TheNintendo Switch Onlinesubscription service announced its “Expansion Pack” last year with one headlining addition: a library of games from the Nintendo 64 to match NES and SNES offerings. Another library for Sega Genesis games and access to DLC such asAnimal Crossing: New Horizons' Happy Home Paradise andMario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Booster Course Pass have rounded out this more expensive subscription tier. However, N64 games are particularly weighty given its back-catalog has been requested for years alongsideSwitch Onlinelibraries for handheld consoles like the Game Boy.
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Banjo-Tooie
Rare was one of the most prolific N64 developers, and its catalog could fill a months-long string of updates alone. However, the sequel toBanjo-Kazooieseems like an easy bet for Switch Online + Expansion Pack considering the original collectathon platformer became available this January. Fans would be just as - if not more - interested to see games likeGoldenEye 007,Diddy Kong Racing, orPerfect Darkhit the service, but some of these titles are tied up in licensing concerns or are currently being leveraged by Rare’s parent company Microsoft.
Pokemon Stadium 1 + 2
ThePokemon Stadiumgames are less appealing in 2022 by the very nature of their releases; intended to bring fans’Pokemonpartners from the rudimentary Game Boy era into a 3D battlefield. However, there’s still fun to be had with atheoretically online-compatiblePokemon Stadiumseriesusing rental Pokemon (or crossover with a Switch Online Game Boy library), and theStadiumtitles' party minigames would still have a lot of appeal. That said, plenty of otherPokemongames could fit the bill, includingPuzzle LeagueandHey You, Pikachu!
Bomberman 64
Nintendo and Hudson Soft have a strong working relationship, and theBombermanfranchise still has a presence on Nintendo hardware after Konami acquired Hudson in 2005.Super Bomberman R,an early Switch title, recently announced the end of its online support. However, Bomberman still appears in games likeSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, so it would make sense to add the franchise’s original 3D adventure to Switch Online + Expansion Pack, especially considering it appeared on the soon-to-close Wii U Virtual Console.
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Excitebike 64
While not often considered alongsideSuper MarioandThe Legend of Zeldaas some of Nintendo’s greatest franchises,Excitebiketraces its roots back to the NES and has made plenty of cameo appearances since; including an Assist Trophy inSuper Smash Bros. Brawlandracetrack inMario Kart 8.Excitebike 64has plenty of potential for a service like Switch Online, boasting multiplayer races and a track editor that could create hours of fun. It would certainly stand up alongside popular racing games likeMario Kart 64andDiddy Kong Racing.
Pilotwings 64
Many Nintendo fans should be familiar with the 3DS flight simulatorPilotwings Resort, which released in 2012 as another title set in that era’s popular Wuhu Island. Yet fewer fans may be aware that the game is a sequel to the flight-simPilotwings 64, and its SNES predecessorPilotwings. The Nintendo 64 entry was a launch title alongsideSuper Mario 64and the Japanese-exclusiveSaikyo Habu Shogi,so it deserves another moment in the spotlight.
There are plenty more iconic N64 titles to mine for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.Major franchise entries likeSuper Smash Bros.andCastlevaniacome to mind, though looking at the NES and SNES libraries, lesser-appreciated titles likeChameleon Twistcould just as easily be highlighted. Licensing deals will play a part, but hopefully the next wave of titles forNintendo Switch Onlineare revealed soon afterPokemon Snaphits the service.
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