Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack Review: ‘Feels like it was put together just to see if people would go for it’

The Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack recently premiered, and it’s been a disappointment. For an extra $30 for individuals and $45 for families per year, players get the Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise DLC, and access to Nintendo Switch Online N64 and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games. Unfortunately, for those that just want the N64 and Genesis games, there’s no ala carte option. So, if you don’t care for Animal Crossing, it’s a steep price to pay for a small collection of games that are over 20 years old.

More like N63½

However, the price wouldn’t be an issue if not for the poor N64 game emulation. The mediocre Super Mario 3D All-Stars version of Super Mario 64 at least had redrawn HUD textures, and updated button prompts. The Nintendo Switch Online versions of the games don’t even have those token updates. This extends even to the NSO version of Super Mario 64, which is strangely not ripped straight from Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and seems to be just a regular N64 ROM with no texture upgrades.

The issues don’t just stop with a lack of any updates. Several games, Zelda: Ocarina of Time being one of them, feature slowdown and graphical issues. Additionally, the Switch’s horrible online gameplay puts a damper on the one added feature that might have made the NSO Expansion Pack worthwhile. I’m honestly mind-boggled that a company like Nintendo, which is so protective of how its IPs are perceived by the public, would put out such a low-quality product for such a high price tag.

Why Genesis?

On the upside, the Genesis games work just fine, but I’m not sure why they’re even here. Sega has offered these same titles up in multiple collections, some of which are already available on the Switch. Meanwhile, Metroid Dread just came out, but you can’t play Metroid Fusion on the Switch.

Why add Genesis instead of Game Boy or Game Boy Advance games? That’s not to mention the first-party games that are still missing from the NES and SNES collections. For example, there’s still no Earthbound Beginnings, Earthbound, or Super Mario RPG for reasons that have never been explained. But, instead of prioritizing any of its own classics, Nintendo decided to charge users to play games that used to directly rival their own.

Bad faith product

Lately, it seems like for every Metroid Dread that Nintendo puts out, it has to make a major fumble. Given the quality of the NSO N64 games, you’re better off just buying the Animal Crossing: New Horizons DLC than renting it through the Expansion Pack. The decision to release this bundle was a bad omen for Nintendo’s future, and it crosses the line into greed. There’s no way that this was crafted in good faith, and it’s just the latest in a string of poor decisions that company has made in the Switch era.

I’ve rarely felt like Nintendo was consciously making anti-consumer decisions. It keeps its game prices high, but for the most part, first-party Nintendo titles are high quality and fun, so I didn’t mind paying the Nintendo tax. This time, though, it feels distinctly like the Expansion Pack was put together just to see if people would go for it.

With the poor performance of the Switch hardware, especially compared to the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo really needs to lean on its earnest reputation to keep fans coming back. Mainstream portable PCs like the Steam Deck are coming, and being the only handheld won’t keep the Switch alive then.

Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack Review: The final verdict

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNsGXJ6Cl00

So, I recommend avoiding the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. The N64 and Genesis games are available in cheaper/better forms elsewhere. The only way the Expansion Pack is a good value is if you have eight people on your family plan, and all of them are avid Animal Crossing fans. Otherwise, if you want the Animal Crossing DLC, just buy it outright.