Nintendo Switch Online finally adds new Sega Genesis games, and it's a good bunch

Nintendo Switch Online finally adds new Sega Genesis games, and it'south a expert bunch

(Epitome credit: Sega / Nintendo)

Information technology's been a bit of a bumpy ride for the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription service thus far, but the higher tier service has finally received a handful of new Sega Genesis / Mega Bulldoze games. It's a decent pick, too, featuring a mixture of Sega stalwarts and a couple of unexpected classics.

Announced past Nintendo via its social media channels, Expansion Pack subscribers can play the new Sega Genesis / Mega Drive additions right now on their Nintendo Switch. The five new games are as follows:

Altered Beast: an iconic brawler that whatsoever Genesis / Mega Drive collection would experience a tad hollow without. It's very crude around the edges, and not as good as Aureate Axe, but has a bright soundtrack and some hilarious vox acting (rise from your grave!)
ToeJam & Earl: a baroque, juvenile take a chance game that is painfully 90'south. The trickiest part of ToeJam & Earl is merely figuring out what yous're supposed to practise, but in that location's a high volume of visual randomness to go along things fairly interesting throughout.
Dynamite Headdy: yet another Treasure archetype makes its way to Nintendo Switch Online. Delightfully colorful visuals and a creative "backstage" motif actually aid this one stand out, as does Treasure'southward penchant for gameplay that'southward barely aged.
Sword of Vermilion: A quirky RPG that mixes dungeon-itch exploration with side-scrolling combat. It's a fairly aggressive game for its time, even if that ambition comes at the price of confusing level design and clunky gainsay. Withal worth a look, though.
Thunder Force two: The Thunder Force series of shoot-em-ups dominated the console with hard-as-nails gameplay, an innovative power-up system, and consistently fantabulous metal soundtracks.

five boosted #SEGAGenesis games are now bachelor for #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack members! Which will you play first?- Altered Creature- ToeJam & Earl- Dynamite Headdy- Sword of Vermilion- Thunder Force II picture show.twitter.com/MhtISzBN0MDecember 17, 2021

Every bit we expected, Nintendo has been adequately slow in rolling out new games for Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. On the N64 side, simply one new game has been added since the subscription tier's launch, that being Paper Mario. Don't go united states wrong, it's arguably 1 of the best N64 games, merely the slow baste of updates is disconcerting to say the to the lowest degree.

Here's hoping Nintendo can ramp upward the updates in 2022. Nosotros already have a bit of a roadmap for the N64, with games similar Banjo-Kazooie and F-Goose egg Ten coming soon. But Sega Genesis / Mega Bulldoze updates are a fiddling up in the air now.

Nosotros previously reported on a dataminer'southward findings after they dived into Expansion Pack's code, and information technology looks like plenty more titles are on the way, with the potential of Game Male child and Game Boy Color games being added at a later fourth dimension.

For now, though, we accept to hope that Nintendo volition keep to fill the Expansion Pack's library with the best its retro consoles have to offer, from popular classics to lesser-known cult hits.

Nintendo Switch Online vs Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack

Rhys is a Staff Writer for TechRadar, and while relatively fresh to the role, he's been writing in a professional chapters for years. A Media, Writing and Production graduate, Rhys has prior experience creating written content for Hour companies, restaurants, app developers, Information technology sites and toy sellers. His truthful passions, though, prevarication in video games, TV, sound and habitation entertainment. When Rhys isn't on the clock, you'll usually find him logged into Final Fantasy xiv.