Nintendo Switch Online Bringing Back Classic GBA Game This Week

F-Zero: Maximum Velocity is coming to Nintendo Switch Online's GBA app.

By Marc Deschamps

Nintendo Switch Online's library of Game Boy Advance games will increase this week with a new addition. On March 29th, those that subscribe to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack tier will be able to play F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, a title that was available at launch for the GBA back in 2001. Maximum Velocity is set in the year 2585, which is 25 years after the original SNES F-Zero. Given how much time has passed, several of F-Zero's most memorable characters are now retired, which means that this game does not actually feature Captain Falcon! 

A trailer for F-Zero: Maximum Velocity was shared by Nintendo's official Twitter account, and can be found in the Tweet embedded below. 

F-Zero Games on GBA

The F-Zero franchise is in a bit of a weird place at the moment, but fans of the racing series were eating good in the GBA era; Maximum Velocity was the first of three series entries released on the handheld. After Maximum Velocity, a short-lived F-Zero anime was released, and it got its own tie-in game called F-Zero: GP Legend. GP Legend came to North America in 2004, and that same year saw the release of F-Zero Climax in Japan. Climax never did get a release in North America, but Nintendo Switch Online has seen several Japanese exclusives finally brought to North America, including Panel de Pon on the SNES app. With Maximum Velocity coming to NSO this week, it's possible GP Legend and Climax won't be far behind! 

GBA Games on Nintendo Switch Online

F-Zero: Maximum Velocity will mark the 15th GBA game made available through Nintendo Switch Online. January saw the additions of Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age, but Nintendo has been notably slow to add games to the app. There are still a lot of beloved GBA games Nintendo could add to the service, including favorites like Pokemon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire, Metroid: Zero Mission, and Drill Dozer. All of those games were released on the Wii U Virtual Console, but are no longer available to purchase on the system following the eShop's closure last year.

Of course, the game that fans would most like to see added to Nintendo Switch Online is Mother 3. The sequel to Earthbound is another GBA game that never made it to North America, and fans have been begging Nintendo to localize it for years. The company is well-aware of the demand surrounding the game's release, but it has never gotten an official translation, for one reason or another. Mother 3 was added to Nintendo Switch Online in Japan last month, leaving fans outside the region understandably jealous! 

Are you happy about F-Zero: Maximum Velocity coming to Nintendo Switch Online? Which GBA games would you most like to see added to the service? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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