Will Nintendo announce the much-anticipated Switch Online release of Golden Sun this week? Maybe, but I won't know, because I'm currently on vacation at the beach. Instead of predicting what Nintendo will do, it's time to finally wrap up the Super NES library with the final three games that have not gotten the Review Crew treatment. I'm specifically talking about Smash Tennis, Mario's Super Picross and Panel de Pon, which you may also know as Tetris Attack. Sure, these games hit the subscription service years ago, but I still need to ask: Are any of these games worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Super Play, Computer & Video Games and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when these games first came out. So grab your thinking cap and get ready to deal with falling blocks, because it's time for another puzzling episode of Nintendo Switch Online Review Crew.


Ever since the earliest days of video games, tennis has always been the easiest sport to replicate. Hitting a ball back and forth is simple to understand and the kind of fun that everybody can get into, even if you're not typically a sports fan. Released in Europe in 1994, Smash Tennis builds on what everybody loved in Super Tennis by adding a four-player mode and improved graphics. Believe it or not, it's actually directed by Hideo Yoshizawa, who is probably best known for creating both Klonoa and Mr. Driller, and working on everything from Ninja Gaiden to Ridge Racer Type 4. That's fun, but what about the reviews for Smash Tennis?

I suspect you won't be too surprised to hear that the lowest score came from Edge, who reviewed it in their very first issue under the name Super Family Tennis. “While it's good, it (and any other tennis simulation on the Super NES) has the unenviable task of competing with Tonkin House's Super Tennis. But Super Family Tennis does have one distinct advantage – it allows a four-player game. Super Family Tennis is a good, if not essential, purchase, especially for multiplayer fans. But Tonkin's Super Tennis is more playable and has added depth for one or two players.”

For what it's worth, Hyper agreed with a lot of the points Edge brought up and gave the game a similar score of 76%. Both of these scores are in stark contrast with Computer & Video Games, which loved the game, going as far as to give it a high score of 90%. “Smash Tennis is a fine game. The cute approach sets it apart, as does the illusion of a large play area; though there aren't enough different shots to cover the whole court, unless you're playing it as a multitap game, which is the better option. What's so good, though, is the way opponents respond to your improved skills, giving the game heaps of lastability. The control system is responsive enough to ensure that if you miss a shot, it's your fault.”

All in all, Super Tennis is probably a better game, but if you're looking for a four-player tennis game on the Nintendo Switch Online, then it's Smash Tennis all the way. I like that we have a choice.

Now here's something fun. It's Mario's Super Picross, the 16-bit sequel to Mario's Picross on the Game Boy. While the handheld version may have found its way around the world, the Super NES installment was a Japanese exclusive for more than a decade (when it eventually found its way to the Wii's Virtual Console). Now it's back on the Nintendo Switch Online, which is the perfect home for a puzzle game like this.

As with most games that didn't make their way outside of Japan until much later, finding classic reviews for Mario's Super Picross was tough. The truth is, I only found one magazine cover the game when it first came out. That classic magazine was Super Play, who gave the game a score of 78% in their 39th issue. “Yeah, yeah – it's addictive for quite some time, and it's top to just tap into it and start playing, but where it fails is that although the challenge naturally grows as you get further in, the gameplay remains exactly the bleeding same, 100% of the time. You chip, chip, chip, and you cross, cross, cross. Sooner or later, you'll become indecently good at it all. Far too good at it all. So good you simply won't need to play it anymore. Fun while it lasts, though.”

Personally speaking, I love the Picross series and most puzzle games like it, so I'm happy that it appeared on the Nintendo Switch Online in one form or another. It may or may not be your thing, but definitely give this version a chance. It's a great fit on the Switch.

There are a lot of great puzzle games on the Nintendo Switch Online service, and Panel de Pon is one of the best. If that name doesn't sound familiar, you may know it as Tetris Attack. It's actually the start of the Puzzle League franchise, which would later connect with series as diverse as Pokemon, Dr. Mario and even Animal Crossing. Released in late 1996, this 16-bit puzzler was completely overshadowed by the launch of the Nintendo 64. Although it was technically part of the Tetris franchise, Panel de Pon has almost nothing to do with the popular Russian export. In fact, it's so different that the co-founder of the Tetris Company has expressed regret giving Nintendo the license to use the name. Perhaps that's why the Nintendo opted to upload the original Panel de Pon version to their online service. To get the broadest amount of opinions, I am pulling reviews from critics who reviewed both Panel de Pon and the rebranded Tetris Attack.

Let's go ahead and start with Electronic Gaming Monthly, who actually scored this game higher than the original Tetris. Dan explained that “I love well-made puzzle games and Tetris Attack does not disappoint me one bit. Have you ever played one of those Columns-type games so much that you start visualizing the pieces in your mind when you're not playing? That's me. As I'm typing this, I want the words to fall to the bottom of the page and fill their way upward. It's affecting my sleep as well. As I drift off to sleep land, I first match Tetris Attack pieces in my mind. I can't help it. It's that addictive.” Shawn also liked the game, but maybe not as much: “From the title, someone might think Tetris is fed up with being played all the time and now it's payback time. That's not the case at all. Instead, we're given yet another addictive puzzle game. The graphics are bright and cartoony – perfect for this game. I'm glad they replaced the fairies in the Japanese version with Super Mario characters in the U.S. release. This adds more appeal to the game – who doesn't love Mario?” Electronic Gaming Monthly ultimately gave Tetris Attack an average score of 8.25 out of 10.

That's pretty close to what we saw over at Nintendo Power, who gave the game a 4 out of 5 and complained that the puzzler will take over your life. Super Play liked it even more than that, giving it a 90%, which was enough to have it rank as the magazine's 44th best-reviewed Super NES game of all time. They concluded that the game is “brimming with options, heady with playability and steeped in challenge, this'll turn minutes into hours, hours into days. Addictive stuff.”

If you're looking for an even high score, then we need to check in with another British magazine – Computer & Video Games. Giving Panel de Pon an impressive 93%, Paul Davies once again beats the drum about its addictive qualities. That said, he started his review with troubling news. He feared that, barring a miracle, Nintendo would never bring the game to Europe. He argued that “the UK is renowned for loving platform games and beat ‘em ups. Oh, and we're fortunate enough to welcome the occasional RPG, too. But puzzle games? Forget it. Even when, as with Panel de Pon, you have the puzzle game equivalent of Yoshi's Island or even Killer Instinct. So, I can tell you that the logic in this game is perfect; that it plays brilliantly. I can say that it has beautiful presentation to match, with typically excellent music in the Nintendo of Japan tradition. But it's no use. We showed you this game because it's interesting, and worthwhile hunting down. Everyone else, just keep those fingers crossed.”

Thankfully, the game did eventually come to the UK (and the United States) under the name Tetris Attack. No matter what you choose to call it, now is your chance to see if this classic puzzler is as addictive as the critics say.