Summary
TheNintendo Switch Onlineservice has been active since Jun 22, 2025, a year after the console’s launch. It came with several perks for members, including online play, cloud saves, NSO App access, exclusive offers, and retro games. Members only had NES games at the service launch, though its library grew with more options.
In October, 2021, the Expansion Pack brought Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games to Nintendo’s Online service. Playable games now come from several developers, including Nintendo’s competitors like Sega andXbox Game Studios. Members who upgraded to Expansion Pass gained more access to retro games, including from 3rd party developers. Some games that have multiplayer modes can be accessed for local and online play, which is a boon for players who prefer their Switch hooked up to their TV.
There are some wacky games on the Sega Genesis, but very few offer a more animated, hilarious earthworm experience likeEarthworm Jim. As the title suggests, the protagonist is an earthworm in a super suit that gives him super strength and a gun. His journey forces him to face many villains that yearn for his super suit, including Psy-Crow, Evil The Cat, and Queen Pulsating Bloated Festering Sweaty Pus-filled Malformed Slug for a Butt.
The game excels in its quirky, colorful animations, especially when Jim gets hurt. Despite the appealing visuals, its difficulty isn’t anything to sneeze at whendealing with tricky platformingand aggressive enemies. Though there was an SNES version, the Sega Genesis version was superior with its consistent framerate and extra original level.
Mega Man: The Wily Wars
Mega Man: The Wily Warsis the perfect entry for any newcomer willing to play the first threeMega Mangames with much better graphics. Its design is similar toMega Man X, being released a year before the collection. The visuals in this collection became the standard for theseries’ next game,Mega Man 7
This collection serves as a huge graphical enhancement with very few A.I. changes for the enemies and robot masters across the games. It does include an extra mode after beating the three games called The Wily Towers. It’s the last challenge to test Mega Man’s skills and equipped abilities from the entire journey, with the goal beings to take down Wily.
Shining Force 1 + 2aresimple, beloved SRPGsthat never fell out of Sega’s favor.Shining Force 1is the 2nd entry of the series for the Sega Genesis, which was remade on the Game Boy Advanced. Shining Force 2 is the series’ 5th entry for the Mega Drive, which was re-released in other collections as well.
Both games give the player a selection of allies with unique personalities, classes, and stories before combat. When two units engage, the perspective doesn’t use theFire Emblemside view, but ratherPokemon’sangled turn-based perspective.Pokemon Red & Bluereleased three years afterShining Force 2,which suggests this series was a strong inspiration.
Ghouls ‘N Ghostsis the Sega Genesis sequel to a well-known challenging IP. It helped increase the series’ success, becoming the 8th-highest-grossing arcade game of 1989 in Japan The game does bring the familiar run-‘n-throw-weapons combat system back, but with various levels and enemies to provide different challenges.
The sequel doesn’t hold back its frustrating difficulty, forcing the player to expect the unexpected when progressing. Fireballs, hurricanes, and skulls are commonplace. Any enemy can appear from anywhere to stop Arthur’s quest for his life-long love, including throwing attacks appearing from off-screen. This is one of the harder (but fair-ish) entries in the Switch Sega Genesis’ library.
Crusader of Centyis an action-adventure with a gameplay formula inspired byThe Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The game doesn’t point out where to go, making the player set off on their adventure as the protagonist should for his 14th birthday. The hints aren’t obvious, which makes it necessary to listen closely to many NPC responses.
During the protagonist’s hero quest, his human speech is replaced by animal & plant speech. This new ability encourages him to learn different techniques from other animals and rely on their aid for his journey. He can interact with many animals, including a familiar hedgehog.
Virtua Fighter 2on Sega Genesis is a 2D remake of one of Sega’s best arcade games; one that became very successful in Japan. It is a standard fighter with a 3-button control scheme for guarding, punching, and kicking. The game is heavily footsie-based, making positioning and attack timing essential. A match can end by knocking out the opponent’s health or knocking them off-stage.
The original nine characters from the predecessor return to the roster, with two more characters, Shun Di and Lion Rafale, joining them. The game excels at showcasingdifferent martial arts, such as hakkyokuken, wrestling, praying mantis, and even drunken kung-fu.
Futuristic space gamesare included in the Expansion Pack, likeMetroid Fusion, butJet Force Geminiis the only 3D third-person shooter with a galactic hero experience.Jet Force Geminiare a galactic trio that includes the boy Juno, the girl Vela, and their pet, Lupus.
The team is forced to land on a planet overrun by the Mizar army, encouraging them to save the poor Tribals from hostile insects. Each team member has unique skills suited for different missions, such as Juno walking on magma, Vela swimming infinitely, and Lupus floating in the air. The team’s techniques must be utilized to save every alien civilian without dealing friendly fire. Players can even challenge their friends in multiplayer deathmatches.
WinBack: Covert Operationsis a good game for anyone seeking a third-person action experience similar toMetal Gear Solid. It isn’t as dramatic and confusing asMGSthough, making this game much more straightforward to understand.
The world is linear compared toMetal Gear Solid,simplifying the objective directions. Each level has enough space and environment for the player and enemies to take cover. The game encourages paying attention to the environment, as enemies can from appear anywhere to take down the protagonist.
Nothing beats jumping into a Nintendo 64 game likeBlast Corpsto cause destructive mayhem. It’s one of the most accessible games on the system for relieving explosive aggression.
Level objectives range from simply destroying every building in the area to safely escorting transports through blocked paths. Different vehicles are provided for each level to utilize their destructive power, including a mecha robot. Players can replay levels to try for faster completion times, and to earn better scores and rewarding medals.
Perfect Darkprovides a special opportunity for players to become secret agents firsthand. What starts as a realistic stealth mission shifts into a more other worldly threat for the protagonist, Joanna Dark.
The levels are spacious, offering plenty for players to explore, opening up the choice to confront enemies head-on or stealthily sneak past them. There are different weapons available, including using the enemies’ utilities or Johanna’s fists. The game does get better after players get used to the game’s movement and aiming. It even has multiplayer options for friendly or competitive co-op.Perfect Darkis one of two Nintendo 64 games that’s rated M in Nintendo’s Online service.
