Every N64 launch game for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack
Dr. Mario 64
Dr. Mario 64 is a fantastic addition to the lineup. It’s one of the rare 64 games that are sequels that adhere to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. While it does add excellent multiple experiences, the main game itself is the simple but difficult classic Dr. Mario. No eye-breaking fax 3D renders or anything like that. It’s just solid puzzle gameplay with a clean look.
That’s not saying it’s made weird choices. Far from it. While there’s a wealth of characters you can play as, only Mario and Wario are Nintendo characters. The rest, for reasons I’ll never understand, are bizarre one-off characters like Lump, Appleby, Jellybob, and, I’m sorry…is that thing that looks like a genie made out of an inflated hot dog named “Hello”? Well Hello to you too, weirdo.
The multiplayer is going to be where this shines, especially with the online multiplayer features. It has a mode where each player has a colorful virus countdown and combos cause little bricks to fall down on opponents’ screens and raise hell for them.
Sin and Punishment
This is a weird one. Sin and Punishment never got an official U.S. release until it was added to the Wii’s Eshop. But it’s always been spoken about stateside in legends.
Sin and Punishment is a completely off-the-wall rail shooter that has story twists so outlandish that it makes Bayonetta’s story look as plain as Donkey Kong Country’s. It was praised heavily for a lot of its visual elements which, as you can see from the trailer, are a LOT. You’re shooting enemies, slashing them when they get to close, and dodging a ton of obstacles at the same time.
It’s a fun game but it’s also not easy. This is the game included that makes me seriously hope that the N64 channel has the rewind features of the NES and SNES channels so that I can finally beat this dang game.
Considered by many to be one of THE best Nintendo 64 games ever launched, it’ll really be interesting seeing this game get handled by all the young bucks that never saw this game before. Especially when the people who get the Nintendo 64 controller find out the weird way you’re supposed to hold the controller to play this game. They designed the game so that you had to hold the left and middle parts of the controller instead of the right two that most N64 games asked of you.