Nintendo shared plenty of gaming news (and one bit of movie news) in its recent Direct, but the console maker also set aside some time to speak about its Nintendo Switch Online service and its imminent expansion. This new tier dubbed “Expansion Pack” will grant access to Nintendo 64 games as well as titles from the Sega Genesis. It’s coming “late October” but no price was given.
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Those who already subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online will be able to upgrade their subscription if they want. However, upgrades aren’t mandatory as Expansion Pack is not replacing the base version of Nintendo Switch Online. The new subscription will launch with nine N64 games next month:
- Super Mario 64
- Mario Kart 64
- Star Fox 64
- Yoshi’s Story
- The Legends of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- WinBack
- Mario Tennis
- Dr. Mario 64
- Sin and Punishment
Select titles will be support multiplayer both online and offline for up to four players. Nintendo will also add more titles later and gave The Legends of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Pokémon Snap, F-Zero X, Mario Golf, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Paper Mario, and Banjo-Kazooie as examples of games coming in the future.
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These nine N64 games will launch alongside the following 14 Genesis games:
- Castlevania Bloodlines
- Contra Hard Corps
- Ecco the Dolphin
- Golden Axe
- Gunstar Heroes
- M.U.S.H.A.
- Phantasy Star IV
- Ristar
- Shinobi III
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- Streets of Rage 2
- Strider
- Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
- Shining Force
The N64, Genesis, and Switch all have drastically different controllers so Nintendo will be selling classic wireless N64 and Genesis pads for $49.99 each. These retro controllers look like their ’90s counterparts and should allow players to more easily control these games with the controllers they were designed for. Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions are, oddly, required to purchase these controllers.
