NES vs Famicom Switch Online apps – March 2019 update

March update brings the biggest difference between the two apps. For the first time, the NES app gets something that the Famicom app wont, StarTropics. The reason for this is the fact that StarTropics never got released in Japan. So instead, Japanese users get a game that was never released outside of their region, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light. And then there’s also the usual extra game that Japan has been getting recently.

Below is the list of games added to the NES app:

  • Kid Icarus
  • StarTropics
  • (SP) Kirby’s Adventure (Starts with the first file finished with 100%)
  • (SP) Zelda 2 (Starts at the beginning but all powered up and with all the magic spells)

And here’s the list of games added on the Family Computer – Nintendo Switch Online app.

  • Yie Ar Kung-Fu
  • Kid Icarus (Famicom Disk version, features save files)
  • Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light
  • (SP) Kirby’s Adventure (Same changes as the NES app)
  • (SP) Zelda 2 (Famicom Disk version, same changes as the NES app)

Yie Ar Kung-Fu was never released outside of Japan and is simply ignored in this month’s NES app update.

NES vs Famicom Switch Online apps – January 2019 update

January has arrived and with it comes the biggest difference yet between the NES and Famicom apps of the Nintendo Switch. On November, the Famicom version of the app got one more SP version that NES didn’t get, but it was also because it didn’t need it. This time, though, Japanese users will get one extra game.

Below is the full list of games added on the Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Switch Online app.

  • Blaster Master
  • Zelda 2
  • (SP) Ninja Gaiden (Starts on stage 6-4, right before the final boss.)
  • (SP) Ghosts’n Goblins (Starts on stage 6 of the first run.)

And here’s the list of games added on the Family Computer – Nintendo Switch Online app.

  • Blaster Master
  • Joy Mech Fight [ジョイメカファイト]
  • Zelda 2 (Famicom Disk System version)
  • (SP) Ninja Gaiden (Same as above.)
  • (SP) Ghosts’n Goblins (Same as above.)

As you can see, Japan got the usual three games, but one of them was never released outside of the region. So instead of replacing the game for a different one, Nintendo simply decided to just omit it and leave it to just two new games for the people using the NES version.