Sword of Vermilion, ToeJam & Earl, Dynamite Headdy, and Thunder Force II round out the list
Nintendo is on a long and potentially never-ending road to warm people up to the idea of the Expansion Pack costing as much as it does, and after the recent Paper Mario drop for the N64 library, itās off to a slow start. But the pricey Switch Online service has added its first wave of Sega Genesis titles to help pad out the launch list, and itās, well, a start.
There are five newly-available Genesis games, and given Segaās prior digital releases and compilations, it was simply a matter of time before Altered Beast stumbled in. Aside from that chaotic beat-āem-up, Expansion Pack subscribers now have access to ToeJam & Earl, Dynamite Headdy, Sword of Vermilion, and Thunder Force II, the latter of which is a pleasant surprise for scrolling shooter fans. Last night, I booted up ToeJam to soak in the music.
If youāve never played Dynamite Headdy ā or if itās been a while ā thatās my go-to pick. I mean, you canāt really go wrong with Treasure. It was the era of strange mascots and even stranger abilities, and as a vibrant action-platformer, one that definitely still comes to mind when I think of Genesis greats, I think itāll hold up either way. Give it a shot!
Personally, Iām most curious to check out Sword of Vermilion ā my expectations are set, and I fully expect to bounce off it before too long, but Iāve always wanted to at least try it.
Even if this all coming later than expected, I do appreciate having some okay-to-great retro games to play on the plane during the holidays. These Sega Genesis titles probably wonāt hold my attention for too long ā Iāve had ample opportunity to revisit many of āem over the years ā but the Switch Online N64 selection is still calling me, flaws and all. Itās a shame Nintendo is holding Banjo-Kazooie until January, though. The Jinjos need me.
At the current pace, Iāll be shocked if Nintendo can get me on the hook for another year-long commitment to the Expansion Pack. Itās not impossible, but it sure looks dicey.
Published: Dec 17, 2021 8:30 PM UTC