Switch Online "Expansion Pack" - Nintendo 64 and Sega Mega Drive games to be added

As I'm dead in the latest AYAW, and apparently because my itch to investigate and analyse wasn't sufficiently scratched (particularly when it comes to alphabetised lists)...

rinks wrote:Has this been covered here?

Likely forthcoming additions - “37 is Majora, 32 is Smash, 33 is Wave Race, 14-16 is Mario Party”.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021 ... -n64-games

It has now. :slol:

I've spent some time trying to figure out what the remaining games could be.

For reference, the original 'list', with gaps, is here:

twitter.com/Mondo_Mega/status/1452826364990480386

FWIW: the bad news for for Rare fans is that many of their games begin with letters at the top end of the alphabet, where there aren't as many available spaces. When you factor in games that are likely to appear on NSO due to them holding the rights / the games having previously been included on Virtual Console, it makes it basically impossible that we'll see Donkey Kong 64, Diddy Kong Racing, or Conker.

Mickey's Speedway has more chance given the gaps on the list but I'd wager that licensing issues will put a stop to that.

The good news for Rare fans is that there's a huge gap between Mario Tennis and Sin & Punishment. Even if you add in the games confirmed so far, Pilotwings, and all the Pokemons, you've still got several spaces. So looking potentially good for Perfect Dark! Which would of course soften the blow of missing Goldeneye.

Also, game #35 is a real puzzler. Many of the games that fit alphabetically between Winback and Yoshi's Story are licensed (World Cup 98, WWF, Xena, TWINE - presuming "The" is disregarded - World Driver Championship). WipeOut 64 would fit (as would Wonder Project)...

So having done a bit of thinking and tinkering, I reckon the gaps - once you add the obvious Nintendo games to their places in the order - can all be filled by one likely third-party contributor:

So therefore, my best guess at the final list, at this point, is:

Further thoughts:

Am I missing something? Why can't DK64 and DKR slot between Banjo and Dr Mario?

Do we know for sure that there's "one list to rule them all"? Don't the SNES/NES online collections vary by region?

Tomous wrote:Am I missing something? Why can't DK64 and DKR slot between Banjo and Dr Mario?

The two Custom Robo games have already been confirmed, taking up two of the free spots above Dr Mario. We know Banjo Kazooie is in there, leaving only six slots. It's theoretically possible that some combination of DK64, Tooie, Conker and DKR could fill or form part of that gap - but 1080 Snowboarding is an easy guess as Nintendo don't have to get anyone's permission to add it, and Cruisn and Bomberman were both on Virtual Console, so I think it's much more probable that they're included. Given licensing and precedent, I'd say Tooie and/or DK64 are more likely than Conker and/or DKR, but I could be wrong. My list is my best guess!

Jenuall wrote:Do we know for sure that there's "one list to rule them all"? Don't the SNES/NES online collections vary by region?

No, I do not know this!

Jenuall wrote:
Drumstick wrote:
Robbo-92 wrote:Yeah 3D All Stars is a great package in my opinion, still need to go back and finish Galaxy off!

I see 3D All-Stars as "good". It would have been great or excellent if they'd included the second Galaxy game.

I think good is about right for it - it does just about enough to be an acceptable package of 3 very good old games (with the caveat that Sunshine isn't actually very good).

This Expansion Pack I would argue falls short of even reaching the "acceptable" level

Galaxy and SM64 elevated 3D All Stars above a good package to a great one for me, Sunshine is the only game I’d class as good on the whole as I found it unnecessarily annoying at times but even then the good moments in the game outweigh the poor ones. If we’d got Galaxy 2 as well it’d have been even better, still hoping that’s in the works for some kind of re-release.

Galaxy in HD was utterly glorious and worth the price of the package alone for me :wub:

Mario 64 and Galaxy are just amazing games, so those on their own makes that collection essential. Sunshine is half brilliant, half so so. Loved 3d all stars and will play it again soon no doubt, definitely Mario 64 with the N64 controller. (I still need to get all stars with Luigi in galaxy).

One other point about that datamined list is it rules out certain games for sure. Snowboard Kids and SS Silicon Valley to name two. It was a long shot anyway, but it's still a shame.

Would have loved both of those

If we get Mystical Ninja(s) though I am subbing

Same!

Also, I'm guessing everyone has realised, but if you're already a "general" NSO subscriber you could theoretically get access for a short period for pennies?

Just check online when your current sub expires, then upgrade say a week or two before then, and turn off auto renewal. When your sub expires re-up on the original tier. You'll get that week or two to play the N64 games but at a fraction of the annual cost.

Or have Nintendo done a Nintendo and acted to prevent this somehow?

Herdanos wrote:Same!

Also, I'm guessing everyone has realised, but if you're already a "general" NSO subscriber you could theoretically get access for a short period for pennies?

Just check online when your current sub expires, then upgrade say a week or two before then, and turn off auto renewal. When your sub expires re-up on the original tier. You'll get that week or two to play the N64 games but at a fraction of the annual cost.

Or have Nintendo done a Nintendo and acted to prevent this somehow?

they've made it so that when you upgrade from an existing 12 month plan you commit to a further 12 months. :simper:

Please understand.

Tomous wrote:Galaxy in HD was utterly glorious and worth the price of the package alone for me

Absolutely, Iv finished 64 and sunshine but I'm.saving galaxy for Christmas. Fingers crossed we one day get GameCube games on the service.

Radish wrote:
Tomous wrote:Galaxy in HD was utterly glorious and worth the price of the package alone for me

Absolutely, Iv finished 64 and sunshine but I'm.saving galaxy for Christmas. Fingers crossed we one day get GameCube games on the service.

They will be saved for the Expansion Pack 2 where you will need the based and current expansion to buy pack 2.

Errkal wrote:
Radish wrote:
Tomous wrote:Galaxy in HD was utterly glorious and worth the price of the package alone for me

Absolutely, Iv finished 64 and sunshine but I'm.saving galaxy for Christmas. Fingers crossed we one day get GameCube games on the service.

They will be saved for the Expansion Pack 2 where you will need the based and current expansion to buy pack 2.

If they did that I'd hate to think how much the whole lot would cost a year...

Joined a family group for the expansion sub via a Switch group over on Facebook. My normal sub had 2 months remaining so can’t grumble with £7.50 each for a year.

KjGarly wrote:Joined a family group for the expansion sub via a Switch group over on Facebook. My normal sub had 2 months remaining so can’t grumble with £7.50 each for a year.

How does it work joining a family sub when you have a personal sub with time remaining? Do you just lose it?

OrangeMKN wrote:
KjGarly wrote:Joined a family group for the expansion sub via a Switch group over on Facebook. My normal sub had 2 months remaining so can’t grumble with £7.50 each for a year.

How does it work joining a family sub when you have a personal sub with time remaining? Do you just lose it?

Yup but with it expiring in January I wasn't fussed :lol:

I know I might be fuelling bad practice from Nintendo but I'm happy with this purchase.

Up to Kakariko on Ocarina of Time (and it's still so great in so many ways I'd forgotten) and pootled about in SM64 (as always). Lylat Wars looked a bit bare in the landmaster level amongst others but I think it plays fine and still has great variation in theme and play style between levels. Yoshi's Story still feels satisfying when you gulp down a melon.

Even Winback has given me some fun in a basic kind of way - when everything is stripped back what's there pops more, I think. So I found the wall-leaning and laser-sight way cooler than it should have been.

I even wonder (e.g. in OoT) if some of the old limitations like OoT's famously low frame-rate add something too, in a snappy, kinetic Ridley Scott Gladiator kind of way. Link's swordplay is still fun and the whoosh noises with the enemy-lock on and the roll make them feel even better than many modern examples. See also: SM64's whooshes compared with Odyssey's lack.

Overall as imperfect as some of the visuals may be I think the overall sensibility of the games is intact, really. More so than in some remakes (like SM64's goggle eyes on n DS, or Link's un-trudgy run and the overall colour palette in OoT3D).

I like it and am happy to have paid for it.

And the music in Ristar is horrible and makes it harder to play even though the arm stuff is cool.

Switch Online "Expansion Pack" - Nintendo 64 and Sega Mega Drive games to be added

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