip pointless battles and a rolling HP meter that would allow characters to move even after they had suffered a fatal blow. Earthbound's omission from the service is nothing short of baffling.
2 The Original Pikmin Has Yet To Land On The Switch
Pikmin was one of the last original IPs created by Shigeru Miyamoto – the creator of Mario and Zelda. While the first entry saw a remake on the Nintendo Wii, the second title is still unfortunately only playable on Gamecube.
At least Pikmin 3 was fortunate enough to land a release on the Nintendo Switch. All that's needed to make this trilogy available to younger players is a release on Nintendo Switch Online or even a full-blown HD collection on the Switch like Super Mario 3D All-Stars.
1 The Original Luigi's Mansion Is Still Lost In Time
Mario's little brother finally got the chance to shine by starring in a key launch title for Nintendo's first disc-based console. Luigi arguably demonstrates so much more personality than even his brother as he reacts to the supernatural menaces around him or hums to the tune of the background music.
Luigi's Mansion's only real blemish is its brevity, which is a problem that further entries addressed. Of all the installments, only the third is available on the Switch. Any younger players who want to experience the series but don't have a GameCube or 3DS lying around are out of luck.