A Real Blast From the Past
Nintendo’s Subscription Service, “Nintendo Switch Online”, currently offers plenty of retro titles as well as unlocking online content for many Switch titles. But after today’s Nintendo Direct, that offer is about to get a little sweeter – NSO is about to see some nostalgic new additions. Nintendo 64 games are coming to the Switch Online service, with Sega Genesis games in tow via an “Expansion Pack”.
The list of added games is extensive, and has all the usual suspects: Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64, and the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, just to name a few. They also unveiled a selection of games that’ll be hitting Nintendo Switch Online in the near future, including Majora’s Mask, F-Zero X, Pokemon Snap, and Banjo-Kazooie.
On top of all this, wireless bluetooth replications of original N64 and Genesis controllers will be made available, if players really want to experience what gaming was like back in the day. They’ll carry a 50$ price tag each, and neither have a formal release date as of now.
This release celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Nintendo 64 console – harkening back to an era of Nintendo products with iconic games and an unforgettably strange controller. Many were speculating about a release like this, thanks in part to some especially diligent fans noticing a new controller was in development. Given how close it was to an important date in Nintendo’s history, and given that they’ve done something similar with previous retro releases… it wasn’t hard to put two and two together.
The addition of Sega games in this announcement is unusual for NSO, but that doesn’t make it unwelcome. Given the modern landscape, it’s hard to imagine that Nintendo and SEGA were once two titans in a constant struggle for dominance over the gaming space. It was a battle that Nintendo clearly “won”, but given the massive overlap between fans of either company, it’s easy to see why they’re on such friendly terms nowadays. This release celebrates more than just the N64, it’s a callback to whole other era in gaming – one that players will be able to play both sides of once they get their hands on all the goodies within.