I suspect many of you are in wait-and-see mode at best given the steep subscription model
Much has been said about Nintendo’s strategy for re-releasing retro games on Nintendo Switch, and today, there are quite a few N64 and Sega Genesis games to check out (assuming you’re willing to pony up for the $50-per-year Expansion Pack plan).
It’s not an ideal situation — far from it! — but I have no doubt that people will show up to upgrade their base Nintendo Switch Online memberships to recapture fond memories with games like Mario Kart 64, Ocarina of Time, and Gunstar Heroes. The list goes on.
Nintendo’s landing page for Switch Online shows a “buy now” option for the Expansion Pack plan — it’s available as of console update Ver. 13.1.0. The individual option costs $50 annually, while the up-to-eight-shared-users family membership is $80 per year.
Nintendo 64 games playable with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack
- 1080 Snowboarding (coming in 2023)
- Banjo-Kazooie (added January 20, 2022)
- Dr. Mario 64
- Excitebike 64 (coming in 2023)
- F-Zero Zero X (added March 11, 2022)
- GoldenEye 007 (coming soon)
- Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (added May 20, 2022)
- Mario Golf (added April 15, 2022)
- Mario Kart 64
- Mario Party (coming in 2022)
- Mario Party 2 (coming in 2022)
- Mario Party 3 (coming in 2023)
- Mario Tennis
- Paper Mario (added December 10, 2021)
- Pilotwings 64 (coming in 2022)
- Pokémon Puzzle League (added July 15, 2022)
- Pokémon Snap (added June 24, 2022)
- Pokémon Stadium (coming in 2023)
- Pokémon Stadium 2 (coming in 2023)
- Sin and Punishment
- Star Fox 64
- Super Mario 64
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (added February 25, 2022)
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Wave Race 64 (added August 19, 2022)
- WinBack: Covert Operations
- Yoshi’s Story
Upcoming N64 games for Expansion Pack subscribers
- “There is no set schedule for new releases, but each collection will continue to grow.”
Sega Genesis games playable with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack
- Alien Soldier (added March 16, 2022)
- Alisia Dragoon (added September 15, 2022)
- Altered Beast (added December 16, 2021)
- Beyond Oasis (added September 15, 2022)
- Castlevania: Bloodlines
- Comix Zone (added June 30, 2022)
- Contra: Hard Corps
- Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
- Dynamite Headdy (added December 16, 2021)
- Earthworm Jim (added September 15, 2022)
- Ecco the Dolphin
- Golden Axe
- Gunstar Heroes
- Light Crusader (added March 16, 2022)
- Mega Man: The Wily Wars (added June 30, 2022)
- M.U.S.H.A.
- Phantasy Star 4: The End of the Millennium
- Ristar
- Shining Force
- Shining Force II (added April 21, 2022)
- Shinobi 3
- Sonic Spinball (added April 21, 2022)
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- Space Harrier II (added April 21, 2022)
- Streets of Rage 2
- Strider
- Super Fantasy Zone (added March 16, 2022)
- Sword of Vermilion (added December 16, 2021)
- Target Earth (added June 30, 2022)
- Thunder Force II (added December 16, 2021)
- ToeJam & Earl (added December 16, 2021)
- Zero Wing (added June 30, 2022)
Upcoming Sega Genesis games for Expansion Pack subscribers
- TBA — “More games will be added to the Sega Genesis collection in the future, but we aren’t announcing any specific titles at this time,” according to Nintendo.
Don’t forget about the controllers
You’ll have a much better time with these games if you manage to secure one of those made-for-Switch Nintendo 64 controllers, but the stock never lasts long. Bummer! I’m sure plenty of people ordered the N64 controller with no intention of even using it for these subscription-based N64 games; it’s USB, after all.
As for the Switch’s Sega Genesis controller — or should I say “Control Pad”; I love that old lingo — thanks but no thanks. $50 for a three-button Genesis gamepad is too steep.
I feel like Nintendo 64 is getting the spotlight (and I’m guilty of that, too), but there are some absolute gems in the Genesis lineup. That said, with how easy it has been to play Sega games in general over the years, you can’t really blame us for being one-sided.
