Nintendo is going back to the 1990s. On Thursday, it released 20 classic games from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or SNES, to anyone with an online membership.
The SNES was released in the United States in 1991, shortly after its launch in Japan, and went on to become the best-selling gaming console of its generation. Offering games such as “Donkey Kong Country,” “Super Mario World” and “The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past,” Nintendo sold more than 49 million of the systems worldwide.
In the years since, Nintendo hasn’t forgotten its roots. Nintendo released the SNES Classic in 2017, a more petite version of the original that came preloaded with classic games, for a limited time. It then discontinued the old console a year later and focused its attention on the much newer Nintendo Switch.
Now the same games will be available to gamers with a Switch Online membership, which allows you to connect to Wi-Fi and play with others. A subscription costs $3.99 for a single month, to $19.99 for 12 months, depending on the plan.
The following games will be added:
“Super Mario World”
“Super Mario Kart”
“The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past”
“Super Metroid”
“Stunt Race FX”
“Kirby’s Dream Land 3”
“Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island”
“Star Fox”
“F-Zero”
“Pilotwings”
“Kirby’s Dream Course”
“Brawl Brothers”
“Breath of Fire”
“Demon’s Crest”
“Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics”
“Super E.D.F. Earth Defense Force”
“Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts”
“Super Puyo Puyo 2”
“Super Soccer”
“Super Tennis”
“New trends in monetization, like ongoing subscriptions… are upending the industry, Nintendo included,” said Laine Nooney, assistant professor and historian of video games at New York University. “How better to make these changes feel familiar and safe to reluctant consumers than to tie them to some of the most classic IP in game history?”
Nintendo also plans to sell a retro SNES controller for $29.99 that connects to the Switch. No release date is listed for the product on the site.
On Wednesday, Nintendo also announced that Blizzard’s team shooter game “Overwatch” would arrive on the Switch by October 15 and that “Super Smash Bros” was getting two new characters, Banjo and Kazooie, after Microsoft granted the rights to include them.