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It’s been a year since Nintendo launched its higher-tier Expansion Pack service for Nintendo Switch Online, which brought a select library of Sega Mega Drive / Genesis games and Nintendo 64 titles to Switch alongside access to otherwise-paid DLC such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise.
Priced at $49.99USD / £34.99 for an individual yearly subscription — an extra $30 / £17 on top of the standard annual Nintendo Switch Online subscription offering — the sentiment among Switch owners at launch wasn’t particularly warm, with criticism directed at a small initial library of N64 titles, various distracting (and, in some cases, game-hampering) emulation issues, and a general feeling that this new tier didn’t offer enough value-for-money to justify the higher asking price.
However, over the past year, we’ve seen Nintendo slowly and steadily adding value to the subscription. Emulation issues, while still present in some cases, are being addressed to an extent, and a monthly trickle of 16- and 64-bit games has produced a pretty decent library of retro games for both Mega Drive and N64.
Of course, there are loads of great titles missing for one reason or another (primarily licensing issues or because they’re available in retro packages elsewhere — hi, Konami/Capcom!), but it’s hard to argue with the quality on offer, particularly looking at the Genesis selection. You get the standards like Sonic 2 and Streets of Rage 2, but you also get Musha, Contra: Hard Corps, Beyond Oasis, Gunstar Heroes, and Castlevania: Bloodlines. No, there’s no shortage of ways to play these games, but having them available on Switch is certainly convenient.
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