One of the biggest draws of Nintendo Online is the catalog of classic Nintendo games included with the subscription. Right now, Nintendo Online subscribers have access to a collection of classic NES and SNES games to play. However, there's still a major library of classic Nintendo games missing from Nintendo Online's offerings.- Game Boy games.
The original Game Boy was released in 1989 and bridged the gap between the release of the NES and SNES. The Game Boy line saw several revisions before the release of its successor, the Nintendo DS, in 2004. Throughout its 15 year run, the Game Boy had several beloved games that would be right at home on the half-home console, half-handheld Nintendo Switch.
The Nintendo Switch was heavily marketed as being both a home console and a handheld in one. Right now, the Switch already has the console side of Nintendo's classic library of games handled with titles from both the SNES and the NES. However, handheld Game Boy titles would be perfect for showing off the portability of the Switch.
The selection of games Nintendo Online provides has always been a bit of a disappointment for hardcore Nintendo fans, so it'd be important to include as many fan-favorite Game Boy titles as possible. Pokémon Red, Blue. and Green would be strong picks. The first generation of Pokémon games are classics in a lot of people's minds. This would also be a great way to release the original Pokémon Green in the US. Pokémon Yellow could also be included as well, given its unique focus on the starter Pokémon.
With the success of Tetris 99, it'd only make sense to also include the original Tetris as part of a classic Game Boy collection as well. Tetris actually tops plenty of people's lists of the greatest Game Boy games of all time, and some even call it the best game of all time. Tetris has always been a super accessible puzzle game that's easy to understand and challenging to master.
Kirby's Dream Land 3 is included as part of the SNES offerings, but the original game hasn't seen a release since Kirby's Dream Collection on the Wii. There's plenty of other Kirby titles on offer as part of the Nintendo Online service, so the Kirby series's debut entry would be right at home. While on the topic, Kirby's Dream Land 2 could also be included to have all three Dream Land games on offer- or Nintendo could even do a 3D remake of the Dream Land games.
The Game Boy has tons more classic titles that could be included, such as the two Super Mario Land games, Wario Land 1 and 2, Metroid II: Samus Returns and the recently remade The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. Other titles may require some licensing agreements, like Mega Man 5 and Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge, but with Konami and Capcom both working with Nintendo to include characters in Super Smash Brothers: Ultimate, it may not be as far of a stretch to get some classic third-party games included.
Many fans would most likely pick the Nintendo 64's or the Gamecube's libraries to be the next retro libraries added to Nintendo Online, but there are a few problems with those. For one, many of the iconic games fans associate with those two consoles aren't actually developed by Nintendo. Games like Super Smash Brothers: Melee, Banjo & Kazooie and GoldenEye 007 were all third-party titles.
That's the major issue with talking about any port or remaster of a game that was released closer to the current generation. Developers are either no longer around or already potentially planning remakes of their own, given the success of recent remakes. Either way, publishers and developers may not be as willing to offer up licensing for their classic 3D libraries. Nintendo themselves seem not to be considering offering N64 or Gamecube games as part of Nintendo Online, seeing how they've recently re-released both Super Mario 64 and Mario Sunshine as part of the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection.
Another issue may simply be emulating those games on the Switch's hardware and making them run right even in mobile mode. Outside of officially licensed emulation, Dolphin is currently the go-to choice for Gamecube emulation. According to the developers of Dolphin, they recommend at least four CPU cores for perfect emulation. The Switch does have an 8 CPU Cores, but it downclocks said CPU heavily when used as a portable system.
The N64 and Gamecube were both fantastic systems with a huge collection of iconic games, but they weren't quite as medium-defining as the Game Boy. With how the Game Boy revolutionized handheld consoles, it only makes sense to see its library make its way onto the system that revolutionized handheld gaming. Both the Switch and the Game Boy changed the way people think mobile gaming could work and seeing Nintendo's Online service honor that legacy would be a great inclusion for the subscription service.