Nintendo today announced Switch Online+, an expansion plan for its current online subscription that adds a variety of games from both the Nintendo 64 and… the Sega Genesis. I guess Nintendoes what Genesis did? The first batch of N64 games to be included with the plan includes a sweet set of classics:
Super Mario 64 Mario Kart 64 Star Fox 64 Yoshi’s Story The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time WinBack: Covert Operations Dr. Mario 64 Sin and Punishment Mario Tennis 64
Other N64 classics confirmed to be coming to Switch Online+ after the initial batch
Banjo-Kazooie Pokemon Snap The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards Mario Golf Paper Mario F-Zero X
I spent countless hours with the vast majority of those titles, so I can already feel the nostalgia pulling my hand towards my wallet. As for the Genesis titles, these are the launch titles:
Castlevania: Bloodlines Contra: Hard Corps Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine Ecco the Dolphin Golden Axe Gunstar Heroes Phantasy Star IV Ristar Shining Force Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Streets of Rage 2 M.U.S.H.A. Phantasy Star 4 Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master Strider
Nintendo hasn’t yet announced a price for the new plan, but I’d expect it to be at least another 5 bucks over the existing $5 plan. The plan is slated to be available in late October. To really send old-school gamers down memory lane, Nintendo also plans to sell wireless versions of the N64 and Genesis controllers to play these classics.
Is an outdated controller from a 1996 console worth $50? Probably not. Will I still buy it? You bet. But wait, there’s more! Nintendo also confirmed a release date for the Mario movie (December 21, 2022), it announced a new 3D Kirby game, it finally provided a trailer for Bayonetta 3, and more. You can watch the full Nintendo Direct below:
