Walmart is advertising Nintendo Switch Online with a poster that includes several GameCube classics yet to be made available via the service.
An image visible now on Walmart.com shows a library of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack titles including the brilliant Pikmin 2 and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, neither of which are currently playable on Switch 2.
Metroid Prime 2 is of particular interest to fans, as some had speculated its release was deliberately being held back so Nintendo could sell a full remake of the game instead. The company launched a full Metroid Prime 1 remake back in 2023, but has since made no comment about continuing to relaunch the rest of the classic trilogy.
Now, with Metroid Prime 2: Echoes seemingly being added to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack catalogue, some fans have said their hopes of a remake have now dimmed. Others, meanwhile, have criticized the decision to simply re-release the game’s original GameCube version when its Wii re-release included some notable balance changes.
“I am very glad we are getting Prime 2, but I was really hoping for a remake like Prime 1,” wrote pojosamaneo. “Prime 2 is incredible, and deserves a remake.”
“Prime 2 being an NSO game isn’t just not preferable over getting the remaster treatment, but because the OG GameCube release is rough,” wrote Mymouthiscancerous. “It has insane difficulty spikes with bosses like Spider Guardian and Boost Guardian which were only rectified with the Wii port as part of Metroid Prime Trilogy. It’s the same reason why Nintendo just plopping Wind Waker on NSO instead of porting HD just sucks when there’s an objectively better version out there stuck in Wii U purgatory.”
Pikmin 2 already got its own Switch remaster, of course, launched back in 2023.
This isn’t the first time a retailer has leaked upcoming Nintendo Switch Online games before Nintendo itself has made them official. Back in October last year, fellow GameCube addition Luigi’s Mansion was leaked by Target, just prior to Nintendo confirming its arrival to its subscription service.
As expectation mounts for a full Nintendo Direct in February, it may not be long until Metroid Prime 2 and Pikmin 2 are also made official.
Before all that, there is another Nintendo Direct this week — focused on upcoming Switch social sim Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. This will come just days after last weekend’s Nintendo Direct that debuted a new Super Mario Galaxy Movie trailer.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
