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Nintendo Switch Online

Mario Kart World Nintendo Switch Online icons

As we enter the Nintendo Switch 2 era, the very first Switch Online icons are here for a game on the console – that being Mario Kart World.

Starting today, different designs will be available if you’re a member of the service. Fans can grab icons for many different characters, backgrounds, and frames. Characters, as usual, cost 10 My Nintendo Platinum Points each. Backgrounds and frames will set you back 5 Platinum Points.

Nintendo Switch Online classic icons

May 20: Nintendo is now starting to offer up icons for a variety of classic systems for Switch Online members today.

The NES, SNES, Game Boy (and Game Boy Color), GBA, and GameCube will be featured. These platforms are also a part of Nintendo Switch Online with the classic titles that members can play through on Nintendo Switch – and soon on Switch 2.

For a limited time, Nintendo Switch Online members can grab brand new icons based on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link.

Both require you to boot up the games on their respective app first. After that, you can spend My Nintendo Platinum Points on the different icons. There’s only five for Zelda 2 (they’re all characters), but there’s about a dozen for Ocarina of Time. Each one costs 10 Platinum Points.

Following the Nintendo Switch 20.1.0 system update, the Nintendo Switch Online application on Switch has been massively updated as well. The changes to the user interface were not detailed in the patch notes for the system update, but match the previously reported images of the Switch 2’s online app.

Here are all the changes we could find:

Nintendo Switch Online Survival Kids, Kirby's Star Stacker, Gradius The Interstellar Assault, The Sword of Hope

Four more classic games have just popped up on Nintendo Switch Online, with members having access to Survival Kids, Gradius: The Interstellar Assault, Kirby’s Star Stacker, and The Sword of Hope.

Survival Kids is the one lone Game Boy Boy title here. Everything else represents the original Game Boy.

Here’s some information about the different games:

At the time of writing, we still have a few weeks to go until the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2. It’s also been a pretty quiet year for Nintendo in terms of first-party releases so far, with only Donkey Kong Country Returns HD and Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. That means it’s a perfect time to delve into some of the company’s older games, and I  recently played and 100 percent completed Metroid Fusion for the first time. In recent years, the Metroid series has seen something of a resurgence – between Metroid Dread, Metroid Prime Remastered, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, you can definitely tell that Nintendo is pushing to bring this franchise back into the spotlight.

My first Metroid game was actually Metroid Dread, and even though I originally wasn’t a big fan of Metroidvanias, I loved it – you’re left completely to your own devices to figure out the right path, and the story really ramps up in the latter half of the game. This is completely obvious to those who have beaten Metroid Fusion before, but I didn’t realize how similar the game was to Metroid Dread. Not just in terms of the genre – the story shares many similar elements. So many, in fact, that Metroid Dread is essentially a direct sequel!

Killer Instinct Gold Nintendo Switch Online

Another N64 classic has just appeared on Nintendo Switch Online with Killer Instinct Gold being made available. Note that you need to be subscribed to the service’s Expansion Pack tier in order to access the game.

Rare originally made Killer Instinct Gold way back in 1996. The fighter is based on the arcade game Killer Instinct 2.

For more information, read the following overview:

PlateUp Nintendo Switch Online Game Trial

Nintendo has announced that over in Europe, PlateUp will be made available as the latest Game Trial on Switch Online. This will kick off tomorrow, May 15, lasting until May 21.

Those with an active Nintendo Switch Online membership will be able to play the entire game for free. Additionally, save data works with the full version when purchased. Fans should also be on the lookout for a discount on the Nintendo eShop.

April 23: Nintendo has recently released its 1.6.0 update for F-Zero 99, but it seems the company has added another bonus in tandem with the patch. User icons based on the game are now redeemable for Nintendo Switch Online members.

It is not required to play F-Zero 99 in order to claim these rewards. 12 character icons are up for grabs, as well as 12 backgrounds. Each character icon is redeemable with 10 Platinum Points on My Nintendo, and each background for 5.

April 2: Nintendo Switch Online made a major announcement today with GameCube games now confirmed for the platform. It will be available alongside launch.

This is the first time that Nintendo will be offering these titles as part of its classics service. During the Virtual Console days, support stopped with the N64. GameCube games have only been sold as individual releases, sometimes as updated remasters.


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