What you need to know
- The Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack offers both Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis titles to subscribers.
- Five additional Sega Genesis titles have made their way to the online service.
- All games are now available at no extra cost for subscribers only.
Some Sega fans subscribed to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service may have felt left out after no new Sega Genesis games had been announced for some time. Paper Mario and Banjo Kazooie were already promised for the service, with no word about Sega Genesis games.
In a surprise announcement, Nintendo posted a tweet on their social media accounts stating that five Sega Genesis games would be making their way to the online subscription service.
5 additional #SEGAGenesis games are now available for #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack members! Which will you play first?
- Altered Beast
- ToeJam & Earl
- Dynamite Headdy
- Sword of Vermilion
- Thunder Force II pic.twitter.com/MhtISzBN0M5 additional #SEGAGenesis games are now available for #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack members! Which will you play first?
- Altered Beast
- ToeJam & Earl
- Dynamite Headdy
- Sword of Vermilion
- Thunder Force II pic.twitter.com/MhtISzBN0M— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) December 17, 2021December 17, 2021
Altered Beast, ToeJam & Earl, Dynamite Headdy, Sword of Vermilion, Thunder Force II are all available right now for subscribers at no extra cost, with all their retro goodness intact. Their release, however, begs the question of what Nintendo's strategy is for their release.
Nintendo 64 games have been announced or released one at a time, yet Genesis games seem to be releasing in groups of at least five. This is understandable given that the Sega Genesis is a 2D gaming console, but many fans would prefer clearer lines of communication between Nintendo and their audience.
Lots of retro goodness under one roof.
The Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack offers not only online connectivity, but access to cloud saves, Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, and Sega Genesis titles. Subscribers get special offers for retro-themed controllers, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons players can access the Happy Home Paradise DLC for free if they're a subscriber.
